Diverse Voices – Bravo!
Award-Winning YA Fiction
Depicting Diverse Voices
Welcome—I’m Anita Perez Ferguson
I write young adult novels that bring history and culture to life through the eyes of resilient young characters. My Mission Bells Trilogy—Twisted Cross, Broken Promises, and Golden Secrets—immerses readers in early California’s past.
A two-time winner of the San Francisco Writers Conference YA Writers Award, I love inspiring students through lively, bilingual book discussions. My fiction gives voice to California’s early inhabitants, while my nonfiction uplifts underrepresented communities today—a mission that earned me the Lacayo Lifetime Achievement Award from the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute.
From my home on the Pacific coast, I continue to write, teach, and lead Sharing Our Stories sessions that explore memory, voice, and connection.
Curious to dive in? Explore my books and teaching resources—and join me in celebrating history, culture, and the courage to dream big.
Interested in having Anita speak at your school or to your group? Anita is praised for her lively bi-lingual presentations to young people and adults.
Contact her to schedule a visit!
Caught between cultural expectations, academic pressure, and her own dreams, Lupe must find the courage to define success on her own terms.
Lupe Lopez has a big dream – to be the first in her family to graduate high school and earn a softball scholarship. But when she and her best friend Penny discover they’re short on required community service hours, Lupe’s college dreams are in jeopardy. Reluctantly, Lupe volunteers at the Villa Santa Barbara retirement home. There she meets Mr. Ramirez, a baseball fanatic who introduces her to the ghost of Hall of Famer, Roberto Clemente, and teaches Lupe about empathy and the importance of community. At the same time, Lupe’s softball team is on a losing streak, putting their chances of earning scholarships at risk. The pressure builds as Lupe also struggles to support her brother after an accident. Throughout this coming-of-age story set in 1990’s Santa Barbara, Lupe grapples with her identity as a Latina athlete and the expectations placed on her both on and off the field. With memorable characters and themes of family, friendship, and perseverance, Lupe Throws Like a Girl is a heartwarming young adult novel that reminds us of the power of sports to unite people. If you love stories of self-discovery, the bonds of community, and the challenges faced by young women in sports, you’ll be captivated by Lupe’s journey. Join her as she learns the true meaning of strength, empathy, and achieving one’s dreams against all odds.
LUPE RETURNS WITH A BRAND NEW STORY – NOW AVAILABLE!
Selina Andrade has the swing to go pro—if her world doesn’t fall apart first. In the stormy heart of Monterrey, Mexico, Selina’s dreams reach beyond the shadow of her brother’s baseball legacy. She wants a future in softball, one she might actually control.
When she’s recruited by Coach Lupe to play on a U.S. team, it feels like everything she’s ever wanted is finally within reach. But ambition isn’t enough when you’re caught between cultures, secrets, and pressure from every side—family, tradition, even love.
Coach Lupe is fighting her own ghosts, determined not to let another girl slip through the cracks. As past traumas and present tensions rise, Selina and Lupe must confront what it means to lead, to sacrifice, and to believe in something bigger than themselves. Two generations.
One game. Can they play through the storm before it tears everything apart?
THE MISSION BELLS TRILIOGY
“…provides a necessary look at historical events and peoples that have often been ignored in fiction (and in real life). The tightly wound plot flows effortlessly from one moment to the next… readers will find themselves inspired by the future Sparrow creates for herself and those around her.”
Kirkus Reviews
AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators – Special Mention in the Middle Grade/Young Adult Category
From Family Roots to Community Voices
In this heartfelt video, Anita Perez Ferguson shares how her grandparents’ journey from Mexico shaped her passion for storytelling, politics, and giving voice to others. She reflects on family, history, and the power of listening—reminding us that every story has the potential to inspire change.
Watch the video to hear her story in her own words.
SUBSTACK: DIVERSE VOICES – BRAVO!
Let me introduce you to Diverse Voices – Bravo! I deliver referrals for Latino literature to you each week. Educators, librarians, students and civic leaders will enjoy quick colorful updates.
In addition, I welcome free readers and paid subscribers as partners in the development of new literature for Latino teens. Your insights are encouraged as I produce my new trilogy – Latino Legends. My first award-winning historic fiction trilogy, Mission Bells is in libraries, bookstores and classrooms.
From the classroom to the White House my lifetime in advocacy and nonprofit work established my author/publisher insights.
PHOTO GALLERY
Contact Anita
I welcome inquiries about speaking engagements, author visits, and collaborative projects. Please use the form to reach me directly with event details or questions. I personally review all messages and do my best to respond promptly. Thank you for your interest in connecting and helping share these stories with new audiences.