Author Interview with Stephanie Dray

We are thrilled to have author Stephanie Dray with us today and to be the next stop in Lily of the Nile blog tour.

Hi Stephanie! Thank you so much for allowing us to interview you.

I’m so thrilled to be here!

How would you describe your book, Lily of the Nile?

Lily of the Nile is the first of a planned trilogy about the extraordinary life of Cleopatra’s daughter, Selene. In terms of market, it’s historical women’s fiction with YA crossover appeal and a dash of magic realism.

Which character did you enjoy getting to know the most and why?

Selene was orphaned at the age of ten when her parents committed suicide and two of her brothers were murdered. She was then raised by her parents’ enemies and had to hide her feelings in order to survive. What touched me about her story is that she never forgot her heritage or her lost loved ones. When she finally escaped Augustus and Rome, she honored her mother on coins and made statues of her dead relatives. That she was without a voice for most of her life, and that history has denied her a voice, made it an honor for me to give her one.

What inspired you to have Lily of the Nile's setting be during the Roman rule?

The Augustan Age was a period of great political and social transition. It was a turning point for all of Western Civilization. That Cleopatra Selene lived during these times and influenced her world, and our own, really inspired me!

Who was one of your favorite authors growing up?

I had so many favorite authors when I was growing up (much like now), but I’m going to name one that I think influenced me in writing this book and that is VC Andrews. When I was a teenager, I read Flowers in the Attic and I was very disturbed by it. One of the things that stayed with me was the haunting way in which abused children were so very broken.

When I wrote this book about Selene and her brothers, one of my writing instructors reminded me to think about how messed up these children really would have been. Selene survived terrible tragedies and a precarious childhood in which her life was always in danger. Combine that with a sense of legacy and faith in a forbidden religion and you have the recipe for a child whose psyche is on the edge. Selene can only rely on her brothers and she is afraid to love anyone else for fear of losing them. She’s also an avenger, and when I think of her, it’s hard not to think back to VC Andrews’ Catherine Doll.

What do you enjoy doing when you're not writing?

I train my fluffy cat Butterscotch to shake paws, sit up, high five and other tricks. We’re working on getting him to jump through a hoop at the moment but I think it offends his sense of feline dignity.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

You have just helped me set my five year plan! Five years from now, I would like to have at least ten books in print, have taken a trip to Rome and Egypt, and have sparkling wood floors in my house. I should give this a lot more thought, shouldn’t I?

Thank you Stephanie for being with us today!

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* Stephanie Dray is the author of a forthcoming trilogy of historical fiction novels set in the Augustan Age, starting with Lily of the Nile: A Novel of Cleopatra's Daughter. Before she wrote novels, Stephanie was a lawyer, a game designer, and a teacher. Now she uses the transformative power of magic realism to illuminate the stories of women in history and inspire the young women of today. She remains fascinated by all things Roman or Egyptian and has–to the consternation of her devoted husband–collected a house full of cats and ancient artifacts.She is currently sponsoring the Cleopatra Literary Contest for Young Women, the deadline for which is March 1, 2011, but join her newsletter now for updates and a chance to win a free copy of Lily of the Nile and additional prizes.