Guest post: Anna Patricio, author of Asenath

Today it is my pleasure to welcome Anna Patricio, author of Asenath. I asked Anna to tell us a little bit about her debut novel. Here's what she had to say.

MY IDEA FOR 'ASENATH'
by Anna Patricio

My debut novel 'Asenath' is about the wife of Joseph of the
coat-of-many-colours. Upon telling people I have written about her,
the most common reaction I get is, "I didn't know Joseph was married!"
Indeed, Asenath is hardly known, probably because she is mentioned
only in passing. All we are told about her is that she was given in
marriage to Joseph as his reward for interpreting Pharaoh's dreams.
That, and she was the mother of his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
After that, Genesis is silent on the rest of her life.

So why did I choose to write about this obscured, nearly forgotten
woman of the Bible? To begin with, I love the Joseph story. Though I
have known it all my life, it was only some years ago that I realised
what a powerful and moving tale it is. Joseph's strength is admirable.
He endured the countless travails that befell him - being sold into
slavery, accused for a crime he did not commit - and yet remained
sweet and kind.

As I delved deeper into Joseph's story, I became curious about the
Egyptian priestess he married. It was as if Asenath was a tiny yet
persistent voice, begging and waiting to be heard.
I then did some research and found hardly anything on her. There were
some stories of her not found in the Bible, such as the first-century
Greek tale 'Joseph and Asenath.' But they were all fictional. I was
given no information on her background, her life before and after
Joseph.

These large gaps then gave way to imagination. I then grew inclined to
perceive Asenath as a strong person, just as her husband was. Perhaps
she too had her own story of travail and triumph.

Perhaps, being the operative. To quote famed historical novelist
Eloise Jarvis McGraw (author of 'Mara, Daughter of the Nile' and
'Pharaoh'): "I am not saying this is how it happened. I am not even
saying this is how it might have happened... I am only saying, 'What
if it happened this way?'"

Most of the fiction I had read about her portrayed her as either a
self-centered aristocratic who changed upon meeting Joseph, or a
neglected trophy wife mostly ignored by her husband. Maybe she was
such a way (though I really wouldn't want to believe the latter). But
maybe, she wasn't. I guess when I didn't see any novel that portrayed
Asenath the way I imagined her, I decided to write one for myself.

Hence, 'Asenath.'

Thank you, Anna, for visiting with us today. Your new book sounds most intriguing and one that both fans of history and romance will enjoy. Here's a little bit about Anna's book.

Paperback, 224 pages

Published September 28th 2011 by Imajin Books (first published August 28th 2011)

more details...

ISBN: 1926997263 (ISBN13: 9781926997261)

Two Destinies...One Journey of Love

Destinies...One Journey of Love

Like her, Joseph was taken away from his home, and it is in him that Asenath comes to find solace…and love. But just as they are beginning to form a bond, Joseph is betrayed by his master’s wife and thrown into prison.

In a humble fishing village on the shores of the Nile lives Asenath, a fisherman's daughter who has everything she could want. Until her perfect world is shattered.

When a warring jungle tribe ransacks the village and kidnaps her, separating her from her parents, she is forced to live as a slave. And she begins a journey that will culminate in the meeting of a handsome and kind steward named Joseph.

Is Asenath doomed to a lifetime of losing everything and everyone she loves?

AUTHOR BIO:

Anna Patricio is a lover of ancient history, with a particular
interest in Egypt, Israel, Greece, and Rome. She is also intrigued by
the Ancient Near East, though she has not delved too much into it but
hopes to one day.

She undertook formal studies in Ancient History at Macquarie
University. She focused mostly on Egyptology and Jewish-Christian
Studies, alongside a couple of Greco-Roman units, and one on
Archaeology. Though she knew there were very limited job openings for
ancient history graduates, she pursued her degree anyway as it was
something she had always been passionate about.

Then, about a year after her graduation, the idea to tackle historical
fiction appeared in her head, and she began happily pounding away on
her laptop. ASENATH is her first novel.

Recently, she traveled to Lower Egypt (specifically Cairo and the
Sinai), Israel, and Jordan. She plans to return to Egypt soon, and see
more of it. In the past, she has also been to Athens and Rome.

Anna is currently working on a second novel, which still takes place in Ancient Egypt, but hundreds of years after ASENATH.  Anna can be found at her website