Latine Heritage Month and my romance books

September 4, 2024 | General

When I wrote about Chilean culture in Yours, Finally, I thought it would be some time before I talked about  Latine identity in my romance books again. Since my next planned novels won’t include main characters who are Chilean, I didn’t think that part of my identity would feature quite as heavily in my mind. But I forgot that September 15th is the start to Latine Heritage Month in North America!

As I started seeing content popping up about it, I was inspired to revisit my identity as Latina, my history, and how this will show up in my books moving forward.

Reclaiming my Latine heritage

Even though I was born in Latin America, I haven’t always felt Latina. In Chile, we rarely thought about Latin America as a whole, except to discuss which countries we liked or disliked. “Oh, these countries hate us because of the war. This one is a good friend. That other one is (fill in the blanks).” We can talk extensively about prejudice and xenophobia in this view, but the bottom line is: I didn’t think of Latinidad as a unifying identity.

That was until I immigrated to Canada. Once I got here, I was told who I was in wholly new ways. I’ve had people complain that my name isn’t spelled as they think it should, or comment on how impressed they are with my English. They have replaced multiple parts of my identity and culture with Mexican. Not to say anything of how often I need to remind people that if you go south enough, things get cold again…

It was through this process that I reclaimed my Latine heritage. There are parts of who I am that are inextricably connected to the place that birthed me. The people I grew up with, and what I learned about family. Telenovelas and food, and the investment in social relationships. It’s all in a million little details that I don’t always see, until they’re missing. I find my Latinidad in the contrast!

People treat me a certain way because of who they think I am. When I call myself Latina, I’m making a claim: I have an identity. I don’t always have the energy to educate people on what that means to me, or to explain their misconceptions or the systemic barriers that I face. Still, having this one-word label helps me remember an important part of who I am.

Latine culture is difficult to define as a whole. We’re not a monolith! Latin America is a huge geopolitical area with a complex history and ethnicity. Still, I believe there’s one major thing that unites us: how the Global North sees us.

Honoring my roots through my books

Part of reclaiming Latinidad is owning how this culture has helped shape us. What are the parts of it that make our heart sing? How do we want to show up in the spaces we share?

One of the things I like to honor is my Indigenous ancestry. I was raised to believe I didn’t have any Indigenous ancestors (a very common experience in LatAm), so I’m not connected to my indigeneity or know to what Indigenous groups I am connected to, but it’s a part of me that matters. I am mestiza, and Indigenous ancestors survive through me. They were not erased.

Pieces of my process of discovering and reclaiming my Latine heritage have made it into my books. Often, it shows in the different levels of Latine identity my characters hold, or in how much of their world we see their ethnicity. Characters like Ana in Seeking Stars or Eva in Yours, Forever don’t think much about their roots in Latin America. At the same time, characters like Javier and Nora in Yours, Finally have had to actively reclaim what Latinidad means to them.

When I write my Latine characters, I “Frankenstein” who they are based on a few different elements. This includes the pieces of me I give them, like Lina’s experience with a machista uncle in Yours, For Now, or how Max in Yours, Forever misses celebrating Dieciocho back in Chile.

Celebrating Latine Heritage Month

While living in North America, I’ve begun to celebrate Latine Heritage Month. As an author on social media, this is the time where I focus extra hard on Latine content. I’ll post within this theme, as well as repost content from Latine accounts: readers, authors, and others.

This year, I will also share more posts more about my Cozy Latine Billionaire series. These four books are my love letter to my culture. One year ago, I published my first Latine couple: Gabe & Lina. You’ll hear more about them, to celebrate the anniversary of their book as well as to prepare for the release of their audiobook (!!!). And… why not stretch things until November, with the release of Yours, For Good? This will be the end of the series, and a nice way to wrap up the year.

As for my private life, I plan to celebrate by meeting with my Latine friends, speak in Spanish at my normal speed (fast), and eat delicious food!