The Dragon's Daughter: Introducing Mariah

My novel, The Dragon's Daughter, is available and I want to introduce you to Mariah, my main character. So, here she is, in her own words. 

Can I tell you something I’ve never told anyone? It’s a big deal, so, if I tell you, you have to swear to keep it to yourself. I could be in a lot of trouble if anyone found out. So, yeah, you say you’re cool? You’ll take it to the grave? Okay then, here it is: I hate the Ku Klux Klan.

Oh, so you wanna know why that’s a big deal? Why I can’t tell anyone else? Because I’m the daughter of the grand dragon, that’s why.

According to my dad, the Baxters have been in the Klan for, like, a hundred and fifty years—basically since the end of the Civil War. He lives and breathes it—and would beat me if he heard me talking like this. He’d tell you the Klan represents his love for his family, his country, and his love of God and all things holy.

I’ll tell you that’s a crock.

But I nod like a good little girl in my cloak and hood whenever I’m around him, or his friends, or my mom, or my brother. I have to pretend to believe. My life pretty much depends on it.

So why am I telling you? Honestly, I’ve got no clue. It’s dangerous to say these things out loud. But I’m sixteen years old and Dad’s already started to point me toward marriage—to another Klan member, of course—and I think I finally got more scared of living the rest of my life like this than I am of my dad. And that’s saying something.

Craig Baxter is one mean SOB.

I guess I’m hoping that if I’m honest with someone about what my life is like and what I want my life to be like, that maybe I’ll stand the smallest of chances of getting out of this circle of hell I was born into. So I’m gonna trust you with two important jobs:

(1) Keep your mouth shut about what I tell you.

(2) Remind me why I told you in the first place: I. Want. Out.

If you can do your part, I might be able to do mine.

Welcome to my world.