Julia Amante – författare

When Victor Torres and his wife Jaqueline left Buenos Aires for southern California, they imagined a life of ease. But what they found instead was a world of frustration. Victor owns a restaurant but his hard work has yet to yield the kind of success he craves. Jaqui has lived her whole life for her daughters, only to feel isolated and unappreciated now that they are grown. And Victoria, their eldest, is torn between trying to be the perfect Argentine daughter and an independent American woman.Antonio and Lucia Orteli had similar dreams when they came to America and now they have similar problems. Especially with their only son Eric, who left the family and their close-knit Argentine community years ago in pursuit of his own dreams.When Eric unexpectedly shows up one evening at the Argentine Club - the heart of their community--a series of events begins that will bring these two families closer than ever. New relationships are formed; old relationships are tested. In the end everyone will learn that it's possible to live the life you want without hurting the ones you love.

Isabel Gallegos, owner and CEO of Gallegos Wines is tired of always being responsible. Tending to everyone else's needs before her own has left her divorced, unhappy, and unfulfilled. The winery had been her parents dream, but never hers, though she devoted herself to making it a success. After much thought, Isabel decides to sell the winery, move to the beach, and finally take back her life. But just as these changes are about to take place, Isabel's cousin and her husband are killed and she becomes the legal guardian to their three young children. Convinced this must be a mistake, Isabel returns to Argentina, intent on finding a more suitable home--and parent--for the kids. But as she spends time getting reacquainted with her family and her past, the decision to return to her own life grows complicated. Should she bring the children home with her, or find a way for them to stay in Argentina? Should she stay with them? Can she really give up her own dream, just as she's about to realize it

Isabel Gallegos is only a handshake away from living her dream life. After years of putting everyone else's needs before her own, she's selling her family's vineyard and moving to a quiet cottage on the California coast. But just as she's about to seal the deal, a letter arrives from Argentina with shocking news: Her beloved cousin has died and Isabel is now the sole guardian of three young children. Still holding on to her dream, Isabel travels to Argentina. There she meets little Julieta, the cherubic baby of the family; eight-year-old Adelmo, as hot-tempered as his sister is sweet; and ten-year-old Sandra, whose heart-shaped face and quiet confidence remind Isabel so much of her late cousin. She tells herself to let the children go, to leave them in the care of their grandmother or perhaps their long-lost uncle who abruptly reappears. Or should she listen to her ex-husband, who is suddenly at her side, urging her to give the children--and him--a chance? If she's willing to take a risk, three tiny strangers just might change Isabel's life in ways she's never imagined.

Grace Montoya, a cancer survivor, has received a second cancer diagnosis and this time she is not sure she can beat the disease. But as she faces her mortality, it's not death she fears, Grace's thoughts are consumed with her daughters. Was she a good enough mother? Did she pass down the roots that will keep her girls grounded so they can continue to grow without her? But she doesn't have time to contemplate these deep questions because as she's preparing to fight for her life, her first love and father of her youngest daughter, Daniel Subia returns to their small town and he has questions, namely why didn't she tell him he had a daughter. Grace could lose it all, or she could be healed emotionally and physically by a love she thought had been lost forever.

Reinvention and redemption: One immigrant's struggle for a better life. Salvador arrives in the United States from Argentina with one big, unfocused goal, to become successful at something. He knows that America is the land of opportunity, and if he works hard, he will triumph. Together with his childhood sweetheart, he settles in the Big Apple where dreams come true. But this ambitious young immigrant soon learns that it takes more than hard work and charisma to succeed and is changed by the harsh realities of living in New York. Everyone has advice for Salvador as he moves from one dead-end job to another, attempting to reinvent himself. But the best advice comes from the loving letters he gets from his father. They keep him grounded and remind him of the man he wants to be until he loses this moral compass the day his father succumbs to diabetes. As the 1960s roll into the 1970s and America and Salvador become less innocent, he finds himself in California where he starts his own business, and it finally looks like the American Dream is within his grasp. But things get complicated when Argentina is involved in a war in the early 1980s, and Salvador must decide where his allegiances lie. One wrong decision and bold act can bring his dreams crumbling down, and Salvador soon realizes that there are consequences for being impulsive and disloyal. In the end, Salvador learns that there are boundaries men should not cross and that the love of family is perhaps the only worthwhile dream Americans should pursue. Spanning decades, Let Us Begin is a moving story filled with joy and despair about a family searching for a home and a place to belong.