I am a 40-something Latina novelist, screenwriter, and executive producer. Prior to this, I wore a number of hats, including: gallery girl, tarot-card reader, event planner, fundraiser, and entrepreneur. I was raised by my maternal grandparents in the solidly blue-collar world of South Brooklyn. I went to public school. I went to Brown. I started a business with my best friend. I made some money. I lost some money. I’ve lived a lot. When I turned 40 I finally found the courage to write down the stories that had weighed on my heart. I got into the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, blew up my whole life in New York, and moved to the land of tall corn to get my M.F.A. I wrote a novel called Olga Dies Dreaming, and am in the process of adapting it for television. I still live in Brooklyn—a place much changed, but so am I.