THE LATINA BOOK CLUB

It was standing room only last night at the 15th Annual International Latino Book Awards sponsored by Latino Literacy Now and held at the Instituto Cervantes in New York City during BookExpo America.  Actor Toni Plana was the Master of Ceremonies.   There were 190 winners!  Some of the night's most notable winners included: Sandra Ramos O'Briant whose THE SANDOVAL SISTERS' SECRET OF OLD BLOOD took first place in Best Novel, Historical Fiction-English and Best First Book, Fiction. Another double winner was Carmen Tafolla's REBOZOS for Best Poetry Book-Bilingual and Best Arts Book-Bilingual. Reyna Grande's THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US won for Best Latino Focused Nonfiction Book. Cecilia Velastegui's MISSING IN MACHU PICCHU won for Best Novel, Adventure or Drama. Melinda Palacio's HOW FIRE IS A STORY, WAITING won for Best Poetry Book - One Author, English. and Founder of Las Comadres Para Las Americas Nora Comstock's  COUNT ON ME: TALE...

   NOTE :    Saturday, October 13 :  Meet Sandra at the Latino Book and Family Festival at the California State University/Dominguez Hills in Los Angeles.   She will be moderating the Historical Fiction/Nonfiction panel, and will be on a panel on What Latinas Want to Read. Admission is free.          "This story of love, mysticism and betrayal tests the ultimate boundaries of sisterhood.  I loved this brave, lushly written tale of life in old Santa Fe." ---Jill Smolinski, author of Objects of My Affection and The Next Thing on My List Arranged marriages A runaway bride Sisters Adultery Witchcraft A Woman doctor Secrets THE SANDOVAL SISTERS Survival themes are one of my interests, especially if the protagonist is female: woman vs. nature, woman vs. the establishment (tradition), woman vs. woman, and woman vs. herself.  I also like settings wherein the protagonist is cha...