“More than just a mystery or thriller that operates outside the usual boundaries of social interaction, Creatures of Habit places the dilemmas squarely in the milieu of new and old connections – and that makes it an especially engrossing read.”
MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
By nightfall, everything will change.
On April 25, 2016, Yovanni Guerra wakes to an ordinary morning: a sleeping wife, a six-year-old son, and the quiet comfort of family life in Miami.
A devoted husband, father, and elementary school teacher, Yovanni has built a life defined by love, loyalty, and hard-earned stability. But beneath the surface lies a past he has never fully outrun: old friendships, easy money, and habits formed long before he became the man his family believes him to be. When a favor for a childhood friend spirals into something far more dangerous, Yovanni is soon caught between the life he has built and the choices he once justified. As the hours tick down, every decision tightens the noose around him, forcing Yovanni to confront a question he’s avoided addressing for years:
Are we defined by who we were… or by who we choose to become?
Alexander Brito’s CREATURES OF HABIT is a gripping, emotionally charged portrait of loyalty, temptation, and the fragile line between redemption and ruin.
Excerpt
About the Author
Alexander Brito is an English teacher and football coach at Barbara Goleman Senior High in Miami-Dade County. He began writing during his senior year at the University of Miami and has been devoted to the craft ever since.
Since graduating in 2016, he has written over twenty short stories. His first published story, “Abby’s Story,” appeared in Spillwords E-Magazine in September of 2025. He’s also completed a novella that will be included in an anthology of character-focused vignettes offering glimpses into different lives.
Through both his writing and his work as a teacher and coach, he has come to understand that growth is rarely linear but shaped through repetition, reflection, and resilience. Based in Miami, he draws inspiration from the city’s constant movement and vivid energy, often weaving it into his work. His stories focus on the quiet, in-between moments that reveal who people are when no one is watching.