THE MATRIACH MESSIAH
GENRE: Science Fiction
BLURB:
Zara Khatum, a woman haunted by ancient visions, finds herself
drawn deeper into the heart of a perilous quest. Guided by a mysterious voice,
she seeks to fulfill an ancient prophecy and find the cavern of blue light - a
sanctuary rumored to hold the key to saving humanity. But the path to salvation
is fraught with danger, and Zara is torn between her destiny and her heart.
A shadowy organization, known as NiQihs, seeks to exploit the power of the legendary black object, the source of Zara's visions, for their own sinister ends. They are not alone. The world's superpowers,
driven by greed and ambition, race to control the artifact, threatening to unleash unimaginable devastation.
Joining Zara in this dangerous pursuit is Rachel Capsali, a
brilliant Israeli archaeologist driven by a personal quest to uncover evidence
of Asherah, a forgotten goddess who held a pivotal place in ancient Israelite
faith. Unbeknownst to them, both women are bound by a shared destiny - a
prophecy foretelling the cavern of blue light and a final, heartbreaking truth:
two women will fight to the death, and only one will save us all.
Adding to the complexity, a passionate triangle forms as Rachel vies for Peter Gollinger's affection, a man deeply entangled in the ancient mystery. Zara, torn between fulfilling her destiny and her own feelings for Peter, finds herself caught in a web of conflicting desires.
As Zara and Rachel navigate a treacherous landscape of hidden agendas, betrayal, and relentless pursuit, their rivalry for Peter's affections intensifies. Can love survive the forces that threaten to tear them apart? Will the quest for salvation lead to a heart-wrenching sacrifice?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
Another
dewdrop hits her nose. But this time, she does not wipe it off as it mingles
with the drops from her eyes while she searches inside for the strength to
remember that which remains unresolved in her life, with her family, with her
destiny. Is he really the one? Should she reveal what should only be revealed
to the one man who will bring her to her destiny?
A purse of her lips and she finally says, "Sara, my great-grandmother, she was our link to the wisdom of generations of spiritually inspired women before her."
Still
facing away from Peter, she says, "Sara liked you. She saw something in
you when she first met you at that first dinner at her ancestral house when we
were staging for our mission to retrieve the object."
Turning back to him, she says, "Sara said to my grandmother Roza, her daughter, that you harbor the same light her husband, a Sufi imam, my great-grandfather, had within him when they first met."
She points to his eyes. Blue ones which naturally go with his once-blond and now-sandy-brown hair. “Sara said the light is blue. The light we should seek is blue. The world thinks the light is white. But the one we seek, we yearn for, we die for, is blue. She so feared dying before she could find the blue light. For in the blue light, we shall return”, she said.
Peter, who knows so much trivia because he is an editor of all sorts of topics, papers, and books, is speechless until he finally mutters, "Blue? Where did that come from? I'm not getting the connection to the mystery of the ancient matriarch we solved."
"As you had with your grandfather, your pappy, who entrusted you with an ancient family oral tradition, passed from mouth to mouth, from generation to generation, as far back in time as that temple, the world's oldest temple, which our follies led to be destroyed, so there is a line of similar wisdom passed down in my family line. But through the women. Mother to daughter and to granddaughter."
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Maxime has been scribbling stories since grade school, from adventure epics to morality plays. Blessed with living in multicultural pluralistic settings and having earned degrees in science and marketing, Maxime has worked in business and sports, traveling to countries across five continents and learning
about cultures, traditions, and the importance of tolerance and understanding. Maxime's second novel, The Matriarch Messiah, was conceived, outlined, written, and edited in different locations in Belgium, including the Turkish and Kurdish neighborhoods of Brussels, in various islands of the Caribbean, in Colombia, in Madrid, Malaga, Mallorca, Spain, London, UK, and on the two coasts of the United States.
I asked the author how he came up with the idea for the main character in this story
The heartbeat of The Matriarch Messiah is driven by an underlying love story. The unfinished, uncommitted longings of Zara Khatum and Peter Gollinger from The Matriarch Matrix, smashed into the complex love triangle interjected by the addition of Rachel Capsali into the mix.
Peter Gollinger
That said, the story originally, as so many do, started as the modern manifestation of an ancient patriarchal legend coming from the world's oldest temple: Göbekli Tepe. As such, the original protagonist, Peter, inherits both an ancient legend and genetic dreams from his patriarchal lineage.
Peter's character was based on what the progeny of Silicon Valley Gen X parents might appear as if they were not themselves tech geeks. Peter instead is a man of words and services the wordsmithing needs of the tech community. But his heart dreams of adventures chasing legends of old. Whereas so many fictional or film male heroes are muscular, super heroic, a romantic dream, Peter is plain normal. None of the above. He should stay behind a keyboard imagining his words. But fate thrusts him in front of the world's most powerful oligarch and the reality of the dangers outside his little cocoon shakes him silly.
