Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I won a prize for “writing interesting stories” when I was six years old so I guess writing was always there. It came out as soon as I literally learned how to put pen to paper. I discovered journalism in high school so I knew that’s what I wanted to do as a career. I was a reporter for the Associated Press and Miami Herald, among other newspapers, and worked as a correspondent in Latin America writing for major media outlets including Time, Business Week, Financial Times, the Houston Chronicle and The New York Times.
I’ve written two novels and co-wrote a non-fiction book, “Peace in the Hood: Working with Gang Members to End the Violence,” a groundbreaking book on gang intervention (Turner Publishing, 2014).
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I had two books released in August in a weird coincidence (different publishers).
“Skin of Tattoos” is a literary crime thriller set in LA’s gang underworld. We meet the protagonist, Magsm as he comes out of prison wanting, as most parolees do, to go straight and never return “behind the wall.” To do that, he has to get away from his gang, the Cyco Lokos, but the “clica” has undergone some changes since he’s been locked up, namely his rival Rico, who set him up on the charge that got him imprisoned, is now the “shotcaller” or leader. It’s a story of revenge and rivalry, but there are also other layers: Mags’s quest for his father’s approval, the hardships faced by a poor immigrant family, as well as the larger picture of the socioeconomic factors that drive gangs in our society in general.
“Girl on the Brink” is a YA romantic thriller that chronicles the story of a teen romance that turns abusive and how the protagonist, Chloe, recovers from this emotional upheaval.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I sit in this weird way with one leg folded to the side and the other leg crossed over it, angled to the other side so basically my legs are going in opposite directions. It looks odd and is totally un-ergonomic but I find it very comfortable!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Probably my favorite all time author is Graham Greene. Many of his books are about the concept of being a foreigner, an outsider/observer, which I relate to on a personal level since I’ve lived in many countries both as a child and as an adult. That feeling of being an outsider comes through in both my novels.
As a reader, I love immersing myself in foreign cultures and settings because you always learn something new. As a writer, Greene’s work made me see how key setting can be. It can almost become almost like another character with a personality all of its own.
Having lived in Central and South America, I’m also partial to Latin American authors. One of my favourite books is “The Goat’s Party” by Peruvian Nobel prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa. This book is a fictionalization of the 1961 plot to assassinate the Rafael Trujillo, the dictator who ruled the Dominican Republic for 31 years. I found it fascinating, like a window into an unseen world in the way it fleshed out historical events with the motivations and emotions of the real people.
What are you working on now?
I’m rewriting a romantic suspense novel called “In the Heat of the Tropics,” which I just pulled back from a publisher so I can rewrite and re-release it. The romance is between a newspaper reporter and a homicide cop who spar during a serial killer case, but sparks of passion fly.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think you have to do everything in today’s cluttered book market. Social media, blog tours, personal outreach through authors’ groups, newsletters, library events. I’m doing a bit of everything. I’m at the beginning of the journey so I’ll see what works!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Believe in yourself and that you have something worthwhile to say. Don’t let anyone steer you from your path. Use adversity to develop strength. And just don’t give up.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If someone critiques your work, it’s only one person’s opinion. But if two people make the same observation, you need to pay attention to what they’re saying. More often than not, it’s something that needs fixing.
What are you reading now?
I’m reading “Robbery Under Arms” by Rolf Boldrewood, which I picked it up because it’s an Australian classic despite my thought it might be a stodgy read–it was published in 1881. I was completely wrong! I’m spellbound by this frontier tale of Captain Starlight and the Marston boys: bushrangers, cattle rustlers but generally sympathetic scallywags as they evade the law through goldfields and bush country. It is deservedly a classic.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve got two novels both in the final stages. One is called “The Revolutionaries,” and it’s a literary political thriller based on the 2002 coup attempt in Venezuela, where I was living at the time and working as a freelance journalist. The other is called “Angels Lust.” It’s a detective mystery set in Los Angeles.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Complete Works by William Shakespeare
Queen of the South by Arturo Perez-Reverte
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
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