The Haunting of Chavez Ravine: A Novella

The Haunting of Chavez Ravine, a novella about La Llorona, is now out in the world. The title is apt. While I never lived in Chavez Ravine, it’s haunted me through the years.

I have two other books set in the old neighborhoods of […]

The Monsters of Chavez Ravine: An International Latino Book Awards Finalist

The Monsters of Chavez Ravine will always be my favorite “book child,” so I was thrilled to learn that it’s an International Latino Book Awards finalist for Best Novel Fantasy/Sci-Fi English. Empowering Latino Futures will announce the awards in October.

Remembering Eviction Day with Rachel Cantu

May 8, 1959 is a day that Rachel Cantu will never forget.

It’s the day Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies forcibly evicted her family from their grandparents’ home in the Palo Verde neighborhood of Chavez Ravine.

The media had turned out in force, so there are lots […]

My Mother as the Main Character in The Monsters of Chavez Ravine

My mother always wore her hair short. Really short. It looked fantastic on her with her high cheekbones and high-bridged nose.

Then I was scrolling online and saw one of those clickbait galleries that show you what a famous person would look like today. Love those!

Family Secrets and The Monsters of Chavez Ravine

There is a character in my urban fantasy novella, The Monsters of Chavez Ravine, nicknamed Ripper.

The residents of the old neighborhoods of Palo Verde, Bishop, and La Loma were big on nicknames. In photographer Don Normark’s stunning book, Chavez Ravine […]

The Monsters of Chavez Ravine: The Chinatown Connection

In my urban fantasy novella set in the hills above Los Angeles, a doctor from Chinatown makes several house calls to the injured residents living in Chavez Ravine.

Chinatown is a little over one mile away, and less than five minutes […]

A Map for The Monsters of Chavez Ravine

My daughter asked if I planned to include a map for my urban fantasy novella, The Monsters of Chavez Ravine.

The answer was no. But as soon as she said it, I thought it would be a good idea. While the characters and […]

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