ABOUT THE BOOK:
Set against Henry Ford’s audacious—and ultimately disastrous—attempt to industrialize the Amazon, Jungle of Ashes is a sweeping novel of ambition, exploitation, and hope. Centered on Joanna Rogge, the daughter of an American manager, and Rafael Caetano, a Brazilian mechanic, the story unfolds within Fordlandia, the real-life rubber plantation where cultural imposition, dangerous labor conditions, and political upheaval collide.
Through the eyes of two star-crossed lovers, the novel reveals the human cost of unchecked power and the resilience found in connection across languages, cultures, and continents. Vividly researched and deeply empathetic, Jungle of Ashes will resonate with readers of immersive historical fiction, cross-cultural narratives, and character-driven epics.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
From Atlanta to Washington DC to Rio de Janeiro to Vitoria, Brazil and finally back to Atlanta in June 2020. (Yes. 2020.) In high school, I studied French. In college, Arabic. In grad school, I studied political campaigns in India. I considered a lot of life possibilities but living in Brazil, anywhere in South America, was never one of them. Then I met and married the smartest man I’ve ever known, who happened to be from Rio de Janeiro.
After four years in Rio, we moved to Vitoria. After my daughter was born in 2011, I tried to find picture books in English about Brazil for my little Brazilian-American and came up with almost nothing. I expanded my search to chapter books, young adult and with growing disbelief I looked for any fiction book with a connection to Brazil.
My research made one thing clear. In the United States, it’s easier to find a book set in outer space than in Brazil.
Eventually I had a radical idea. Maybe I could write the books I wanted to find.
After nine years of writing, three shelved novels, around 200 query letters, two years out on submission to editors, my first novel, Jaguars and Other Game, debuted in November, 2022. My second novel, Jungle of Ashes will launch with History Through Fiction on May 19, 2026 along with the re-release of Jaguars and Other Game.
