Originally from Florida, Chanel grew up on stories of her family's exodus from Cuba following the events of the Cuban Revolution. Credit: Her passion for politics and history continued during her years spent studying in England where she earned a bachelor's degree in International Relations from Richmond, The American International University in London and a … I definitely looked at that prototype when I created Nick’s character. There are so many conspiracies about the Kennedy assassination and this period of history in the CIA. If you haven’t read Chanel Cleeton’s Next Year in Havana, make it your next read! She is the author of the Wild Aces, International School, and Capital Confessions series of books. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Even Isabel?Right now my next few books are basically featuring ancestors of the family. Get An Exclusive First Look At ‘When We Left Cuba’ By Chanel Cleeton. Plus, Beatriz make a cameo in that story. Chanel Cleeton. Next Year in Havana, New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton’s latest book, about a Cuban-American woman who journeys to Havana to explore her family’s history, has garnered praise from critics around the world—including Hollywood. 6.3K likes. Her voice in my head always felt like a very familiar one, and one that I had grown up loving and admiring as a child. I knew that this was what I wanted to explore in my character because to have gone through the revolution and all of that trauma, and to then go from being in crisis to crisis, it really made me admire the strength of the people that lived through that and gave me a whole new appreciation for how much tumult people went through in that time frame. I have a few other books in the works — one’s a Gilded Age book that will have a Perez ancestor and deals with the Cuban revolution against Spain and then the Spanish American War. “I saw her standing on a balcony,” Cleeton says. My grandmother used to have photos of herself all over the house. He actually met with people and went to great lengths to try to convey to the Americans that he wasn’t involved because he didn’t want any retaliatory action to be taken against Cuba and against his regime. Her passion for politics and history continued during her years spent studying in England where she earned a bachelor's degree in International Relations from Richmond, The American International University in London and a master's degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics & Political Science. Havana was actually a pretty easy book for me to write. I’ve heard the stories and I’ve certainly seen my family’s pain and their anger about the current situation, but It’s a little bit removed for me just because I haven’t lived through it. Chanel Cleeton follows the spectacular success of NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA with the sure-to-soar WHEN WE LEFT CUBA, continuing the saga of the exiled Perez sisters. After I finished the chapter, it was so hard for me to set it aside.”. You originally planned one book, then it became two. But I didn’t have a full appreciation for just how violent and terrifying that time period was. I tend to fictionalize my characters as much as possible, just out of respect for anyone living or family members, but that whole Kennedy era… you have a lot of young politicians coming up that had a lot of glamour and military background. More Praise for Chanel Cleeton “A beautiful novel that’s full of forbidden passions, family secrets and a lot of courage and sacrifice.”—Reese Witherspoon “A sweeping love story and tale of courage and familial and patriotic legacy that spans generations.”—Entertainment Weekly This book follows Next Year in Havana’s protagonist Elisa Perez’s sister, Beatriz Perez, during the 60s once their family immigrated to the United States after the … Is this the end? ... July 20, 2018 “I never intended for the Perez family’s story to extend past ‘Next Year in Havana’—and then I met Beatriz Perez. She also wrote Next Year in Havana which was a Hello Sunshine x Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick.. Cleeton is originally from Florida, but her family is from Cuba as they left the country and … ... Chanel Cleeton is not responsible for lost or damaged items. At the same time, there’s also a tremendous sense of pride in Cuban families where they don’t want distance to exist. "—BookBub "Cleeton's beach reads are often lit by the sun of places like Florida and Cuba, and her latest doesn't disappoint. For Cleeton, it was a chance to move beyond the revolution that tore families from their home and to understand the continual crises facing them once they arrived on American shores. What was it about Beatriz that took hold of you and wouldn’t let you go?She was both mysterious and also very familiar. Originally from Florida, Chanel Cleeton grew up on stories of her family's exodus from Cuba following the events of the Cuban Revolution. The older generations have really worked hard to pass