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Latinidad – Fall 2026: Lorena Hughes

Contents:

Saludos
Q&A: Lorena Hughes
Resources: $35,000 Scholars-in-Residence Program Fellowship

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BEFORE YOU SEND IT OUT

“Marcela’s guidance on my query letter helped me showcase industry knowledge and better position my book to sell. I also appreciate her introducing me to a key online resource that helped me identify fitting agents and editors for my wellness book. Years ago, Marcela’s loving support and savvy feedback of my mom’s novel helped sustain her spirit during several rounds of chemotherapy. I’m so grateful to Marcela for the love, emotional investment, and expertise she brings to her work.”
—Jenny Patton, https://www.journalingwithjenny.com/

Ready to work with a professional editor? Visit https://marcelalandres.com.
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1. Saludos

Lorena Hughes first caught my eye because her work is set in Ecuador, where my parents were born and raised. She captured my attention with her depictions of my favorite kind of female protagonists: complicated. The Night We Became Strangers, her latest novel, is Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend meets Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds featuring characters who forge lives out of loss and can’t always trust what they hear. I’m eagerly awaiting her next book, which is set in a part of the world that is famous yet in some ways unknown. To learn more, read the Q&A below with Lorena Hughes.

Helping Latinos get published,
Marcela Landres
marcelalandres@yahoo.com
https://marcelalandres.com

2. Q&A

Lorena Hughes is the award-winning author of The Night We Became Strangers, The Queen of the Valley, The Spanish Daughter, and The Sisters of Alameda Street. Born and raised in Ecuador, she moved to the United States when she was eighteen to study fine arts and mass communication & journalism. Her novels have earned acclaim from outlets such as The Washington Post, Ms. Magazine, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Woman’s World, The Christian Science Monitor, BuzzFeed, PopSugar, and Bustle. The Spanish Daughter is an Amazon Editors’ Pick, has been featured by Once Upon a Book Club and Amazon Unforgettable Reads, and was one of Reading Group Choices’ Most Popular Books of 2022. When she’s not writing, she draws inspiration from her work as a family photographer. For more information, visit https://www.lorena-hughes.com/.

Q: I love the twists and turns in The Night We Became Strangers! Midway I was convinced Agustín and Marisa had run away to live incognito but you surprised me. Did the novel have different endings in earlier drafts? Or was the current ending always in play?

A: Wow, I never thought of that! I wish I had, ha ha. I have a confession to make: I had written the story of Agustín, Marisa, and Alicia when I was still in college. They had different names then, and it was set in the ’90s, but it also had to do with a radio show and two friends in love with the same guy. In that version, they had a different, happier ending, but I instinctively knew from the beginning that it wouldn’t work for this particular novel. I also knew what I wanted their resolution to be. What I didn’t know was what would become of Alicia. It took a lot of thinking and brainstorming to figure it out. As for Valeria and Matías, I always knew how I wanted their story to end.

Q: Both you and Valeria, the protagonist of The Night We Became Strangers, are photographers. How does your photography inform your writing? And vice versa?

A: Before becoming a writer, I was a visual artist. As a teenager, I loved drawing and painting, and in college, I discovered my passion for photography. However, storytelling has always been an integral part of me—even without realizing it. For a long time, I tried to find ways to bring both passions together. Writing novels became my way of doing just that, even when the images live only in my head. Often times, an image comes to mind before I have a scene fully formed.

I frequently find inspiration in vintage photography of people, places, vehicles, fashion, and so on. In my photography work, I’m exposed to a variety of people I wouldn’t otherwise meet, and this helps me shape my imaginary characters. Sometimes I “borrow” traits from people I meet, or get inspiration from the incredible experiences they share with me.

Q: Previously you worked in advertising, graphic design and illustration, plus you’re a mom. You are uniquely qualified to publish a lovely graphic novel or children’s picture book. Have you ever considered doing so? I would be first in line to buy a copy!

