Historical Romances   
in 18th Century Spanish Texas

                                                
Welcome to my Website!  
     I have a deep commitment to writing novels that provide my readers with an insight into the Hispanic history that has made the United States what it is today. 
    My first novel, set in the 1770s, introduces Rodrigo Villaseñor, a muleteer-turned soldier, who falls in love with Analisa, the lovely daughter of his own captain.  The story focuses on the difficulties they face in overcoming the social gulf that separates them and surviving the dangers of the frontier.
     Why have I chosen to write these novels? When I first arrived in the United States in 1963 from Mexico, I was seventeen and knew little about the cultural differences between the two countries.  It did not take long to learn, as I wrote recently in an article on Americo Paredes, that “Mexican folk subjects were always illiterate and docile, usually cruel and cowardly, and often silly or superstitious.” 
     What I wanted to focus on, as have Paredes and many others, was the resilience of the Hispanic people who fought to maintain their culture, their spirit and their dignity in the face of negative attitudes and prejudicial views. As I progressed through my education and eventually my teaching career, I felt frustrated at how little is taught in the American schools about the Hispanic world and its influence on the United States.  This has been especially true in the last few years as the attacks on ‘Undocumented workers’ or ‘Illegal Aliens’ has grown to unprecedented proportions, and as a result, antagonism toward many things Hispanic. 
     As a teacher, I wanted to help the public learn about the Hispanic history of the United States that is as important and influential as the Pilgrims or Pocahontas.  Non-fiction history can be fascinating to historians. The ponderous listing of facts, however, can become overwhelming for the lay reader.  When I turned my doctoral thesis on Martín de León, the founder of Victoria, into a book, I faced a dilemma.  Very little was known about the daily life of this early (1820s) Texas family. 
    Some historians use what is called “creative history.”  These authors include descriptions of the country-side, how people respond to weather, or the normal reactions of a mother whose son is jailed.  These details help provide the grit of daily life that makes a story entertaining.  But I wanted more.  I wanted dialogue.  Let the characters share the history of the time period without the restrictions of footnotes.  A novel provides the means to do this, if it is carefully and accurately portrayed. 
     English Regency Romances make a stab at providing historical backgrounds, often with little context or explanation.  Other authors, such as James Michener and James Clavell, delve deeply into historical facts while still retaining a story line. Michener, in particular, covers thousands of years of history which often overwhelms his readers.  I wanted to offer something in between: A shorter time period than Michener, a less dense and detailed history than Clavell, but good, authentic provable history.   
        Zorro, one of the few movies that deals with the Hispanic world, includes stereotypes that help to perpetuate the view of the cowardly, silly, superstitious Spanish soldier.  At the end of the recent Zorro with Antonio Banderas and Katherine Zeta Jones I wanted to cry out “Where is Zorro now? Where is the defender of the Hispanic world when we need him most?”  
    I offer Rodrigo Villaseñor and Ana Maria Luisa Cazorla, our Analisa, as the first of many Hispanic heroes who will share their histories with you.