Friday, May 11, 2012

Save a Kitty, Keep a Tale

Lionesses and felines in Egypt
Lynxes, leopards, tigers and cheetahs, cougars and jaguars, lions and the common house cat are all members of the Felidae family. :)
In ancient Egypt, both cats and lions were revered.

While the Egyptians chose the cat to represent the love goddess Bast, the fierce lioness shared her nature and her features with the goddess Sekhmet. Just as a cat stalks an unsuspecting mouse (or whatever catches its fancy), the lioness could stalk a stray Egyptian should he or she become lost within the lioness’ territory. Lions roamed the outlying areas of the desert, and it is said they charged with the pharaohs into battle. (1) The Egyptians thought the animals so fierce, the weather might shy away. Lion sculptures were even set at the pinnacle of temples, gargoyle-like, to guard against lightning.

In their pantheon, the lioness was a protector and companion to the god Ra. She accompanied him on his daily journey across the sky in his sun chariot. So, it was to Sekhmet Ra turned when he needed to teach humanity a lesson. In turn, she went on a rampage that nearly annihilated civilization. Ra mixed a sleeping draught with blood and pomegranate juice and tricked his daughter into drinking it. Whatever the recipe, the drink did the trick and calmed her wrath. (2) To this day, festivals are performed in summer to—hopefully—keep the ;) kitty satisfied. Revelries filled with laughter, with dancing, and...beer.

This is the basis for my story What Sekhmet Keeps presented in Dark Things II: Cat Crimes

And don’t forget, all proceeds from Dark Things II: Cat Crimes will be donated to The Cat House on The Kings, a no-kill cat shelter in California. For more information, see their website at: http://www.cathouseonthekings.com/
A collection of tales featuring feline mayhem, murder and dastardly deeds. Vampire cats. Scoundrel cats. Daring cats. Killer cats. Cats you don't want in your worst nightmares and cats you might want on your side against evil. Authors include Mary V. Welk, Patty G. Henderson, Patricia Harrington, Jim Silvestri, Ken Goldman, Shanna Germain, Anna Sykora and dozens more. Intro by Robert W. Walker. All proceeds from sales go to several cat sanctuaries across the USA. Enjoy over twenty-one “cat tales” and support a cat charity!

Sources:
(1)   http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/lions.htm
(2) http://www.orderwhitemoon.org/goddess/Sekhmet.html
Buy links: Amazon for Kindle and paperback Lulu (for Epub version)


And now for sneak peek inside
What Sekhmet Keeps
by J.D. Revezzo
Betrayed by a false lover, cat shifter priestess Onfalia Mau lost her lioness soul and freedom to her lover's treachery and the testy goddess Sekhmet's wrath. Now, after three thousand years, that lover, Donkar, has returned with one thing in mind—to steal the goddess's scepter. Onfalia knows that to do so means to unleash Sekhmet’s unholy, bloody Slaughter on the world, and she'll stop at nothing to foil Donkar's plans.

Excerpt: 
Claws dimpled his skin, as if she sought attention. She nuzzled her head into his hand and purred.
Chibale tapped her on the nose. “Now, don’t try to charm me, kitty. I can’t keep you. Out.”
She purred louder and nuzzled his chest.
“Oh, hell.” He carried the cat into the kitchen and poured her the last of his milk. “I don’t mind black coffee, anyway. But tomorrow, we’re finding your owner.”
He dropped his jacket onto the chair then sat down before his computer. The cat leapt onto the desk as he went to work. When he misspelled the goddess’ name, the cat reached out a paw and hit the delete key back to the S-e-k. Chibale stared at her. “Did you belong to an English teacher?”
The search engine suggested Sekhmet and he carried on with his work.
The cat slipped into his lap as he read the first promising page.
Goddess of Lions. A daughter of Ra; represented the scorching power of the sun.
“Lion. Sun.” He shook his head. “Never did understand these stupid stories. ‘When mankind rebelled against Ra’s domain, Sekhmet attacked, slaughtering thousands and drinking their blood.’ Sounds like a nice wholesome girl.” The cat shifted in his lap and stretched up, resting her paws against the edge of the keyboard. “You’re so interested in mythology, should I give you to Onfalia?”
She looked at him and he scratched her ears as he returned to his search.
Scepter, Sekhmet. “How does this tie into the stolen scepter? Any idea, kit?”
Two hours into his search, a headline caught his attention: Slaying Uptown. Occult in Nature?
“So obvious.” The cat meowed and Chibale looked down at her, meeting her tawny eyes. “Oh, you think so too, do you?”
Festival to appease Sekhmet’s slaughter.
“Hopefully they won’t do the opposite, eh kitty?”

