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

Finding Shelter in a Storm

Where do you find your shelter in the storms of life? As a writer, I find it in my stories and characters. I work to provide shelter, and hope, for you, the reader. Twisted Cross, published 2020, began the trilogy of the Mission Bells. This excerpt from book two, continues the story. Creating the characters and locations shelters me during our national and personal transitions. Follow me here and I will seek to give you shelter and hope. Oh yes, the title! The Laredo School for Young Ladies: A Place of Secrets coming in late 2021.

Book Excerpt

Twisted Cross

He lurked around the hacienda patio. Alicia Ortega spied on Captain Harris as she pretended to tidy Mamà’s altar in the sala. Like a fox circling the hen house, she thought. She replaced the candles around Mother Mary who whispered a warning, “Cuídate, Mija,” through a thin glaze of wax.

Harris, and other buccaneers, off-loaded black market cargo at Papá’s secret harbor, Refugio, in Alta California. By 1805 this refuge from Spanish duty fees was not truly a secret to anyone. Even Padre Romo from the Mission bargained at the Ortega’s makeshift dock for linens, silks, and ornaments.

“That scoundrel, Harris, is looking for your sister, Clara,” Nina said. She swept ashes from the hearth below the altar. “I’ve seen them all week, whispering and making marks on your Mamà’s parchments.” Nina was the Mission-trained housekeeper to the Ortega family. She endured endless chores by gossiping and daydreaming with Alicia. The girls grew up together, fifteen lonely years at Rancho Refugio.

Captain Harris was no dreamer. He was after something. Alicia intended to guard all the Ortega family treasures and secrets from him.

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Anita Perez Ferguson

Twisted Cross

Synopsis

Author Biography

Author Insight

Finding Shelter in a Storm

Book Excerpt

Twisted Cross

Comment on this Bubble