Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Blanca De La Rosa, the daughter of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, grew up in the projects of the upper west side of Manhattan in New York, during the time before the Hispanic population developed the supportive Latino community which exists today. Although she struggled without support in her cultural and linguistic transition, De La Rosa was able to graduate from Pace University with a bachelor’s degree in international business management and to establish a successful 34-year career rising through the ranks of a Mobil/ExxonMobil Oil Corporation. I have self-published three books: Empower Yourself for an Amazing Career, Pursuing a Better Tomorrow, and En busca de un mañana mejor.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Pursuing a Better Tomorrow (En busca de un mañana mejor) As an immigrant, we all struggled with learning a new language and acclimating to the weather, fashion, values, and customs of a new culture. At times, these changes were so overwhelming that I wasn’t sure I’d ever fit in. My parents could not help, as they were also struggling to acclimate, and they did not understand or know what it took to get ahead in this new environment. Like many immigrants before them, they were trying to find their place in the land of opportunity. In the 1960s, there was no supportive Latino Community to help with assimilation and ascension within the dominant English-speaking culture. With no one to help ease the difficulties of transition, there was ample opportunity to stumble linguistically and culturally. We made plenty of mistakes along the way.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Nothing unusual but I tend to write and edit simultaneously. I write and rewrite many times.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I like to read nonfiction and true crime drama. I would say my most influential book is Gone with the Wind.
What are you working on now?
I recently published Pursuing a Better and am now just publishing articles and blog.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I promote my books on LInkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, BookBuzz, Onlinebooks.net, Jay Digitals, Book Festivals, and other online platforms.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Do not rush the process. Think through your plot so that you can keep your readers engaged to the very end. Get both a critique partner and beta reader as each serves a very important role. One can give you professional input while the other can give you a feel for how the average reader will receive your work.
What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading Rachel Maddow’s Blow Out
What’s next for you as a writer?
I will definitely be writing another book but have not yet landed on the genre or topic. I have started a ‘Words to Live By’ short stories in which I use a cliché and pair it with a short story that gets to the wisdom and message of the phrase. I will use these stories in a blog and see how it develops from there.
Editors hate clichés and I agree they have no business in a novel, but I love clichés. They are succinct and get to the heart of the matter and point. For example, the simple cliché ‘”walk a mile in another’s shoes.” Those six words say so much about not being judgmental, coitizing another’s actions and motives, and being more tolerant. I am fascinated by the art of creation, inspiration, empowerment of the written word
Author Websites and Profiles
Blanca De La Rosa Website
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