Désirée Zamorano's newest novel is about four women linked by birth, separated by secrets of sex, money and death. Look for The Amado Women from Cinco Puntos Press.
She delights in the exploration of contemporary issues of injustice and inequity, via her mystery series featuring private investigator, Inez Leon. Human Cargo was Latinidad's mystery pick.
Modern Cons is a story of psychological suspense where she explores the reverberations of being raised by a con artist.
A Pushcart prize nominee and award-winning short story writer, Desiree is also proud of having co-authored with her sister two plays commissioned by southern California's Bilingual Foundation for the Arts. "Reina" and "Bell Gardens 90201" received Equity productions and toured for a total of eight years.
Welcome, Desiree!
1.
What inspired you to become a writer?
When I had all the sophistication of a
third grader who read anything in front of her, I knew way back then that I
wanted to be a writer—it just seemed like fun! As I grew older I realized that
I wanted to do was to be able to captivate a reader, to hold her interest, to
provide a place apart from the din of real life.
2.
How did you come up with the story of THE
AMADO WOMEN?
I wanted to write about women like me who
I call invisible Latinas-Latinas who are professionals or struggling to be successful.
I also wanted to write about a group of women who were deeply different from
each other, and the best place to find that is a family. Like many writers, I hope to take seeds of
truth and transmute them into a story with a plot and resolution. That’s what I have attempted in The Amado Women.
3.
Which character did you relate to the
most?
All of my characters have bits and pieces
of me, even the men! Fortunately the challenges the women face are very
different from my own—I am unsure, or perhaps unwilling to out myself here with
which character I most identify ;)
4.
How is your writing different than all
the other books in this genre?
The majority of published novels, including
family dramas, skew heavily white. The
obvious difference in my novel is that this is a Mexican-American
family, which I hope I have cast against expectations. In terms of the story itself I believe it is
the depth of characterization and relationships that set this novel apart from
others in its genre. My
stories are all about displacement: how we long to belong. In our lives
we may wonder are we in the right family? Will they accept the shameful
parts of us? Can we survive with or without each other? I hope, gentle
reader, you will recognize yourself, your struggles, your successes, in at
least one of these Amado Women
5.
What is the best thing about writing?
The most wonderful thing about
writing is its capacity for creative self-expression, no matter the form! My greatest challenge in writing is shaping
what I want to say into an engaging story, making it palatably entertaining
without being didactic.
6.
What is the most challenging thing about
writing?
Being sure that no one sees the sweat.
7.
What is the one thing readers want to
know about you?
Readers love knowing which of the secrets
in this novel are my own. That’s all I’m
going to say about that.
8.
Do you feel your book is an inspiration
to Latinas? How so?
It is up to the reader to tell me if they
find this novel inspiring; I just hope I have shared a facet of ourselves in a
way of changing the mental landscape of so many people who have an
exceptionally limited perception of who we are, of our roles and our language
abilities.
9.
Do you have plans for an upcoming book?
I am always at work on the next novel! I
love my private investigator, Inez Leon, and am puzzling out another adventure
for her. I also have another domestic
drama in the works, fingers crossed that my publisher will like it.
10.
What books are on your book shelf?
On my bookshelf: Cristina Henriquez’s The Unknown Americans, Roxane Gay’s An Untamed State, Wendy C Ortiz’s Excavation.
