1 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:04,880 Speaker 1: And just as Michelle had started to rearrange everything in 2 00:00:04,920 --> 00:00:08,160 Speaker 1: her mind, like moving Gabe from the category of best 3 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:11,879 Speaker 1: friend to potential first lover, she'd spotted the piece of 4 00:00:11,920 --> 00:00:15,920 Speaker 1: paper sticking out of his sweatpants pocket. Michelle often wondered 5 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:17,800 Speaker 1: what would have happened if she hadn't seen the paper 6 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:20,560 Speaker 1: at that exact moment, if she'd been too far gone 7 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:22,960 Speaker 1: to be curious, or if she just hadn't noticed it. 8 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 1: Would they have had sex? Would he have stayed? She'd 9 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: never know because she had found the paper then, and 10 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:32,000 Speaker 1: it had been a one way plane ticket to Los 11 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:35,280 Speaker 1: Angeles for the following week. They were supposed to spend 12 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:37,479 Speaker 1: the whole summer together, they had planned. 13 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:37,919 Speaker 2: Damn it. 14 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:41,360 Speaker 1: Anger had won over tears. Michelle has said some things 15 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:44,519 Speaker 1: she wasn't proud of. You said college wasn't going to 16 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:46,880 Speaker 1: be goodbye, Gabe, while the shore feels a hell of 17 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 1: a lot like goodbye. Heartbreaking. She ripped up the ticket. 18 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:52,199 Speaker 1: It was just a print out, but it gave her 19 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 1: some small satisfaction and told him to leave and never 20 00:00:55,240 --> 00:01:00,760 Speaker 1: come back. And he had until now. 21 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 3: From Fudromidia and PRX, It's Latino Usa. I'm Maria, No 22 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 3: Josa Today, Love Lust and Literature, we speak with Alexis Dadia, 23 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:26,880 Speaker 3: a Puerto Rican romance writer that was the voice of 24 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 3: Alexis Dadia, a writer who belongs to a growing group 25 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 3: of Latinas making their names in the popular, yet often 26 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:40,199 Speaker 3: undervalued romance genre that he had debuted her first novel, 27 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:43,399 Speaker 3: Take the Lead, when she was thirty five, and less 28 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 3: than five years later, she's now published five more books 29 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 3: and a novella, including You Had Me at Ola and 30 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:56,560 Speaker 3: a Lot Like Avios. She's now working on the third 31 00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 3: installment of her Primas of Power series. Here's Alexis again 32 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:10,959 Speaker 3: to tell us her story in her own words. 33 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:14,400 Speaker 1: I'm Alexistaria and I'm a romance writer living in New 34 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 1: York City. A normal writing day for me starts pretty early. 35 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:24,520 Speaker 1: When I'm really into writing a book, I just start 36 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 1: waking up earlier and earlier every day, just really excited 37 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 1: to write. Today, I woke up at five point thirty 38 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 1: and I. 39 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:36,079 Speaker 2: Put on the water for a cup of tea. 40 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:40,800 Speaker 1: I am trying to do, you know, at least an 41 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:43,399 Speaker 1: hour or two hours on airplane mode before I turn 42 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 1: on my phone. And that's partly why I wake up 43 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:49,639 Speaker 1: so early, because it's just it's so quiet, nobody else 44 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:53,640 Speaker 1: is up yet. I grab an Icelandic yogurt. So this way, 45 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: by having the same breakfast every morning, I don't have 46 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 1: to waste time or energy making decisions, and I know 47 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,040 Speaker 1: exactly how long it takes. I have also been listening 48 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: to the and Ganto soundtrack in the mornings because it's 49 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 1: just really good to pump me up. And then I 50 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:15,320 Speaker 1: light a scented candle. I make sure that my diffuser 51 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:18,959 Speaker 1: is on, like acting like a little humidifire because it's 52 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:21,520 Speaker 1: winter or New York City and the heat dries everything out. 53 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:24,360 Speaker 1: And then I sit down at my desk. Sometimes I have 54 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:27,240 Speaker 1: to clear my desk. Sometimes I you. 55 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:31,919 Speaker 2: Know, I'm just ready to go, and I will write 56 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 2: for a few hours in the morning. 