WRITING LATINO ROMANCE By Maria C. Ferrer

This guest blogger shares her view of what it means to write Latino Romance. I am glad to have the opportunity to share my blog with her today.

WRITING LATINO ROMANCE

By Maria C. Ferrer

When I started writing romance I admit that my characters were primarily white.  Latinos were the BFFs, but never the villains in my books.  White heroes and heroines were the industry norm and I was writing to the trends back then.  

            For the past five years, my lead protagonists have all been Latinos, and I've done that purposely.  Even before the “We Need Diverse Books” campaign, I wanted to see Latinos like me in stories, and since I couldn't find them, I’m writing them.

            I find inspiration everywhere.  Sometimes it’s an article in the paper, other times a setting, a name, or a wedding!

            For example, for my secret baby book, DADDY FOUND, I was inspired by my cousin’s wedding.  It was a great party.  Lots of hot single guys to dance with, luckily not all of them related to me.  And I thought… kissing cousins.  

What if cousins of cousins meet at a wedding, have a wild three-day weekend resulting in a baby?  What if when she goes to tell him she finds him getting married to someone else? And what if the reason he married the other woman was false?

            So I had the plot, now I had to come up with characters.

            Yessenia.  I love my heroine’s name.  It says, sexy and Latina in a big way.  And I love this actual spelling.  Yessie I knew right away.  She was the jet setter of the family.  Had a great job with the airlines, traveled a lot.  The love them and leave them type, but in a good way.  And she loved visiting her cousins in Connecticut, where the wedding took place.

            Rafael.  Another name I love.  If I could I would name all my heroes Rafael.  (Never Rafa.  Yuk.)  Rafael is a strong name.  I imagine angelic features with a strong character and a winning smile.  Rafael is the best man at the wedding.  A straight arrow.  The oldest of the cousins on his side, always setting a good example.  But being good was chaffing a bit.  He wants more than the childhood sweetheart, more than a job in the family firm.  The wedding is his last hurrah before going off to a new job and a new life in Virginia.

            These two meet and sparks fly.  He’s tall, dark and dangerous.  She’s fascinating, alluring and curved in all the right places.  

A wild weekend.

A secret baby.

A separation.

A reunion six years later.

Now, if you didn't know, secret babies are super popular among romance readers.  We love them.  So, I added some love and sabor to an old theme, and made it all mine.

My characters too will struggle to do what is best for their child; and will fight the attraction between them because they want to fall in love and not just in lust.  And, they’ll do it all surrounded by a big, fat, Puerto Rican family.

And that is how I write Latino romances – with love, sabor, and great characters that readers will be able to identify with and cheer for.♥

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Maria C. Ferrer writes contemporary romances under her real name, and erotica under the name of Del Carmen.  She has been published by Cleis Press and Ravenous Romance, as well as in magazines including Star, Cosmopolitan for Latinas and Penthouse. 

Visit her at www.marializaferrer.blogspot.com and www.mydelcarmen.com.