I’ve been writing stories since I was nine years old.

It all started with a birthday gift: a book from my beloved Oma. And then another, and another—for every birthday that followed. From Anne of Green Gables to The Chronicles of Narnia and Heidi, I devoured novels and soon felt inspired to write my own.

At nine, not yet able to use a typewriter, I handwrote my first series of novels on large, unlined orange sheets of paper my father—an orthopedic surgeon—brought home from the hospital. These sheets, meant to separate X-ray films, became the canvas for my diagonally written stories, complete with illustrations, stitched binding, and handmade covers crafted from the backs of my coloring books.

My passion for storytelling only grew. Early fiction led to poetry and short stories, and after emigrating from Argentina to the U.S., I began writing non-fiction to help Latinos navigate the path to success. My books, published by Sourcebooks and Penguin Random House, became bestsellers and garnered awards, earning me national media attention on topics ranging from education and job search to career development and leadership.

My book Find Your Inner Red Shoes sparked the launch of the Red Shoe Movement, a leadership development company and global community focused on mutual support for career success.

In recent years, I’ve returned to my first love—fiction—writing novels and short stories in Spanish. In 2025, I published The Postcard, my first novel originally written in English. It was inspired by a secret I read on PostSecret.com that haunted me for years: “Everyone who knew me before 9/11 believes I’m dead.” That single line became the seed for a gripping novel about loss, identity, and reinvention.

I still hope the person who submitted that secret reaches out—and shares the real story.