Praise for "Incarnation"
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Spellbinding! I read the last 200 pages practically non-stop. I was so anxious to know what would happen!
Deft storytelling, distinctive characters, smooth and natural dialogue … Your imagination is astounding. May it be read by many and for a long time.
Carolyn Kenny
Author, Life in Bed
Deft storytelling, distinctive characters, smooth and natural dialogue … Your imagination is astounding. May it be read by many and for a long time.
Carolyn Kenny
Author, Life in Bed
Laura Davis Hays’ beautifully written and deeply imaginative novel, Incarnation, is at once a thrilling adventure, a fantastical journey in time and a complex love story. Kelsey is a young scientist whose whole life starts to unravel as she finds out the truth about her past, both in this and other lives. Venturing beyond the conventional boundaries of her profession, and pushed to the edge by an abusive relationship, she uncovers her unusual psychic gifts, takes on the responsibilities of new powers and faces great danger; and she encounters the possibility of true love. We are drawn more and mover deeply into her journey which leads to an extraordinary climax in the Mayan ruins and bright waters of the Yucatan. Here the memory of a past cataclysm serves to illuminate the urgency of the present challenges. Skillfully weaving ancient and modern, science and spirit, Davis Hays makes a powerful case for the limitation of purely rational solutions in the face of the fragility of this beautiful and chaotic world. This original and visionary novel allows us to experience fantasy as real and reality as magic.
Susana Guillaume
Author, playwright, actress
Girl Facing West
King Laz
Susana Guillaume
Author, playwright, actress
Girl Facing West
King Laz
Laura Davis Hays’ exciting new novel “Incarnation” is a metaphysical thriller that twines the fate of two young women from different worlds and times. At first the halting communication between Kelsey Dupuis, an environmental biologist, and the compelling presence of a being named Iriel, unfolds by way of Kelsey’s frightening dreams. As the novel progresses, the means of contact become stranger and stronger. When Kelsey delves into her upsetting visitations, she glimpses the face, mind, and memories of Iriel, a girl from a continent no longer on earth. Kelsey’s childhood friend Rill, imaginary but comforting, could she be connected to this Iriel of Atlantis, lover of the sea and its creatures? And why is Iriel desperate to make contact now?
Ms. Hays agilely takes us through the contemporary plot, which includes a memorable cast of scientists in Kelsey’s lab who appear in riveting action near the book’s end. The Atlantian plot weaves through the contemporary, carrying its own cast and a vast history (which begs to be spun into more books). The characters and the descriptions of the ancient continent are haunted by loss. That world throws a shadow over our world, Kelsey’s world, which is given over to greedy forces that would destroy it for short-term gain.
The two plots, two women, two souls—or is it only one soul?—interlace ever more tightly—and the anticipation of their collision creates the novel’s suspenseful journey. In the gracefully written, richly imagined “Incarnation,” Ms. Hays has invented clashes of culture, personality, philosophy, and, most vitally, of spirit.
Lisa Sandlin
Professor Creative Writing, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Award Winning Author of In the River Province and The Do-Right
Ms. Hays agilely takes us through the contemporary plot, which includes a memorable cast of scientists in Kelsey’s lab who appear in riveting action near the book’s end. The Atlantian plot weaves through the contemporary, carrying its own cast and a vast history (which begs to be spun into more books). The characters and the descriptions of the ancient continent are haunted by loss. That world throws a shadow over our world, Kelsey’s world, which is given over to greedy forces that would destroy it for short-term gain.
The two plots, two women, two souls—or is it only one soul?—interlace ever more tightly—and the anticipation of their collision creates the novel’s suspenseful journey. In the gracefully written, richly imagined “Incarnation,” Ms. Hays has invented clashes of culture, personality, philosophy, and, most vitally, of spirit.
Lisa Sandlin
Professor Creative Writing, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Award Winning Author of In the River Province and The Do-Right
In smart and elegant language, Hays deftly weaves equal parts of science, romance, adventure and fantasy into a captivating novel that invites the reader to consider the interconnectedness of the past, present, and future.
Linda Durham
Founder/Director
The Wonder Institute
Linda Durham
Founder/Director
The Wonder Institute
Laura Hays masterfully guides us thru the matrix that is Incarnation. An adventurous exotic journey that bobs and weaves its way from present day Santa Fe to glimpses of a vibrant mystical Atlantis. Nuanced and profound, Incarnation reveals that what you see may just be the sum of where you’ve been!
Laura’s engaging novel has easily jumped to the top of my list of great reads to share.
Paul Dillon
Singer/Songwriter, Bandleader
One Color Red
Laura’s engaging novel has easily jumped to the top of my list of great reads to share.
Paul Dillon
Singer/Songwriter, Bandleader
One Color Red
Incarnation transcends the fantasy genre with a depth of wide-ranging knowledge and lovely phrasing that gives the story strength and credibility. The handling of interweaving of plots and sub-plots over time, spanning millennia and locations, is mighty skillful. A fine, compelling and strong story, one that is deserving of a wide readership. Kudos!
Donley Watt
Author, Educator, Editor
Can You Get There from Here?
Donley Watt
Author, Educator, Editor
Can You Get There from Here?
Have you ever had a friend ask you to read "their" book. It can be scary. What if I don't like it? What if they can't write? Laura Hays and I are friends, so when she asked me to read Incarnation I was honored and a little worried. I am still honored she asked, and trust me, THERE WAS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. Incarnation is one of those books that is hard to put down and when you reach the end you want to know more. A fun, exciting, wonderful read and I can hardly wait for the next one!
Rev. Gayle Dillon
Everyday Center for Spiritual Living
Rev. Gayle Dillon
Everyday Center for Spiritual Living