Marginalized young women have a tendency to disappear in New Mexico. PCT Bounty hunter Dakota del Toro knows the local vampire coven and their pet werewolves are to blame, but the badge she carries means she requires pesky things like admissible evidence and warrants to act—however when a bereaved mother comes to Dakota for help in recovering her daughter from the Lobos Diablos gang this bounty hunter will risk her career, her freedom, and her very life to bring Pilar Guzmán home.
1. What
inspired you to write Compañera
and what is the significance of the title?
Dakota del Toro is a character whose story I have been
carrying with me since I was just a teenager, and I’m in my thirties now. She’s
tough but goofy and always sticking her neck out to try and do the right thing.
The plot of this book examines the vulnerability of
undocumented immigrants, particularly women, to sex trafficking. In this story
vampires and werewolves are to blame, but it’s sadly an allegory for our own
world which is too full of real monsters who prey on women. You can read
harrowing stories about it with just a few clicks on Google. According to the
ACLU “In the United States,
victims of trafficking are almost exclusively immigrants, and mostly immigrant
women.”
The
title Compañera refers to Dakota’s involvement in a revolution that promises to
put an end to the abuse of women, at least in the vampire world.
2. How
does this differ from a traditional vampire story (if it does)?
In a couple ways, if I may toot my own horn. I know my book embraces
some tropes but I hope it’s presented in a fun and original way. I’ve found
it’s fairly hard to find a good vampire series that centers on Latino and
Iberian culture. So, I write what I want to read. If you have any
recommendations for a book I’ve missed I’m all ears!
I also feel like my book stands apart because I work in the antique
business, and I have a good understanding of what life was like "back in
the day". I’m familiar with the objects they used, the cultural values, the
society norms, etc., and I think it gives me some insight into how someone who
was born in say 1601 might behave in this modern day. I love thinking about how
someone that old would have so much wisdom and insight in many ways, yet be so lost in others.
3. What
genre would you put this book in?
This book falls into the urban fantasy genre. There are elements of
vampires and werewolves and magic, but it’s set in the recognizable world of
Santa Fe, New Mexico.
4. What
are the intended goals of the main characters?
Dakota is a bounty hunter for the Preternatural Control Team. Basically
there's a lycanthropy epidemic and it’s her job to bring infected people in for
treatment before they turn furry and pose a threat to society. But she has a
side mission to bring home these missing women that she knows have gone missing
because of the vampires and werewolves, and she's willing to break the rules to
do it. She meets a man along the way who on the surface seems like a nice normal
human gallery owner, but as it turns
out he's not what he seems and his goals are very similar to her own.
5. What
are some of the main issues that you explore in this book and why did you
explore them?
As a female I suppose women’s issues have always been of foremost
interest to me. I’ve been very fortunate, but I think it’s important to
understand the lives of those who haven’t had as many advantages. As I was
writing this the #metoo movement exploded, and it was hard not to feel some
vindication in that. Like finally, our time has come. It's something that's
been boiling under the surface for all of us in all walks of life.
6. What
do you hope readers will gain from your book?
I suppose first and foremost I hope my readers will be entertained! And
at the same time, maybe walk away with a bit more awareness of these issues,
and I hope more empathy too. Empathy is something I think we could use a whole
lot more of these days.
7. Who
are some of your favorite authors?
I
have an eclectic list. Arturo Pérez-Reverte. Elizabeth Peters. Tom Robbins.
Anne Rice. Craig Johnson. Jo Nesbø. Larry
McMurtry. Seth Skorkowsky. To name just a handful, really. I’m constantly
reading.
8. If
your book would be turned into a movie, who would you imagine playing the part
of the main character? (Actor can be ANYONE, living or dead.)
Oh dear. I think every author has a
running cast list in their head for their book, ha! I think Cote de Pablo would
play an amazing Dakota del Toro! And maybe…Maluma and Antonio Banderas c. 1995
as supporting actors? Hee hee…
9. Are
you working on anything right now?
I am always working on a handful
of things, my muse bounces around like a ping pong ball. Right now I’m
buttoning up edits for Dakota del Toro #2, as well as working on a spinoff
story set in 1860s California featuring a bandido and a vampire slayer.
10. And,
finally, what do you think is in store for the future of Latino literature?
I think that any art based in such a
vivid and complex culture can go nowhere but up!
For more info on Julia DeBarrioz, go to www.juliadebarrioz.com
