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Writing a children’s book—The Secret of the Sacred Scarab—was an unexpected step, inspired by a recent trip to Egypt. The tale of the sacred scarab began life as a little anecdotal tale for my 2 nephews (then 10 and 12), who had accompanied me on the Egyptian trip. This short story grew into a children’s book, the first in the adventure series, Chronicles of the Stone. I'm already immersed in the next book in the series—The Search for the Stone of Excalibur—a huge treat for young King Arthur fans. Although I do not have children of my own, I have an adopted teenage foster child, from an underprivileged background who is just discovering the joys of reading for pleasure. My interests include literature, art, theatre, collecting antiques, animals, music, and films.

Description

Emerging from the long shadow cast by his formidable father, Harold Godwineson showed himself to be a worthy successor to the Earldom of Wessex. In the following twelve years, he became the King's most trusted advisor, practically taking the reins of government into his own hands. And on Edward the Confessor's death, Harold Godwineson mounted the throne—the first king of England not of royal blood. Yet Harold was only a man, and his rise in fortune was not blameless. Like any person aspiring to power, he made choices he wasn't particularly proud of. Unfortunately, those closest to him sometimes paid the price of his fame. This is a story of Godwine's family as told from the viewpoint of Harold and his younger brothers. Queen Editha, known for her Vita Ædwardi Regis, originally commissioned a work to memorialize the deeds of her family, but after the Conquest historians tell us she abandoned this project and concentrated on her husband, the less dangerous subject. In THE SONS OF GODWINE and FATAL RIVALRY, I am telling the story as it might have survived had she collected and passed on the memoirs of her tragic brothers. This book is part two of The Last Great Saxon Earls series. Book one, GODWINE KINGMAKER, depicted the rise and fall of the first Earl of Wessex who came to power under Canute and rose to preeminence at the beginning of Edward the Confessor's reign. Unfortunately, Godwine's misguided efforts to champion his eldest son Swegn recoiled on the whole family, contributing to their outlawry and Queen Editha's disgrace. Their exile only lasted one year and they returned victorious to London, though it was obvious that Harold's career was just beginning as his father's journey was coming to an end. Harold's siblings were all overshadowed by their famous brother; in their memoirs we see remarks tinged sometimes with admiration, sometimes with skepticism, and in Tostig's case, with jealousy. We see a Harold who is ambitious, self-assured, sometimes egocentric, imperfect, yet heroic. His own story is all about Harold, but his brothers see things a little differently. Throughout, their observations are purely subjective, and witnessing events through their eyes gives us an insider’s perspective. Harold was his mother's favorite, confident enough to rise above petty sibling rivalry but Tostig, next in line, was not so lucky. Harold would have been surprised by Tostig's vindictiveness, if he had ever given his brother a second thought. And that was the problem. Tostig's love/hate relationship with Harold would eventually destroy everything they worked for, leaving the country open to foreign conquest. This subplot comes to a crisis in book three of the series, FATAL RIVALRY.

Story Behind The Book

Writing a children’s book—The Secret of the Sacred Scarab—was an unexpected step, inspired by a recent trip to Egypt. In fact, I should say I owe it all to my mother, who read about a tour to Egypt in a family magazine. I wasn’t sure about Egypt because Europe is more to my liking, but Mother was insistent, and so I went along with her whim. We took my two nephews along for the ride, and they became the ‘models’ for the two young heroes of the book, Justin and Adam Sinclair. We had quite an amazing trip and since I am a journalist, I wrote notes, collected brochures, and took many pictures ... although I wasn't sure why I was doing all that. Luckily for me, it came in handy later on. The tale of the sacred scarab began life as a little anecdotal tale for my nephews (then 10 and 12). When we got back to South Africa and had admired the photos and sorted out the souvenirs, I wanted to give them something special so they could remember the trip. I refreshed my memory with all the material I had brought back, then I picked up a writing pad and a red ballpoint pen. Then, without even thinking about it, I wrote the title, The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, and the first word, Egypt! The rest just seemed to flow. I used the actual trip as the guideline and tried to incorporate the many unusual things that had happened to us, just infusing them with more exciting meaning. This short story grew into a children’s book, the first in the adventure series, Chronicles of the Stone. It had to become a series because, by the end of the first book, I realized that the children couldn’t possibly save the world in one book ... they’d have to carry on. The story just grew from there. I have finished the second adventure novel in the series (The Search for the Stone of Ecalibur), and this book takes the boys off to Scotland, where they encounter medieval castles, ancient swords, crumbling manuscripts and secret ciphers, and more danger than ever before. They are also joined by an unexpected companion....

