As a lawyer and daughter of Guatemalan and Cuban bakers, JESSICA PARRA never objects to an extra slice of cake. She’s a Los Angeles native who loves to write about Latinas with big hair (and even bigger dreams), complicated families, cats living their best lives (all nine of them), and the healing magic of acceptance. When she isn’t drafting books, you can find her sipping kombucha, cuddling with her kitties, or co-piloting the Millennium Falcon at Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge. RUBI RAMOS'S RECIPE FOR SUCCESS is her first book.

TRACY BADUA is a Filipino American author of books about young people with sunny hearts in a sometimes stormy world. By day, she is an attorney who works in national housing policy and programs, and by night, she squeezes in writing, family time, and bites of her secret candy stash. She lives in San Diego, California, with her family.

Jessica Parra in discussion with Tracy Badua