I have landed a contract with Floricanto Press—a publisher that specializes in Hispanic Literature in the US—to publish my next book, Cuban Seeds. This nonfiction work tells the story of eighty-five-year-old Chelo, who fled Cuba in search of freedom in 1961. Born in a small village near Havana in 1921, she had married 30-year-old Adolfo Llano in 1944. Since their childhood, husband and wife had struggled to secure their future with the help of their immigrant parents, whose mind-blowing odysseys and life stories on the island prepared them for a successful future. The new married couple resided in Artemisa, the cradle of the revolution, where they came in contact with Ramiro Valdez and Ciro Redondo who participated with Fidel Castro in the assault to the Moncada Military Headquarters in 1953 and the Granma yacht expedition in 1956. The Llanos were blessed with two sons and prosperity, but their bliss was cut short in 1959 when Fidel rose to power and confiscated their possessions—bank accounts, buildings, business, home. As Chelo put it, they left Cuba “covering their forepart with a hand and their rear with the other.” They worked hard to achieve the American dream; their children and grandchildren became part of the American elite.  The story unfolds framed in historical accounts.  I have yet to get a date of publication, but it will probably be in the first few months of 2017. I have translated the book into Spanish so that all my Spanish-speaking friends can enjoy the book when this version is also released.

The picture shows Chelo and her children in their home in Cuba.