Some Exciting Fall Updates and the Comadres and Compadres Writers Conference!

As I encourage you to once again to sign up for the fast-approaching Comadres and Compadres Writers Conference on September 27th, I would like to share some news for fall, in part, to offer an incentive by showing you some of the many wonderful things that can happen to writers when they share their works with others and take that all-important step toward turning their writing passion into a career.

Here are some updates from my clients, who, for the most part, are being published for the first time:

Debut picture book author Katheryn Russell-Brown's LITTLE MELBA AND HER BIG TROMBONE (Lee and Low) has received three starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal since its publication this September! The book has also just been listed among The Huffington Post's "50 New Picture Books for Fall 2014" and received accolades from the NY Journal of Books and The Horn Book's "Calling Caldecott" blog! I'm very excited for Katheryn, who, on a recent interview for The Brown Bookshelf, shared her book's "Back Story," a piece that offers a nice glimpse into how books get published these days. To learn more about this fabulous book and its author, visit Katheryn's website.

The amazing ballerina and star of the ballet documentary FIRST POSITION, Michaela DePrince's memoir TAKING FLIGHT: FROM WAR ORPHAN TO STAR BALLERINA and its Step Into Reading companion BALLERINA DREAMS (both from Knopf and co-written with her mother, Elaine DePrince), will debut in the US on October 14th. The memoir has already received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and received quite a bit of online buzz.  The Dutch edition just launched in Michaela's current home city of Amsterdam on September 13th at the Dutch National Ballet's Annual Gala event to celebrate the opening of company's  2014-2015 season. Posters promoting TAKING FLIGHT can now be seen all over Amsterdam, I am told! The Dutch is one of TEN upcoming editions of the memoir to be published worldwide. A very exciting time for another debut author! For more about Michaela, and her books, visit her website.


Eric Pierpoint, whom you may know from his other gig as an actor and his  roles in Park and Recreation and Heart of Dixie among many others, is also a very talented children's book writer! His debut historical fiction adventure THE LAST RIDE OF CALEB O'TOOLE (Sourcebooks) received the Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association's "Reading the West Award" in the Children's category this summer! Read an interview with Eric about his inspiration for writing the book, and a sneak peek at his next one! For more information about Eric and his books, visit his website.

And speaking of awards, debut children's author Angela Cervantes won her first one this year for her funny, heartwarming middle grade novel, GABY, LOST AND FOUND (Scholastic). Angela and Gaby won First Place in the Chapter Book category at this year's International Latino Book Awards, presented at the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, this summer. I'm happy to report that Angela is also working on her second book with Scholastic! For more information about Angela and her books, visit the author's website.





Petit Collage founder Lorena Siminovich's YOU ARE MY BABY: GARDEN (Chronicle) two-in-one board has just been listed among Parenting.com's "24 Best Baby Books of All Time!" While Lorena is a veteran illustrator with many books under her belt, You Are My Baby is the first board book series that she writes AND illustrates! Look for many more books in the YOU ARE MY BABY series, and another darling series of board books coming from Lorena and Chronicle in 2016!

I feel very fortunate to work with such talented folks and overjoyed about their success. I hope that they inspire you as much as they inspire me every day. And of course, I hope that this will provide the little extra push you need to join our conference on September 27th. I'd love to meet more talented folks whose work I can display on another post next year!

Las Comadres Receives the National Book Foundation's 2014 "Innovations in Reading Prize"!

Las Comadres para Las Americas and its CEO Nora Comstock, author of COUNT OF ME: TALES OF SISTERHOODS AND FIERCE FRIENDSHIPS (Atria), is one of 2014's recipients of the National Book Foundations' "Innovations in Reading Prize," for their work to highlight and actively participate in the promotion of written works by Latino authors.

Says the organization: "At Las Comadres para las Americas, our primary focus is to connect Latinas around the world in many different ways! Currently the programming for the approximately 20,000 members in over 85 cities is mostly in the U.S. Las Comadres members meet monthly in face-to-face gatherings in many of the network cities. Daily email messaging provides members with information about local, regional, or national events relating to book readings, performances, health and other gatherings, as well as job and other opportunities both local and national.

Major emphasis is placed on Las Comadres and Friends National Latino Book Club and Teleconference Series, which offer a wide range of literary activities for our approximately 1,500 book club members in more than eighteen cities. National Latino Book Club members participate in book discussions at book stores in different cities. A teleconference with the author of the Book Club’s selected book takes place on the last Monday of each month. These activities provide exposure for many Latino authors striving to be recognized. In addition to supporting our National Latino Book Club and Teleconference series, Las Comadres recently published a Las Comadres authored anthology, Count on Me: Tales of Sisterhoods and Fierce Friendships (Atria), edited by Adriana V. Lopez. We also organize a yearly Comadres and Compadres Writers Conference, which was cofounded by Las Comadres, Adriana Dominguez, and Marcela Landres and cosponsored with the Association of American Publishers and Medgar Evers College, Brooklyn, NY. Now entering its third year, the writers’ conference is scheduled for September 27, 2014."

