Why are my MC's Australian?

So my husband asked me; "Why are so many of your main characters Australian?"
I do have a nice collection of Aussie heroines. I have Alana from Great Southern Land, Donna from Athenian Rain, Penny from An Exchange, Lainey from the story which is currently being posted here and now I'm working on a new story which has Allison. That's five Aussie heroines!
So why? Easy answer really: I'm Australian. I can give a believable background for them because I know what it's like to live and grow up there. I know how the school system works, the lifestyles, popular pass times, the culture... If I were to write about an American MC I'd probably screw it up because I simply don't know what it's like to grow up as an American, but I do know how to be an Aussie.
So, by making them Aussie I make them more believable and more real. Do I think it makes them harder to relate to? No. They are normal young women who think and feel no differently to anyone else in their particular situations.

Titles...

So naming my stories has never been my strong point. I think all of my stories have had several name changes at some point. But, right now I'm writing a story which I have no idea what to call it.
It's about a young woman -Allison King - who is in her early twenties (she has her 22nd birthday in chapter 4) and from Australia, who suddenly finds herself hiding out in the bush while terrorists overrun the country. She is literally branded for death, but manages to escape, so is hunted by the General whom she outwitted. It's violent and graphic, and has political, racial and religious themes so the name needs to have some force behind it... any suggestions?

Also, I'm still looking for a name for Lainey and Ziyah's story which is the one currently being posted on the blog.

You're input is much appreciated. :-D

My Pony for Kiya

This is my Pony for Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh. It is based off the MC Naomi. Naomi is Hebrew, but is forced to live as an Egyptian queen and struggles with her forced split identity. Thus the two colored splattering. The Queen is symbolized by the bracelets, and the main and tail are like the wigs she is forced to wear in the palace to cover her cropped Hebrew hair.
Naomi is strong and determined, and her main objective throughout is to protect her family and the people she loves. I tried to show that through the facial expression.

Tag line: Naomi, to protect her sisters from palace life, steps in and becomes Kiya, Akhenaten's Beloved wife and mother of Tutankhamen.

Agent Request

Today I just got my first request for the manuscript for Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh from an Agency. I'm so stoked! Wish me luck!

Update: I had two partial requests and a full! That makes 4 so far! Let's see how it goes.

Query for Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh

When eighteen-year-old Naomi is faced with her younger sisters being abducted to be wives to the crazed Pharaoh, she intervenes by offering herself instead to protect them from the cruel and perverted life of the palace.

In the palace, Naomi finds herself thrust into the intrigues of the royal family. She is savvy and bright, so the Great Queen Nefertiti perceives Naomi to be her greatest threat. But Naomi refuses to submit to her physical and emotional abuse. She becomes beloved by the Pharaoh, who declares she will bear him his heir. Nefertiti, furious with jealousy, schemes to destroy Naomi and even brings her fidelity into question, which could cost Naomi her very life.

Naomi must play the deadly game carefully. She is in a silent battle of wills, and a struggle for who will one day inherit the crown. And when she does bear an heir, she must fight to protect him as well as herself from Nefertiti who is out for blood.

Based on actual people of the late eighteenth Egyptian Dynasty, KIYA: HOPE OF THE PHARAOH is a YA historical novel running at 87,000 words.

150 Words:

I sprinted through the dusty, narrow streets. My two younger sisters were hot on my trail, their footsteps sliding in the dirt as they took the corners, their hands occasionally slapping the mud brick walls for balance. I took a sharp turn and headed for the abandoned temple district.

I rounded a corner and came face to face with the grand gates to the Temple of Bast, where I paused. It had been only a few years since we Hebrews had not been allowed into that sector of Thebes, and I still felt apprehensive to enter.

“Naomi!” my sister, Rena screeched as she saw me step up into the gateway of the temple. “Don't go in there!”

I reached out and touched the smooth stone wall. “Are you afraid I will be struck down by Bast for being unworthy to enter?”

“Yes!” she hissed. “Well, maybe not Bast but... you know what I mean.” My sisters halted in their tracks and watched me in fear.

 

Kiya!

So I just finished implementing the suggestions and corrections the professional editor made for Kiya. It looks AMAZING now! It flows so nicely, her voice is clear, yet it has remained true to the original story I conjured. Now to find an agent who actually LIKES it, because apparently none do... sigh... I've been very disappointed by the lack of feedback on it in GUTGAA so far. I've gone and looked at all the others and so many people are saying 'I love this' and 'I love that', but Kiya only has people I asked to comment on it who have read it. I'd prefer an 'I really don't like this because...' rather than just silence. :-( so sad...

UPDATE 9/18 - I got some good feedback this morning so feeling a bit better now

I'm in GUTGAA!

Today begins the agent pitch contest! I somehow managed to get into the limited 200 places! The posts are anonymous, so if you want to leave a comment don't use my name. But here is the link if you want to see.
http://readingwritingandlovinit.blogspot.com/
If you want to leave me a personal note you can post it here on my blog. THANKS :-)

How I pictured it

Every now and then I find people who are exactly how I picture my characters to look. Today I found one of those. Meet Mordad/Adult Hepsati from Kiya. This actress is named Rose Byre, and the best part is, she's Australian!

