Creativity and Healing
Meet Aisscha Rivera
Meet Aisscha Rivera, a twenty-one-year-old from Lajas, Puerto Rico. Aisscha, like our hero Dante of DANTE’S KISS, feels like she doesn’t always fit in with Puerto Rican society but finds her way in the world through books, Buddhism, and the martial arts. Read on as...
Meet Maranyalie Torres
Meet, Maranyalie Torres, a sixteen-year-old from Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. Marita—as she prefers to be called—is creative, fun-loving, and is inspired by music. She is an accomplished singer and guitarist and recently wowed audiences in the female lead role, playing...
Meet Geilimar Garcia
This is the first in a series of interviews with Puerto Rican teen readers. And in case you had any doubt, let me assure you: there’s a lot we can learn from these interesting young people. Meet Geilimar García, a nineteen-year-old from Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Geilimar,...
Orange Blossoms and Incense
As a writer, I particularly enjoy describing scent. So it may not be surprising that Scent of Sorrow was the original title of my debut novel CITY OF SORROWS. Why? Because for many of us, the scent is the story. In CITY OF SORROWS, the scent that both...
Sensuality and Semana Santa
In my opinion, no city celebrates Holy Week like Seville. The colors, the aroma, the passion and the pageantry are epic. CITY OF SORROWS captures all the wonder and majesty of this grand event, mostly through the eyes of Andrés. Holy Week is Andrés’s favorite time of...
Gypsy Pentecostals in Spain
In my novel CITY OF SORROWS, many of Diego’s family members belong to a Pentecostal Gypsy church located in their neighborhood. This church was based on one that I worshipped in. You may wonder, as I did, how Pentecostal Christians came to establish churches among the...
