Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15, the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries—Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico declared its independence on September 16, and Chile, on September 18.

I understand that in San Antonio, TX, they have a gathering by the Municipal Auditorium where people celebrate "El Grito", Father Hidalgo's yell, by ringing the church bell of his church calling everyone in Mexico to fight for liberty from Spanish rule.

In keeping with this year's theme which is "Getting Involved: Our Families, Our Community, Our Nation", I've invited several authors who have Hispanics/ Latinos as primary or secondary characters to join me in this celebration. I will feature one author and his/ her book individually from September 15 through October 15 which is the end of Hispanic Heritage Month.

You will see the book cover and a blurb about each book. The author will also include a short excerpt and/ or include their answers to the following questions:

Why did you include a Hispanic/ Latino character in your story?

Do you think books should reflect the diversity of communities and the country?

What do you think makes for a compelling story?

Depending on how many responses I get I will also feature a few authors on the blog for the Society of Latino and Hispanic Writers of San Antonio at www.slhwnotes.blogspot.com

All genres will be featured - from historical to contemporary. From YA to Last Rose of Summer, as my publisher, The Wild Rose Press, refers to romances which include a more mature heroine.

Please check back during Hispanic Heritage Month. Pick out books you'd like to read. Throughout the month, I'll have a few surprises.

To begin, I will introduce you to my debut book, TOO LATE FOR ROMANCE? which was released in print on June 27, 2008.

ROSES BLOOM
Gloria Amaya wants her rose garden to flourish. She hires a gardener to help her. When she meets Matt, thoughts of her dying rose bushes wilt to the ground. Immediately attracted to him, she kisses him and melts.

LOVE BLOSSOMS
Matt Cerda knows everything about gardens as he has been working with plants, flowers and other green living things since he was a little boy. However, when he meets Gloria, he realizes that hers is one garden that needs more than a little tender loving care. And the lady could use it, too.

Matters are complicated when her sons and his daughters get in an uproar with Matt and Gloria in the middle of it. Health issues, job insecurities and phobias cause more difficulties for the couple. Can Gloria and Matt weed through all this baggage and allow their love to blossom?

Hope everyone is looking forward to the New Year  and has set some goals. Forget about the past, look to the future.

To be a good writer, you also have to read a lot, so this year ...

 I started keeping a reading list.  I didn't count the short stories from The Wild Rose Press and some stories I read from lit journals. I've impressed myself. Though I'm on a Cozy Mystery loop and some people on there read in the hundreds of books.

However, of those 60 books that I read: my Top Faves are:

Moon Pies and Movies Stars – Amy Wallen

Mai Tai to Murder – Candy Calvert

A Legal Affair – Maureen Smith

Death On A Family Tree – Patricia Sprinkle (family history mystery)

The Southern Sisters Mysteries by Anne George

Harl Everlasting – The Scrapbook – Lynnette Kent

15 Candles anthology –Quinceaneras – edited by Adriana Lopez

Harl Everlasting – Dancing on a Sunday Afternoon – Linda Cardill

10 Steps to Becoming a Latina – Lara Rios

Deborah Knott mysteries by Margaret Maron (am on RITUALS OF THE SEASON) – my fave- High Country Falls – romance was added, some tension and hints in the previous 8 books

Harl Everlasting – Upstairs at Miss Hattie’s – Ken Casper

Shop on Blossom Street – Debbie Macomber (re-read)

A Good Yarn – Debbie Macomber

(Macomber's books both about a heroine who had brain cancer in her teens, then a relapse in her 20’s, now in her 30’s she opens a knitting shop and gives classes and meets women with problems and somehow knitting helps; of course, she also meets the man of her dreams)

The Woodcutter’s Gift – Lupe Ruiz-Flores (children’s book)

These are in the order I read them except for the mysteries, those were intermixed.

I also read some books that were disappointments for various reasons, the writing style, the plot points, the "perfect beauty"of the heroine, etc.

These were:

Keepsake Crimes – Laura Childs –  (scrapbook mytery)[writing style]

Bloody Waters – Caroline Garcia-Aguilera [unbelievable plot points]

Death by Darjeeling – Laura Childs (teashop mystery) (writing style)

Sisters – Danielle Steele (disappointing,"perfect beauty")

Secret Diaries of Miranda Cheever – Julia Quinn (disappointing, didn't even finish the last chapter)

Since You’re Leaving Anyway Take Out The Trash – Dixie Cash (racial slurs)

Strangled Prose – Joan Hess (a mystery set in a bookstore, put down romance and romance writers as trashy, supposed to be satire, but I didn't like it)

What books did you read? Why? Did you like them? Would you recommend them to others?

Lupe

My lifelong dream has come true! My debut book is now available at The Wild Rose Press www.thewildrosepress.com

It took awhile, but it is now a reality. TOO LATE FOR ROMANCE? by L. M. Gonzalez, yours truly, is now available in digital format.

I really enjoyed writing this story about Matt and Gloria, two people who accepted their lives as they were and were content, or so they thought.That is, until the day they met over Gloria's dying rosebushes. As the "roses bloomed, love blossomed", but not without its ups and downs.

I hope you enjoy reading this story and come back for more. By no means, is this the end of Matt and Gloria, I hope.

Please let me know how you like it.

L.M.