The 30-Day Soft Bruja Challenge: A Cozy Ritual for Anyone Reclaiming Their Magic Every season brings its own kind of energy, and lately I’ve been craving softness. Not the kind of softness that means weakness or fragility, but the kind that feels like a warm cup of tea in your hands, or the quiet moment before a candle’s flame settles. The kind of softness that lets you breathe deeper, listen closer, and find a little magic inside the ordinary parts of your day.

The 30-Day Soft Bruja Challenge is live. A cozy, grounding ritual series for anyone craving softness, magic, and a return to themselves. If you’ve been overwhelmed or disconnected, this challenge is your quiet doorway back. 🌙✨
#MagicalRealism #LatineReads #TheOrdinaryBruja #haveacupofjohanny

Why We Need Softness in Horror When most people think of horror, they imagine blood, jump scares, and the kind of fear that makes you want to sleep with the lights on. But the horror that stays with me isn’t about monsters hiding in the closet. It’s about the quiet kind, the dread that lives in memories, the ghosts that wear our mother’s voice, the grief that lingers long after the screams fade.

Real courage isn’t about being unafraid. It’s about walking through the dark with your heart open. That’s why we need softness in horror.

#TheOrdinaryBruja #EmotionalHorror #LatineReads #HealingThroughStory #haveacupofjohanny

Friday Feature: Five Latina Brujas You Should Be Reading Right Now Now that The Ordinary Bruja has officially stepped into the world (and I’m still over here smiling like a proud mama), I want to celebrate this moment by spotlighting other incredible Latina and Latine authors who’ve filled the world with stories of power, identity, and magic. These authors are proof that brujas come in many forms — storytellers, worldbuilders, truth-tellers — each one daring to write the kind of stories that honor where we come from and who we’re becoming.

✨Friday Feature✨ To celebrate The Ordinary Bruja’s release, I’m sharing five amazing Latina brujas who are writing unforgettable stories about magic, grief, and identity. 📚🕯️ Add these to your TBR and feel the power.

#LatineReads #WitchyBooks #FridayFeature #HaveACupOfJohanny

When Authentic Stories Fall Flat—Is It the Author, or the Industry? Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about why some traditionally published Latinx stories don’t always feel as authentic as they could. I’m not saying they’re bad books. Far from it. But sometimes, as a reader, I can tell when a story has been trimmed or smoothed out in ways that make it lose some of its cultural heartbeat. Now, I’ll be the first to say that this is speculation on my part.

Traditional publishing wants diversity, but without diverse teams behind the scenes, can stories feel truly authentic? The Ordinary Bruja is my proof that they can when authors lead their own way.

#LatineReads #RepresentationMatters #OwnVoices #HaveACupofJohanny

The Power of the Hill: Why Marisol’s Walks Mean More Than Exercise When I first wrote #InstaBruja, the story that later evolved into The Ordinary Bruja, I never imagined that a simple hill would carry so much meaning. At the time, I just wanted to capture that strange feeling of stepping back into the world after the pandemic—the mix of relief, anxiety, and quiet self-judgment that came with it. In…

What started as a story about losing pandemic weight became a story about finding self-worth. In The Ordinary Bruja, Marisol’s daily walks up the hill aren’t just exercise. They’re transformation. Read the blog post and discover why the hill means more than it seems.
#MagicalRealism #LatineReads

Throwback Thursday: From #InstaBruja to The Ordinary Bruja Before The Ordinary Bruja became the dark, haunting, identity-reckoning novel it is today, it started as a short story I wrote called #InstaBruja. #InstaBruja was born out of the chaos and stillness of the pandemic. It followed a young woman named Marisol—a name I kept when she evolved into the protagonist of The Ordinary Bruja. In that short story, Marisol was trying to find her footing after the world reopened.

