Crucian co-authors Howard Peters and Mikael Petersen have launched the third book in their Caribbean mythology series. The hero is a 15-year-old Black, Caribbean boy Kamau Amari who lives on Isle Dumas, an island located in the Atlantic Ocean. Kam takes the reader on a journey filled with culture, action, and – most importantly – staying alive.
Kam’s adventures begin with tales of superstition told to him by his grandmother. He discovers that her stories of jumbies and other creatures he encounters during the night are actually real. The original story won awards for the co-authors in two categories: Cultural Diversity and Young Adult Fiction in the Story Book Monster competition in Arizona.
“Kam: Stories from the Isles” in the mythology series are: “Kam: The Shadow Within” published February 2021; “Kam: Trials of Kuruka” published December 2021; and
the sequel, “Kam: Trials of Kuruka, Part II” published May 2022. The volumes are in paperback and e-book. Jenae Christopher illustrated the Book 1 cover. Ujala11, a freelance artist from Fiverr, illustrated the last two books.
Peters and Petersen are cousins who grew up together in the same neighborhood on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. They both enjoy reading fictional stories and learning about the history, culture, and folklore of the Caribbean and other cultures. Their love of writing was the impetus behind the creation of a world of mythology for young adult readers, ages 12 years and up.
Peters was educated in the public schools on St. Croix and graduated from the St. Croix Educational Complex High School in 2013. He is a musician, an educator, and a performer. He teaches multiple musical instruments to students at the Bertha C. Boschulte Middle School on St. Thomas, and he has performed in the USVI, Orlando, Harlem, and Maine.
Petersen was educated in the public schools on St. Croix. He lives in Texas and works as an HVAC technician. Petersen learned most of his Caribbean folklore and history from his father, Kendall Theodore Seigo Petersen. Author Rick Riordan writes in the fantasy, detective fiction, and mythology genre and is a favorite of the co-authors. His books stirred up their interest in creating the mythology series.
Both authors grew up reading fiction, and Peters began making up a story about a jumbie with powers. Their first book took a few short weeks to create, and with Kam as the hero, they created the Kamverse.
Peters is the main author who writes all the words with both of them knowing the plot. Petersen is the co-author and provides the detailed backstories and characters.
The first book gives reference to St. Croix, although it’s called Isle Dumas. The reader will pick up similarities such as the rainforest, the beaches – even the St. Croix Educational Complex High School – without any of those locations named in the book.
The literary duo takes Caribbean mythologies and puts their own spin on them, they said. They’ve taken lore from Trinidad and Tobago and different places around the Caribbean to create their own mythology book series.
“Kam: Trials of Kuruka” ends on a huge cliffhanger and goes right into “Kam: Trials of Kuruka, Part II.” “This thrilling sequel carries the reader through an emotional roller coaster ride in the Kamverse. Try not to blink. There are shocking revelations at the end. Pick up a book and tell a friend,” the authors said.
There are free comics online based on Chapters 1 and 2 of the first book. Click here.
Howard Peters and Mikael Petersen’s Kam Mythology Book Series is available online at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Goodreads, and Kindle.
For more information:
lulu.com
Howard Peters Facebook
Mikael Petersen Facebook
