#Latina Authors

[leyllethecreator]

Writing Tip #1: never underestimate the power of ugliness

Never underestimate the power of ugliness.

Uglying up your prose can be just as powerful as prettying it up.

Using words like bleeding, vomiting, to describe basic actions like water running out of a faucet can add a sense of violence or agony to a scene:

"Plunging his hands into the ice cold water vomiting from the sink..."

"Plunging his hands into the ice cold water bleeding from the sink..."

Using very ugly imagery to describe normal things can also work well in tandem with using prettied up (especially when it's exaggeratedly so) imagery for ugly things.

"Plunging his hands into the ice cold water vomiting from the sink, he wipes the last delicate dribbles of golden bile from his lower lip"

[rachel-sylvan-author]

"The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros

Thank you @bumble_reads for the recommendation! ❤️

[tomewardbound]

"The night had no mistress but her." — Isabel Cañas, "Vampires of El Norte"

[haveacupofjohanny]

Zoraida Córdova: A Writer of Magical Mayhem and Family & Destiny

Discover the magic of Zoraida Córdova, a master storyteller blending family, culture, and destiny in her novels. From the Brooklyn Brujas series to The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina, get lost in her world of magical realism! Read more on the blog.

Zoraida Córdova is a literary powerhouse whose stories blend magical realism, Latinx culture, and the complexities of family relationships. Whether through fantastical realms or deeply personal journeys, Córdova weaves a tapestry of magic, identity, and legacy in her novels. Today, we’re spotlighting four books from her impressive catalog that showcase her talent for creating immersive worlds and…

[sincerelyveronica]

Gods of Jade & Shadow Review:

I finished this book a few weeks ago. I had to let this book sink in the 2nd time around. My thoughts towards this book are quite different from when I first heard this book back in 2020. Before I do my deep dive, let's give you a summary per usual.

Summary:

The Mayan god of death sends a young woman on a harrowing, life-changing journey in this one-of-a-kind fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore.

The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own.

Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it—and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true.

In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City—and deep into the darkness of the Mayan underworld.

3/5 Stars

I will start off with saying that I still enjoyed all the Mayan folklore. Everything that had to do with Xibalba and Hun-Kamé were my favorite bits of the book. I actually paid more attention to the dialogue and was surprised by the romance that bloomed between Casiopea and Hun-Kamé. I honestly forgot that bit and really relished in the softness and tenderness that formed around them. I was actually very sad when their love could not be. Silvia Moreno-Garcia wrote that romance in such a subtle way, it really snuck on me. I appreciated that. The adventure was a lot of fun! Really enjoyed the journey to Xibalba.

BUT, my problem was that the book had so much inner dialogue. It became a little dense. I struggled at times to keep up with which character was talking. Another thing I was surprised with was that I didn't realize how petulant Casiopea and her cousin Martin were in this book. It really got on my nerves. There was a lot of complaining that I could have gone without. This book left longer to finish and I found myself struggling to get through. At one point, I wanted to stop reading it. I just really wanted the end not to drag on as it did. I think when you have too many points of view and you add a lot of description, the writing can get a little lost. That's what happened to me this time. I think I need to give it another few years and try again. I still do recommend it, mostly for the adventure, the romance, and all the Mayan folklore.

Has anyone read this one? I'm curious to hear your thoughts!

Sincerely,

Veronica

[thenerdcantina]

Chingona by Alma Zaragoza-Petty: Book Review

Chingona by Alma Zaragoza-Petty: Book Review

In Mexican-American culture, a chingón is known as a “badass”. In the feminine form, however, chingona means unruly woman, or a woman who is problematic. First-generation scholar Alma Zaragoza-Petty encourages women to reclaim that word. We should own it and use that badassery to heal from our own trauma and forge our path forward. A core message she expresses in Chingona: Owning Your Inner…

[ashleybenlove]

[gnaws tree bark about whether I wanna finish the book I'm reading or not]

[shespeaksinsongs]

Too gringa, demasiada latina

When I say I’m from Venezuela, sometimes people misunderstand me.

“Minnesota? Oh, cool! I hear it’s nice there this time of year.”

I fight the urge to roll my eyes, because

I wouldn’t want to meet the stereotype of being “feisty,” 

(Not that there’s anything wrong with that, Sofia Vergara)

and I repeat.

Other times, they look at me through furrowed brows,

Unaware that there are countries that speak Spanish other than

Mexico and Spain.

They tell me to prove it, but how?

How do I prove wearing yellow underwear every New Year’s Eve, 

For good luck?

Where are the records saying that 

I am a certified quinceañera?

Who documents how often I eat

Arepas?

