On January 3rd, I woke up to what felt like an unreal moment. Maduro, who had been the second dictator during the leftist regime started by Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, had been captured. Venezuelans everywhere celebrated a milestone that we weren’t sure we’d see in our lifetime.
A month later, many of us sit hoping for a true transition to democracy, which has not started. Instead, it appears that the US Government has pushed aside the Cubans and Russians to take over our oil industry. While some political prisoners have been released, hundreds remain in jail and hundreds more who fled persecution remain abroad. Furthermore, the regime is stopping people on the street to check their phones for evidence that they are loyal to the regime.
It’s especially meaningful to see this play out as I finish the rewrite of my first novel, a coming of age story in the age of Chavismo-Madurismo. I was working on the final chapter when I heard the news of Maduro’s capture. It’s hard not to add this in somehow, even a foreshadowing of it. But I’ve reached a stage in my writing where my loyalty lies with the story first and foremost.
That final rewritten version is now with Beta readers. In the coming weeks, I hope to move to querying. Here’s to hoping for freedom for Venezuela and for the opportunity to publish my novel, which tells the story of what life has been in these times of conflict for Venezuelans.
My Writing Story 