Mona's Return: A Novelette

by María J. Estrada

“Family ties are the strongest magic.”

Nine-year-old Mona is a witch's apprentice living in the Seventh Realm. Every summer, she must go home, so her mentor can regenerate, and Mona can spend time with family.

She is reluctant to go home to the earthen plane—especially because she has to go to school for a few weeks. The kids are cruel to her since she is different.

Things take a turn for the worse, when a mean boy calls her sister, Christi, a slut, and Mona accidentally releases a demon into the earthen plane. . . . Will Mona defeat the creature despite her lack of experience? Will she have to bend the laws of magic, making her what her family an evil witch?

A magical realism novelette.

50 pages, Paperback

Published August 6, 2019

About the author

MARIA J. ESTRADA is an English college professor of Composition, Literature, and her favorite, Creative Writing. She grew up in the desert outside of Yuma, Arizona in the real Barrio de Los Locos, a barrio comprised of new Mexican immigrants and first-generation Chicanos. Drawing from this setting and experiences, she writes like a loca every minute she can—all while magically balancing her work and family obligations. She lives in Chicago’s south side with her wonderfully supportive husband, two remarkable children, and a menagerie of animals. You can learn more about her other books and writing happenings at barrioblues.com and barriobluespress.com.