This is a little belatedseveral things have intervenedbut I did finish the first book in my fictional Lawgiver Chronicles series on the life of Moses. It is titled Beginnings, and takes place over one 24 hour period, the day Moses is put in the Nile river to be found by the sister of Pharaoh. I have already started on the second book, Remembrance, which I plan on finishing this year.
That would be a radical improvement, since it took 16 years to complete the first book. Nine months for the second would demonstrate what a publisher wants to see in a series. My former agent is no longer in the business but he did suggest another agent to me, so I submitted the proposal to him. I haven’t heard anything, but whatever comes of that the writing will go on. I can still hear in my mind’s eye my friend Keith’s refrain, “Moses, Moses, Moses” to spur me on.
I thought I would include a little of my proposal to give you an idea of what the book was all about. Stop here if you are not interested… 😉
Background:
A lot of people, when they hear the subject say, “Oh, another Moses book” and start to dismiss it. However this book is not the same old, same old. Beginnings takes place over a twenty-four hour period, starting just after midnight with Jochebed and Amram finishing the waterproofing of the basket that would carry Moses on his journey down the Nile. After an eventful day, filled with signs, portents, a council meeting called by Pharaoh, and an attempted assassination, the story ends with the rescinding of the edict against the Hebrews and Moses being put to bed in the home of princess Asati by his mother Jochebed, her people saved from sure destruction by her infant son.
This book is unique in numerous ways, but two are most important:
1. Every other story I have read about the finding of Moses in the basket on the Nile uses as a major point in the story the attempt to hide the fact he was a Hebrew. My story does not. Instead, it adheres to the historical account of Josephus who claimed the Egyptians knew he was Hebrew from the beginning. This will be an important plot device throughout this and the next two books of the projected series.
2. No other story I have read deals with the rescinding of the edict against the Hebrew males. This book makes that issue the central theme of the story. Without the rescinding of the edict there would be no Exodus because there would be no Hebrews to save. This book deals with that.
Summary:
After a difficult journey to the river, Moses is put into the water by his mother, only to be found by the sister of Pharaoh, which sets off a series of events that lead to the rescinding of the edict against the Hebrew males and his inclusion into the household of Princess Asati.
Promo Sentence:
The river offered his only hope of survival, but would the Egyptian who found him embrace him, or turn him in to die?
Sales Handles:
An ancient power, a foundling child, and the day that changed the world!
Back Cover Copy:
The year is 1292 B.C. and Egypt has almost fully recovered from more than a generation of turmoil. Begun by the Pharaoh who is not named, the nation was plunged into social and religious chaos by a leader who overthrew the historic gods of the Two Lands in his desire to follow a single supreme and all-powerful deity, which he named Aten.
Now, fifty-five years later, during the fourth year of the new dynasty, a new threat is taken from the waters of the Nile; a Hebrew child who should rightfully be put death as an offering to Sobek, the crocodile-headed god. Throughout the twists and turns of an eventful day, the destiny of two nations is forever changed, as the name of Moses is first etched into the annals of history.
Audience:
This book is not just for a Christian audience. I wrote it to appeal to anyone and it has been favorably previewed by Muslim, Jewish, and non-religious readers, while at the same time, the core of the story and its overarching provenance is Judeo-Christian.
One of the reasons I eventually settled on the single day framework for the story was to lighten the demand on readers who do not normally read historical fiction and who might be drawn to the book. Rather than being forced to deal with a sweeping story covering many years with a lot to remember, readers enter in knowing they only have to deal with one day. That choice allows this and the follow-on books (I have plotted the other four as single day stories) to be highly detailed yet shorter, which should make them more accessible.
Characters:
Everyone in the story is true to their essential nature. The Egyptians believe in their own gods. They are not straw men or foils for the story. Each character is as real as you or I.
Historical Accuracy:
Early on, I engaged a PhD Egyptologist (David Lorton see Amazon), who helped me with all aspects of the story. The book is historically accurate, with everything, including people, fitting within the period and historical framework. Areas in which I have created my own framework, such as the hatred of the Hebrews by the priests of Amun-Re, are legitimate elaborations that do no violence to the historical record, while actually enhancing the biblical historicity.
Well, there you have it. I hope someone wants it and it is available in a store near you by Christmas. However, it will be as God wills. Grace and peace.
