Episode 395: The Many Levels of Character and World Building in a Rom-com – Interview with Alana Quintana Albertson

by Gabriela Pereira
published in Podcast

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Alana Quintana Albertson. We’ll be talking about her latest book, Ramón and Julieta, which happens to combine three of my favorite things: rom-coms, tacos (and other great food), and of course, Shakespeare references.

Have you signed up to be a DIY MFA Radio Insider yet? This is an exciting new monthly newsletter, especially for our podcast listeners. Every month, you’ll get an email from our podcast producer with recaps of the most recent episodes, a curated Listening List of episodes on a particular theme, and other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it’s free to join! The theme for February is Romance, and you can become an insider by signing up with your email at diymfa.com/insiders.

In this episode Alana Quintana Albertson and I discuss:

  • What inspired her to turn Shakespeare’s tragedy into a rom-com and how she pulled it off.
  • How she kept raising the stakes for her characters, while keeping it realistic.
  • Using world building to convey deeper elements of culture and community in her story.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

About Alana Quintana Albertson

Alana Quintana Albertson is a Latina bestselling romance author (her book Badass hit #3 in the entire Amazon paid store, she has had multiple novels in the top 100 paid store, and her Se7en Deadly SEALs romantic thriller serial has over one million views on the Radish fiction app). She has written thirty books and landed a three-book six-figure deal with Berkley Publishing for the upcoming Latinx romantic comedy series, Love and Tacos. The first book in the series, Ramón and Julieta, was recently optioned for television. Alana holds a Masters of Education from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Stanford University. She’s the former President of Romance Writers of America’s Contemporary Romance, Young Adult, and Chick Lit chapters. She’s the founder of the non-profit dog rescue, Pugs N Roses.™ She lives in Poway, California, with her husband, two sons, and too many pets.

You can find her on her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Ramón and Julieta 

Book Cover of Ramon and Julieta by Alana Quintana Alberston

When fate and tacos bring Ramón and Julieta together on the Day of the Dead, the star-crossed pair must make a choice: accept the bitter food rivalry that drives them apart or surrender to a love that consumes them.

Ramón Montez always achieves his goals. Whether that means collecting Ivy League degrees or growing his father’s fast-food empire, nothing sets Ramón off course. So when the sexy señorita who kissed him on the Day of the Dead runs off into the night with his heart, he determines to do whatever it takes to find her again.

Celebrity chef Julieta Campos has sacrificed everything to save her sea-to-table taqueria from closing. To her horror, she discovers that her new landlord is none other than the magnetic mariachi she hooked up with on Dia de los Muertos. Even worse, it was his father who stole her mother’s taco recipe decades ago. Julieta has no choice but to work with Ramón, the man who destroyed her life’s work—and the one man who tempts and inspires her.

As San Diego’s outraged community protests against the Taco King take-over and the divide between their families grows, Ramón and Julieta struggle to balance the rising tensions. But Ramón knows that true love is priceless and despite all of his successes, this is the one battle he refuses to lose.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 395

(Right-click to download.)

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