Estrellas: A Collection of Short Stories

By Marleen J. Martinez

In Estrellas: A Collection of Short Stories, Marleen Martinez shares three engaging tales of young Latinas navigating their pre-teen and teenage years. From 12 to 17 to 19, these girls will captivate your heart with their antics and adventures.

12-year-old Lizzie Cortez wants to spend all her time drawing and is looking forward to her dream summer art camp. That dream is endangered when her horrible science teacher threatens her with summer school.

17-year-old Tarin Derbez has a dream of attending the famed Wilhelm Allen College of the Arts and has landed an audition. Her mother, however, won’t hear of it. She wants Tarin to attend a traditional university and has forbidden Tarin from attending the audition. Now, Tarin must decide what’s more important: her dream or her mother’s approval.

19-year-old Maggie is on the greatest summer vacation ever, but when she wakes up after a hard night of partying, she must face the consequences of her choices.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marleen J. Martinez
• Release date: Jun 25, 2017

Marleen J. Martinez

Marleen J. Martinez is a fiction writer of fantastical and paranormal stories for young adults. Born on a military base in Wiesbaden, Germany, she is the daughter of Puerto Rican parents. Her childhood was often spent moving, and she found her refuge in the pages of Stephen King and Dean R. Koontz novels.Marleen spent her teenage years in Orlando, Florida, where her love for storytelling flourished. At age 11, her very first poem, Little Ballerina, was published in her Middle School’s literary journal, Serendipity. It was then she knew she wanted to become a writer.With a passion for television and film, Marleen dreams of creating a television series with a universe as intricate and diverse as that of a Star Wars movie or a Harry Potter novel. Her most recent project is Portals, a pilot episode for a series that follows twins Amaury and Amelia Fontana, and their supernatural adventures in a world dead-set against them.Marleen has also self-published a small collection of short stories titled Estrellas: A Collection of Short Stories, available through Smashwords.After a life spent making ends meet, Marleen made the decision to return to school to hone her craft and follow her dream of becoming a professional writer. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing for Entertainment from Full Sail University and has set her sights on her next great adventure, a move to sunny California.

Book preview

Estrellas: A Collection of Short Stories

by Marleen Martinez

Copyright 2017 Marleen Martinez

All Rights Reserved

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Table of Contents

Dedication

About this Collection

Lizzie and the Berry Experiment

The Audition

Amistad

About the Author

Connect with the Author

About this Collection

This is a collection of three short stories written between 2015 and 2017, while earning my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. They are youthful stories told from the point of view of Latina characters.

Lizzie and the Berry Experiment and The Audition are retellings of The Grasshopper and the Ant from Aesop's Fables, from two points of view. The first tale is one of balancing work and play to succeed. The second is about the legitimacy of art as work.

In Amistad, we meet two friends who are coming to terms with the decisions made the night before.

I hope you enjoy these tales and come to love my girls as much as I love them.

Thanks for reading!

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my friends and family, who have supported me through my journey:

Thank you, Mom and Dad for being my pillars of strength. My life has been a crazy, swirling, rocky ride, but at every turn, you have been there. Thank you for always believing in me and giving me room to grow.

Thank you to my gaggle of sisters and baby brother: Merali, Ivette, Linette, Arlene, Raymond, and Lorraine. I wouldn't be the person I am without all of you in my life. Las quiero, mocosas! Y tu, Juni, no te quedas atras. Los llevo a todos en me corazon.

Thank you, Tasha, Maika, Lina, and Evelisse for your encouragement and laughter. You are the family I have chosen, and I must say, I have great taste! Without your constant advice and support, I might not have taken the plunge to go back to school. You're my personal cheerleading section, and you mean the world to me.

Thank you, Lana, Janae, Erin, and Jade, for