Veranice’s Inspiration for the Book of Thoth

 “Virtuous tales normally begin with once upon a time and end happily ever after. But not this tale. One cannot simply set up the exact beginning of this tale because it involves her gods, the Egyptian Gods. ”

        -Book of Thoth Vol 3

Writing for me begins with questions, a series of “what ifs.” What if we possessed the power to rewrite history? What happens if the power to revise the world fell into the hands of my enemy? My ex-lover? My children? A stranger? That does not sound like an exciting world, but entertaining, nonetheless.

When I think of these things, I think of that movie, ‘The Butterfly Effect,’ where he wrote what he wanted and when he woke up, it was nothing close to what he desired. I believe Sandler did that in the movie ‘Click.’ Both characters were so caught up in where they wanted to go, they failed to consider that to shape the future, the past must be altered. And we cannot run away from our pasts. I know, I have tried.

Now that I had the thought of altering the world, what was my story? If you read my previous blog, then you know that my inspiration for Amulets came from the sinking of the Titanic. But what happens next? My heroines are at odds with the gods… the gods? I start digging into the Egyptian gods and Nubian deities and there he was, Thoth, standing out against the pantheon. Writing, music, and keeper of all knowledge is Thoth. I hid this “easter egg” in Amulets before I even realized where I was going with my series! It will be cool to hear from readers who find that easter egg as well. There are so many between all 4 books. Anyway, I google Thoth and as usual there is not much information to go on and I must relay a lot on my imagination, which is great because no one can say, I stole a story from anywhere. There is nothing virtuous enough to copy. But I did, however, come across a tale about a prince who stole The Book of Thoth and with every desire he granted himself, he lost something that meant more than his wish. I had gone in a circle. What would it have been like to know of a book that could grant you whatever you desired? Surely, the other gods would want this book. Did they ever fight Thoth for his book?

A Lightbulb flickered and then it stayed on. Drawing inspiration from Thoth's omniscient qualities, I could imagine this mythical artifact as a vessel of infinite possibilities, capable of reshaping existence as we know it. My brain automatically thought Thoth’s book was like that guy in one of the Men in Black films who could see all outcomes and all possibilities; those would morph into other unseen paths. So, I got to writing my next adventure.

In the Book of Thoth volumes 3 & 4, danger resurfaces as Neenho yearns for a peaceful existence after their previous harrowing ordeal in Amulets of Princess Amun-Ra. The Book of Thoth is being sought after and Neenho has no desire to save it. However, chaos ensues when the gods themselves intervene, seeking to utilize the power of the Book for their own purposes. Izzi and Neenho embark on another treacherous journey, encountering powerful adversaries and experiencing alternate realities created by those who have stolen the Book. What seems like a straightforward task becomes an intricate web of interconnected events and outcomes. Deep secrets that were hidden are exposed in a new world molded by greed. All quickly learn that every wish granted takes a heavy toll—a loss that outweighs the momentary satisfaction. Discover what unfolds when someone creates an existence that benefits — no one.

That sounds like an amazing tale right? Plus, there are exciting battles and heartwarming moments between every chapter.

Let me go off topic for a second and explain my whole “vol” thing. I do not like saying part 1 and 2. I have never liked that, so volume it is. How did I write 4 volumes so fast? I was told by a literary agent that new authors should never have a novel longer than 87k words. I was at like 167k words when I was querying. I went through the story so many times to see what I could cut, and in the end, I refused to get rid of any words, thus remaining agentless. In fact, I found myself adding more chapters! As a joke, to myself, I “cut” the book on a cliff hanger. I think only other authors or artists would understand that manic look you get in your eyes when an idea sparks. I had four books! I was writing book “2” to follow up Amulets. That was another no no. I was further informed I could not publish two books at the same time as a new author. I like to do what I think is best for me. But mainly I cannot be contained inside a box that says “how things are,” so I “YOLO’d” it and chopped the books and self-published. I published two at a time and now I will forever do that. This series was originally a trilogy but now it is 6 volumes. I am even working on some spin offs of the characters.

As an author, the Book of Thoth allowed me to push the boundaries of my imagination and challenge myself in creating a captivating and unique tale. By incorporating gods, mythical creatures, and fantastical settings, I aimed to make the world within my story feel realistic and immersive, allowing readers to suspend disbelief and explore various "what if" scenarios. I live for what ifs.

“Cursed to keep time. Forever. To forever know what will happen. To know how it begins and how it will end, and reform again and again and again.”

                                                                     -Thoth

                                               An Egyptian Tale: Book of Thoth Vol 3

~Vee