A week and a day away!

Publication of the second Eye of Isis novel, that is, aka Disappearance of a Scribe. Barbara Peters calls it “On the Waterfront, Cleopatra style,” which epigram I promptly stole for the book’s tagline. Jimmy Hoffa would feel right at home.

Excerpt:

“Yes, Timo?”

Tetisheri turned her head to see a young woman in the anonymous linen chiton of the scholar hovering at the door. “I beg your pardon, Yasmin, but—”

“A moment, Tetisheri.” Yasmin got up and went out in the hall to confer. A few moments later she was back, shaking her head.

“What?”

“Alexandria is a marvelous city, full of wonders in art and science, the greatest repository of scholarship in theory and in practice in the entire world. And yet when the scholars and the students flock here, seeking knowledge and enlightenment, they bring with them all their own prejudices and use them to color everything they see and everything they do.”

Tetisheri regarded her. “You sound just like the queen at her most exasperated.”

Yasmin let out an impatient huff. “It’s nothing that doesn’t happen every day in this institution. Timo is teaching a class in literature, focusing on how women are portrayed in the classic Greek plays. She restricted the students to women. Some of the male students are making
a fuss.”

“What did you tell her?”

“To tell Aniketos—a self-important little twerp—to form his own class, to which he can invite anyone he chooses.” She sighed. “It’s hard for the women students. Well. Harder. Alexandria is the only place where they’re allowed to openly study what they wish, but that doesn’t mean they don’t come up against the baked-in biases imported by citizens of countries where women exist to cook dinner, feed the chickens, and make babies.”

“That sounds like a class the queen might be interested in auditing.”

Yasmin raised her brows. “She would be most welcome, and her presence would stop Aniketos’ whining, certainly.” She noticed one of the ink stains on her palla and gave it a futile rub. “It has been a while since we’ve seen her here. We used to see her often.”

“She’s been busy.”

“True enough.” 

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We’ll be launching Disappearance of a Scribe from the Poisoned Pen at 2pm on January 15. See you there!

And if you somehow managed to avoid being browbeaten into reading the first in the Eye of Isis series, I must be slipping. Click through the image below to get your copy of Death of an Eye in e, print, and audio.

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