Q&A with Suzan Battah

Livin' la vida Latina is proud to present...Mad about the Boy by Suzan Battah.

Check out the preview!

Play video



1. What was your inspiration for this story? What prompted to you to write about a Latina?
   A: I love romance and so writing love stories is natural for me. I have family in Venezuela who I recently met for the first time in 2010. I've always adored the Latino culture and language and being from a multicultural background prompted me to write a multicultural romance. I chose to write from a Latina perspective because I found the culture and people are so vibrant, passionate and dynamic--it was a perfect fit for my leading lady.

2. Was it your intention to write a story about two people from different backgrounds, like West Side Story?
   A: Yes, of course. There are so many cultures in this world and love is not limited to one culture. There are  not many books that I've read with such diverse characters from different backgrounds. I really wanted to explore this within a relationship. I come from a multicultural background myself with Lebanese parents. Growing up as an Australian with a Lebanese background, I loved the idea of exploring a more ethnic relationship by understanding the differences myself. I also have family in Venezuela and I adore the Latino culture. My grandfather a long time ago lived in Venezuela. The romance between Christophe and Julia is entirely fiction but I do draw upon some of my life experiences to give a more emotional ride for the readers.

3. How did you come up with the title?
   A: Mad About the Boy was based on the dynamic song by Dinah Washington. When I first heard this song, I fell in love with it and it suited the romance between Christophe and Julia.  

4. What was your favorite thing about writing this story? What was your least favorite?
   A: I loved every part of writing this novel! It was so much fun to write and I love hearing feedback from readers that have loved every minute of reading the book. The challenge with writing this book was the publication process. I finally decided to self publish and have never looked back.

5. What is your process for writing? Do you do an outline first?
   A: I used to just start writing, but have recently begun to plot a complete outline of a story and its characters. Things sometimes change and sometimes they don't, but that's all the fun.

6. Do you feel this story would inspire Latinas? How so?
   A: I hope it will inspire not just Latinas but every woman to chase their dreams, live and love passionately, have fun, laugh lots and dream big. There is nothing you can't do if you set your mind to it.

7. Are you working on anything right now? If so, would you please share with us?
   I've recently published my second novel BaSatai: Outside In, a YA Urban Fantasy novel. I'm currently working on two movie scripts and the 2nd novel in the BaSatai series.

8. Where can we learn more about your work? Do you have a website or blog
   A: You can read reviews of my work on GoodReads or at my Blog and Website.

        www.suzanbattah.com

       www.goodreads.com/suzanbattah

       http://suzanbattah.blogspot.com.au/

9. What do you like to do when you are not writing?
   A: I love to dance--Salsa, Merengue, Rock and Roll! It's my favorite hobby. I also enjoy reading, movies, and going to the gym.

10. And, finally, what do you think the future holds for today's Latina?
    A: The future looks promising if you take your own dreams into your own hands and work hard to get to where you want to be. Success is open to everyone.

 A review on her book is coming up next.

"Eye on Hawaiian Gardens" Video Featuring Sandra Lopez

Check out author Sandra Lopez in this fabulous TV interview for "Eye on Hawaiian Gardens."

Book Review: More than this

More than this by Margo Candela


She doesn't know his name and he doesn't know hers, but they just might be perfect for each other. Alexander Velazquez, an ambitious lawyer from a working-class neighborhood, and Evelyn Sinclair, a daughter of privilege trying to make it on her own, are strangers living parallel yet very different lives. Alex finds himself deeply entrenched in the life of an unredeemable client, and Evelyn realizes she's committed herself to a company with questionable ethics.

They are both brokenhearted workaholics constantly trying to keep up with the demands of family and friends. What they both want is to find meaning in their lives; what they're doing is looking in the wrong directions. As they watch each other through their office windows, all they can do is wonder about what might happen if they took a chance on the stranger across the street.




Reviewed by: Bela M.


Rating:


Review: This whole book is written in the POV of Evelyn and Alexander--the two main characters or "lovers" in the plot. It is in the classic "He said, She said" format.

At first the story was kind of slow at capturing my interest, but then things gradually picked up when I started getting into Alex's character, especially when he is about to propose to his girlfriend (I was sure that this is something ALL guys go through at some point--the "what the hell am I doing?" phase.)

Alex and Evelyn get their first "hit and miss" at the airport as they head back to San Francisco. The whole book consists of nothing but the "hit and miss" of these two characters. And as they go about wondering about the person across the building, they each go about the personal and professional turmoil in their lives.

