❤Author Interview: Women's Fiction/Historical Fiction Author Maria J. Andrade

Maria J. Andrade was born in Ecuador, South America, and raised in New York and California. She has a bachelor of arts degree in English literature and a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. As a licensed therapist and writer, Maria has been diving into other people’s minds and her own, through dreams, poetry, and books for over three decades. She traveled with the Four Winds Society where she studied and was initiated into Andean shamanism in 1990.

Before Maria retired as a therapist, she specialized in women’s issues and founded the Wise Women’s Circle a ritualistic and transpersonal study group that continues today. The women support each other through life’s challenges and in the growth of mind, body, and spirit.

Maria Andrade’s books for children and adults is found in a variety of genres. This is an unforgettable first novel that reflects her imagination and creative storytelling.

Defiance and Redemption is her latest release.

Visit her website at www.booksasfriends.com or connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Thanks for stopping by!  What attracted you to the fiction genre?

Thank you for inviting me! I like story telling where the imagination plays a major part.

Do you write in any other genres?

I have written children’s books, science fiction, poetry, self-help and a meditation book. I guess you could put that last one in the genre of “spirituality” My books are for those 4 to 104.

What inspired you to write Defiance and Redemption, A Lifetime of Unbroken Bonds?

The early 20^th Century in which the story takes place was an amazing historic period in so many ways. It was both a glamorous time and a tragic time. It included the first and second World Wars, the 1929 stock market crash, the roaring 20s, the depression, and the rebuilding of the middle class in America after World War 11 when my mother arrives in the US. This is the backdrop for my mother’s story from 1919 to the 1940s. This is the period in which my parents fell in love. This is also the time frame in which my mother formed the bond of sisterhood she had with two other women which lasted a lifetime. While my book is a fiction so much of it was based on true events. It is a story that had to be told! Of course, Ecuador this small, tropical, and exotic country in the middle of the earth where the story takes place, saw all the world events I mentioned from a distance. Like we in America saw the wars in Yeoman or Syria from a distance today.

I had to write about the early years of my mother’s life, how she dealt with the dramatic events that happened to her and how she overcame the oppressive forces towards women in that time in history. I also wanted to honor the power of female friendship and how women sticking together can make important changes in the world around them. We see this in the historic Women’s March, and the MeToo movement of today.

Can you give us your book blurb so others can find out what your book is about?

Life as a Roller Coaster

Eva and Victoria’s grandfather, Colonel Alisio, tells them that life is like a roller coaster ride. Sometimes everything is going your way and you feel the dizzying heights of joy, and sometimes, you are faced with overwhelming challenges which take you to the depths of despair. His advice is to hold on to serenity so that they are not pulled by the twists and turns of fate. Everything passes. This will be a hard lesson for the young women to learn for they will be challenged by love, passion, scandal, loss of fortune, but eventually a bright future.

How can readers discover more about you and your work?

They can see my books for adults and children and purchase author signed books or gift books dedicated to those you care about, by visiting me at:

www.booksasfriends.com

 See my Book Trailer and find out where my Book Tour will take me on my

Author Page at Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/mariaandradebooks

or join the conversation about books on GoodReads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2837778.Maria_J_Andrade

Where can readers buy your book?

Defiance and Redemption, A Lifetime of Unbroken Bonds can be bought on:

Amazon–  English version  https://lnkd.in/gBKvHK6Z

Amazon -  Spanish version  

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1734290072?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860

B&N: https://bit.ly/3BLZYS9

Draft2Digital: https://bit.ly/3EQFud3

Want a signed copy? www.booksasfriends.com

Where can we pick up a copy of your book?

You can pick up a signed copy of my book at www.booksasfriends.com  

A Holiday Special for 10% off the original price with the code: “Bookish”

Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to take part in this interview. What’s next for you?

Thank you for having me! I have enjoyed our time together. What is next for me?  My husband and I met on the day after Thanksgiving thirty years ago. So, each year we do something special on that day. This year we will go to the ocean to celebrate.

In terms of my writing. In 2022 I will be working on a children’s book about dreamland which will include a lullaby in the book’s back cover which parents can scan at bedtime.

I was a psychotherapist for thirty-five years (now retired) and specialized in dream therapy. Dreams have played a large role in my life. I would like to do a book about my journey and its turning points which will include poetry and the dreams that impacted my life. Native Americans call these, “big dreams.”  I have the title, Who Prays for Butterflies? Now wish me luck with the contents!

 

 Thanks for stopping by!