CINDY BURKART MAYNARD
Author Historic and Literary Fiction
ESPERANZA'S WAY
BOOK TWO - THE SEEKERS SERIES
FINDING THE WAY
Set in 1250 in the Basque Pyrenees of northeastern Spain, it's the story of Amika, a young Basque girl, caught in the personal and cultural friction between traditional folk religion and the rising tide of Christianity. When devastating personal tragedy deprives her of her home and family, she flees into the forested foothills of the Pyrenees. There she finds respite and friendship with a crone who introduces her to the “old ways.” The juggernaut of societal change destroys their simple forest life. Desperate circumstances force her to undertake a quest along the Camino de Santiago where a colorful assortment of characters introduces her to a world she never knew existed. New experiences and challenges force her to come to grips with loss, love, and her life’s purpose, her new “Way.”
SOYALA: DAUGHTER OF THE DESERT
Soyala is a magnificent story, brilliantly imagined and skillfully executed on every level. I was completely caught up in it from beginning to end. The author’s intimate depiction of the lives of this small clan of humans back in the middle years of the thirteenth century is immensely powerful, both intellectually and emotionally.
Tom Hyman, author of Jupiter’s Daughter and Seven Days to Petrograd
Soyala is an epic story spanning four generations, focusing on a woman enduring the historic exodus 800 years ago from the land and cliff dwellings of the Ancient Puebloans. Cindy Maynard’s lively, engaging and plausible depiction of Soyala’s experiences provides insight into Ancient Puebloans during the most mysterious event in the southwest.
Jeffry B. Mitton, Professor Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Colorado Boulder
COLORADO AUTHOR'S LEAGUE AWARD FOR BEST WESTERN FICTION
WOMEN WRITE THE WEST FINALIST FOR BEST NEW PAPERBACK
Anastasia's Book of Days
From the vestiges of the Holy Roman Empire in Europe to the creation of the nation we now know as Germany, the life of Anastasia Burkart reflects the momentous changes sweeping across her beloved Black Forest homeland.
She must grow up quickly, taking on responsibilities unusual for her place and time. Her life which spans most of the eighteenth century takes an unexpected trajectory. Her story - that of a never-wed mother of three in a conservative Catholic society is filled with strife, hardship and love.
Based on Anastasia's purported diaries, this novel presents her life story, turning a family genealogy into the flesh and bones of a real woman, who passed her name down through the generations.
Amagnificent story, brilliantly imagined and skillfully executed on every level. I was completely caught up in it from beginning to end. The author’s intimate depiction of the lives of this small clan of the thirteenth century is immensely powerful, both intellectually and emotionally.
Set in the Middle Ages, this page-turner follows the twists and turns of fate
that lead a young heroine on a timeless journey to find herself, her
purpose, and her place in the world. A hero's journey told from a
woman's point of view.
What a beautifully written, important story. Readers will fall in love with Anastasia and her family. The themes—commitment, loyalty, family, wanderlust, fulfillment, and of course gender equality—are explored with depth and honesty. The prose is lovely. And the timing’s masterfully done.