Halloween may be over, but we still love our creepy-crawlies here in the Universe. Meet Amara Dey and the bestiary from her new release No Mere Mortal.
Take a peek at November’s Freebies and Sales. ZG1 is still on sale for a few short days.
AMARA’S GHOSTIES, GHOULIES, and LONG-LEGGED BEASTIES
I loved this description of Sorchia’s so much I had to write my post on this theme.
First off, ghosties.
The ghost featured in No Mere Mortal is Riva, a friendly spirit and my heroine’s mother. She died giving birth to Venus, and, always wishing she had known her mother, Venus is granted access to the spirit realm by Serra, its guardian, to meet Riva.
To a human, the Veil is a spooky, misty place that sends shivers down Venus’s spine. But she perseveres in there until she finds her mother. Who is not scary at all, but beautiful and ethereal. It is an emotional meeting, filled with joy at the possibilities of getting to know each other going forward. And also sadness, at all the years lost from their mother/daughter relationship.
This scene is written from my heart, as I too lost my mother at a young age. And, somewhere inside me, I wish I could speak with her.
Next up, ghoulies.
Let me first introduce my bad boy zombies known as RD’s in No Mere Mortal. Short for the risen dead. They live in a Decagon’s Twilight realm and are my hero, Bolt’s, nemesis as their touch is fatal to him. Conjured from graves by Zaru the Warlock, they attack Bolt during a darkly atmospheric and scary fight scene.
But some clever thinking on Venus’s part helps Bolt recover, and they survive to battle the second set of ghouls – the mutants.
These are the Moonfolk, the night-dwellers from the realm of Moonshade. They practice Ceremonial Magic; that is, they use blood sacrifices in their rituals and intend to fuel their supply from the other surface realms of Decagon. Why, I hear you ask? My answer is payback.
Moonfolk were former day dwellers, exiled to the deserted night realm because of their magical practices, and they suffered painful mutations. This, in turn, fueled their thirst for revenge on those who banished them.
These first three entities are purely from my imagination; the long-legged beastie, however, is a creature from the folklore of my birth country, Guyana.
The Dia-Dia.
As the legend goes, the Dia-Dia are shape-shifting guardians of the precious metals and stones of Guyana. In No Mere Mortal, my version of the Dia-Dia is similar.
These beautiful female creatures live in Decagon’s subterranean mining region known as the Outlands, which is awash with jewels. Their purpose is to stop the removal of gems through seduction. If that fails, they shapeshift into my version of deadly winged monsters sporting talons, claws, fangs, and a venomous snake coiled around their heads.
Decagon’s miners fell foul of the Dia-Dia and were massacred, bringing an end to mining on Decagon and the disappearance of the Dia-Dia. Or so everyone thought until one attacks Venus and Bolt. In another magical fight, they defeat it – only to discover later on that Venus is related to the creature.
A dilemma for her for sure.
So, dear readers, ghosties, ghoulies, and long-legged beasties add tons of flavor to my story. And, lovely or loathsome, I wouldn’t ever want to be without them.
NO MERE MORTAL – Decagon Book 1
Venus Myles, orphaned at birth, is a London-based dance teacher and unaware of her divine lineage – that is, until a strange encounter thrusts her into a world of Gods and magic.
She learns from Bolt, a disgraced deity from the planet Decagon, that she is his realm’s savior, and a passionate connection sizzles between them. But when Bolt unexpectedly disappears, a determined Venus travels to Decagon to find him and learn more about her destiny.
Assuming, of course, she can escape the powerful and deadly witch Ansa, who wants her dead, find Bolt, and tap into her dormant magical abilities.
And do it in time to stop an apocalypse that will destroy her, Bolt, his world, and his kind.
Fans of sexy paranormal romance filled with action, adventure, and magic will love this story.
Excerpt Time: No Mere Mortal
…standing at the forefront of the Aqua army with Eja and Bolt, Venus gazed at a bald, chalk-faced man with frightful cat’s eyes. Black-robed and grotesque, he stood left of the rock. I thought Ansa and Zaru the epitome of evil, but this mutant makes them seem likable. Midway between the allies and the aggressors knelt a pair of adults and a brown child with spiky hair. Heat exploded inside Venus.
“A low blow snatching a kid, even for this caliber of an enemy.”
“The small one is Laro, the Dwarf, and the other two our chief and Kabu,” Eja replied.
“He’s just a little guy.”
