Guest Post - Vicky Alvear Shecter

I have a treat for you today, my lovelies.  Vicky Alvear Shecter, author of the fabulous YA historical novel Cleopatra's Moon was kind enough to stop by the blog for a guest post.  Here's what she had to say:

Thank you, Geekgirl, for hosting me on your blog. I figure if there is any place where I can fly my “history geek girl” flag, it’s here, right?

I’m a total geek about ancient Egypt and the ancient world. To give you an idea of my level of geekdom, when the Tut exhibit came to Atlanta, I got seriously choked up as I stood before artifacts I had only ever read about. (I think the security guard was worried for me.)

Anyway, non-history geeks will sometimes ask me what I find so fascinating about the ancient world. I blubber on about the breathtaking artwork, the mysterious rites, the almost magical sense of “otherness.” But it’s more than that. I’m also moved by the connection through time and space of one human being to another.

So when I started my novel, Cleopatra’s Moon, my focus was not on the “otherness” of ancient Egypt, but the experience every girl must face at one time or another—separating from mom and carving our her own identity—no matter the era.

Of course, the fact that Selene’s mother just happened to be the last queen of Egypt added another layer of fascination for me.  I’ve written non-fiction before, but there was something almost magical for me about writing fiction. I allowed myself to sink into the “experiences” of being in ancient Egypt and ancient Rome—reveling in the smells, sounds, tastes, sights and sensations of these beautiful and brutal worlds.

My hope is that readers will lose themselves in these other worlds and, at the same time, find their secret inner experiences mirrored as well.

Cleopatra's Moon is out in stores now, and it's an amazing, engrossing read.  My review will be up tomorrow, and I urge you to pick it up.

Happy Reading!

-geekgirl