Tria Itzel, Addie Vega, and Livi Belen are besties, who have known each other forever. Tria's 6th Grade Year T1 is the first diary in the Wavy-Haired Girls Series. As the girls face adolescence rushing at them: getting smarter, growing taller (well not all of them do), and challenging beliefs, they learn that these rapid changes of adolescence sometimes have to be faced alone. The Wavy-Haired Girls is a coming-of-age series based on the author's own adolescence. Real San Antonio, Texas, street names and schools from decades ago are used to bridge the past with the present through the eyes of three modern-day Catholic/Hispanic girls who are learning to tiptoe, leap, and stumble through new adventures. They each share in their diaries and journals deep secrets and hilarious moments they think no one will ever read. However, because of a snarky comment made by a boy, their lives are forever changed. On top of all this wonderfulness in Tria's life, she has unruly red hair, stinky brothers, 6th grade problems, a pesky bully, and one diary to sort it all out. Fans of Are You there God? It's Me Margaret. and Dork Diaries can connect with the Wavy-Haired Girls.
Spence, Joe D.: - Joe is a singer/songwriter, illustrator, cartoonist, recording artist, and lead singer for the band SPONK! and currently lives in Austin, Texas. He was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he developed his good ear for music and played classical guitar, electric guitar, bass, piano, and the tuba.
Spence, Patty Gonzalez: - Patty Gonzalez Spence is a licensed professional counselor, retired educator, spirited dancer, as well as a devoted wife and mother of three. Although born in San Antonio, Texas, she lived in Brownsville, Texas, with her large Catholic/Hispanic family. At age four, her parents sent her to live in Mexico with her aunt and grandmother for one year. When she returned, she had forgotten all her English and had to re-learn the language. The family returned to San Antonio when she was in second grade, and she quickly learned that she needed inner strength to make her own way. Since childhood, she has had an interest and knack for dancing, acting, and singing, with dreams of becoming a famous actress of film and stage. She was featured in her school plays and musicals and continued stage performances at St. Mary's University in San Antonio while earning a degree in clinical psychology. After receiving a master's degree at Corpus Christi State University, she practiced forensic psychology and psychotherapy. Later she became an adjunct professor of psychology and taught American literature at the high school level for over 20 years, where she finally got the spark to put pen to paper and publish her stories. She believes that through the various hardships and challenges she has faced in her life, she has grown in faith, strength, and wisdom, triumphing over emotional turbulence to find the brighter side of a situation. God has been beside her through every trial. She currently resides on the bay's edge in Corpus Christi, Texas, with her supportive husband. One final note: It is unlikely that a picture of her true wavy hair exists as she has mastered the art of taming.
