What began as an innocent love affair for one young woman, Marta Peña, in Costa Careyes, Mexico in 1969, sets in motion a series of events that spans the next thirty years. This is the story of South American drug lords Antonio Espinoza and Javier Rodriguez, and their violent quest for power. In a sweeping family saga, we meet the women who love them and the children they vow to protect at any cost. With a complex web of interconnected families, this gritty novel delves into the lives of a power hungry clan, following the rise of their business, the destructive path of their torrid and erotic love affairs, and the struggle to balance intense greed with devout family loyalty. Strong women face tragedies that test their will and their commitment to the men they passionately desire. As young girls grow into women, their traumatic pasts will drive their actions and force them to make gut-wrenching decisions. With murder, drug trafficking, dirty politics, illegal gambling, prostitution, obsessive love affairs, and family strife, El Patrón is a whirlwind in the vein of Mario Puzo's The Godfather.
I grew up knowing I wanted to be a writer. I'm very close to my family and friends and I love being around them. I also enjoy talking with and being around other writers because writing can be isolating.
The other passion in my life are my horses. They nourish the soul and in many ways keep me sane. It's a busy life. I have three kids, write full time, manage the house and sprinkle in a few more responsibilities in there and some sanity (or equine therapy) is needed.
I write books that I hope make people laugh a little, escape from the stress of day to day life and hopefully they feel a connection to my characters.
Something kind of funny and ironic about me is that I don't know how to type. I hunt and peck, so my first drafts have tons of mistakes. I really wish I'd taken typing in school.
I love to cook, but hate to clean--but love a clean house, so every Saturday I spend my day cleaning house. I'm a creative cook and can never create the same recipe twice and this makes it hard for me to get down the recipes in The Wine Lover's Mysteries just so.
Being a writer as a career is a very hard job. It takes a lot of patience, tenacity, a willingness to hear others say you suck, and a certain kind of masochistic personality because as I just pointed out--it's not easy. However, writing for me is like breathing. It's my life, like my family and my animals. It's who I am. It's my hope to connect with others through my writing. I hope I connect with you!
