Category: Caridad’s News!

Summer is my favorite time of year and I’m sad to see it go but I love the changes that autumn brings. Cool nights and breezy days. The splashes of color in the trees and my fall-flowering plants. I’ve set out a few mums here and there along with some pumpkins and I’ve just picked up some fun hanging Halloween decorations. I’ll set them out as soon as it stops raining. The rain is welcome since I just put some new perennials in the garden. How about you? How do you feel about fall having arrived?

It’s Hispanic Heritage Month but also a happy anniversary for me! This September it’s been 24 — yes 24 — years since my first novel was released for the Encanto Latino Romance line. That first novel was set in Miami much like my current South Beach Security series. Miami for me was the replacement for the country I couldn’t visit — Cuba. I also was raised in a very non-Latino neighborhood – Levittown, Long Island. For those reasons, I use a Miami location to share my Cuban culture. But you’ll notice that the image I created says something else in Spanish: Latin Heritage, American Heart. Very true for me. Although I value and honor my Cuban (and Spanish) background, my heart is very much American also and I honor the Nation that has given me so much. It’s not a perfect Nation, but I truly believe it is an amazing country that has provided so many opportunities for so many. It’s a nation that’s let me not only keep my culture but also share it with others, the way that I do in so many of my novels. But not all of my novels as some of you might know. Why? I love exploring all aspects of different cultures and people. The key for me is to always do it accurately and respectfully. My two cents on this Monday!

Sept. 15th marks the official start of Latino Heritage Month. I love sharing my Latino culture, art, food, traditions, and history as often as I can but this month is a perfect opportunity to recognize the contributions of my fellow Latina/Latino/Latinx/Latiné authors in the adult romance genre.

I’m excited to share that we’re taking over Instagram for the next 30 days for the first-ever “Latinx/Latiné Romance Author Chain”!

Here’s how it will work. On the 16th, authors Claire Contreras @clairecontreras and Dominique Laura @justdominiquelaura will post a bit about themselves and their books and then tag 2 more authors for the next day. Then they’ll tag 2 more authors and so on and so on. If you follow the chain all month, you’ll be introduced to 60 Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latiné romance authors! You may already know and love some of these authors. Others may be new to you and we hope you’ll rush to check out their books.

To make sure you don’t miss a post, follow the hashtags #LatinxRomanceAuthorChain and #LatinéRomanceAuthorChain. You can also support the chain by sharing posts with your followers.

Please help spread the word and celebrate Latina/Latino/Latinx/Latiné voices in romance together.

Vamos! Let’s go have some fun and discover new authors!

I love automobiles, both old and new. But I have to confess that I lean toward loving classic cars. Seems fitting since I drive a 23 year old Sebring convertible! LOL! One of my fav cars is the 1967 Camaro SS convertible like the one Guy Fieri drives on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives or Trey Gonzalez has in Lost in Little Havana. What about you? Do you think you’d love a vintage car like the 1950s pickup below or a futurist EV Rivian?