Las Bernsteinistas en Austin

In this photo, poet,  translator, and all around hot mama, Liliana Valenzuela, Julia Alvarez, y yo at the Big Read Event held at the Mexican American Cultural Center in Austin, Texas. You can't tell from this photo, but the joint was packed!  Oh—we call ourselves the "Bernsteinistas" because we all have the same agent, Stuart Bernstein. We heart him mucho.  :-)

De Robertis book is an Oprah Pick!

Man, I love it when good things happen to great people!

Carolina De Robertis's The Invisible Mountain was recently selected as one of "10 Terrific Reads in 2009" by O, The Oprah Magazine. ¡Orale!

I met Carolina at this year's Texas Book Festival, seeking her out at the suggestion of my fellow Macondistas and writing allies, Liliana Valenzuela and Vicente Lozano. Unlike me, they had the pleasure of meeting Carolina at Macondo (I didn't go this year), but I caught up with her at the cocktail party Nora Comstock of Las Comadres organized for Latin@ writers during the TBF (see photos at my FaceBook fansite). As promised, Carolina was as gracious and lovely as Lili and Chente said she would be. The next day, The Invisible Mountain was among my book festival purchases and I added it to the teetering pile of books to devour over the holiday break.

I am delighted for Carolina and I hope she's enjoying this boost. As I've said elsewhere, it couldn't have happened to a nicer person. Felicidades Carolina!

Look Who's reading DAMAS, DRAMAS, AND ANA RUIZ

It's been a hectic two weeks. Just now catching my breath! I did a heap of laundry today after many, many, many weeks of delay. This book release business is exhausting, but it's been great to meet so many excited readers and fans new to the Quinceañera Club series.

I'm starting something new here on the blog: if anyone can send me the most unusual pic of Damas—either in an unusual setting, or with a copy of the book in the hands of a famous/near famous person—and the photo makes me laugh, sigh, or go "wow," I'll send you a FREE book. Yes, that's right: a free book, right to your mailbox!

Send your photos to me at nuevob@gmail.com. Please, nothing "blue" or off-color.

My selections are totally subjective but may be selected based on the quality of the photo in addition to the content. So, your blurry photos won't fly and your super-high-res-photos will not upload. Use "web quality" on your camera, if possible. I'll pick a winner each week. In the meantime, I'm going to upload photos from my friends and colleagues collected since Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz came out.

This photo: creatures in Cuernevaca, Mexico courtesy of Liliana Valenzuela: translator, poet, wife, mother, Macondista, y mi comadre buena.