Welcome to Realm Explorers!  In this weekly series, we visit a variety of unique worlds created by talented science fiction and fantasy authors.  Enjoy your travels!  And don’t forget to read to the bottom of the post to find out more about each author and see how to purchase the featured book. 

Author’s name: Precarious Yates

Title of book: The Heart of the Caveat Whale trilogy

Brief summary of the story:

I’m sure you are simply dying to meet some mermaids, but you’ll have to be patient, unless you can breathe under water. And you probably want to meet a few aquavians—

You mean you’ve never heard of aquavians?

These swarthy skinned beauties look human but live under the sea in Aiqua Marrin. They can survive just as well on land, but don’t like to stay too long. Their favorite past times are laughter and play.

Except the MerKing comes along and corrupts all of these fun-loving creatures. To top it off, the once friendly mermen are now violent.

There seems no end to the MerKing’s desire to conquer Aiqua Marrin. His conquests move from sea to land. Continents and islands fall prey to his relentless attacks. And he’s near unstoppable, as long as Shunda does not rise up against him.

Shunda, a gentle and lonely orphaned aquavian, has no idea he’s the key to freedom for both the aquavians and the merfolk.

The Heart of the Caveat Whale trilogy is now available in a single volume! Find the long lost Captives. Learn the secrets of Pyromarne. Discover the power of The Tiller and the Song. Lounge on the beaches of Hoondiake. Swim among the icebergs of Iyunsha. Visit the garden between the volcanoes. Dare to plunge to the depths of Loesheen Sea. Come to Aiqua Marrin with me!

Brief description of the world or location you created for this story:

Welcome to the world of Aiqua Marrin! There’s quite a bit of water here, more ocean than even on earth. You may want to wear your swimsuit. Perhaps a mermaid tail.

If we were to visit Aiqua Marrin as tourists, what would you recommend we see or do there?

Definitely visit the beaches of Hoondiake, especially those along the Fodun Sea. But don’t go swimming yet…not unless you know how to wield a trident.

What dangers should we avoid in Aiqua Marrin?

The Sukta Lagoon, in the Fodun Sea, is full of trouble. But it’s not as terrifying as the eidolons’ cave.

Is there a distinct or unusual food or meal that might be found on Aiqua Marrin?

Obviously, most of the food is seafood. On Hoondiake, Shunda finds human food to be very spicy, like jellyfish stings on his tongue. However, the food from the Ulys, the river people, is always very sweet. And you’ll most likely drink tea if you spend a day with the Ulys. Hot tea, lots of sugar.

What types of weaponry or fighting style the are common in Aiqua Marrin?

The mermen taught the aquavians how to use tridents. The sides of the tridents near the tips are razor sharp.

There are also the kokoduk swords. A prince of Hoondiake is trained to fight using a pair of these swords.  

What role, if any, does magic or the supernatural play in the lives of people in Aiqua Marrin?  If there is magic, please give some examples of what it involves or how it’s used.

Aquavians rarely employ magic, except for their pearl belts. These belts help the aquavians acclimate quickly to new environments. But the MerKing tries to exploit all the magic he can, particularly the magic in the mystery meat he eats and the strange metal called pyromarne.

Iyunshins, the aquavians from the frozen realm of Iyunaha, have magic stones that respond to verbal commands. Shunda hopes he doesn’t blunder the commands before he learns the power of his own words.

What types of plants, animals, or sentient races might we encounter in Aiqua Marrin that we don’t see on Earth?

You’ll want to stay away from bohundogots. These creatures have sixty foot long squid-like tentacles, crab-like legs, and are able to climb onto land for brief periods to snatch their prey or smash buildings.

Nunateesh flyers are gigantic, gentle, ten-eyed swimmers who glide through the waters on nomadic journeys. Some of these are employed by aquavians to help transport them swiftly from one sea to another.

Most of the other creatures are either familiar from our world, or, like the sea dragon, exponentially larger.

Has anything in your actual life inspired the locations, cultures, etc. in your book?

I wrote The Heart of the Caveat Whale in the weeks and months following the devastating tsunami on St. Stephen’s Day 2004. It’s crazy how an event on the other side of the world can impact someone so completely. I spent the next few years polishing the story into its current form. I hope you enjoy!

