Welcome Back, Booklovers! I read Salsa Magic in December of 2023 and I was impressed by the voice of the main character Maya so much so I had to do my research on the author of this strong debut. Then I decided I needed to feature Letisha Marrero on here so even if you haven't read Salsa Magic yet keep reading. And you can get the book here.
You’ve written about various topics from entertainment to parenting across various publications such as Latina Magazine, Vibe, TV One, and NBC among others. What made you decide to get into writing?
Honestly? I’ve been writing since I was five years old. But no one told me I could make a career out of it. Back then, writing was only considered a hobby. When I got to college, and I was failing my business classes, I ended up majoring in communications. Only then did I discover the different ways I could be a writer. A few years after graduating, after a failed attempt at breaking into Hollywood as a screenwriter, I moved to New York City, where all my family was. My first job was as an administrative assistant to the president of a well-known PR firm, where I learned the other side of the media business. Then I switched to working for several magazines. As a freelancer, I also became a copyeditor to pay the bills in between writing assignments. A few years later, the internet came out and changed everything. It was either evolve or die. It’s sad to me that magazines are a dying breed, but fortunately, I was able to pivot to digital, writing and editing for various websites. I’m now the editorial director at a nonprofit in DC. It’s been a wild ride for me to get to this point.
As an entertainment journalist, which celebrity interview was your favorite?
Because of my time living in L.A., I’m usually pretty nonplussed by meeting and interviewing celebrities. I met Beyoncé in the studio right as she was starting her solo career. I’ve traveled to Brazil with Pharrell. I went to Atlanta to interview Big Boi of OutKast. Celebrities really are just regular people, just with some fame attached to them that makes them both quirky and privileged. But interviewing the legend Rita Moreno and the late, great Celia Cruz were probably the biggest highlights of my journalistic career. I pay homage to both of them in Salsa Magic.
What is your writing routine like?
I wish I had one! I’m a working mom, so I write when I can and/or when the spirit moves me. I have to get the words on the page before they leave my mind.. Deadlines are probably my biggest motivator though.
As an older first time novelist did you ever feel the pressure to set a timeline for when you wanted to publish?
To be honest, I wasn’t sure it would ever happen for me. In my 30s, I was at the height of my career as an entertainment journalist, I landed a book deal with a major publisher. That initiated the first drafts of Salsa Magic…but then the deal fell apart. I was so dejected and disappointed that I put everything, including Salsa Magic, on the shelf. Then life got in the way–lots of ups and downs. But 20 years later, here I am. So, everything in time.
What inspired you to write Salsa Magic?
When Harry Potter first came out in 1997, I was helping take care of my younger cousins. They were obsessed. The series quickly became the zeitgeist. I was intrigued by how enraptured they were by this kind of storytelling. So I asked myself, “What if Harry Potter was a Latina?” That was the impetus and inspiration of Maya. Fast forward to 2005, when I became a mom. I started reading children’s books aloud to my kid and paid attention to what sparked his attention. Then, when he got old enough, he too became obsessed with Harry Potter. I searched and searched for strong Black and Latino main characters for my kid to experience, and still there was nothing. That’s when I determined that a void needed to be filled. That inspired me to dust off my manuscript.
Many people have their perceptions of Santeria without actually knowing what Santeria is. What made you decide to challenge their perception? And what was your research process like?
I learned about santeria after reading a book called The Altar of My Soul. After reading about santeria and the orishas, and the whole pantheon of gods and goddesses, just like Greek and Roman, which I loved as a kid, I asked myself, “Why doesn’t anyone know about this?” So I approached the subject as a journalist and did all kinds of research–more books, newspaper articles, personal blogs, all that. Since I don’t practice santeria, I wanted to be respectful of the religion above all else, so I was measured in how much detail I would go into.
Tell us more about the role food plays in this story.
In Salsa Magic, Cafe Taza is the heartbeat of the Montenegro Calderon family, where much of the action takes place–and the food is almost its own character. We Puerto Ricans take our food very seriously! I wanted other people to know about these simple delicacies. The flavors are really intoxicating–and cast their own spell when it’s being prepared. The title reference to “salsa” is a double entendre: the spicy mixture of rich sounds that make up salsa music and the ingredients that blend together to create a savory sauce.
What’s the most important message you want young readers to take from the story?
I have always wanted to read about or see a character who I could relate to and never found one as a kid. Nor could I find one for my own kid, decades later. So I wanted Latinos, especially Afro Latinos, to finally feel seen. I also want non-Latinos to learn about a culture different from their own, yet still have it feel so familiar to their own experiences–because family, and the beautiful mess that comes with it, is universal. The Spanglish is written so that those who get it, get it. And if you don’t, you’ll either get it in context, or you can look it up. There’s some history of the Spanish colonizers and the Triangle Trade System in there too. I always throw in a little bit of teaching in my writing. One way or another, you're gonna walk away learning something!
What was the most surprising part of your publication journey?
The amount of revisions! Silly me, I thought I had a final version when I sold it–I’d worked so hard on it with my agent–only to find out my editors had notes on how to make it better. It was a grueling process that went on for what seemed like forever, but in the end, I am so grateful to have had their guidance. Honestly, the book is so much better because of it–my editors pushed me to levels I didn’t know I could reach.
If you could visit any place associated with your favorite author or novel, where would you visit?
What a fun question! If I could plan a fantasy visit, I’d go to the Dominican Republic with Julia Alvarez as my guide. I only learned I was part Dominican in my 30s, and I’ve never been to the island, so I’d love to explore and get in touch with my roots there. Who knows? Maybe I’d even find some family members! Somebody make that happen–I would enter another dimension.
Do you have any new projects coming up? And if so are you able to talk about them?
I’ve been kicking around and jotting down some ideas for Book Two, but they’re only half-baked. I promise you, though, it will never take another 20 years to write this one!
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