When Fiction Isn’t Fake: Why My Books Carry My Truth

Driving on autopilot, somewhere between self-edits and another podcast draft, it hit me—again—how deeply personal my writing is. Not just inspired by my life. Not “based on a true story.” But infused with my lived experiences, every line laced with truth, emotion, and memory.

I take own voices to a whole new level.

I don’t just write Dominican characters because I’m Dominican. I write them because I am them. Because I’ve felt what they’ve felt—shame, pride, grief, anger, resistance, and that ever-complicated desire to belong while also breaking free. So yes, when you read my books, you’re reading fiction—but the feelings are real.

I sprinkle myself into every story I write. Not always by name, but by spirit. And not every moment is one I’m proud of. Some of them? Raw. Complicated. Uncomfortable. But that’s exactly why they work on the page. Because I’ve lived them.

Take The Ordinary Bruja, for instance.

Marisol Espinal, my wonderfully stubborn Dominican protagonist, is made up of so many pieces of me—especially in Act Three. If you get to Chapter 32, you’ll feel it. The identity struggle. The weight of unspoken history. The ache of knowing your power was buried before you even had the words to claim it.

Those chapters are fictional, but the emotions? Pulled from marrow.

I want readers to know that when you hear my podcast episodes—especially the one I dropped on Dominican identity on February 5, 2025—and then go back and read the book? You’ll start to see the threads. How everything aligns. How the edits I made weren’t just structural, they were spiritual. They were realignments.

I often feel a little bad for people who knew me and see themselves in the shadows of my characters. Not because I name names (I don’t), but because the echoes are there. The patterns. The energies. The truths. And truth, when mirrored, can be uncomfortable.

But writing is my reckoning. It’s where I sort through the mess. Where I create clarity out of chaos. Where I give readers not just a story, but a sliver of lived truth wrapped in fictional magic.

So when you read my books, know this:
You’re not just reading a story.
You’re witnessing a survival.

And if you ever feel seen inside one of my characters, it’s because I wrote them with the fullness of what it means to be human, flawed, and still trying. Just like me.

#authorLife #DominicanIdentityInFiction #DominicanWriters #fictionThatFeelsReal #marisolEspinal #OWNVoicesStorytelling #TheOrdinaryBruja #writingRealEmotionsInFiction #writingWithHonesty

I’m Headed to LATINA Fest—And I’m Bringing the Books!

✨ Cue the cafecito and the ancestral drums—this brujita is going to LATINA Fest 2025! ✨

I’m beyond excited to share that I’ll be joining this year’s 7th Annual LATINA Fest at Gloria Molina Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles on June 1st, and I’ll be posted up at the Author’s Corner—a space dedicated to celebrating Latina authors, storytellers, and the written word that shapes our world.

LATINA Fest isn’t just an event—it’s a whole vibe. It’s about amplifying the magic, resilience, and power of our stories. And as a Dominican writer who walks the line between reality and the otherworldly, I’m bringing two books that represent everything I stand for: healing, truth-telling, and a little bit of literary mischief.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-6ZLuJcE1M

✨ What I’m Bringing to LATINA Fest

📙 Mrs. Franchy’s Evil Ring and the Six Months That Changed Everything

This award-winning middle grade novel follows Isla Delgado, a girl caught in the middle of a cursed ring, homeschool chaos, and the messy beauty of blended family life. Inspired by my own experience parenting during the pandemic, this story is equal parts funny, touching, and honest. It’s for the kids who feel like they don’t belong—and the adults who once felt that way too.

🧿 Themes: identity, stepfamilies, loss, neurodivergence, and learning to speak your truth.
🏆 Winner of The BookFest Award for Juvenile Multicultural Fiction + Social Issues.

🔮 A Physical Sneak Peek of The Ordinary Bruja

For the first time ever, I’ll be sharing a physical preview of The Ordinary Bruja—my magical realist, psychological horror novel about a reclusive brujita named Marisol Espinal who’s haunted by ancestral silence, internalized shame, and the terrifying possibility of being seen.

This book is my heart. It was born during pandemic isolation, whispered to me in between grief, burnout, and the slow climb back to myself. If you’ve ever struggled with not feeling Latina enough, or doubted your worth, or felt like the ghosts of your family still speak through you—you’ll see yourself in this one.

👻 Think: Dominican magical realism meets psychological horror.
✨ Perfect for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Zoraida Córdova.

📚 Why LATINA Fest Matters

Being accepted into LATINA Fest means being seen. It means standing alongside powerhouse Latinas in wellness, activism, literature, beauty, and business. It means carving space for our voices, especially the ones that don’t always fit the mold. It means I get to show up as myself—full of contradictions, full of heart, and full of stories.

And you’re invited.