Venus’ every protective instinct reached out to Laro as she appraised the scene. The gray-haired chap must be Oddu, the bronzed young man Bolt’s brother. How could she save the defenseless trio without yielding to enemy demands? On Baldy’s right, one step behind him, stood a milk-white female with wavy dark hair. A skin-tight jumpsuit, the color of midnight, covered her statuesque frame. Her irises glittered like citrine stones.
The pair’s impressive army stretched the length of the beach, armed with club-shaped weapons. Savage, incandescent eyes gleamed through slits in the black cloth, wrapped ninja-style around their heads. Behind them, the horizon made a silhouette against the dusky violet of the sky.
Venus stared at the overall picture, and her chance of winning seemed impossible. These powerful creatures had placed a shade over the sun and stole the colors of the day. Her bravado fled, and fear filled her body like frigid water. A frail human couldn’t save Radiance. Yes, you can. You’re not weak. You’re my blood. Act on your instincts, and they won’t fail you.
Eja’s strong telepathic message sobered Venus. She forced her reluctant eyes off the scary yet hypnotic scene and gazed at the mirror instead. Her fear subsided at once, from throat to feet, and Venus reassessed the situation. The enemy line-up remained formidable, but she was in control of herself, and she strengthened her posture. Yes, she was human. And special. And could defend this realm.
Warm empowerment swept through her, brightening her glow, and a hush descended over the battlefield. The Moonfolk army shaded their sensitive eyes from her brilliant goldenness and zoomed back a good meter’s distance from the rock.
A delighted Venus grinned. “They’re proper afraid of my glow, aren’t they?”
“Yes,” Bolt said. “Keep it radiant.”
A bright speck flashed above, creating the ring effect of a solar eclipse. “And it’s fixing the sun.”
Venus loved the influence she was having on the celestial body and the enemy. For when beads of light appeared around the black discus in the sky, a fearful mumble spread through the Moonfolk ranks.
“Hold your ground.” The Moonshade leader boomed the command at his hesitant army before he snarled at her.
“Stop smirking and glowing, or I’ll kill these three.”
Venus expected the demand, took a deep breath, extended the radius of her golden aura, and cast everything with honeyed hues.
“As you wish,” he told her and pointed.
An ebony streamer, reeking of decay, sprang from his fingertips and weaved toward the captives.
“Oh no, you don’t.”
Venus rushed forward, glow bobbing, and aimed the mirror at the black ribbon of death. A golden ray shot from the vessel straight across the streamer’s path. The glistening jet slammed into the shining beam and stopped. Venus pushed ahead, forcing the master’s magic backward, and placed herself at the front of the three hostages. Bolt and Eja joined her and sent their colleagues back into the ranks of the Aquatics to have their powers restored.
While Venus grappled with the killer tape, Eja aimed her trident’s lights at the master’s eyes, dazzling him. Bolt blinded him with a lightning stream. The man blinked water and resisted their attempts to stop him. While his nasty rivulet gobbled, like a flesh-eating virus, at Venus’ band of light, the wet chomping straight from the soundtrack of a horror movie. Wavy Hair linked her streamer to her leader’s, and the gobbling intensified. Bolt struck the beach with a crackling spurt of white, and sand sprayed her face.
“Argh, you bastard.” Her vehement swearing continued as she withdrew, rubbing her gritty eyes.
But the double hit from the enemy proved too much for Venus. Her knees buckled and gave way, and her free palm slapped the ground hard when she tried to break her fall. Her mirror hand shook, and her golden ray wobbled. The black ribbon slipped past it, snaked towards her, split into two, and headed straight for Bolt and Eja…
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Meet Amara Dey
Hi, I am Paranormal Romance Author AMARA DEY. I live in London, England, and have done so for most of my adult life. I love to write novels with a mortal/immortal love connection, served with a massive dose of sensuous other-worldly desire and, of course, magic.
Born in Guyana, South America, my stories are multi-racial and multi-cultural, and my main female characters always have to work hard to overcome adversities to achieve their goals. A trait I hope will empower my young women readers.
Apart from writing, reading is one of my favorite pastimes. Also watching movies, Salsa dancing, and travel. So often, I wish I was my chosen avatar, a mermaid, and could swim off to faraway lands. But remain aware that there are Covid restrictions in place for mermaids too.
I hold a Degree in Business Studies and have worked in the Admin side of finance, law, and law enforcement over the years. Since high school, I have been writing on and off but felt like a true Author when I finished my first novel – NO MERE MORTAL. (https://www.amaradey.uk/bio).
One thought on “Novel Magic: No Mere Mortal by Amara Dey”
Thank you Sorchia for a great post. Amara.