The story: a youngish Emmanuel “Manny” Hernandez leaves the RGV (Rio Grande Valley) with his bud Hector to chase his dream of being a pro soccer player. As always happens when you chase your dreams, things fall apart. Manny doesn't have papers, which hinders things. A few of his personal tics push away those he should keep close. Can Manny overcome it all?

The story behind the story. After a good chunk of time, I have queried over 50 literary agents, all of whom I’m sure are really cool, nice, and professional people. Yes, I got plenty of rejections, lots of silence, but also some requests for the manuscript and a bit of feedback. Basically, here is my conclusion from this process: an agent needs to believe that they can sell your book to a publisher for a handsome profit and do this sooner rather than later. That means that if your book is a bit odd, you are in trouble from the get go.

My book has a male protagonist, but he is not white. Strike one. He is not even American: he is undocumented because his parents brought him to the US as a kid. Strike two. Next, (NO SPOILERS) one of the major themes of the novel - aside from the sports! - is the corrosive and pernicious ways heterosexism can tear apart the bonds of friendship and family. Strike three. I cannot write about my fellow Mexicans and Mexican-Americans without touching on the topic of the Catholic Church (and a few gentle ribs and potshots). Strike four. Lastly, lots of the hero’s friends are, like him, people of color from various backgrounds. Kiss of death.

The manuscript is too literary for multicultural fiction, too multicultural for literary fiction, too queer (1) for a sports novel, and too sports for a queer novel (2). If my novel had only one strike against it, an agent may be happy to take on the project and pester acquisition editors for me. This process can take years, though, if not a decade. My friends with book deals say I need to “pay my dues” and “hustle to get an agent” and attend conferences and even go to Iowa. However, I went to Iowa for Odyssey of the Mind in high school, the state was nice, but I don’t want to go back there just yet (unless I am asked to judge Odyssey of the Mind).

Here’s the bigger problem: I have been in labor too long and want to give birth to this mofo desde ya. Here’s the cool part: I have not signed on to be repped any particular agent because, to be honest, some independent publishers (at least one) have been in touch. After my two nonfiction books sold well, I actually got two cold-pitches or “queries” from independent publishers but lacked the energy at the time to follow through. Still, I actually would prefer to go the independent route for my novel with the right person/team/entity. I don’t need a huge advance but would like a sliver of control (and that is NOT what an agent wants to hear).

I also just may Kickstart and self-publish this mofo. A dear Editor friend is already editing it for me, and Erik Ebeling is on board to do a kick-ass cover.

I am also putting the finishing touches on an excerpt for your reading pleasure which will be very very weird.

(1)The term “queer”, perhaps used incorrectly, is meant to refer to “Queer Theory.”
(2)What the fuck is this chicano mofo bro married with kids doing writing a book and throwing around the term “queer novel”? Like, wtf???? Bottom line: a novel is a product of a singular imagination, that of the author. In my world, and my head, lots of great LGBT people enrich my daily life and no universe of mine can exist without said persons. Like all works of fiction, not to be confused with non-fiction autobiography, an author writes about people who are not exactly like him or her. I have done so, and hopefully done so well. If I have used the term “queer novel” incorrectly, my apologies.