Zara Khatum
Zara, on the other hand, was originally a secondary character. The patriarchal story had Peter and a Jesuit priest searching for the legendary black object in the Kurdish areas of Turkey, eventually at the world's oldest temple dated back to 9600 BCE. Zara was supposed be a local guide, but one with military training to handle the inevitable dangers surrounding the temple. In real life, North Syria is and remains a world hotspot for conflict.
But during the editing process, the book took a pivot from patriarchy to matriarchy. Zara became the main protagonist with her character came to life because of in-depth research into the plight of the Kurds. Her world was built from biographies, autobiographies, research papers on the violence committed against Kurds, and especially Kurdish women.
Thus, Zara's personality is a complex tapestry woven from the hardship and plights of Kurdish women. She's a warrior, forged in the fires of conflict and persecution, yet deeply imbued with a spiritual core that seeks peace and justice. Her experiences have shaped her into a woman of unwavering strength and resilience, yet also one haunted by the tragedies she's witnessed.
Her years as a fighter, first with the Peshmerga against Saddam Hussein, then the YPJ against the Daesh (aka ISIS), have instilled in her a fierce independence and a steely determination. She's not afraid to face danger, and she's willing to fight for what she believes in, even if it means putting herself at risk. However, Zara's experiences have also left deep emotional scars. She carries the weight of violence and loss, the trauma of witnessing atrocities committed against her people, and the burden of having to kill to survive.
Her faith in Xwedê, Kurdish for God, provides her with solace and strength, guiding her toward a life of peace and spiritual fulfillment. But Zara's spiritual journey is also complicated by the harsh realities of her life. She grapples with the constant threat of conflict, the ongoing struggle for Kurdish autonomy, and the deep-seated prejudices against Kurdish people. Her struggle to balance her personal desires with the needs of her community, her longing for a life of peace with the constant threat of violence, is a central theme of her character.
Zara's character is a powerful testament to the strength and resilience of Kurdish women, who have endured centuries of hardship and oppression. She embodies both the fight for liberation and the yearning for a better future, a future marked by peace and justice for her people. Despite the dark shadows of her past, she remains hopeful for a better tomorrow, fueled by her unwavering faith and her unyielding commitment to love.
Rachel Capsali
Originally a secondary character in the second book, due to foot stomping encore calls from the alpha and beta readers along with from the developmental editor, she became a full cast member. One who would steal Peter away from the relationship commitment wavering Zara.
Her originally role was to highlight the suppressed female/matriarch based faith stories as embodied in her unerring quest to prove to the world that the banished Israeli goddess, Asherah, was at the very least the wife of Yahweh, or more likely in her book, the female voice of the one god we all worship. This feminine deity would form the basis for the "cavern of the blue light" legend.
Rachel's character developed from in-depth research on Asherah written by female authors. She is the embodiment of those researchers' passion, logic, and faith that patriarchy wrote Asherah out of the sacred texts long ago. Rachel is their voice.
She is a complex figure driven by a passionate pursuit of historical truth and a deep-seated family vendetta. She is a brilliant archaeologist and historian, but her fierce independence and relentless pursuit of justice often clash with established authority. While she possesses a strong moral compass and deep empathy for the victims of oppression, Rachel is haunted by a dark past and the actions of her family, which have forced her to make compromises and commit acts of violence. She is torn between her academic aspirations and the weight of her family's legacy, often driven by a sense of duty and a desire for retribution. Her character embodies the struggle between intellectual pursuit and personal vengeance, highlighting the complex nature of seeking justice in a world marked by conflict and manipulation.
The Love Triangle—The Heartbeat of The Matriarch Messiah
Despite her growing recognition of her love for Peter, Zara reads into many incidents and nefarious advice that she should let a better woman take care of her love, for her destiny is to die to save us all.
Enter Rachel, originally tasked by her
great-great grandmother to kill the Gollinger family and tasked by nefarious
parties to steal Peter away from Zara, she realizes they share more in common
than not.
The love triangle between Zara, Peter, and Rachel arises from a combination of shared experiences, personal vulnerabilities, and a sense of destiny. They are drawn to each other by their shared traumas, their unique connections to ancient prophecies, and their need for love and understanding.
However, their different cultural backgrounds and beliefs create friction, making their relationships complex. Zara's deep faith, Peter's American perspective, and Rachel's dedication to Jewish tradition create a dynamic where attraction and understanding are often challenged by cultural differences. The love triangle in "The Matriarch Messiah" is not just a story of romance, but also a reflection of how shared experiences and individual needs can draw people together, even when faced with cultural and ideological divides.
Thank you Maxime, that is such a great insight into the book.
Book and author website: https://tailofthebird.com/
Author Blog:
https://tailofthebird.com/blog
https://www.facebook.com/MaximeTrencavel/
https://www.instagram.com/maximetrencavel/
Links to The Matriarch
Messiah pre-sale at $0.99 intro pricing (release date March 17, 2025):
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/series/mystery-of-the-matriarchs
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-matriarch-messiah/id6742783963
https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Matriarch_Messiah.html?id=I_9LEQAAQBAJ
GIVEAWAY
The author will be awarding $20 Amazon/BN gift cards to two randomly drawn winners.
Follow all the blogs on the tour and enter the contest to increase your chances of winning!
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