elizabethpeters.thegoldenone-第110部分

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　Has　all　the　elements　necessary　for　a　classic　Amelia　Peabody　mystery：　a　dead　body　（mauled　by　crocodiles？）；　young　lovers；　a　reunion　of　old　friends　（and　enemies）；　archaeological　discoveries　…　all　recounted　in　Amelia's　own　inimitable　style。　Excerpts　from　Manuscript　H　and　letters　from　Nefret　provide　another　perspective　on　the　great　detective　and　Egyptolologist。
　　
　The　Falcon　at　the　Portal　
　David　is　accused　of　forging　antiquities；　and　the　Emerson　clan　springs　into　action　to　help　clear　his　name。　The　romantic　tension　between　Ramses　and　Nefret　finally　es　to　a　head；　a　body　is　discovered　at　Emerson's　excavation　site；　and　the　obnoxious　cousin　Percy　reappears。
　　
　He　Shall　Thunder　in　the　Sky　
　It　is　1914；　the　Emersons　are　in　Egypt　for　another　dig。　Tensions　within　the　family　are　heightened　by　World　War　I　and　a　threatened　invasion　of　Egypt　by　the　Ottoman　Turks。　A　dangerous　game　of　spy　vs。　spy　ensues；　plete　with　deceit；　deception；　and　disinformation。
　　
　Lord　of　the　Silent　
　Undeterred　by　world　war　and　enemy　submarines；　Amelia　Peabody　once　again　sets　sail　for　Egypt　…　where　ghosts　of　an　ancient　past　and　specters　of　a　present…day　evil　hover　silently　over　an　inscrutable　land。
　　
　The　Golden　One　
　A　new　year；　1917；　is　dawning；　and　the　Great　War　that　ravages　the　world　shows　no　sign　of　abating。　Answering　the　siren　call　of　Egypt　once　more；　Amelia　Peabody　and　her　family　arrive　at　their　home　in　Luxor　to　learn　of　a　new　royal　tomb　ransacked　by　thieves。　Soon　an　even　more　disturbing　outrage　concerns　the　intrepid　clan　of　archaeologists：　the　freshly　and　savagely　slain　corpse　of　a　thief　defiles　the　ancient　burial　site。
　
　　
　
　
　A　Nice；　Practical　Career　for　a　Woman：　Some　Questions　for　Elizabeth　Peters；　et　al。
　Editor's　note：　Barbara　Mertz　has　written　nonfiction　Egyptology　books　under　her　own　name。　As　Elizabeth　Peters；　she　is　the　author　of　many　mysteries；　including　series　starring　Amelia　Peabody；　Vicky　Bliss；　and　Jacqueline　Kirby。　As　Barbara　Michaels　she　has　written　gothic　suspense　novels。　She　is　often　addressed　in　correspondence　and　known　to　her　in…the…know　fans　as　〃MPM〃　（for　Michaels…Peters…Mertz）。　In　total；　MPM　has　published　over　sixty　books　…　view　the　whole　list　here。　MPM　answers　some　frequently　asked　questions　below。
　　
　What　made　you　want　to　be　a　writer？
　I　didn't　want　to　be　a　writer。　I　wanted　to　be　an　archaeologist。　My　parents　wanted　me　to　be　a　teacher　…　a　nice；　practical　career　for　a　woman。　When　they　discovered；　somewhat　belatedly　（I　had　been　at　the　Oriental　Institute　for　six　months　by　then）；　that　I　had　changed　my　major；　they　were　bewildered。　But；　bless　them；　they　didn't　try　to　make　me　change　my　mind。　I　still　believe；　with　all　my　heart；　that　young　people　should　be　allowed　to　follow　their　own　aspirations　and　inclinations；　however　impractical　these　may　seem。　If　they　don't　try；　they　will　never　know　whether　or　not　they　might　have　succeeded。　
　　
　And　who's　to　say　what　is　practical？　Egyptology　was　an　impractical　career；　especially　for　a　young　married　woman　forty　years　ago。　Writing　was；　and　still　is；　an　impractical　career；　because　so　few　people　succeed　in　earning　a　living　that　way。　I　was　one　of　the　lucky　ones；　and　if　I　hadn't　been　so　obsessed　with　ancient　Egypt　…　as　I　still　am　…　I　might　not　have　noticed　that　I　did　enjoy　writing；　and　that　some　people　thought　I　was　pretty　good　at　it。　But　I've　never　regretted　studying　Egyptology；　even　though　I　was　unable　to　make　it　my　career。
　　
　So　how　did　you　bee　a　writer？
　Luck；　accident；　or　Fate！　I　had　always　been　a　pulsive　reader。　Sooner　or　later　every　pulsive　reader　finds　herself　thinking；　〃This　isn't　a　very　good　book。　I'll　bet　I　could　do　better。〃　So　I　tried。　My　first　book；　an　espionage　thriller；　was　written　in　collaboration　with　my　then…husband。　He　provided　the　plot　outline；　I　wrote　the　book。　It　was　awful；　partly　because　I　was　just　learning　how　to　write　and　partly　because　it　wasn't　my　kind　of　book。　I　wrote　two　more　novels；　solo；　before　I　began　to　get　a　sense　of　what　I　wanted　to　write。　Unfortunately；　nobody　wanted　to　publish　that　kind　of　book。　It　wasn't　until　Mary　Stewart　and　Victoria　Holt　hit　the　bestseller　lists　that　publishers　realized　mysteries　written　by　women；　about　women　protagonists；　could　make　money。　（This　despite　the　fact　that　authors　like　Phyllis　Whitney　had　been　doing　it　for　years！）　I　finally　sold　my　first　mystery　during　this　period。　I'm　not　particularly　proud　of　The　Master　of　Blacktower　＇by　Barbara　Michaels＇；　but　I　was　able　to　sell　it　because　it　was　what　publishers　were　looking　for　just　then。　By　that　time　I　had　learned　that　I　loved　to　write；　and　I　kept　at　it；　learning　with　every　book；　and　finally　developing　what　I　like　to　think　of　as　my　own　style。　Or　is　it　styles？
