The Mummy Wore Combat Boots

The Sandy Hook School shooting, the Colorado movie theatre massacre...

Was online gaming to blame?

Psychologists believe that engaging in violent virtual gaming desensitises the player and dehumanises opponents. When the division between what is real and what is virtual becomes unclear, the results can be catastrophic.

When forensic anthropologist Palmer Richardson is called to investigate an uncatalogued sarcophagus found in storage at the Royal Ontario Museum, he has his work cut out for him. Upon investigation, he discovers the mummy inside is that of a teenage boy and involves Detective Constable Michael Crestwood of the Metropolitan Toronto Police.

Their investigation delves into the world of online gaming, where losing health points in a skirmish could have serious implications for a player’s life in the real world.

Inspired by real-life headlines, The Mummy Wore Combat Boots highlights the growing divide between children who live their lives immersed in a digital culture and the adults tasked with raising them who live in the real world.

Elise Abram has been a high school teacher of English and Computer Studies for more than 20 years, providing coaching to writers of all ages and at all levels of development from middle school through Ph.D. candidate. She is a former archaeologist, editor, publisher, award-winning author, avid reader of literary and science fiction, and student of the human condition. Abram is best known as a science fiction and young adult novelist, but her writing interests are diverse. She has published everything from science fiction for adults (Phase Shift) and young adults (I Was, Am, Will Be Alice), to young adult paranormal (The Revenant: A YA paranormal adventure with zombies), police procedural (Throwaway Child and The Mummy Wore Combat Boots), and young adult contemporary (The New Recruit). In addition to her works of fiction are two non-fiction books, Paleo, Gluten-free, and Low-Carb Mug Muffins (cookbook), and Best Practice Blog Tours (How-to). Some of Abram’s work has been featured on The Compulsive Reader, Cultured Vultures, The Write Practice, and Write To Done websites. In 2015, Abram formalized her company, EMSA Publishing, in order to edit, publish, and publicize the work of other authors. She also freelances as a writer, editor, cover designer, and book formatter. Prior to becoming a writer, Abram worked as an archaeologist in the Greater Toronto Area and across Ontario for 10 years, excavating a combination of prehistoric, contact, and historic sites. She has organized and designed curriculum for an archaeological field school and camp groups at the Royal Ontario Museum, where she was a teacher for 3 years. Abram holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada; a B.Ed. in Learning in Non-School Environments with a focus on Archaeological Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, the University of Toronto, in Ontario Canada; and additional educational qualifications in subjects ranging from Contemporary Studies to Library Studies.