Retribution: The Sequel to Redemption

Almost six long years have passed since Carmela Santiago witnessed the hitman she loved assassinate her father. Now she is ready to exact her plan of revenge against him and the people he loves. Carmela will stop at nothing to tear his family apart.

Running her father's drug smuggling empire, she will use every resource at her disposal, including money, sex, the men in her life, and her very own cold-blooded sicario, to help her carry out her deeds.

Nicholas D'Angelo, the contract killer, once employed by Carmela's father has his family safely tucked away in a compound in Tuscany, Italy. Many times he has regretted his decision to let Carmela live.

Forced by the government to return to the United States and resume the life of a killer, Nick knows will put his family in jeopardy. Carmela Santiago has the means to destroy him and all those he holds dear.

Carmela moves forward with her plan of revenge, but her closest allies are fast becoming her enemies. As she pushes things to the limit, Carmela gets caught in her own web of lies, murder, and deceit. With the stakes rising higher, she is determined to win. Nick will use everything at his disposal to stop her.

S tephanie Baldi grew up in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Gerritsen Beach. Her love of writing began during Saturday trips with her mother to the small local library where children gathered to hear a story read by the local Librarian. When the story ended, Stephanie would pick out a book to take home and read. But it was not until years later after a career in Patient Accounting and a stint as a Licensed Realtor that her dreams of becoming a writer flourished with a move to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. It was there that her first novel, Redemption was conceived. But family trials and tribulations forced her to abandon the manuscript for a time until her move to Georgia to be closer to her family. As a writer, Stephanie is dedicated to giving her reader's fast-paced, high stakes, page-turning stories that keep you on the edge of your seat and are full of surprising twists. She resides at her lake home in Villa Rica, Georgia with her husband and two cats. Stephanie is currently at work on the final installment of this trilogy titled Reckoning which is slated for release in 2020. She is thrilled to have been nominated for Georgia Author of the Year for Redemption.

The paintings from award-winning artist, Mary Rogers, tell the story of her life. Traveling is her second love, just behind holding a paint brush - so images of people, places, and objects from around the world find their way to the canvas. Her fine art oils may be New England landscapes or Thailand seascapes, but her real passion is painting scenes from the American Southwest. "That's where my heart is," she says. "I don't just paint what I see, I paint what I feel." Mary's work has been featured in solo shows at galleries and cultural art centers, and selected for many juried shows such as the South Cobb Arts Alliance, and "Art of the Golden Generation" at Kennesaw State University. She has also won Gallery Awards and Best in Oils in national competitions. Some of the titles include: Tall Tales, Long Tail Boats of Krabi, Spur Squattin, These Boots are made for Working, The Dixon House, Just Might Rain, and Isabella of Kilkenny. The Booth Western Art Museum biennial member show in 2008 featured "Memories of Molly", this year (2010) "San Juan Bautista Mission" was chosen for the show. "Tall Tales" became Mary's signature painting - used in Douglasville Cultural Arts Council promotions and the 8th Annual Cowboy Poets Gathering, - and became the cover art for Country/Western CD "Cowboys and Campfires," by well-known singer/songwriter, Doc Stovall. "Spur Squattin" was also selected for show promotions for an Annual Cowboy Poets Gathering. Her skill with the brush is often praised in newspaper stories, and when Mary appeared at the Spirit of the West Festival by special invitation in Bald Hill Oklahoma, she was featured on a TV news report.