Latino | LGBTQ Reads

Today on the site I’m thrilled to welcome Orlando Ortega-Medina, whose Emerald Road releases today from Bywater Books! He’s here to talk about queer immigrant resilience in this newest novel:

Isaac Perez, a young dreamer caught in the crossfire of El Salvador’s civil war, is forced to flee north after his life is torn apart by military brutality. His journey to the United States is fraught with peril, but he’s not alone; by his side is Ahbhu, a loyal Australian Cattle Dog with whom he shares a mysterious, telepathic bond.

Together, Isaac and Ahbhu brave treacherous landscapes and cross paths with unforgettable allies: Suchi, a fierce protector of LGBTQ migrants, and Diego, a young man whose kindness rekindles Isaac’s hope for a future beyond survival. But as they journey through a world scarred by violence and betrayal, Isaac must confront the haunting shadows of his past—and discover whether he has the strength to build a new life in a land of promise.

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon

Here’s Orlando Ortega-Medina!

As a product of immigration myself, I’ve long grappled with the intersection of identity, family, and belonging. Both of my parents hailed from conservative Latin America, which presented early challenges to my sense of self, especially as I realized I was gay.

Continue reading Defying Borders: Queer Immigrant Resilience in Emerald Road: a Guest Post by Author Orlando Ortega-Medina →

Jonny Garza Villa’s Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is one of my all-time favorite gay YA romances, so I’m extra thrilled to be revealing the cover of their gorgeous new book on the site today! Ander and Santi Were Here is about a a nonbinary Mexican-American teen muralist who falls in love with an undocumented Mexican waiter at their family’s taqueria, and it releases April 11, 2023 from Wednesday Books! Here’s the official blurb:

Finding home. Falling in love. Fighting to belong.

The Santos Vista neighborhood of San Antonio, Texas, is all Ander Lopez has ever known. The smell of pan dulce. The mixture of Spanish and English filling the streets. And, especially their job at their family’s taquería. It’s the place that has inspired Ander as a muralist, and, as they get ready to leave for art school, it’s all of these things that give them hesitancy. That give them the thought, are they ready to leave it all behind?

To keep Ander from becoming complacent during their gap year, their family “fires” them so they can transition from restaurant life to focusing on their murals and prepare for college. That is, until they meet Santiago Garcia, the hot new waiter. Falling for each other becomes as natural as breathing. Through Santi’s eyes, Ander starts to understand who they are and want to be as an artist, and Ander becomes Santi’s first steps toward making Santos Vista and the United States feel like home.

Until ICE agents come for Santi, and Ander realizes how fragile that sense of home is. How love can only hold on so long when the whole world is against them. And when, eventually, the world starts to win.

And here’s the stunning cover, designed by Kerri Resnick and illustrated by Max Reed!

Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | IndieBound

Jonny Garza Villa (they/them) is an author of contemporary young adult literature with characters and settings inspired by their own Tejane, Chicane, and queer identities. Whatever the storyline, Jonny ultimately hopes Latines, and, more specifically, queer Mexican American young people will feel seen in their writing. Their debut YA novel Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun was a Pura Belpré Honor Book and a Kirkus Best YA Fiction of 2021 selection. When not writing, Jonny enjoys reading, playing Dungeons and Dragons, visiting taquerías, listening to Selena, and caring for their many cacti children. They live in San Antonio.

Queering up your shelf, one rec at a time!