Nova García knows how to find humor in unexpected places. 

Her new novel, Not That Kind of Call Girl, is a dark comedy that weaves together the struggles of motherhood, postpartum depression, and workplace harassment — all while keeping readers hooked with a gripping mystery. García pulls from her own life as a Latina working mom, using humor to make these challenges relatable and really funny.

Born in Laredo, Texas, García grew up on Mercer Island after her dad’s job brought the family here. Most of her family is still in Laredo, and she returns for family gatherings filled with Mexican food, music, and storytelling. Her mother’s family fled the Mexican Revolution, crossing the Rio Grande. That history, along with her pride in her Mexican-American heritage continues to shape and inspire her writing.

With Not That Kind of Call Girl, García — who now lives in Edmonds — hopes to spark conversations about representation, especially in a world where positive portrayals of Latinas are still rare. Her goal is to normalize stories of Latina women in literature. Kirkus Reviews described her book as, “a vibrant, multidimensional story featuring a humorous and relatable protagonist.”

As National Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off (it runs from Sept. 15-Oct.15), García will be chatting about her new book at a few local spots. She’ll be at Sultan Library on Sept. 21, Mukilteo Library on Sept. 24, and Brigid’s Bottleshop in Edmonds on Oct. 3 from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. for a book sale & signing. Five dollars from each book sold at the event will benefit the YWCA Pathways for Women Project. 

We sat down with García to talk about her inspiration, the importance of representation, and what she hopes readers will take away from her story.

Q & A with Nova García

Your book features a strong Latina lead. What inspired you to write her and this story?

The character mirrors me in a lot of respects. While the mystery she’s trying to solve is fictional, much of her life — like working at a newspaper, being a mom struggling with postpartum depression, the strained mother-daughter relationship — is very real. And of course, I’m Latina, so it made sense for her to be too. There’s a bigger purpose behind that as well. I want to represent my culture and family in a way that feels authentic. People sometimes get confused about the difference between Latino and Hispanic. I fit either one of those categories, but Latinas aren’t featured very much in the publishing industry. We’re 19% of the population, but when you look at books on GoodReads with a Latina lead, only 149 come up. Out of millions!

You mentioned confusion around the terms Latina and Hispanic. Could you clarify the difference?

Yes! Latino refers to origins from Latin America, so it’s geographical. Hispanic, on the other hand, refers to people from countries where Spanish is spoken, which is more about language. For example, people in Brazil are Latino because they’re from Latin America, but they aren’t Hispanic because they speak Portuguese. In my case, my family is from Mexico, so I’m both Latina and Hispanic.

How do you hope your story will shape the way people see Latina women?

I want to challenge the stereotypes that are often placed on Latinas in the media. My character is just a regular woman working at a newspaper, struggling with motherhood, and battling postpartum depression. She’s not a stereotype. She’s real and relatable. I want people to see Latina women as normal, everyday people with complex lives.

Your book touches on serious issues like postpartum depression and workplace harassment, but it also includes a lot of humor. How did you balance those elements?

It was tough. My postpartum depression happened 36 years ago, and back then, there weren’t many resources or open conversations about it. You know, I just wanted to put my baby on a church doorstep and hope somebody would take him and raise him. It was hard. I want the book to be relatable, but I also want it to be funny wherever possible. I think humor helps make the heavy subjects more approachable, and I want readers to laugh and enjoy the story while still opening up important conversations about postpartum depression and workplace harassment. If it’s too heavy, people are gonna go, “Who wants to read a book about postpartum depression?” That’s not a fun topic. But of course, I include workplace harassment — something I’ve experienced off and on throughout my career. The character who does the harassment is a buffoon, which helps bring in some humor. But it’s important to make the issue relatable while still being serious enough to open up the conversation.

With Hispanic Heritage Month underway, how do you see your work contributing to the conversation about Hispanic voices in literature?

There are so few Hispanic and Latina characters in literature, especially in adult fiction. I want to normalize these stories and make sure they’re not just seen as a niche. My books are for everyone, not just Latinos, and I hope they help raise awareness about the richness of our culture and the challenges we face. As of 2023, only 6% of children’s books featured a Latino lead character. That’s better than it used to be but I want this to be more of an ongoing conversation, not just something we talk about during Hispanic Heritage Month. 

A recent study by John Hopkins Institute for Education Policy found that Latino history is largely left out in high school textbooks that are used across the United States, despite the increasing percentage of Latina and Latino students. By 2030, Latinos are expected to make up 30% of the U.S. population. But despite that, our history and contributions are still pretty much invisible. This book is my small way of being part of the solution — representing Latinas in a way that’s authentic and relatable.

The title of your book plays on misconceptions and stereotypes. What was your thinking behind that choice?

When I first wrote the book, it was titled Call Girl as a play on words since the character (Julia) works in a call center. But I realized it might turn agents off, so I changed it to Not That Kind of Call Girl, which still fits her story. It’s meant to be funny and tongue-in-cheek, and the title gives readers a sense of the humor inside the book.

What do you hope readers will take away from Julia’s story?

I hope they take away that postpartum depression is normal. One in 7 women experience it. I also hope they see that women, especially moms, are capable of so much more than they give themselves credit for. Julia is a relatable character who goes through so much but comes out stronger in the end. I want women to feel empowered and see themselves in her story.