Local author Laura De La Cruz shares with us how a lowrider brought everything together in her debut picture book, Lowrider for Sale—"the memories, my childhood, my father, my community, and a part of my culture that I rarely saw represented in picture books."
Meet Laura at her
Storytime & Book Signing at Lioness Books on September 10th from 6:00pm-7:30pm! She will be speaking about
Lowrider for Sale, reading, and signing copies.
Her book is also available for pre-order on our Bookshop page here.
AS: Can you start by introducing yourself and telling us about your background?
LC: "¡Hola, amigos! My name is Laura De La Cruz, and I live in the Texas Hill Country with my husband, a horse named Dolly, and two dogs, Rico and Eddie. When I’m not writing books for kids, I’m feeding animals or enjoying the wide-open space.
I was born and raised in Southern California, then spent about twenty years in the Bay Area after my husband, a Marine, got transferred there. I attended college for a few years when I was younger, but then life happened—jobs, moves, and three kids who kept me busy from sunup to sundown. Still, not finishing my degree nagged at me like a pebble in my boot. So in 2016, I enrolled at Arizona State University to finish what I’d started. I graduated summa cum laude with an English degree in 2017 at age forty-nine, proving that it’s never too late to chase a goal or graduate with honors.
I started working at the age of fourteen, and over the years I’ve worn many hats. I’ve been a library media technician at two elementary schools, a software engineer at a few tech places like Electronic Arts and HP, a Spanish teacher at a preschool, a teacher’s aide, a receptionist, a payroll clerk, a translator, and a consultant, just to name a few.
But the years working as a library media technician were probably my favorite. I loved reading and sharing amazing books with amazing kids. I loved everything about library life—the students, the teachers, and the fact that “reading all day” counted as actual work.
As a kid, I was a voracious reader, but somewhere along the way, grown-up responsibilities shoved books to the back shelf (a decision I do not recommend). But eventually, having my own children rekindled my love of reading, and working in the library reignited it completely. I fell in love with children’s literature all over again and became interested in writing. Immersed in beautiful picture books day after day, I realized I too had stories to tell.
Now that my children are grown and I’ve stepped away from library work, I finally have the time to write the stories that have been percolating in my head for years. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them."
AS: Tell us about your debut picture book, Lowrider for Sale! What was the initial inspiration for it?
LC: "LOWRIDER FOR SALE is about a little girl named Gabi who knows that Papi’s lowrider, Pico Nights, is more than just a car. It’s a family scrapbook on wheels—a treasure trove of memories for Gabi, Papi, and Abuelo Chucho. It chauffeured Gabi’s cousin to her quinceañera, rolled through years of Fourth of July parades, and was detailed most Saturday mornings by Gabi, Papi, and Abuelo. So when Papi places a FOR SALE! sign on Pico Nights, Gabi tries everything she can to save their beloved car, and all the memories tied to it.
I found inspiration for this story in several places, but the initial spark came from wanting to honor my dad. My dad was a great guy—funny, talented (he played the guitar), and incredibly generous. Sadly, in 1976, when I was only eight years old, he died of cancer. I miss him greatly. Although our time together was far too short, the years we had were enough for him to make a lasting impact on my life. I knew I wanted to honor him in a story, but I couldn’t just write a story about my dad. There had to be more to it. So, I kept thinking.
In 2019, I was working at an elementary school library as a Library Media Technician, and I read to every class that visited the library each week. One week, I read YARD SALE by Eve Bunting and Lauren Castillo. There was something heart-wrenching about that story. In the book, a family is moving to a small apartment and can’t take all of their possessions with them, so they hold a yard sale. The main character, Callie, struggles to understand what is happening as she watches strangers buy the things that have been part of her family’s life. As someone who has always collected things that hold memories—concert ticket stubs, posters, t-shirts, knickknacks, and other little treasures—I immediately connected with Callie. I started to wonder what I would have done at eight years old if someone had asked me to give up something that held so many precious memories.
Finally, the last piece of the puzzle came from where I grew up. Growing up in Pico Rivera, California, near Whittier Blvd., it wasn’t unusual to see lowriders cruising the boulevard. Saturday nights in the ‘80s were especially busy. These gorgeous classic cars, with shiny chrome bumpers, stunning murals, and hydraulics that made them hop and dance, were a familiar sight.
A lowrider was the missing piece of the story. It brought everything together—the memories, my childhood, my father, my community, and a part of my culture that I rarely saw represented in picture books. And that’s how I came up with the idea for LOWRIDER FOR SALE."
AS: Do you have a favorite moment from your book—or from writing your book—that you can share with us?
LC: "I found my favorite moment in the book in this spread: the final cruising scene, where Gabi, Papi, and Abuelo cruise down a palm tree-lined road with the top down and the sun setting over Southern California. It captures everything I wanted this book to feel like—family, freedom, community, and a beautiful memory in the making. Every time I see that spread, I smile.
And I love that there’s another special detail happening on the opposite side. We see Abuelo’s scrapbook filled with family photographs—little snapshots of the memories they’ve made together over the years. I love the idea that while Gabi, Papi, and Abuelo are out making another memory together, we’re also getting a glimpse of all the memories that came before it. It feels like the perfect ending to their story."
AS: What sentiment or message do you hope readers take away from Lowrider for Sale?
LC: "I didn’t write this story with a specific takeaway in mind. I wasn't trying to teach a lesson. I simply wanted to tell a story about a little girl trying to hold on to something that held so many family memories, only to discover that the memories she cherished were with her all along.
But if there is one message, I want readers to take away from
LOWRIDER FOR SALE, it is that sometimes the things we love most aren’t valuable because of what they are, but because of the memories and connections attached to them. And while it’s important to fight for the things we cherish, sometimes we also have to learn to let go and make room for new memories. If readers walk away from
LOWRIDER FOR SALE thinking about the people they love, the memories they’ve made together, and the things that make their own families special, I couldn’t ask for anything more."
AS: How can readers support local authors like you?
LC: "Well, I'm not going to lie, the best way to support local authors like me is to buy our books and spread the word! But there are several other ways to support us, too. Ask your local library to purchase a local author’s book and add it to their collection. This introduces local authors to new readers and helps authors earn out their advances.
Writing reviews on sites like Goodreads is another great way to help. So is spreading the word through word of mouth or sharing books on social media. And finally, recommend authors to teachers, librarians, and schools for author visits. Many authors, myself included, are happy to visit local elementary schools and share our books with students. Not only do students get to meet local authors, but these visits also help authors earn a living. Every little bit helps, and you never know how far a simple recommendation can go!"
Meet Laura at her Author Talk & Storytime at Lioness Books on September 10th from 6:00pm-7:30pm! She will be speaking about Lowrider for Sale, reading, and signing copies. Her book is also available for pre-order on our Bookshop page here.
Lioness Books supports local authors. Uplifting local authors is crucial to not only the growth and strength of the greater literary community, but free expression and democracy. Ordering from independent booksellers helps us move away from monopolies like Amazon and keeps our economy local.
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