Saturday afternoon, toward the end of the launch event for Abduction of a Slave, I wanted to show off the lovely little gilt image on the spine of the book, so I unwrapped it and pointed it out.

Here it is again, in closeup.

It’s the head of Montu, the image on the cover. Montu is the Egyptian god of war (or one of them) and the image I asked them to use for the cover and for the line breaks.

My publisher, Head of Zeus, does something sneaky and delightful like a gilt image on the spine every now and then I am convinced just to see if I’m paying attention.

But then Carolyn, in the audience, pointed out that the book was basically a Tiffany box.

OMG. She’s right. Now the whole ethos of the book changes for me–my publisher thinks my book is a precious gem?

Probably not. But fun to think so.

Watch the event on Facebook here, and buy a copy of the signed first edition here.

To catch you up, here are recaps of the first three Eye of Isis Novels:
Death of an Eye  introduces us to Tetisheri, lifelong friend of Cleopatra, the Lady of Two Lands and ruler of Egypt. The queen’s Eye is struck down in the streets of Alexandria and Cleopatra tasks her friend to find the murderer and bring them to justice.
Disappearance of a Scribe  Tetisheri’s first official case as the new Eye of Isis. A scribe goes missing and leads to an investigation of corruption, bribery, and murder in Alexandria’s building trades.
Theft of an Idol   The most popular actor in Alexandria is kidnapped and the queen asks Tetisheri to find her and return her to her adoring fans. The journey takes Tetisheri and the Five Soldiers to Memphis, deep into the depravity and degradation of the eldest temple and even deeper into the heart of the tombs of the dead.

Chatter Eye of Isis Abduction of a Slave the fourth Eye of Isis novel Tiffany box