Goodreads asked Sarah Benson:

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Sarah Benson I have been obsessed with Greek mythology ever since I picked up “The Odyssey” as a precocious child. Later, in junior high and high school, I loved studying Egypt - the culture, artifacts, pyramids, mummies, all of it. The idea of this story all started with the jar. In myths like Pandora’s Box (which actually was a jar, not a box) and others, there is a force trapped that, if unleashed, could cause the destruction of mankind. So I took that concept, applied it to a Greek amphora and decided to bring Alexander the Great into the mix. There is a lot of mystery regarding his life, cause of death, and the location of his body. For many Egyptologists, finding Alexander the Great’s body would be like finding the Holy Grail. So I loved the idea of Kami’s grandfather being an Egyptologist with an obsession with Alexander the Great who accidentally uncovers something that should have remained buried.

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