Although the chaos of the Occupy protests have yet to settle, Santa Ana was surprisingly peaceful last evening as Libreria Martinez hosted author Julia Amante. The twenty people who came to listen to Amante speak were treated not only to an intimate literary experience, but also to a delicious pasta dinner paired with incredible wine bottled especially for Amante and the release of her new book Say You'll Be Mine.
As Amante greeted the crowd, she introduced her new novel by saying that it's important to understand that “Life is unpredictable and full of surprises.” The book, Say You'll be Mine, is a story about a woman named Isabel who wants to sell her family's vineyard and move to a quiet cottage on the California coast. But as she's about to seal the deal, a letter arrives from Argentina with shocking news that her beloved cousin has died, and Isabel is now the sole guardian of three young children. Amante further explained that the idea of her novel is to understand that as life goes on, change will occur and it's important to embrace it.
Along with maintaining a professional writing career, Amante has a very busy schedule. As she explained, she has a full-time job being a mother and wife, which she takes very seriously. She is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree at California State University, San Bernardino and has presented workshops at the Latino Book and Family Festival, the Mexican-American Organization Foundation, as well as in colleges such as the University of California, Riverside, Cal. State Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara City College. On top of all of that, Amante has a new book in the works but no word on when it will be finished.