To learn more about the prize, visit the National Book Foundation's website. Click here to learn more about Las Comadres, their book, the upcoming Comadres and Compadres Writers Conference, and more. Join us!

My Latest Mamiverse Editorial and the Comadres and Compadres Writers Conference This Weekend!

As promised, I plan on sharing all of my various writings and endeavors here, in the hopes that they will help authors, educators and readers find information on a variety of topics related to Latino literature. 

It's Hispanic Heritage Month! And I am personally celebrating by doing more of the same: promoting Latino literature and helping Latino authors get published! Here is my latest editorial for mamiverse, with my list of recommended titles to help you celebrate: 

Children’s Books to Help You Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

by Adriana Dominguez  10/3/2013

Each year, from September 15 to October 15, National Hispanic Heritage Month offers all Americans the opportunity to celebrate the histories, cultures and contributions of Latinos in the U.S. These dates were not chosen randomly; September 15 is the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18 respectively, and Columbus Day or El Día de la Raza, helps to close the festivities on October 12, as we celebrate Latinos with parades and events held throughout the country.

Read Related: Heroes & Great Books to Help Kids Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

I can think of no better way to share our culture than through books! Here are some of my personal favorites to share Latino achievements with our children and their friends, teachers and caregivers. I hope that you will make them part of your own library!

Monica Brown’s Bilingual Biographies
Over the years, Monica Brown has made a name for herself as the premier bilingual picture book biographer for kids, by writing engaging books that entertain as they teach—in English and Spanish! Her subjects hail from different countries in Latin America and the US, and include Nobel Prize winning authors Gabriela Mistral (My Name is Gabriela/Me llamo Gabriela, Luna Rising), Gabriel García Márquez (My Name is Gabito/Me llamo Gabito, Rising Moon) and Pablo Neruda (Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People, Holt—note that this title is available in English only), soccer legend Pelé (Pelé, King of Soccer/Pelé, el rey del fútbol, Rayo), and Latinos who made a significant impact on US culture and society, such as Tito Puente (Tito Puente, Mambo King/Tito Puente, Rey del Mambo, Rayo), Celia Cruz (My Name is Celia/Me llamo Celia, Rising Moon), and César Chávez and Dolores Huerta (Side by Side/Lado a Lado, Rayo). You simply can’t go wrong if you pick up one of Brown’s picture book biographies to celebrate Latinos with your child!

Click here to read the rest of the article. 

And don't forget that this Saturday is our Second Annual Comadres and Compadres Writers Conference! 

Last year, three of our attendees secured agents, and one has already signed a book deal! It is not too late to register! 

Participants currently include: Erin Clarke, Executive Editor, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers; Adriana Dominguez, Agent, Full Circle Literary; Sulay Hernandez, Senior Editor, Other Press; Toni Kirkpatrick, Editor, Thomas Dunne Books; Andrea Montejo, Agent, Indent Literary Agency; Lukas Ortiz, Managing Agent, Philip G. Spitzer Literary Agency, Inc.; Jeff Ourvan, Agent, Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency; Johnny Temple, Publisher, Akashic; and Stacy Whitman, Publisher, Tu Books

This year’s keynote speaker is Reyna Grande, a National Book Circle Critics Award finalist and winner of the American Book Award and International Latino Book Award.

Take a look at some of our testimonials!

“I’m a huge fan of this conference! I went last year and loved being able to connect with other Latina writers, and with local editors who were seeking freelance work (as well as editors who encouraged us to submit to their literary journals). I pitched my book project to two agents, one of whom later offered me representation! The book is still in the submission process, but I’m hoping to hear some news very soon. Overall, it was a really inspiring, action-packed day, and I would highly recommend it to any writer who wants to network and learn more about the craft.”

—Lesley Tellez (www.lesleytellez.com), conference attendee

“The conference was very well-organized, the location was modern, close to major transportation, and tech-friendly. The volunteers were enthusiastic and very willing to help in any way possible. All of the attendees were genuinely excited and eager to learn, which was refreshing. Kudos on a job well done and to many more successful conferences!”

—Mercedes Fernandez, Assistant Editor, Kensington Publishing

“It was wonderful seeing so many young people who want to add to the chorus of Latino voices out there. I believe they got inspiration, information, and a healthy dose of reality. Thank you to Medgar Evers College and Las Comadres for creating a much-needed service for our community of writers.”

—Dahlma Llanos Figueroa, author of Daughters of the Stone

You can (still!) register at http://lascomadres.com/countonme/latino-writers-conference/ The conference twitter hash tag is #LCWC

See you in Brooklyn!—Adriana