A: Thank you! Yes, I have contemplated those options. In fact, before publishing my first novel, I took a children’s book writing class and loved it. I also played around with a graphic novel when I was a teenager (one of my early attempts at joining both passions), but those projects never came to fruition, mainly because I’m more interested in adult fiction.

Q: Clearly you’ve done a great deal of research that richly informs your writing. During this process you likely accumulated a great deal of data, but not all of it belongs on the page. How do you decide what to keep and what to let go?

A: When I started writing novels, I would often go on tangents, explore the lives of minor characters, and include all kinds of interesting details I discovered during my research that were essentially irrelevant to the main plot. I learned through the experience of rewriting several drafts of the same novel that I’m not going to have the reader’s unlimited attention, so I have to be very rigorous about what makes it into the novel and what doesn’t—as much as I would like to include those curious findings.

Q: Very few novels by Latino (or any) authors are set in Ecuador. Was the Ecuadorian setting an advantage or disadvantage as you sought publication of your first novel The Sisters of Alameda Street? Will your future novels also take place in Ecuador?

A: Honestly, I don’t have a clear answer to that. During my querying process, I had conflicting answers from publishing professionals. I had an editor tell me it was difficult to sell books set overseas (this was back in 2010), whereas others viewed it as a benefit because it was original and readers were eager to learn about new settings.

Personally, I see it as an advantage. Very little is known about the history of Ecuador, and I have found so many fascinating events that have gone unexplored in fiction. I think the setting—and by that I don’t only mean place, but the culture and historical context as well—is what has made my novels stand out.

As for future projects, I have a couple of new novels set in Ecuador, but I have also been considering writing something set in the United States, possibly New Mexico, where I’ve lived most of my life.

Q: Before finding your first agent, you received about 120 rejections and responded by almost immediately sending out a new query. Other writers give up after receiving a handful of rejections. Were you born persistent or did you develop that muscle? How would you advise writers to persevere?

A: I think I’ve always been very persistent, especially when it’s something I really care about. Of course there were times when I considered giving up, but then I would find out about a new agent, and I would think: Why not? What do I have to lose but an email? My advice would be to continue sending those query letters, just make sure the agent you’re contacting represents your genre. Otherwise, you’re wasting your time and theirs. My rule was that when I received a rejection letter, I would send one to another agent.

Q: Some writers assume that once they have an agent they’re set for life, not realizing that the author-agent relationship is like a marriage—it requires maintenance and sometimes ends in divorce. You’ve had multiple agents. What did you learn from each (no need to name names!) that you now find helpful in managing your writing career?

A: This may sound cliché, but I learned that one agent may be perfect for one writer, but not for another. Like you said, it’s like a marriage, and your style and expectations have to match theirs. For example, I wanted an agent who would be responsive, who knew the industry well, and who liked what I wrote. But I also knew I wanted an editorial agent (not all of them are). In the end, I found the right person for me and I haven’t looked back!

Q: Your first novel The Sisters of Alameda Street was published in 2017 and your fourth novel The Night We Became Strangers was published in 2025. Now that you’re four books in, has the way you write or promote your work evolved? What have you learned about the book biz that you wish you knew earlier?

A: My writing process has definitely changed. First, it has gotten a lot faster. Second, I’m much more purposeful and deliberate about every scene, character, and word that makes it into the novel. I have also learned that what I originally envisioned, or what I first wrote down, doesn’t necessarily have to make it to the finished product. That combination of thoughtfulness and flexibility, I believe, has made me a better writer.

As far as promotions, I’m still learning, and I believe this is something that’s constantly evolving. When I first started, every writer had a blog and was encouraged to have a newsletter. Then came social media and everyone was expected to try to engage readers and get a gazillion followers. But the platforms are constantly changing, and I don’t know how much that helps sell books anymore. There’s so much noise, so much competition—not only in books, but also in other media—that it’s very difficult to get the public’s attention. What I wish I had known is that getting a publishing offer isn’t the end of the road, but just the beginning.

