Guest Post and Lone Star Legend Giveaway!

I am so exited to welcome Gwedolyn Zepeda to Jo-Jo Loves to Read!  If you missed my review, you can read it here.  In her guest post she has decided to share a little more information about the chupacabra.  So if this legend is new to you I suggest you read the following guest post.

Here is what Gwendolyn wants to share with us:

In my latest novel, Lone Star Legend, protagonist Sandy Saavedra is trying to embark on a career as a serious journalist who tackles Latino issues, and then the news organization she works for is taken over by a gossip blog conglomerate. Sandy is asked to write “snarky” pieces about celebrities, and she finds that a little demeaning, but she’s willing to rise to the challenge. So I had all that in place, and then I thought: What would be even more demeaning to someone likeSandy than writing gossipy blog posts? And the answer was a chupacabra story. It would be like asking Anderson Cooper to go on location with the Loch Ness Monster, in her mind. 

I live in Texas, and there are periodic chupacabra claims here, of course. Before I started writing this novel, there was an alleged chupacabra sighting out in the Hill Country somewhere. Every time that happens, I feel kind of embarrassed trying to explain the legend to my non-Latino friends, because it’s pretty silly, and they ask if I believe in chupacabras, and I get defensive and ask if they believe in Bigfoot, and then they ask what the word chupacabra means, and I say “Goat sucker,” and then they make dirty jokes, and etc., etc. So I’m always a little annoyed when there’s a chupacabra story on the news. But after this one sighting, right before I started writing this novel, a lot of Mexican bars and restaurants turned it to their advantage by offering chupacabra-themed drink specials and t-shirts. And I thought that was a good way to rise above a silly situation. So I wanted to give Sandy an opportunity to do that, too, by finding her own chupacabra and turning it into a story to be proud of.

Fun Fact #1: The working title of this novel’s manuscript was “Chupacabras in Love.” But my New-York-based publisher worried that not enough readers outside the Southwest would know what the word meant, so we changed it to Lone Star Legend.

Fun Fact #2: Just yesterday morning, workers in Bridgeport, Texas found what seemed to be the body of a dead chupacabra. Biologists have determined that it’s actually a rare hairless raccoon.

Thanks for stopping by today Gwendolyn!  I am always excited to learn about a new legend and this one was sure new to me!

Now let's get on with the Giveaway! Miriam from Hachette has offered to give 3 copies of Lone Star Legend away to my readers!  Thanks again Miriam!

To enter this contest you must be at least 18 and live in the U.S. or Canada.  No PO boxes please.

For one entry leave me a comment including your email address below.

For an additional entry share a legend that you know of.

For two additional entries, blog about this contest or add the link to your sidebar.

Please include your email so I will have a way to contact you if you win.

You will have until February 12th to enter and I will draw for winners on February 13th.

Good luck everyone!