consuelo: [00:00:00] Hola, chicas! Welcome to Encuentras Your Voice Podcast, where we highlight Latinas graciously sharing their journeys to authenticity, from pain points to thriving, creating a comunidad where you are seen, invited, and most definitely belong .

 ¿Como estás this beautiful Wednesday coming at you midweek with love, joy, and hope for a gentle life ahead? I'm your host, Consuelo Crosby, thank you for bringing me into your space today with our pod club episode of Annette Chavez Macias, Latina author of Big Chicas Don't Cry. and Too Soon for Adios, with her third novel arriving this fall, When We Were Widows.

Our podclub episodes are 15 minute chats where we pull [00:01:00] the gems from last week's full length episode and sit in these life lessons that we may not have seen coming from Annette and can all graciously apply to our own lives. You may not think you have anything in common with a Latina author, but you'd be surprised at the continued common thread that ties us all together.

Before there was Instagram threads, there was just the human condition of being just a few degrees away from each other, and that is what brings us closer together. Now, if you haven't caught Annette's full length conversation, no worries. This one stands alone and may encourage you to follow up with her complete journey.

On her episode, there's novellas and then there's La Novella of Your Life. Right? Most of us grew up with the novelas on the television, with our moms or abuelas glued to the [00:02:00] screen, and the tone in the house was total silence.

Nothing was going to disrupt those shows, especially any ask to Las Reinas. Oh, you would get the shh shh shh right away, right? Well, Annette takes this to a whole other level. After being influenced by her mother's romance novels as a child. She says they were lying all over the house, and any time Annette ran out of something to read, she would go and grab one of her mother's romance novels, which were, at the time, of course, written with white couple leads.

And no representation for this Latina. Well, that's where Annette stepped in, under the name Sabrina Sol, and changed the face of romance short stories for life. With Latinas in the lead and not as a genre. This is not something that's put on a side shelf. This is part of the mainstream [00:03:00] romance.

Aside from romance, though, which, as you learned, has one mandatory element in it to be considered a romance instead of a love story. I got hooked up on this. I don't know. I just thought it was a really fascinating nuance. But romance novels have to have a happy ending, a happily ever after vibe for the lead couple.

And that is exactly what Annette has manifested for herself with her love for her women's fiction books. Which as we learned, is a whole other concept from romance writing, and one that was the most difficult for her to publish. Not because she wasn't talented. Not because of barriers or editors and agents or she didn't have a storyline.

It was most difficult because she finally took a leap of faith on herself to write the story, la novella, of [00:04:00] her life. Almost literally. Big Chica's Don't Cry is the women's fiction novel loosely based on Annette's family and life that almost didn't get written for the same very reason that most of us don't see our dreams come true.

Here's where we're diving into this gem. Here's where this life lesson is coming to us from the graciousness of Annette sharing her story.

The commonality that we hold with her Across our lives

are those little voices lurking in our minds that whisper to us all the reasons why we can't do what our heart and soul are knowingly telling us what we can do. Those whispers, clumped under imposter syndrome of not being good enough, of being the only one and therefore not belonging, of being exactly what [00:05:00] everyone is saying about us getting there, undeservedly.

The whispers from the cultura to stay silent, to worry about what others think, to be the proper woman, the good wife, to stay in line and not cause problems.

the whispers from la familia to not embarrass them, to be the obedient daughter, take care of your parents, be excellent in school, get a good job, raise a family, And still be the one responsible for anything going wrong,

especially if you're doing what you want. For Annette, those voices were telling her she wasn't Latina enough to write about Latinas. Let alone a story framed around her own life experiences as a Mexican American. Not Latina enough to write her own story of life as a [00:06:00] Latina.

It's heart wrenching to hear, yet heart warming testament to her strength of writing for a greater purpose, to honor her familia, the matriarchs in her family, her abuela and Wuelita, to celebrate who they are so no one else could say they, collectively, are not enough.

Annette teaches us to not get hung up on our own fears. Those whispers telling us we're not good enough, and to instead act for the greater good. Use our talents intentionally and with purpose because we never know the impact of our actions until we put them into play. We can be holding space for someone who feels unseen, unheard, and unbelievably proud of everything you have done, that makes their world glorious.[00:07:00]

Imagine all those wet blankets laying on you, hella heavy, keeping you silent and still, in the dark with only the whispers of inadequacy for company. Now imagine being in the center of celebration and love, surrounded by people who respect you with gratitude, cheering you on for more, and in that roar,

those whispers can't be heard. Which would you choose? What would it take for you to get out from under those heavy wet blankets and fulfill that dream that brings you joy and pride and celebration? Whatever it is, or whoever it is, do that. Listen to your heart and soul. They know you best. They were there before your rational mind started talking back at you.

They were made by the universe. Created with purpose. [00:08:00] A purpose needed by the world.

As Annette said, she had a story. A story of love and kindness of her four generations of family in her heart and soul that just had to be told. And you saw it most when she spontaneously broke into tears in thinking about her precious abuela and Wuelita,

that are so much bigger than any of those little voices could ever hold back. It's what got her to finally submit. into that really hard environment of publishing, of persevering through 13 rejections.

Still, the voices did return. Same whispers with different reasons. As she said, those voices returned before writing her second women's fiction novel, and then it happened again before her third. I mean, she [00:09:00] is human, after all. Although here, we see her as a goddess. So let's keep those goddesses coming, who see the love and silliness in humanity, and make the platforms to bring it out for all of us to thrive in.

Join us next week with our amazing guest, Hope Lopez. Co founder of Moonlight Comedy Productions, a multidisciplinary filmmaker and Chicana activist born and raised in Southern California. She's a showrunner, director, writer, producer, actor, editor, and musician. She's all the things. With the intention of bringing accurate representation to marginalized communities through complex and intersectional characters.

See, this is where we're going in life, people. And these are the women, the mujeres, the really badass [00:10:00] chicas that we are bringing to you, so you have the same hope that we talk about on every episode of how the impact of these Latinas are changing the world as we know it. You're going to love Hope's energy, her advocacy, and empowerment to live your best life, the world that have your back.

Live freely, knowing there are people building spaces for you to be seen and accepted for who you are, with no editing, no code switching, just all authenticity and self love. So join us next Wednesday, April 10th at 5 p. m. Pacific, sunny time, California. We love that you have subscribed to this podcast and continue to champion women who understand the life of all things Latina. And as always, step into your truth, ladies. Ciao!

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