Throwback Thursday to #InstaBruja—the short story that started it all. What began as a tale of post-pandemic self-discovery grew into The Ordinary Bruja, a dark, magical exploration of identity and ancestral reckoning. Coming November 1, 2025.
#MagicalRealism #LatineReads #DominicanAuthor

The Silenced by Diana Rodríguez Wallach — A Haunting Exposé of Control, Culture, and Courage A thoughtful and gripping exposé of the “troubled teen” industry, this supernatural thriller explores how a haunted past collides with a traumatized present to reveal truths that were meant to stay hidden. Welcome to The Farm. Hazel Perez thinks her school project on the abandoned Oakwell Farms School for Girls, otherwise known as The Farm, will be just another assignment she’ll ace.

The Silenced by Diana Rodríguez Wallach gave me chills, and not just from the ghosts. 👻 This supernatural thriller digs into the real horrors of control, silence, and identity. Read my full review on the blog.
#LatineReads #HorrorBooks #BookReview #TheSilenced #haveacupofjohanny

“If They Were Lighter, They Made It Through” — The Haunting Truth Behind Dominican Colorism There’s a line in The Ordinary Bruja that makes people pause when they read it:“If they were lighter, they made it through.” It’s one of those lines that carries more than a story—it carries history. The kind of history that’s uncomfortable, that sits heavy in the chest long after the page turns. That line came from a place of anger and heartbreak.

If they were lighter, they made it through.” This line from The Ordinary Bruja carries the weight of history and the truth about how self-hatred still haunts Dominicans today. Read the full post on my blog and let’s talk about the ghosts we’ve inherited.
#LatineReads #MagicalRealism #DominicanAuthor

A cozy flat-lay featuring a latte topped with cinnamon foam in a patterned ceramic mug beside a silver spoon and a paperback copy of The Ordinary Bruja by Johanny Ortega. The book’s dark, moody cover shows a woman’s face partially shadowed by branches with the tagline “Something in the dark knows her name.” Behind them, there’s a white sugar canister and a wooden cigar box labeled “Granadina’s Farm Special Selection,” creating a warm, inviting aesthetic perfect for a quiet reading moment.

Cafecito time with The Ordinary Bruja 🖤

There’s nothing like a slow morning with cafecito and a haunting story that feels a little too real. ☕️📖

#TheOrdinaryBruja #MagicalRealism #PsychologicalHorror #LatineReads #HaveACupOfJohanny

Enter to Win The Ordinary Bruja – A Story for Anyone Who’s Ever Felt Like They Weren’t Enough Tomorrow, October 19th, marks the start of something special—the official StoryGraph Giveaway for The Ordinary Bruja! From October 19th through November 18th, I’ll be giving away 10 digital copies (EPUB format) of my debut in the Las Cerradoras series. And because this is a digital giveaway, it’s open internationally—yes, you can enter from anywhere in the world. 🌍

🎉 GIVEAWAY TIME! 🎉 From October 19 to November 18, enter on StoryGraph to win one of 10 digital copies of The Ordinary Bruja. This giveaway is international, because magic knows no borders. 🌍

#TheOrdinaryBruja #BookGiveaway #LatineReads #MagicalRealism #haveacupofjohanny #horrorbooks #spookybook

De Eso No Se Habla: The Cost of Our Cultural Silence There’s a phrase I grew up hearing that still makes my stomach twist when I think about it:“De eso no se habla.”We don’t talk about that. It’s such a simple sentence, yet it carries generations of silence. When I was a kid, I didn’t understand why certain topics were off-limits. I didn’t understand why I was expected to swallow my discomfort, ignore the looks, or pretend something didn’t happen when deep down, I knew it was wrong.

We were told “de eso no se habla," but silence only protects the wrong people. My latest blog post dives into how cultural silence shaped me and how The Ordinary Bruja became my answer to that inherited hush. ✨👁️

#TheOrdinaryBruja #LatineReads #MagicalRealism #OwnVoices #HaveACupOfJohanny

When spooky shit happens to a horror writer There is an awful little truth about writing horror. You spend so much time courting the dark parts of yourself that sometimes the dark decides to RSVP to your living room. I woke up this morning still processing being spooked last night, and honestly I need to write it down before my brain turns it into a scene and then another scene and then a whole book.