And this is Delia and/or Itani in book three, since they are supposed to look very similar. Victoria Justice.

GUTGAA! :-)

So I made it into GUTGAA! HUZZAH!!! I was freaking out all day because I didn't make the intake at at 8am (The 11am time slot) and I sent if right on the dot. So I went to work and was making myself sick with worry all day. To make it worse, the servers at work were down and my computer there is still broken. I thought I might throw up. But, because the server was done, our boss sent us home early! So I was sitting at home, waiting for 1pm (4pm) watching my kids be super cute, and just feeling sicker and sicker with worry. I must have checked the email address and format ten times. Finally, 12:59 hit and I began counting down... 60, 59, 58... I hit 3 and clicked send. My clock turned to 1 just as my sent screen popped up. The next 20 minutes I spent pacing the house and freaking out as my husband tried to calm me. Then, I decided I hadn't made it. So I cried. I know, I know, I'm a Pansie. Once I was done crying and put my kid down for her nap, I returned to my computer and saw an email from GUTGAA. I opened it and saw the words "You're in". My husband describe my mood as being like night and day. One second I was moping around terribly depressed and down on myself, the next I was grinning like a stupid school girl. Ah, the joys of life. I really don't wanna go through that again soon...

Personal note for Three Immortals or City of Gold

As you can see I haven't decided on a name for this one. So as you read let me know which you think fits better, or even another name entirely. So I will post it as Lainey and Ziyah (L and Z)
I know I have only gotten halfway through the updated version of  'An Exchange', (sorry Tam) but I'm eager to get this posted and see how well it's received. I will admit that I don't think it's as good as Kiya, but right now I think Kiya is my best work. I will continue 'An Exchange' again afterward.
This story is about two young woman who find their lives, although thousands of years apart, are strangely entwined. There are some more adult themes than previous stories and can be a little graphic for want of a better word, but I keep it pretty toned down.
So anyway, here's it is...

GUTGAA Meet and Greet

My name is Katie Teller. I am 25 years old, a mother to a vivacious little girl who is almost two, and wife to a fantastic and downright hilarious Husband. 
I was born and raised in Australia and moved to the USA in 2009 to marry my Arizonan husband who I met when I was a foreign exchange student in 2005. 
My parents were amazing at nurturing and encouraging my talents and dreams and so I have worked hard to develop not only my writing through schooling, blogging and so forth, but also spent many years in singing lessons and state level choirs, and venting my excess energy into sports - the more violent the better... I love Netball and European Handball the most, with swimming over the summer like a true Aussie!
For more about me and my stories click the tab above. Now for the questionnaire!


-Where do you write?

At home mostly, but I carry a notepad everywhere in case I dream something up while I'm out somewhere.

-Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?

My husband's side of the bed.

-Favorite time to write?

 When my kid is sleeping.

-Drink of choice while writing?

Water. I live in Arizona, it's always water.

-When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?

 It actually depends. Sometimes it distracts me, but I have come up with some wild and exciting scenes while being plugged in.

-What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?

Kiya began while I was studying Ancient Egypt in High School. We were focusing on the 18th Dynasty and had started looking at Pharaoh Akhenaten. We talked about his radical changes within the society, most significantly religious, and the abandonment of the traditional religious and royal capital, Thebes (Luxor) for his new city Akhetaten. (Tel El Amarna - I call it Amarna in the story to reduce confusion between Akhenaten and Akhetaten)

Then we talked about the significant role women played in his reign. His main wife Nefertiti, is depicted everywhere with him, along with their daughters, the three oldest of which he married. (Meretaten aka Mayati, Meketaten and Ankhesenpaaten)

The only other wife ever mentioned - even though there is evidence that he had several hundred wives and concubines - was Kiya. There isn't much known about Kiya, but she was given the title; Greatly Beloved Wife. Some believe this is because she was the mother of Tutankhaten, later known as Tutankhamen. But suddenly, not long after she was raised to her great height in the royal family, she vanishes from history. She had 2 tombs built for her - one in The Valley of the Kings by Tutankhamun's, the other in Tel El Amarna, but neither had her remains within them.

So, I created my fictional version of Kiya. I crossed it with my knowledge of Hebrew history, customs and religion and used the later period (which means Moses was expelled by Ramses II. Early period theorizes they were expelled from a place called Ramses by one of the Thutmose's) which places them in Egypt at the end of the 18th Dynasty.

I wanted Kiya to not only be strong so she could survive what would happen to her within the royal family, but smart too. That's why she was her father's favorite, so she would have been educated whereas normally a woman wouldn't have been. I wanted her to be virtuous and courageous in standing up for her beliefs that's why I made her a Hebrew from the Tribe of Ephraim - Ephraim being the birthright line of Israel.

Everything else kind of just fell into place as I researched all the lives of the people involved. It was a struggle to piece things together because later Pharaoh's worked hard to wipe out evidence from this period, so there is limited knowledge on top of the fact that it was more than 5000 years ago.

-What's your most valuable writing tip?

Hmmm... make the voice clear, and don't compromise it. You know the character better than anyone. Keep the integrity of that voice no matter what.