Good morning! Today’s throwback is to the NY City RWA’s Golden Apple Awards in 2007. I was so honored to be chosen as the Golden Apple Author of the Year. Thank you!
#ThrowbackThursday – Central Park in NYC and The Calling is Reborn Vampire Novels
I loved working in New York City and also visiting there and exploring the sights that I normally wouldn’t see on a workday. It was that love for the city that led me to make it the setting for The Calling is Reborn Vampire Novels. I wanted to share all the different neighborhoods in New York City with you! One of my favorite places is Central Park because there is so much to see in the Park. Belvedere Castle. Strawberry Fields. All the bridges, arches, and statues in the park. The Carousel and zoo! So many things. Another one of my favorites that is easily accessible right on the edges of the park is the Turtle Pond. On a sunny day, you can see dozens of turtles sunning themselves on the rocks and tree stumps in the pond. Speaking of The Calling is Reborn, HONOR CALLS is now available for free if you’ve got Kindle Unlimited. Please take a moment to check it out at https://amzn.to/2GTBY9D.
#ThrowbackThursday – South Beach Love
We used to love going down to South Beach to get away from winter for a week. It was so much fun to go to the beach, hang out by the pool at the Park Central, and stroll along Ocean Drive. We’d also walk over to Lincoln Road to check out the shops and restaurants as well as take various trips to Little Havana to get our fill of Cuban food. Good times. That’s one of the reasons that I set my book for Hallmark, SOUTH BEACH LOVE, in the South Beach area. I’m so excited about this book! It’s got lots of great food scenes that are bound to make you hungry and a fun twist as two chefs who are starting to fall in love find themselves forced into a competition to decide who is the better chef. You can find out more about SOUTH BEACH LOVE at https://amzn.to/36L1kkm.
#ThrowbackThursday – A lawyer a lifetime ago
It seems like a lifetime ago that I put on these robes to graduate from law school and begin my career as a lawyer. Being a lawyer had its good and bad moments. I try not to think about the bad so much and focus on the good, like the fact that my job let me visit over a dozen different countries. I had many wonderful clients and colleagues. Most importantly, my lawyer job led me back to my writing and I am forever grateful for that. So here I am on graduation day!
#ThrowbackThursday – My grandparents Antonio and Nieves
My family was on my mind a lot as I worked on EXILED HEARTS (tentative title), my new book for Sourcebooks. EXiLED HEARTS is a story about a grandmother, mother, and daughter separated by the past. When the grandmother reaches out to the granddaughter to try to set things to right, the family’s history is revealed. All three women must come to terms with the past and also with the future as the granddaughter finds herself falling in love with her grandmother’s right-hand man.
Much of the history in this story is based on my family’s real-life history in leaving Cuba and you get to meet my grandparents in that novel. The story of them dragging around two little girls while they tried to get into the U.S. is true as is the story of the grandfather lying about his age to make himself younger so he could get work and help support the family. And like the great-grandmother in EXILED HEARTS, my grandmother was the one who watched my sister and me as my parents went off to work.
This is a picture of Antonio and Nieves, my grandparents. Two courageous, hard-working, and loving people who gave everything for their family.
#ThrowbackThursday – My Family in the U.S.
My family was separated before we could all come together in the United States. Castro had kept my grandparents and my sister and me in Cuba and so my brother and parents were in the U.S. before we could join them. Even after we were able to leave Cuba, it took many months before my grandparents and my sister and me were able to legally enter the country. This photo is a snapshot of my parents and brother in the U.S. before we were reunited.
#ThrowbackThursday – Getting Ready for the Fury Calls Re-Release
I’m getting ready for the re-release of FURY CALLS, another book in The Calling is Reborn Vampire Novel Series in a few weeks so I thought it would be a perfect time to share the video trailer for the series. Hope you enjoy! To check out the various books in the series, please visit http://bit.ly/2q8AVto.