Authors Speak & Daughters of the Stone
Once you learn to read, you will be forever free. ~ Frederick Douglass Authors Speak This Succeed and Soar series invites writers to answer questions about their artforms and special inspirations. Welcome Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa. Photograph [c] 2017 LaToya Ruby Frazier Sandra at Homewood Branch, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Ms. Llanos-Figueroa, what phrase inspires your writing and life? “Write what should not be forgotten.” Isabel Allende How have Allende’s words helped your writing, your life? I write historical fiction about 19th century plantation society in Puerto Rico because I could never find myself in the stories I was given to read. I wanted to give the people in my life faces and voices that were denied to them in this society. I wanted to substitute authenticity and truth for the stereotype and caricature that were projected in the media. Silence and erasure are forms of genocide. I hope that my work opens the door and presents a clear and present image of the diversity that is the fabric of America. How these words inspired Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa’s book Daughters of the Stone. Daughters of the Stone, the first book in the series, follows the lives of enslaved Africans from the perspective of five generations of Afro-Puerto Rican women. Their journey begins with capture in West Africa, to life in plantation society Puerto Rico, to immigration to urban America. Sample Text: These are the stories. My stories, their stories — just as they were told to my mother and her mother and hers. They were given to me for safekeeping and now I give them to you. Amazon Review Daughters of the Stone is available at Bookshop.org , local independent bookstores and major online book retailers. Meet the Author Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa writes historical fiction about the Afro-Puerto Rican experience from capture in West Africa to life in 19th century plantation society in Puerto Rico to urban New York City. Daughters of the Stone and A Woman of Endurance are her first two published novels.. Web Site: www.dahlmallanosfigueroa.com Follow on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest @DahlmaLlanosFigueroa Twitter @writer1949 https://www.facebook.com/DaughtersoftheStone/ Photo Credit: Matvey Zabbi Photography Keep in mind, Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary. – Jim Rohn COMMENT. This Month, Warm Body, Mind and Spirit with Coffee Mugs from Succeed & Soar’s “Eleanor’s Insights” Collection. Visit the Eleanor’s Insights posts. Mugs are: Ceramic Dishwasher and microwave safe Available in two sizes [11 ounce and 15 ounce] See All Mugs Shop All Art and Collections HERE. Thanks for your support!