Some scenes, I admit, I skipped because they were just too boring to read, like Evelyn's shopping excursion with her sister and friend. Who cares about the prada whatchamacallits? Other times, I felt that the story had a few too many characters, although Sigrid was fascinating--she was one those types that I can't stand: a scary girlfriend and an even scarier ex-girlfriend. Whooo, if I were Alex, I would've left her too.

I liked that this book had the classic Margo Candela humor that we've come to love in her other books, and I was impressed how well she was able to write the male POV; but, still, it did nothing to compensate for the constant frustration of having to go back and forth between each character. I practically had to re-read some parts to figure out where I left off with each one.

Quite frankly, I think I built up this book too much, mainly because of all the media hype--it wasn't worth all the good gab it got. I liked "Good-bye to All that" better. I think it was her best book ever.

Chica Lit Trivia#1

Let's test your knowledge of Chica Lit.

We posted the following:



Q: What is the "habit" that is also the title of one of Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez's books?



The first one to post the correct answer will get a copy of that book.

*Please be sure to leave your email address so that we can contact you

Latino Book Festivals 2012

Last year, the Latino Book and Family Festival was cancelled due to an insufficient budget. Hopefully this year we can bring it back.

Please show your support to make these events happen.

1. Chicago Latino Book and Family Festival - March 31-April 1 2012
2. Los Angeles Book and Family Festival - October 6-7 2012

For more information, log on to http://www.lbff.us/

Review: The Brenda Diaries

We're back!

To welcome 2012, we kick it off with the newest from Margo Candela--The Brenda Diaries.


Meet Brenda. A temp with a bad attitude, but an excellent work ethic.

Working assignments all around Los Angeles, Brenda was the official purse holder for a high powered event planner, has had an employer ask about her ovulation cycle, worked as a kiosk gypsy at an upscale mall and suffered as the reluctant muse for a frustrated architect who'd rather write screenplays on company time.

Off the clock, Brenda's boyfriend and best friend compete for her attention while she spends a little too much time with guy she met on a job. Brenda’s positive she can handle it all, but sometimes work and life get to be a bit too much even for someone as organized as Brenda.

The Brenda Diaries. All the dirty details of Brenda’s not so tidy life.


Reviewed by: Sandra L.
Rating:
Review: Meet Brenda, a temp office assistant living from paycheck to paycheck, reflecting on how much work sucks. In her diary, we get to know all the day-to-day aspects of her world.

I liked Brenda a lot. She’s a savvy, intelligent woman with strong work ethics, but she doesn’t have life quite figured out. Who does, right? Still, the girl struck me as someone with a good head on her shoulders. At times, I suspected that Brenda suffered from a low self-esteem. Why else would she work at jobs with no possibility of advancement? Why else would she “date” a guy and not really care for him? It all seems like a waste of time to me. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed her no-BS views on life, I just wished Brenda would’ve spent a little more time trying to figure out ways to make herself happy. I honestly don’t get why smart girls don’t give themselves the respect they deserve. But I must say that even though I didn’t always agree with Brenda’s choices, like taking in her promiscuous friend as a roommate, she was still a flawed character that most people could relate to. I definitely saw parts of me in Brenda. I don’t like getting “chummy” with co-workers (or anyone else, for that matter) either, and the whole clingy, touchy-feely boyfriend is also a huge turn-off for me, too.

As stated by the title, this book consisted of nothing but diary entries, all of which summarize the quick highlights of Brenda’s day. At times, I found my energies depleted by the mundane aspects of her daily activities; however, I managed to be revitalized by Candela’s smart and witty commentaries. Fortunately, most of the entries were kept short and to the point. Sometimes you’ll even find yourself laughing at some of them.

Overall, this book was a colorful rendition of humorous anecdotes about work and life; it really didn’t have a story—well, not much anyways. This was more of a depiction of Brenda’s observations instead of her life, which was nothing more than job-hopping. However, at one point, I wondered if there could be more to the character than I originally credited when the temp recruiter said to her, “Maybe it’s time you started working toward something.” (pg. 100) I was impressed when, at the end, Brenda finally embarked on her first step to being a “grown up,” even though it was shrouded in mystery.

I actually look forward to what becomes of Brenda in this series.

We'll be back in 2012!

Hello,

We are taking a break from all of our reading to enjoy the last few days of 2011. But not to worry, we will be back after the new year.

Until then, have a pleasant and safe holiday.

Saludos a todo!