Recently, I got to chat with Fiona Ingram, author of The Secret of the Sacred Scarab. As always, I was enthralled by her setting and adventure. I’d like to share some of that conversation here.
    Read Now – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6315891-the-secret-of-the-sacred-scarab |
After reading your book, it’s obvious that Egypt intrigues you. What fascinates you most?
My love of all things Egyptian began at age 8 when my mother gave me the Time Life series book Ancient Egypt as my first encyclopaedia. The Egyptian culture is truly phenomenal for many reasons. I think the level of sophistication is breathtaking; the development of their ideology, mythology, architectural and engineering achievements, and written language and system of record keeping surpasses anything that’s been discovered. The most fascinating thing about Egypt for me is the ultimate question: how did they build the pyramids? Ancient Egyptians did not have complex machinery nor the expertise of modern architects with computer programs to help in the design, plus Egypt has a particularly harsh climate. So how did they raise those enormous blocks of stone? The Egyptians didn’t even have the pulley because that was only discovered in Roman times. The building of the pyramids is one of ancient history’s best kept secrets!
2 – I love that you pulled the mysteries of Egypt together with middle-graders. What prompted you to do that?
I went to Egypt with my two young nephews (aged 10 and 12) and my mom, and because the boys were so enthusiastic about the country, the history, the temples, and the pyramids, I decided to write a short adventure story with them as the heroes. Well, the story just grew and grew, and I ended up with a book for adventurous readers about the same ages my nephews were at the time.
3 – Can we anticipate more books from you?
Definitely! I have completed Book Two in the series Chronicles of the Stone. It’s called The Search for the Stone of Excalibur, and takes the boys to Britain, exploring the history of King Arthur and the Dark Ages in their quest for the Second Stone of Power. I am about to begin Book Three, which is The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper. This book is set in Mexico and takes our young heroes on another exciting adventure, exploring the jungles of Mexico, ancient Mayan ruins and a brush with Aztec sacrificial practices. Don’t worry, my heroes are very good at escaping danger! I’m sure they’ll outwit the baddies again.
Thanks so much for hosting me on your fabulous site!
You are welcome any time!