Although the Prince Zaaki series began as a made up bedtime story, the more my tales evolve, the more I find hidden connections to the legends and ideas that were told to me when I was young. Despite my books being youth fiction, there is some form of reality, something meaningful to put to the world in an engaging storyline for all ages.
Author Heba Hamzeh
My vocation as the author, of The Prince Zaaki books, stems from reading bedtime stories to my three children. After finishing all the books at home, my son would ask for more stories and so I weaved a tale about a young Prince named Zaaki. This became a nightly occurrence, as my son would sit in bed enraptured, as I described a magical world full of mystical characters, mysterious places and memorable battles.
The Prince Zaaki books tell the story of a Prince growing up, finding his purpose in life and becoming King of his Kingdom. The Prince and his loyal sidekick, Strongheart, a flying-talking horse, embark on a journey of self-discovery across their Kingdom where they learn important values. They face obstacles and challenges along the way, which help Prince Zaaki discover his path of standing up to injustices. He learns the importance of kindness, compassion, fortitude and helping others.
Deep within the books is a spiritual element of reincarnation and the eternal soul. I come from the mountains of Lebanon and growing up I would hear stories about young family members remembering their past lives and souls moving from one body to another. The mystery of reincarnation and the eternal soul fascinated me. Without realising at the time, this intrigue was the foundation of bedtime stories that I created for my children. Upon reflection, the stories I had heard as a child, inspired me to create The Prince Zaaki novels.
Due to the civil war in Lebanon, my parents fled to the U.K. My brother and I were brought up with little knowledge about our religion because of its secrecy. One of the Druze beliefs is reincarnation. The way I view it is that our bodies are vessels for our souls in the physical world and when they can no longer survive in the physical world, the soul will continue in another vessel, for the soul is eternal. My own perception of reincarnation is that each individual soul is on its own unique path, taking a step up the invisible ladder towards enlightenment.
Hinduism, Buddhism, some ancient Egyptians, some Greek philosophers (like Pythagoras) and Druze believe in reincarnation and believe that the soul has a purpose and role in the physical world. Within my books, the reader can see the development of the main characters including each character’s discovery of their purpose in life.
In the opening chapter of the second book, Prince Zaaki And The Momentous Battle of The Kingdoms, I take the reader back to when the Goddesses set up a school for children with special powers who were shunned by their own families for being different. Some of these children are angels in training and one specific role is the role of a TransM (transmigration) angel, which means that this particular angel guides a soul from one body to the next. The process of transmigration that takes place came to me in my dreams and I abruptly woke up in the early hours of the morning, itching to write it all down. My mind was in creative mode or maybe even tapping into my subconscious mind that can remember transmigrating before my birth.
When I moved to England at a very young age, I would hide under the bed every time I heard a plane fly over our house, thinking we were back in Lebanon during the war. I remember praying every night before bed for peace and unity.
The message of faith, unity and peace resonates throughout the trilogy and especially in the third book, Prince Zaaki And The Knights of The Altar of Truth. The six Knights are formed and called upon to protect their world from the antagonist, Shaytanicus. Prince Zaaki, the Knights and the Goddesses try to unite all the people in the Kingdoms to fight Shaytanicus and his army, for peace to prevail. But the Knights must find a way to rid their world of this evil without inflicting pain, suffering and harm.
Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, The Prince Zaaki books will allow the reader to debate this topic and open their eyes to the endless possibilities of their soul and the purpose of life.
There are many messages concealed within my books but ultimately I want to spread positivity, faith, peace, unity and good intentions towards the whole world and our universe.
The Prince Zaaki Trilogy
First book: Prince Zaaki And The Royal Sword of Luella
Second book: Prince Zaaki And The Momentous Battle of The Kingdoms
Third book: Prince Zaaki And The Knights of The Altar of Truth
The books are available in Ebook, kindle, paperback and hardback format online on Amazon, Waterstones and Barnes & Noble. Website: www.princezaaki.com
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