“Impressively original and deftly crafted.”

I’m over the moon thrilled with this review of Mother Mother in the October 2020 “Small Press Bookwatch” of Midwest Book Review, written by editor-in-chief James A. Cox.  Critique: An impressively original and deftly crafted novel by an author with a genuine flair for the kind of narrative storytelling style that fully engages the reader’s total attention from first page to last, “Mother Mother” will prove to be an immediately welcome and enduringly appreciated addition to both community and college/university library Contemporary Hispanic Literary Fiction collections.   I love any review that describes me as “an author with a genuine flair”– for anything! Thank you, Midwest Book Review!

Two interviews, one fun and one serious

My book has been out in the world for more than a week and I’m sleeping better than I have for the past 7 years. Someday I’ll sit down and write about how it feels to be seized by a subject for so long. “Obsessed” can only begin to describe it. As I said earlier–here or somewhere else, I’ve lost track–I needed to tell this story and I told it. And that, my friend, is a great feeling. Here are two interviews! The first is a fun, short read on Hasty Book List. Thank you to Emily at Mindbuck Media for setting up this and so many opportunities for my book! My favorite quote from this interview: “If I weren’t an author, I’d be…. a Broadway dancer.” Which everyone who grew up with me knows to be true. @MindbuckMedia The second is an in-depth back-and-forth with Courtney Harler in The Masters Review. Courtney is a writer and editor I met at Bread Loaf in a workshop led by Luis Alberto Urrea and Naomi Jackson. Here’s an excerpt from the response to Courtney’s question about finding a home for Mother Mother at Loyola University’s Apprentice House Press. @apprenticehousepress The call came on a Friday night. My kids and I were roaming the aisles of Target when an unfamiliar number flashed on my phone. I started jumping up and down, screaming. My son rushed over and grabbed me. “Mom, stop,” he said. “You’re on the security camera.” The three of us fell into a group hug. I was literally sobbing. I love that my kids witnessed my moment of victory because they’d seen me endure so much failure. Thanks for reading! PS: If you’ve read my book and like it, please consider leaving a review on Goodreads or Amazon. A million thanks.