Woke up from a tiny household haunting and wrote the whole thing down. If you like domestic hauntings that smell like coffee and unfinished altars, this one’s for you. Read my new post: When spooky shit happens to a horror writer. #MagicalRealism #LatineReads #OwnVoices #IdentityAndMagic

Promotional graphic for The Ordinary Bruja by Johanny Ortega. The book cover features a haunting half-face of a young woman overlaid with dark tree branches. Beside her, a silhouette of a man in a hat walks toward a glowing spiral on a shadowy forest path. Tagline above the cover reads: Something in the dark knows her name. To the right, bold text says: A Dominican Bruja. A hill that won’t stop lurking. A ghost who feeds on doubt and a curse older than the town itself. Three icons below represent NetGalley, Booksprout, and BookFunnel. At the bottom, the website www.haveacupofjohanny.com is displayed.

If you’re into magical realism, psychological horror, and haunting family secrets, come through and help this indie bruja be seen. 🖤

#TheOrdinaryBruja #LatineHeritageMonth #LatineReads #IndieAuthor #PsychologicalHorror #MagicalRealism

youtu.be/uwCm5NIvZwY?...

Step Into the World of The Ordinary Bruja

My upcoming novel, The Ordinary Bruja, releases November 1, 2025. But you don’t have to wait to meet Marisol Espinal.

#MagicalRealism #PsychologicalHorror #LatineReads #ComingOfAge #BookLaunch #TheOrdinaryBruja

Mondays and Tuesdays in September I want to read passages from our books 📚 Authors: Post a passage from your book 📚 #LatineReads #IndieAuthor #booktok #BookTokRecs #WhenPalomasVisit TikTok video by ABEL ZAVALA | Author

Mondays and Tuesdays in September I want to read passages from our books 📚 Latine Authors: Check out the video on TikTok and post a comment with a passage from your book 📚 #LatineReads #IndieAuthor #BookSky #BookSkyRecs #WhenPalomasVisit
www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8BtcknF/

Why Silence Is Inherited: The Unspoken Legacy in The Ordinary Bruja Shop now One of the quietest yet most damaging traits we inherit in Latine culture is the tendency to stay silent. We don’t often name it, but it’s there. It starts with a whisper that says, “Don’t cause trouble,” and becomes a rule we live by: “Be grateful, even when it hurts.” For those of us raised in immigrant households or as children of the diaspora, we are taught early on that gratitude is survival.

Silence is inherited. But healing requires sound. This week’s blog explores how The Ordinary Bruja tackles the cultural pressure to stay quiet, and why we must unlearn it to truly heal.

✨ Read now.

#TheOrdinaryBruja #LatineReads #haveacupofjohanny

The Hill That Changes Everything: Symbolism in The Ordinary Bruja The hill is more than a setting in The Ordinary Bruja. It is a living metaphor. A quiet teacher. A mirror held up to Marisol’s soul. In the short story that came before the novel, the hill was Marisol’s daily ritual. She walked it every day with the intent of becoming someone better. It was her gym. Her sanctuary. Her emotional proving ground.

The hill in The Ordinary Bruja isn’t just a setting. It’s a sacred path. Every time Marisol walks it, she comes back changed. Read the new blog to uncover how the hill mirrors our own messy, powerful journeys.

✨ Read now.

#TheOrdinaryBruja #LatineReads #haveacupofjohanny

She Whispers Before She Screams: A Lesson on Listening to my Body Have you ever ignored the quiet signs your body was sending until it had to scream to get your attention? In this raw and reflective episode, I share what getting hit with both COVID and the flu taught me about self-trust, resistance, and listening to the whispers before they become breakdowns. From tracking my symptoms to unlearning the lie that pushing through is strength, I open up about the ways we gaslight our own bodies, and what it looks like to stop.