Where are the diary entries from the week that I spent,

Pent up in my room,

Afraid that la llorona would get me at night?

And even though they wouldn't know a thing,

About how it feels to have your identity constantly questioned,

I worry that they're right.

I can’t recite the Venezuelan anthem like my dad proudly does, before each fútbol game,

I can’t bake a quesillo like my mom does, for each birthday.

And if you asked me what “carcacha,” meant, I couldn’t tell you,

But I could sing that song by Selena if you needed me to.

After my parents are gone,

And all that is left of them is my Spanish and my drooping nose,

Who will carry their legacy?

Most days,

When it is dark and everyone else is asleep,

I ask my ceiling what language my children will speak,

And if they will be able to dance salsa,

Or if they will know what a torta de guayaba tastes like,

Or if they will ever be able to gaze up at the billowing yellow, blue, and red flag,

Complete with eight stars for the eight provinces,

(Barcelona, Barinas,

Caracas, Cumaná,

Guayana, Margarita

Mérida, and Trujillo)

and be able to say,

“That’s mine - es mi país.”

I wonder if they will see this all and grasp it - 

Hold it in the palm of their hands,

Or if they will be just as lost as I am.

-

guys this was my first poem on here!! i wrote it for my english class. the theme was identity. i hope you like this, and even more, if you can relate to this, i hope i could give you at least the smallest bit of comfort. my dm's are always open if you want to discuss these kinds of things... and even if you don't - they're still open <3 i love chatting, so text me!

my biggest thank you's to @definitelymustard and @marcela6malfoy for proof-reading and critiquing! <33

shespeaksinsongs ©

[now-a-witch]

Listen I tried starting the Bungo Stray Dogs manga like 7 years ago or smt, but I was falling out of the reading manga train so I have not read it or watched BUT I'm watching a guy react to it and it finally convince me to give it another shot.

That said what I made this post for was because them exploring more worldwide things in s5 made really want some latino autors like:

I want Carlos Fuentes, I want his gift to be "Aura" which allows him to bring people back from the death by summoning their soul into a living persons body, stealing it away.

I want Gabriel García Márquez, "Cien años de soledad" (one hundred years of solitude) being his gift would be the obvious choice, allowing him to capture people in a time prison or something could be cool but "El amor en los tiempos del colera" (love in the times of cholera) would be funny and "Crónica de una muerte anunciada" (chronicle of a death foretold) would be cool if we didn't already had 2 characters who could forsee their own death.

Jorge Luis Borges having "El Aleph" giving him a kind of omnipresence allowing his spirit to leave his body and percive from above and great distance.

Julio Cortazar havin "Rayuela" as his gift allowing him to chose between possible futures that things could have at the moment, I don´t know what Juan Rulfo's gift would be since I don't know how to make his most iconic work "Pedro Paramo" into a gift, Like forcing dead beat dads to take accountability? who knows, the possibilities are endless.

Just Latin American autors being anime boys you know.

(honorary mention to the autor of "Por amor a Feliciana" (For love of Feliciana) whom I actually met, he signed my book then I proceeded to lend it to someone I can't remember and they never returned, also my watercolour teacher bashed him when she saw me reading the book, because I think his gift would be the ability to teleport next to a person as long as he is horny enough for them)

[leanimlopez]

[leyllethecreator]

Rigamarole: Section 3: Confluence

I know he’s not interested in talking, but turning the radio on would still feel like telling him to shut up.

I could think of a thousand things to say if left to my own devices - but my body has felt like one big system error for the last five years. 

I have a thousand things I want to say and I don’t feel like saying any of them, staring at the back of his curly head as he studies his scrawny arm resting on the windowsill, with something like stubborn pride that unsettles me.

“How do you calculate the length of the hypotenuse?” I blurt brusquely, like it’s a dare.

“I don’t need you to quiz me, Lady Licorice,” He doesn’t turn his gaze from his arm, rolling down his sleeve until it hides his bloodless hands.

“Excuse me for trying to keep you out of summer school,” I sniff with more than genuine vehemence. “Remind me who got a ‘D’ on their last test?”

“I didn’t study for that one. I studied for this one,” he says in an exasperated monotone, crossing his arms over his chest - leaning forward against the seat belt like he’s a ragdoll just barely being kept upright.

I purse my lips at that, but he can’t see me, my eyebrows furrowing into a migraine. I try to push it back with one hand, keeping the other on the steering wheel.

I shouldn’t have left without my coffee this morning…

“So what’s this ‘plan?’”

“Don’t want to go into it.”

I can barely feel my numb fingers resting on the faux leather wheel cover - watching the red light grow from a speck and bleed into color. I shift - reminding myself of the feeling of cotton on my skin. Weight. That I can feel my hair on my neck. If I stop to think about it.