There you are. I hope you enjoy this fabulous anthology. J

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE TODAY, J.D.! AND FOR GIVING US THE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS COLLECTION OF STORIES AND HOW THE PROCEEDS GO TOWARD THIS VERY WORTHY CAUSE!
XO AJ XO

17 comments:

Juli D. Revezzo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Juli D. Revezzo said...

Thank you for inviting me (and the kitties) to visit the Ranch! It's always a joy. :)

J.D.
http://harshadpassion.wordpress.com

Vonnie Davis ~ Romance Author said...

Mention AJ, and I'm there. Mention cats, and I'm there, too. Jazzie, my too intelligent tabby, read your post along with me. Intersting premise and of course any project to help felines is near and dear to my heart. Good luck to you! And blessings.

P.L. Parker said...

Interesting post! Love the historical info! Much luck with sales!

Calisa Rhose said...

I remember helping in my dd's class when they studied ancient Egypt. I learned a lot with the kids so I am glad that now I can read something like this and it's not all strange mumbo-jumbo. Well, sort of- but not all. lol Great excerpt, J.D.! What a wonderful cause. I wish you many sales for the kitties.

AJ Nuest said...

Thanks for being here with me today, J.D. Big hugs to you and your great cause -- and here's to a boatload of sales, my friend!

Vonnie...you are just the BESTEST! Big hugs to you, my friend...

Juli D. Revezzo said...

Thank you, Ladies! It's so sweet of you to stop by and leave such good wishes. Much hugs to all of you!

J.D.
http://harshadpassion.wordpress.com

Suzanne G. Rogers said...

Very nice post, Julianne. I like the sound of your story!

Maeve Greyson said...

I was once owned by several kitties but sadly, they've left me and crossed the rainbow bridge. But I still love them! Wonderful post!

Juli D. Revezzo said...

Me too, Maeve. Most of my kitties have passed on too.

Nancy Jardine Author said...

I know lots of very cat crazy people, and some of the best of them seemed to have been in Egypt. Interesting post, ladies.

Cara Marsi said...

I just downloaded your book at Amazon. I love, love kitties. My current cat is named Killer. She's fat (she says she's not fat, just large-boned) and she's solid black and the most spoiled diva ever. I even published an anthology of cat-themed short sweet romance stories with a cat on the cover who looks like Killer. Mention cats and I'm there.

Juli D. Revezzo said...

*glares at blogger for eating my comment attempt* So, trying again....Thank you for buying our book, Cara! That's very kind of you. I hope you enjoy the stories. Is that your Killer in your icon? She's very lovely--erm, I mean fierce-looking! ;)

AJ Nuest said...

We have a cat named Moppet who has belittled herself enough to stand living with the rest of us peasants. She snores louder than my dh, but swears she doesn't. Snoring IS unbecoming for a lady, after all.

Mackenzie Crowne said...

Missing this post would have been a cat-astrophy!!

LOL Sorry, couldn't resist.

But truthfully, I loved the historical lesson, and commend you on your very worthy cause, JD. And I'm a cat person myself, though dogs come in a close second.

naiadis said...

Great article, Juli, and great story! Cat Crimes II was a fancatstic ;) read, and I love seeing the writers donating generously with their talent, craft, and time. It's great seeing this collection plugged.

Juli D. Revezzo said...

Thank you both (naiadis and Mac). Cute jokes. I'm glad you/hope you all enjoy the book and again, Thanks for saying hi (hugs to you both). AJ, thank you dear, for hosting me. *big hugs*

J.D.
http://harshadpassion.wordpress.com/