Vagabondage et Merveille

Halo of the Damned

TPV: Dina Rae is a new author who is here to stay. As a former teacher, she brings an academic element to her work. Her research on the Yezidi religion and love of art inspired her story telling for Halo of the Damned.

Dina lives with her husband, two daughters, and two dogs outside of Chicago. She is an avid reader, tennis player, movie buff, and self-proclaimed expert on conspiracy theories. Her favorite authors are Dan Brown, Tim LaHaye, Jerry Jenkins, Lincoln Childs, Robert Preston, Brad Thor, Stephen King, and Anne Rice. It’s no surprise that her favorite movies are Devil’s Advocate, Angel Heart, Shutter Island, I Am Legend, and The Shining.

In my recent novel, Halo of the Damned, I used research about the ancient Yezidi religion (spellings vary). The Yezidis originated from northern Iraq. The religion spread throughout the Kurdish community, eventually making its way into Europe.

Yezidis worship angels, especially Malak Tawas (spellings vary). The peacock symbolizes this angel who many believe to be Satan. Malak’s story in the Koran matches the same stories in the Bible and Old Testament about a rebellious angel who wages war with a third of all of God’s angels against God and the remainder of angels in Heaven. Once defeated, God sends all of them to Hell.

Yezidis believe God created Malak first, before all other angels, in His image, therefore he is also God. They also believe the world was first created as a pearl. Their holy books are Black Book and Book of Revelation. Their afterlife ideas are vague, but lean towards reincarnation. I found the religion fascinating and used it as part of the plot.

BLURB:

A chain of advertising agencies, a new breed of humans, and a fallen angel to worship…

Andel Talistokov is known for his slick advertising agencies across the globe. He is a fallen angel that uses advertising as a weapon for Satan's work. His growing power emboldens him to break several of Hell’s Commandments. Furious with his arrogance, Satan commands him to return to Hell after finding his own replacement.

Joanna Easterhouse, a recovering drug addict, steps out of prison shortly after her mother's fatal accident. She and her sister, Kim, unravel their mother's secretive past. Intrigued, they learn their bloodline is part of a celestial legacy. Both worlds collide.

EXCERPT

As Andel waited for his servant and slave, Marcus, to come and

clean up his sinister mess, he noticed blood all over his Armani

suit. He licked the sides of his face, still savoring the taste. The

Turkish rug that lay under his daughter’s corpse was also ruined.

Unlike the suit, the rug was irreplaceable. He remembered when

an Iman had given it to him hundreds of years ago. It was priceless,

and now he had to part with it.

He looked at the decapitated, beautiful head one last time and

remembered what a true bitch she turned out to be.

His intercom buzzed. “Come into my office,” he hissed, as he

remotely let Marcus inside.