The Prophetic Mayan Queen by Leonide Martin

The Prophetic Mayan Queen

by Leonide Martin

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GENRE: Historical Fiction

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BLURB:

She was born to serve the Goddess Ix Chel. But K'inuuw Mat is destined to continue the Palenque (Lakam Ha) dynasty by marriage to Tiwol, fourth son of famous ruler Pakal. Trained in prophetic arts, she uses scrying to foresee the face of the man with whom she will bear the dynastic heir—but it is not her husband's image. She is shocked upon arriving at Palenque to recognize that face as her husband's older brother, Kan Bahlam. They are immediately attracted, sharing deep interest in astronomy. Though she resists, the magnetic force of their attraction propels them into forbidden embraces, until Kan Bahlam designs a bold plan that would solve his inability to produce a son—if he can gain his brother's cooperation.

Set in the splendor of Lakam Ha's artistic and scientific zenith, royal family conflicts and ambitions play out in a tapestry of brilliant Mayan accomplishments in calendars, astronomy, architecture, arts, and secret language codes that will astound people centuries later. As K'inuuw Mat contends with explosive emotions, she must answer the Goddess' mandate to preserve Mayan culture for future generations. Her passion with Kan Bahlam leads to a pale daughter and bold son who carry this out as their civilization begins the decline and eventual collapse her prophetic vision foresees.

One great cycle rolls into the next . . .

Contemporary Mexican archeologist Francesca and her partner Charlie, a British linguist, venture into Chiapas jungles to a remote Maya village, seeking to unravel her grandmother's secrets. The hostile village shaman holds the key, but refuses to share with outsiders the scandal that leads to foreign blood and ancient Palenque lineages. Only by re-claiming her own shamanic heritage can Francesca learn the truth of who she is, and bring her dynasty into the present.

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EXCERPT:

Eyes closed, K’inuuw Mat breathed again on the stone and said her own prayer inwardly: Ix Chel, guide my vision, open my inner sight. All is done in your service.

Extending her arm over the bowl, she gently slipped the stone into the water and watched as it settled to the bottom. Rings of ripples spread quickly across the water’s surface, rebounded from the rim and crossed each other, creating a tiny jumble that soon dissipated. When the surface was again smooth, K’inuuw Mat stared fixedly at it, clearing her mind of all thoughts. She watched and waited for an image to appear. Her task was to read in the scrying water the image of the animal that the acolyte Olal held in mind.

At first the water only reflected clouds passing above and a corner of one building. Trying not to blink, K’inuuw Mat kept staring and intensified her focus.

Animal of the jungle, animal of the fields, animal of the plains, whoever you are, come to me now, she called mentally.

Slowly, tantalizing shapes began forming on the water’s surface. She could not make out a distinct feature that might reveal which animal was starting to appear. Breathing in deeply, she closed both eyes and intensified her intention. On the exhalation, she expanded her awareness and opened herself to receive.

Both eyelids flew up and she fixed her gaze upon the water. There, almost as clearly as if she was seeing it on a jungle path, was the face of a gray fox. Its dark nose quivered, sniffing for a scent; its sharp eyes with pale brows stared at her below large cupped ears. The image remained for a brief time on the surface, and then dissolved.

“A gray fox!” she exclaimed.

Olal, the acolyte holding the animal image in mind smiled and clapped her hands together.

“It is so!” she said. “You have seen truly.”

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Leonide (Lennie) Martin: Retired California State University professor, former Family Nurse Practitioner, Author and Maya researcher, Research Member Maya Exploration Center.

My books bring ancient Maya culture and civilization to life in stories about both actual historical Mayans and fictional characters. I've studied Maya archeology, anthropology, and history from the scientific and indigenous viewpoints. While living for five years in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico, I apprenticed with Maya Elder Hunbatz Men, becoming a Solar Initiate and Maya Fire Women in the Itzá Maya tradition. I've studied with other indigenous teachers in Guatemala, including Maya Priestess-Daykeeper Aum Rak Sapper and Maya elder Tata Pedro. The ancient Mayas created the most highly advanced civilization in the Western hemisphere, and my work is dedicated to their wisdom, spirituality, scientific, and cultural accomplishments through compelling historical novels.

My interest in ancient Mayan women led to writing the Mayan Queens' series called Mists of Palenque. This 4-book series tells the stories of powerful women who shaped the destinies of their people as rulers themselves, or wives of rulers. These remarkable Mayan women are unknown to most people. Using extensive research and field study, I aspire to depict ancient Palenque authentically and make these amazing Mayan Queens accessible to a wide readership.

My writing has won awards from Writer's Digest for short fiction, and The Visionary Mayan Queen: Yohl Ik'nal of Palenque (Mists of Palenque Series Book 1) received the Writer's Digest 2nd Annual Self-Published eBook award in 2015. The Controversial Mayan Queen: Sak K'uk of Palenque (Book 2) published in 2015. The Mayan Red Queen: Tz'aakb'u Ahau of Palenque (Book 3) received a Silver Medal in Dan Poynter's Global eBook Awards for 2016. The Prophetic Mayan Queen: K'inuuw Mat of Palenque (Book 4) is the final in the series, published in November 2018.

I live with my husband David Gortner and two white cats in Oregon's Willamette Valley wine country, where I enjoy gardening, hiking, and wine tasting.

