Myths to Mythic Adventure

1) I know you have a fun topic to talk about in a moment. But first, what is your author name (pen name if you use one)?

Tamara Grantham

2) Now let’s get started! You wanted to talk about some myths so go right ahead.

MAYAN MYTHS

The first time I stepped foot into Cozumel, Mexico, I knew I’d found a special place. The jungle setting was such a contrast from my Kansas home, and I was drawn to the diverse culture and ancient pyramids. When I first visited the ruins in Tulum, I was fascinated by the history and the detailed knowledge of astronomy that the people of the time possessed. Ultimately, I knew one day, I would like to set a novel in the Yucatan peninsula.

Fast forward to today, and I’ve just completed my third Harleigh Sinclair novel which is set in an undiscovered jungle pyramid of the Yucatan called the Temple of the Moon. This novel was different from the first two. For one, it’s not a novel at all, but a shorter book called a novella. And for another—my lead character isn’t Harleigh, but her sister, Lexi Sinclair. Lexi needed her own story after events unfolded in the first two books, and I was happy to give it to her, as she made a colorful and feisty lead character for the third book.

Researching this novel took me to unexpected places. Yes, I knew I was including the myths surrounding Mayan culture, but each book in the Harleigh Sinclair series also features a relic. In this case, the relic was the scythe from a Skinwalker, and merging the Skinwalker myth and Mayan beliefs was an intriguing journey.

This novella begins in the Uintah Basin in Utah. The scythe has been recently stolen, and Harleigh is out of commission. Since the scythe was stolen by Lexi’s boyfriend, it’s Lexi’s turn to take the lead on tracking it down into the Utah desert.

We learn that Lexi’s boyfriend, Carlo, is trying to increase the scythe’s power, and to do so, he must bring it to the Temple of the Moon in the Yucatan. We also learn that hundreds of years ago, Aztec warriors made a trek from Mexico to modern-day Utah in order to hide certain treasures, and the scythe was one of these treasures.

Later, the scythe was discovered and used by Native American witches to transform people into Skinwalkers.

Is the story true? Yes, bits and pieces of it. It’s been recorded that in order to escape invading Conquistadors, an elite group of Aztec warriors loaded up a few of their most prized possessions and hid them in caves in the Uintah Basin. The scythe was a product of my imagination, but the legend of the Skinwalker is not, and I enjoyed weaving these myths together to create a haunting atmosphere for the novel.

Lexi Sinclair and the Temple of the Moon releases on July 23, 2024. I’m so excited for readers to explore the legends of Skinwalkers, Mayan, and Aztec cultures through this story.

3) Now let’s focus a little more on your book(s). Can you tell us more about them?

Harleigh Sinclair and the Raiders of the Lost Ankh

The Harleigh Sinclair Series Book 1

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Adventure

Getting confessions from notorious serial killers?

Easy.

Stealing priceless Egyptian artifacts?

No problem.

Doing it with a cocky, too-handsome-for-his-own-good bad boy?

Impossible.

My name is Harleigh Sinclair, and I’m a Neotact. That’s a fancy word for a person who has special powers using touch. My special power? I can touch a person, see into their mind, and find any object they’ve physically contacted. Comes in handy when you’re employed by San Antonio’s wealthiest entrepreneur who’s in the business of finding lost relics. However, my job description does come with a few hitches.

My most recent client is a man named Jagg Ransom. He’s arrogant and too attractive for his own good. My mission is to purchase an ancient Egyptian ankh from him and deliver it to my boss. Sounds easy, right?But Ransom refuses to cooperate, so I have no choice but to break into his apartment and steal the location of the amulet from his mind. Bad idea. Like, really bad idea.I find out that this relic happens to be the relic that gave five percent of Earth’s population Neotact powers. I also learn that Ransom isn’t who he says he is, and I’m forced onto a path that will take me from my home in Texas to a hidden dungeon of a Scottish castle, and then into the heart of a deadly Egyptian desert. Finding the ankh is hard enough. Fighting my feelings for Jagg Ransom is worse.If I can’t find the ankh in time, not only will I be out of a job, but I’ll lose everything I value—including my own life.

Harleigh Sinclair and the Ice Crusade

The Harleigh Sinclair Series Book 2

Finding lost artifacts is my specialty, but when an Inuit artifact is hidden in the wilds of Alaska, finding it could be more difficult than I’ve bargained for.

My name is Harleigh Sinclair. I’ve been using my abilities as a Neotact to find ancient relics with special powers. After teaming up with a man named Jagg Ransom—a Crimson Knight with a mysterious past—we’re on the search for five lost artifacts with immense powers.

Our current quest takes us to a remote village in the Alaskan wilderness. But when we arrive, we’re greeted by angry villagers who blame us for the disappearance of one of their trackers. He’s been kidnapped by my former coworker, and the two are on the path to find the relic before us.

If we can’t find the relic first, the object will fall into the hands of an evil organization called the Blood Raiders. Worse, we’re not alone. The Inuit artifact is guarded by a giant beast of lore—one that would rather see us dead than accomplish our mission.

But failure isn’t an option. If the Blood Raiders succeed in obtaining the relic, they’ll use it in a plot to destroy the world as we know it.

4) Can you tell us more about yourself?

Tamara Grantham is the award-winning author of more than a dozen books and novellas, including the Olive Kennedy: Fairy World MD series, the Shine novellas, and the Twisted Ever After trilogy. Dreamthief, the first book of her Fairy World MD series, won first place for fantasy in INDIEFAB’S Book of the Year Awards, a RONE award for best New Adult Romance, and is a #1 bestseller on Amazon with over 200 five-star reviews.

Tamara holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Lamar University. She has been a featured speaker at multiple writing conferences, and she has been a panelist at Comic Con Wizard World speaking on the topic of female leads. For her first published project, she collaborated with New York-Times bestselling author, William Bernhardt, in writing the Shine series.

Born and raised in Texas, Tamara now lives with her husband and five children in Wichita, Kansas. She rarely has any free time, but when the stars align and she gets a moment to relax, she enjoys reading fantasy novels, taking nature walks--which fuel her inspiration for creating fantastical worlds--and watching every Star Wars or Star Trek movie ever made.