Red Sun - Character Profile - Ahmes

Originally posted during my Red Sun book tour. 

When I set out to write this story, Ahmes took time to develop. I think I had a draft written that I ended up discarding and rewriting. I needed Ahmes to have opposite and complementary elements to Raphael. Opposite in his age, maturity, and peace with how and what he is, a cat shifter, and complementary in his gentle and protective nature, and easy-going attitude. He was supportive of Raphael from the very start and never wavered in his determination to set his friend on the right path. 

There is a considerable age gap between Ahmes and Raphael, and that was intentional. Raphael is nineteen and Ahmes is in his forties. Since I recognized the power imbalance from the start, in not only their ages but Ahmes’s knowledge about shifters, it was imperative that Ahmes present himself as friend first and foremost. It also led to my decision to make him asexual. I haven’t had ace representation in my series yet, and I want The Shifter Chronicles to be as inclusive as possible, to show the beautiful variety and diversity of who makes up our world. 

Due to being ace, Ahmes has his own conflicts with his family and is starting the next phase of his life, away from his clowder, when he meets Raphael. They are both in a transitive state of life and help each other move forward and gain new perspective. Their friendship grows and blossoms into romance, and Ahmes is careful not to take advantage of his vulnerable friend. For his part, Raphael becomes his own man and is the one to push for more. 

A fun aspect to Ahmes was his Ancient Egyptian heritage. While it didn’t play a huge part in the story, unlike the original draft, it flavored the world and the beliefs of various shifter clans. Ahmes’s clowder claim to be descendants of the cat goddess Bastet (or Bast) and her darker side, Sekhmet, the lion goddess. This will play a bit more into one of the larger storylines threaded throughout the series, and I was happy to bring it to the forefront in this book, letting it add more depth to a character as well as to the world building aspects. 

Ahmes is a very sweet, good man, but don’t let that fool you! He’s far from boring and has his own baggage to work through. But much of it takes a backseat as he supports Raphael and helps him along in his journey. 

And, fun fact, Ahmes’s cat is an Egyptian Mau. I suggest looking at a picture because those felines are gorgeous!

I hope you stay safe and healthy, and may dragons guard your dreams, 

M.D. Grimm