She whispered… and I ignored her. So she screamed. This week’s podcast is about what my body taught me after COVID & flu took me out. 🎧 Listen to She Whispers Before She Screams and preorder The Ordinary Bruja now

#TheOrdinaryBruja #LatineReads #SelfHealing #haveacupofjohanny

Magic as a Metaphor for Reclaiming Identity in The Ordinary Bruja When I first began writing The Ordinary Bruja, I didn’t think it would become what it is now. It started as a feel-good short story. A balm during the pandemic. Something soft and magical to help me cope with the isolation and uncertainty of lockdown. But like all true stories, it evolved with me. What began as a whisper of comfort grew into a full-on reclamation.

What started as a short story became a reclamation. The Ordinary Bruja is about the magic we were taught to hide. This blog goes deep into what sparked it and what it means to reclaim your whole self.
✨ Read now.

#TheOrdinaryBruja #LatineReads #haveacupofjohanny

Doña Elvira Character in The Ordinary Bruja Explained Every town has that one woman who knows.Not in a loud way. Not in a “look at me” way. But in a way that makes you sit up a little straighter when she walks into the room. In Willowshade, that woman is Doña Elvira. She’s the neighbor who sees everything but doesn’t gossip.She’s the one who might hand you a bundle of herbs with no explanation and a look that says…

Doña Elvira doesn’t speak much about the past—but she feels it.
She carries her guilt like a second skin, and still chooses to stay.

#TheOrdinaryBruja #LatineReads #CharacterSpotlight #ElderWisdom #HaveACupOfJohanny

Dominican Bruja Representation in Fiction Explained Let’s get one thing straight: The Ordinary Bruja isn’t just a story about magic.It’s about Dominican magic. And yes—there’s a difference. Not the kind of magic that shows up in viral TikTok spells or aesthetic alter setups (though no shade if that’s your jam). I’m talking about the kind that’s handed down in whispers, in superstition, in the way your tías clutch their chest and say…

Marisol’s magic doesn’t come from a spellbook. It comes from memory. From whispers. From being Dominican.

#TheOrdinaryBruja #LatineReads #DominicanBruja #CulturalMagic #HaveACupOfJohanny

Self-Doubt and Generational Silence Explored in The Ordinary Bruja Marisol Espinal doesn’t think she’s magical.She doesn’t think she’s brave.She doesn’t think she’s worthy of being the hero in anyone’s story—not even her own. And that’s exactly why I wanted to write her. Because self-doubt doesn’t usually make the headlines. It doesn’t get the center stage in stories about witches and chosen ones. But it lives in so many of us.

Marisol didn’t learn self-doubt in words—she learned it in silence.
And that silence shaped the story she had to fight to remember.

#TheOrdinaryBruja #MarisolEspinal #LatineReads #IdentityAndMagic #HaveACupOfJohanny

Born in the Cold: How Lockdown and Isolation Birthed The Ordinary Bruja There are stories you write because they’ve been living inside you.And then there are stories that sneak in when the world shuts down and says, Now what? The Ordinary Bruja was the latter.Born not from a place of inspiration—but isolation.From the grief-laced silence of lockdown. From the heavy stillness that filled every room during those early months of COVID.

The Ordinary Bruja was born in lockdown. I wanted to escape—but the grief, cold, and silence shaped something deeper. A haunted girl. A haunted hill. And a truth we all felt: isolation changes us. ✨ #TheOrdinaryBruja #WritingDuringCOVID #LatineReads #OwnVoices #BrujaMagic

So, Why Is Friday the 13th Considered Unlucky? The superstition surrounding Friday the 13th didn’t come from one place—it’s a mashup of old fears, patriarchal erasure, and cultural myth-making. Here’s a little historical tea: The Number 13 ItselfIn many Western cultures, 12 is seen as a “complete” number (12 months, 12 zodiac signs, 12 apostles, 12 hours on a clock). So 13? It’s the outsider. The rebel. The disruptor.

