City you live in:
Philadelphia.

Occupation and why?
Literary Agent. Because I love books and the process of bringing them to fruition. I have been a manager, an editor, a critic, a writer, and a translator. I use all of these skills to represent my authors, and to help them develop their careers.

A regular day consists of?
Sending and answering emails, getting on the phone with publishers and authors, reading queries and manuscripts, and on good days, getting excited about new projects. At the end of the workday, my husband and I are happy for the opportunity to play with our baby, feed him, and put him to bed with the help of, what else? Books!

How do you define success?
Doing what I love despite the economy, and my own rather humble beginnings.

What has been your biggest challenge?
Moving to a new city while pregnant!

What advice would you give a Latina who wants to follow in your footsteps?
Finish the highest level of school possible and immerse yourself in your local literary scene so that you can have an opportunity to meet the movers and shakers. Publishing can be a difficult industry to get into; it is infinitely helpful to “know” someone in this business. I know of several young people who have gotten their start through publishing programs offered at universities, for example. The biggest selling point of those programs is “access.” It’s in most of their descriptions.

What’s on your bucket list?
Seeing Africa and the Far East first hand; buying a house with a yard for my son to play in, and attempting to finish reading all the books in my very long “to read” list.

I am proud to be Latina because:
It provides me with a worldview and an infinite number of choices. Having been born elsewhere, I know that where I am or what I am doing at any particular time does not define me, and that I can reinvent myself as many times as I want to.

How do you get your Latin fix?
One word: Parrillada! And going to Uruguay to see my sister and the rest of my family—these are not mutually exclusive, by the way.

Spanglish, English, Spanish?
All three—and Italian! My husband is from Italy and I want my baby to be a polyglot.

What is your favorite Latin restaurant?
In Philly: El Rey, because I love Mexican and the cozy ambiance the place offers. In NY, where I lived for over 25 years until recently: Mitío, a little Uruguayan place in Queens that serves beef and papas fritas by the heap!

My favorite Latina stereotype is:
That Latinas are devoted mothers. I would like to think that I am living proof of that, as was my mother before me.

Best advice from mami and/or abuelita:
“The next opportunity is around the corner.” It’s a philosophy that I live by to this day. The important part is learning to find that opportunity, and that can only begin with believing that it exists, and that it is there, just waiting for you.

Favorite home remedy:
Hot water bottle—works for sore muscles, colds, everything!

Favorite Quote
“A room without books is like a body without a soul”.

Career Highlights
Getting referrals from some of the Latina authors I grew up reading and admiring because they know that one of my main motives for everything I do is to help Latinos get ahead in publishing, and to get our stories told.