The goddesses are united!

The print proof for Goddess, Inflamed arrived! I've made a few tweaks to it, and to Goddess, Spellbound, and have sent for the second set of proofs for both. They appeared fine online, but until you page through the actual book, sometimes you don't know for sure.

So now the goddesses are united! With the power of three, who knows what can happen...

Casting Call: Goddess, Spellbound

It feels like I've been waiting forever to reveal this cast for Goddess, Spellbound! Now that it's released, I finally can show you. This might be my favorite cast yet.

The main character, Sandy/Sanura goes through quite a change during the story. From insecure and somewhat shy to a true goddess. As a descendant of the goddess Bastet, Sanura has always envied the sleek grace of cats, and she can't go anywhere without cats surrounding her.

Sanura's obsessed with all things Egyptian, so when her museum scores a world-class exhibit of Egyptian artifacts, it's the thrill of a lifetime for her. Until the warrior mummy awakens, and a dead vizier tries to kill her.

Emma Stone can play fragile and fierce equally well, and would make a perfect Sanura.

Iker, the warrior who served under the queen pharaoh Hatshepsut, has been tasked with ensuring the queen pharaoh's soul finally sails off into the Afterlife, but first he has to convince Sanura that she's the only one who can perform the Pyramid Text spells to free Hatshepsut's soul.

Strong and sensitive, Iker was always Shemar Moore in my mind.

Sanura's intern, Howie, has a few surprises up his, er, sleeve. He's less interested in artifacts than revenge, and once he reveals his true self, Sanura's not sure which version of Howie she dislikes more.

I can't give away any more than that. You'll have to read the book to find out for yourself.

Matthew Gray Gubler was always Howie.

User, the vizier who returns through the false tomb door on exhibit at Sanura's museum, is the worst sort of villain. He's already dead, so there's no use trying to kill him. And he's been waiting for final victory over Hatshepsut since her death in 1548 B.C. He helped erase her from history, but won't rest until he makes certain the queen pharaoh's soul doesn't reach the Afterlife.

Sir Ben Kingsley would make a wonderful User.

Bastet is a multifaceted goddess. Not only is she the daughter of the sun god Ra, but she's the goddess of cats, a a warrior, but also a gentle protector of home and children, a healer and dancer, moon goddess, a goddess of pleasure. She goes by many names: Lady of Flame, Eye of Ra, Lady of the East, Goddess of the Rising Sun, The Sacred and All-Seeing Eye.

Another easy choice. No one but Angelina Jolie could play Bastet. 

Mrs. Allgood has a small but vital role in the story. She's a generous benefactor who donates more than money to the museum.

But she's another character I can't reveal too much about. She was a lot of fun to write, and especially when I imagined Dame Judi Dench as wielding her cloisonne walking cane.

Finally, the queen pharaoh herself.

Hatshepsut ruled from 1478 B.C. until her death twenty-two years or so later. Though Hatshepsut is generally considered one of the most successful rulers, history doesn't reveal much about her. After her death, her likenesses were chiseled from monuments, and her deeds stricken from pharaonic records. She was not buried in her official tomb, probably for fear of someone disturbing her remains.

She's the central part of this storyline, the wronged queen who seeks only justice and final release.

Minnie Driver would make an excellent Hatshepsut.


I love that there are so many strong female characters in this story. And the setting allowed me to explore ancient Egypt, which has fascinated me since I was little.

You can find out more about Goddess, Spellbound here.

Goddesses and cobras and mummies, oh my!

Egypt has fascinated me since I was a kid. I've wanted to see the Sphinx, ride a camel across the desert and most of all, visit the pyramids to see hieroglyphics in person. Cleopatra fascinated me even more - a strong female leader who had incredible charisma as well as power. I didn't learn about Hatshepsut until much later.

I came across a couple of articles a few years ago detailing the unearthing of important artifacts from that time, and saved them. Experts believed they'd discovered the queen pharaoh's real burial site, as her tomb contained someone else's remains. During her reign, Hatshepsut did much to advance Egypt but after her death, her legacy was destroyed, and she was all but erased from history.

So when I found another article about the discovery of one of her vizier's false tomb doors, I saved that too. The third article was fairly short, but no less important - the mummy of a warrior who served under Hatshepsut had also been found about the same time.

I love it when the universe sends me little gifts like that. It played in perfectly with my (then) new idea for the Goddess Connection series. All I needed was an Egyptian goddess...  

Bastet seemed a perfect choice. There are tons of Egyptian gods and goddesses, but many of them have some connection to death. Bastet is most famously known as the goddess of cats. She's a warrior, but also a gentle protector of home and children, a healer and dancer, moon goddess, a goddess of pleasure. She goes by many names: Lady of Flame, Eye of Ra, Lady of the East, Goddess of the Rising Sun, The Sacred and All-Seeing Eye.

As a daughter of the sun god Ra, she would also be a target for her father's enemies - especially the serpent Apep. Which made it all the more fun when writing, and one of my characters surprised me by becoming a cobra shifter!

 And so, I'm thrilled that nearly two years after starting to write Goddess, Spellbound, it's finally available.

