August 27, 1999
New York, NY — Kensington Publishing Corp., the foremost American publisher of romance novels, will enter the lucrative Hispanic market by launching a new line of bilingual romance novels, it was announced by Walter Zacharius, founder and Chairman of the Board of Kensington. The paperbacks will feature consecutive texts written in English and Spanish, by Hispanic authors from around the country. The first Encanto Romances will be in bookstores in August `99. In addition to the bilingual format, an exclusive Spanish edition of the novels will be available.
"As the Latino population grows, so will the demand for publications which reflects the rich Hispanic lifestyle and culture," says Zacharius. "We believe readers will respond very enthusiastically to Encanto Romances because they are stories by, for and about Latina women living in the U.S., written in both languages."
The first four Encanto Romances, on sale in August `99, reveal the diversity of settings, plots and backgrounds that promises to make the line exciting and universally appealing:
Now and Always/Para Siempre is the story of Con-nie Gonzalez, a 26 year-old, newly graduated FBI agent whose romance with a doctor is nearly thwarted by his wealthy, social-climbing Cuban mother. Para Siempre is written by Caridad Scordato, an attorney from New York City.
Desert Kiss/Besos Calientes is set in the Solitario Desert, where Texas Chicana Patricia Martinez, a 33 year-old mineral expert, is accompanied by a handsome guide on a geological expedition. At first, Daniel Rivera disapproves of Patricia's work because he feels that she is exploiting natural resources, but soon their relationship heats up under the desert sun. They realize they have the same interests at heart. Besos Calientes is written by Gloria Alvarez, a writer from New Orleans.
Summer Dream/Sueños de Verano is written by Texas schoolteacher Hebby Roman. In Summer Dreams, Natalia Colón travels to her grandmother's farm in New Mexico for the summer and meets up with Rafael, a childhood friend who aspires to be a professional baseball player. They come together to discover they've always loved each other.
Forever True/Siempre Fiel is written by Elaine Alberro and tells the story of Elena Garcia, a Cuban-American law school dropout who works as a waitress in Miami's trendy South Beach. A chance encounter with Antonio, her high school sweetheart and quinceañera escort, rekindles an old romance. Despite her mother's misgivings, Elena follows Antonio to New York where he joins the family law firm and she will pursue her acting career.
In October `99, four more encanto Romances will be released and a third cycle is scheduled for the `99 holiday season. The Encanto Romances publishing program is headed by an experienced and knowledgeable editorial staff. They are actively seeking potential manuscripts. They can be contacted at Kensington Publishing Corp. at 850 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022. Telephone is (212) 407-1581 or visit the Kensington website at http://www.kensingtonbooks.com.
Return
to Frontpage