Luz

Luis Gonzalez was born in Havana, Cuba, where he spent the first seven years of his life. His widowed mother of three fled the Communist State, kids in tow, and he found himself next in the Los Angeles enclave of Culver City, California. Though he quickly assimilated into his new country and culture, and had no trouble mastering his new language, Cuba never left him. Cuba was always with him: inside him, driving him, calling him. He realized this more than ever when, in the 6th grade, he did his country report on Cuba and thus began a love affair with his homeland that continues to this day. It was only natural that Cuba should play a part in his writing, and even from grammar school age, Luis knew that writing was in his blood. "I always loved to write, even as a young child, and I guess I've always been an indie author because, when I was in the third grade, after only having been in this country a couple of years, I wrote two stories. One was called The Magic Slippers, the other was called The Dolphins. I took sheets of paper that I folded over and stapled, and not only did I write the stories, but I illustrated them and made the cover and everything for them. I still have these first two books of mine and I look back on them now and wonder, wow, I really always was a writer. To this day those two items remain two of my most treasured possessions. They provide a glimpse into the passion that shaped the person who I am, and if I'm anything, I'm passionate, and if I'm passionate about anything, it's writing." It was only natural that Luis would go on to study something in the language arts. He graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature, and a concentration in Spanish composition and literature. As someone who is deeply moved and inspired by politics, religion, and the arts, it was no wonder that he came up with the idea for Luz, a story that grapples with all three realms. These days Luis Gonzalez calls San Francisco home where he lives with his wife and two of four daughters. He's always writing in one way or another, for writing is more than just writing: a lot of writing takes place in your head before the words ever make it down to the paper. So even if he's enjoying or exploring the stunning Northern California landscape or debating religion and politics with family or friends, he's always writing, for out of those discussions little pieces and snippets evolve to find their way onto the surface of the creative page.