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/

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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.

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