About my latest release - A sneak peek!

Hello, Shiny People in this world!
It's Saturday again and I wanted to bring you something new. As the title already says, it's going to be a sneak peek at my latest release.
Following the trend I have started with the previous release, I wanted to try something new and moved away from my comfort zone. The inspiration for this one came from my interest in voodoo rites, connected also with my African journeys.
This story is set in the Congolese rain forest on the stretches of the Virunga National Reserve.
For me, that place holds a lot of memories, I keep dearly in my heart, and that is the reason why I haven't set the story in a place like Togo, or Benin, where the voodoo is practiced. To tell the truth there isn't a direct connection with voodoo in particular, but with a general idea of the forces governing the underworld.
This time, I decided to bring you an excerpt from the novel, more precisely the introduction chapter:

INTRO
The heat in the bar was almost unbearable; The fan on the roof creaked on its rusty rotor, lazily stirring the air in the bar, overheated by the constant humidity of the stretches along the border with the thick of the rain forest.
Jason slammed his empty glass on the scarred wooden table, scattering hardened food remnants from earlier patrons.
He glanced around and took a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Omar, the bartender, watched with his dark eyes as he dried spotted glasses, fresh from the old dishwasher. From time to time, he flipped the dirty rag to shoo the flies and mosquitoes that had taken up residence.
Old programs ran on the television over the bar, the decades-old voices a drone behind the din of the patrons.
“Bring me another one, Omar, will you?” Jason shook the empty glass in the direction of the barkeeper.
Omar arched an eyebrow. “Your mistress won’t be pleased to have you drink so much. Besides, it won’t be good for your health.”
He placed the rag on the table, and as he grabbed the whiskey bottle, he walked to the table where Jason was seated.
“She is never pleased with me anyway, so why bother? Concerning my health, I am afraid death will not come soon enough,” he observed as he watched Omar reaching his table and pouring the whiskey in the glass.
“Leave the bottle here, it will make things easier for you,” Jason added.
“As you wish, boss. I am just giving a bit of friendly advice,” Omar replied, walking away on the squeaking wooden floor, creaking at every step, threatening to fail any minute then. “The only suggestion I can give is that when things are desperate, you should do all it takes to avoid turning them into something worse.”
“Ah, the old wisdom of the elders...” Jason mumbled, observing the color of the whiskey in his glass.
He never thought he would have been stuck in that God-forsaken spot in the heart of Africa. He never even considered it possible for a mzungu to be grounded there. Where am I, by the way? This place is not even mentioned on any map. It’s like being brought to another dimension or another nightmare.
“She told me soon another guy will arrive. I hope he will be wise enough not to disappoint Her in any way. I will warn him about the dangers, but in the end, it will be all up to him.”
Omar peered at him with a surprised expression, pausing from drying the glasses. “I really wish so too. One mzungu is enough to have in this bar.”
He laughed heartily, showing his white teeth.
“I agree with you, but it’s not because I wouldn’t like to have some company, rather because I would never wish for anyone to have my same fate,” Jason replied.
“Do you know already when he will come?”
“No, I have no idea, but she said he will soon be ready, and she is never wrong...”

I hope you enjoyed this small introduction to this novel, if you want to know more, you can check it out at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085XNHK34
Of course, if you have any question, you can drop me a message, even in the comments or through messenger: https://www.facebook.com/paperpenandinkwell
Stay safe and stay at home!
Paula