Shannon Nichola Stoner, author of a trilogy of novels set in Ancient Egypt and 2004 graduate of Arcadia University, returns to her alma mater on Friday, April 19, to deliver “Two Worlds Collide in the Works of Shannon Nichola Stoner.” Part of the Arcadia University Writers Return to Campus Series, the presentation is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Grey Towers Castle and is free and open to the public.

The trilogy begins with The Rise of Sekhmet (Fideli Publishing, 2011), which follows a pharaoh’s search in Ancient Egypt for relics that will grant him supreme power. The plot pivots around two boys who stand in the way of the pharaoh’s goal—an orphan destined to become the King of Thieves, and the son of a noble family who struggles with his father’s heavy expectations—who fight against the maniacal pharaoh and his goal of worldwide domination.

Stoner released the sequel, The Circlet of Isis, in 2012; the third book in the trilogy, The Scepter of Osiris, has a December 2013 release date.

For more information about the series, contact Dr. Richard Wertime, Professor of English and Director of Graduate Studies in English and the Humanities, at 215-572-2963 or wertime@arcadia.edu.

In 1993, Stoner’s writing career began when she published her first poem, “Subjects of the Night,” through the National Library of Poetry. Writing rewards her, she says, by bringing to life her ideas, animating characters she has created in her mind.

“You begin with basic description, but through experiences, feelings, and their interaction with the world in which you place them, characters develop all the quirks, strengths and weaknesses that every one of us experiences in daily life,” Stoner said. “Writing is more than putting words on paper or on the computer screen. It’s about giving your heart and soul, and giving birth to these creations of yours. These characters become your children, part of you because you can’t completely separate an artist from their creation.”

Stoner earned a master’s degree in English from Arcadia in 2004 and a bachelor’s degree in English in 2000 from Albright University. She resides in Green Bay, Wis., and is a journalist for The Press newspaper.

Arcadia’s Writers Return to Campus Series welcomes back to campus Arcadia alumni writers who have enjoyed a notable literary success in their lives. The Visiting Writers Series welcomes to campus authors of distinction, ranging from the well-established to the up-and-coming. Past guests include writers Seamus Heaney, Richard Wilbur, Marilynn Robinson, Tobias Wolff, Richard Russo, and Jean Valentine. Most recently the Visiting Writers Series has hosted novelist Brad Watson and Tom Franklin. At each event, the writer gives a reading, followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience. Books or CDs by the writer are available for purchase.