Statehood of Affairs

2012 NEW MEXICO/ARIZONA BOOK AWARDS FINALISTIn 1911, New Mexico found itself at the center of a vicious international conspiracy that threatened its proposed statehood. The unjust commitment of a woman to an insane asylum reveals a plot to nd a missing document, Article X of the Treaty of Mesilla-the Revert Document. Tensions rise as two nations position for legal control over the territory, and soon the United States and Mexico are on a collision course toward war. If the document emerges before Arizona and New Mexico can attain statehood, Mexico could legally recover those lost territories-thereby changing history.

On a more human scale, the sibling rivalry between two sisters descends into criminal behavior, with murder and mayhem and traitorous extremes. Adobe Centori, a hero of the Spanish-American War, arrives in New Mexico and becomes a statehood delegate. Aairs of the heart complicate aairs of state as women representing a range of political views compound Centori's challenges. His strongest opponent is Gabriella Zena-La Guerillera. They share true love but not the same side of the border as champions for New Mexico and Old Mexico.

History is made by people, for people, and Statehood of Affairs invites readers into the lives and struggles of these heroes-and villains-of the American Southwest's early days.