To Be Maria
By Deanna Proach
Coming May 1, 2013
on Amazon Kindle
(FREE May 10-14)
Seventeen-year-old Anya Preschnikov wants to become a famous actress but she's faced with two problems. Her father ignores her and doesn't have any money to support her. At school, she's bullied on a daily basis, yet she believes that she will gain her stepping-stone to stardom if she's accepted by her peers.
All of this changes when Maria Hernandez--an immigrant from Spain-- comes to Peach Valley Senior High. Maria knows what it takes to fit in. She's assertive, confident and she dresses suggestively, characteristics that all of the popular kids admire. Yet she sees in Anya what no one else sees: beauty and talent.
Maria is everything Anya wants to be: popular, sexy and self-assured. So, when Maria extends her hand of friendship, Anya is elated. Her rise to popularity is about to become a reality, but it ends one Saturday night at a house party when a boy's rude comment sends her into a rage.Desperate to belong somewhere, Anya and Maria set out to find new friends outside of school. They meet Alex and Marissa, a young couple who eagerly welcomes them into their world of parties and drugs. Anya and Maria soon find out that Alex is a drug dealer, but they are so lured by his wealth, good looks and aggressive confidence that they can't resist his friendship. They don't know that his gang is at war with a rival gang--one that's run by Anya's older brother, Adrik--until one incident puts their lives in danger's path. To make matters worse, Alex won't let Anya and Maria out of his sight.
The two girls must find a way out of this situation before it's too late.
** ALL ABOUT THE AUTHOR **
Deanna Proach graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Northern British Columbia in 2008. She initially trained to become a teacher, but decided, in her last year of post-secondary education training, to pursue a career in writing instead.
Since then, Proach has written two novels: DAY OF REVENGE (Inkwater Press) and TO BE MARIA (will be released on May 1, 2013 on Amazon Kindle). When She's not writing, Proach is actively involved in her local theatre community as an actress and she's taking the travel journalism course through MatadorU with the intention to start a career as a travel writer. She also has a new obsession: the Crusades, www.crusadesandcrusaders.com.
Connect with Deanna