Latino Virtual Book Tour: Raul Ramos Y Sanchez

Welcome to my first BronzeWord Latino Virtual Book Tour. Today, I introduce to you Raul Ramos y Sanchez author of America Libre. I encourage all who stop in to visit the links provided and to also leave comment. At the end of the day I will pull a name out of the comments hat and that lucky individual will receive a FREE signed copy of America Libre. Now, let's meet Raul.

Raul's Bio:

A long-time resident of the U.S. Midwest, Cuban-born Raul Ramos y Sanchez is a founding partner of BRC Marketing, an ad agency established in 1992 with offices in Ohio and California. Besides developing a documentary for public television, Two Americas: The Legacy of our Hemisphere, he is host of MyIimmigrationStory.com — an online forum for the U.S. immigrant community. Raul began writing America Libre in 2004, with the input of scholars from Latin America, Spain, and the United States. After five months as a self-published edition, America Libre, was acquired by Grand Central Publishing (formerly Warner Books). The revised version of the novel by Grand Central Publishing released July 29, 2009. Grand Central Publishing also acquired El Nuevo Alamo, the sequel to America Libre. El Nuevo Alamo is slated for release in 2010.

And now a few questions:

1) After months of self publishing, how does it feel having your first book acquired by Grand Central Publishing?
In a word: fantastic! I’m very fortunate to have found an agent who took a chance on my manuscript and an editor who put her trust in my work. In between those events were years of rewrites and rejections. Committing yourself to getting published is a long and sometimes painful experience. I think the real secret is determination. Seeing my book published at last has been rewarding. But it’s really the first leg of a longer journey. I owe it to my agent and my editor to repay their faith in me by doing everything I can to make AMERICA LIBRE a success. There’s more than writing to being a writer. An author’s work is just beginning after you type “the end.”

2) Tell us a little about the book and what inspired you to write it.
I like to think of AMERICA LIBRE as a love triangle set in the middle of a revolution. I began the novel in 2004 while waiting for funding on a television documentary I had written on the comparative political and racial histories of the U.S. and Latin America. The film is called TWO AMERICAS and I’d managed to gather a great team of scholars who’d provided some excellent insights. (Among the scholars, by the way, is Harvard’s Henry Louis Gates, Jr. who has been in the news lately for the now infamous arrest on his front porch). But the foundations and government funding agencies were dragging their heels. During that lengthy process, the film’s executive producer said, “Why don’t you write a book about this?” So I did, more to kill time than anything else. Before long, the book’s characters developed a life of their own and began to carry the story far beyond the original scope of the film. I haven’t given up hope on TWO AMERICAS. I’m secretly hoping if my novel does well, it may rekindle some interest in the film from the foundations.

3) What message, if any, do you wish to convey to the reader through your book?
I’d rather think of AMERICA LIBRE as a book with a perspective rather than one with “a message.” I hope the novel‘s main characters give mainstream U.S. readers a chance to experience the very real human struggles most Latino families face each day. It’s easy to demonize a group when you have no personal connection with them. At the same time, I think AMERICA LIBRE will remind all readers that people of Latin American origin are not a monolithic bloc. Latinos do not all think, vote or even look alike. Recognition of that diversity is something I find missing from most public discussions of the Hispanic identity—and I think that’s potentially dangerous. There is an escalating fear among mainstream Americans about the “fastest growing minority” in the United States. Hate crimes against Latinos have surged recently. Yet people with Spanish surnames are no more of one mind than people with Anglo surnames. Only prejudice and hatred would ever drive Hispanics into a single camp. And that’s the cautionary tale in AMERICA LIBRE. Ignorance and fear are never a good breeding ground for social stability.

4) I noticed you have a vote for casting, in a possible film adaptation of America Libre, on your book website. Who would you vote for and why?
That’s a fun game to play! Main character Manolo Suarez is a former U.S. Army Ranger who is intensely devoted to his family. His strong moral sense and instincts to protect others leads him into siding with the rebels. Mano is humble and gentle, but strangers are wary of his imposing physique. I could easily see Jimmy Smits playing Mano, projecting that calm assurance. Javier Bardem is another actor with the gravitas to play Mano. Mano’s wife Rosa is quiet on the outside, holding back her feelings, especially in front of her children. But Rosa is a volcano waiting to erupt. With her ability to say so much with gesture alone, Salma Hayek would get my vote to play Rosa. The final player in AMERICA LIBRE’s romantic triangle is Josefina Herrera. The daughter of a wealthy Uruguayan doctor raised in California, blond and blue-eyed Jo is a stereotype-breaking Latina. She is educated, speaks perfect English and Spanish, and is married to the cause of a Hispanic homeland in the United States—until she meets Mano. I think Julie Gonzalo would be an excellent choice to play Jo. Cameron Diaz would fit the part physically but I don’t think her Spanish is good enough. Although he is not a character featured on my website, the role of Ramon Garcia would be perfect for Edward James Olmos. Garcia is Jo’s mentor and a 60s Chicano radical who becomes an elder statesman of the rebel movement.

With that said, I would like to thank Raul for giving of his time and sharing with us. Thank you to Jo Ann Hernandez of BronzeWord Latino Authors for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of the tour. Mil Gracias!

Visit Raul's Links:

• Author’s website: http://www.raulramos.com/
• Author’s blog: http://raulramosysanchez.blogspot.com/
• Twitter: @Raul_Ramos
• Personal Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/raulramosysanchez
• Facebook Friends of AMERICA LIBRE: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=113127846015&ref=mf

Buy the book now!! Leave comment and one lucky commentator will receive a free signed copy of America Libre!!
(Don't forget to leave your name and e-mail)