57 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 1: But I do have a few friends who also write 58 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:39,600 Speaker 1: early in the morning, so around eight we will hop 59 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:43,840 Speaker 1: on a Google Hangouts video chat and we'll do writing 60 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 1: sprints together. So for me, it's about knowing what my 61 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:50,280 Speaker 1: rhythms are. I know I write best first thing in 62 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:53,160 Speaker 1: the morning with no distractions, and I know that I 63 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 1: have a hard time writing in the afternoons. I just 64 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 1: have to get the words done first. Otherwise I kind 65 00:03:57,960 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 1: of hang over my head all day and sometimes just 66 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:03,000 Speaker 1: don't have However, I am not a writer who writes 67 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:05,080 Speaker 1: every day. I say I write every day when I 68 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:09,240 Speaker 1: have to, meaning when I'm on deadline, so as I 69 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:11,360 Speaker 1: get closer to the deadline, I really am writing every 70 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 1: single day, but I've cleared everything else off my plate 71 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:21,279 Speaker 1: so that I could do that. My mom was a teacher, 72 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:23,640 Speaker 1: so she would just fill my bookcase in my bedroom 73 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 1: with books of all different kinds, you know, biographies, picture books, 74 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:32,640 Speaker 1: chapter books, nonfiction whatever. She was a big reader of 75 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 1: romance novels and she would read the funny parts to 76 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:38,760 Speaker 1: me in the kitchen in the car while we were 77 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 1: waiting for something. 78 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 2: She had. 79 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:44,560 Speaker 1: Once caught me looking at one of them, and I 80 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:46,000 Speaker 1: got in trouble, and she told me that I was 81 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:47,960 Speaker 1: too young to read it, but I could read it later, 82 00:04:48,279 --> 00:04:49,960 Speaker 1: and by that point I was like, no, never mind, 83 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:53,159 Speaker 1: I don't want to. So she had all these books, 84 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:57,960 Speaker 1: but I didn't read them until a friend of mine 85 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:00,479 Speaker 1: who I went to high school with, ragged me to 86 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:04,200 Speaker 1: our local library, the New York Public Library branch in 87 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: Pellam Parkway in the Bronx, and she said, you have 88 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:11,160 Speaker 1: to read these two books by Nora Roberts, and they 89 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:14,599 Speaker 1: were Sea Swept and The McGregor Brides, and I took 90 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:16,880 Speaker 1: them out from the library and they were. 91 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:19,360 Speaker 2: Just so good. 92 00:05:18,839 --> 00:05:21,479 Speaker 1: I was hooked from there, and she and I spent 93 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:23,520 Speaker 1: the rest of that summer reading romance novels and doing 94 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:24,520 Speaker 1: crossword puzzles. 95 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:26,080 Speaker 2: It was very wholesome. 96 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 1: My mom knew I was reading those books, but for 97 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:35,320 Speaker 1: some reason, I did not want her to know that 98 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:37,599 Speaker 1: I was reading the other ones she had on the shelf, 99 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:39,719 Speaker 1: even though they were the same. So I would like 100 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:42,279 Speaker 1: sneak those, you know, when I was reading Anne Rice 101 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:44,440 Speaker 1: and stuff by that point too, So she knew, but 102 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:47,479 Speaker 1: we just didn't talk about it. But at the same time, 103 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:50,240 Speaker 1: she never really policed what I watched on television. So 104 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:54,279 Speaker 1: you know, there were movies like Pretty Woman and Dirty Dancing, 105 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:57,360 Speaker 1: and granted those parts always get cut out for television, 106 00:05:57,520 --> 00:06:01,120 Speaker 1: but you know, she just she was with me watching whatever, 107 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:03,840 Speaker 1: but we just didn't talk about it. The only thing 108 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:12,719 Speaker 1: she said was don't get pregnant. So I had started 109 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:15,359 Speaker 1: writing it as a fun hobby when I was in 110 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:19,560 Speaker 1: middle school, and then I found fanfit communities online, so 111 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:23,880 Speaker 1: I did that through high school, I wrote fantasy. I 112 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:28,080 Speaker 1: tried writing mystery. It's really hard. I tried writing historical. 