by Kaela Rivera
Acknowledgments
I’ve been writing since I was ten years old, and writing with the aim to become a published author since I was fourteen years old. It’s hard to quantify how many people have helped me in that time and how many of their small acts have contributed to the creation of Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls. But I’ll do my best to showcase their love at work.
To start, a huge thank-you to my lovely agent, Serene Hakim, whose quality editing feedback, determination, and support have been a stabilizing influence during my publishing journey. Thank you for loving Cece so much and for understanding both her and me. I’m blessed to work with you.
To my fabulous editor, Stephanie Guerdan, who loved Cece and was always willing to listen to my thoughts, knock ideas back and forth, and fight for my novel’s entrance into the library of HarperCollins. Thank you for your patience and encouragement as I learned to be a better world builder. Your feedback, sound-boarding, and passion have been essential, and I’ve deeply enjoyed working with you.
And another huge thank-you to the entire HarperCollins Children’s team. To the marketing team who saw my book’s potential, to the copy editors who have carefully helped me get the timeline in place (your small catches always add up to a big, positive effect), to the wonderful design team, and to everyone who helped bring this book to life. You are essential, and I am grateful for what you do.
Now, for some personal thank-yous. To my mom, whose battle to forgive and stay kind ended up giving Cece her soul. Thank you for being a wonderful mother who I treasure, a great teacher, and even my first editor. I’m so grateful you never let my impatience get in the way of telling me the truth. You’re the reason I learned to grow.
To my abuelo, who shared his memories of Mexico and helped me graft one of my cultures into my heart, so I no longer had to feel so detached. Cece’s story is filled with the background you gave me.
And to my granddad—I wish you could have lived to see the day Cece was published. But I’m so grateful you got to hear the news that it would be, and for the support and encouragement you gave me, even all the way across the Atlantic. To my darling nanny (my grandmother, for my non-British readers): thank you for the way you supported me and read my novels growing up. You didn’t let an ocean stop you from being there for me, and I’ll always remember that.
To my sisters, who are fires and waterfalls in their own way. You let me read aloud my stories (for way too many hours, sorry) and (sometimes reluctantly) read through entire manuscripts for me on your own. We’ve never been good at saying heartfelt thank-yous. But I want you to read it, to see it, immortalized here: Thank you for being my familia. Thank you for loving me in whatever way you can. Thank you, hermanas. I love you both.
And to my dear, close friends Magnolia, Loleata, Kate, and Laura. You are sisters of my heart, and I’m so grateful for the many ways you’ve supported me and my writing over the years. You are far above rubies.
An acknowledgment wouldn’t be complete without savoring the contributions of my writing family. Thank you to the Table of Trust, the PW ’14 and PW ’15 groups for their beta reading, support, and helpful advice. Thank you to the entire PitchWars community, for existing and fostering growth. And a particularly heartfelt thank-you to the 5th Wind Writing Group, for sincerely cheering me on and giving me authentic, thoughtful feedback. Reading and eating treats with you once a week is an honor.
And above all else, to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, who are my comfort and solace, the gold that fills and reseals the wounded cracks in my soul’s pottery. I hope to be as kind, loving, righteous, and truthful as you teach me to be. I’ll keep growing and being joyful; I promise, above all else, I won’t quit.
About the Author
Photo by Monica María Bravo
KAELA RIVERA was raised to believe in will-o’-the-wisps and el chupacabra, but even scary stories couldn’t stop her from reading in the isolated treetops, caves, and creeks of Tennessee’s Appalachian forests.
She still believes in the folktales of her Mexican-American and British parents, but now she writes about them from the adventure-filled mountains of the Wild West. When she’s not crafting stories, she’s using her English degree from BYU–I as an editor for a marketing company (or secretly doodling her characters in the margins of her notebook).
Her biggest hope is to highlight and explore the beauty of cultural differences— and how sharing those differences can bring us all closer.
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Praise for Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls
“An astonishing and moving tale infused with spirit and unforgettable magic. I loved Cece from page one!” —J.C. CERVANTES, New York Times bestselling author of the Storm Runner series
“Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls is the kind of story you don’t want to put down. Flush with incredible world building, mucho español throughout, and an unforgettable cast of brujas, criaturas, and humans, this book reminds us that our greatest strengths can sometimes be found in the unlikeliest of places.” —PABLO CARTAYA, award-winning author of The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora
“Pokémon meets Coco in a spirited and moving adventure, the perfect balance of Mexican American, Mesoamerican, and fantasy elements. Cece’s world is at once familiar and tantalizingly strange, peopled by beautifully crafted, well-rounded, and vivid characters.” —DAVID BOWLES, award-winning author of They Call Me Güero
“In Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls, Kaela Rivera puts her stamp on familiar Mexican folktales, brujas, and gives us a brave and loyal hero all kids can look up to.” —ZORAIDA CÓRDOVA, award-winning author of Labyrinth Lost
“A new Narnia full of desert heat and danger, Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls mixes familiar myth, inventive magic, and vivid characters to capture readers. Always refreshing when a book trusts its heroine to question the foundations of her world without losing hope and to face her fears without hardening her heart.” —ANNA MERIANO, author of the Love Sugar Magic series
“If you’re a fan of mythology and beautifully written fantasy stories with tons of heart, you’re going to love Kaela Rivera’s splendid debut novel about friendship, sisterhood, and the lengths we’ll go to save the ones we love.” —RYAN CALEJO, author of the Charlie Hernández series
Copyright
CECE RIOS AND THE DESERT OF SOULS. Copyright © 2021 by Mikayla Rivera. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
www.harpercollinschildrens.com
Cover art © 2021 by MIRELLE ORTEGA
Cover design by CATHERINE LEE
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020937705
Digital Edition APRIL 2021 ISBN: 978-0-06-294757-4
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-294755-0
2021222324PC/LSCH10987654321
FIRST EDITION
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