Has Harry Potter Met its Match?
Kristi Martinez
June 18, 2007
With so much attention given to the newest mega-monster Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book, few may have heard of a little novel from Warner Books coming out the week before. It is a novel that could very well become an interesting alternative for book readers looking for something a little different.
The novel? A beautifully-written urban love story which Phillip William McKinley, the director of the TONY Award-winning Broadway show, A Boy from Oz calls "A first-rate novel". The novel is called Forever My Lady and it is written by first-time novelist Jeff Rivera.
Forever My Lady has been receiving rave reviews within the underground Latino community ever since Rivera self-published the novel nearly 3 years ago. After years of struggling, Rivera says he is happy to see the book will finally be hitting bookstores nationwide on Friday, July 13th.
"It was rejected by at least 20 editors before Warner Books gave me a chance. All I wanted was a chance."
And a chance he got, after a new Latina editor, Adrienne Avila, who was working at Warner Books at the time, discovered the novel on the bottom of her pile. She fell in love with it and made an offer within 7 days.
Rivera finished writing the self-published version of Forever My Lady while living just outside of Boston and struggled to make ends meet as he moved to Miami. He began promoting the book online through his website ForeverMyLady.com because he says he "didn't have a dime to advertise."
The novel grew such an enormous following in the online Latino community that it garnered the attention of Levine Greenberg agent, Jenoyne Adams who quickly signed Rivera.
"I'm an avid reader and I could not put it down," says 38-year old Sylvia Ann Sanchez from Weslaco, Texas. She discovered the book on a website called SoyChicano.com, "Jeff better not forget us when he becomes rich and famous."
That testament and excitement about the novel seems to be true across the nation as those who got a sneak peak of Forever My Lady in its early stages have helped build the growing anticipation for the book.
"I think it will be a great success!" 20-year old Christina Ortiz says from Philadelphia, "I loved how they both loved each other no matter what they were faced with."
Those that have known the author for years reiterate that they are not at all surprised by the buzz or the success, "Jeff is so determined and knows exactly what he wants and goes for it." 41-year old Jonelle Ali says from Hollywood, California, "He is one of the most wonderful souls I've ever met."
July 13th is fast approaching and by the looks of it, author Jeff Rivera stands to make a real impact on the publishing industry by offering something a little different, even if he is going head to head with a monster like Harry Potter.
The novel? A beautifully-written urban love story which Phillip William McKinley, the director of the TONY Award-winning Broadway show, A Boy from Oz calls "A first-rate novel". The novel is called Forever My Lady and it is written by first-time novelist Jeff Rivera.
Forever My Lady has been receiving rave reviews within the underground Latino community ever since Rivera self-published the novel nearly 3 years ago. After years of struggling, Rivera says he is happy to see the book will finally be hitting bookstores nationwide on Friday, July 13th.
"It was rejected by at least 20 editors before Warner Books gave me a chance. All I wanted was a chance."
And a chance he got, after a new Latina editor, Adrienne Avila, who was working at Warner Books at the time, discovered the novel on the bottom of her pile. She fell in love with it and made an offer within 7 days.
Rivera finished writing the self-published version of Forever My Lady while living just outside of Boston and struggled to make ends meet as he moved to Miami. He began promoting the book online through his website ForeverMyLady.com because he says he "didn't have a dime to advertise."
The novel grew such an enormous following in the online Latino community that it garnered the attention of Levine Greenberg agent, Jenoyne Adams who quickly signed Rivera.
"I'm an avid reader and I could not put it down," says 38-year old Sylvia Ann Sanchez from Weslaco, Texas. She discovered the book on a website called SoyChicano.com, "Jeff better not forget us when he becomes rich and famous."
That testament and excitement about the novel seems to be true across the nation as those who got a sneak peak of Forever My Lady in its early stages have helped build the growing anticipation for the book.
"I think it will be a great success!" 20-year old Christina Ortiz says from Philadelphia, "I loved how they both loved each other no matter what they were faced with."
Those that have known the author for years reiterate that they are not at all surprised by the buzz or the success, "Jeff is so determined and knows exactly what he wants and goes for it." 41-year old Jonelle Ali says from Hollywood, California, "He is one of the most wonderful souls I've ever met."
July 13th is fast approaching and by the looks of it, author Jeff Rivera stands to make a real impact on the publishing industry by offering something a little different, even if he is going head to head with a monster like Harry Potter.
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