Dear Theo,

We have to right write a letter for an assignment. Since Mum and Dad hardly remember to read there their mail, I decided to write you.

How are you? I am fine. Even though it’s finally stopped raining, the grounds are still too muddy to do any sports. I swear in some spots the mud comes up to our knees.

Has that Bollingsworth fellow ever shown up?

What about Wigmere and those other blokes from Somerset House? Have you heard any more from them?

Sincerely,

Your Brother, Henry

p.s. I will be coming home for Eastertide, arriving at Victoria Station at 3:17 on March 23. Do not forget to have someone pick me up!

* * *

Honestly! It’s a good thing he’s at school so he can learn to spell! Surely there is nothing more annoying than younger brothers!

Hello People! Here I am! I’ve been absent so much lately because I do have a book to write, you know. And books take time. Loads and loads of time.

In other news, Sticky Will stopped by. It was Open Visitation Day at the museum, the one day out of the month when admission to the museum is free, so anybody who wishes to view the artifacts can do so. Mother and Father tend to make themselves scarce on Open Visitation Day, but I don’t. I manage to stay quite busy. So many children come on Open Visitation Day that it’s important to be sure they don’t get carried away and touch the artifacts or press too closely up against the glass cases. Of course, all the under curators are busy making sure of the same thing, but for different reasons. They want to protect the artifacts from the masses. I want to protect the masses from any curses lingering on the artifacts.

I also like to watch the families that come to the museum on a family outing. However, I am always very careful to avoid the school groups. It wouldn’t do at all to have one of the teachers notice me and ask why I wasn’t in school. Of course, it wouldn’t be any of their business, but that never stops grown ups from butting in, I’ve found.

Today, as I hung back watching a family with three daughters ohh and ahh over the mummy cases in the Egyptian exhibit, a boy wearing his cap pulled low over his eyes sidled up next to me. I politely stepped aside to let him pass. Only he didn’t pass. Instead, he asked, “Oy miss. Are any of them mummies cursed?”

Of course, I recognized his voice immediately.

“Will?” I said quietly, not wanting to raise anyone’s curiosity. “What are you doing here?”

“Ain’t I good enough to come to yer museum to see yer blooming mummies?”

“Of course you are!” I rushed to assure him. “I just wasn’t expecting you, that’s all.” Honestly. Does he have to get so indignant all the time?

“And Ol’ Wigmere did want me to check in on you and see if you ‘ad any messages for ‘im.”

The good news was that I didn’t. Not today. Things seemed to be quiet here at the museum, at least for now.

But as we all know, that could change at any moment…

Hi everyone! RL here. I’m sorry I’ve been gone so long but my computer went up in a little, plastic smelling puff of smoke and I’ve been without a computer for two weeks. Argh! But I’m back now with a bright, shiny new computer and ta-da! The cover art for Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris! Isn’t it gorgeous??

And in celebration of summer, I’ll be back next Monday with a new contest

Theodosia Throckmorton: The Perilous Account of a Young Girl, a Cursed Cat, a Heart with Evile Intent, Several Nefarious Gentleman With German Accents, and a Few Dozen Jam-Soiled Frocks

by Leximel!

Congratulations, Leximel! That was an awesome title and very in keeping with the whole Victorian English Literature thing. I’ll contact you for your address and get it in the mail this week!

There were a ton of great entries, guys! And don’t worry. We’ll have another contest in two weeks…

Hello again. Just thought I’d pop in with a couple of updates and announcements. First, Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos will be available in paperback beginning in May.

Secondly, in honor of the upcoming paperback, I’ve posted some reader discussion questions for you to use for either a book report or a class discussion. (Please don’t answer the questions here! We wouldn’t want to spoil the book for anyone who hasn’t finished it yet!)

Also, there is an official publication date for Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris: November 1, 2008. As the date draws closer, I’ll post some excerpts and have new contests!

I’m sorry to have been so absent lately, but with Mum back and all the artifacts she’s brought, well, I’ve been very busy.

I also wanted to answer a question a reader sent me (Sarah, age 8, from upstate NY) because I thought others might be wondering the same thing.

Sarah asks, “Why was the statue of Bastet cursed?”

The statue of Bastet was cursed by the Egyptian priests and magicians who placed it in the tomb. They did this to help give the dead pharaoh access to magic and power in the Egyptian “after life,” because he might need that extra power to battle the Underworld demons on his journey to their version of heaven.

So in the right circumstances, the spell would be helpful to the dead pharaoh, but since the statue was taken (some would say stolen, although I’m sure Mum never thought of it that way!) from the tomb, the spell was harmful because it mistook the people who’d taken if for the underworld demons.

A lot of Egyptian magic was for the purpose of protecting the deceased in the Underworld.

Only seven more days until Mum comes home! Her ship gets in on Dec. 18. Oh dear. The Egyptian Calendar says it will be a very adverse day. Let’s hope they’re wrong.

Auspice: very adverse
It says that if you see a dog today, do not go near him. Although, honestly. That doesn’t sound so very bad. That’s how my cat, Isis, feels every day!

To keep me out of trouble, Father gave me an ancient papyrus today that he feels certain is a copy of the Egyptian calendar. I am to decipher the hieroglyphs. Of course, he thinks this is a punishment because hieroglyphic writing is terribly difficult for him. But I love hieroglyphs, so I’m very happy to do it. Plus, it’s gives me a chance to prove how useful I can be. Something everyone around here tends to forget.

Very happy to hear Clive Fagenbush being raked over the coals by the First Assistant Curator, Nigel Bollingsworth. He’d caught wind of the statue incident and seemed to think Fagenbush was more responsible than I. He accused Fagenbush of sloppy work and told him if he didn’t shape up, he’d have to recommend he be dismissed.

This is just one of the many reasons I am quite fond of Nigel Bollingsworth. He doesn’t seem to life Fagenbush any more than I do. That and he doesn’t seem to think I’m a pest.

Aha! I finally discovered the sound of the scritching noise! It’s coming from a small statue of Osiris, the god of the dead. Although why a statue of Osiris would be making such a noise, I have no idea. Most disconcerting really. Must keep a close eye on that.

Tamara! Whose favorite Egytptian god is Isis. I’ll contact you privately for your mailing information. Thanks for entering!

We received a letter from Mum today! She’s off at her dig in the Valley of the Kings. It seems as if she’s been gone forever! However, the letter said she would be home soon. I can’t wait. I’ve missed her horribly. Of course, Mum coming home meant lots of new artifacts for our collections. I wonder how many will be cursed?

Barbara Bietz! Congratulations, Barbara! I’ll email you to get your mailing information!

Stay tuned for another contest soon..

Must decide today whether or not to make arrangements for my younger brother Henry to come home from school for the winter holidays. If I don’t make the arrangements, Father will most likely forget, and Henry will have to stay at school. As beastly as Henry can be, I’m not sure even he deserves to spend the holidays at school. However, I shall be sure to let him know that it was I who arranged for his homecoming. I should be able to hold that over his head for a bit. Especially when he starts being a horrid pest.