Interview of Maxime Trencaval Author of The Matriarch Messiah (#contests- Enter to Win An Amazon Gift Card- 2 Winners)

 

THE MATRIARCH MESSIAH

By

Maxime Trencavel

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?

INTERVIEW:

 Can you tell us when you started writing?

When I was a child. I had wanted to emulate the Captain Horatio Hornblower novels in primary. That was a fail. But later in secondary school, I wrote morality plays that the theater group practiced. Actually, tacking a novel as an adult did not happen until corporate life took a liberating turn. The Matriarch Matrix was the result.

Can you tell me who or what the inspiration for the book was?

The Matriarch Messiah is the sequel to The Matriarch Matrix. So, when writing the first book I had the second one already in mind. Hence the nearly seamless connection between the two. In writing the second book and the summer release prequel, I had the third book in the series in mind.

Now what inspired the first book? 

I felt the world needed a story which linked customs and faiths which come under western ire and fire to be linked to the ancient days before written words and oral traditions. We are more alike than different when one sees the life through this perspective.

Can you tell us how you came up with your title?

The original title for the first book was “The Object”. All the books’ storage files are marked The Object I or II or III, etc. At the time the manuscript went to beta readers, I had to make a commitment to a title. The theme of the book already changed from patriarchal legend to matriarchal legend, the word Matriarch became prominent. Lulu used to have a title scorer using algorithm which would give your idea% chance of bestseller title. The Matriarch Matrix scored well, although other names did better. I wanted to highlight the matriarchal nature of the series, so away we went.

Can you tell us a little about your main characters?

Zara is a devout Kurdish woman whose life has been shaped by conflict and a deep faith. She seeks to find peace and understand the voice of the divine, struggling to reconcile her traditional beliefs with the complexities of the modern world. She forms a unique bond with Peter, a man who challenges her traditional views and helps her understand her true destiny.

Peter is a Californian man who has inherited a family legend and a deep connection to his ancestors. He is often perceived as eccentric or even delusional, yet he possesses a strong moral compass and seeks to use his knowledge to protect the world from the forces of destruction. He forms a profound bond with Zara, a woman who challenges his worldview and helps him embrace his true calling.

Alexander is a ruthless and ambitious magnate who seeks to control the world through his technologically advanced empire. He is obsessed with finding the source of the blue light and believing that the world is a chessboard that he can manipulate for his own purposes. He possesses an uncanny ability to use people for his own gain, often betraying those he claims to love.

Rachel is a dedicated Israeli archaeologist and Torah historian who seeks to uncover the truth behind the ancient scriptures. She has inherited a family legacy of vengeance and feels a profound obligation to unravel the secrets of the past. She forms a partnership with Peter, a man who shares her thirst for knowledge and helps her navigate a world full of conspiracies and hidden agendas.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

I had a five-year block. At the beginning of 2020, I was incorporating the copy editor’s edits and editorial commentary. Then, a global pandemic harkening of the century earlier Spanish Flu changed all of our paradigms. Then the global turmoil, the political turmoil, new wars all ate up share of mind. Four plus years later, new year resolution time comes. And with it the commitment to revisit a nearly finished manuscript. And the sequel launched four months after that online file folder had been opened again. The key issue of such a long gap of time is I lost the brand equity built from the first launch. So, there is no synergistic spend for this latest launch.

What’s next on your writing to-do list?

We’re on a roll now. The prequel, The Matriarch Mission, is now with a developmental editor and beta readers. Outlining The Matriarch Mandate will start shortly while wandering around the shores of Mallorca.

Can you tell me about your experiences finding a publisher for the book?

The nature of this series creation mitigated any strategy of pitching to traditional publishers. Why? They are not written to genre. They are the inverse. Whatever genre is needed to tell the story is used for that section’s prose or chapter. So, AI analytics define several genres for these books. The readers who like these books appreciate the read, but without a concise defined genre, traditional book marketing would likely fail. So, an LLC filing and away we go.

