REVIEW: Under The Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

This is a coming of age story I will want my daughter to read.

For two days, I was thrust into Lupita’s world, the teenaged daughter of Mexican immigrants who have built a middle-class life in Texas. She’s the eldest of eight children who have a loving mother and father. Theirs is the happy tale of immigrants achieving the American dream.

But then Mami is diagnosed with cancer.

Giving Children of Color Role Models

Three years ago, a White House photographer caught the image of President Obama bending down, so that 5-year old Jacob Philadelphia could feel his hair.

Why Writers Should Care More Minority Children Are Being Born

jannoon028 / freedigitalphotos.net

On Friday, The New York Times reported that more non-White children were born in the U.S. than White children. It’s official. The future of the U.S. is a Brown one.

If you’re a children’s writer, you’d better give a damn.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of my mothers!

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We’re not just the sum of our parents. The universe offers us the potential to learn and be mentored by many people.

Seeing Your Ideas in Other Books That Are Coming Out?

Has this ever happened to you? You open up your email from Horn Book, Amazon’s Omnivoracious blog, etc. and you see a review for an upcoming book that sounds a lot like yours? Then, you knock your head against your desk.

Writing About My Character’s Race

I was going to write about the novel I’m working on in this post. Then I decided that I wanted to take a stab at writing about a decision I was struggling with until a particular controversy exploded online.

Writing While Black & Latina

    Dear World,

I’ve been working on a YA novel for about 7 months. I have a regular job, and am lucky enough to say I love the people I work with. When the day’s done, I come home to spend time with my husband and daughter. When they’re asleep, I play God and give birth to characters who live in a supernatural world.