113 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:33,040 Speaker 1: I wrote a lot of paranormal, a lot of vampires, 114 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 1: you know. But I did grow up during a certain age. 115 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 1: Buffy was very influential on me. And when I was 116 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:43,400 Speaker 1: twenty one, I discovered National Novel Writing Month because someone 117 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 1: had written about it on live journal, which is a throwback, 118 00:06:46,839 --> 00:06:50,080 Speaker 1: and I signed up. And that was really the thing 119 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:52,599 Speaker 1: that kept me writing for a long time. When I 120 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:55,599 Speaker 1: didn't have a lot of creative bandwidth, at least, I 121 00:06:55,720 --> 00:06:59,800 Speaker 1: had this group that would come together every November to 122 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:05,720 Speaker 1: indulge in our writerly pursuits. I then ended up getting 123 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:09,279 Speaker 1: involved as a community organizer and now I'm on their 124 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:13,480 Speaker 1: writer's board. I didn't really find romance as a writer 125 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:17,760 Speaker 1: until I turned thirty and I thought, let me give 126 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:21,920 Speaker 1: this a try. Although everything that I wrote before that 127 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:24,600 Speaker 1: did have romantic elements, I just didn't know that what 128 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:27,840 Speaker 1: I really wanted to do was write romance. I was 129 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:30,400 Speaker 1: thirty years old when I completed a novel for the 130 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:33,239 Speaker 1: first time. I had started many and I'd gotten pretty 131 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:36,120 Speaker 1: far on some of them, but I never quite reached 132 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:39,239 Speaker 1: the end, and the year that I was thirty, I said, 133 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:42,240 Speaker 1: come hell or high water, I am finishing a book 134 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:45,960 Speaker 1: this year, and that one was a historical romance that 135 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:51,920 Speaker 1: will never see the light of day. So the dance 136 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:56,200 Speaker 1: off series started because I. 137 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:57,640 Speaker 2: Watch a lot of reality television. 138 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:02,360 Speaker 1: And I particularly like shows where there's some element of 139 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:04,240 Speaker 1: like a makeover or progress. 140 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:06,320 Speaker 2: I was a big fan of What Not To where. 141 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:11,679 Speaker 1: I love watching Queer Eye, We're Here on HBO things 142 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:15,120 Speaker 1: like that. So I enjoy Dancing with the Stars because 143 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:18,840 Speaker 1: it's also got a competition and celebrities. And then I 144 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:22,600 Speaker 1: also have watched a lot of survivalist shows for some reason, 145 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:25,360 Speaker 1: and I was thinking, you know, I want there to 146 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:28,120 Speaker 1: be a survivalist romance, but I don't really want to 147 00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 1: write it because I don't think it's romantic to end 148 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:33,160 Speaker 1: up living in the woods together. You know, I'm from 149 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:36,640 Speaker 1: New York City. I'm not real big on camping. And 150 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:41,440 Speaker 1: I also wanted to write some stories kind of inspired 151 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:45,720 Speaker 1: by the dances on Dancing with the Stars because some 152 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:47,560 Speaker 1: of them they just are really able to tell a 153 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:50,559 Speaker 1: beautiful story in just thirty seconds with no words, right. 154 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:54,680 Speaker 1: So I put those two ideas together, and that's where 155 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:58,880 Speaker 1: take the lead came from where it's a dance competition 156 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:03,360 Speaker 1: show and a television survivalist who ends up being paired 157 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:05,640 Speaker 1: with the main character, and then they go through the 158 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:06,600 Speaker 1: whole season together. 