as much on so we can keep it alive for them, and working on this book has definitely given me a renewed desire to do that and to pass it on to my children. Chanel Cleeton’s Recipe for Black Beans and Rice One of my favorite holiday traditions is celebrating Noche Buena. Chanel Cleeton, author of Next Year in Havana, recently released the highly anticipated companion novel When We Left Cuba which is set to be a Reese Witherspoon book club pick for 2019. I’ve been in deadline mode on my next book so I haven’t ha... d much time to read, but I took a weekend break and binged Jane Harper’s upcoming release THE SURVIVORS and I cannot recommend it enough. Did you ever consider making it a real historical figure?I didn’t really ever consider making it a real-life person. Next Year in Havana dealt with the Cuban revolution and a lot of history that many Americans might not know much about. I gave Elisa her sisters knowing that she would need them for journey she was going through, but I didn’t intend to go past that. I definitely have a lot of examples of strong Cuban women in my life. “I didn’t see her in Havana, but I saw her someone else where she was a fish out of water, and had faced down all of this heartbreak and all of these struggles and was now was filled with this vengeance. More of Marisol’s? Natural de Florida, Chanel Cleeton creció con las historias del exilio cubano que le contaba su familia y que le sirvieron de inspiración para escribir El próximo año en La Habana, best seller de The New York Times. Two women struggle with love and identity in Chanel Cleeton's impassioned, subtly political historical romance. I’m waiting to see where she would be at an age that I would want to tell her story and what would be going on in the world at that time that would fit with her character. The result is a tale set against the upheaval of America in the 1960s with an eye toward American-Cuban relations amidst conflicts like the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Chanel Cleeton updated their cover photo. Chanel Cleeton’s second historical novel, When We Left Cuba, returns to the dynamic Perez family she explored in her bestselling Next Year in Havana.Now, uprooted from Cuba and adrift in Florida’s not entirely welcoming social scene, the beautiful and firebrand oldest daughter of the family, Beatriz Perez, determines that she will right Cuba’s wrongs. Or will we get Maria’s story? Havana, 1958. Chanel Cleeton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick Next Year in Havana, When We Left Cuba, The Last Train to Key West, and The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba. Did you always intend for Beatriz’s primary love interest to be a politician?When I was writing, I went back and forth a few times on who her love interest was going to be. Chanel also received her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. www.chanelcleeton.com I grew up seeing these pictures of her in these beautiful gowns and her stories of going to parties and falling in love with my grandfather. How did When We Left Cuba come to be?CHANEL CLEETON: I did envision it just as the one book. My father and my grandparents lived through these things. About Chanel Cleeton. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. Chanel Cleeton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Last Train to Key West, When We Left Cuba, and the Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick Next Year in Havana. In advance of the April 8 release of When We Left Cuba, EW called up Cleeton to get the details on why Beatriz was so compelling to prompt another book, how her own past informed the storytelling, and what we might see from the Perez family next. CHANEL CLEETON: I did envision it just as the one book. In the novel, a Reese Witherspoon book club pick, Marisol Ferrera returns to a newly opened Havana in 2017 to honor her grandmother’s last wishes and spread her ashes in her homeland. Ultimately she did, promising herself she could return to the story once the first novel was done, a task which helped her flesh out her new heroine’s backstory. When We Left Cuba, Beatriz herself was a challenge, trying to figure out her character and how she fit into the world and that time period. How did you cut through the noise of all that and also avoid becoming part of a debate you maybe don’t want to be dragged into?The biggest thing is wanting to make sure I didn’t inject any modern sensibilities onto my characters, so I didn’t want to give them any information they wouldn’t have had at that time. It’s out February 2nd in … Chanel Cleeton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick Next Year in Havana, When We Left Cuba, The Last Train to Key West, and The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba. www.chanelcleeton.com Media is a huge part of my writing process. