More surprises...

I just found out Professor Sonia Saldivar-Hull is going to teach Damas... later this spring in one of her English classes at the University of Texas San Antonio. How that came to pass makes me smile. Turns out my friend Javier gave a copy of the book to her, through her husband. Javier works as a freelance operating room nurse—moves from hospital to hospital as doctors' personal surgical assistants. Well, Dr. Hull is one of his doctors! Which just goes to show: it's who you know. Speaking of which, it looks like I may meet one of the producers for Real Women Have Curves next week. Again, another chance encounter. Who knows where that will lead?!

On another note, I've been getting word that Sisters, Strangers, And Starting Over, the second book in the Quinceañera Club series, is available for pre-sale at various online sources. Check it out!

And lastly, I'll be appearing at the Quince Expo here in Austin at the Travis County Expo Center. Yes, you heard that right: the Expo center, meaning they are expecting a humongous turnout! I'll be hanging out at the Girl Scouts of Central Texas and the Austin History Center booth. They are working together to launch the Quinceañera Oral History Project. I'm their unofficial spokesperson—Gloria Espitia of the History Center insists it was all my idea. I insist it was hers. We've agreed to disagree. What we both agree on is the need to capture the stories of Mexican American women in Austin and beyond. Having accessed the Mexican American archives of the Austin History Center in the past, it's clear that the voice of women is present, but not as strong as it should be. We hope to change that with this and other projects in the future.

If you're in Austin and going to the Quince Expo, please come by and say "hello." I have some goodies to give away....maybe you'll be a lucky recipient?