159 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:09,440 Speaker 2: And it was a ton of work. 160 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:11,160 Speaker 1: I had to do so much research because I'm not 161 00:09:11,240 --> 00:09:13,600 Speaker 1: a dancer, and I really wanted to make sure that 162 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:16,840 Speaker 1: I intellectually understood each of the dances, both in terms 163 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:20,360 Speaker 1: of the steps and the rhythms and the music, but 164 00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:23,720 Speaker 1: also the history of it, and then trying to infuse 165 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:25,720 Speaker 1: as much of that as I could into the story 166 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:29,040 Speaker 1: without overwhelming it, and it just you know, it was 167 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:31,640 Speaker 1: just a lot of fun to write. So there are 168 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:34,679 Speaker 1: two books in a novella in that series right now, 169 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:37,000 Speaker 1: and I would love to revisit it and add more 170 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:47,840 Speaker 1: at some point in the future. The videmas of Power 171 00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:51,160 Speaker 1: are three cousins who are all from the Bronx in 172 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:54,280 Speaker 1: New York City, and in each one of their books, 173 00:09:54,520 --> 00:10:00,720 Speaker 1: they end up falling in love. The first book, am Ola, 174 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:05,720 Speaker 1: is about Jasmine, who is a soap opera actress and 175 00:10:05,920 --> 00:10:10,480 Speaker 1: she ends up filming a bilingual TV show for a 176 00:10:10,559 --> 00:10:15,040 Speaker 1: streaming network with Ashton, who is a telenovela star, and 177 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:17,000 Speaker 1: the two of them both have their reasons for not 178 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:19,439 Speaker 1: wanting to fall in love, but of course things happen. 179 00:10:22,720 --> 00:10:26,480 Speaker 1: The second book, A Lot Like Adios, features Michelle, who 180 00:10:26,600 --> 00:10:30,280 Speaker 1: is another one of the Brimas, and her ex best 181 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:34,240 Speaker 1: friend Gabe, who basically left for California when they were 182 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:37,440 Speaker 1: eighteen and never looked back. And now he's back in 183 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:40,480 Speaker 1: her life and he needs her help putting together an 184 00:10:40,559 --> 00:10:44,880 Speaker 1: expansion for his celebrity gym, and Michelle has given him 185 00:10:44,920 --> 00:10:48,520 Speaker 1: an ultimatum. She'll help him, but he has to stay 186 00:10:48,559 --> 00:10:51,640 Speaker 1: with her while he's in town, which leads to fake 187 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:54,520 Speaker 1: dating and sneaking in and out of her parents' house, 188 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:57,520 Speaker 1: and also they both really really want each other. 189 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:02,240 Speaker 2: The plan solidified in her mind. This was it. 190 00:11:02,559 --> 00:11:04,840 Speaker 1: She'd insist he stay with her, mostly to work on 191 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:07,960 Speaker 1: the project, but also to wear him down until he 192 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:11,760 Speaker 1: told her why he'd completely abandoned her. The renovation on 193 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:14,319 Speaker 1: her bathroom was due to finish soon, her tiny one 194 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:17,240 Speaker 1: bedroom apartment was the perfect place to achieve the closure 195 00:11:17,440 --> 00:11:20,960 Speaker 1: she so desperately needed. Michelle turned on her phone, but 196 00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:23,640 Speaker 1: instead of replying to the email, she grabbed gave cell 197 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:26,160 Speaker 1: phone number from the signature and sent him a text. 198 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:27,280 Speaker 2: I'll do it. 199 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:35,199 Speaker 1: Book three, which doesn't have a title yet and I'm 200 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:40,240 Speaker 1: currently writing, is about Ava and that will be coming 201 00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:45,720 Speaker 1: out most likely in May twenty twenty three. My Pritimas 202 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:49,760 Speaker 1: of Power are some of my cousins in California and 203 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:53,080 Speaker 1: we have a group chat, although somebody doesn't have an iPhone, 204 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:56,280 Speaker 1: so I'm not able to rename the chat Pritimas of Power, 205 00:11:56,480 --> 00:12:00,599 Speaker 1: but I really want to. So that was the inspiration 206 00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:03,640 Speaker 1: for this series, and my cousin Lisa gets the credit 207 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:07,880 Speaker 1: for coining the series title Vidimas of Power. I was 208 00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:11,480 Speaker 1: visiting her when I was first coming up with the 209 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:13,240 Speaker 1: idea for this series a few years ago. 210 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:13,520 Speaker 4: You know. 211 00:12:13,559 --> 00:12:15,920 Speaker 1: It was just like some