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Immense Beauty and Terrifying Wilderness
Blood of Yarumaya follows a botany student from Stanford, headed for an internship in the Amazon rainforest, who learns about a rare tree and its resin, which holds the secret to human longevity. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration for the setup of BLOOD OF YARUMAYA is my college-student daughters, and imagining them experiencing this story and wondering how they would respond and adapt to being forced into such a dramatic situation. The protagonist, Isabella Bryn Delgado, is a Gen Z girl from Malibu with a privileged life and a certain naivety about the world, similar to my own daughters. I wanted to explore how Isabella would respond and grow as a result of her experiences.
Was there a reason why you chose this location as the backdrop for your story?
The reason I chose the Amazon rainforest as the setting is simple: Its immense beauty and terrifying wilderness that transform it into its own unique character, and its isolation from civilization. There are so many mysteries associated with the rainforests that it became the logical choice to immerse the reader in. Plus, I am fascinated with the Amazon rainforests and their wildlife and people.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
A theme of survival was critical to the growth of the young protagonist. In the most primal situations, we are all subject to our instinct to survive, and out of this instinct grows knowledge, confidence, and a deeper understanding of who we are. Intertwined with survival is a theme of environmental issues that Izzy has to face and make choices where she stands. Other themes involved finding genuine love and how rare and precious it is once discovered, and how it drives us to do things we didn’t think possible before–pushing us to do the impossible. A theme of power and corruption was intertwined in the story: The exploitation of indigenous tribes, government conspiracies to steal and monetize the greatest scientific discovery in history, and the attacks on the natural resources of our rainforests, and from that a theme of ethics emerges. If you possessed a secret that could save the world and extend life expectancy dramatically, would you share it or keep it hidden away?
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
My current project is Book #5 of my Timepiece Series, titled The Timepiece Origin. It is the fifth and final book of the series and a prequel to the story. The book should be available in late Spring 2026. Books One through Four are currently available on Amazon in eBook and paperback.
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Isabella Bryn Delgado thought a research trip to the Amazon would breathe life into her failing Master’s degree in botany—and give her one last shot at salvaging her gymnastics scholarship before her injured knee gave out for good. Far from Stanford’s campus and the chaos of Palo Alto, she just wanted a quiet jungle escape. No pressure. No balance beam. And no more awkward run-ins with her soon-to-be ex.
But the man who was supposed to supervise her internship—reclusive microbiologist Dr. Dominic Quinn—is nowhere to be found when she arrives at his remote field lab. Alone in one of the most dangerous ecosystems on Earth with no contact to the outside world, Isabella soon realizes she’s been dropped into more than just a science experiment.
When a mysterious man claiming to be Dr. Quinn finally appears, he brings with him secrets buried deep in the rainforest: an uncharted tribe, a sacred tree called Yarumaya, and a miraculous resin that may hold the secret to human longevity. But the trees are dying—and the tribe’s survival is in danger.
As Isabella and Quinn race to uncover the cause, they find themselves tangled in a web of ancient rituals, vanishing ecosystems, and a connection neither of them expected. But some secrets aren’t meant to be shared. And some discoveries are worth killing for.
Blood of Yarumaya is a pulse-pounding eco-thriller about love, legacy, and the dangerous line between scientific discovery and cultural exploitation.
EDITORIAL REVIEWS
Reviewed by Ronél Steyn for Readers’ Favorite
Kevin D. Miller delivers a captivating environmental thriller in Blood of Yarumaya. Isabella Delgado is two weeks late in arriving for her assignment with Dr. Dominic Quinn in the Amazon. This was her opportunity to write her thesis on botany with firsthand rainforest experience, but now the doctor is missing. She just broke up with her boyfriend and is still dealing with a knee injury that shattered her gymnastic goals. To make things worse, the radio is broken, it’s humid, and the mosquitoes are hungry. When Dr. Quinn finally arrives at the field lab, he doesn’t resemble the forty-something man Isabella expected. Instead, he looks closer to her twenty-six years. What follows is a race to uncover the secrets of the Kawirén people’s longevity and help them survive the impending destruction of the Amazon.
