The Latina Book Club is Celebrating Men this whole month. Today, we are joined by author Caridad Pineiro and her latest hero, Bill Santana. He's definitely one worth reading about. And to check out the book video, click here. Happy Reading. And, as always, Read Latino.
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by Caridad Pineiro
I like writing characters that don’t fit the mold of what you expect. Bill Santana, the hero in my July release THE FIFTH KINGDOM, is just that kind of character.
A Cuban-American CIA Agent, Bill is working on a joint FBI-CIA Task force that is monitoring for terrorist activities. Bill loves his country. He has risked his life to keep it safe, but in all that time, he has never risked something just as important: his heart.
When you first meet Bill, he is what you would expect of someone in such a vital and demanding position. Strong. Silent. Professional. A loner. But as I wrote THE FIFTH KINGDOM, it came to me that there was so much more to Bill that even I wasn’t expecting and that emerged as the story developed.
For starters, Bill has to deal with Deanna Vasquez, the heroine of the story. Deanna has a lot of emotional baggage relating to her mother, who abandoned Deanna when she was a young teenager.
Deanna wants nothing to do with her mother, but unfortunately that’s not in the cards since Bill suspects that Deanna’s mother has been kidnapped by a terrorist group who he has been monitoring. Bill needs Deanna’s help, especially since Deanna’s mother recently contacted her daughter to try and make amends. That contact has given Deanna information which could assist in the investigation and only Deanna can interpret the information in her mother’s coded journal.
But Bill needs Deanna in other ways also. You see Bill has been alone for a long time and shares an emotional wound much like Deanna’s. Abused as a child by his father, Bill’s mom had put him into foster care rather than see him suffer. Although the fostering stopped the physical abuse, Bill still had to deal with losing his family, but his experience has made him stronger.
Bill’s early life makes him wonder why Deanna would not accept her mother’s overtures because Bill would give anything to be a part of a family once again. It is a truth he has been hiding from himself because he does not believe it’s possible.
Helping Deanna face her own fears and hurts allows Bill to explore his own life, but even with the possibility of newfound love and a future he had not expected, Bill still does not waver from his responsibility. When faced with danger to those he loves and to his Nation, Bill knows there is only one thing he can do: Stand up for what he knows is right even if it means he might die.
I loved the many different elements of strength in him. Bill has the strength to help someone else deal with their emotions. He has the strength to face his own inner demons and resolve them. Finally, he has the strength to risk his own life if it will help others.
The latter is what you might expect of a strong silent CIA-type. The former—the caring and nurturing—possibly breaks the mold. It certainly wasn’t what I had envisioned when I first starting writing the story and yet as the character evolved, I knew that it was totally right.
It’s what made me fall in love with Bill Santana and had me rooting for him to have a happily-ever-after and not just with the heroine. I wanted Bill to have the love of family as well.
I hope you’ll fall in love with Bill Santana also and I hope that the happily-ever-after that I gave Bill will be the one that you think he deserves.
Thanks for having me here today and thanks for taking the time to visit!♥
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Caridad Pineiro is an award-winning and multi-talented author, who writes paranormal, romantic suspense and contemporary romances. Visit her at http://www.caridadpineiro.com/.
I like writing characters that don’t fit the mold of what you expect. Bill Santana, the hero in my July release THE FIFTH KINGDOM, is just that kind of character.
A Cuban-American CIA Agent, Bill is working on a joint FBI-CIA Task force that is monitoring for terrorist activities. Bill loves his country. He has risked his life to keep it safe, but in all that time, he has never risked something just as important: his heart.
When you first meet Bill, he is what you would expect of someone in such a vital and demanding position. Strong. Silent. Professional. A loner. But as I wrote THE FIFTH KINGDOM, it came to me that there was so much more to Bill that even I wasn’t expecting and that emerged as the story developed.
For starters, Bill has to deal with Deanna Vasquez, the heroine of the story. Deanna has a lot of emotional baggage relating to her mother, who abandoned Deanna when she was a young teenager.
Deanna wants nothing to do with her mother, but unfortunately that’s not in the cards since Bill suspects that Deanna’s mother has been kidnapped by a terrorist group who he has been monitoring. Bill needs Deanna’s help, especially since Deanna’s mother recently contacted her daughter to try and make amends. That contact has given Deanna information which could assist in the investigation and only Deanna can interpret the information in her mother’s coded journal.
But Bill needs Deanna in other ways also. You see Bill has been alone for a long time and shares an emotional wound much like Deanna’s. Abused as a child by his father, Bill’s mom had put him into foster care rather than see him suffer. Although the fostering stopped the physical abuse, Bill still had to deal with losing his family, but his experience has made him stronger.
Bill’s early life makes him wonder why Deanna would not accept her mother’s overtures because Bill would give anything to be a part of a family once again. It is a truth he has been hiding from himself because he does not believe it’s possible.
Helping Deanna face her own fears and hurts allows Bill to explore his own life, but even with the possibility of newfound love and a future he had not expected, Bill still does not waver from his responsibility. When faced with danger to those he loves and to his Nation, Bill knows there is only one thing he can do: Stand up for what he knows is right even if it means he might die.
I loved the many different elements of strength in him. Bill has the strength to help someone else deal with their emotions. He has the strength to face his own inner demons and resolve them. Finally, he has the strength to risk his own life if it will help others.
The latter is what you might expect of a strong silent CIA-type. The former—the caring and nurturing—possibly breaks the mold. It certainly wasn’t what I had envisioned when I first starting writing the story and yet as the character evolved, I knew that it was totally right.
It’s what made me fall in love with Bill Santana and had me rooting for him to have a happily-ever-after and not just with the heroine. I wanted Bill to have the love of family as well.
I hope you’ll fall in love with Bill Santana also and I hope that the happily-ever-after that I gave Bill will be the one that you think he deserves.
Thanks for having me here today and thanks for taking the time to visit!♥
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