Q: Writing and publishing a book (especially a novel) can take the better part of a decade. Kudos to you for your honesty about how it took almost twenty years for you to publish your first novel! For the benefit of my readers—some of whom may feel discouraged after only a few years of seeking publication—what wisdom can you share about how to approach the process with clear-eyed hope?

A: First of all, I think I’m the exception here. It usually doesn’t take that long for writers to get published, so do not despair! My problem was that I had originally envisioned The Sisters of Alameda Street as a telenovela (in fact, I was writing it in Spanish, in a television format). I then decided it would be easier for me to get it published if I wrote it as a novel, in English, since I lived in the US. So I rewrote it with that in mind, not considering that I had too many characters and too many subplots. Plus, I hadn’t yet learned some of the conventions we use in publishing nowadays, such as no head-hopping, and not having too many POV characters. So my first draft was VERY long, and I had to go back and find the real story I wanted to tell. It took several rewrites and revisions to complete the version that eventually got published.

My second issue was that although I had gone to college in the United States and was fluent in English, writing a novel in my second language was much more challenging. I have learned so much since I started writing in English! I think that learning curve also delayed my publishing efforts.

Q: Do you have upcoming projects that my readers should have on their radar?

A: Yes! One of my early projects, which has also had a few versions, is finally getting published in the fall of 2027. They Called It Paradise is the story of Sofía, a young aristocrat who elopes with her art instructor, but an accidental crime sends her to a penal colony in the Galápagos Islands—a world of exiled prisoners and bizarre animals. There, she meets a ruthless landowner who becomes infatuated with her and demands she become his mistress, just as she falls for his right-hand man, making her situation even more precarious. Meanwhile, her older sister, Emilia, leaves the convent to find her and becomes entangled in the political intrigue surrounding President García Moreno, uncovering a big secret that could help or hurt Sofía.

I’m really excited about this new project because it’s the most “historical” of my novels. A few of my characters are inspired by real people, and some events are true. The controversial government of Gabriel García Moreno and the human history of the Galápagos Islands are subjects seldom explored in fiction. And I’m happy to share them with a wider audience.

3. Resources
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PERUGIA PRESS PRIZE
Deadline: November 15
A prize of $2000 and publication by Perugia Press is given for a first or second book of poetry by a woman, inclusive of gender-expansive identities. For more information, visit https://perugiapress.org/contest/.

POETRY PRIZE FOR BIPOC WRITERS
Deadline: November 15
The Poetic Justice Institute Editor’s Prize is open to BIPOC writers of full-length poetry manuscripts, with or without previous book-length publication. The winning author will receive $1,000, publication by Fordham Press, a virtual launch through the PJI Event Series, and a one-on-one publicity consultation. For more information, visit https://poetic-justice.org/.

J. F. POWERS PRIZE FOR SHORT FICTION
Submission Period: October 1 – November 30
A prize of $700 and publication in Dappled Things is given for a short story. Second place prize is $300 and publication. For more information, visit https://dappledthings.org/.

HARVARD REVIEW CHAPBOOK PRIZE
Submission Period: October 1-December 15
A prize of $500, publication in a limited edition chapbook series, and an invitation to read at Harvard University is given for a prose work of translation—either fiction or nonfiction. For more information, visit https://harvardreview.org/hr-chapbook-prize/.

$35,000 SCHOLARS-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM FELLOWSHIP
Deadline: December 1
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture offers long-term fellowships designed to support and encourage top-quality research and writing on the history, politics, literature, and culture of the peoples of Africa and the African diaspora. Fellows are provided with individual office space and a computer, research assistance, full access to the unparalleled resources of the Schomburg Center, and a $35,000 stipend. For more information, visit https://www.nypl.org/about/fellowships-institutes/schomburg-center-scholars-in-residency/application.

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