BOOK OF THE YEAR 2007

Choosing my favorite book of 2007 was no easy task. It always comes down to personal preferences. I loved all the novels on my Top Ten List, each for different reasons. Choosing NEFERTITI by Michelle Moran from the Final Three was even more difficult, of course. Although all three were written most excellently with elements I love, NEFERTITI had absolutely everything I love in a story.

I've always been a history buff. I majored in it and I home educate my children with the Classical Method which has history as its backbone. I go through phases of fascination and right now I'm fascinated with Ancient History. NEFERTITI is set in Ancient Egypt. Quite simply, that's what put it over the edge from the rest of the list. The funny thing is I can't imagine writing a story set during ancient times myself! Well, okay, I do have a couple in the back of the head, but I am no where near ready to flesh them out.
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So, NEFERTITI is set in Ancient Egypt. What I also love about it is the variety of characters. Michelle once told me she has a hard time with characterization. You can't tell by reading her novel. Other authors probably know when we have a weakness we work twice as hard to overcome it, right? I know I certainly do. It really shows. Yes, there is Nefertiti, the ambitious, almost totally self-absorbed teenaged queen who grows into a paranoid, possessive pharoah wanna-be. The story is told by her level-headed sister, Mutny, who is two years younger. There's romance, but not for Nefertiti. As Mutny says, "Nefertiti doesn't fall in love. Men fall in love with Nefertiti." There's a domineering mother-in-law, Mutny's hardworking, altruistic parents, the Other Woman Kiya who's constantly threatening Nefertiti's position as Number One, lots of babies (gotta have babies!), and a sexy, self-absorbed Psycho Prince.


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No! Not him!


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Akhenaten The Heretic King. He starts out as a totally buff 17 year old, who flunked out of Megalomaniacs Anonymous I'm sure.


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Ooh, but there are a lot of nice kilts in this story (Kimber sighs and rests hand in chin to gaze at Yul Brynner's picture.)

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Oh, wait! Sorry. Back to NEFERTITI. One of the very nice kilts belongs to Mutny's true love, in fact. So, you see, the girl who deserves the romance, gets it.

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The plot twists around itself and esculates from Mutny's relationship with her sister and her sister's path to destruction. There is a Happily Ever After, but it comes at great cost. I think this makes it more believable.




NEFERTITI made the L.A. Times Bestsellers' List and went back for a second printing lickety-split.
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Michelle's next novel, THE HERETIC QUEEN is due out Autumn 2008.
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The deal for the next novel after that, CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER, has just been negotiated. It's about Cleopatra's three surviving children with Marc Antony. Naturally, I always wanted to know what happened to them myself!
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Michelle's had a stellar year! Way to go, Michelle.
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Michelle's website: http://michellemoran.com/
Michelle's blog: http://michellemoran.blogspot.com/



I reviewed NEFERTITI on May 16th. You can click on May or on Michelle Moran's heading in the directory. The review is at the bottom of her list of columns.