For fans of Mexican Gothic and The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina, The Ordinary Bruja is a psychological horror and magical realism novel about grief, ancestral secrets, Dominican brujería, and one woman’s fight to reclaim the magic her family tried to bury.
When strange messages appear in mirrors, and the scent of cigar smoke follows her through her small Ohio hometown, Marisol Espinal must confront the ghosts of her past, the truth about her mother’s death, and the family curse waiting for her on Hallowthorn Hill.
Her family buried the magic. Now it wants out.
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Look, that memory that I shared about a writer’s conference came to me for a reason and it’s not because a white author decided to write a book with two Latine leads but of what that implies. And as an overthinker, of course I couldn’t let it go. Things tend to go around in circles…
Yesterday, I walked into an exhibit at The Huntington and something inside of me broke open. I wasn’t expecting it. I had gone to The Huntington as the first stop on my bookish birthday adventure. The plan was books, art, gardens, indie bookstores, good food. You know? All the things that make me happy. And…
I celebrated my birthday month by doing something extremely on brand: dragging my husband on a bookish pilgrimage through the San Gabriel Valley. From roses and Kehinde Wiley at The Huntington to an Octavia Butler wall, witchy bookstores, banned books, an actual bookstore dog, way too many new books, and Dominican food to end the…
Born in the Dominican Republic, Johanny Ortega’s childhood was enriched by the magic of books, igniting her imagination with each page turned. Her move to the U.S. only fueled this passion, as she mastered English to dive deeper into diverse literary worlds. However, a striking realization hit her: the absence of characters echoing her own experiences. This gap propelled Johanny from an eager reader to a dynamic storyteller, crafting narratives that echo her Dominican heritage across genres and age groups. At “Have a Cup of Johanny LLC,” she’s not just an author but a champion for BIPOC voices, ensuring underrepresented narratives get their spotlight. Writing under two aliases, J.E. Ortega for adult fiction and Johanny Ortega for younger readers, she weaves tales that transcend boundaries, each character a vibrant testament to Dominican strength and spirit. 📚🇩🇴✨
