Chimera Explanation an Intro of the Cover of My Book

Seth and Marley are Chimera, pivotal in Traffic Stop: Human Division. I interweaved this idea because I wanted to make the twins’ relationship mysterious, playing on the spiritual realm of a twin’s connection. This video explains a scientific miracle made possible on occasion when a woman conceives paternal twins. Check it out for a deeper understanding.

I have a personal connection and reason for researching this topic. When I was pregnant with my daughter, the doctor suggested he heard two heartbeats at the initial checkup, scheduling me for an ultrasound the following Monday to verify. I spent the entire weekend wondering how to manage a three-year-old and a set of newborn twins. At the ultrasound, the technician eased my anxiety when she reported there was only one passenger in my womb. That experience made me wonder what happened to the other heartbeat. 

I’ve had a prevailing sense of survivor’s guilt from early childhood. This unknown trigger got me curious as to whether I am a surviving twin in utero, having a brother or sister seeing life on this earth through my eyes only. I have also been passionate about fighting for the underdog, the people who have had their voices muted or silenced, which supports my passion for writing about human trafficking and childhood sexual abuse. 

The cover shows three adolescents with Marley centerstage. In the background are Seth and how Marley would have looked had her embryo not enveloped her twin brother. Marley’s eyes are different colors, representing Seth having taken over the left side of her body. The dark, looming colors show the dread, gloom, and doom that Human Trafficking brings to the lives of its victims. The back cover shows Marley and Seth holding hands, overlooking a pending thunderstorm over the lake where they live. It is the calm before the storm. The thunderbolt severs their bond as they turn away rather than drawing nearer to each other in the difficult times to come.

Cover Contributors: Lisa Pererya-Molina, Chimera Avatar creator & structure, Ramon Prado-Cervantes – model acquisition, Michelle Allen-photographer, Citlali Prado-model, Caleb Neben-model, Jackie Peterson-feedback on color scheme, Jeri Schooltheiss-Graphic Design, Taeton Amos-co-creator for book summary on back cover.