“I took hold of that scourge -filled ship and crushed it between my limbs, hurtling it into the second sun, the red one that gave me strength. But I was too late." Terraformer
Meet the Characters
Kelsey Hayes: Kelsey Hayes is an average girl, on the surface. She loves to read, bake cookies, sketch, and write in her journal. But she is haunted by a tragic past that cripples her heart, causes her to avoid taking risks, and complicates her relationships. Then, a short-term job at a traveling circus changes the course of her future. The girl who liked to sit in the back of the class must step forward as a reluctant hero to save the life of an Indian prince who should have died centuries ago.
Alagan Dhiren Rajaram: The forgotten heir of the Mujulaain Empire and the champion of the Battle of the Hundred Horses now uses just the name, Ren. His kingdom has turned to ash. His dreams of leading a mighty nation have changed to a simple wish for his own freedom. Once he was a poet, but now the words circle lazily in his mind as he drowses the years away. He believes that they may be his last tenuous connections to his humanity.
Sohan Kishan Rajaram: Kishan, Ren’s younger brother, fell in love with Ren’s fiancée. Letting love dictate his actions was a mistake his entire family had paid for. He deserved to suffer and even embraced the life of lonely solitude that had been his fate. He’d once been a warrior, a man who led others into battle, a prince of a powerful empire, who looked forward to pushing his own boundaries and becoming the strong leader his people needed. Now, there was no one to lead. No one to care for or to care about him. So his courage and bravery turned into a bitterness that clawed relentlessly at his mind and heart.
Anik Vadin Kadam: A brilliant tactician and military head of the Mujulaain Empire. When the evil Lokesh threatened to overthrow the royal family, the emperor entrusted the safety of his queen and their two sons to his care. Loyal, wise, and selfless he cared for his charges through the years eventually falling into the role of father figure for his once sovereign princes. As the years go by, he seamlessly shifts from managing a military empire to ruling a financial one and as he seeks to further his knowledge, he never forgets his duty to his lost sons and never tires in his quest to redeem them from the prison that binds them.
Nilima Mehta: A descendant of Anik Kadam, she calls him grandfather. She’s a beautiful Indian girl who not only helps to manage Kadam’s financial empire, but she has been trained in the weapons of the past, can fly any type of aircraft, and navigate any kind of vessel. She is especially fond of the color orange and loves jewelry. She considers herself a cousin to Ren and Kishan and an older sister to Kelsey. She is an expert dancer and secretly longs for a romance of her own, believing the man who is her destiny will travel to her from a distant shore.
Lokesh: An evil magician turned king. He sets his sights on the Mujulaain Empire and the royal family in particular, and uses all the powers at his disposal to gain control of the throne. No one is sure how he rose to power or where he came from but he has fundamentally altered the lives of our heroes and seems to still have an influence over them even centuries later. His daughter, Yesubai, was both engaged to Ren and loved by Kishan.
Phet: A short, wiry-haired hermit that lives in the middle of the Yawal Wildlife Sanctuary. He calls himself a servant of the beautiful goddess Durga. He spends his days gardening and collecting herbs and plants from the forest. When Kadam seeks out his help so that his charges may be freed, Phet shares a prophecy with him and sends him on a quest to find a very special young woman.
The Goddess Durga: A powerful eight-armed Indian Goddess who aids the heroes on their journey by gifting them with golden weapons. Her hair is long, black, and silky, her limbs delicate and soft. Though she is formidable in battle, she also has a certain vulnerability. She’s fond of Kelsey and calls her a daughter. Durga also has a special relationship with tigers and, in fact, has a tiger named Damon that she rides into battle.
Fanindra: A golden cobra who is the queen of the snakes. Her eyes are the green of emeralds. In her dormant state, she becomes a piece of jewelry, a shrunken armband, and rests upon Kelsey’s upper arm. When she wakes, she has the power to summon and communicate with other snakes. She is a guide and her jeweled eyes glow to provide light in the darkness.
Sarah Neilson: Kelsey’s foster mom. A health food nut who loves running and baking stinky casseroles. She drives a hybrid and enjoys recycling. Mother to two children, Sam and Rebecca, and wife to Michael, she spends her days shopping at organic markets and organizing play dates. Now a stay-at-home-mom who occasionally teaches free workshops on managing budgets, she once worked as the Chief Financial Officer for the largest chain of shoe stores in the Northwest.
Mike Neilson: Foster dad to Kelsey and husband of Sarah. He loves cars, complains about exercising, and sneaks a candy bar at work every once in a while since he would get a lecture for eating one at home. He loves his wife but when she goes out of town to visit her mother, he orders in pizza for the kids, swearing them to silence, and pays a neighbor boy to throw the offending boxes in his trash. He’s good-natured and happy with his government job in Public Works, though he’d really like a raise.
Agostino Maurizio: The Italian owner of the Circus Maurizio. He offers Kelsey a job during his two week stay at the Polk County Fairgrounds in Dallas, Oregon and introduces her to Matt, Cathleen, and Mr. Davis. At the circus, Kelsey discovers that he is not only the ringleader but that most of the performers are members of his family and when he introduces the final performer of the show, Kelsey’s life changes forever.
This entry was posted in Bonus Material, Tiger's Curse.
New York Times Bestselling author Colleen Houck is a lifelong reader whose literary interests include action, adventure, paranormal, science fiction, and romance. When she's not busy writing, she likes to spend time chatting on the phone with one of her six siblings, watching plays, and shopping online. Colleen has lived in Arizona, Idaho, Utah, California, and North Carolina and is now permanently settled in Salem, Oregon with her husband and a huge assortment of plush tigers.