PHOTO: I celebrated finishing my latest novel by dining at one of my favorite restaurants. Provence Grill owner Eric Cormouls-Houles offers his congratulations.


I invite you to join me in my journey to publish my next novel, Who Killed Fidel Casro?
I just finished the first big hurdle, completing the manuscript. My editor and publicist think I have a winner! Now I'm searching for the right agent who can help me find the appropriate publisher.
I wanted to give those of you who have been so supportive of my writing career a sneak preview of the book. Here's a synopsis:

When a Mexican fisherman is gunned down, a respected Miami surgeon becomes the prime suspect. The dead fisherman is Fidel Castro, whom Dr. Raymond Peters helped disguise through clandestine plastic surgery so that the controversial dictator could retire inconspicuously in Mexico.
In order to save his own life, Peters must find the real killers, retrieve a mysterious journal and outwit a ruthless woman assassin named Marcela, who was sent by Castro’s brother, Raul.
Raymond’s quest takes him through the hot spots of South Beach, the Yucatan Peninsula and Mexico, as he follows a trail of deceit, dead bodies and revelations.
Right behind him is Marcela, a specialist with the stiletto. Her mission: Recover the journal and eliminate everyone involved in Castro’s assassination, including Raymond, whom Raul suspects masterminded the operation.
Raymond’s life becomes more in peril as he unearths dark secrets within the governments of Cuba, Mexico and the United States.
Marcela has problems of her own. After a seedy pilot tries to rape her, she castrates him; and he vows revenge.
All roads lead to Havana, as Raymond discovers the surprising truth central to Who Killed Fidel Castro? and Marcela's would- be rapist plots her murder. The outcomes will have unexpected consequences for Raymond and Marcela - - if they survive.

I confess. I'm in love -- with Lat-Lit. That's the shorthand term for Latino literature.
I like the way it sounds as it bounces off your tongue like the beat of salsa music.
The narrow definition might refer to any type of literature -- in English or Spanish -- with themes that interest Latinos.
But actually, Latino literature is as complex and different as the people who write and read it. Two examples in the United States show what I mean.
MEXICAN ROOTS Many Southwestern and California Latino writers have roots South of the Border. Often, their parents or grandparents were poor. In some cases, they crossed the border illegally into the United States. The literature that came out of this experience has parallels with black literature and focuses on the discrimination the writers experienced growing up in "barrios." A House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is a poetic example.
CUBAN ROOTS
In contrast, Latino writers in Florida have a different background. Many were wealthy and well educated. My compatriots from Cuba all tend to be self-assured and have little patience for store clerks who do not speak Spanish.
Florida Latino literature focuses more on nostalgia for the places left behind, such as the movie The Lost City.
I would be interested in hearing what you think about Lat-Lit. E-mail your comments to me: davidpereda@aol.com -- in English, Spanish or Portuguese.