Friday the 13th was once sacred—a day of goddess magic, not bad luck. It’s not cursed, it’s calling. Reclaim the story. 🕯️✨ #FridayThe13th #DivineFeminine #BrujaVibes #OwnVoices #LatineReads #TheOrdinaryBruja #MagicInTheMyth

My Book Baby Has a Playlist—and a Whole Lot of Feelings This morning, I hit play on the The Ordinary Bruja playlist—both the iTunes and Spotify versions I just finished—and I had to pause my life for a second. Literally stopped mid-song to record this journal entry because damn, I am feeling it. There’s this strange magic that happens when your story begins to sound like something. When the music captures your character’s heartbeat, your plot’s pulse, your themes, your tension.

Just dropped the Ordinary Bruja playlist on Spotify & iTunes 🎧✨ This book isn’t soft—it’s chaos, curses, and catching feelings while breaking generational silence. The soundtrack? Just as haunting. #TheOrdinaryBruja #BookPlaylist #LatineReads #OwnVoices #IdentityAndMagic

Marisol Is Me — Hesitant, Haunted, and Holding On There’s something deeply sacred about writing a character who holds a piece of your truth—especially the parts you kept hidden, even from yourself. In the final episode of The Why Behind the Bruja podcast series, I talk about how Marisol isn’t just a fictional character. She’s me. The hesitant girl who didn’t want to be seen. The woman still learning how to love herself without conditions.

I was taught to hide. But I also craved to be seen.

In the final ep of The Why Behind the Bruja, I share how writing Marisol helped me reclaim my voice—and love myself fully, lazy eye and all. Listen now. 💛
#MagicalRealism #LatineReads #haveacupofjohanny

Writing Process Advice for Authentic Creativity The Goosebumps Method I once heard R.L. Stine (yep, the Goosebumps guy) say that he writes his books by pushing forward—fast—then fixing what’s behind him later. That visual stuck with me: he doesn’t stop to polish, doesn’t obsess over getting everything perfect on the first try. He just moves. And lately? That’s been me with The Ordinary Bruja.

Writing The Ordinary Bruja feels like massaging dough—messy, slow, and beautiful in its own way. R.L. Stine once said to keep writing forward and fix behind you later. That’s what I’m doing. That’s what Marisol does too. Keep going 🧿💫

#AuthorJourney #LatineReads #TheOrdinaryBruja #Creative

The Power of a Pause for Emotional Clarity Introduction There was a time—not too long ago—when frustration would crawl under my skin and detonate like a live wire. Someone would say the wrong thing, do something inconsiderate, or simply catch me in a moment when I hadn’t eaten, and boom—I’d explode. But recently, I’ve been learning something my younger self never knew was possible: the magic of a pause.

Ever felt like you're one step away from losing it? I used to be there—until I learned the power of a pause. In today’s blog, I talk about how choosing stillness saved my peace (and my people) 🧿💫

#MondayMotivation #EmotionalGrowth #TheOrdinaryBruja #LatineReads #haveacupofjohanny

The Ordinary Bruja Update- February 6, 2025 It’s happening! The Ordinary Bruja is growing into something truly special, and I’m beyond excited to share an update with you all. If you’ve been following along with my journey, you know that this book is close to my heart. It’s a blend of magical realism, identity exploration, and the deep roots of Dominican culture. And today, I’m giving you a little sneak peek into the world I’m building, alongside the character who’s become a part of me—Marisol.

Excited to share with you all this update on The Ordinary Bruja! Marisol’s journey is taking unexpected turns—magic, family, and deep-rooted Dominican culture collide. Stay tuned for more!

#TheOrdinaryBruja #LatineReads #MagicalRealism