Author Kevin D. Miller proves to be a master storyteller. Vivid descriptions immerse readers deep in the rainforest and awaken all their senses. With strong protagonists leading the story, there’s no doubt about wanting to turn those pages and keep reading. The pace is swift, creating an urgency that drives the plot forward. It ticks all the right boxes for action, adventure, love, and discovery, ensuring any reader will fall in love with the Amazon and making Blood of Yarumaya perfect for fans of nature and science. The dialogue is sharp, and the detailed stages of experimentation won’t leave you confused. Due to some strong language and closed-door sexual scenes, this book is best suited to a mature audience.
Perceived Predictability
Inheriting Karma follows a man hiding in plain sight whose cover is blown, sending his life into chaos and forcing him to scramble to hold it all together with the least amount of casualties. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The question itself holds the key to my answer. I’m the type of guy who needs a challenge. Predictable outcomes send me packing from the story. I write how I feel, so having a man hiding in plain sight with a perceived predictability lets me shock the reader.
I thank you for your review; it truly nails my intention when writing stories. It’s no secret that my series is not for everyone. Characters who die in the first book are still big participants in follow-ups. For the reader, they are tasked with trying to follow the depth of karma each actor’s actions create.
What inspired your characters’ interactions and backstories?
Growing up, I didn’t have to go far for what I now call Safari Hunts. Challenging Karma was meant as a one-off, keep a last promise to my mom. So many family traits make up the characters. Mam’s boob magnet eyes, Francois’ inventing new dishes and making everyone try it, Ray’s never buying new clothes, and love of pickles.
Backstories are a blend of daydreaming, people-watching, and engagement. When my tenth draft of Challenging Karma shocked my mom into trying to talk me out of using its ending, I knew I had a formula that I couldn’t change.
By nature, I’m a puzzle solver; even playing cards, it has to be a strategic game or I get bored (any bridge players who can help educate)? Even now, I have to slow down because I write an interaction that leads to a fifth, sixth, or even seventh book storyline. For example, lawyer Charlene Reece was supposed to die in Surviving Karma then a daydream brought her story to a new level. Her Karma story really expands in Reciprocating Karma, coming out later this month.
How do you balance story development with shocking plot twists? Or can they be the same thing?
For me, the story takes the reader so many miles down a path only to reach a time when the puzzle hits a three-pronged crossroads. Again, your reviewer nailed it when he said he had to go back to adjust his thoughts. So far, the twists exist on these three paths: believe what you think you read, go back to change your thinking, or go forward with expected outcomes.
The twist, although meant to shock, is a kind of progression of events that fills a lot of our current news cycles. Serial Killers in #1. A wrongfully convicted prisoner seeks payback in #2. Criminal organizations use public events to further their goals in #3. And #4, where a vigilante will seek retribution for the deaths of loved ones.
The premise, “Walk in another’s shoes,” is how I try to develop the story. Hence, the need for a comedic slowdown, weird encounter, or stubborn quirk. I want unique characters that readers can relate to. Reciprocating Karma introduces Carlee. Her sports story is one such lighter moment. But even while writing it, I could picture my wife actually living that experience (before she married a sports nut, of course).
I hope the series continues in other books. If so, where will the story take readers?
Beta readers for #4, Reciprocating Karma compare it to a movie that has caused many a conversation about whether it’s a Christmas movie or a thriller during the holiday season. It comes out in the next few weeks, so readers will have to pick a side. Yes, there’s a shock, but its subtitle causes a self-review of one’s own life.
The future in my Karma world has at least two more shocks to provide. In fact, both #5 and #6 are ripping through pages (I handwrite every first draft). But with Karma being such a wide open source of inspiration, seven will start filling dreams soon.