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Originally from Florida, Chanel Cleeton grew up on stories of her family's exodus from Cuba following the events of the Cuban Revolution. I heard her voice so vividly in my head that I actually stopped writing Next Year in Havana and I wrote the first chapter of When We Left Cuba. Following her wedding in Havana, Mirta arrives in the Keys on her honeymoon. I had to be really careful with my research to look at a very narrow window of what the theories were at that time. She was the sort of character that wasn’t going to sit on the sidelines while other people were deciding her future. Did writing these two books lead you to discover things about your own identity or history you didn’t expect?They really did. Chris Malpass; Berkley, Chanel Cleeton on how the 'strong Cuban women' in her life inspired. I didn’t think she would be a heroine that would choose the easy path, and so it came naturally that would be someone who was on the other side of things — who could both broaden her perspective and make her look at things differently, but who could also make her a little bit more entrenched in her beliefs and solidify how she felt about the world. I’m moving into different time periods just because I felt it was time for a change. It’s different for every generation. New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA and WHEN WE LEFT CUBA (Penguin/Berkley). It kept changing my focus and my research, and I would say in that it was constantly surprising me. What do you think is the most misunderstood thing about Cuba and this period of history?One of the big things that spurred me writing the book was [that] growing up in Florida, so many people have a connection to Cuba or someone Cuban or at least have a little bit of a personal knowledge of it from interactions or the news. I didn’t intend for the espionage and for some of the CIA plots to be as big a part of the book until I started writing it, and then she just directed it for me. I pitched it to my editor and agent as this story of a grandmother and her granddaughter … She loves to travel and has lived in the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. I definitely think a lot of my feelings about my Cuban identity are mirrored by some of the feelings Marisol expresses in Next Year in Havana. I saw how much strength she derived from her family, and so I wanted to give that to my characters. After the Cuban Revolution of 1933 leaves Mirta Perez’s family in a precarious position, she agrees to an arranged marriage with a notorious American. Chanel Cleeton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick Next Year in Havana, When We Left Cuba, The Last Train to Key West, and The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba. Her passion for politics and history continued during her years spent studying in England where she earned a bachelor's degree in International Relations from Richmond, The American International University in… ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When you first started Next Year in Havana, you only intended there to be one book, yes? For you, are the two inextricably linked? ?A little bit. Historical Novels Review, Editors' Choice Told in alternating timelines, Next Year in Havana is an immersive family saga of love, hope, and sacrifice, and what it means to be Cuban, despite where you were born. With her 2018 book Next Year in Havana, Chanel Cleeton dug deep into her own history as a Cuban American to tell a sweeping tale of love, loss, and identity. When I originally envisioned the book, I did envision her having a love interest that was an American politician. Chanel: My next book, When We Left Cuba, will be out on April 9, 2019. My family was still in Cuba during the ’60s; my dad and my grandparents didn’t leave until ’67. Book rec! I felt a closeness to her character, and a lot of the self-exploration that she goes through was somewhat the self-exploration I went through when I was working on the book. While it can be read as a standalone, it follows the story of Beatriz Perez (the sister of my heroine from Next Year in Havana ) after her family has arrived in the United States following Fidel Castro’s rise to … My grandmother came from a large family, there were five sisters and a brother, and she was really close to them. Chanel Cleeton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of When We Left Cuba and the Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick Next Year in Havana.. The moment her character stepped on the page, I fell in love with her audacity, courage, conviction, and strength. There’s so much about her personality — that sense of confidence and her strength in her connections, and her loyalty, and her passion — that really reminded me of the women I saw. Chanel Cleeton's lush, compelling historical novel weaves together two stories of love, revolution and family secrets in Cuba. The author originally intended for the novel to be a standalone tale, but the voice of one of Elisa’s sisters would not let her go. It’s always a challenge to not look at things with the hindsight of history and instead to try to act as