My first book was published last fall. It's called A Home on the Field, HarperCollins, and it tells the story of an all Latino immigrant soccer team in a small rural town in the South and the struggle the boys and the town go through in dealing with immigration. I got a modest advance and was given about five months to write the book, a deadline which I made. It has been a positive experience. I didn't become a millionaire but anyone who thinks that will happen with their first book or ever is dreaming. I learned how tough the publishing business can be. There are a lot of humiliations that come with publishing as a first-time author but there are also wonderful moments as well. If you get more than five people at your first reading consider yourself lucky. I think people should consider what their motivations are in writing a book. If you just want to get rich there are better ways. I wrote the book to tell a story about events I thought could shed light on the issue of immigration. The South is being transformed by immigration and now the country is realizing the same. The boys on the team, they play at the local high school, have much to share with the country on this issue. The book is going into paperback this fall and will be translated into Spanish as well. That is a publishing success, but the more meaningful one is I realized a dream of mine. And like they say in sports, no one can take that away from you.
My first book was published last fall. It's called A Home on the Field, HarperCollins, and it tells the story of an all Latino immigrant soccer team in a small rural town in the South and the struggle the boys and the town go through in dealing with immigration. I got a modest advance and was given about five months to write the book, a deadline which I made. It has been a positive experience. I didn't become a millionaire but anyone who thinks that will happen with their first book or ever is dreaming. I learned how tough the publishing business can be. There are a lot of humiliations that come with publishing as a first-time author but there are also wonderful moments as well. If you get more than five people at your first reading consider yourself lucky. I think people should consider what their motivations are in writing a book. If you just want to get rich there are better ways. I wrote the book to tell a story about events I thought could shed light on the issue of immigration. The South is being transformed by immigration and now the country is realizing the same. The boys on the team, they play at the local high school, have much to share with the country on this issue. The book is going into paperback this fall and will be translated into Spanish as well. That is a publishing success, but the more meaningful one is I realized a dream of mine. And like they say in sports, no one can take that away from you.