Author Links: Goodreads | X (Twitter) | Website | Amazon
Runs parallel to the soon to be released crossover book #4 ‘Reciprocating Karma!’
One oversight is all it took to turn hunters against him. Legal documents record his real name as Wilson O’Reilly instead of Forrest Clay, but his involvement with Ricky Topin going rogue brightens the already dual personality spotlight. Two criminal accomplices vie for attention over the one true love Wilson has ever experienced, a cop.
Once word spread of his link to Topin’s murderous rage, hiding in plain sight no longer became a possibility. Or just maybe? A boss to one, partner to another, and enemy to the third person, O’Reilly weaves his circumstances toward a solution. Although for him to walk the streets again, past friends may die, organizations receive new leadership, and cops become targets.
Although fluid, the first seed planted is to use his onetime lovers, position against her. A simple warning of an assassination attempt piques interest until the offspring of a former gangster ‘Inherits Karma’ from his father. One kill shot setting the stage for O’Reilly to regain the blessings of freedom.
Stuck in quicksand, law enforcement takes the case, international. Thrilling mind games culminate in a three-minute window, where survival becomes a scene of chaos.
Treacherous Trek
Fallen Deer follows a woman and her friends as the town they live in quickly spirals into an intricate mystery involving arson, hidden children, and a chilling murder that seems to connect to forces far greater than the town itself. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
You might be surprised if I told you a deer fell out of the sky and landed on our car, but it’s true. My husband was driving during a rainstorm, and apparently the deer was hit by a truck in the other lane and went airborne. My husband never saw it coming since it fell from above the car. He only knew what happened because another driver stopped to tell him. He was in shock when he called me—he hadn’t even dialed 911 yet—and I was startled that a career fire lieutenant, who was trained to respond to danger, would react to a crisis the same way the rest of us do. As we talked about the accident in the weeks after it occurred, I knew it would be the catalyst scene of Fallen Deer. I just added a little Cadence extra to it. The symbolism of the falling deer gave me the title, too, and the storyline for the character who falls the farthest.
The other inspiration was the political battle over immigration reform during election season. I wanted to put a face on the individuals who sacrifice everything to come to a country where half the people hate them and describe them as “venom” or worse. What is their motivation and thinking behind the decision to embark on such a treacherous trek that may end in being sent back to the place from which they fled? What is the history of immigration and who gets to tell the story of it?
What were some ideas that were important for you to personify in your characters?
I wanted to explore greed; resilience; revenge; retribution; discovering one’s inner strengths and weaknesses; trust; redemption; and, finally, acceptance and love.
What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?
Aside from the opening scene of the falling deer, I liked writing Oliver’s journey of self-discovery. His is a late coming-of-age story, and his scenes are fraught with terror, insecurity, angst, comic relief, and glimpses into his parents’ intrusive relationship with him. Oliver first appeared in Stone Coat Man (A Cadence Mystery #5), where he shied away from the action. I wanted to dig deeper into his story and take him on his personal journey from shy, reticent kid, whose parents still send him care packages of essentials, to a self-reliant adult, who may not like where his thoughts are taking him, but who knows he’s the only one in a position to act upon them. The scene in which he envisions his vehicle passenger and a huge stag standing in front of the vehicle as Minecraft characters was really fun to write, but I am no gamer. I had to do research and then revise and revise to get the right balance of humor and suspense. I especially enjoyed writing the dialog between Oliver and his passenger.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
I don’t have a title yet for the book I’m working on now, but it will be book 7 of the series, A Cadence Mystery, and it’s going to be a frightful thriller! I’ve had nightmares about the asanbosam, a creature from Ghanian mythology, that appears in the book. Often, my dreams take my books in directions I hadn’t considered, or they resolve questions when I feel stuck or suffer writer’s block, so I am always open to what they show me. The book deals with a terrible chapter in our history, doppelgangers, and the power of suggestion. I’m about 36,000 words in and plan to release the book in December 2025.
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LITERARY TITAN 