though you’re in the moment operating off of the information you have at the time. Then once I started writing the book and I actually introduced Beatriz on the page, she spoke to me in such a strong way. Inspired by her own family’s history and the stories she grew up hearing, Chanel Cleeton writes with a clear and beautiful voice as she brings us another sure-to-be bestseller with The Last Train to Key West.Three women, each in very different circumstances, but each with a fascinating story, touch each other’s lives through little more than happenstance in the shadow … Fiery, revolutionary-minded Beatriz Perez grabbed hold of Cleeton almost instantly — so much so that she even set aside the manuscript for Next Year in Havana to write the first chapter of what would become When We Left Cuba, the next chapter in the Perez family saga. Chanel Cleeton is a Cuban-American author best known for writing romantic novels. They had their property seized, and it’s a very personal connection for them. My next book is actually in the 1930s and it’s set in the Florida Keys, but Beatriz’s aunt is one of the heroines and there’s two other heroines. You had talked about how in the United States there’s not as much knowledge about the Cuban revolution, but even within Cuban American families, at least at the level of my generation, it’s a strange dichotomy. I look at a lot of old photographs, watch old movies from the time period, really anything I can to immerse myself, and so I wanted to capture the glamour of that time period. With such a strong personality, I saw her needing someone that would match her in that and would challenge her. The book alternates between Marisol’s own journey of discovery and the tale of her grandmother Elisa’s dangerous past as she embarks on a clandestine affair with a revolutionary amid stirrings of unrest in Havana in 1958. Chanel Cleeton is the author of Next Year in Havana, the Wild Aces series, and the Capital Confessions series. With me being born in the U.S., there’s a little bit of a distance. 60 talking about this. Offers may be subject to change without notice. One thing I came across that helped me shape the book a bit was how concerned Fidel Castro was after Kennedy was assassinated that there would be blowback on him. I mean, you can’t have all those things without the revolution first, right?Yes, I think it was definitely a natural continuation in terms of the historical timelines, where you really saw how this one event that was isolated to Cuba had global implications, and how it started to involve other countries and shape their foreign policy as well, and I found that really fascinating. New York Times & USA Today bestselling author, The Last Train to Key West Book Club Guide. Chanel Cleeton, originally from Florida, grew up on stories of her family's exodus from Cuba following the events of the Cuban Revolution.Her passion for politics and history continued during her years spent studying in England where she earned a bachelor's degree in international relations from Richmond, the American International University in London, and a master's … Do you personally share many of the complicated feelings Beatriz and Elisa have of exile, feeling untethered, etc. With careful attention to cultural detail, Cleeton skillfully evokes the atmospheres of both pre-Castro Cuba—where teenage Elisa is the daughter of a sugar baron—and the modern island nation that Elisa's American … Actress Reese Witherspoon called it “a beautiful novel that’s full of forbidden passions, family secrets and a … APPLE BOOKS REVIEW. Cleeton's backdrop for this novel is the devastating hurricane of 1935 that hit the Florida Keys on Labor Day, 1935. I asked him what that was like being in Havana, and he was telling me about how they looked out in the harbor and they just saw all these ships and he said, “We just thought we were going to die.” They didn’t see any resolution to this that didn’t end with their destruction.… I don’t know if it’s an unwillingness to talk about those things or just a sense of pride to move past them, but [writing these books] definitely opened my eyes a lot to where I came from and to all that went in to getting me to where I am. In contrast, When We Left Cuba dances on the edges of majorly familiar historic moments like the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Kennedy assassination. Did you always intend to play more fully with that well-trod section of history, or was it something that emerged more organically as you wrote?It was probably a combination of the two. I looked at how many events happened that were these hugely impactful, frightening events to live through on both sides of the ocean in such a short time frame. Originally from Florida, Chanel grew up on stories of her family's exodus from Cuba following the events of the Cuban Revolution. It really did open up a discussion in my family about some of the things that they didn’t talk about, and the events of the revolution. I pitched it to my editor and agent