THE LATINA BOOK CLUB

           " Maybe it was necessary, this shedding of the old ways with each generation. He had abandoned so much of what defined his mother...But lately, he'd begun to wonder if he'd abandoned too much.  He felt like there was a box inside of him that had been locked away for so long, he'd forgotten where he'd put the key.  There were things he treasured in that box: the sultry music of his childhood, the playfulness and sensuality of his culture.  He longed to open himself up to these things again ." --Jimmy Vega The Latina Book Club is happy to promote books by non-Latinos with great Latino characters.  LAND OF CAREFUL SHADOWS by Suzanne Chazin is such a book.   The premise for this book could have been “ripped from today’s headlines.”  It’s riveting, suspenseful, tragic, hopeful, with realistic settings, authentic voices, continuous action and enough twists and turns to keep readers up all night....

November is National Novel Writing Month  aka NaNoWriMo. The challenge is to write 50,000 words -- basically a 250 page novel! -- in the 30 days of November. I urge all Latino writers, especially the wanna-be writers, to take advantage of this opportunity and write, write, write.  Don't edit.  Don't revise.  Don't over think it.   Just write. We need more books with diverse characters, and in OUR case, Latino characters.  So start writing your own novel today.  It can be a children's book, a young adult, a memoir, a romance, a paranormal, a vampire novel....it can be anything.  Just add some Latino flavor! Register for NaNoWriMo at www.nanowrimo.org .  You can still "enter" the challenge. I too am taking up this challenge and have started my own novel with a sassy Latina heroine and a Latino hero that can cook!   Once you enter NaNoWriMo, make me one of your Writing Buddies; my moniker is "lovebooksmaven."   Very Lati...

  This month’s selection, MEXIZONA, is set in the midst of the current Arizona-Mexico border crisis. Larson has given us a modern-day Romeo and Juliet love story. Our young lovers are from different sides of the border, literally. Unfortunately, prejudice and politics are against them from all fronts. Their forbidden romance leads to betrayal, revenge and murder.   Click here for the full book review.   Happy Reading. --mcf      

   The Latina Book Club's mission is to promote Latina / Latino authors.   We do this through book reviews, author interviews, publicity announcements, book of the month selections, etc. A new popular feature we added this year is " Writers Wednesdays ." The first Wednesday of each month, we will feature a writer talking about ...writing.             Our guest this month is Reyna Grande .   She preferred that we ask her questions on writing, so below are her answers.   Happy Reading! LBC:   When did you know you wanted to write? REYNA:   I discovered writing by accident. In junior high, I was an English as a Second Language student and I began to write as a way to learn English. I wrote stories about my hometown in Mexico, about the people I had left behind when I came to the U.S. Eventually, writing was no longer about learning English, it became my way of making sense of the world around me ...

  “Why?   Why do you hate so much? Why did you teach me to hate? They’re just people.” –Hannah Explosive.   Suspenseful.   Action-packed.   Thrilling. Emotional.   Heart-wrenching.   This story is so realistic that it is scary because it could actually be happening right now.   Readers will be on the edge of their seats from the explosive start to the bloody finish. Set in the midst of the current Arizona-Mexico border crisis, Larson has given us a modern-day Romeo and Juliet love story.   Our young lovers are from different sides of the border, literally.   Unfortunately, prejudice and politics are against them from all fronts.   Their forbidden romance leads to betrayal, revenge and murder. SUMMARY :     Spoiled white teen with a gun hates all Mexicans and so decides to use them for shooting practice.   His “Diablo Blanco” aka The White Devil uncle is running for sheriff.   Local Mexican gangs a...

  " Ricky,       I know you are having trouble. Just remember that you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it.  Don't worry about me.  I will always be there for you.  I will always be with you. Just take your breath and listen to what Mr. Langford tells you.  Remember I will always love you and that will never change.  You are becoming a fine young man and a great baseball player.  I couldn't be prouder of you. Now take your breath, find your quiet space and use the gift God gave you.  I love you.        Love you forever,                 M om        P.S.  Take your breath!" THE PITCHER is destined to become a classic.   It is well-written, funny, heart-warming, engaging, easy to read, romantic and uplifting. On the surface this story may seem to be all about baseba...

The Latina Book Club's mission is to promote Latina / Latino authors. We do this through book reviews, author interviews, publicity announcements, book of the month selections, etc. A new popular feature we added this year is " Writers Wednesdays ." The first Wednesday of each month, we will feature a writer talking about ...writing. Happy Reading! WRITING STORIES THAT EMBRACE DIVERSE CHARACTERS AND CULTURES by L.G. Castillo I was hooked on books the moment I learned how to read. My fondest childhood memories were of my mother taking my sister and me to the public library. It was a thrill for me to rummage through the hundreds of books. I could spend hours in the library and most of the time I did. I remember writing my first short story called “The Bridge” when I was ten. I’ve been writing in one way or another since then. Most of the writing I do, research on Latino educational persistence and mental health is for my full time job as a professor of counse...