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Arrows of Fire
by Marlen Suyapa Bodden
BESTSELLING WRITER OF THE WEDDING GIFT RETURNS WITH NEW NOVEL TAKING READERS INSIDE THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO
“Bodden writes with delicacy, allowing layers of meaning to unfold slowly[.]"
– Booklist
"A deftly crafted and inherently absorbing novel by a writer who has a genuine flair for reader engaging narrative storytelling, Arrows of Fire by Marlen Suyapa Bodden is exceptionally entertaining."
– Midwest Book Review
Bestselling author Marlen Bodden was selected to be part of the prestigious 15th Annual John Cooper School Signature Author Series on December 6, 2019 to showcase her newest release, Arrows of Fire.
It is October 1519, and Hernan Cortés has invaded Moctezoma’s empire, part of the Triple Alliance that rules one of the most advanced civilizations in history. Told in behind-the-scenes portraits Arrows of Fire [Roatan Hall Press, Oct. 14, 2019, ISBN: 9781732974708], takes the reader deep inside the bloody European conquest of Mexico, a colossal clash between powerful forces, and reveals the crack in Moctezoma’s armor – his use of human sacrifice.
In this story, Moctezoma orders his henchmen to kidnap a girl named Flower from her family and imprison her so she can learn to impersonate a warrior goddess and, unbeknown to her, ultimately be sacrificed to the God of War. Moctezoma becomes obsessed with the beautiful Flower and is torn between keeping her as a concubine or offering her to the God of War. But now Cortés nears Tenochtitlan, the Mexican capital, and Moctezoma commands Flower be brought to him to perform the human sacrifice.
Says Bodden, “Arrows of Fire unflinchingly illustrates the brutality of both Cortés and Moctezoma, but it also demonstrates the mightiness of the human spirit and the resilient power of hope.”
A visit to the Maya ruins in Copán inspired Bodden to dig into the history of the conquest of Mexico, leading her to write this novel. Many of the things she learned through her research are brought to life in the story, including:
● What many of us learned in school – that Cortés and his fellow Spaniards easily toppled Moctezoma’s mighty empire – is nothing more than a myth.
● The European conquest of the New World was accomplished by war and mass killings of native people, not passively by germs.
● Cortés invaded Moctezoma’s capital, what now is Mexico City, twice. The first time, the native Mexican armies beat and expelled Cortés and his armies and the second time fought valiantly, thanks in part to the participation of women warriors.
MARLEN SUYAPA BODDEN is a lawyer at The Legal Aid Society in New York City – the nation’s oldest law firm for the poor – and an anti-war, anti-slavery, and anti-death penalty activist. She drew on her knowledge of modern and historical human rights abuses to write Arrows of Fire, her second novel, and The Wedding Gift, an international and Wall Street Journal bestseller.
Marlen is a graduate of New York University School of Law and Tufts University. She enjoys hiking and climbed to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Marlen was born in Honduras and immigrated with her family to the U.S.A. She was raised in the Bronx and resides in Connecticut with her husband, Timothy Rogers.
Learn more about Marlen and Arrows of Fire at www.marlenbodden.com, Facebook and Twitter.
Arrows of Fire is available everywhere books are sold.
ADVANCE REVIEW COPIES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST -
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Hi Donna:
ReplyDeleteThanks so very much for the shoutout on your blog! All the best, Marlen