The Wondrous Mysteries of Fiction Writing
Author, translator, and university professor, Luisana Duarte Armendáriz visited our 4th Graders to talk about her book Julieta and the Diamond Enigma. Before telling some of Julieta’s story, she spoke about her bilingual dog — who responds to commands in both English and Spanish! — and the many jobs she’s had besides being author of children’s books including ticket seller, sandwich maker, graphic designer, and even the “spooky” occupation of “Dean of Discipline!” Then she talked about Julieta and how her character was inspired by the troublemaking that she got into when she was a kid. Luisana also shared about her writing process, which is very unique. Even though she grew up speaking Spanish, she said she has lived her literary life mostly in English as an avid reader of books in that language. So, when she sits down to write fiction she writes in English. In the case of Julieta and the Diamond Enigma, she then translated the book herself into Spanish. Our 4th Graders were really intrigued by the Julieta’s mystery story, and were super excited to get an exclusive first-ever preview of Julieta’s next adventure, Julieta and the Cryptic Rose coming in the fall of 2026!
