Thanks for reading Pyramid of Secrets! I hope you enjoyed the story.  Read on, for some background and behind-the-scenes info about the setting and the writing of the book!

The list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World evolved slowly, from their first mention by the Greek historian Herodotus in 450 BC, to the poet Antipater in the second century BC. Though only the oldest of the seven, the Great Pyramid of Giza, still stands, their mystique has endured, each a wonder of engineering and a testimony to the creativity of ancient peoples.

WHAT’S FACT AND WHAT’S FICTION?

While the story of Pyramid of Secrets is fictional, several of the characters are historical realities. Pharaoh Khufu, of course, was the second Pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt, ruling around 2500 BC. His rule took place probably about 1000 years before the Exodus. By the time Moses was born in Egypt, the pyramids were already ancient monuments.

Hemiunu, chief engineer and architect of the Great Pyramid, was also a real person. Family records vary, and we are unsure of his exact relation to Khufu, but he was most likely a cousin or nephew. I also based Merit, Khufu’s wife, on one of his actual wives.

The locations, geography, customs, architecture, food, burial practices, etc. were all based on my extensive research and travels through Egypt. I attempted to stay close to accepted Egyptology, though I certainly encountered many alternative theories along the way! The book, How the Great Pyramid was Built, by Craig Smith, was of great help to me as I imagined the timetables and workforce needed to build the pyramid and the entire complex surrounding it. We cannot know the exact methods and means used to build the pyramid, but Smith’s logical theories open a window on the process.

The pyramid reached a height of 480 feet, about the size of a fifty-story building, and stands nearly that tall today. Excavations beside the pyramid have uncovered Hemiunu’s mastaba tomb among the many tombs of nobles and officials, and further excavations are continuing nearby, to uncover the quarry and the workmen’s village.

WERE THERE REALLY A ‘PEOPLE OF THE ONE’?

And what about the People of the One?

Well, first… The time of this story takes place in between the biblical characters of Noah and Abraham. During that break in the biblical narrative the entire culture of Egypt was developed. But when Abraham appears on the scene, he seems to have a well-developed understanding of monotheism, along with the ideas of covenant, sacrifice and tithing. If the biblical record is true (and it is my belief that it is), we can only assume that from the time of Noah until the time of Abraham, there continued to be a remnant of people who remained true to one God, who passed the faith to subsequent generations. And given the lengthy lifespans of these ancient people, it is even likely that Seth, Noah’s son, was still alive at the time this story takes place. Although the People of the One came from my imagination, there is every reason to believe that such a people existed, even in the midst of the polytheism of Ancient Egypt.

JOIN MY ADVENTURE…

For those of you who would enjoy a more in-depth look at the Great Pyramid and its building, I invite you to my travel journal, to experience more of my exploration of the Pyramids. It was my great privilege to visit Egypt while writing Pyramid of Secrets. I was able to explore the Giza Plateau, to crawl around the inside of Khufu’s Great Pyramid, and to get a taste of what life was like nearly five thousand years ago!

READ THIS NEXT! 

Will her solitude cost her everything?

For twenty years, Sophia has guarded the Lighthouse of Alexandria, alone in her task and in her heart.

Her pain and loss keep her hidden and isolated, even as the elderly scholars she funds in the famed Library try to coax her into the world.

But Julius Caesar and his Roman legions are bearing down on Cleopatra’s Egypt.

And when a Roman centurion marches his troops into her lighthouse, endangering the city’s best scholars and their secret invention, Sophia’s peace is shattered.

As the historic war erupts, tangling Sophia in its chaos, she finds the Roman centurion instructed to invade her lighthouse is also invading her heart.

Now Sophia must do whatever it takes to keep him out—even if it costs her everything.