Diverse Voices
Caminos & Heroes
YA Historic Fiction, Western Sagas,
Adventure
Kirkus Reviews — Broken Promises
“A simple, plot-driven read that introduces younger readers
to underrepresented characters and histories.”
Books
Twisted Cross
Young Salvador struggles with padres and pirates to find his way in the New World.
Golden Secrets
Who will discover the truth of the Ortega fortune? Land-hungry suitors pursue three sisters to gain land.
Broken Promises
Sparrow, an awkward bi-racial teen, 1840, sees her tribal homeland and traditions trampled by soldiers and miners.
“The Mission Bells trilogy weaves together historical figures and events with a sobering frankness that transports readers to an era too often romanticized.”
2021 & 2022 Writers Awards,
San Francisco Writers Conference
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Author, trainer, traveler,
Anita revisits
Western history &
listens to diverse voices
My trilogy, Mission Bells, speaks to young adults and Latino readers who long to see their own faces and hear their true stories in history.
Colonial California holds the secrets that give birth to my characters and plots. Bienvenido – follow my work and come with me and meet our family.
Resources & Links
Discover New Stories
1. Who explored Texas and California?
See who the early Explorers and Frontiersmen were and who they worked for
in this list – Legends of America
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/explorer-list
2. What were the first businesses in colonial California?
The Hide and Tallow Trade in Early California was big business at the Missions. See how this commerce linked the coast to many traders.
https://www.missionsjc.com/wp-content/uploads/MSJC_HIde_Tallow.pdf
3. How did the indigenous peoples use native plants?
Native American ceremonial plants were used by many tribes as incense, medicines, and in purifying ceremonies. Sweet Grass symbolizes protection and healing in many Native cultures, and is considered to drive out evil influences and ward off bad luck. See Native American Indian Sage Medicine, Meaning and Symbolism …
www.native-languages.org/legends-sage.htm
Not every Americano established in Alta California, a Mexican colony in 1840, felt the same about the advances of the United States and their claims of Manifest Destiny. Mariano G. Vallejo, a prominent businessman and ranchero in the area of Sonoma, was a loyal Mexican officer who could see the mutual advantages of an orderly transition. His story, including the eventual loss the majority of his 175,000-acre land grant after statehood, is one instance of broken promises described in Imperfect Union by Steve Inskeep (2020) Penguin Books. Vallejo is a hero and a diverse voice who is central to the intrigue and complexity of our Western story. See more at www.sonomacity.org/general-vallejo/
What is next now that the Mission Bells trilogy is complete?
My new book is Lupe Throws Like a Girl. Lupe Lopez, an ambitious first-generation high school graduate, is ecstatic about her future playing softball on a college scholarship until she learns, before she can graduate, she must miss a month of practice to complete 60 hours of community service at a haunted retirement home where her mother does the laundry.
Classroom Visits, Book Clubs, and Conference Presentations
2022 San Francisco Writers Conference, Best Young Adult Literature
2020 Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators
2014 U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute, Lacayo Lifetime Achievement Award
2006 Co-Author/Publisher, Women Seen and Heard
2002 Hispanic Woman’s Corporation, Excellence in Leadership Award