ABOUT the DAUGHTER of VENUS SERIES

Wondering what the series is about and what to expect? Find out here!

Daughter of Venus takes place in a parallel world on the magical planet of Ayandoh (eye-an-doe). Earth and Ayandoh are connected by Veils that are scattered around both planets. These Veils only open during the Transit of Venus, an astronomical event in which Venus passes between Earth and the sun, appearing as a small black dot on the sun’s surface. Transits occur in pairs less than once per century, with the two transits separated by eight years. The most recent Transits occurred in 2004 and 2012. There won't be another until 2117. Each Transit lasts approximately six hours.

Lexi Guinel, an eighteen-year-old Canadian (specifically Guelph, Ontario), accidentally stumbles through one of these Veils just before the 2004 Transit ends and the Veil closes, trapping her in Ayandoh for eight years. See the blurb for book one, A Journey Unveiled, below.

Representation is one of my goals for the series. I believe everybody deserves to find characters they can identify with. For example, Lexi, the main character, is biracial. Her father is a descendant of Haitian slaves, while her mother is Irish. Yendar, the potions master of the light elves (the Loinnai, pronounced lo-in-eye), is a gay Black man. Note, however, that much of Journey takes place in a small town with a limited cast of characters. Representation increases in book two, An Enemy Defined, as the world expands. 

In addition to disabled characters, several of whom hold esteemed positions, you’ll meet characters of a variety of races and sexual orientations and identities, including shifters, the most revered of the Loinnai. Shifters appear neither male nor female and use the pronouns they/them.

I based some of Ayandoh’s humanoids on Earth’s paleontology, an interest of mine since my undergrad years at the University of Guelph. However, I took liberties with such characteristics as their intelligence and linguistic abilities. Grotts are based on Neanderthals. My halflings are based on Homo floresiensis, fossils also known as the Hobbit or Flores Man.

Earth myths and legends inspired some of Ayandoh's creatures. I imagined these myths being spawned by Earthlings who crossed to Ayandoh and back and described the creatures they saw there, as well as by Ayandonians who passed through Veils to Earth. For example, the dark elves, aka Selenites (sel-le-nites) closely resemble our vampires and are the source of our vampire legends.

Respect for nature, including kindness to animals, is one of the series' major themes. And because I’m appalled by the lack of Holocaust awareness in today’s society, not to mention outright Holocaust denial, the series contains a Holocaust allegory. With genocides occurring to this day, including in Gaza, along with the rise of Nazism and antisemitism, this topic remains all too relevant.

I confess, I am a huge geek. That's why you'll find references to Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, and Indiana Jones. I also pay homage to my favourite TV show, Supernatural, through some of the names I chose and created, among other things.

Front cover design and character art by Raphael Barrington, copyright Amy Maltman