Doria

by Matthew Arnold Stern

1970. Six-year-old Carla Guzmán is orphaned during her country's violent revolution. She finds her mother's body with an Olympic silver medal sewn into her sweater. Carla soon finds protectors in Alicia Nuñez, a teenage communist soldier, and Felipe Sérigo, a general who passionately loves his Russian wife and yearns to be a father. Together, they struggle to rebuild their country while facing the dangers of the Cold War. Carla wants to be a gymnast like her mother, but must depend on a questionable Romanian coach. Alicia and Felipe are torn between following their ideology and ending their country's poverty. Friends become enemies, and enemies become friends and even lovers in a dangerous game of superpower brinkmanship. A discovery challenges Alicia's beliefs and pits Felipe against the father he rejected. It forces them to make a difficult choice that can save their struggling country - or lead to World War III. Intrigue, heart-breaking betrayals, and love. They happen in a place called Doria.

386 pages, Paperback

First published January 18, 2012

About the author

I am an award-winning public speaker and writer. My novel Amiga came from my experiences in the computer industry in the 1980s as a technical writer and computer journalist. My awards for writing and public speaking include Distinguished Toastmaster and an Award of Excellence from the International Online Communications Competition. I graduated Summa Cum Laude from California State University, Northridge. My hometown of Reseda, California plays a prominent role in many of my works. I live in Orange County with my wife for over 30 years. I have two children, a granddaughter, and lots of cats.

To learn more about me, please visit www.matthewarnoldstern.com and follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok at maswriter.