Novel Release announcement:
I am excited to announce the publication of my YA novel, Diamonds at Dusk. Diamonds at Dusk is a place-based novel set in southwestern New Mexico designed to connect with rural teen readers. The synopsis is as follows:
It's hard to miss Cascade Rose Jennings. She's the one in cowgirl boots who up until this morning wasn't interested in boys. But, on the eve of her sixteenth birthday something inside her knocks loose.
His name is Chadwick Dean Holbrook, a college prep school boy from Albuquerque and Cassie's long-time "fair weather" friend. Every year, at summer's end he disappears from her Grandpa Norm's high desert ranch in southwestern New Mexico. This time, he promises to stay for Cassie's birthday. Just when Cassie thinks she can count on him, Chad breaks his promise. He leaves behind an endearing, flirtatious treasure hunt. Cassie, filled with renewed hope, stifles a pang of jealousy when she discovers, her best friend, Ahzi Toadlena, is in on it. To make things worse, Cassie meets Maverick Britton, a charming misfit who threatens to steal her heart and the gold her Grandpa has kept quiet about all these years. Maverick has a dark secret that unwittingly draws Cassie and Ahzi into his perilous world. Chad, protective of his childhood friends, knows Maverick's kind. He returns in time to rescue Ahzi and help Cassie win back the gold. In the end, Cassie realizes that her friendships, her family, and deep connection to the land mean more to her than any romance.
ISBN: 9781944277154
Price: $12.95
Page Count: 228
https://progressiverisingphoenix.com/young-adult-fiction/
blog: https://catalinaclaussen.wordpress.com/
bio: Catalina Claussen is a founding English teacher at Aldo Leopold Charter School in Silver City, NM. She is a graduate of Reed College, Prescott College, and Western New Mexico University and long-time resident of the Mimbres Valley. She writes poetry, short story, and YA novel.
Photographer bio: Ajalaa Claussen is an 8th grader at Aldo Leopold Charter school. She enjoys capturing the beauty and quirky experience of living in the Southwest. She writes a monthly column called "Teen Ink" for the Mimbres Messenger. Three of her photos are featured on the cover of Diamonds at Dusk.