The latest prequel to the Mythical Menagerie series, Becoming Keeper, is now available for preorder! If you’ve ever wondered how Amari became the Keeper of Exotic Animals, then this one’s for you.
Since I love playing around with Midjourney to create images to put up on my writing inspiration board, especially for characters, I thought I’d share some of them with you, along with a brief introduction to each of the important people in this story.
Amari Kerubo
Becoming Keeper is my Amari origin story. In the books from the Mythical Menagerie series, she is the Keeper of Exotic Animals, and Ambrose calls her a “force of nature”. But she wasn’t always the powerful, confident woman we see there. Once upon a time she was a lonely student in a foreign country, just trying to pass her exams while figuring out what to do with her life. As the story opens, she desperately needs to write a final Philosophy paper to meet the requirements for a degree path her family had chosen for her, but she’s distracted by her best friend’s latest crusade and her supervisor’s morally dubious research experiments. As the story progresses, Amari needs to make choices that will affect the rest of her life – but is she making the right ones?
Doctor Clarke
Amari’s Biology supervisor at Oxford University is on the cusp of a breakthrough in her research, and will do whatever it takes to achieve her goals – even if she has to make some morally dubious decisions. After all, the ends justify the means, don’t they?
Professor Bottenfeldt
Prof Bottenfeldt is Amari’s favourite lecturer. A kindred spirit and fellow mythology enthusiast, Bottenfeldt can usually be found in the library, doling out advice and keeping an eye on his most promising student. But does he know more than he lets on?
Becca Rothfuss
Amari’s best friend and college dorm mate, Becca is a pampered law student who’s always campaigning for the latest cause. At the moment, she’s passionate about animal rights. Quick on her feet, she’s a good ally to have on your side – if you can keep her attention long enough, that is.
Tristan Ford
Tristan Ford is the latest in a long string of Becca’s boyfriends. He prefers action over academics and is on a mission to flush out rumours of an animal smuggling ring operating in Oxford. He’s not above breaking and entering, and his moral crusade might just land Amari in the kind of trouble that could cost her everything…
Phumlani Mahlangu
Also originally from South Africa, Phumlani Mahlangu is an IT geek who loves gaming and has some serious hacking skills. You’ll usually find him inside Oxford Cathedral, trying to capture a flag. He’s Amari’s go-to guy when she needs help with something, but will he risk his own skin for someone else’s cause?
Professor Harris
Amari’s Philosophy lecturer, Prof Harris, is also her student advisor, and he’s not impressed with her performance. The university’s reputation needs to be upheld, and that means Amari is on thin ice. Can she redeem herself and win back his approval, or will she face expulsion?
Bill Dawson
Dawson, the man driving an unmarked black van, is not overly fond of “tree-huggers”. He has a business to run and stock to move, and if you want something, he can get it for you without giving too much thought to questions of ethics or legality. Amari and Dawson don’t see eye to eye, but who will back down first?
Well, turns out it’s quite hard to talk about characters without giving the plot away! But I hope this has made you a little curious about the book, and if it sounds intriguing, then please do check it out at your favourite online retailer. It will be available in both e-book and paperback on 20 March 2024!
