Books-n-Kisses is please to welcome Marlene Sanchez to the blog today.
Marlene, The floor is yours…………….
Why Cuban-Americans from Miami?!
Believe it or not, people have actually asked me why the main characters in my stories are Cuban-Americans from Miami and Miami Beach. They don’t mean it in a negative way, I take it as curiosity, especially since I live in a state where Hispanics are few and far between. I usually give them the quick answer, but since we have a little time, I’ll give you all the full version. I know, I know, how generous of me. LOL.
My mother is the youngest of four children, all born in Havana, Cuba. The two oldest, a sister and her only brother, married and left to America, New York to be exact. My mother was very young, and this was all when people could come and go from Cuba as they pleased. When Castro was about to take over, my mother was 12. Her father told her they were going to go to New York to meet her new nephew and off they went. One sister stayed behind because she was married and had children, she didn’t want to move them. Needless to say they never left New York. So, my sisters and I, and our cousins, are first generation American on my mother’s side. So, why are my main characters Cuban-American? Because I am proud of who I am and where my family is from. We are rich in culture and strong in our values. I am proud of what the Cuban people have become and accomplished in a country that was not their own. They came with nothing but their families and flourished into a group of people that give back to their communities. We are raised knowing the suffering of our families that stayed behind, and that family is the most important thing there is. With all this pride flowing through our veins, how could I not honor my family by creating characters as strong as we are.
As for the part about Miami and Miami Beach… When we were young my parents were going through a divorce and since my mother’s oldest sister had moved to Miami some years before, she decided we should move there too. Well we had to have family close by, who better than your sister?! I was raised in Miami so I know enough about it to have my characters all live and work there. Plus, like Will Smith says, “Miami Is the city that we know don’t sleep…” There is so much to do there. It is also literally a melting pot of culture and ethnicity. What’s better is, and you may not believe this right away, everyone gets along and we all embrace each other’s cultural differences. What a concept, huh?! Besides Cuban friends I have friends that are Colombian, Venezuelan, Italian, Peruvian, etc. With that all said, Miami is also a beautiful place with amazing beaches.
What more can I say to explain why my characters are who they are?! I certainly hope I didn’t bore you all to death. I just wanted to be sure everyone knew the method to my madness.
Waves of Deceit
by Marlene Sanchez
The Pascual crime family is getting bigger and stronger and taking over more and more of Miami every day. The FBI has been trying to take them down for years, but they can’t seem to make anything stick. Enter former Marine sniper, Agent Michael Walker.
Until age 17 Michael was best friends with Manny Pascual, the heir and current head of the Pascual family. Now the FBI wants him to infiltrate the family he was once a part of in order to collect enough evidence to bring them down for good.
Although it has been more than ten years since Michael has been back to Miami, Manny is more than happy to have his best friend back where he belongs. Not everyone is as happy to see Michael, but one person is secretly thrilled to see him. Bianca Martinez, the family lawyer, can’t keep him out of her head
The FBI is closing in, but Michael is becoming more conflicted between his job, his friendship with Manny and the life he missed in Miami. The hot relationship sparking with Bianca complicates things further when he learns Manny wants to claim her as his own.
Will the years of friendship between these three endure as they find themselves between the tightening vice of rivaling families and the hard fist of the law? Or will they all drown in their Waves of Deceit?
Born in Manhattan, Raised in Miami, Living in Alabama.
Marlene Sanchez is a Daughter, a Sister, a Niece, a Cousin, a Friend, a Wife, a Mother, a Step-Mother, and an Aunt… She thrives off her Family and Friends, and tries to live her life to the fullest… Her children are her life, but her passion is writing.
Her novels reflect her Hometown of Miami, her Cuban upbringing and her love for gangster movies (legal and police dramas too).
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