as this story of a grandmother and her granddaughter that mirrored my relationship with my grandmother somewhat. But I realized people that are outside of that and aren’t around large Cuban American communities don’t really understand why it is such an important event for so many. You are Cuban. Originally from Florida, Chanel grew up on stories of her family's exodus from Cuba following the events of the Cuban Revolution. Bold, unconventional Beatriz makes a heroine for the ages, burning to avenge her losses, aid her homeland, and carve out a more independent role for herself than the conventional marriage and motherhood … I would have well-meaning friends ask me, “Why are Cubans so angry?” or, “I thought the revolution was a good thing.” Obviously it’s a complex answer, but I don’t think there is as much of an understanding of how violent it was or how much families had taken from them and why there is that lingering sentiment of sadness and exile. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA and WHEN WE LEFT CUBA (Penguin/Berkley). Originally from Florida, she grew up on stories of her family's exodus from Cuba following the events of … Chanel Cleeton is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of contemporary, fiction and historical fiction books famously known for her When We Left Cuba and Next Year in Havana. You can view our privacy policy and cookies policy here. It’s a different time period but [we] still get to see where the Perez family is in that moment in history and what events they’re dealing with. One thing I adore about these novels is how exquisitely you describe Beatriz and Elisa’s clothes. Can you tell me more about what inspired them and how you write about fashion in your work?I definitely love fashion, so it’s one of my favorite parts when I’m working on the books. The Last Train to Key West differs from Chanel Cleeton's previous outings with the Perez family. Originally from Florida, she grew up on stories of her family's exodus from Cuba following the events of the Cuban Revolution. Chanel (/ ʃ ə ˈ n ɛ l /, French pronunciation: ) is a French fashion house that focuses on women's high fashion and ready-to-wear clothes, luxury goods and accessories. Chanel Cleeton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of When We Left Cuba and the Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick Next Year in Havana.Originally from Florida, she grew up on stories of her family's exodus from Cuba following the events of the Cuban Revolution. The company is owned by Alain Wertheimer and Gérard Wertheimer, grandsons of Pierre Wertheimer, who was an early business partner of the couturière Coco Chanel.In her youth, Gabrielle Chanel gained the … I didn’t hear the difficulties that they went through, and I don’t know if part of it was that they wanted to look back on it fondly and not think on those times or if they were just trying to shield me from some of it. Growing up as an only child, I was always mystified by their relationship because it was a connection I didn’t have. Chanel Cleeton Originally from Florida, Chanel Cleeton grew up on stories of her family's exodus from Cuba following the events of the Cuban Revolution. I was very familiar with Cuba — my grandparents made it a part of our lives. They lived with us growing up, and so it was just always something I heard about, but looking back on it as an adult I realize a lot of the stories they told me were always of the good times. When I was deciding how to frame the story, I knew if I was going to pick it up post-revolution, I’d be starting in the early ’60s. Chanel Cleeton One of Bustle's Most Anticipated Books of Summer 2020 "The perfect riveting summer read! Was one of them more difficult or painful to write in that regard?Each book has their challenges, definitely. Originally from Florida, Chanel spent her childhood after her family moved to the US from Cuba during the Cuban revolution. It was interesting to hear my grandfather’s perspective on the Cuban Missile Crisis. “It felt like I was diving into a conversation with my grandmother; it did feel very personal and like I was going through some of her memories as I was writing the book,” Cleeton tells EW of writing Next Year in Havana. I am thinking about Maria, and if I did write one of the sisters, she would be the next one, but probably not for a few years. She received a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Richmond, The American International University in London and a master's degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics & Political Science. Spread the love with EW's Valentine's Day gift guide, How Talia Hibbert’s own experiences with chronic pain inspired her latest romance heroine, Jasmine Guillory on being the first romance novelist chosen for Reese Witherspoon’s book club, Balli Kaur Jaswal, author of Reese Witherspoon’s March book pick, talks. There was a very romantic sense about that time period for me.

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