Fiction

FEATURED: The Eye of Nefertiti: A Pharaoh’s Cat Novel by Maria Luisa Lang

FEATURED: The Eye of Nefertiti: A Pharaoh’s Cat Novel by Maria Luisa Lang

It’s summer, and I’m stretched out on a windowsill in my bedroom with the sunlight warming the fur on my back. It’s quiet except for the drone of traffic on the Henry Hudson Parkway and the occasional whir of a helicopter flying along the river.
I once shared this bedroom with my friend Gato-Hamen, the High Priest of Amun-Ra. He and I had fled ancient Egypt on his magic boat. It was only supposed to carry us to a foreign land, but it took us through time as well as space here to Elena’s house in twenty-first century New York City.
Elena’s late father had been a renowned Egyptologist, and she immediately recognized us as ancient Egyptians. She was surprised we were speaking English. We explained that the prayer which had launched the magic boat also gave us the power to speak the language wherever we arrived.
She was also surprised that I, a cat, could talk and walk like a man. That would be explained later. Overjoyed at the prospect of excitement in her life, she invited us to stay with her.
Now the High Priest shares her bedroom, and I share this one with their child, who’s the reincarnation of the Pharaoh I loved thousands of years ago. He’s on the floor, playing contentedly with his building blocks. It’s hard to believe he’s already a year old.
Elena is reading and keeping an eye on him. “Wrappa-Hamen, are you recharging?” she asks, as she always does when she sees me basking in the sun. “You lazy old cat!”
“Lazy, yes. Old, not yet,” I reply, too drowsy to say more.
When I first met the Pharaoh, he was sixteen, and I was a stray tomcat. I’d wandered into in a looted tomb and was kicked by the Vizier, his uncle. I spat a cat amulet at him, hitting him on the forehead. He accused me of trying to kill him. The High Priest arrived and tried to reason with him.
Then it happened. I suddenly had human powers! I stood upright, walked over to the Vizier, and debated with him. The Pharaoh entered the tomb to hear me wise-cracking and laughed for the first time since his parents’ death. He took me to live with him at court, and we became inseparable.
A year later the Vizier poisoned him and accused me of the murder. He was going to put me to death when the High Priest rescued me. We fled Egypt on the magic boat and ended up in Elena’s living room . . .

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FEATURED: The Pharaoh’s Cat by Maria Luisa Lang

FEATURED: The Pharaoh’s Cat by Maria Luisa Lang

Water is filling my ears.  
“Useless beast. I should cut . . . tail. Drowning’s too good . . . you . . .”   
Egyptians revere cats, but there are exceptions.  
A week ago the brute snatched me from the streets, put me in a sack, and brought me on board to protect the load of grain he’s taking down the Nile to Waset.  
Cats hunt rats, but there are exceptions.
Which the brute realized this morning. He picked me up by the scruff of my neck and threw me over the side.  
If I never see a boat again it will be too soon . . .
I swim toward the river bank. Exhausted, I lie on the shore and let my fur dry in the warmth of the sun. Now that I’m free, I intend to resume roaming from village to village, seeing new things, meeting new cats, tasting new foods. But first I’ll eat the perch I caught during my swim.
I’m licking the smell of fish off my paws and face when I spot a pyramid in the far distance. I’ve heard a lot about them, but I’ve never seen one before.
I can’t take my eyes off it. It seems to be beckoning me.
It’s my destiny to go there!
Tail on high and a heart full of expectation, I begin walking.

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Featured Post: Times of Clouds and Sun by michael hager

Featured Post: Times of Clouds and Sun by michael hager

Michael Dane Hager writing credits include a novel, poetry, short stories, theatrical plays, and film scripts. He was formerly Managing Editor for the largest English newspaper in Mexico. His first novel Just Beyond the Edge, was published in 2011. In August, 2008, his play The Last Ride premiered at an international regional theater. In 2020, he completed his second novel In the Times of Clouds & Sun. He has won awards and grants for his poetry and published an anthology of his poetry titled, Reckoning of the Heart. His film scripts have received numerous laurels from major film festivals. He is currently working on a short story collection titled, Wayward Messages. In addition to his writing credits, he is an accomplished songwriter with over 40 songs recorded by a variety of artists. He lives with his wife of 52 years, Christina, in Fort Collins, Colorado.

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Featured Post: Now is the Time of Monstes by A.G. Mock

Featured Post: Now is the Time of Monstes by A.G. Mock

INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING THRILLER AUTHOR

In his own words, A.G. Mock’s calling is to introduce you to his imaginary friends…and then subject them to the unfathomable horrors in his head. After all, what’s more intimate than a little shared terror between friends?

“I was haunted from a very young age and those specters just never went away,” admits Mock. “They follow me wherever I go. Aware. Hungry. Desperate for validation. So, I can’t really say that I’m a writer. All I do is let them out, and they do the rest. I just watch and record the mayhem.”

A.G. Mock is a two-time American Fiction Awards winner and a full professional working member of the Horror Writers Association and International Thriller Writers. He is a guest at several horror and thriller conventions, and regularly appears on panels alongside Clay McLeod Chapman (Wake Up and Open Your Eyes), John Russo (Night of the Living Dead) and others!

He currently resides in rural South Carolina with his wife, two rescue dogs and at least one ghost.
His wife and dogs he treasures wildly.

The ghost he can take or leave.
Click FOLLOW to be the first to hear from Amazon about his new books, and of course you are welcome to visit him at AGMock.com.

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Featured Post: Do You Believe in Monsters? | Dark Circles Book 2 by Jim Melvin

Featured Post: Do You Believe in Monsters? | Dark Circles Book 2 by Jim Melvin

Jim is the author of nine award-winning novels, three novelettes, and thousands of magazine and news articles. He now lives in a valley surrounded by mountains in the Southern Appalachians. He was previously an award-winning journalist at several national newspapers and a communications director at Clemson University.

Jim grew up on the shores of western Florida where he spent much of his childhood swimming in shark-infested waters long before the movie “Jaws” put a scare into everyone. At the time, he probably was too skinny to attract a bull shark’s attention. About ten other boys Jim’s age lived on his same street, and they hung out morning, noon and night playing the usual sports that young boys love — football, baseball, “kill the carrier,” etc. — but as a group they also played fantastical games that contained magic, monsters and superheroes. It was in this setting that Jim’s imagination was born and nurtured.

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Featured Post: Morgan’s Landing by Linda Griffin

Featured Post: Morgan’s Landing by Linda Griffin

I knew I wanted to be a “book maker” as soon as I learned to read and wrote my first story at the age of six. My passion for the printed word also led me to a career with the San Diego Public Library. I retired to spend more time on my writing and have had stories published in numerous literary journals Morgan’s Landing is my tenth book from The Wild Rose Press. In addition to the three R’s–reading, writing, and research–I enjoy travel, movies, Scrabble, and visiting museums and art galleries.

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