SUN NIGHT WEBSITE – FINALIST IN THE 2020 ILBA AWARDS

I just received the most wonderful news that my book website is a finalist in the 2020 International Latino Book Awards (ILBA) under a new category, Best Website Promoting a Book. The announcement was made in a virtual press conference presented by Kirk Whistler on Saturday, August 14, 2020. Having received an ILBA in 2019 for Sun Night under the Best First Book category and now becoming a finalist for the website promoting the book gives me the conviction to continue this journey I began of honoring my brother’s life in this manner.

The International Latino Book Awards are now by far the largest Latino cultural Awards in the country, it has now honored the merit of 3,194 authors and publishers over the past two decades. The magnitude of the Awards is proof that books by and about Latinos are in high demand. In 2020, Latinos will purchase over $750 million in books in English and Spanish. The ILBA celebrates books in English, Spanish, and Portuguese languages. Finalists are from across the United States and Puerto Rico, as well as from 17 other countries.

This year, the Awards Ceremony will be held virtually on September 12, 2020. Anyone can view the Awards Ceremony for free on the Awards website at www.LatinoBookAwards.org beginning at 2:30 PM PT with entertainment and the Ceremony at 3:00 PM PT.

The Awards are produced by Empowering Latino Futures, formerly Latino Literacy Now, a non-profit organization co-founded in 1997 by Edward James Olmos and Kirk Whisler.

WHERE DOES THE SUN GO AT NIGHT?

The Gulpiyuri Beach, inspiration for the story “The Day the Sun Bounced on Earth”.

One day, my brother asked me, “Where does the sun go at night?”, a question that I couldn't pass up to make part of the stories in my book, Sun Night.  The chapter named "Where does the sun go at night?" is key to the story because it introduces the sun as an essential character that symbolizes strength and the power of love between two brothers.

Today, I gift you one of those stories that my brother and I shared.  I call it "The Day the Sun Bounced on Earth".  It is the story of the sun when it visited Spain.  This story is very personal to me because it is deeply rooted in our ancestry.  It pays homage to the beautiful natural features of the Asturias region of Spain.  I had the opportunity to visit the area a few years ago and felt an incredible connection to that region.  And as I further researched the Llanes countryside for the book, I came across an incredible natural attraction called the Gulpiyuri Beach which happens to be very close to where my family roots originated.  The beach is unlike anything I had ever seen.  It is made out of rock formations that feel as if they had been pushed by a giant hand leaving a sandy area that fills up with seawater with the rising tides.  

Get your complimentary copy of the story below.