Mara Olivas is releasing her first novel this November, Sundown in San Ojuela, a fictional story that explores family history and identity from the perspectives of queer, indigenous and Chicana people.
The book is a tongue-in-cheek gothic western about a psychic girl named Liz Remolina who undertakes an arduous journey home to solve the mystery of her aunt’s murder. To Liz’s horror, she discovers that “monsters and old gods lurk in the night.”
The Dublin author’s short stories have previously been published as a horror writer and Chicanafuturist in publications such as Uncanny Magazine, Weird Horror Magazine, Apex and Bourbon Penn.
As a first-generation Chicana transgender author, Olivas is passionate about telling stories to make up for the lack of narratives that center their identities. She wishes she could have read these stories as a child, and she hopes others will love them, too.
“Who is my audience? Who am I writing for?” she asked. “It’s me. It’s a smaller version of me.”
“Sundown in San Ojuela” grew out of her undergraduate thesis in creative writing at the University of California, Riverside, where she worked with award-winning novelist Nalo Hopkins.
In the field of speculative fiction, which includes science fiction and fantasy, Olivas finds limitless space to write about interesting topics.
“If I want to talk about the horrors of colonialism against the indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and how that continues to this day, I can use immortal vampires as an allegory for that and characters that have existed all the time, from that beginning to the present day, where my story takes place,” she said.
After graduating in 2020, she continued writing “Sundown in San Ojuela” for two more years until she sold it in February 2022.
Olivas appreciates the support of Hopkins, her editor, and the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop – an application-oriented program for writers with the potential for highly successful writing careers, according to the Clarion website.
“Clarion has connected me with professors who have given me time and attention to my work, as well as industry knowledge,” she wrote. “Clarion also offers many opportunities for writers to get involved in the speculative fiction community, but most importantly, it has given me a cohort that I am so lucky to be so connected to.”
Only recently has the reality of her book had its impact.
Only a month ago, she had not felt the emotional majesty of publishing her first novel. Given the slow production cycles, publication had taken several years.
“It felt more like a fact from Wikipedia rather than something I experienced myself,” she said.
But recent interviews, conferences and panel discussions have confirmed her achievement. And the publication of advance copies bearing her name have also shown that she has done it.
After the novel’s publication, Olivas will go on tour to Los Angeles, the East Coast and beyond.
“I hope that with ‘Sundown in San Ojuela’ people will take away the feeling that it is OK to be who they are. They can be proud and maybe also happy that there is the prospect of a better future – especially for people who have problems at home, do not come out publicly or live in difficult situations,” said Olivas.
She also hopes that this novel will inspire people outside of marginalized groups to become increasingly more compassionate in their views, political opinions, and interactions with others in the community.
Currently, Olivas is making progress in an MFA program at San Jose State, where she is pursuing a master’s in creative writing, learning to teach writing, and working on her next novel.
Sundown in San Ojuela and its audiobook will be available on November 19. The novel is currently available for pre-order through the Lanternfish Press website and many other booksellers.