Here's the blurb: 

Ancient pyramid tomb doors. Mummified warriors. Artifacts appearing from nowhere.  And that’s just Sandy Whitaker’s work as museum curator. When spells become curses, and the dead return for vengeance, her dream job turns into a living nightmare.

The warrior Iker’s triumphed over difficult pharaohs and returned from battles victorious, but dealing with Sandy Whitaker is his hardest task yet. A descendant of Egyptian goddess Bastet, she’s headstrong, naïve and completely alluring. Can he convince her to perform the ritual spells to save the Queen Pharaoh Hatshepsut’s eternal soul? More importantly, can he help her realize she doesn’t need to be descended from a goddess to be one herself?

Sandy reluctantly embraces her heritage as Sanura, demi-goddess of cats. But even with her new powers, can she fulfill her destiny? If she can survive being kidnapped by a cobra shifter, she’ll do her best to perform the Pyramid Texts ritual spells so Hatshepsut can sail into the Afterlife at long last. But once the queen pharaoh is gone forever, will Iker leave her too?

Goddess, Spellbound

The Goddess Connection, Book 3

Fantasy/paranormal romance novel

Heat level: Sensual

About 68,400 words

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Smashwords

Goodreads

You can read the first chapter on WattPad. I hope it leaves you spellbound!

Goddess, Spellbound - The Goddess Connection 3, paranormal/fantasy with mythology elements

Ancient pyramid tomb doors. Mummified warriors. Artifacts appearing from nowhere.  And that’s just Sandy Whitaker’s work as museum curator. When spells become curses, and the dead return for vengeance, her dream job turns into a living nightmare.

The warrior Iker’s triumphed over difficult pharaohs and returned from battles victorious, but dealing with Sandy Whitaker is his hardest task yet. A descendant of Egyptian goddess Bastet, she’s headstrong, naïve and completely alluring. Can he convince her to perform the ritual spells to save the Queen Pharaoh Hatshepsut’s eternal soul? More importantly, can he help her realize she doesn’t need to be descended from a goddess to be one herself?

Sandy reluctantly embraces her heritage as Sanura, demi-goddess of cats. But even with her new powers, can she fulfill her destiny? If she can survive being kidnapped by a cobra shifter, she’ll do her best to perform the Pyramid Texts ritual spells so Hatshepsut can sail into the Afterlife at long last. But once the queen pharaoh is gone forever, will Iker leave her too?

Goddess, Spellbound

The Goddess Connection, Book 3

Fantasy/paranormal romance novel

Heat level: Sensual

About 68,400 words

Amazon (ebook) |  Amazon (print) |  Barnes and Noble | Smashwords

Goodreads

ISBN:  9781310397615

Get these 8 adult coloring pages - free!

Casting Call

Who did Cate imagine as these characters? Find out here.

Exciting News

These Words, A Blog included Goddess, Spellbound in its list of Top 15 Books of 2015! Goddess, Spellbound came in at #6.

Reviews

First off, I have to admit to being very excited to see an Egyptian mythology story.  Good ones are very hard to find and this one was definitely a good one.  I love how Cate Masters takes the stories, both well-known and more obscure, and weaves them into her reality.  The gods, goddesses, and legends really come to life in the book and they will take over your world while you are reading.
Sandy is a fantastic character.  I loved her passion for history, her love of cats (I wish I could have seven), and her quirky personality were spot on for me.  Her journey from slightly insecure (but not overly so) museum curator to powerful goddess totally sure of herself was very subtle.  At one point I remember wondering when it happened.  But it was one of those things that changed just a little bit - but constantly - and then suddenly you realize you have something new and exciting.
Iker was all stiff formality - which is exactly what I picture an old mummy would act like.  I enjoyed watching him interact with the modern world, trying to adapt to its "craziness".  He was quite a mystery at times, keeping a lot of his emotions and thoughts hidden from the world.  But I still couldn't help but love him.
As Sandy embraces her destiny and heritage, she performs a ritual that was just beyond incredibly written that it totally blew my mind.  You will feel like you are there fighting and discovering right along with her the whole way.

Can you tell I love her writing?

HOT PICK 5 stars – Bitten by Romance http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/12/review-goddess-spellbound-goddess.html

This book was a breath of fresh air. I loved the transformation from clumsy, shy heroine to strong and confident descendant of a goddess. Sandy/Sanura wasn't ready to take every crazy idea as fact but she didn't hang onto her denial past the point of common sense either. Iker, the hero, was magnificent. He had all the insecurities you would expect of someone transplanted from another time and place but none of the idiocy.

The author did an excellent job of showing not telling. The paranormal element was well done and the ancient Egyptian pantheon integrated with present day in a believable way.

Inked in the Bayou – 4 stars

http://inkedinthebayoubookreviews.blogspot.com/2014/11/review-goddess-spellbound-by-cate.html

The Goddess Connection Series

Every woman should embrace her inner goddess. What’s your connection?

In each novel of The Goddess Connection series, the heroine is somehow connected to a goddess. Her lifelong quirks will become strengths once she finds her true place in the world, and accepts herself for who she really is.