Tortilla Moon and Other Tales of Love

Set in the borderlands of Sonora, Mexico and southern Arizona, Tortilla Moon and Other Tales of Love consists of 16 closely linked stories. The unifying character is Lety, whom we first meet as a pregnant fifteen-year old. Physical and cultural boundaries are crossed and recrossed as we follow her life and the lives of her family, friends and lovers, until the birth of her first grandchild. Tortilla Moon and Other Tales of Love, explores the values of the Mexican family, the ones that change as people move to El Norte and begin to assimilate, and the ones that transcend both time and place. Theses stories do not progress in an exact linear manner and each was written so that it could be read and appreciated apart from the others. When they are read in sequence, however, like a bird building a nest, one twig of information is added here, and another there. When the last twig is in place a larger theme and story is revealed. Although love in its various forms is in every story, forgiveness, revenge and redemption are also central themes. For your consideration is the first story of the collection, Tortilla Moon. For many years I taught English in Tucson's public schools where diversity was the respected rule. Daily I eavesdropped on the Spanglish spoken in the hallways. These overheard conversations and my experiences with my Mexican National and Mexican American students and their families informed my stories. Gabriela E. Morales assisted me with the Spanish and made certain that the voices of my characters and the stories told rang true.