“I thought we said we were going to tell each other what was going on?”

He looks over at me slowly as I stare at him, my jaw set, and his eyes dare me back.

“Is Kevin still texting you?”

“Not enough to be jealous of.”

I manage to keep my uncomfortable heartbeat from showing - but I feel cold on the outside - wondering if the only reason my heart isn’t pounding against my ribs is because it’s shrinking.

Riley glares at me rancorously.

“What did he say?”

Shifting uncomfortably against my seat belt as the car pauses at the street corner, I wriggle my phone from my jean’s pocket and toss it onto his lap with as much un-phase-ed-ness as I can muster, and turn the radio up to a murmur to drown out this feeling under my skin.

“An albino- a mosquito-!”

Riley scrolls back and forth between the two most recent texts as I glance over his shoulder.

That’s what you said last year, Kevin.

Sorry, Lei. I know. I’ve been dying to come see you again but I’ve got no time. My mom’s been on my back about grades all year like a drill sergeant because of graduation. But maybe this summer if she doesn’t make me go with her to visit her family again.

Riley looks at me in abject indignation. I just shrug a little.

“Don’t tell me you’re buying this.”

“I’m not buying anything,” I say a little too shortly, defensively. “I just let him talk. If he comes he comes. If he doesn't, who cares?

Riley looks like there’s something else he wants to say to that, but he just puts the phone on the dashboard to sunbathe in the little light eking its way through the foggy morning haze and lifts his ghost-like hand to his mouth to check his sour breath.

A thousand thoughts spiral in my brain. Shake themselves up and rearrange into new phrases - nonsense and blabber - like a bag of scrabble pieces - but-

“You smell like barf.”

-Is what comes out.

He just scowls at me, but I scowl back, bitterly.

“After all this time, you still haven’t learned how to cover your tracks?”

[sugarplumz100]

The amount of Character x Latina reader fics is criminally low! Where is our representation! Like obviously there is Latino authors writing but I want it to be more leaning into yk reader being darker and having a different culture or even using Spanish slang. I know and understand that not all Latinos are tan or speak Spanish but a majority do and I think that should be represented even it is a different culture because not all Latinos come from the same culture. I’m Mexican but if I come across a Cuban reader x character imma read that shit bc that’s like the only Latino representation I can find :/

Where’s our love c’mon y’all it’s September 🇲🇽🇺🇸lessss gooooo c’mon

[strangeauthor]

not to like defend a show i still have to catch up with because of adhd but i still know everything through gifsets and memes but i dont think owl house should be counted in the "first lgbt disney rep" jokes.

the reason why those jokes are made is because half of the time its a character thats not super important or the scene itself is vague enough to be read otherwise or its something that can easily be cut so disney can be sinophobic and blame china or some shit

but the owl house? the owl house was created by lgbt people. they FOUGHT to have proper rep shown on screen (even if it did result the show being cancelled). its not in the background; its in your face. you cant ignore it. you cant cut it. you cant pretend otherwise. and its because of the hard work of dana and her crew that its even possible.

tldr; owl house is innocent dont add it to first disney gay jokes thanks for coming to my ted talk lol

[haveacupofjohanny]

Unpacking Bianca's Greatest Strength: The Art of Self-Preservation

Bianca’s greatest strength? Her self-preservation skills. 💪 But what kept her alive as a child now holds her back. Dive into Under The Flamboyant Tree to see her journey of unlearning and healing. 🌳 #UnderTheFlamboyantTree #CharacterDevelopment

I recently came across an intriguing question on Threads from @crimsonnoblewrites: “Authors: What’s the best thing in your main character’s life?” It got me thinking about Bianca, aka Isabella Ramirez, the complex protagonist of my novel Under The Flamboyant Tree. The best thing Bianca has going for her is undoubtedly her self-preservation skills. They’ve been both her shield and her Achilles’…

[nickysfacts]

Pagu helped to lead Brasil into the Modern age!🇧🇷

📖🇧🇷📚

[merowkittie]

Negra cabrona

Aww are you mad mama? ☹️🥺 you can call me that all you want cause It’s not effecting me.. let me tell y’all something, you can sit up here behind an anonymous screen all you want and say this shit, listen boo ts not making me sad or mad. Go ahead and call me a black bitch, say I’m not boricua, and come at me cause you only bothering yourself 😿🫶🏽

On another noteeeee.. idk where y’all coming from with this hate but you gon leave black authors alone aight? And mixed ones too cause ain’t nobody do shit to y’all.. but I will curse you out cause I’m not the one today mama!!

So now I’m turning anonymous off and you can either message me or keep talking in my inbox with a real acc .