scribbles in a notebook that 212 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:19,040 Speaker 1: I had written down while on the plane, and I 213 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:21,160 Speaker 1: was like, they need like a group name that they 214 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:24,280 Speaker 1: call themselves. And my cousin Lisa is really great at 215 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:28,240 Speaker 1: naming things. So I think Shira had just come out 216 00:12:28,360 --> 00:12:30,920 Speaker 1: the new one on Netflix and it's called Princesses of Power, 217 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:41,080 Speaker 1: so Vitemas of Power. I actually feel incredibly lucky to 218 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:45,640 Speaker 1: be writing at a time where there's this growing presence 219 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:49,760 Speaker 1: of Latina romance writers. A group of us have kind 220 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:52,160 Speaker 1: of bended together, and we have. 221 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:54,600 Speaker 2: Multiple group texts. 222 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:57,680 Speaker 1: Where we share good news and encouragement, but we also 223 00:12:58,679 --> 00:13:02,120 Speaker 1: will you know, share family updates, requests for prayers, and 224 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:06,040 Speaker 1: com miserate over, you know, some of the downsides of 225 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:12,120 Speaker 1: the industry. In twenty nineteen, a group of us met 226 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:16,720 Speaker 1: in person for the first LATINX ROM retreat at my 227 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:17,959 Speaker 1: friend's house and the cat. 228 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:21,000 Speaker 2: Skills, and it was it was a blast. 229 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:23,840 Speaker 1: Let's just say that we should have purchased a case 230 00:13:23,880 --> 00:13:27,040 Speaker 1: of prosecco instead of just buying it piecemeal in a 231 00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:30,480 Speaker 1: few bottles at a time. And since then we've done 232 00:13:30,559 --> 00:13:34,960 Speaker 1: virtual retreats for obvious reasons, where we talk about our 233 00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:38,040 Speaker 1: career paths, our goals, we help each other brainstorm book 234 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:41,480 Speaker 1: ideas and things like that. The idea being that it's 235 00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:44,959 Speaker 1: just of benefit to all of us that we are 236 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:47,760 Speaker 1: in this together. We're not in this industry alone, we 237 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:51,680 Speaker 1: are not each other's competition. We are building each other up. 238 00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:56,120 Speaker 1: We are helping to uplift each other's books. And it's 239 00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:58,280 Speaker 1: also just amazing to have a group of people who 240 00:13:58,320 --> 00:14:01,520 Speaker 1: get it, who are cheering you on, and it helps 241 00:14:01,559 --> 00:14:05,280 Speaker 1: us be better advocates for ourselves in the industry. At 242 00:14:05,280 --> 00:14:08,040 Speaker 1: the same time, however, we're not seeing as much Afro 243 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:11,120 Speaker 1: LATINX and Indigenous representation, so that's something that we have 244 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:19,480 Speaker 1: to be mindful and supportive of as well. So recently, 245 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:23,640 Speaker 1: I was part of a holiday anthology with six other 246 00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:28,800 Speaker 1: Latina romance authors, Mia Sosa, Adriana Rera, so, Rita Cordova, 247 00:14:29,240 --> 00:14:33,800 Speaker 1: Priscilla Oliveas, Diana Muno Stewart, and Sabrina soul. 248 00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:35,400 Speaker 2: I think that was all of us. There's a whole 249 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:36,280 Speaker 2: bunch of us. 250 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:39,680 Speaker 1: And we had decided to do this project and we 251 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:41,920 Speaker 1: were going to self publish it, but we thought, okay, 252 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:45,120 Speaker 1: you know, why don't we try pitching it to publishers, 253 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:48,800 Speaker 1: and we did, but the kind of rejections that we 254 00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:52,360 Speaker 1: got from it were just like really disheartening in a sense, 255 00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:54,200 Speaker 1: you know, like oh, we don't know what to do 256 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:56,880 Speaker 1: with the project like this, or you know, we already 257 00:14:56,880 --> 00:15:00,880 Speaker 1: have a LATINX project, or you know, Chris is so competitive, 258 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:02,120 Speaker 1: or you know, just like things like that, and it 259 00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:04,520 Speaker 1: was like, Okay, there's no vision here. And that was 260 00:15:04,520 --> 00:15:06,400 Speaker 1: a wake up call because we were able to put 261 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:08,200 Speaker 1: this out in a way where we didn't have to 262 00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:11,560 Speaker 1: compromise anything we didn't have to explain anything. Our readers 263 00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:16,600 Speaker 1: who got it were