Hello everyone! It's time to reveal the covers for two of my upcoming stories, Survivors of PEACE and "La Sangre Tira Mucho." The latter is a novelette that features Alma as the protagonist and takes place approximately six years prior to the events of Secrets of PEACE. It's going to be included with a complete-collection eBook version of the entire series at the end of the year, but if you join my readers group, you'll get it as an early exclusive on June 22nd! There's even a brief excerpt below.
And now, if I can get a drum-roll please, here are the covers for both stories...
Survivors of PEACE
I'm really happy with how this one turned out. It may just be my favorite cover in the series. It was fun to break away from the red blood spatters I've used on the previous two covers and do something a little different with the red, and it feels very appropriate for the story's central conflict in the aftermath of all the changes that came at the end of Renegades.
La Sangre Tira Mucho
I've always loved Alma as a character, and her role in the series has grown with each book, so it was fun to spend a little more time with her and explore more of her background in this story. A new supporting character from Survivors of PEACE also makes an appearance in "La Sangre Tira Mucho," and if you've been paying attention to some of my past social media posts, you might be able to figure out who it is. The title isn't in English (obviously). It's a Spanish idiom that literally translates to "the blood pulls a lot." Or, if you prefer, "blood is thicker than water." It's especially fitting given the plot of the story, and since Alma is Mexican-American and bilingual, I thought it was a great fit.
Here's that brief excerpt.
“What were you thinking?” Alma finally asked.
No answer, but she hadn’t really expected to get one. Javier’s default response to one of her lectures was silence. Alma’s default response to that was to keep lecturing. She didn’t know what else to do. Maybe she was still holding on to the hope that one of these days, some of her words would permeate his thick skull and actually sink into his brain.
She switched to Spanish—her first language, and the one that required less mental effort in tense, emotional situations like this. “You weren’t thinking. That’s the problem. You never think. You’re always doing crazy stuff like this. Why? Is it the adrenaline rush? Or do you just like to torture me?”
Still no eye contact. Javier’s silence persisted.
Alma shook her head. “I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me. This is serious. You know that, right? You’ll end up in prison.”
One shoulder raised lazily as he continued to stare at the floor. Half a shrug. That’s all she got from him.
“What would Mom and Dad think?”
He finally looked up at her, defiant anger burning through his glare. It had been a cheap shot, but at least it coaxed a response from him.
“I don’t know, but you’re not Mom. Stop acting like you know what’s best for me.”
“Well you obviously don’t know what’s best for you. Or maybe you just don’t care.” She sighed, shook her head, and lowered her voice. “I’m your sister, Javi. I can’t just stand by and watch while you ruin your life.”
“You don’t get it,” Javier muttered.
“Then tell me. Help me understand.”
“I can’t.” He glanced up at the camera in the corner of the room. He couldn’t tell her anything—not here. Not with the police watching and listening.
Which meant he was guilty. Of what exactly, Alma didn’t know yet, but if she was going to help him, she would have to figure out what he’d been up to on her own.
She sighed. “Just don’t tell them anything yet, all right? I’m going to try to fix this.” With that thought acting as a propulsive force, she headed for the door, already considering the best place to start looking into her brother’s recent activities.
“I’m sorry,” Javier said, his voice barely loud enough for her to hear.
Alma turned back to face him. Even with the scruff of a beard growing along his jaw, he still looked like a little boy to her—the same little boy who had splashed in rain puddles with her and begged her to let him tag along with her and her friends when they were kids.
“I know,” she said. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”
"La Sangre Tira Mucho" will be sent out to my readers group on June 22nd, so if you haven't signed up yet, now's a great time to do that. You'll also get my short story, "The Eligibility Formula" for free when you join. In the meantime, what do you think of these covers? Let me know. I'd love to hear from you!