Twisted Cross

Teens

synopsis

Synopsis

In 1795, eighteen-year-old Salvador Tenorio and his best friend, Blas, embark upon the most adventurous journey of their lives, leaving their impoverished families and painful memories behind in Imperial Spain. On a quest to find adventure, the clever young Spaniard battles the demons of his past and religious uncertainty on an epic expedition to the New World.

Determined to make the best out of their challenging circumstances, they aspire to claw their way out of poverty. Sal and Blas discover more than they ever imagined as they witness the fragmented cultures of California’s native people. Tangling with corrupted padres and escaping from ruthless pirates, they realize that all that glitters is not gold. Sal and Blas must quickly learn the rules of the sea and the new western frontier—or die trying. Can Sal handle his own twisted secrets and rise from the depths of his past while discovering his own purpose in life?

bio

Author Biography

Dr. Perez Ferguson is a cross-cultural educator and consultant. Her fiction brings to life the voices of California inhabitants living 200 years ago. She has twice won the Best YA Fiction Award from the San Francisco Writers Conference, 2021 and 2022.

Regarding Broken Promises:

"The tightly wound plot flows effortlessly from one moment to the next.... readers will find themselves inspired by the future Sparrow creates for herself and those around her." — Kirkus Reviews

Her non-fiction promotes the voices of under-represented communities in the twenty-first century. This earned her the 2014 Lacayo Lifetime Achievement Award from the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute. She is an Advisor and Former Chair for the InterAmerican Foundation and a former Visiting Lecturer for the Council for Independent Colleges. She enjoys living and writing on the Pacific coast.

website

Author Insight

New Leadership

Our contemporary life in 2021, and my fictional world, share similar challenges. In Twisted Cross, Salvador must come to grips with a change in the territory's leadership and also in the Mission system. How do we encourage young readers to face change without fear? The Padre encourages Salvador to recognize his own strengths and to trust in the future.

Book Excerpt

Twisted Cross

“Look at all the changes in Alta California. You and Paciano have seen for yourself how vast this territory is. Father Serra saw its promise years ago before he passed on to his reward in heaven, God rest his soul.”

“Yes, but you and others carry on. I’ve seen the other Missions and your church is complete now,” Sal said. Did Brother David resign himself to fate, after all these years of teaching Sal to trust God?

“It was never my Mission. Spain is withdrawing support for all its Missions in the New World, Sal. They will also recall the military,” Brother David said. “The bear meat has helped us through one famine. You yourself have made this possible.”

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Anita Perez Ferguson

Twisted Cross

Synopsis

Author Biography

Author Insight

New Leadership

Book Excerpt

Twisted Cross

Comment on this Bubble