If you were going to hang out with one of your characters, who would that be?

Lunch with Rachel could be amusing if only to listen to her go on and on incessantly about the injustices committed by Torah scribes writing Asherah out of the scriptures. But, hanging with the evil incarnate himself, Mr. Alexander Murometz, would be awe-inspiring. How the world’s most powerful puppet master controls government heads worldwide. How he controls the world media. But of course, he would find a way to have me to pay the check.

What do you like to do for fun when you’re not writing?

I travel when family availability or business needs arise. With high-speed internet and laptop, one can work from most anywhere. I take hikes or bike rides to stay fit, clear the head, and ponder what and where the current book in progress should head. That means straight to the keyboard upon returning

 

READ AN 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."

 

About the Author: 

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.

 

Connect With the Author:

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):

Amazon- https://amzn.to/4l9sEfS

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.

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

 

 

Cover Reveal of Sweet Chaos by Kimberly Quinn (#Suspense)

Sweet Chaos
Kimberly Quinn
Publication date: May 25th 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense

The man I’m being forced to seduce is ruthless, dominant, and untouchable.
And he should be. He’s a hitman.

But now, he’s my mark, and I don’t have a choice—deliver Dex to the Bratva, or lose everything.

Playing seductress is nothing new, but the stakes are. Dex unexpectedly changes the rules, twisting the game, pushing me to stay one step ahead…

Then, he puts his hands on me.
Suddenly, I lose all control.
And in Dex’s arms, I realize maybe I never really had control of a damn thing to begin with.

What will remain amid the savage chaos we’ve created when the hunter becomes the hunted?

We’re both about to find out.

Add to Goodreads / Pre-order

Author Bio:

Kimberly is a contemporary romance author, born procrastinator, and lover of morally gray heroes. She enjoys lively conversations, usually with imaginary people, and can often be found daydreaming at work.

She writes gritty, messy, dangerous romances, featuring beautifully flawed characters, pursuing love at all costs. It's romance with rough edges.

When she’s not busy writing, you can find her with a coffee in hand, dog at her side, and exploring the wilds of her hometown in Ontario, Canada… Or on her couch, getting lost in a good story.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram

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Book Blitz of Lush By Tinia Montford (#Contests- Enter to win An ECOPY of the Book)

lush
Tinia Montford
Publication date: March 31st 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense

Laurene King had it all: beauty, wealth, and a sexy secret affair with Reese Ashbourne— the brooding heir of her family’s sworn enemy.
But one reckless night shattered everything.

Tragedy struck. Laurene disappeared. And Reese was left with betrayal, unanswered questions, and scars he’ll never forget.

Now, Laurene is back, forced to return to the life she fled, but her homecoming comes with a cruel twist. Their families, teetering on the edge of ruin, have resurrected an old deal to save themselves: an Ashbourne and a King must marry—or lose everything.

Only this time, Reese is the groom. Not his brother.

Haunted by the past, Reese craves revenge as much as he still craves her. Trapped in a forced proximity neither can escape, their chemistry ignites—and so do their secrets.

But someone knows the truth about that night. The lies that tore them apart are unraveling, and the shadowy danger lurking in their luxurious world could destroy them both.

With their second chance at love and their families ’legacies hanging by a thread, Laurene and Reese must choose: bury the past or watch everything crumble to ashes.

The clock is ticking, and some truths are better left buried…

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

An Hour before the Accident

The laughter spilled from the main hall of the yacht club, bright and careless, tangled with the relentless thump of music. I should’ve been out there, smiling, toasting, pretending.

Instead, I’d been hiding in this bathroom for nearly twenty minutes, like it could stop the slow, sinking dread pooling in my chest.

Smile, Laurene! Smile!

Conrad’s great.

Really? my conscience said. He was great. Great for the family, great for appearances, great for everything except me.

The door opened and shut softly behind me.

“It’s over.”

I refused to look behind me. I couldn’t. If I did, I’d crack.

