Hannah and Ariela by Johnnie Bernhard

Hannah and Ariela by Johnnie Bernhard

When Hannah, a seventy-three-year old widow, finds the semiconscious body of a fourteen-year-old Mexican national in a ditch along a remote central Texas road, she has no idea someone is watching. Not until the girl’s brutal attacker arrives at Hannah’s door in the middle of the night, threatening not just the girl’s but Hannah’s very survival. Ultimately the question of justice for a victim of human trafficking and the woman who helps her lies in the hands of a biracial border patrol officer and an unconventional small-town sheriff.

The I-10 corridor of Texas connects saints, demons, and victims as the ultimate question of life and death is decided by two strangers fate has bound together. They must make a hard choice in order to survive: either follow the law or follow their consciences.

"Bernhard dispenses vivid details of Hannah and Ariela piecemeal while establishing the characters in broad strokes as empathetic archetypes: Hannah's a strong, independent woman; Ariela is a teen with average teen desires. Other narrators weigh in, including Hannah's daugher-in-law, a border agent, the girl's priest, and a Texas county sheriff. With this spectrum of perspectives, Bernhard illustrates the dangers of life along the border and the domino effect that the actions of one can have on others. Though the story is primarily issue-driven, the author adds just enough character development to get the reader vested." –Publishers Weekly

Johnnie Bernhard, Author and Speaker - A former teacher and journalist, Johnnie Bernhard is passionate about reading and writing. Her work(s) have appeared in the following publications: Houston Style Magazine, The Mississippi Press, the international Word Among Us, The Texas Review, and the Cowbird-NPR production on small town America.

Johnnie was chosen as a selected speaker in the 2020 TEDx Fearless Women Series. She also supports young writers through the Letters About Literature program with the Texas Center for the Book, Catholic Literary Arts, and the Write for Mississippi program. In 2021, she was named a teaching artist with Gemini Ink Writing Arts Center of San Antonio and the national TAP Summer Institute 2021. Johnnie enjoys teaching workshops for writing communities across the country.

Johnnie shares her time between Texas and Mississippi with her husband and rescue dog, Sadie.

Contact for Johnnie Bernhard: johnniebernhardauthor@gmail.com

For orders, Texas A&M University Press: 800-826-8911