Say You'll Be Mine

My new cover !! This week, I got the cover image for my upcoming book, SAY YOU'LL BE MINE, and I absolutely love it!! I think it's the best cover I've ever had. Not only does it maintain the beautiful blues from EVENINGS, but it captures the romantic feel of our Califoria vineyards. The elegant table in front with the miss-matched chairs is inviting and just . . . perfect.

I hope you all like it as much as I do!!!

The idea for SAY YOU'LL BE MINE came to me about four years ago, way before EVENINGS, and yet I had to sit with it for a long time to decide exactly how I wanted to present it.

One weekend I visited a winery out in Temecula, California and it was late afternoon. The warmth of the day was still hanging in the valley, but it was growing cooler and I found a warm place to sit and take notes about the tour I'd taken. But as I sat there, I thought about how peaceful and wonderful it was outside and how anyone lucky to live on a vineyard would be so fortunate. Then my thoughts sort of wandered and what came to me was this vague idea of a woman who from the outside had every reason to be happy - a successful vineyard, money, power - and yet wasn't happy at all. I wasn't sure why at the time, but eventually this woman grew into Isabel, the owner of Gallegos Winery.

Whereas my Lara Rios books and even EVENINGS have been stories about the immigrant experience and adapting to being a Latina in America, SAY YOU'LL BE MINE is the first book that doesn't touch on that theme. Even though it pays a long visit to Argentina as Isabel goes to rescue three children, this book is about family and motherhood and what truly makes people happy.

It will be released in October 2011.

Julia