What's in a Family Name?

I think I can safely say that almost everyone has heard of King Tut.  He's been researched and debated since his tomb's discovery in 1922.  The way he died has been explored.  Who his parents are has been discovered.  Now his tomb is being re-explored.  Its exciting to think hidden rooms may be hiding within the walls.  King Tut may still hold a few secrets! 


One theory presented is that because of his early death, he may have been rushed into an outer chamber of what was originally Nefertiti’s tomb.  British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves presented his case after high-resolution images discovered what he said were straight lines in King Tut’s tomb. These lines, previously camouflaged by color and stone textures, indicate the presence of a sealed chamber.  Wow.  I eagerly await more information.  And if you have read my book, secret chambers hidden in tombs was something I briefly explored in my narrative.  I was feeling pretty awesome when I heard about this new theory!  This was something not discovered at the time my book was published.


However, not everything ran smoothly in terms of keeping my historical accuracy.  Being King Tut, he's a subject that's widely researched.  Thus, new discoveries are made.  Here are a few of my researching highs and lows:

Yeah, that was a bummer.  However, I decided to re-review my book and release a second edition.  In addition to fixing some grammatical errors missed in the first release, I also added a small conversation which helped align events in the book with this latest discovery. 


Being historically accurate is important to me.  In a recent interview, I was asked the question: Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just seeing where an idea takes you?  My answer was this: With historical fiction, I try to keep the big events aligned with the documented time line. I know some authors who fudge dates a little to better fit their storyline and then make a note in the book’s Afterward. I prefer to keep historical events as accurate as possible. However, when it comes to everyday life and decision making, I let the plot take me on a journey. I research what I can and work with my character to decide on what to do. It’s a mutual journey. (You can find more of the interview here: https://mercedesfoxbooks.com/meet-author-j-lynn-else/)


If I read a book and then later discover events were fudged to make a more dramatic story, it really ruins things for me.  I want to create plausible choices within a setting which my readers feel transported back to.  I hope you feel that when you page through my book.  If you want suggestions for other wonderful historical fiction books, check out my "Books I'd Recommend" page. 


If you want to explore on your own, I find a lot of interesting information at www.touregypt.net.  They have a wonderful historical database.  What will you uncover?