BEHIND THE BOOK
How the legendary Emerald Mountains and Cleopatra’s ancient mines inspired the world of The Lost Emerald.
Welcome to my first Behind‑the‑Book post — the story of how The Lost Emerald first came to life.
First, I would like to take a moment to introduce you to my inspiration behind The Lost Emerald, the first book in the The Fay Hunter archaeological thriller series.
For years I have been fascinated with emeralds, gemstones and ancient Egypt. So you can imagine my surprise when whilst researching, I stumbled on a video about the Emerald mountains and Cleopatra’s mines. This is was serendipity at its best.
And you can imagine my delight at discovering that such a place actually exists. There nestled high above the golden deserts of eastern Egypt lies over 80,000 miles of dry, scorching wilderness, where it rains about once every decade. And Layered deep within the vast barren land are rich precious metal gemstones such as Cornelia, amethyst, gold, and silver and of course, emeralds.
Jabal Zabarah the legendary emerald mountains snuggly encompasses Cleopatra’s emerald mines, which is known of today as the oldest mines in the world.
The vibrant green beryl gemstone was revered by the ancient Egyptians as the sacred stone, symbolizing the flooding of the Nile, fertility, and eternal life—not to mention the deep affection Cleopatra had for it!
And what’s more fascinating is that there are emeralds still to this day hidden within the depths of those mountains.
The Lost Emerald was a joy to write, a true inspiration in my life, and one that I will cherish for many years to come on my journey as a writer.
To learn more about the emerald mountains watch the video here.
To read all about the history of the Emerald mountains please read here.
Announcement Updates
✨ Big news! ✨
I’m so excited to be sharing!
The Lost Emerald is now officially available to order 🚀📖. Secure your copy today and be among the first to dive into Fay Hunter’s Adventure!
👉 Order here.
December 2025