BajaNomad

new Baja novel

gueribo - 5-14-2025 at 10:40 AM

Hi, Nomad friends--

For many years I've been researching and writing a novel about Baja California. It won the Flannery O'Connor Award and will be published September 2025 with the University of Georgia Press. A happy day!

It's fiction set in history, from the early 1800s through the 1930s. The chapters cover many places we love: the missions, the salt pans near San Quintín, Red Rock near Santo Domingo, the boulder fields of Cataviña, the cave paintings of Sierra de San Francisco, Santa Rosalía (during the Mexican Revolution), and the Prison Without Doors in Mulegé.

It's titled "A Desert Between Two Seas." You can learn more (or order) at my author site, www.amuia.net, or read a little more info below.

Description:

Set in the crumbling Spanish missions of nineteenth-century Baja California, this mythic novel in linked stories follows two grief-stricken people as haunted as the desolate chapels around them: a priest who caused the drowning of a native boy by compelling him to fish for pearls, and a deaf woman trying to outrun her murderous reputation as a pistolera. Though the stories span landscapes, villages, characters, and decades, the heart of the novel is Baja California itself—a stark land of cactus and creosote, of russet canyons and splintered wastes of rock—where people living in the shadow of ruined missions seek redemption on an inhospitable peninsula forsaken even by its priests.

Click HERE to read the press release, or click HERE to order. Thank you for celebrating with me!


Muia cvr fnl sm.png - 37kB

Congradulations

Don Jorge - 5-15-2025 at 06:51 AM

on finishing your novel and an award too. Will order and read it soon.

My favorites so far, God and Mr. Gomez by Jack Smith the first book I read about the Baja experience, King of the Moon by Gene Kira and Baja Ha Ha by Fred Hoctor.

Those three captured an essence of Baja and it's people. Sounds like yours might too.

Again, congratulations!

gueribo - 5-15-2025 at 07:53 AM

Thank you, Don Jorge. Many happy years of researching, reading, mule riding, hiking, interviewing Baja California families . . . it's a place that stays with you. I hope you enjoy the book. It was written with love!

David K - 5-15-2025 at 08:22 AM

"It's fiction set in history, from the early 1800s through the 1930s. The chapters cover many places we love: the missions, the salt pans near San Quintín, Red Rock near Santo Domingo, the boulder fields of Cataviña, the cave paintings of Sierra de San Francisco, Santa Rosalía (during the Mexican Revolution), and the Prison Without Doors in Mulegé."


May 10, 2025

So exciting to see real places mentioned (places we love) in a novel about an exciting time as Baja California changes hands from Spanish to Mexican territory and almost becomes American and even an independent land. Its mineral and historic treasures seem to know no end...

gueribo - 5-15-2025 at 10:34 AM

Thanks for the fresh photo, David! Red Rock features into one of the novel chapters. Santo Domingo was the first Baja mission I ever visited, years ago.

La Mezcalera graphic4.jpg - 67kB

mtgoat666 - 5-15-2025 at 03:29 PM

cool new book. is it short stories or a novel, description indicates both?

paperbacks are getting pricy... and curious why ebook is same price as paperback?

David K - 5-15-2025 at 03:33 PM

Quote: Originally posted by gueribo  
Thanks for the fresh photo, David! Red Rock features into one of the novel chapters. Santo Domingo was the first Baja mission I ever visited, years ago.



My first time there wasn't until 2005, on our way home from Baja Cactus. We were visiting with Mike and Mary Ann Humfreville, in their Bay of L.A. home the day before.

Having been back to the missions several times has permitted me to see the vanishing process or other changes at the sites. Mission San Fernando was the first mission I went to once I was driving myself to Baja. That was in 1974, 51 years ago. It has really diminished in size since then!
After the 2005 visit to Santo Domingo, I have returned in 2014, 2017, and last weekend (2025). Fortunately, it has remained about the same those past 20 years. NICE!

gueribo - 5-15-2025 at 05:14 PM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666  
cool new book. is it short stories or a novel, description indicates both?

paperbacks are getting pricy... and curious why ebook is same price as paperback?

Thanks for your question! The book is structured as a novel-in-linked-stories, which means (most of) the stories can stand alone, but there are recurring characters. And of course--the beautiful Baja landscape links the stories as well.

Regarding the e-book, my understanding is that the publisher has the same time investment in the book (editing, design, formatting, staff) whether it's paper or e-book.

gueribo - 9-30-2025 at 06:41 AM

Dear Nomads,

My novel, A Desert Between Two Seas, was officially released on September 15. Happy days! I've done a couple of public readings, and it's been a joy to introduce people to the beauty and wonder that is Baja California.

