Character Art – Kai

Kai from The Hourglass

Firstly, I have to give credit to ObscureBeauty.Art (name of artist and their website are one in the same. Here is the link proper – https://ObscureBeauty.Art )

This is Kai. She, if I had to choose, is the main character. She is freshly 16 years old in the beginning of the story, a girl without memory, up to when she was found ten years prior to where we open up in the tale. This void in her past causes her great distress, along with recurring dreams about a lady in red (from the cover of the book!), which she figures must be important. She is guided to travel to an antiques shop in Long Island, New York, to begin to find some answers, and she is drastically pulled into the world of the Hourglass. It becomes clear the lady in red is connected to the Hourglass, and therefore, Kai has to choose whether or not to take the path unfolding in front of her – into danger and mystery.

But – again – she won’t be alone! She has five companions – and I will reveal more portraits soon enough! Just a tidbit to start out!

Anything you want to know about Kai? Ask away! At the very least, enjoy the lovely portrait by ObscureBeauty.Art! I hope the art touches you, intrigues you, and gets you excited for the release!

This second portrait of Kai is by the same artist who did the art on the front cover of The Hourglass as well as my own portrait – verdant! verdant.deviantart.com

Kai is innocent – she finds herself turning to the others in the group, looking to them for guidance and insight. We discover magic and the strange alternate realm, Altier, through her eyes. We also get to search with her about what ‘home’ really means and what it truly means to be brave. Kai also speaks to our hearts about what it is like to be afraid and how we respond to that fear. From America, to Egypt, to the new world, Altier – Kai has a lot to learn.

Here’s an excerpt from the book, when Kai and Melas (one of the members of the group pursuing the Hourglass) are discussing some wanderers they’ve encountered in Egypt, and Kai reflects on the concept of ‘home’ in light of her missing memories:

“It’s funny,” Kai began. “It is funny that you bring up home. I have been thinking about it ever since I first saw the wanderers coming out of their van, and Dalil told us who they were. First, I thought that they have no home, kind of like me. Then I realized that, at the same time, they have made one another their home. That really threw me for a loop because then I couldn’t figure out the answer to the question, ‘Where is my home?’ It’s like a puzzle…

“…what if I am forgetting someone? What if I am forgetting something very close to my heart? Where did I come from? What was it like there?” She propped herself up and looked right at Melas once more. “Maybe one’s heart can be in more than one place at once.”

Hope you enjoyed the excerpt as well as the lovely portrait by verdant! I am really blessed to have such amazing artists collaborating with me. Again, any questions about Kai, please let me know! I hope this portrait, too, touches your heart, peaks your interest, and gets you pumped up for the release of The Hourglass on September 8, 2026!