so thrilled to see an anthology 264 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:19,280 Speaker 1: that just really celebrated them, celebrated all of these different 265 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:24,040 Speaker 1: Latino cultures, and at the end of it like, I'm 266 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:26,800 Speaker 1: so proud of what we put out, But it was 267 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:30,800 Speaker 1: also like a real wake up call to you know, 268 00:15:30,880 --> 00:15:33,560 Speaker 1: some of the choices being made in the industry. I 269 00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:37,600 Speaker 1: think genre fiction in general is not taken as seriously 270 00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:42,280 Speaker 1: per se as literary fiction, whether it's because it's popular 271 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:46,240 Speaker 1: or more commercial, or I don't know, just sells more 272 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:49,680 Speaker 1: in some cases. That's that's kind of always been a thing. 273 00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:52,760 Speaker 1: But romance in particular, you know, more so even than 274 00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:56,760 Speaker 1: mystery or sci fi or those, seems to get the 275 00:15:56,760 --> 00:15:58,840 Speaker 1: short end of the stick. And I think there's a 276 00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:03,000 Speaker 1: number of reasons. One is that for a long time 277 00:16:03,240 --> 00:16:07,880 Speaker 1: it has been primarily a female readership and mostly women 278 00:16:07,920 --> 00:16:12,160 Speaker 1: writing as well. Obviously not all, but that has at 279 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:15,080 Speaker 1: least been the perception, and in that way think it 280 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:18,840 Speaker 1: then gets seen as like silly, or the quality is 281 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:21,880 Speaker 1: not good, things like that, but it's just not true. 282 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:24,920 Speaker 1: In every genre and every type of category of book, 283 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:29,160 Speaker 1: there are people writing at different levels and just because 284 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:32,200 Speaker 1: it's about love doesn't mean that it's silly. That's something 285 00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:35,600 Speaker 1: that is kind of a universal storyline. We see a 286 00:16:35,640 --> 00:16:39,600 Speaker 1: love story everywhere, so what is really the difference there. 287 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:44,160 Speaker 2: I'm mostly in. 288 00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:48,000 Speaker 1: The arena where people do take it seriously, so I 289 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:49,640 Speaker 1: just try to make sure that I'm putting out the 290 00:16:49,640 --> 00:16:50,800 Speaker 1: best book that I can. 291 00:16:51,280 --> 00:17:04,160 Speaker 5: And that is always my main focus. 292 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:14,320 Speaker 3: This episode was produced by Monica Morales Garcia and edited 293 00:17:14,359 --> 00:17:17,080 Speaker 3: by Andrea Lopez Cruzado. It was mixed by gabriel A 294 00:17:17,160 --> 00:17:21,959 Speaker 3: Bias and JJ Carubin. The Latino USA team includes Marta Martinez, 295 00:17:22,119 --> 00:17:27,840 Speaker 3: Daisy Contreras, Mike Sargent, Julieta Martinelli, Victoria Strada, Rinaldo Leanos, 296 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:32,480 Speaker 3: Junior Alejandra Salasad, Patricia Sulvaran and Julia Rocha, with help 297 00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:33,399 Speaker 3: from Raoul Perees. 298 00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:36,200 Speaker 2: Our editorial director is Julio Ricardorella. 299 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:38,320 Speaker 3: Our director of engineering is Stephane Lobau. 300 00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:41,840 Speaker 2: Our senior engineer is Julie Cruso. Our digital editor is 301 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:42,560 Speaker 2: Luis Luna. 302 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:46,600 Speaker 3: Our fellows are Elisa Baena and Andrew Vignalis. Our theme 303 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:49,879 Speaker 3: music was composed by Zenia Rubinos. I'm your host and 304 00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:53,119 Speaker 3: executive producer Mariaojosa join us again on our next episode, 305 00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:55,399 Speaker 3: and in the meantime, look for us on all of 306 00:17:55,440 --> 00:18:01,000 Speaker 3: your social media and remember notevayas. 307 00:18:01,040 --> 00:18:04,199 Speaker 4: Latino USA is made possible in part by the John D. 308 00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:09,040 Speaker 4: And Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Ford Foundation, working with 309 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:13,359 Speaker 4: visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide, and 310 00:18:13,960 --> 00:18:19,880 Speaker 4: the Heising Simons Foundation unlocking knowledge, opportunity and possibilities. More 311 00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:22,160 Speaker 4: at hsfoundation dot org. 312 00:18:28,760 --> 00:18:32,320 Speaker 2: Thank you. I actually love reading out loud. 313 00:18:32,359 --> 00:18:35,200 Speaker 1: I'm a private tutor for kids in like real life, 314 00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:38,159 Speaker 1: so I read a lot of books out loud, but 315 00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:38,480 Speaker 1: I don't 316 00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:41,080 Speaker 2: Often get some to do my own, So thank you.