My co-author, Tavius, & I knew we wanted to write an epic story with timeless lessons that was also a fun & entertaining adventure. In the process of brainstorming story concept ideas, I happened to see a program on the Discovery Channel where they were looking into the Great Sphinx of Giza and debating its age and origins. An archaeologist was proposing that it might be much, much older than is currently recorded in the history books. I knew right then & there that we had found the seed for our book. We took that theory & ran with it! It was also an easy choice, because both of us had been fascinated by ancient Egypt our whole lives. Secret of the Sands, on a philosophical level, is a journey of discovery, of discovering our own individual power, and ability to make a difference in the world. It speaks to the power of friendship and love, and the price of betrayal and the lust for power and control. It is a story about how our character and what we do in this life matters. It matters a lot, and in ways we don’t even know yet and can’t always predict. Most importantly it is a lesson in how we are all one, and that we are not separate from one another. We should accept and build upon one another’s strengths and differences, because that is truly how we grow stronger.