SD: Thanks so much for having me here at Smart Girl! 

SG: What first drew you to the story of Princess Selene?

SD: The triumph over tragedy in Selene’s life first drew me to her. Here you have a young girl whose parents both killed themselves and whose brothers were murdered. She was taken prisoner by the Romans, ripped away from the only home she’d ever known, and marched through the streets in chains. And yet, this girl was then raised in the home of the very people who helped destroy her family. To survive all this, she had to befriend her captors.  

I wondered what kind of girl would have the strength to do that. 

What moves me about Selene, however, is that she found a way to honoring her mother and her legacy without getting into trouble for it. The scant remains we have of her reign tell us that Selene never forgot her mother, her goddess or Egypt. 

SG: If your readers could take one thing away from Lily of the Nile, what would you want it to be?

SD: As a child, Selene suffered many personal losses and appears to have carried the scars with her all her life. Yet, she went on to live a fabulously successful life as Queen of Mauretania. I hope girls learn from Selene’s example that whatever you’re facing now, whether it’s bullying at school or violence at home, things do get better. You can always rise up from those ashes and start again. 

SG: When did you realize you wanted to write stories for young women? Why?

SD: My grandmother used to take me on shopping trips with my cousins, and she used to lock us in the back seat of the car. Since I was the oldest, it was my job to make everyone stay still. The only way I knew how to keep everybody in the car was to tell them stories. Because of this early training, telling stories that captivate young women comes naturally to me. After all, if I failed, I might get hit with grandma’s purse! 

SG: Which negative stereotypes about women should young writers pay attention to when writing their own female characters?

SD: Most stereotypes have some basis in reality. We all know a shallow mean girl, for example. We’ve all met her or had to deal with her, so it’s natural for her to appear in our writing.  

I fall prey to this a little bit in Lily of the Nile when it comes to the emperor’s wife, Livia. Like Cleopatra, Livia has been vilified in history because she was a powerful woman who dared to exert political influence. Because of that, I feel a little bit guilty for making her into a mean girl in my book. To make up for this, I plan for the third book in the series to explore some of the reasons that Livia became so ruthless. 

SG: Why did you choose Cleopatra to title the writing contest?

SD: While Cleopatra certainly wasn’t the first or the only female scholar in the ancient world, she was remarkable even for her times. She spoke many languages. She was the mother to four children and ruled a nation, yet still found time to write books on subjects ranging from pharmacology to weights & measures. Because she was a ruler, a writer, and an icon of femininity, I wanted to name my writing contest after her. 

SG: What’s the benefit of having a literary agent critique your writing?

SD: I was a good writer for a long time before I signed with my agent, Jennifer Schober of Spencerhill. However, I never sold a book until after I signed with her. Literary agents know about the market; they know what sells. Jennifer helped me fix my own work and I’m so grateful for her input. The chance to have a literary agent critique your work can be the one thing that helps you break into the business. 

SG: Why did you choose the Ankh charm as a prize for your finalists?

SD: The ankh is an Egyptian symbol for eternal life, something Selene needs to believe in order to make peace with the deaths of her parents and brothers. It’s a hopeful, inspirational symbol that has been with us for thousands of years and I hope that the finalists in my contest will cherish the symbol as a representation of what they can achieve.