Instead, I focused on putting on my lipstick, the motion mechanical. I looked immaculate—perfect—the kind of woman my mother would smile at with pride. But I hated the color.

This fucking burgundy.

The same shade she shoved at me for every happy occasion, every moment she wanted to control. A color that screamed her. Everything she expected me to be. Everything I despised.

I met his gaze in the bathroom mirror.

He loomed there, his suit rumpled and tie slightly askew, his dark hair rebelliously unkempt. He looked the exact opposite of his brother—wild, unapologetic, dangerous. Everything I wasn’t supposed to want.

“Don’t look away.” Every word wrapped around me like a challenge, and that rebellious part of me strained beneath my skin. But he wasn’t asking. He was demanding.

And I obeyed.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

I wanted him here. I needed him. But I couldn’t have him.

“I could say the same to you.” In the dim light, his green eyes seemed almost black. “Shouldn’t you be outside? Smiling for the cameras? Pretending you don’t hate every second of this?”

“This”—I pointed between us—“ends now. Get out before somebody sees you.”

His eyes held mine, and the way he saw me, like he was stripping away every layer, every excuse, was almost too much.

I turned. “This isn’t a game, Reese. My mama would burn the entire town to the ground if she knew about us.”

“She doesn’t know.” He stepped closer. “I was careful. No one saw me. We still have the plan.”

“Please.” I had to get through this night without more tears. “Let’s…let’s just cut our losses. I—I don’t know if I can do it now.”

He was behind me before I knew it, his weight trapping me against the counter. I closed my eyes, my breath catching as his exhale grazed the sensitive skin of my neck, hot and tantalizing.

“Can we think of something else?” A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “She always knows, Reese. You don’t understand—”

“What I understand,” he said, his voice sharp, “is that you’re miserable. You’re about to marry my brother, and you’re standing here trying to convince yourself it’s what you want. Believe in our plan or is that what you want, Laurene?”

Author Bio:

Tinia (TUH-NIA) Montford is a Pisces who’s a sap for romance, especially when there’s (tons of) kissing. Loves eighties sitcoms and will consume anything with chocolate. She graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in English and Graphic Design. She is currently pursuing her MFA in Fiction.

You can find Tinia at www.tiniamontford.com or on social media: @tiniawritesbooks

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / TikTok / Instagram / Amazon

GIVEAWAY!
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Book Blitz of Chasing Shadows by Cat Jameson (#contests- Enter to win A $40 Amazon Gift Card)

Chasing Shadows
Cat Jameson
(The Wild Rose Press)
Publication date: March 3rd 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense

Annie O’Toole is St. Louis Public Defender, passionate about fighting for the underdog and determined to prove herself as the badass trial lawyer she knows she can be. Getting assigned to defend the kid charged with shooting billionaire businessman, Michael Grayson, is a big step up for her career. At least until the hot guy she seduced at the Justice for All Ball shows up at her office in response to her deposition subpoena. Turns out the sexy stranger who introduced himself only as ‘Mick’, the guy she’s been fantasizing about since slipping away while he slept — is none other than the billionaire himself, Michael Grayson.

She’s horrified. He’s furious. He thinks she set him up. She thinks he’s an arrogant ass in a Savile Row suit. Sparks, intrigue, and bullets fly in a mix of swoon and suspense as the two battle each other, the bad guys, and an off-limits attraction neither can ignore. When the evidence leads back into Michael’s inner corporate circle, the two are plunged into a world of international intrigue, corporate espionage, and murder — with a side dish of unresolved family drama as Annie is forced to turn to the only expert in corporate intrigue she knows, her own uber-wealthy, estranged grandmother. Now all she has to do is solve the case, escape her grandmother’s plans to take over her life (again), and save her client, her career, and the man whose lifestyle she despises . . . and whose touch she can’t forget.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

Michael wouldn’t have been surprised to see actual sparks flashing from her fingertips, given the effect of her touch on his skin. He pulled her against him, his hands sliding down over her hips to cup her ass, drinking in the feel and smell of her. But without her heels, she barely reached the middle of his chest. He grabbed her hand and led her to the bed.