Author Biography:

Precarious Yates lives in Texas with husband, daughter, dogs, chickens, sheep and by the time you read this some other exotic creature her husband or daughter has brought home. She had studied the plight of and worked toward the abolition of modern slavery for over a decade before sitting down to write Revelation Special Ops. She was further inspired by the work of her sister-in-law, who helped to found Love146, an organization that works to raise awareness about human trafficking and builds safe homes in vulnerable regions. Yates spent several years overseas as a missionary in Ireland, and also did missions work in India and the Philippines. Her passion for literature has become her means of further educating young adults of the realities of modern slavery, while producing hope through the power of Christ Jesus in us.

Where, and in what formats, can we purchase your book(s)?

You can find the ebook on Amazon.

Where can readers connect with you online?

There’s the blog for The Heart of the Caveat Whale. And the blog for Precarious Yates.  I also have a Facebook page, and an author page on Amazon.

I hope you all enjoyed the trip to Cambrogi.  Questions about the world or the book?  Ask them in the comments and the author will get back to you!  

Click here to read other posts in the Realm Explorers series.

Please join us again next Monday for a trip to the kingdom of Arke, in Realm Explorers Part XC!

-Annie Douglass Lima

Precarious Yates is a shepherdess living in the middle of the USA, 500 miles from the nearest beach. She hopes to live closer to the ocean soon. While in Ireland, she lived one mile from the Atlantic Ocean. Those landscapes and seascapes inspired The Heart of the Caveat Whale trilogy. The whole trilogy is free for download for the next three days! Here’s an excerpt from the first book, The Captives:

 
Mookori looked up at the high windows with the lanterns hanging down from the roof. Hopefully he would be able to chance more interior light soon. He stepped through the door with the prisoner’s provisions and set them on the floor as the door locked behind him. The prisoner stood from his lightless hiding in the corner and lurched forward toward Mookori. In the dim illumination from the windows he saw the barnacle armored aquavian; the dull grey armor made him look both lifeless and menacing. It covered most of his body, going up his neck and falling short of his jaw line to frame his face. A fey smirk marred his lurid visage. He poised for attack, then his legs faltered. He collapsed, keeping his gaze on Mookori, his eyes flashing intentions of violence. 

Mookori sat on the hard sand and pushed the plate of food gently toward the prisoner. “If you want to attack, the food will give you the strength you need.” He poured the water into the bowl and placed it beside the plate. “You won’t win a fight half-starved.” The prisoner looked down at the plate and flung it away with all his strength. He continued to glare at the prince. “If you want to defeat us, what good will it do to let yourself die in my captivity? Unless this is not your war, and you remember, somehow, that you were once free.” He remained silent, holding the prisoner’s gaze. 

The prisoner threw his whole face into the bowl to drink. For a long time he didn’t lift his head again. “You are free from their control,” Mookori continued. “Why do you still cling to it? We’re not shifting you from one master to another. You were once a sovereign people; we want to see your sea returned to you again.” The prisoner pushed himself into the air and landed atop Mookori, pressing him to the ground. He used what strength he had left to pin the prince, holding the collar of his cloak. Mookori didn’t struggle with this weakened foe, but waited to see if he would speak in his temporary victory. The prisoner panted and spat, glowering over him.

For the first time, the each book of the trilogy is available for FREE download! This offer will end on Midnight of Wednesday, 1/22, so act fast!  Click on the titles below to download:

The Captives

Pyromarne

The Tiller and the Song

About the Book

Leonard, a computer programmer, has a unique gift: by words alone he can calm violent situations. Which is helpful with all these kids running around the streets behaving like zombies. He has his own set of sorrows to face, but he’s prepared for anything. Anything except Tamar, and the thunderous inkling that she will be his wife. This doesn’t make any sense to Leonard. She stole his wallet. And his heart. Painful circumstances ripped family and stability from Tamar’s grasp, but with gutsy tenacity she faces life head on. Meeting the gorgeous and single Leonard changes everything. But surely a guy like him would never fall for a girl of the streets like her.
LINK to KINDLE | LINK to PAPERBACKPrecarious Yates

Precarious Yates lives in Texas with husband, daughter, sheep, dogs, chickens, rabbit, lizard and by the time you read this some other exotic creature her husband or daughter has brought home. She had studied the plight of and worked toward the abolition of modern slavery for over a decade before sitting down to write Revelation Special Ops. She was further inspired by the work of her sister-in-law, who helped to found Love146, an organization that works to raise awareness about human trafficking and builds safe homes in vulnerable regions. Yates spent several years overseas as a missionary in Ireland, and also did missions work in India and the Philippines. Her passion for literature has become her means of further educating young adults of the realities of modern slavery, while producing hope through the power of Christ Jesus in us.
Follow Precarious YatesWebsite | Facebook | Twitter

Enter to Win a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

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