Bruno Blog

The novel “La tortuga que huía del jaguar” (the tortoise that was escaping the jaguar) by Marta Quintín was the first book she sent to the agency. We spotted an indisputable literary quality but in the publishing world these kind of novels are hard to place if you don’t have a name yet, because it’s a difficult book that doesn’t fit into any particular genre: it’s just talent. So we told Marta to write something literary but with a more commercial topic and we published “El color de la luz” (the color of light), with Suma, and this is a novel I highly recommend to all the readers who want a love story in which the art is present on every page.

So everything started with this novel but we knew that Marta didn’t give up on her turtle, a book she wrote after her trip to Costa Rica, a literary and vital journey. We decided to submit the novel to the Valencia Prize, edited by Versátil, a publishing house that we really like how they work, and we crossed our fingers. And it happened: this novel, very special to Marta, was awarded the first prize. I know this book will also be special for the readers because it conveys passion, because you can smell the jungle and tropical atmosphere, and above all, because it makes you think how an act that we see or hear, like a turtle killed by a jaguar, can move you and lead you to embark on a journey of decision making, like it happens to our main character Marilia.

When she hears the news, she figures out that it’s time to leave home. Marilia leaves behind the aunt Granada and the enigmatic Jasón, who fishes for her. After saying goodbye to the Demon of the Dock, a monstrous being who is mocked by everyone in the village, she starts a journey that will take her through exotic places, but the most important one will be her past, the only way to understand the present. That’s how Marilia will discover a secret that will encourage her to make the wildest decision of her life, a fight to death between the two most powerful forces of human nature: fear and desire.

A novel that has finally found its place, now that more books are being published that do not need labeling, books that simply transmit, and I believe that’s what Marta achieves with this second novel.

Writing this blog is not easy for me, because talking about sex is still a taboo among people of my generation. I think about it and I find it ridiculous, because I’m the first to think that this shouldn’t be this way. That’s why when Eva Moreno, sexologist and founder of  TAPERSEX®, told me that it was necessary this book, MI DESEO DEPENDE DE MI (My desire depends on me) about the sexual desire and the endless possibilities of the female masturbation, I knew she was right because the daily routine or being always in a rush makes sex the last thing of the list, and actually, it’s a very important part of life, whether you’re in a couple or not.

Why is sex always on that to-do list? Unconsciously, we are boycotting ourselves because sex will definitely make us feel better, but instead, we feel tired, we don’t find the right moment, or any excuse is good, so sex stays at the bottom of the line. I don’t believe that young people are going through the same situation, perhaps I’m wrong, but this guide is more addressed to women because they are the ones who wish to enjoy sex freely, without taboos. They want to explore new types of pleasures and, what’s most important, to take care of their own pleasure, which seems to stay always in the second place. Eva firmly believes that we’re sexual beings and, therefore, we cannot abstain ourselves from sexuality, even if we don’t practice it. She claims that having a sexual toy in the nightstand drawer prevents you from having sex with someone you don’t desire, or that sexual fantasies are a good way for arousing sexual desire and break with the routine, for example.

A useful book that provides real insights about how we should or we could be. Knowing all these big and little tips will help us a lot to approach sex in a different, innovative and more gratifying way.

This week I recommend a book that I really loved and it’s for children, or more accurately, for fathers and mothers that believe in the power of stories. When I was a little girl, my father used to make up stories, in which my brothers, friends and I were the protagonists, and I remember how we all sat together at the beach so he would tell us a new “adventure” – that’s how we called the story. It’s so beautiful this memory that I get goosebumps when I think about it, because it’s not easy to have a group of children between 10 and 12 years old sitting at the beach, just listening, enjoying… and that, by popular request, the activity of the day was to listen to those stories is something that moves me.  When we are kids, I think it is very important to count on someone who fosters this love for the tales, so you can grow happy and open up to the world of imagination.

Today, it’s not like before: there are so many inputs that distract us -not only the digital ones- that keep us away from stories and books, so it requires a biggest effort for parents to find a moment to tell stories, but we should definitely find it. And this book by Gabriel García de Oro and Puri Hernández have published with Anaya is wonderful: La Vuelta al año en 365 cuentos (the 365 stories of the year), so parents, grandfathers and uncles have the chance to tell a story every day of the year, and perhaps have the opportunity to invent your own tales as my father used to do. I believe that most of you will appreciate this book by Gabriel, with the stunning illustrations by Puri, so you will be able to have this magical moment of reading a tale every day that teaches us, amuses us and makes us grow in all senses. It’s the perfect gift for Christmas because you are not only giving away a book but also the opportunity of sharing a special moment with your closest ones: because life is made of little moments that later, you remember with affection and nostalgy. Giving away books is giving away life, and with these stories you open the door of the imagination, the sense of humor and the learning. Let’s fill the houses of unique moments made with words.

I’m not an adventurer. I would like to be one, not have so many fears or prejudices. To have less quirks and get out of my comfort zone more often. But the truth is that adventure is not for me, and I’d rather to have everything under control. Perhaps I should try to go with the flow but for now, I take refuge in the reading.

One of the great adventurers of all time is Marco Polo, about whom many books have been written, but with this novel by Víctor Jurado named LA VERITABLE HISTÒRIA DE MARCO POLO (the truth about Marco Polo) we discover a new side of this character. For the lovers of the historical fiction novels and for those who adventure is part of their life, they will find an entertaining book and the true history about the most famous traveler of the silk route, who started his trip next to his father and uncle when he was only a child, a trip to Asia through deserts, seas and mountains. Marco Polo, in prison, remembers all these journeys, living in vans of traders and vicious warriors. A book that will take the readers to a fascinating, exotic and wild world.

Today I woke up in autumn weather. Grey sky, rains and my mind is already in the Frankfurt Book Fair, as every October. With the Book Fair, I change my wardrobe: I store the summer clothes and take the winter dresses out. The month of September flies by, and October and November are also vanishing faster and faster, so it’s almost Christmas without noticing.

Books are the center of my life: new stories, new authors, stories that work, best-sellers, and those books that are hard to place but you want to keep fighting for them. It’s a whole new world: changing, difficult but also magic. I feel lucky to enjoy my job after all these years, because being inside this big wheel, it’s unbearable if you are not happy doing your work. So here we are, facing our Frankfurt number 18 as Sandra Bruna Literary Agency, and we feel like sharing awesome stories with publishers from all over the world.

Today I cannot recommend only one title, but out catalogue for the Frankfurt Book Fair 2019 where we put a lot of work, effort, attitude and hope. As I always said: there is a publisher for every book and a book for every publisher, so our job is to make the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Do you want to join us?