Enheduanna's Song From the Sands by Ellen Rachlin

18 Jun

The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour

*Enheduanna’s Song From the Sands* by Ellen Rachlin

I’m so excited to be highlighting Enheduanna’s Song From the Sands today on the blog, a story about the world’s first named book author, a woman who lived in ancient Mesopotamia. You can find the book description and an extract below.

Book Description

Discover the untold story of Enheduanna, the world’s first named author, as she navigates power, betrayal, and divine destiny in ancient Mesopotamia. A mesmerizing fusion of history, myth, and female leadership that challenges how we see the past—and ourselves.

A high priestess dethroned. A rebel with a dangerous plan. One empire hanging by a thread.

When Enheduanna is named High Priestess of Ur, her connection to the gods makes her a target. Lugalanne’s coup strips her of robes, power, and home, casting her into the perilous underworld. There, amid forests of shadows and treacherous trials, she discovers that divine favor alone won’t save her—only cunning, courage, and a willingness to embrace the ruthlessness of her enemies can restore her.

Drawing on history and myth, Enheduanna’s Song From the Sands follows the world’s first named author as she fights to reclaim her voice and her destiny. Political intrigue, betrayal, and divine tests collide as Enheduanna must decide whether to forgive, to fight, or to harness the power that could shake the foundations of an empire. For readers who love The Song of Achilles’s intimate heroism, Circe’s mythic depth, or The Daughters of Sparta’s fierce women, this is a mesmerizing dive into ancient Mesopotamia where courage and cunning are the only paths to survival.

Buy Links:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/472x5R

Amazon US Paperback Link: https://www.amazon.com/Enheduannas-Song-Sands-Ellen-Rachlin/dp/1592117546/

Amazon UK Paperback Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Enheduannas-Song-Sands-Ellen-Rachlin/dp/1592117546/

Excerpt

This is except number 3 on the tour. f you would like to read the other excerpts or follow the rest of the tour then click the image below.

Inanna, supreme in Heaven and Earth, ruler over all gods, I beg of you: restore me to my temple, bring me home!

In the ancient city of Ur, I no longer breathe the salty air, lift myself from the sacred bed, or unravel Ningal’s dreams for my followers. The southern stars have slipped away from me; now I walk the thorny brush of the northern mountainside. As I sing your blessed song, I am dying.

Lugalanne made me fly from Ur like a swallow swept from its home. He removed my aga crown and sacred robes, then handed me a ritual dagger to use on myself! Punish him for unleashing this storm against me and for his unjust claim that my father stole his kingdom.

I am but a high priestess asking for the support of a god, but perhaps if you hear my story, you’ll understand my need. It begins with the patriarchs: Ur-Zababa, Lugalzagesi, and Sargon the Great—my father, the orphan who became an Emperor.

Author Bio

Ellen Rachlin’s poetry has appeared in American Poetry Review, Comstock Review, Granta, Court Green, Literary Imagination, and various anthologies. She has published two collections of her poems, Until Crazy Catches Me (Antrim House, 2008) and Permeable Divide (Antrim House, 2017), winner of the 2018 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Silver Award.

She has a historical fiction novel, Enheduanna’s Song From the Sands, based on the life of Enheduanna, the Akkadian high priestess and world’s first-named author, forthcoming from Histria Books and a collection of poems, At the Big Bang Resort, forthcoming from Red Hen Press.

She is also the author of two chapbooks, Waiting for Here (Finishing Line Press, 2004), a finalist in the New Women's Voices series, and Captive to Residue (Flarestack Publishing, 2009). She received her MFA from Antioch University. She serves as Treasurer of The Poetry Society of America and is a partner at Blue Leaf Ventures.

Other writing genres include numerous textbook and journal articles on the subject of finance and investing with various publishers including Wiley.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.ellenrachlin.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Ellen-Rachlin-author/61583923434907/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellenrachlin/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ellen-Rachlin/author/B002LFQWRM

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8068457.Ellen_Rachlin

Historical FictionBlog Tour

Rachel Elwiss Joyce

Rachel Elwiss Joyce, Author of Historical Fiction.

Exploring power, loyalty, and love in turbulent medieval England.

Rachel came to novel writing later in life, but she has always been passionate about history, storytelling, and the forgotten voices of women. She writes meticulously researched, immersive historical fiction that brings overlooked heroines into the light.

She started inventing tales about medieval women living in castles when she was just six years old—and never stopped. But when she discovered the extraordinary story of Nicola de la Haye, the first female sheriff, who defended Lincoln Castle from a French invasion and became known as ‘the woman who saved England’, Rachel knew she had found a heroine worth telling the world about.

Lady of Lincoln is her debut novel, the first book in her Nicola de la Haye Series, with sequels to follow.

https://rachelelwissjoyce.com