Today I’m interviewing Nina Moreno, the author of the Young Adult Contemporary novel, Don’t Date Rosa Santos, which debuted in 2019 and the forthcoming companion novel, Our Way Back to Always, out on October 12th of 2021.
Nina Moreno was born and raised in Miami until a hurricane sent her family toward the pines of Georgia where she picked up an accent. She’s a proud University of Florida Gator who once had her dream job of shelving books at the library. Inspired by the folklore and stories passed down to her from her Cuban and Colombian family, she now writes about disaster Latinx teens & tweens chasing their dreams, falling in love, and navigating life in the hyphen. Her first novel, Don’t Date Rosa Santos was a Junior Library Guild Selection, Indie Next Pick for teen readers, and SIBA Okra Pick.
Today, we’re talking about the book two slog, when writing is no longer a refuge, and the importance of grace in the creative process.
There were so many parallels between our creative journeys over the course of the pandemic and being able to speak candidly about the book two experience, writing from personal grief and trauma, and the aches and pains (both physical and emotional) of being a writer with someone I so admire left me feeling less alone and more confident in my abilities to handle whatever writing and publishing throws my way. And I know our conversation will leave you feeling inspired too. So curl up with a nice hot cup of cafecito, maybe a pastelito or two, and then enjoy my conversation with Nina Moreno.
Connect with Nina online:
