One Spark and the Desert Hums

Perfect for fans of The Hummingbird’s Daughter and Daughters of the Sun and Moon, this soulful historical fiction tale follows two teenagers in 1906 Mexico as they challenge prejudice and cultural barriers in their search for freedom, identity, and meaning.

In 1906, thirteen-year-old Lucho Amayo climbs the wild peaks surrounding Cananea, Mexico, to meet up with his father and celebrate the arrival of summer. But his father, a Yaqui copper miner, never arrives—he’s been shot by the American bosses at the Cananea Copper Mine, and Lucho and his family are forced to flee. Meanwhile, a hundred miles south, a young Mexican girl from a higher social class, Cecilia Figueroa, learns from her parents she must leave school to care for their family of eight. Cecilia is heartbroken, caught between duty and desire for a different future.

Propelled by longing and loss, Lucho and Cecilia move toward each other and away from society’s limitations, their journeys unfolding against the turbulent background of the coming Mexican Revolution that will rip the country in two for a decade. Amid breathtaking desert landscapes, stinging prejudice, and profound encounters with their own spiritual beliefs, Lucho and Cecilia discover that change offers opportunities but comes with sacrifice.

Part historical retelling, part coming-of-age story, One Spark and the Desert Hums invites readers to ask how much they would risk for freedom—and what beliefs and spirits would save them.