Sam Puma - Fantasy Author

Ayahuasca Visions by Luis Eduardo Luna and Pablo Amaringo has been a major inspiration behind my fantasy writing.

If you have never seen Pablo Amaringo’s paintings, they are unreal. The book pairs his artwork with descriptions that feel like a guided journey into the spirit world through the eyes of a Peruvian medicine man.

That imagery shaped a major storyline in the sequel to my novel The Serpent And The Crown.

In this next book, Kayo is pulled into the underwater realms and has to learn what it truly means to become a Muraya, a master of the underwater worlds. It is beautiful, terrifying, and nothing like the surface.

Have you ever read a book that completely changed your imagination, or influenced your creative work?

This is a rustic cabin I built while living in the Peruvian Amazon.

During that chapter of my life, I spent time dieting with native medicine men, sitting in silence, learning the jungle, and listening. That is where the Master Plants first spoke to me and pushed me to write. They gave me the spark that became the story behind my epic fantasy novel, The Serpent And The Crown.

I’m on a mission to get 5 new honest Amazon reviews for The Serpent And The Crown. If you’ve read it, would you drop a quick review? Even 1–2 sentences helps readers take a chance on a new author. If you haven’t read it but want a copy, comment ‘CROWN’ and I’ll message you.

🎄 CHRISTMAS SALE — LIMITED TIME! 🎄

My epic fantasy novel The Serpent and the Crown is on sale for the holiday season (ends 12/25/25):

📚 Paperback: $17.95 ➝ $15.95
📱 eBook: $4.99 ➝ $3.99

If you’re looking for a new adventure to escape into—danger, destiny, and a crown worth fighting for—this is a great time to grab a copy (or gift one to a fellow fantasy reader). ⚔️🐍👑

👉 Sale ends December 25, 2025. Don’t miss it!

And if you’ve already read it, leaving an Amazon review is the biggest way you can support me as an indie author. 🙏

Hey friends 🌿🐍

If you’ve finished The Serpent and the Crown, I have a small favor to ask that would help me in a huge way as an indie author.

Would you take 2–3 minutes to leave an honest review on Amazon?
Your review — even just a few sentences — makes a big difference in helping other fantasy readers discover the book, and it’s one of the best ways to support my writing journey.

👉 Leave your review here: https://www.amazon.com/Serpent-Crown-Starpuma-Sam-Puma/dp/0578675870/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?

Thank you for reading, for cheering me on, and for helping this story reach more people. It means more to me than you know. 💚📖

The Serpent and the Crown Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

The first time I heard the story, it felt less like information and more like a hand on my shoulder.

In the 1990s, a brutal civil conflict raged in Peru. In many Amazonian towns, armed men in green arrived with guns, took what they wanted and left terror behind. Then another group came through, also dressed in green. People often did not know if they were facing government forces or guerillas. They just knew that if your name appeared on a list, there might not be a conversation.

During that time, someone decided that powerful shamans were a threat. The old medicine men, the ones who carried deep relationships with the plants and spirits of the jungle, became targets. Many were executed.

One shaman whose story reached me lived in a simple home built over a river. When word came that his name had been marked, he lifted a loose floorboard and slipped into the dark water below. By the time the gunmen pushed through his door, the rice still cooked over the fire, but the old man was gone.

What followed was a long, quiet chase. He moved from house to house, sheltered by his people. Each time the trail grew hot, he slipped away just in time. Survival became a communal act of defiance.

That story took root in me. Years later, as I wrote The Serpent And The Crown, it emerged again. In the book, King Agustin turns on the shamans of Galdea, seizing their medicine bundles and twisting that stolen power toward conquest. One shaman, Ishikaya, escapes his reach and lives to help lead the resistance.

For me, fantasy often feels most alive when it grows from real history, real fear and real courage. The jungle holds its own memory. When we listen, the stories that rise from it can carry a different kind of truth.

If this speaks to you, you could spend some time with The Serpent And The Crown and see what echoes for you.