Happy Book Birthday to THE CURSED MOON!
Today marks the official release date of my scary children's novel The Cursed Moon. Finally, my story about eleven-year-old Rafael Fuentes, a hard-core scary story teller is out in the world. Yay! Some book reviews have already come in, but I'm more curious about what my young readers will say...
Read MoreHispanic Heritage: Five Latino Artist You Should Know!
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, I've made a list of five books that not only celebrate the cultural heritage of our Latino community but also highlight Latinx and Hispanic artists. And although these are "childrens" books, they are for everyone to read and enjoy. So, if you're looking for...
Read MoreFive Scary Books for The Brave Kid in Your Life
This September, my first scary book for children will be released to the world! After writing a bunch of children's books about kids who save cats, solve international mysteries, and advocate for friends, I’ve written a novel about a grisly ghost who haunts children in a small Missouri town. The...
Read MoreWorld Cup Fever and the Joy of Soccer Books!
7 Must-Read Books For The Soccer Lover in Your Life! As the world unites for the FIFA Women's World Cup this summer, soccer fans everywhere—like me--are excited to watch their favorite teams in action. Because I’m a children’s author and a MASSIVE soccer fan, I can think of no better...
Read MoreLatinas Out Loud: Audiobooks by Latina Authors
Check out this list of action-packed audible books for you and your young reader. My favorite audiobooks lately are the ones with a lead character who is flawed, quirky, makes horrendous mistakes, and yet... still manages to save the day! And even the world! Keeping that in mind, I thought...
Read MoreReading is Good Trouble
When I was a kid, I used to get in trouble for reading too much. It’s true. I’d lug books everywhere I went, including to the dinner table. In between bites of chicken enchiladas or a forkful of spaghetti, I’d read. I’d read right up until my mom would call...
Read MoreFive reasons why audiobooks are a powerful reading tool
I have always enjoyed listening to audiobooks during long flights or road trips. A gripping thriller can quash boredom and make the time fly. So, when I signed a contract with Tantor Media to have my children’s books turned into audiobooks, I was overjoyed. Having my children’s books like Lety...
Read MoreBook Cover Reveal Day!!
My next children's novel, The Cursed Moon, will hit bookstores in September! But the book cover reveal is TODAY!! The Cursed Moon is the scary children's story I’ve wanted to write since I was a kid. Actually, the novel's plot is inspired by a scary story I once told my...
Read MoreWhat is Día de Los Niños?
I first learned about Día de los niños or The Day of the child when I lived in Guadalajara, Mexico. At the private school where I taught English, it was celebrated every April 30th. On this special day, they allowed students to show up to school in their pajamas. The...
Read MoreChampioning Diversity: Ten Ways You Can Support Diverse Children’s Authors
I love being a children’s writer and I enjoy being part of a growing diverse literary world. As I child who loved to read, I never saw children like me or children that had a Hispanic/Latino surnames like mine in the books at our school. That absence felt wrong. I...
Read MoreBanned But Not Broken: My Personal Story
In November 2022, the We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) organization notified me that my children's novel, Gaby, Lost and Found, was removed from school library bookshelves throughout Florida’s Duval County Public Schools (DCPS). I was shocked by the news. At the beginning of 2022 Gaby, Lost and Found had been on...
Read MoreTeacher’s Pick: Me, Frida and The Secret of the Peacock Ring
Let's be honest. Most of us purchase stuff from Amazon. What once started out as an online bookstore is now the world's largest online retailer selling everything from books to bird feeders. Amazon's massive influence has shifted our shopping habits and that extends to how we as consumers buy our...
Read MorePura Belpré Honor Book Award for Lety Out Loud
I'm happy to announce that my children's novel, Lety Out Loud, was named a 2020 Pura Belpré Honor Book. Woo hoo! Wait! What is a Pura Belpré award? The Pura Belpré Award was named for the first Latina librarian in New York City. Annually, the American Library Association (ALA) and...
Read MoreAuthor’s Inspiration: Lety Out Loud
When I sit down to write, I always try to create the kind of stories that I craved as a young girl. Since pets were a huge part of my childhood, I write about brave, smart Latinx main characters who are determined to protect animals. Lety Out Loud was inspired...
Read MoreThree Reasons to Have Bilingual Children’s Books in The Classroom
As a children's author who conducts school visits all across the country, I've met some amazing ESOL (English for Students of Other Languages) teachers who ask me if my children's books are available in Spanish. I'm happy that I can answer YES! There are many reasons having my books translated...
Read MoreHappy Birthday, Frida Kahlo! Book Giveaway!
In honor of Frida Kahlo's birthday on July 6th, me and Sugar Chat Cookie Studio are celebrating with a fun giveaway for two lucky winners! More details below. Sorry, we can only accommodate entries from Continental USA. Me and Cindi from Sugar Chat Cookie studio. Two winners will be randomly selected...
Read MoreBook-Inspired Classroom Art!
My Frida Kahlo-inspired children's novel, Me, Frida and The Secret of the Peacock Ring, has inspired some beautiful classroom art! Frida Kahlo would be proud, right? Thanks to the Texas Book Festival's Reading Rockstar Program, teachers and their students in the Rio Grande Valley were the first to receive a...
Read MoreBook Cover Reveal: Me, Frida and the Secret of the Peacock Ring!
Please judge this book by its cover The amazing artist behind the book cover for Me, Frida and The Secret of the Peacock Ring is Rafael Lopez. Rafael is an award-winning illustrator who has worked with some of the top names in the children's publishing industry. I met Rafael once...
Read MoreBook Cover Reveal: Coco: The Junior Novelization
Day of the dead or Día de los Muertos is a very special holiday for me. It's a time to honor and remember our ancestors. So, it was an honor to write Coco: junior novelization for Disney Pixar. I enjoyed hunkering down for three months at my desk writing about...
Read MoreDiverse Books and Voices- My partial list
Often, I'm asked for diverse book recommendations, so I made a list. This list is by no means complete nor organized in any profound way. I'm sure that I'm leaving off LOTS of books, but these are the ones I've managed to read (in between my writing schedule) and have...
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