Before We Died (Rivers) - Softcover

Joan Schweighardt grew up in New Jersey and lived in Florida and New York before moving to New Mexico. Joan has worked as a freelance writer, editor and ghostwriter, a literary agent, and an indie book publisher over the years. Her own projects include six novels, a memoir, and several magazine article. She has received awards for her novel Gudrun's Tapestry (republished as The Last Wife of Attila the Hun).

"Descriptions are memorable and the adventures here will satisfy." --Booklife, Publishers Weekly

"Schweighardt's story happened with rubber tappers a century ago; it continues today around oil, lumber, cattle, soy, and the mining of crystals and other resources... Besides being a good read, this is a wake-up call!" --John Perkins, New York Times Bestselling Author 

"...explores the complexities of the relationship between two Irish-American brothers who embark on an Amazonian adventure fraught with peril. [A] tale of passion, greed and sacrifice which will leave readers reaching for the next novel in the Rivers series!" --Kristen Harnisch, International bestselling author

"...impeccably researched and engrossing story that reads so quickly you hardly notice how strong and pervasive the underlying themes are." --Magdalena Ball, Compulsive Reader
 
"With great skill, Schweighardt brings to magnificent life the colors, smells and sounds of Amazonia in this compelling tale of love, loss and honest men butting heads with privilege and greed." --Damian McNicholl, author ofThe Moment of Truth
 
 "...compelling characters that throb with vibrancy and passion... impossible to forget." --Rocco Lo Bosco, author of Buddha Wept and Ninety Nine 
 
"The novel's narrator, Jack Hopper, is the perfect guide--bawdy, brutally honest, brave, and sometimes overwhelmed... An adventure story that takes you into the steamy heart of the Amazon jungle as confidently as it explores the passions and confusions of the human heart."  --Julie Mars, author of A Month of Sundays: Searching for the Spirit and My Sister

"Schweighardt draws her glorious characters with such skill and affection that we are immediately pulled into their world... I just love this story."
--Lynn Vannucci, Publisher, Water Street Press

"An unforgettable expedition. Superb!"
--Online Book Club