Elizabeth Monthly: Introducing Antonio Sonoro
Today is finally the last day of school for my kids and the summer looms long and languid.
For those of you who don't know, I joined the Writers Guild of America this spring, because I am involved in writing a screenplay. And in case you haven't heard, we're currently on strike. It feels kind of funny and surreal - I joined a union for the first time in my life, only for that union to call a strike after I'd been in only a couple of months. The strike is important and I'm glad the union is looking out for my interests, but what it means is that I cannot work on the screenplay for which I was under contract. This is both a blessing and a curse. The deadline for finishing the first draft was fairly aggressive, and now that it has come and gone, I've slowly felt ease settling around me like a dusting of snow. In my last newsletter I wrote about the crushing weight of too many things to do, but since going on strike also happened to coincide with a number of my other projects and commitments finally getting wrapped up, the last few weeks have been more restful than usual, and more productive.
I started gardening. Here are my first peonies:
I've been reading a lot and listening to a lot of audio books, including How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell, a fascinating look at the ways tech companies manipulate our attention and destroy our ability to be present in the world. I'm also reading Soil by Camille Dungy, which is about gardening and the focused attention it requires, and how gardening has changed the way the author sees herself fitting into the natural environment. Do you see a theme here?
So this summer I hope to spend a lot of time outside in the garden, kayaking on the lake, having friends over to enjoy our deck, and trying to notice more of the world. And growing so many beans. Seriously, like way, way too many beans. I anticipate giving away bushels of them in August.
Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together...
I am very excited to finally share with you the cover for The Bullet Swallower, which will be making its debut in the world 1/23/24!
A dazzling magical realism western in the vein of Cormac McCarthy meets Gabriel García Márquez, The Bullet Swallower follows a Mexican bandido as he sets off for Texas to save his family, only to encounter a mysterious figure who has come, finally, to collect a cosmic debt generations in the making.
In 1895, Antonio Sonoro is the latest in a long line of ruthless men. He's good with his gun and is drawn to trouble but he's also out of money and out of options. A drought has ravaged the town of Dorado, Mexico, where he lives with his wife and children, and so when he hears about a train laden with gold and other treasures, he sets off for Houston to rob it--with his younger brother Hugo in tow. But when the heist goes awry and Hugo is killed by the Texas Rangers, Antonio finds himself launched into a quest for revenge that endangers not only his life and his family, but his eternal soul.
In 1964, Jaime Sonoro is Mexico's most renowned actor and singer. But his comfortable life is disrupted when he discovers a book that purports to tell the entire history of his family beginning with Cain and Abel. In its ancient pages, Jaime learns about the multitude of horrific crimes committed by his ancestors. And when the same mysterious figure from Antonio's timeline shows up in Mexico City, Jaime realizes that he may be the one who has to pay for his ancestors' crimes, unless he can discover the true story of his grandfather Antonio, the legendary bandido El Tragabalas, The Bullet Swallower.
A family saga that's epic in scope and magical in its blood, and based loosely on the author's own great-grandfather, The Bullet Swallower tackles border politics, intergenerational trauma, and the legacies of racism and colonialism in a lush setting and stunning prose that asks who pays for the sins of our ancestors, and whether it is possible to be better than our forebears.
"An utterly original, wild ride rendered by Gonzalez James' masterful hand that turns the traditional redemption narrative on its head. In cracking open her own family legends, The Bullet Swallower brings to vibrant, three dimensional life the people and history of the Mexican and Texas border. Full of heart and humor, the magic in this book is not what is invented, but that it makes you wonder what it is, in all our histories, we may have forgotten?"--Xochitl Gonzalez, New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming
It's available for preorder now, anywhere books are sold. And if you can't wait, my publisher is sponsoring a Goodreads Giveaway right now. Click here to enter for your chance to win an advance copy.
I did stuff:
I have a short story in the latest issue of Southern Humanities Review, which you can read an excerpt of here. The actor John Slattery makes an appearance in the story, and if you don't know who he is, well, he's an iconic silver fox:
Early this month I also helped organize the very first Latinx Writers Weekend at Grub Street's new headquarters in Boston. We had an amazing lineup of authors and publishing experts including Angie Cruz, Rio Cortez, Saraciea Fennell, and many others. It was a really meaningful weekend of celebration, education, and community. Mil gracias to Grub Street and all our readers and attendees! Here's me with Dominicana author Angie Cruz:
And I'm going to stop here so I can step away from my desk and try to enjoy what's left of the sunshine, at least for a little while!
xoxo,
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Gonzalez James is the author of the novels Mona at Sea and The Bullet Swallower (forthcoming 2024), and the chapbook, Five Conversations About Peter Sellers. Originally from South Texas, she currently lives in Massachusetts with her family.
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