Primordial Sun, The Heart of the Amazon

A Novel by: Karen McGrath

Genre: Paranormal Romance Mystery

Release: April 2011

Editor: Nancy Bell

Line Editor: Penny Ehrenkranz

Cover Artist: Delilah K. Stephans

Word count: 68480

Pages: 187

ISBN: 978-1-926931-62-3

E-book price: $5.95

Blurb: 

Kylie Watson is a lawyer in Boston, MA, whose emotional life is in disarray. She’s entirely too dependent on her childhood pals.  Her surrogate siblings step into protector roles for her when her universe is rocked by her missionary parent’s deaths in a plane crash in the Amazon - sending Kylie on a quest for personal freedom in her season of mourning.

In the midst of her loss and grief, someone is stalking her and leaving a trail of clues in their wake. Kylie is driven by chronic nightmares that begin the night of the accident.

Traveling to the world she left behind as a teen, Kylie runs to Brazil to be close to the last place her parents lived. From the historic town of Boston to the fish markets in Manaus to the tropics in the Amazon, she discovers family secrets, church corruption and international espionage.

As Kylie navigates the waters of Brazil and the streams of her heart, she encounters the three loves of her life; one whose presence makes everything right but seems just out of reach, one whose money and power can keep her but repulses her at times, and one whose fiery passion forces her to face reality and scares her to death.

Which man will pursue her and why? Were her parents murdered? If so, by whom? What was their connection to the new tribe translations that is strangely forbidden by the Missionary Alliance Board? What is it that Kylie really wants?

When all is said and done, worlds collide and produce a new reality for Kylie.

Nothing is what it seems.

Do you want the truth or something you can live with?

Primordial Sun, The Heart of the Amazon

Excerpt: 

She took a step, but her boot caught on the ground. Was it a tree root?
“I think I’m stuck.”
Jose stopped, and then backtracked a few feet to her.
“Your foot is caught all right. Hold still. I’ll try to wring you out of it.”
Kylie put her hands on his waist and felt the strength in his torso. If only I had stayed in Brazil all those years ago, she thought. No, he must have a woman here, he must. She looked down between them as he kneeled to examine her foot.
“Well, well, well; look what we have here,” Jose said as he raised his machete in the air and came down hard right next to her boot. “It’s a surucucu. Gotcha!” he cried.
Kylie screamed, and he reached over, instinctively placing his large hand across her mouth nearly asphyxiating her.
“Shhh. Don’t jump. I have to remove the head of this thing. You don’t want to get the venom on you, all right? Don’t move.”
She listened and did as he said, but she couldn’t keep herself from shivering with fear.
“It might have relatives nearby. Just walk as carefully as you can,” Jose whispered.
Kylie nodded. No problem there. She hated snakes, remembering the pit from their childhood. Jose had built a well of sorts and filled it with snakes from the rainforest. The goal was to test your bravery. Could you be lowered into the snake pit and survive? How far down would you go before you screamed? She lost it every time, no matter how much Jose told her she had to attempt self-discipline. The desire truly eluded her.
After another twenty minutes into the forest, they came upon the most spectacular waterfall Kylie had ever seen. The water gushed in the silvery light of dawn with mist springing up everywhere. It could have been liquid moonlight if not for the roar over the rocks. The sound of the falls enthralled her. Each of their party silently drank in its grandeur, falling under the spell of the thundering.
The crest was easily two hundred feet up and fresh clear water cascaded down tumbles of rock. It broke up every several feet making it seem like a giant ladder. There were several dark spots behind the falls that came through in the early morning light like shadows. They made a lovely pattern in the back of the veil of rushing water. The shading would have been lost any other time of day. Noon would make it monochromatic, and the afternoon sun would be behind the falls on the top side, blending any discolorations altogether.
Kylie saw it in her heart first. It was just a flash, almost of recognition, but there it was, and she could barely conceal her excitement and expectation. She ran to Jose’s side excitedly showing him the map.
“Ze, look. The dark spots. They’re in the same pattern as the numbers on the map. Could it be those are caves? What do you think? I bet they’re caves, and the crystals are in there!”
Kylie was too thrilled by the possibility to wait for his reply. She scrambled up the right side of the falls to the first dark spot behind the cascade. She stood on the ledge looking out into the morning; the view was breathtaking. She wished she brought her camera, but knowing Jose’s fear of being discovered, she shrugged the thought off. She didn’t need a bunch of photographs telling the world where the crystals might be. She had her flashlight tied to her belt loop and grabbed it. She felt someone behind her and wheeled around to see Jose. He got out his own flashlight and motioned to her to continue on.
“You’ve found it, Kay. I’m sure this is it! The men will wait for us to give them a signal that the stones are here. Let’s go!”
They ducked into the small indentation in the stone, and there seemed to be a small path cleft in the rock. They followed it carefully. They tore away cobwebs and other creepy things, but the place was relatively beast free. Thank God, thought Kylie. It must have been due to all the moisture from the falls even though the dampness seemed to disperse the farther they went.
They were about five minutes into the small cave when the colors of the rock turned from dark gray to light pink.
“Eureka!” cried Jose, and he took out his pocket knife and a small pouch. Kylie did the same, and they unearthed rock samples stuffing more in their pockets. They ran back to the front of the falls as quickly as they could.
When they arrived, everyone was missing. Jose realized the danger first and motioned to Kylie to get back inside behind the falls. She obeyed quickly. He pulled out his pistol and ducked behind the water so as not to be seen from the banks of the river below them. Then there was a loud whisper from above. One of the tribesmen crouched above them on the next landing of the falls.

Reviews:

MEET THE AUTHOR

Also by Karen McGrath:

Love in the Time of Mortals

Customer Reviews:

Enjoy your trip to the rainforest of Brazil as you follow Kylie Watson, a young woman seeking the truth about the mysterious death of her missionary parents. You will find danger, a bit of fantasy, a touch of God, grief, hope, healing, and love.rnrnThe author, Karen McGrath used her wonderful imagination to introduce us to a secret the world would embrace.rn