What is the book about? The book is all the horror I saw and felt growing up Mexican American. It is a collective experience.What are the underlying themes? The theme is what does the world look like through the eyes of a woman of color. A Mexican American woman.Did you base your characters on anyone you knew? Many of the stories are influenced and inspired by real people and experiences.Who influenced you most in the writing of the book?My culture.Is there any advice you can give someone starting to write?Try not to compare yourself to others. Write how you want to write and stay true to yourself.
And persevere. Publishing is a long road.Where did you write the book?On my kitchen table and the couch in front of the TV because I have small children.Did you write in silence, or to any particular music?I listen to music that fits the vibe of the story. Did you find it hard to write? Or harder to edit your own work?Both are challenging for different reasons. When I get stuck I take a break from writing to have fresh eyes.What are you writing now? I have a ton of stories on the go at once. First, a Latinx space military horror.
It is my dream to write an Alien or Predator book. This book is a homage to Vasquez and possibly a way to make that happen. The main character is Leticia Velasquez. She is a space warrior with one robotic arm and bandana around her forehead. Her brother is an executive for the Opus corporation and has landed another job in space after a botched military rescue left her with one arm and her friend with one leg. The new gig seems easy until, the creature that took her arm is back. But its not just the humans exploring space. Another race watches and is intent on keeping this known universe free of the ancient creatures hungry for destruction.
Maria The Wanted series: Book 1 is out with high reviews. This was self-published. I want to continue the saga of Maria as she fights with other vampires for the fate of the world. Book 2 will give a new version of the vampire and human origin story and the return of Lucifer. I also have a spin-off for the character Vlad.Night of the Box Jelly: An eco-horror (think Latinx Jaws) set in Portugal. A Latina scientist who studies venom after her brother died handling a rattlesnake in a religious ceremony is called to Portugal after sea life is being fished out of the water with strange wounds. Things turn scary when the same begins to happen to humans.
Chemicals leaching from plastics have caused box jelly fish to become more toxic and aggressive. They are hiding and thriving in floating islands of garbage in open water. Even the predators of the sea are not safe.La Llorona the generational curse: I use the folk tale of La Llorona to explore post natal depression. Alejandra doesn't want to live anymore. The pressure of motherhood has left her devoid of life. But there is something darker at work, something evil that has been haunting her bloodline and other women for centuries. Can Alejandra defeat the generational curse in the form of La Llorona? What if what we know about the crying woman is all wrong.
What if it is really a demon who preys on a mother's love to devour children.Luchadora: A horror novel based on Mexican female wrestlers. The antagonist is a male wrestler who is really a creature from Aztec myth. He is undefeated and works for the local gang who refuse to give the female wrestlers a fair shake in the ring. Dora is a single mother willing to put her life on the line to defeat the gang and the masked wrestler.