I writer is born to tell stories. That is my motto.
People around and nature inspire me. I make notes when some experiences hit me. Often reality goes farther than imagination. I have met many teenagers/women/men who told me their stories which are reflected in my books. I listen to music when writing and I also make music that could serve as background for the readers.

I grew up in Peru. My dad was African American. We lived in a poor working class neighbourhood of Lima.
Speaking 4 languages at eighteen years old I worked at United Nation and there I met my husband. A dutch economist, because of his work we lived in Ecuador and Chile.
From 1982 I live in the Netherlands.
My family is spread around Latin America, United States and Europe. All these countries and cultures have deeply influenced my writing.

When I could hold a pencil. At 10 years old I got my first award in Peru, a contest of Inca stories.
I received two more: in Argentina and Chile. In 2014 I received an honor mention in Cuba.
I had four sons to raise being mom/dad but I always continued writing.
Postponing my love for writing had a great consequence: when I had to publish in 2013 it was one of the greatest, most rewarding moments in my life.
It was like I was writing for the first time.

Almost all my books/stories are about women and their clash with the other gender.
It seems women get emotionally involved in a different way than men: "Barrio Lanus", "Carmen y Cuba" are two examples.
The three books that form the trilogy 'La marathon del amor' have now been published.
A novella 'Bastarda' was published in October 2018. Another novella 'Carnaval' will be publish at the en of summer of 2019.

I have published non fiction stories about Peru, Spain and The Netherlands. Some of my short stories in Spanish have been translated to English, Dutch, French & Hindi.
There are 3 compilations of my stories in Spanish, English & French.
In 2018 I published a selection of Poems I have written the last twenty years.
In total I have now 50 publications: 47 are my own work and 3 are editions I made for colleagues from Latin America a.o. Chile, Cuba, Colombia, Ecuador.
My personal conclusion is that love can be inspiring, enriching but also tormenting destructive.
I write about that.

Smashwords was the best experience I've had in the last 15 years. In December 2013 when I published my first roman 'Entre garua y odio' -1st book of the Trilogy 'La maraton del Amor' a world of possibilities opened up for me.
My books are reaching women because I write about their experiences. Men find my books entertaining and sometimes challenging.
I am so grateful to Mark Cooker, who I had the honor to meet at the Book Fair in London some time ago, and to Smashwords that allows me to reach readers around the world.

It's a challenge when I work on audios, looking for poems or quotes of writers as Borges, Shakespeare, Baudelaire.
It is fun when I select background music or decide to sing in English, Spanish or French to embed the songs in my stories.
Photography is one of my hobbies, so I include images in my books.
I hope readers will identify with the characters, be moved by the story and entertained by the music embeded in my publications.

I hope to get a liaison with my readers, a kind of bonding.
Through my books I hope to start a dialogue, to open a discussion on many issue that affects women, men, children.
I include passages with humour with the intention of getting a smile from the readers.
Life is a continuous challenge but if you see it from the positive/constructive way and with a smile it is easier to cope with the difficult moments.
A story or roman can give a moment of relief, a pause in the daily struggle.

Yes, I was 10 years old. At school they asked us to write 'un cuento' based on the Incas including Quecha names.
I got the 2nd award on a national competition with thousands of students from primary and secondary schools. I was in the youngest category.
When I see the photo, and my face while receiving the award, I can say that was the moment when I realised I was a born writer.

Have not used any marketing. Just publishing my romans and stories and using my social network to spread the word.

Large table with year calendar where I note ideas, an iPhone to record short passages of stories I intend to publish. Classic Music or Setsuna -lounge music- in the background. My front and back garden give me a sense of peace, while writing.

Independence! Autonomy!. I have a message to give to readers. Financial rewards are not my priority.