We have this story category, ‘Cultural Change’... which I find to be an interesting one because it sees a character having to cope with more than just the changes that have been wrought upon their own body. In my new novel, Egyptology, I wanted to show a protagonist who didn’t admire her new, feminine body and imply announce “wow, these are fun to play with,” before happily settling into a new role where she has a vastly improved sex life because (as the prevailing logic of most T* fiction teaches us) she’s a woman and women are sexy.

As a reincarnation of Professor Grant Summers, Aisha Burnside acknowledges that she’s received quite possibly the most fantastic gift ever. Who wouldn’t want to live again? Even so, it’s not going to be easy. She’s got the Professor’s vast knowledge to call upon, but she’s also got some new disadvantages: she encounters discrimination because she’s young, she’s female, she’s disabled and she isn’t white. While the action all happens in Egypt and she’s Egyptian-born, she doesn’t fit well within the structure and traditions of an American university department.

I wanted to explore what it was like for her to encounter the frustrations of having to “start again” while dealing with the (usually unconscious) bias of the people around her. That she’s seen evidence that the gods of ancient Egypt are real – and still involved in the lives of people – just adds an additional level of complexity.

As I wrote the story I grew to love that troubled, frustrated girl. You might find that hard to believe, given some of the trials that she has to face during the story... but she’s resourceful, clever and determined: a girl you can look up to.

Give it a go? Egyptology is available now, through Amazon. Read for free, with Kindle Unlimited.