Come through to LATINA Fest if you’re in or near L.A. on June 1st. Bring your comadres, your primas, your journals, and your curiosity. Let’s talk about identity, ancestors, storytelling, and how literature is one of the most powerful forms of magic we have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgDksmMlsrk

🎟️ Details & Tickets:

🗓️ Date: Saturday, June 1st, 2025
📍 Location: Gloria Molina Grand Park, Los Angeles
🎟️ Tickets: Available now on Eventbrite
📚 Where to Find Me: Author’s Corner

Come Grab a Book, a Blessing, or Just a Brujita Vibe

If you’ve been waiting to get your hands on The Ordinary Bruja or gift Mrs. Franchy to a young reader in your life—this is the perfect chance. I’ll have signed copies, exclusive bookish goodies, and maybe even a cafecito blessing or two.

https://haveacupofjohanny.com/product/mrs-franchys-evil-ring-and-the-six-months-that-changed-everything/

#BookEventsInLA #BrujaBooks #DominicanWriters #IndieAuthorSpotlight #LATINAFest2025 #LatineAuthors #MagicalRealismBooks #middleGradeFiction #MrsFranchySEvilRing #ownvoicesFiction #TheOrdinaryBruja

Because of Them, I Roar: A Mini Round-Up of Books That Re-lit My Creative Fire

There are moments in every writer’s life where the fire dims. Where doubt takes up more space than imagination. I’ve been there more times than I can count—especially when telling stories rooted in identity, culture, and emotional truths that don’t always fit into mainstream boxes.

But then I pick up that book. The kind that makes you sit up straighter. That whispers, “You belong here too.”

Here are a few that re-lit my creative fire and reminded me that my stories—flawed, magical, messy, rooted—matter.

💥 How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz

The first time I read this, I felt like someone had cracked open my chest and poured sunlight in. Cruz wrote a voice so specific, so real, that it reminded me of the women I grew up around—resilient, imperfect, hilarious, and wise. It gave me permission to write my characters as they are, not how the world expects them to be.

✈️ Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Acevedo doesn’t just write poetry—she conjures whole worlds with rhythm and heart. This story, about grief, identity, and sisterhood, felt deeply personal. It made me realize that bilingual, bicultural stories can take up space—and not just as footnotes or flavor, but as the main course.

🌺 The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova

This one made me feel seen in ways I didn’t know I needed. The way Córdova wove magical realism into a multi-generational story felt like a mirror. Her voice showed me that brujas, secrets, ancestral magic, and complicated family dynamics all belong on the page—and that there’s power in telling the story your way.

Reading these books was like being handed a torch.

Each one reminded me that I don’t have to wait for permission to write my stories with heart, history, and haunting. That it’s okay if my voice isn’t polished like glass—because sometimes raw truth is the sharpest, most beautiful thing on the page.

As great as it sounds to be “the first,” let’s be honest: being first is lonely. It’s hard. It’s a path without a map. So to every BIPOC and Latina author who came before me, who broke open the gates with their unapologetic stories—thank you. Because of you, I feel less afraid. Because of you, I can roar.

#BIPOCStorytellers #bookRecommendations #booksThatHeal #creativeJourney #diverseBooks #DominicanWriters #LatinaAuthors #literaryRepresentation #writingInspiration

I Hit Submit: Manifesting My Spot at LatinaFest 2025

This week, I did something bold—I applied to be in the author booth at LATINAFest 2025 in Los Angeles. And while I don’t know yet if I’ve been selected, I’m already proud. Because what I’m really celebrating is growth.

LATINAFest, the largest outdoor festival celebrating Latinas in the U.S., is produced by a community-based organization whose mission is to celebrate and promote unity, diversity, and economic inclusion and to amplify the Latina voice while championing Latina entrepreneurs, activists, and artists who are committed to uplifting and empowering the Latina community.

https://www.latinafest.com/

Before? I would’ve procrastinated. I would’ve self-sabotaged. I would’ve convinced myself I wasn’t ready, or that my work didn’t belong in a space that big, that vibrant, that powerful.

But look at me now—submitting my application with a hopeful heart and a whole lot of pride in what I’ve created.

LATINAFest is one of those rare spaces that gets it. It uplifts Latina stories, voices, and creators from all walks of life. And as a Dominican author writing about magic, identity, resilience, and everything in between, I knew I had to show up. Not just for the chance to be there—but for myself.

I thought of my brujita Marisol. I thought of Isla and her stubborn courage. I thought of the readers who’ve ever said, “Thank you for this—I saw myself.” And I knew: this is what it means to bet on yourself.

So whether the answer is yes or not this time, I’m claiming this moment as a win. I did the thing I used to be afraid of. I showed up. Fully. Honestly. Unapologetically.

And if you’ve been waiting for a sign to put yourself out there—this is it. Don’t wait for perfection. Don’t wait until you’re “ready.” Go for it. Apply. Pitch. Submit. Your magic deserves to be seen.

Wish me luck!

By the way I am ordering a new batch of Mrs. Franchy’s Evil Ring so they will be ready for orders. Get yours before they run out because these come signed and blessed with a bit of good intentions by yours truly.

#AuthorJourney #authorMilestones #bookFestivals2025 #bookishEvents #brujaEnergy #CreativeGrowth #DominicanAmericanStories #DominicanWriters #LatinaAuthors #LatinaEmpowerment #LATINAFest2025 #LosAngelesBookEvents #magicalRealismAuthor #manifestationMindset #OvercomingSelfDoubt #ownYourStory #selfPublishingJourney #unapologeticStorytelling #womenOfColorWriters #writingWins