　　
　So　was　The　Master　of　Blacktower　the　first　book　you　sold？
　The　first　book　I　sold　wasn't　a　mystery。　I　had　despatched　my　early　unappreciated　mss。　to　every　publisher　in　New　York；　every　one　of　whom　promptly　returned　them。　When　the　third　ms。　made　the　rounds　an　editor　at　one　of　the　publishing　houses　liked　it。　She　couldn't　persuade　her　boss　to　buy　it；　but　she　remended　an　agent。　He　couldn't　sell　that　book　either；　but　without　him　I　probably　could　not　have　sold　the　next；　which　was　a　nonfiction　book　on　Egyptology。　These　days　it　is　much　more　difficult　to　sell　a　book　without　an　agent；　and　much　more　difficult　to　get　a　good　agent。　But　it　can　be　done。
　　
　Can　you　remend　others'　books　to　your　agent？
　I'd　like　to　help　aspiring　writers；　I'd　like　to　help　everyone　in　this　suffering　world。　But　I　can't　remend　a　manuscript　I　haven't　read；　by　a　person　I　don't　know；　to　my　long…suffering　and　very　busy　agent。　I　am　very　fond　of　him　and　want　to　stay　in　his　good　graces。
　　
　Where　do　you　get　your　ideas？
　I　am　sorry　to　say　that　this　question　has　bee　something　of　a　bad　joke　among　writers。　The　only　possible　answer　is：　〃Everywhere。〃　You　don't　get　ideas；　you　see　them；　recognize　them；　greet　them　familiarly　when　they　amble　up　to　you。　A　few　examples　from　my　own　experience：　Reading　Arthurian　legends　and　articles　about　the　Cadbury　excavations　inspired　The　Camelot　Caper　＇by　Elizabeth　Peters＇。　An　oddly　shaped　bag　of　trash　some　lout　had　tossed　onto　the　shoulder　of　a　country　road　make　me　think　about　bodies　in　trash　bags　and　led　eventually　to　the　skeleton　on　the　road；　in　Be　Buried　in　the　Rain　＇by　Barbara　Michaels＇。　Like　all　skills；　this　one　can　be　honed　with　practice；　but　if　you　have　to　ask　the　question　you　probably　shouldn't　try　to　write　a　novel　or　short　story。　And　if　you　ask　a　writer　who　has　heard　that　same　question　dozens　of　times；　she　may　e　back　with　some　snappy　answer　like；　〃There's　a　drugstore　in　North　Dakota　where　I　order　mine。〃
　　
　How　long　does　it　take　you　to　write　a　book？
　One　is　tempted　to　reply；　〃As　long　as　it　takes。〃　The　actual　writing　process　is　only　the　final　step。　You　ought　to　have　some　idea　of　what　you　are　going　to　write　about　before　you　put　your　fingers　on　the　keyboard　or　clutch　the　pen；　and　that　part　of　the　process　can　take　weeks　or　months　or　even　years；　as　you　mull　over　an　elusive　idea　and　try　to　develop　it　into　a　workable　plot。
　　
　Sometimes　I　start　writing　with　only　a　vague　outline　in　mind；　and　have　to　go　back　to　insert　useful　clues；　develop　characters；　or　even　change　the　identity　of　the　murderer！　Naturally；　it　takes　longer　to　write　this　kind　of　book。　On　rare　and　blissful　occasions　the　book　just　flows　along；　without　the　necessity　of　major　revisions。　That　happened　to　me　with　The　Snake；　the　Crocodile；　and　the　Dog　＇by　Elizabeth　Peters＇。　I　wrote　it　in　a　little　over　two　months　…　day　and　night；　weekdays　and　weekends。　However；　I　had　already　done　most　of　the　research；　I　had　a　very　clear　idea　as　to　what　would　happen　and　when　it　would　happen　…　the　sequence；　in　other　words　…　and　I　was　intimately　acquainted　with　most　of　the　characters。　
　　
　I　know　Amelia　and　Emerson　so　well　by　now　that　all　I　have　to　do　is　set　up　a　situation　and　describe　how　they　will　inevitably　react。　It　takes　much　longer　for　me　to　write　a　book　about　people　I　don't　know。　I　learn　to　know　them　as　I　write；　and　they　have　a　nasty　habit　of　developing　in　ways　I　didn't　anticipate。　That's　when　I　have　to　go　back　and　rewrite。　I　was　halfway　through　Vanish　with　the　Rose　＇by　Barbara　Michaels＇　before　I　realized　that　the　person　I　had　picked　to　be　the　mu