The novel is set in the 1800s, at various places you'll recognize--missions and mission ruins, the Sierra de San Francisco, the salt pans of the northern coast, Santa Rosalía (during the Mexican Revolution), the Cataviña boulder fields, the Prison Without Doors in Mulegé . . .

You can order on Amazon or through the publisher. I hope the book will be loved, passed around, and shared. It sure was written with love.

Muia cvr fnl sm.png - 37kB

pjpvi - 9-30-2025 at 10:53 AM

Perfect timing to see this. I'm leaving for Baja in the morning and Amazon says they will deliver the physical book between 4AM and 8AM. I look forward to reading it while I'm down there.

gueribo - 9-30-2025 at 01:06 PM

Quote: Originally posted by pjpvi  
Perfect timing to see this. I'm leaving for Baja in the morning and Amazon says they will deliver the physical book between 4AM and 8AM. I look forward to reading it while I'm down there.


Thank you! I hope you'll be immersed in Baja . . . while you're immersed in Baja! And check your U2U. :)

[Edited on 9-30-2025 by gueribo]

SFandH - 10-1-2025 at 06:26 PM

I'm glad to see a Kindle version, just downloaded a sample.


[Edited on 10-2-2025 by SFandH]

bajaric - 10-1-2025 at 07:01 PM

That is impressive, gueribo, or, more formally, A. Muia, author, winner of an award, and published by a real publisher, no less. Congratulations! I get an endless supply of reading material for free out of storage auctions so kind of spoiled, I rarely pay retail for a book but might buy a copy of yours.

I did buy a copy of Moving to Mexico the Easy Way by Sheri Sicard. A pretty good overview of the process of moving to Baja, mainly written from her experience of moving to the Punta Banda area. Like my book, The Gold of Northern Baja, hers was a print on demand book, albiet with better cover art. My book was strictly a dyi affair, no publisher, no book tours, and the sales were not that great but just recently it has inexpicably begun selling a few copies. Someone must have mentioned it somewhere but I have no idea who or where. Or perhaps it is finally getting recognition as the premier book about gold in Baja, actually the only book about gold in Baja.. Anyhow us authors have to stick together and I wish you the very best. bajaric aka jens tobias.

David K - 10-1-2025 at 09:42 PM

Ric/Jens, it is important to keep the interest going when you are self published.
Be active on your book's Facebook and Instagram pages.
Baja Nomad used to have a huge following but I fear only promoting on Nomad will not get you a ton of sales.
Try going to Sunbelt Publications (in Chula Vista) and meet Lisa Gulick to see if they will distribute your book.
You did good with it... now, let people find out.
I am happy to re-introduce it on my two Baja Facebook groups (nearly 20,000 members).
Other Facebook Baja groups have more. Keep promoting and share those YouTube videos of prospecting in Baja.
My advice goes to gueribo, too. She has an advantage of a publisher who has a financial interest in promoting it and getting it into bookstores.
I am so happy to see Nomads writing books!
I am reading Greg Niemann's new book* now 'GregN' on Nomad. *Beyond Baja Legends


[Edited on 10-2-2025 by David K]

gueribo - 10-2-2025 at 08:00 AM

Quote: Originally posted by bajaric  
That is impressive, gueribo, or, more formally, A. Muia, author, winner of an award, and published by a real publisher, no less. Congratulations!


Thank you, Bajaric! It took sixteen years to write, all of them glorious. But I'm happy to see it out in the world at last.

gueribo - 10-3-2025 at 09:55 AM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
I am reading Greg Niemann's new book* now 'GregN' on Nomad. *Beyond Baja Legends


Greg's new book is next on my reading list, too. Looking forward!

David K - 10-3-2025 at 01:11 PM

Quote: Originally posted by gueribo  
Quote: Originally posted by David K  
I am reading Greg Niemann's new book* now 'GregN' on Nomad. *Beyond Baja Legends


Greg's new book is next on my reading list, too. Looking forward!


I hope to see yours soon! The subject matter is right up my all... 'er camino!

Edit: the book arrived today!

[Edited on 10-4-2025 by David K]

gueribo - 10-5-2025 at 12:32 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  


I hope to see yours soon! The subject matter is right up my all... 'er camino!

Edit: the book arrived today!

[Edited on 10-4-2025 by David K]


Great, David. I hope you enjoy it.