For more information about my writing and the Mayas, visit:

Website: http://www.mistsofpalenque.com

Blog: http://leonidemartinblog.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leonide.martin

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lenniem07

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Leonide-Martin/e/B001HCZ1UY/

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Prophetic-Mayan-Queen-Kinuuw-Palenque/dp/1641463651/

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:

Leonide Martin will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

REVIEW & INTERVIEW:

I was fortunate to be able to read a copy of The Prophetic Mayan Queen. I knew so little about the Mayan cuture, and this book, besides being a fascinating story, was a wonderful glimpse into this civilization.
The story starts with a voyage - a young girl is accompanying her mother and her older sister to an island where priestesses live. They prophesize, and the girls are coming to be told their fortunes. The heroine of the story, K’inuuw Ma, is hoping to stay on the island and train to become one of the priestesses - but fate has other things in store for her - she is to marry a prince and found a dynasty. K’inuuw Mais a strong, interesting woman, and I found myself drawn into her story and not being able to stop reading! The author has done an amazing amount of research and I learned much about this incredible society. I loved the story, and highly recommend it! 

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Jennifer: Hello and welcome to my blog! Can you tell me a little about yourself, and how you became an author?

 Leonide Martin: It's a pleasure to be featured on this blog, thanks so much. Born in New Orleans, I've spent my adult life on the west coast, California and Oregon. My professional career was health care, university teaching combined with working as a Family Nurse Practitioner. None of this really prepared me to write fiction, especially about ancient Mayan civilization! When that fascination hit me, I had a steep learning curve. Though I've published books and articles as a professor, writing fiction is another thing. Maybe it was midlife madness, or a mystical call from past lifetimes. Now it's my post-retirement avocation. 

Jennifer: What is your book about?

Leonide Martin: The book is about a young Mayan girl seeking to fulfill her destiny, which turns out to be quite different than she first believed. The story takes you back 1300 years to the splendor and intrigue of Mayan civilization, the most advanced in the Western World. K'inuuw Mat is a royal girl who wants to dedicate her life to serving Mother Goddess Ix Chel, but finds that her destiny is marriage into the Palenque royal family, overlords of her region. With her skills in scrying and prophecy, she seeks a vision of her future husband, but upon arriving at his city she realizes the face she saw is his older brother, Kan Bahlam. They are immediately attracted, though she resists and goes through with the arranged marriage to the younger brother. As family conflicts, regional politics, and high court dramas play out, K'inuuw Mat shares astronomical interests with Kan Bahlam while keeping her distance. He schemes to fulfill his passion for her, assisted by fateful events that bring them together in unexpected ways. A greater mandate awaits her, as K'inuuw Mat must find ways to preserve Mayan culture for the future, as the decline of their civilization begins that her prophetic visions foresaw.

 Jennifer: Who is your hero/heroine? Is he/she based on someone in real life?

Leonide Martin: My heroine, K'inuuw Mat, is based on a real ancient Mayan woman who lived around 655-722 CE. She appears on a carved panel found on the wall of a temple at Palenque, a major ancient city in southern Chiapas, Mexico. The royal dynasty at Palenque is well-documented by archeologists, though mostly the males were emphasized. She is identified as the wife of Tiwol Chan Mat, youngest son of famous ruler Janaab Pakal. Her son became ruler in 721 CE, after Pakal's older sons died leaving no heirs. Very little is known about K'inuuw Mat, but it's thought that she was born in a city on the Tabasco plains, possibly Tortuguero. This left much to my writer's imagination, and it was fun to create her background and personality. A substantial amount of information is available about the men in her life, however, and I used these historic facts to build the story arc. 

Jennifer: What are your favorite times for writing? Morning? Evening?

Leonide Martin: I'm at my best writing in the morning, and usually set aside this time to write. When I'm deeply engrossed in a story, I can continue writing afternoons and at times, into the evening. About 5-6 hours is the most I can productively do in a day. Like many authors, I'm occasionally awakened at night with scenes flooding through my mind. When this happens, I have to get up and write them down, no matter how resistant I am to leaving my warm bed. If I don't, I've learned from experience that these great, vivid scenes will have drifted away by morning.

Jennifer: Who are your favorite authors? Did they influence your writing, and if so, how?

Leonide Martin: I read widely and admire many authors. Two in particular influenced my writing. Mary Renault, British born author who moved to the South African Cape, wrote a brilliant historical fiction series set in ancient Greece: The Last of the Wine, The King Must Die, The Bull From the Sea, and others. Her stories transported me to Mycenaean Greece, Crete, and the Aegean Sea region and immersed me in Greek legends and characters. Marion Zimmer-Bradley, American author of historical fantasy, captured my imagination (as well as a large international following) with her amazing novels based on Arthurian legends including Mists of Avalon, The Forest House, Lady of Avalon, and Priestess of Avalon. Her books integrated mythology, mysticism, and history into powerful stories with strong women and Goddess-based spirituality. She was particularly influential through her examples of inter-dimensional plot structures, and the interplay between the everyday world and spiritual domains. I owe both of these women a huge debt of gratitude. 

Jennifer: Did you have a favorite book as a child? Did it influence your choice to become an author?

Leonide Martin: As a child, I loved a wide variety of books and read voraciously. I particularly remember Thomas Costain's The Silver Chalice, Samuel Shellabarger's Prince of Foxes, and as a young adult, Robert Michener's The Source. Interestingly, I also loved science fiction and Westerns, especially books by Zane Grey; some favorites were Riders of the Purple Sage, Spirit of the Border, and The Last Trail.

I did write some short stories as a pre-teen and teenager. As I recall, most were Westerns. At the time I didn't consider being an author, but writing came naturally. I had to write a lot in college, graduate school, and as a university professor. Subliminally, the many books I read along the way must have inspired my interest in writing.