The Lost Tomb of Cleopatra (Brook Burlington Book 1)
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Woodburn Hall is one of West Virginia University’s most famous buildings, but you will not find Brook Burlington, Emily Losser, Yeats, or Stuart Green there. You will, however, find a planetarium on WVU’s campus.
The Supreme Council of Antiquities Ali references in Chapter 2 exists; however, its name changed a few years ago. I considered it likely Ali and Brook would keep using the previous name.
Kurt Muller is a fictional character. Through stories like Monuments Men, many will know that the Nazis were one of history’s greatest looters. The Fuhrermuseum complex in Linz, Austria, was never built, but plans called for Hitler’s home town to be rebuilt as an art and culture capital of the Third Reich and its museum stocked with some of Europe’s finest art. Although Egyptian treasures were outside its stated mandate, given the country’s ability to fascinate some of history’s most infamous dictators, it seemed plausible Hitler or Goering would have been interested in having them form part of the museum’s collection.
Jaghbub is a real settlement in Libya; its history has been slightly changed to align with Muller’s movements.
I have never tried to cross the border from Egypt to Libya; however, I assume it is far more difficult than it was in the book. This was a situation in which I felt I had to add a bit of creative license.
St. Mary’s of Egypt Church is based on Saint Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai. The site is the world’s oldest continuing operating library, and houses many ancient manuscripts. I wanted to visit the location during a follow-up visit to Egypt, but given security concerns in the region, and the attacks specifically focused on Christian sites, my guides would not permit it. That saddens me greatly.
The Library of Alexandria was one of the ancient world’s great sites. Today it is probably better known for the fact it was burned down, either once by Caesar’s army in 48 BC, or on multiple occasions before it was completely destroyed. A new great library, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, opened in the city in 2002.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you for reading The Lost Tomb of Cleopatra, I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, the best way to show your support is to leave a review at Amazon. Reviews will help other readers like you discover the book.
This was my first novel, but Brook Burlington will return and I look forward to having the opportunity to continue to share my work with you. If you would like to be notified when my next book is ready, please send me an email at jtosbournewriter@gmail.com.
Brook Burlington was conceived on the rooftop of the Kempinski Hotel in Cairo. On vacation I confided to my travel partner and long-time friend Florence Marchand that one of my greatest regrets was my inability to see any of my previous writing projects to fruition. She listened patiently as I debated the merits of Egypt as a possible setting for a new project, then we sat together for an hour as the outline for this story came to life. The fact you’re reading this means I owe Florence a tremendous debt of gratitude.
A special thank you must go to my tour guide in Egypt, Mohammed Mekkawi, who patiently answered my questions about his country’s history and Cleopatra, as he navigated me around the sites mentioned in this novel. Mohammed introduced me to Kathleen Martinez, a Dominican lawyer who is leading the real-life charge to find Cleopatra’s tomb. Kathleen’s support of this project meant a lot to me, understanding her motivations and challenges helped create more compelling characters, and I look forward to the day I learn that she has solved one of Egypt’s last great mysteries.
Writing is something you do alone, but I have been lucky to have a few extremely talented contributors as part of my team and the final product is infinitely better for it. David Alderman, a WVU alum, helped improve the outline, provided some local knowledge, and suggested a number of improvements to the story. David Eisenstark acted as my writing guru, taking this project to a completely different level, and my editor Lauren Whale helped polish a rough draft into something I felt comfortable sharing with the world. I’m lucky to have the three of you on my team and look forward to our next effort.
To my father, who patiently read every installment of this manuscript, provided constant encouragement, and quickly became my biggest supporter, and to Jaclyn and my grandfather, Thomas Zuber, who both did the same: thank you for believing in me. This book never would have been completed without you.
Copyright © 2018 JT Osbourne. All rights reserved.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JT Osbourne is the pen name of a writer who has worked in the financial services industry for the last 15 years. Always fascinated by the Grand Tour, he has lived on four continents, has visited over 50 countries, cruised the Nile, climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Fuji, and has searched for lost tombs in Egypt.
He calls Toronto, Canada, home. The Lost Tomb of Cleopatra is his first novel.