In this Cold War drama, communist rebels are forced to make a choice that can change their country or lead to World War III.
1970. Six-year-old Carla Guzmán is orphaned during her country's violent revolution. She finds her mother's body with an Olympic silver medal sewn into her sweater.
Carla soon finds protectors in Alicia Nuñez, a teenage communist soldier, and Felipe Sérigo, a general who passionately loves his Russian wife and yearns to be a father. Together, they struggle to rebuild their country while facing the dangers of the Cold War.
Carla wants to be a gymnast like her mother, but must depend on a questionable Romanian coach. Alicia and Felipe are torn between following their ideology and ending their country's poverty. Friends become enemies, and enemies become friends and even lovers in a dangerous game of superpower brinkmanship.
A discovery challenges Alicia's beliefs and pits Felipe against the father he rejected. It forces them to make a difficult choice that can save their struggling country -- or lead to World War III.
Intrigue, heart-breaking betrayals, and love. They happen in a place called Doria.
Excerpt
In this scene, the communist revolution is going wrong. Teenage rebel Alicia and the orphan girl she's taking care of, Carla, are facing diminishing rations and starvation:
Carla looked at the loaf of bread that Alicia set on the table. “That bread looks smaller than the one yesterday.”
“It probably is,” Alicia tore the loaf in half. “Eat up.”
Carla bit into her half of the loaf.
“Profesora said that this is all the United States’ fault. She said they’re the ones who are making us starve. Is that true?”
Alicia thought about the things she knew. Then, she thought about the things that Carla could tell her teacher that would get them both in trouble. So, she nodded.
“Yeah. That’s probably true.”
“But ama said she met Americans at the Olympics. She said they were nice and friendly. Why did they become so mean?”
Alicia mulled over her answer.
“I don’t know, Carla. Maybe it’s their President Nixon. They say he hates communists. Maybe that’s why they hate us.”
“But it’s not fair!” Carla cried. “We didn’t do anything to this President Nixon! Why does he hate us so much he wants to starve us to death?”
Alicia reached across the table and held Carla’s hand.
“It’s a sad thing about people, Carla. Sometimes, people hate other people just because think differently or believe different things...”
“But that’s not right!”
“I know it’s not right, but it’s politics. Politics divides people. That’s the way things are.”
“I don’t want it to be that way! Why can’t people get along, even if they disagree!?”
Alicia stared at the angry little face across the table. She parted her lips, but she could not come up with an answer to Carla’s question.
It's interesting that you choose this time period and culture/politics to write your stories about. What is the purpose of your writing these types of novels?
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