Map of the Impossible
Page 17
Finn’s words in the cave at Ganvié echoed back to her: There are so few of your kind. And yet, here they were, three lost Waterwalkers heading for home.
“Come on, you two,” Mila called out. “I’ll show you what fun really is.”
She beckoned and then turned in the water, darting ahead of them through the rapids as they followed her with whoops of delight.
Mila dived down into the depths before the waterfall met the edge of the cliff and then leapt like a dolphin up out of the froth and into the air.
She spun around, her body diaphanous in the sunlight, a figure of water droplets and air, her laugh the tinkle of rain on stone. The twins leapt just behind her, shrieking with joy. The three of them plunged down the falls into the pool below and then on — toward Ekon and Ganvié.
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THE END
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Day of the Vikings, an ARKANE thriller
A ritual murder on a remote island under the shifting skies of the aurora borealis.
A staff of power that can summon Ragnarok, the Viking apocalypse.
When Neo-Viking terrorists invade the British Museum in London to reclaim the staff of Skara Brae, ARKANE agent Dr. Morgan Sierra is trapped in the building along with hostages under mortal threat.
As the slaughter begins, Morgan works alongside psychic Blake Daniel to discern the past of the staff, dating back to islands invaded by the Vikings generations ago.
Can Morgan and Blake uncover the truth before Ragnarok is unleashed, consuming all in its wake?
Day of the Vikings is a fast-paced, supernatural thriller set in London and the islands of Orkney, Lindisfarne and Iona. Set in the present day, it resonates with the history and myth of the Vikings.
If you love an action-packed thriller, you can get Day of the Vikings for free now:
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Author’s Note
Thanks for reading Map of the Impossible. I hope you enjoyed the adventure. This is the end of the trilogy that encompasses Sienna’s Mapwalker journey, but I have some ideas for Mila and Zoe, so you never know, there may be more Mapwalker adventures to come.
I always like to include an Author’s Note in my novels as I love the research process as much as the creative part of writing. You can find images used in my research on my Pinterest board: www.pinterest.com/jfpenn/map-of-the-impossible
Inspiration for the story
The Map of the Impossible was inspired by the oldest map of the underworld found inside an ancient Egyptian coffin inscribed 4000 years ago. It was intended to help the dead pass through a series of challenges including snake charmers, high paths, and the watchers.
https://egyptfwd.org/Article/6/712/Oldest-Map-of-The-Underworld-Found-Inside-An-Ancient-Egyptian
The ibis room was inspired by pictures of mummified ibis and an article that mentioned 4 million sacred ibis mummies found in the catacombs of Tuna el-Gebel and 1.75 million discovered in the ancient burial ground of Saqqara as votive offerings to the god Thoth. The thought of millions of mummified ibis coming to life is pretty terrifying!
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/nov/13/experts-crack-mystery-ancient-egypt-sacred-bird-mummies
The antidote to belladonna is Physostigmine which is found in the Calabar Bean and the manchineel tree.
The idea of Zoe’s weaver magic was inspired by The Lady of Shalott poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson and the gorgeous painting by John William Waterhouse.
Strange times
I started the book in November 2019, so the idea of natural disaster impacting the world while the borders closed had nothing to do with the pandemic. But as it turned out, I wrote most of the story whilst in lockdown in Bath, UK, in the spring of 2020.
As I write this final note, we are still in the summer of coronavirus and while some borders are opening up, many remain closed, and I don’t know when I will travel again. What a strange time in history, indeed.
More Books by J.F.Penn
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Mapwalker Dark Fantasy Thrillers
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Map of Shadows #1
Map of Plagues #2
Map of the Impossible #3
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If you enjoy Action Adventure Thrillers, check out the ARKANE series as Morgan Sierra and Jake Timber solve supernatural mysteries around the world.
* * *
Stone of Fire #1
Crypt of Bone #2
Ark of Blood #3
One Day In Budapest #4
Day of the Vikings #5
Gates of Hell #6
One Day in New York #7
Destroyer of Worlds #8
End of Days #9
Valley of Dry Bones #10
Tree of Life #11
If you like Psychological Thrillers, join Detective Jamie Brooke and museum researcher Blake Daniel:
* * *
Desecration #1
Delirium #2
Deviance #3
For more dark fantasy, check out:
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Risen Gods
The Dark Queen
A Thousand Fiendish Angels: Short stories based on Dante's Inferno
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More books coming soon.
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About J.F.Penn
J.F.Penn is the Award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the ARKANE action adventure thrillers, Brooke & Daniel Psychological Thrillers, and the Mapwalker fantasy adventure series, as well as other standalone stories.
Her books weave together ancient artifacts, relics of power, international locations and adventure with an edge of the supernatural. Joanna lives in Bath, England and enjoys a nice G&T.
You can follow Joanna’s travels on Instagram @jfpennauthor and also on her podcast at BooksAndTravel.page.
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For writers:
Joanna’s site, www.TheCreativePenn.com, helps people write, publish and market their books through articles, audio, video and online courses.
She writes non-fiction for authors under Joanna Penn and has an award-nominated podcast for writers, The Creative Penn Podcast.
Acknowledgments
More than ever, a special thanks to my readers and my Pennfriends for continuing to support my books in what has turned out to be the wierdest year (2020 pandemic).
Thanks to Michaelbrent Collings, whose positive encouragement (and terrific stories!) helped
me through a difficult time.
Thanks to Mark McGuinness whose creative coaching helped me get through a lockdown process block and finish the book.
Thanks to my editor, Jen Blood, for continuing to understand my crazy brain, and to Wendy Janes for proofreading.
Thanks to Jane Dixon Smith at JDSmith-Design.com for the great cover design and print formatting.
Copyright © 2020 by J. F. Penn
All rights reserved.
www.JFPenn.com
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This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is fictionalized or coincidental.
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Published by Curl Up Press
www.CurlUpPress.com
For any inquiries regarding this book, please email:
joanna@CurlUpPress.com
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No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.