Blood and Silver

Blood and Silver

What is a twelve year old girl to do when she finds herself in the silver boom town of Tombstone, Arizona, in 1880, and her only home is a brothel and her only parent is a drug-addicted mother? If she is Carissa Beaumont, she outsmarts the evil madam and figures a way out. After tricking the madam, Miss Lucille, into summoning a doctor for her mother, Lisette, she discovers that Miss Lucille has been drugging her. She and the kind doctor make a plan to try to save Lisette by dosing her down on the drug. Doctor Henderson tells Carissa that the only source for the drug is a Chinese immigrant named China Mary, who lives in Hoptown, at the other end of Tombstone. Carissa has no choice but to go to the powerful woman for help. Many say that China Mary is the one who really controls Tombstone. China Mary admires Carissa's brave spirit, and uses her influence to get her a job at the new Grand Hotel, which will free Carissa from her many duties at Miss Lucille's. She will work along with Mary's twelve year old niece, Mai-Lin. The two girls become fast friends. Then, disaster strikes, and the two girls must work together to stay alive. With a host of colorful characters and meticulous attention to period detail, Blood and Silver is a story of the best and worst of human nature, the passion for survival and the beauty of true friendship. 2xWinner - 2021 San Francisco Book Festival Winner - 2021 New York Book Festival Winner - 2021 Moonbeam Book Awards Winner - 2021 Paris Book Festival Winner - 2021 American Fiction Awards Winner - 2021 Arizona Literary Awards Winner - 2021 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards Winner - 2022 International Book Awards Grand Prize Winner - 2024 Great Southwest Book Festival "Blood and Silver is an absolute treasure, packed with a wealth of inspiring characters!" - Indies Today "Blood and Silver is entertaining and heartbreaking. This is the kind of young adult fiction that needs to become more popular." - Readers' Favorite "Benson's debut novel, set in Tombstone, Arizona Territory, is a fast paced mystery adventure" - True West Magazine "Blood and Silver is a fantastic book - well written with attention to detail and timeline, with great characters and an interesting plot. I recommend this amazing story a hundred percent!" - BooksShelf.com "Blood and Silver was a very strange read for me. However, I just couldn't put the book down... It is beautifully written, tore at my emotions, and had me engrossed from the first page". - Whispering Stories Book Blog About the Author: Vali started and sold two successful businesses before she decided to pursue her real passion of writing. She published several articles in a variety of periodicals, including History Magazine before she decided to try her hand at fiction. She grew up in the Midwest and now lives in Tucson with her husband, two sons and two grandchildren.