Here’s a list of some YA/Children books taken from the Cybils 2014 nominated/finalist list. Now though, there are a few more books out there, which is a little step in the right direction. This was the driving force behind me writing Earrings of Ixtumea which has a Latina protagonist being thrust into a parallel world where she has to confront the heritage she shunned. As a former bilingual teacher, I found a huge discrepancy on what was out there during the 1990s/2000s especially stories with Latin protagonists. He is a passionate advocate of LGBT rights.I’m very passionate about diversity in YA and children’s literature.

Degree from the School of Journalism and Mass Communications Television Broadcasting program. Steven studied Motion Picture production at University of Miami and graduated from Florida International University with a B.S. Steven is a Team Member of We Need Diverse Books and is represented by literary agent, Ginger Knowlton of Curtis Brown, Ltd. Steven’s latest novel, DAGGER, is a Young Adult Paranormal Espionage Adventure, released in September of 2015.

The third book in The Torch Keeper series, THE RAISING, will be released in January of 2016. Book Two, THE SOWING, was released in 2014. Book One, THE CULLING, was released in March of 2013, and named an American Library Association 2014 Rainbow List Top Ten Selection. Steven dos Santos is author of THE TORCH KEEPER novels, a Young Adult Post-Apocalyptic series. With the fates of his brainwashed brother, Cole, and genetically transformed love, Digory Tycho, caught in the crossfire of epic war, Lucky's final choice may have apocalyptic consequences for an entire world.Show more Show less

Is he the spark of hope destined to unite a nation and finally end this destructive crusade? Or is he truly the dark catalyst of the past, intent on reducing the remnants of humanity to smoldering embers? Lucky now leads the heroic fight to restore justice and liberty to the downtrodden survivors of a world devastated by geological catastrophe and tyranny.īut as the Torch Brigade prepares to launch a final, desperate gambit against the ruthless forces controlled by his former companion, the mysterious Cassius Thorn, Lucky struggles with the secret of his own true identity. Once a humble orphan existing in the shadows of the brutal Establishment, Lucian “Lucky” Spark has evolved from lone vigilante to “The Torch Keeper,' a fiery symbol of the valiant resistance.

The Sowing by Steven dos Santos