>> MY VERY FIRST BOOKS CAME FROM MORE ON THE JOURNALISTIC SIDE.

SOMETHING HAPPENED, AND WHAT IF, YOU KNOW, IF THIS PERSON LEAVE ON TO DO THIS OR THAT.

AND I JUST TAKE IT FROM THERE.

ALSO ABOUT IMMIGRATION, YOU KNOW.

YOU WORK --I FEEL LIKE IT'S A THERAPY, YOU WORK WHAT YOUR MIND IS CONCERNED BUT YOU DON'T KNOW AT THE MOMENT.

I WRITE MAINLY FOR SPANISH-SPEAKING READERS OR PEOPLE THAT WOULD LIKE TO READ IN SPANISH.

I DON'T UTILIZE VERY WHAT THEY CALL $5 WORDS.

I USE 50-CENT WORDS.

YOU KNOW, IT'S VERY EASY TO READ MY --WHAT I, WHAT I WRITE.

AND I WOULD LOVE IT IF PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING TO READ MORE IN SPANISH OR MAYBE UNDERSTAND SOME MORE ABOUT OUR CULTURE WOULD ALSO JUMP INTO IT.

WHEN I GET INVOLVED WITH ONE OF MY BOOKS, THEY'RE TYPICALLY NOVELS, THE CHARACTERS AND MYSELF SORT OF MINGLE A LOT.

I'M THINKING -- I'M THINKING MORE ABOUT THEM IN FICTION THAN I'M THINKING ABOUT REGULAR PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD.

SOMETIMES YOU'RE LIKE, YOU HAVE ALL THESE OTHER PEOPLE IN YOUR HEAD THAT ARE NON-EXISTENT BUT THEY'RE SOMEBODY TO YOU, RIGHT?

YOU PUT SO MANY --SO MANY HOURS INTO WRITING.

IT'S A LOT.

IT'S AN ENTIRE YEAR TYPICALLY FOR ONE BOOK.

THIS ONE WAS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER TIMES.

I WAS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING FOR VOLUNTEER.

AND I FOUND THIS, FIND A GRAVE, THAT YOU JUST SIMPLY GO TO THE CEMETERY AND LOOK UP WHAT GRAVES THEY'RE LOOKING FOR.

YOU TAKE A PICTURE AND PUT IT UP IN THEIR WEBSITES.

VERY EASY.

BUT THAT MADE ME THINK A LOT ABOUT GRIEF AND LOSING SOMEBODY AND THE PROCESS THAT WE GO THROUGH WHEN WE GO TO A CEMETERY BUT WE GO FOR OURSELVES, WE DON'T GO FOR THE DEAD PERSON.

IT'S A WAY OF CONSOLATION, I GUESS.

AND THERE'S SO MANY STORIES IN CEMETERIES.

♪ ♪ WELL, THE WHOLE CEMETERY THING WAS AMAZING.

SEEING THE STATUES IN STAGLIENO AND SEEING THE REASONS WHY IT WAS BUILT AND IT HAD LIKE THEIR RICHER PEOPLE, POOR PEOPLE.

PARTS OF THE CEMETERY.

I MEAN, WE DO THAT NOW TOO.

I GUESS THERE'S LIKE MORE THIS IS COSTING THIS MUCH AND THIS IS COSTING THIS MUCH.

BUT EVEN NOW WE DO THAT.

TO ME I THINK THE MOST INTERESTING THING WAS THE PEOPLE THAT WE TRAVELED WITH AND THE STORIES THAT WE HEARD FROM THEM, YOU KNOW.

EACH ONE IS --ONCE YOU GET THEM TO OPEN UP, YOU KNOW.

FIRST YOU HAVE TO BUILD THE TRUST OR GET THEM TO GET THE DEFENSES DOWN.

THEY OPEN UP AND THERE'S LIKE A COMPLETE STORY OR STORIES RIGHT THERE THAT YOU DIDN'T SEE.

A LOT OF THEM, THE THINGS THAT I'M LIKE, WHAT DID YOU DO?

THAT'S INTERESTING.

I'M WRITING IT DOWN.

I DO THAT A LOT, YOU KNOW.

SO IF YOU'RE FRIENDLY OR ENEMY, YOU MAY END UP IN MY --IN A PAGE.

I'VE ALWAYS LOVED TO TRAVEL.

MY KIDS LOVE TO TRAVEL.

IT'S THINGS THAT I THINK GO THROUGH GENERATIONS.

THE ONLY WAY THAT YOU CAN KNOW, YOU KNOW, HOW OTHER PEOPLE LIVE AND EXPERIENCE THEIR EXPERIENCES IS EITHER THROUGH READING A BOOK OR TRAVELING.

SO EVERY COUNTRY, EVERY PLACE REALLY, EVEN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD HAS STORIES.

WE JUST NEED TO SIT DOWN AND OBSERVE.