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In River City, loyalty is everything-- and nothing defines it more than warcheck, the elegantly violent game that unites the town. Terra Laclem, daughter of a retired warcheck legend, is raised to honor family, faith, and tradition. But when her father betrays the ideals he's always preached, Terra is forced to question the world she thought she knew. As she comes of age, her search for belonging pulls her between inherited loyalties and a deeper truth, one tied to the beloved turtle mascots that symbolize her town's way of life. This lyrical debut is a coming-of-age story about the weight of legacy, the bonds that shape us, and the quiet rebellions that lead us home.
About the author
Sandra K. Barnidge is a writer based in Northport, Alabama. She's originally from Beloit, Wisconsin, but made her way south in pursuit of love, academia, and warmer gardening zones. Her short fiction and essays have appeared in
Reckon Review, Atlas Obscura, Barren, The Fiddlehead, Nimrod, and elsewhere. She holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Alabama.
The Diamondbacks is her first novel.
