Homegirls Press

After going through different rounds of the selection process, I was given a chance for this opportunity.

My written piece will be published by in their summer issue of their magazine. I am also working on a short film documentary being produced by yours truly, set to release towards the end of this year. More info will be shared about my vision when interviews start happening.

Last but not least, I can't forget about my book. When my friend comes back from studying abroad in Thailand, we will be finalizing things so that I can release it this year.

📷: Shout out to who took beautiful group pictures and portraits during the retreat

Indigenous Beauty shirts are now on the website! XS-2XL available

¡Las camisas ya estan disponibles en el website! Tamaño XS-2XL

Thank you to everyone who has purchased these shirts at the few events I was at this summer. Truly appreciate you guys 🫶🏾

And a huge thank you to for the shirts. Make sure to check out his page!

🤍💛❤️🖤

www.homegirlspress.com

**j

While the illustrations are being worked on, I wanted to share pics of some of my spring and summer flowers. Now I understand the feeling Jody's mama had working in her garden. Such a peaceful vibe 🌬 🍃

I'm grateful to have been a part of this beautiful event this past weekend to highlight Indigenous cultures. Thank you to those who purchased stickers & shirts and who signed the Food for All Oregonians postcards! 🫶🏾

-1st pic: This is a year round toy drive and gifts are given for the Christmas holiday. Contact info for Enrique is in the picture.

-2nd pic: K*tz K*t coffee straight from the motherland. Find out more about this amazing company and the collective who is bringing this coffee to the PNW

AND of course, Food For All Oregonians post cards for the community to fill out. We need to make it known to the governor that ANYONE regardless of immigration status deserves to have access to food and this bill needs to be top priority for the 2025 legislative session. Find out more by going to www.foodforallor.org

Come through, I'll be here!
Aqui voy a estar, vengan a disfrutar este evento que es gratis

Last week I went to self publishing workshop with my son.

One of the things that resonated with me that the author Brian said is that representation in books matters and growing up, we didn't see that very often. Not just in the books storyline/characters but also in who is writing these books. What do they look like? Is their lived experience similar to mine or not?

On Sunday, I saw my son sketch out and write his own comic book when he came to ask me how you spell a word. That right there was the moment that I realized, not only am I continuing to break generational cycles, I am also instilling in my son the belief that he can accomplish what his heart desires.

It's important for children/teens to see people who look like them or have similar lived experiences doing the things they may dream about. As a child/teen, it can be hard to envision yourself accomplishing something you want to do when you don't see that in the environments you're exposed to. But when you see someone else who does look like you, talks like you, etc., you get a little sense of hope that maybe you can do it too.

Last 2 pics are my son's comic book he sketched out and the back side of the bookmark he made me at school for Mother's Day.

(Special thank you to for being cool with my son tagging along with me because any single parent household knows, it's not always easy coordinating babysitter drop offs when you're trying to accomplish things too).

When you choose to self publish you pay for things with your own money. This means that you have to decide what tasks you want to pay someone else to do and what you're willing to learn to save some money. The cost to self publish can vary from one book to another, depending on the type of book you’re writing.

Something I wish I knew before I started is that there are grants available to help cover some of the costs of publishing a book. Like scholarships for school, you have to do research to find these grants and you have to submit an application and wait to hear back on the decision. There are grants for different writing styles and personal identities and each grant outlines the requirements for what you can spend the money on.

This is something that I have learned along the way so if you’re thinking about self publishing your writing, don’t hesitate to look into grants as a first step. If you’re like me and thought that grants were only meant for non-profits, we were wrong. There may be a grant out there for your small business, your writing or a project you’re thinking about. And always remember, rejection is a part of the process. When one door closes, another one opens 🌷

Ps. If there’s another word for grant in Spanish, let me know. Google’s Spanish translation didn’t seem right to me LOL.

A goal of mine this year is getting out of my comfort zone by posting more on here. Check out my website to learn more about who I am and about my first book I'm working on ✨

🤎 Without a doubt I'm an in person extrovert, social media introvert
🤎 I earned my Bachelor's degree in 2021
🤎 Mom to a boy who's part of 3 cultural backgrounds 🖤🤍 🇬🇹🇲🇽 💛❤️
🤎 You can never go wrong with comedy, romcom movies or murder mystery podcasts
🤎 My go to reads are autobiographies, financial literacy, self development and poetry
🤎 Gardening and being out in nature is peaceful af. I still manage to find a way to kill my plants though 😂

It's the last day of the year and this year I reflected a lot on the path I want to take. Being very new to the writing industry I have gone through phases of self doubt and feeling like an imposter.  

In the beginning, I didn't know anyone who said "I'm a writer" or "I've worked on book illustrations." Then, came the realization that it was on me to search and put myself in environments I didn't grow up around. 

In October I had the opportunity to experience a full circle moment in my life. I was part of my first panel discussion with other writers and illustrators at Cornelius Public Library to talk about who we are and our work. 

A week later, when I gave my friend's mom a ride, she told me about a memory she had of me when I was a kid. This library was the same library (now a new building), she remembered seeing me walk to and from all the time, with books in my hand. And I thought, "damn it's hella crazy how the universe works." 

As I continue this journey of self discovery and learning more about the industry I want to thank .de.yas for giving me that opportunity. I'm forever grateful for the knowledge I've gained from everyone I have met this year and I look forward to what's to come. I once read somewhere: Sometimes you have to roll the dice and bet on yourself. And if you fail, then at least you can say you tried ❤️‍🔥 

#2023