Sometimes, all you need is to submerge yourself in the pages of a classic romance novel. The allure of passion and drama draws us in, gives us something to root for, and offers a welcome escape from the mundanity of everyday tasks. Seeing two lovers overcome their obstacles to live a life filled with love and adventure together is always great, but it is so much more satisfying when the characters and journeys reflect the readers.
Annette Chavez Macias creates stories seamlessly incorporating her culture and traditions where characters are guaranteed their happily ever afters. Annette weaves her passionate tales featuring Spanish and non-Spanish-speaking characters. She explains:
"I would like to think that helps Spanish speakers feel represented while also helping non-Spanish speakers learn about a different culture and language."
In this representation of both languages and cultures, Annette's stories allow readers to see themselves reflected and allow them to connect more deeply. Annette allows for beautiful explorations of language and culture that uniquely showcase Mexican-American traditions. By creating these rich characters and worlds, Annette hopes to convey to readers "the common threads we all share as humans."
As Annette aptly puts it, "Reading books opens you up to so many different worlds and experiences." Through her romantic tales, she invites readers to journey to new horizons, both geographical and emotional. Her advice to young writers is to build a community to learn from others and find inspiration, "Find a writing community as soon as possible. Whether it's online or in-person, find other writers. This will help you learn your craft, learn about the publishing industry, and network. But most importantly, you can find inspiration in hearing about other people's successes." Annette is currently working on another women's fiction book.
Annette Chavez Macias will be one of the featured authors at the Los Angeles Libros Festival, a free bilingual book festival for the whole family celebrating stories and music from Latin America and the United States. L.A. Libros Fest will be streamed live on YouTube on Friday, September 29, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. The Festival will be in-person at Central Library in Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, September 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
