Maria J. Andrade was born in Ecuador, South America, and raised in New York and California. She has a bachelor of arts degree in English literature and a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. As a licensed therapist and writer, Maria has been diving into other people’s minds and her own, through dreams, poetry, and books for over three decades. She traveled with the Four Winds Society where she studied and was initiated into Andean shamanism in 1990.
Before Maria retired as a therapist, she specialized in women’s issues and founded the Wise Women’s Circle a ritualistic and transpersonal study group that continues today. The women support each other through life’s challenges and in the growth of mind, body, and spirit.
Maria Andrade’s books for children and adults is found in a variety of genres. This is an unforgettable first novel that reflects her imagination and creative storytelling.
Defiance and Redemption is her latest release.
Visit her website at www.booksasfriends.com or connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.
Based on a true story, Defiance and Redemption, A Lifetime of Unbroken Bonds, brings to life the joys, dramas, and triumphs of two sisters, Eva and Victoria Alisio and their loyal friend Marta. The sisters are raised by their atheist Grandfather Marcus and religious Grandmother Maria Luisa. Eva, a proud and strong-willed young woman defies her family, society, and culture, faces scandal and disgrace, for her forbidden love affair. Victoria finds herself in the center of a multigenerational conflict as her benefactor bestows a great inheritance on her excluding the rightful heirs. Marta, loyal to the childhood bond with the Alisio sisters, brings humor and support to their twists and turns of fortune. The young women’s bond of love, and perseverance, carries them through ordinary and extraordinary losses, triumphs, and ultimately to their destiny in the United States.
An important novel about 20th Century women, Defiance and Redemption, is an absorbing epic that moves through decades and destinies. It blends personal and historical events into a collective tale of self-determination, love, and sisterhood.
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Want a signed copy? www.booksasfriends.com
Thank you for your time in answering our questions
about getting published. Let’s begin by having you explain to us why you decided
to become an author and pen this book?
Maria: I wrote this story in honor of my family,
especially my mother. I wanted to share the story of her early life and the
difficulties she overcame as a woman living in the early 20th
Century who defied the rules of her society, culture, and religion simply
because she chose a path outside the norms of her day. In addition, I also
wanted to express the moving story of sisterhood that the three main female
characters express in my book and how women have historically supported each
other and do so today, to survive and create better worlds for themselves and
their children.
Is this your first book?
Maria:
No. I have written four other books for adults and five books for children.
With this particular book, how did you publish –
traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?
Maria:
This book was published by a small press and supported by Spiro Books. I chose
this path because it afforded me more creative control of my work from its
inception to its future.
Can you tell us a little about your publishing
journey? The pros and cons?
Maria: I think my journey was made a bit more
complex with the fact that I translated a novel of 77,000 words from English to
Spanish. This meant, much more work than if it had been one book. Nevertheless,
I did this to fulfill a vision I had to support my culture and to the extend
the readership of this story.
What lessons do you feel you learned about your
particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?
Maria:
The publishing world is in great flux. In the past, the only option writers had
was to find an agent, which could take a good deal of time, then hope to get
signed by a large publishing house. So, from start to finish this could take
several years to see a work manifested. Then if the book did not sell at the
level expected, the publisher could shelve the book and it would be out of
print.
With
small presses, Indie publishing, or hybrid publishing writers have a good deal
more choices about what path to take regarding publishing. I still find
limitations, for example, in the publication of Spanish books from finding the
right agents, to finding traditional publishing houses to bring those books to
readers. Moreover, today, writers must know about marketing their work. Even
large publishing houses expect a writer to help market their book. This entails
wearing another hat beside that of “writer.” This is a challenging role and
requires a good deal more knowledge about social media and other forms of
selling a product. Here, I think traditional publishing has an advantage.
Would you recommend this method of publishing to
other authors?
Maria:
I think each author must find their own path according to their temperament and
financial resources.
What’s the best advice you can give to aspiring
authors?
Maria: Believe
in yourself and in your writing but continue to improve. Get feedback from
friends, and professionals about your ideas and work. Write and re-write until
you know the writing is at the best level possible. Then dare to share it with
the public because if they can’t find it out there, they won’t know it exists!
A
writer is like a mother who gives birth and then must wash, dress, and comb the
child’s hair before sending it out to the world. Good moms stick around for
support until that child matures enough to have a life of its own. So it is
with a piece of art, or a book. You created it and now it’s your job to find a
place in the world for your book so it can thrive.
Thank you for your time in answering our questions
about getting published. Let’s begin by having you explain to us why you decided
to become an author and pen this book?
Maria: I wrote this story in honor of my family,
especially my mother. I wanted to share the story of her early life and the
difficulties she overcame as a woman living in the early 20th
Century who defied the rules of her society, culture, and religion simply
because she chose a path outside the norms of her day. In addition, I also
wanted to express the moving story of sisterhood that the three main female
characters express in my book and how women have historically supported each
other and do so today, to survive and create better worlds for themselves and
their children.
Is this your first book?
Maria:
No. I have written four other books for adults and five books for children.
With this particular book, how did you publish –
traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?
Maria:
This book was published by a small press and supported by Spiro Books. I chose
this path because it afforded me more creative control of my work from its
inception to its future.
Can you tell us a little about your publishing
journey? The pros and cons?
Maria: I think my journey was made a bit more
complex with the fact that I translated a novel of 77,000 words from English to
Spanish. This meant, much more work than if it had been one book. Nevertheless,
I did this to fulfill a vision I had to support my culture and to the extend
the readership of this story.
What lessons do you feel you learned about your
particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?
Maria:
The publishing world is in great flux. In the past, the only option writers had
was to find an agent, which could take a good deal of time, then hope to get
signed by a large publishing house. So, from start to finish this could take
several years to see a work manifested. Then if the book did not sell at the
level expected, the publisher could shelve the book and it would be out of
print.
With
small presses, Indie publishing, or hybrid publishing writers have a good deal
more choices about what path to take regarding publishing. I still find
limitations, for example, in the publication of Spanish books from finding the
right agents, to finding traditional publishing houses to bring those books to
readers. Moreover, today, writers must know about marketing their work. Even
large publishing houses expect a writer to help market their book. This entails
wearing another hat beside that of “writer.” This is a challenging role and
requires a good deal more knowledge about social media and other forms of
selling a product. Here, I think traditional publishing has an advantage.
Would you recommend this method of publishing to
other authors?
Maria:
I think each author must find their own path according to their temperament and
financial resources.
What’s the best advice you can give to aspiring
authors?
Maria: Believe in yourself and in your writing but continue to improve. Get feedback from friends, and professionals about your ideas and work. Write and re-write until you know the writing is at the best level possible. Then dare to share it with the public because if they can’t find it out there, they won’t know it exists!
A
writer is like a mother who gives birth and then must wash, dress, and comb the
child’s hair before sending it out to the world. Good moms stick around for
support until that child matures enough to have a life of its own. So it is
with a piece of art, or a book. You created it and now it’s your job to find a
place in the world for your book so it can thrive.
