Authors depend on the kindness of booksellers in so many ways: hand-selling your book, giving it special placement in a store, and hosting your book launch and readings. Booksellers can also provide writers with unique insights on reaching readers and selling books. Regardless of where you are on your publication journey, it’s always a good time to develop your relationships with bookstores and the people who will be personally interacting with your readers.

In this session, agent Saritza Hernandez of Andrea Brown Literary Agency and her client, author Mayra Cuevas, discuss the seven-step magic of writing a query letter that gets you noticed—and what common mistakes will get you instantly rejected. Saritza will share real-life examples of query letters that resulted in representation contracts. Mayra will give insights into her successful query process and how to survive (200+) rejections.

As part of my job for CNN, I write and produce obituaries. Today I am sharing my obituary for someone I fiercely loved: my Abuelo Arsenio. My grandfather died last night in his sleep, surrounded by the people who most loved him, in the home he built for his family. It is my deepest honor to share this glimpse into his life.

In this webinar, we will give you a simple framework to get you started on your plotting journey. You will learn about the basic principles of narrative structure and how to apply them. Plus how to use plot and structure to build tension and raise your stakes.

Are you a teacher or a librarian interested in updating your book collection? Las Musas authors Ismée Williams and Mayra Cuevas will discuss why it’s important to have a diverse library and will share techniques to achieve this! Attendees will leave with book suggestions as well as sources for future reference.

Forget about grades, exams, English Lit or “getting it right.” This webinar is about exploring your own creative potential — stress free. This Las Musas webinar is designed for teen writers ages 13-18, interested in writing fiction.

In this #AskEditor session, Las Musas author, Mayra Cuevas, talks to Blink/HarperCollins Senior Editor Jacque Alberta. Blink/HarperCollins published Mayra’s debut Salty, Bitter, Sweet. Mayra and Jacque worked together on the production of this YA foodie romance.

This amazing event took place on Sunday, March 8, 2020 at the Norcross Community Center. It was moderated by CNN Anchor and women’s advocate, Christi Paul.

Christi and I were in conversation with young adult Atlanta author and Emory University Scholar-in-Residence, Marie Marquardt.