Being a Texan--a bilingual Texan

South Texan, American, Mexican, Spanish, Sephardic Jewish, Believer

The best advice that an aspiring author can receive is to write what one knows best. Therefore, I've written from the perspective of a Texan who grew up in a setting that permitted me to develop fluency in two languages. It enables me to bridge a world of characters who are not only bilingual but multicultural. For me, experiencing the unique cultures in this part of the country has been invaluable. Being a South Texan with a mestizo heritage, some Spanish roots, and plenty of Sephardic Jewish influence enabled me to spin stories about Abraham and Miriam Epstein and their daughter Miroslava (Miro) who married my protagonist, the psychiatrist Nathaniel Shelley. The Epsteins were born in a south Texas border town, the fictional Dearlo Heights. The Epsteins are also bilingual and their Sephardic Jewish heritage has enabled Miro Epstein-Shelley a rich experience that has led to a career in university teaching in Chicago.