Desert Leopards

"NIKKI CAVIN-GRACE spent much of her childhood in the primitive areas of the northern Rockies. She was raised by a father who was an outfitter and guide for big game hunters and the operator of a river run concession on the Salmon River, giving her a unique experience of the rugged land and remote living. Her career in investment banking, as an executive included being VP and West Coast Director of Merrill Commercial Mortgage Capital Markets, later Franklin Capital. She served as President of America West Mortgage. She also served as President and CEO of two mortgage companies, Palomar Mortgage Corporation and Wasatch Mortgage Corporation that were owned by her son, John Tristan MacLennan. Now retired, she lives with her husband in the foothills of a beautiful mountain in Cottonwood Heights Utah. Nikki has been a lifelong scholar of ancient scripture and philosophy. A yoga instructor certified by Expanding Light School of Yoga and nationally registered with Yoga Alliance; she is also a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda. The author can be reached at desertleopards@outlook.com."

As the Age unfolds in a dark and treacherous enactment of religious inspired violence throughout the world, an avatar rises in the mountains and meets his destiny in the desert sands. Michael of the Morning, Chosen of God, is born the child of simple ranchers in the primitive Rocky Mountains of northwest America. His heart is pure; his eyes crystal; he sees no evil. At thirteen, he experiences a mystical awakening. He is the Chosen One, blessed with the Prophet mind, and sent into the world on a mission to create a path for the lost; to bring reform to the great religion of Islam, now held in the bondage of apocryphal suras and hadiths of the Holy Scripture and used by men of violence to spread terror across the world. The Chosen One is sent to bring clarity to those who hunger for light and righteousness. He stands alone in the clear knowledge of his destiny. How, where and when his great mission will be accomplished lies hidden in the folds of Time. Dark forces stand in his way and great suffering, peril and evil will come... The years pass, as pass they will, and Michael the Chosen dons the uniform of the US Armed Forces as a naval jet pilot - a meditative Islamic warrior in a dangerous age of strife. Shot down in battle during Desert Storm, he is taken prisoner by the Saddam Hussein regime. How he escapes and lives in hiding with his collected disciples, the Desert Leopards (each a descendant of the bloodline of Muhammad), is a powerful narrative of high adventure, poignant human experience, lush and meaningful relationships, and meeting of the disparate cultures of East and West. Supported by ancient scriptures, including the Bhagavad Gita, the New Testament and the Qur'an, and the writings of Eastern mystics like Omar Khayyam and Rumi, it contains numerous descriptions of mystical and cosmic-consciousness experience. It is written in the Bhagavad Gita: Whenever virtue declines and vice predominates, I incarnate as an Avatar, in visible form I appear from age to age to protect the virtuous and to destroy evildoing in order to re-establish righteousness. And so Michael, Chosen of God, who once rode a fine horse in the hallowed high mountains, goes to meet his fate and fulfill his destiny in the burning desert sands of Mecca, a land fragrant with the prayers of millions... An unforgettable book.

As the Age unfolds in a dark and treacherous enactment of religious inspired violence throughout the world, an avatar rises in the mountains and meets his destiny in the desert sands. Michael of the Morning, Chosen of God, is born the child of simple ranchers in the primitive Rocky Mountains of northwest America...

As the Age unfolds in a dark and treacherous enactment of religious inspired violence throughout the world, an avatar rises in the mountains and meets his destiny in the desert sands. Michael of the Morning, Chosen of God, is born the child of simple ranchers in the primitive Rocky Mountains of northwest America...