“Climb up,” he ordered. “I want you at eye level.”

She laughed. “I’m not that short.”

He wrapped a fist in her tousled curls and pulled her to him. Bending his mouth to her ear, he sunk his teeth into her earlobe. She jumped.

“Get on the damn bed,” he whispered into her ear.

She scrambled onto the bed.

“Much better,” he murmured.

He ran his hands up her thighs until his fingers brushed the tiny swath of lace beneath the shimmering fabric of her dress. She inhaled sharply as he slid his fingers between the lace and the silk of her skin. He loved the way her breath hitched at his touch. He slid the lace slowly down her legs.

“I think you just stole my turn,” she breathed, her palms on his shoulders as she stepped out of the thong.

“Royal prerogative. The prince makes the rules— and can change them.” He let the lace fall to the floor and ran his fingers lightly back up her legs, enjoying the subtle shifting of her body in response to his touch.

“Don’t princesses get to make rules too?” she murmured, her eyes closed. “Or am I Cin—”

He pressed his fingers to her lips, cutting her off mid-syllable. “Sin is exactly what you are…temptation incarnate.”

Her lips curved. “My, you do credit me with extraordinary powers.”

He brushed his lips beneath her earlobe. “How would you feel about turning those extraordinary powers over to me for the night?”

She opened her eyes. It appeared to take a bit of an effort. “Hmm?”

“Are you amenable to being my royal subject for the night?”

She stilled. A beat of silence stretched between them.

“Depends on what you mean. Are we talking ‘safe word ’kind of subject?” she finally asked.

He smiled. “No safe word required.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Is that because you are the serial killer I suspected and I’m going to die no matter what?”

He clicked his tongue. “Damn. Shouldn’t have used my credit card to pay for this room. What was I thinking?” His hands moved to her waist, and he kissed the hollow of her neck. “Looks like I’ll have to let you survive the night after all.” He traced a slow finger down to where her cleavage disappeared in the fabric of her dress. She shivered. His pulse kicked up a beat.

“So?” he asked again.

She shot him a half-apologetic look. “I’m not a very compliant person.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Ah, but that’s what makes it interesting. Stepping out of your comfort zone heightens the experience.” His fingertip slowly circled first one nipple, then the other, through her dress.

Her eyes fluttered closed. “You make it really hard to think straight.”

He stepped back, lifting his hands up in the air. “Far be it from me to confuse the decision-making process. Take all the time you need.”

She shot him an exasperated look, then bit her lower lip, considering him. Finally, a half-smile flitted across those lips. “What the hell—so long as no safe words are required—long live the prince.”

His cock saluted her decision. Affecting a calm neither he nor his anatomy felt, he moved away from her and sat in the chair by the window. Crossing one ankle over his knee, he took his sweet time perusing her, his gaze raking her body. She fidgeted.

“Stand still,” he ordered.

She froze.

He let the tension build for a long minute, then said. “Take off your dress. Slowly.”

Author Bio:

Cat Jameson is a writer of contemporary romance novels packed with equal parts suspense, snark, and spice. A native Missourian, she moved to St. Louis to attend law school, sure only that she didn’t want to practice criminal law or be a trial lawyer. So of course, she became a career criminal defense lawyer who spent decades teaching trial techniques to other criminal lawyers around the country. (“We make plans. The gods laugh.”)

Cat spent most of her legal career in St. Louis and the city features prominently in her books, as does her experience in criminal law. Today, she resides in Columbia, Missouri — ‘the middle of the middle of flyover country’ — where she is deep into her second act as co-owner of a metaphysical bookstore.

When not writing, shopkeeping, or playing with grandkids, Jameson is most likely to be road-tripping with her best friend and business partner in a ten-year-old van named Woo — stopping at every bookstore and thrift shop along the way, loading up on things they do not need and have no room for.

Website / Goodreads / Instagram / Facebook

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