Battles never cease and sparks fly when Sonora and Connye-the two Grand Divas of the Santa Fe Social Scene-strategize to best each other in a no-holds-barred look at adventures in social one-upsmanship. Who says there are no longer civil wars in America? Santa Fe, New Mexico is the epicenter of epic battles fought between the two Queens of the local social scene. Told through a series of episodic tales, this satirical novel lurches back and forth between stories of the two Divas, tracing the rise and fall in the fortunes of Sonora and Connye, as they try to outdo each other and reign as Queen. But the battles are played out in the most civil of terms. Dinner parties, social events, and outside journeys to Puerto Vallarta, New Orleans, and New York carry the action through Southwest-style political intrigue; the search for buried treasure; battles to control visiting royalty; a Hollywood movie premiere, and the colorful exploits of an additional cast of sexually complex, supporting characters. But it's not all champagne and acid. There are also many touching moments. Lost children reunited with a missing parent. Unexpected generosity. The care of aging parents. The gratitude of a good friend for help in starting a new business. And a nativity scene mysteriously appearing in Sonora's back yard on Christmas Day. Finally, the climax comes when a new competitor arrives on the scene: Amanda Beor-Bink, a world-class fashion designer, who actively conspires, using her celebrity and money to claim the crown of "Queen of Santa Fe" for herself. But can and will Sonora and Connye take up the challenge to their already established supremacy?
About the Author: Unemployed - Oh yes, just at the beginning of what they quaintly call the Great Recession. What to do? I cleaned out all my closets, categorized my recipes, actually cleaned under things, and yet I was still banging around my little abode like a house fly trying to escape through the screen. Then a dear friend suggested I read the works of E.F. Benson, a British writer from the 1930's and 40's. I was just in the mood for his amusing tales of a group of society women in a small English village. Oh the shenanigans. There was more intrigue and manipulation amongst these ladies than within the Balkan countries before World War I. I was totally hooked. I read all of his Queen Lucia books and slowly realized how the social scene of my own little town of Santa Fe, New Mexico resembled the society in this small English village. Then lightning struck. And out of this electrical incident came Divas Never Flinch my first satirical novel. Now I had written before - but not fiction. I'd written stage and screen plays - all unsuccessfully, except for a performance of one of my plays at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. So Divas was my first venture into fiction. Many short stories (collected in Gotta Dance with the One Who Brung Ya), and other novels followed. And I find that I am most content writing fiction. And to my surprise I seem to have a penchant for dry humor. Who woudda thunk it? In any case I hope you enjoy my stumbling efforts. Jon McDonald lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He currently has six published works of fiction. He won first prize and was published in the Santa Fe New Mexican holiday short story contest, 2009 and is published in numerous publications.