Category: Guest Posts

Title: The Piñata-Maker’s Daughter

Series: The Marisol Trilogy

Author: Eileen Clemens Granfors

Publisher:  Self-published (CreateSpace)

Reading Level: YA/New Adult

Genre: Women’s Lit

Contemporary Fiction

Hispanic trilogy

Content rating: PG-13

Formats: paperback and ebook

Pages: 270 pages

Buy link: Amazon.com

Blurb provided by author

Scholarly Carmen Principia jumps into college unprepared socially. First, there’s her weird roommate. And then the men! Radical protester, Franco, who shares her Hispanic heritage, or frat rat Joe, who makes her laugh? Follow her adventures, some hilarious, some heartbreaking.

 

Excerpt

“Thank you, Joe,” I say. “See you around campus.”

“Maybe. Twelve thousand people, sometimes it’s hard to find who you’re looking for. What dorm are you in?”
“Ortega.”

“Good one, closer to campus.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Are you in the dorms?”

“Not this year, I pledged Kappa. The house is right across the street. Come on over and ask for me when you get settled. I’ll buy you a sundae at Al’s.”

“Al’s?” It sounds like a dive bar.

“Al’s Place at the student union. Everybody hangs there. Gotta go if you ladies are okay. We have some frat business this afternoon.” As he leaves, he sees the bumper sticker. “Hey, the La Raza people hang out on Crusader Commons. Viva La Raza?” he says as if it’s a question, pronouncingRaza with a long A. He waves, guns the Miata, and disappears into traffic.

I look at Mama, Mama looks at me, we both shrug, and then we laugh. We wrap her arm in strips of tee-shirt. I hug Mama. I’m so relieved it’s going to be okay. Twelve thousand students at WPC, and now I know one.

“Don’t be ashamed of your hometown, Carmenita,” says Mama.

“Why would you say that?”  I ask, as if I am shocked. “Wow, Laguna Beach, this Joe guy must be rich.”

“You’re going to meet a lot of rich people in college. Rich doesn’t make them better.”

“Sure.” I can picture the looks of people the first time I answer, “So what does your mom do?” and I tell them, “Oh, she makes piñatas.” As if piñata-making is perfectly normal in their world. I remind myself to say she’s an artisan. Yeah, artisan sounds totally righteous.

 

Come back Monday, August 26, to see the trailer for this book and its sequel.

Author Bio: Eileen Granfors lives in Santa Clarita, California. Though born in New Orleans, Eileen grew up in her mother’s hometown, Imperial Beach, California, the most southwesterly city in the U.S. Her mother’s love of Mexico and beaches influenced Eileen’s strong ties with her Hispanic neighbors. When Eileen was a child, she and her brother could walk to Mexico down the beach, after crossing the Tijuana River mouth. Today, an iron fence extends out into the breakers at the border. Eileen is a proud UCLA alumna. She began writing after retiring from teaching high school literature and composition for thirty-four years. She enrolled in UCLA’s Extension Writers’ Program on the first day of her retirement.

Author links:

Blog: Word Joy New book reviews of others’ books and tabs, trailers for my books

Twitter: @EileenGranfors

Email: eggranfors@gmail.com

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords