Grace Santamaria shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Grace, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Outside of my day job and parenting two elementary school kids, I’m spreading the word about my novel! There’s so much that goes into publishing a book beyond just writing it. After endless rounds of revising and editing, I’m now in the marketing stage, learning everything I can about how to connect the story with its ideal readers.
If you love stories about messy heroines who refuse to give up on their dreams—stories filled with workplace and family drama, a little romance, and a lot of Spanglish woven in—or if you’re drawn to fresh, modern takes on immigration stories, this book is for you! And if you’re from Miami, and you’ve ever chased a dream, switched careers, fallen in love, or just tried to make sense of life in this city we love, you’ll definitely find something familiar in these pages.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Grace Santamaria—a reader and writer who loves stories about Latinas making bold moves and overcoming life’s challenges. My debut novel, Sea Salt and Coffee Beans, follows Sofia, a young woman who loses her job—and her U.S. work visa—at the same time. Just as she lands an interview at her dream company, she finds herself falling for the very candidate she’s competing against. Sofia’s story is filled with office drama, immigration struggles, messy family dynamics, and plenty of romance—and it came out early December 2025, right for the holiday season.
This book is my love letter to Miami—the city I’ve called home for more than twenty years—and to the dreams of those who make it their own. Yes, you’ll find the Miami of beaches and nightclubs, but Sofia’s journey goes deeper. It’s a story about determination and what it means to chase a future when the world keeps asking you to prove you belong. It’s about taking risks when the clock is ticking and discovering joy where you least expect it—even if that means falling for your biggest rival.
Through Sea Salt and Coffee Beans, I hope to add my voice to the new wave of Latin authors shining a light on the diaspora, while celebrating themes of women’s empowerment and workplace equality.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
I draw many of the themes in my stories from my own life and from the experiences of my loved ones. In Sea Salt and Coffee Beans, the immigration perspective comes directly from my background. I’m Colombian-American, raised in Barranquilla, and I’ve called Miami home since 2000. That transition—moving countries as a teenager and everything that came with it—shaped how I see the world, my identity, and ultimately set me on a new path.
Because of that experience, I naturally gravitate toward stories about identity, family left behind, and the process of embracing a new culture while staying true to your roots. I also love exploring themes of office dynamics and workplace competition—both very close to me from more than a decade working in marketing, often focusing on the Latin American market.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Absolutely. Writing can be a very lonely process. We spend hours alone with our thoughts, creating fictional worlds and characters with no guarantee that anyone will ever read about them. My writing journey began in late 2019, and back then, I had high hopes of finishing a publication-ready novel and finding representation within a year. It took me some time to realize that writing and publishing are two very different things.
While we have full creative control over our stories, publishing (especially through the traditional route) is often out of our hands. There’s a lot of rejection involved in that process (and I’m sure there’s more to come now that the book is published!). That’s why it’s so important to remember that art is subjective. Not every story will resonate with everyone, and that’s okay. My focus now is on connecting with my ideal reader and writing stories that truly touch their lives.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
I think there are so many brilliant writers out there who get lost in the publishing-research trenches too early—spending more time studying the business side of things, instead of actually writing. It’s easy to get caught up in trends about what editors are or aren’t looking for, or researching how to pitch before you even have a finished manuscript. But that flood of information tends to do one of two things: it either starts to shape your creative voice before it’s had the chance to fully develop, or it steals precious time you could be spending writing. So if you’re drafting your first novel, remember this: all the industry advice, resources, and opportunities will still be there when you’re done. For now, your only job is to write the book.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
Well, that’s the thing about goals, right? You reach one, and almost immediately, your mind starts dreaming up the next. I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to publish Sea Salt and Coffee Beans—it truly is a dream come true. But like most creative people, I can’t help but look ahead. There’s always another story to tell, another challenge to take on, and that’s exactly what I’m working on now. I’m excited for what’s to come in the next few months!