Reviews

Reviewed by: Barbara Milbourn for Writers in the Sky Author Fiona Ingram understands that young readers have no patience for long, drawn-out prologues. At the first sentence—a one-word exclamation—of The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, she jettisons readers off on an adventure to a far-away land with two young cousins. Justin and Adam are leaving the comforts of home and the family dog for a one-week adventure in Egypt with ace writer/researcher Aunt Isabel and their loveable and zany Gran. In exchange for missing school, their assignment is to keep a daily record of things they’ve seen and learned along the way. It so happens that their aunt’s current project and the boys’ recent history lessons coincide and set the reader on firm footing before they even lift off. Aunt Isabel has guaranteed their maximum travel experience and personal safety by booking them on a tour with a host of entertaining fellow sojourners and a tour-guide who is suspected of knowing far more than she shares with the group. Safety vanishes early in the hot, still air of a marketplace when the boys are encountered by a ragged peddler who bestows upon them four scarabs; one of which is particularly ancient and coveted. The story flies forward from there as the boys put together fortuitous pieces of a puzzle in quest of a legendary tomb of an ancient Egyptian ruler and a missing archeologist. Ingram writes the landscape and the legend vividly and keeps the boys barely one step ahead of death and dismemberment at the hands of men in black, the fangs of a giant cobra, and all manner of danger that lurks in caves, shifting sands, and things hidden in deep, dark places. The Secret of the Sacred Scarab is entertainment for readers up to around age fourteen and for those who wish they were fourteen again. It is at once adventure and history, art and architecture, humor and redemption, travel writing and social studies, and great fun. Fiona Ingram presents this as her first of seven in a series titled Chronicles of the Stone. Recent Amazon Reviews: Five Stars <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="border-bottom-color:#f0f0f0;padding-bottom:0cm;background-color:transparent;border-top-color:#f0f0f0;padding-left:0cm;width:.3pt;padding-right:0cm;border-right-color:#f0f0f0;border-left-color:#f0f0f0;padding-top:0cm;" valign="top" width="0"> </td> <td style="border-bottom-color:#f0f0f0;padding-bottom:0cm;background-color:transparent;border-top-color:#f0f0f0;padding-left:0cm;width:100%;padding-right:0cm;border-right-color:#f0f0f0;border-left-color:#f0f0f0;padding-top:0cm;" valign="top" width="100%"> An Excellent Mystery, February 28, 2009 <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="border-bottom-color:#f0f0f0;padding-bottom:0cm;background-color:transparent;border-top-color:#f0f0f0;padding-left:0cm;padding-right:0cm;border-right-color:#f0f0f0;border-left-color:#f0f0f0;padding-top:0cm;" valign="top"> By </td> <td style="border-bottom-color:#f0f0f0;padding-bottom:0cm;background-color:transparent;border-top-color:#f0f0f0;padding-left:0cm;padding-right:0cm;border-right-color:#f0f0f0;border-left-color:#f0f0f0;padding-top:0cm;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A10RINEA3WPJ6H/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp">William P. Robertson "Bucktail novelist" </a>(Duke Center, PA USA) </td></tr></tbody></table>Fiona Ingram creates very believable boy characters caught up in a scintillating adventure. Her descriptions of the Egyptian landscape are breathtaking. She also imparts a wonderful knowledge of Egyptian culture in a way that young people will understand. Her map and diagrams will help her readers follow the story more easily.</td></tr></tbody></table> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr style="height:39.6pt;"><td style="border-bottom-color:#f0f0f0;padding-bottom:0cm;background-color:transparent;border-top-color:#f0f0f0;padding-left:0cm;width:.3pt;padding-right:0cm;height:39.6pt;border-right-color:#f0f0f0;border-left-color:#f0f0f0;padding-top:0cm;" valign="top" width="0"> </td> <td style="border-bottom-color:#f0f0f0;padding-bottom:0cm;background-color:transparent;border-top-color:#f0f0f0;padding-left:0cm;width:100%;padding-right:0cm;height:39.6pt;border-right-color:#f0f0f0;border-left-color:#f0f0f0;padding-top:0cm;" valign="top" width="100%"> Superb, January 22, 2009 <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td style="border-bottom-color:#f0f0f0;padding-bottom:0cm;background-color:transparent;border-top-color:#f0f0f0;padding-left:0cm;padding-right:0cm;border-right-color:#f0f0f0;border-left-color:#f0f0f0;padding-top:0cm;" valign="top"> By </td> <td style="border-bottom-color:#f0f0f0;padding-bottom:0cm;background-color:transparent;border-top-color:#f0f0f0;padding-left:0cm;padding-right:0cm;border-right-color:#f0f0f0;border-left-color:#f0f0f0;padding-top:0cm;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/AQCXM97GQU5EG/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp">R. E. Tregaskis </a>(South Africa) </td></tr></tbody></table>Fiona has done a remarkable story and everyone who has children will delight in either reading this story to them or letting them read it again and again. It will become a classic soon. </td></tr></tbody></table>

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The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls

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