How Grief Became My Constant Companion — and Why It Writes Its Way Through My Stories Readers always mention in reviews of my writing: that sense of grief, the atmosphere of loss, the feeling that life is subtly cracking beneath the surface of everyday moments. And yes… I’ve known grief for as long as I can remember. That’s not a dramatic reveal — it’s just my truth, and I think it explains why I write the way I do.

Ever wonder why some stories feel grief in the bones? I break down how a lifetime of loss — early funerals, heavy emotions, surviving waves of mourning shaped the way I write. It’s raw. It’s real. And you’re invited in.

#theordinarybruja #storiesaboutgrief #indieauthor #ownvoices #latinxstories

🎥 57,000 views in just two days — thank you! 🙏

Retache is about Mexicans returning from the U.S. and rebuilding life in Mexico.

Watch the 1-minute launch video here 👇
🔗 youtube.com/shorts/vf0UA...

#Retache #ReturnMigration #MexicanStories #LatinxStories #MigrationStories

La bruja | Latin@ Literatures The coughing came from deep inside her chest. It was intense, almost violent. La Bruja leaned forward, trying to calm the cough, holding a handkerchief over her mouth, but a dizzy spell hit her, and s...

I wrote a story and it’s been published! Check it out!

It’s been a month since Diego’s mami passed away and all he wants is to be able to tell her he’s sorry and he can’t. But maybe La Bruja can. #writinglife #writer #shortstory #latinx #latinxstories #writing

What we’re reading: www.motherjones.com/media/2025/0... #latinosinfilm #latinxstories

Every day, Lucia walks a tightrope between two worlds—her barrio and her university. Both question her right to belong. Both try to erase her. 💥🎓
#LatinxStories #80sCalifornia #StoriesOfIdentity #BookSky 💙📚

You Can Call Me Eve Radio show: KPFK 90.7FM

🎭 Just uploaded the radio play version of my Latin drama YOU CAN CALL ME EVE, first broadcast on KPFK 90.7FM in 2007.
A story of loss, resilience, and rediscovery.

Listen now ⬇️

🔗 open.substack.com/pub/mcoulomb...

#RadioPlay #Drama #LatinxStories

Everyone in the barrio knew what Uncle Bruno was. But in the 80s, family came first—even if it meant girls like Lucia came last. 🖤🔇
#FamilyDrama #LatinxStories #StoriesOfHealing #BookSky 💙📚

Lucia doesn’t fear the ocean. She fears what it reflects: memory, grief, and the weight of everything she can’t say. 🌊🖤
#CulturalIdentity #TraumaFiction #LatinxStories #BlueSky💙📚

The 80s weren’t all neon and synth-pop. For Lucia, it’s a decade of cultural silence—where abuse hides behind closed doors and girls like her aren’t taught to speak. 🎧🕯️
#80sVibes #TraumaFiction #LatinxStories #BlueSky💙📚

Ellie doesn’t throw punches. She throws comments. “Wannabe white girl.” “India.” The kind of cruelty that hides behind a laugh. 🧨🎀
#TraumaFiction #LatinxStories #FlawedButFierce #BlueSky💙📚

Lucia has spent her life surviving. Keeping her head down, playing it safe. But deep down, she wants more. Not just to endure, but to live. To take up space. To matter. Maybe she already does. 💭💫 #StoriesOfIdentity #ResilienceAndHealing #LatinxStories #BookSky 📚💙

vibin' 😎 or cheesin' 😁 you decide!
Whichever it is, we are bringing it back in 2025! Three months and two days to goooooooo

#lkbfstorytellers25 #writinglife #booksinstagram #latinxbooks #latinxauthors #latinxwriters #latinxkidlit #latinxreads #booksignings #latinxstories #latinxbookstagramtour

Whispers spread fast in the barrio. Women cluck their tongues, men shake their heads. But no one gets involved because they’ve seen what happens to those who do. In a place where survival is everything, no one wants to be the next story. 🏚️ #TraumaFiction #ResilienceStories #LatinxStories #BookSky💙📚

It’s 1985—Prince on the radio, Aqua Net in the air, and a city divided by wealth, culture, and expectation. Lucia knows exactly where she doesn’t belong. Matteo has never had to think about it. Love isn’t enough to close the gap—but maybe rebellion is. 🔥🎶 #80sVibes #LatinxStories #BlueSky 💙📚

I just received an email that made my day!

One of my short stories was accepted for publication!

Excuse me while I do my happy dance 💃🏻💃🏻
#writinglife
#writing
#writingcommunity
#latinxstories

I registered for this. We need for #latinx outlets for our stories and all the support we can get. @russlopez.bsky.social
@richienarvaez.bsky.social

#writing #writinglife #latinxstories #writingcommunity

I’m writing a short story about a boy in the mountains of Puerto Rico who lost his mami, and he visits an espiritista so he can communicate with her spirit. 🥹🥹

I’m loving this story even though I have no idea where to submit it.

#writinglife #writing #writingcommunity
#latinxstories

People say Lucia is quiet, but her mind is loud—filled with ideas, questions, and the weight of things she can’t say out loud. Silence isn’t emptiness. Sometimes, it’s survival. Sometimes, it’s power. 🌙📖 #ComplexCharacters #LatinxStories #HeartfeltFiction #Booksky 💙📚

Abuela was raised to believe men’s tempers were inevitable, that women endured. Now, she enforces the same silence she once survived. The cycle doesn’t just repeat—it twists, shaping her into someone she never wanted to be. 💔👵🏽 #TraumaFiction #LatinxStories #ResilienceAndGrowth #BookSky 💙📚

Lucia once thought love was the answer. That someone else would make her whole. But love isn’t the goal—she is. Her dreams, her growth, her strength. She’s learning to stand on her own, and that’s enough. 💙🌙 #ResilienceAndGrowth #HeartfeltFiction #LatinxStories #BookSky 💙📚

Lucia has spent her life swallowing pain, but when Ellie’s cruel words push her too far, she fights back. A single moment of defiance shatters everything.

What happens when survival demands more than silence? 💥🔥 #FemaleProtagonist #ComplexCharacters #LatinxStories

Abuela was raised to believe men’s tempers were inevitable, that women endured. Now, she enforces the same silence she once survived. The cycle doesn’t just repeat—it twists, shaping her into someone she never wanted to be. 💔👵🏽 #TraumaFiction #LatinxStories #ResilienceAndGrowth #BookSky 💙📚

y qué 😁 Dedicated to those
who never know how the hell to answer this question 😬 follow for Chican* history, unknown/untold history facts #ChicanaHistory #HispanicHeritage #LatinaVoices #ChicanoCulture #MexicanAmerican #CulturalPride #WomenInHistory #ChicanaFeminism #HispanicHistory #LatinxStories

Family going through problems

Lucia faces the weight of family expectations and cultural traditions that shape—but don’t define—her. How do we reconcile who we are with who our family wants us to be? 🌼🏡 #LatinxStories #FamilyDrama #CaliforniaDreaming

Fashionably late to the party—👋🏽

#storytellers #lkbfstorytellers #writersofbluesky #illustratorsofbluesky #litconference #latinxstories

Mark your calendars mi Gente!!! I'll see you at @lkbfstorytellers this upcoming September 12 & 13, 2025 at Scholastic. Nos vemos pronto.

#latinxbooks #latinxauthors #latinxwriters #latinxkidlit #latinxreads #booksignings #latinxstories #writingcommunity #writershelpingwriters #LKBFStorytellers24