by Sarah Erwin

This week we have a review of the latest Yolanda Ávila Mystery by Veronica Gutierrez, along with an interesting interview with Veronica. Even though we make an effort to cover LGBTQ+ authors all year long, during Pride month we make an extra effort–this book is one of several we are covering this month. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of My Little Black Cocktail Book, a journal for cocktail recipes and a rocks glass from Adelita’s, Veronica’s protagonist’s fictional favorite bar, and a link to purchase Buried Seeds from Amazon.

Buried Seeds: a Yolanda Ávila Mystery by Veronica Gutierrez
Review by Sarah Erwin

Buried Seeds is the follow up to As You Look – Yolanda Ávila mysteries by Veronica Gutierrez. Buried Seeds is a twisty and propulsive mystery that can be read as a stand alone for readers new to the series.

Yolanda Ávila is a lesbian private eye working in the mostly Latino section of Los Angeles. She is called to help a young man named Gamaliel Campamoche when a body is found outside a local convenience store. Gamaliel runs the store along with his employer Kinji Abe, a Japanese, WWII American concentration camp survivor. Gamaliel is an undocumented immigrant who the police immediately zero in on and assume he is guilty.

While Yolanda is able to prove Gamaliel’s innocence, Kinji comes under suspicion. As Yolanda begins to find a way to prove Kinji’s innocence, she starts uncovering dark secrets throughout the tight-knit community and many surprising connections.

Wow! This story starts out with a bang and does not stop until the very end, and I enjoyed the page-turning ride. Just when I thought we had it figured out, another twist would happen and I wasn’t sure who was the guilty party. There are a lot of threads in this story and that could have easily become muddied as we dove into the plot, but that never happened. Watching Yolanda piece together the many layered clues was like watching an artist at work.

Thanks to Veronica’s writing I could easily picture the diverse neighborhoods that play a part in the story. The characters are richly developed and feel like real people with hopes and dreams and worries. I admired Yolanda as she pushed through mental and physical pain in her search for justice. Even the characters I didn’t admire were whole people and easy to picture.

In addition to writing a strong mystery, Veronica isn’t afraid to tackle timely social issues in a graceful way. This is both a thought-provoking and propelling read.

Sarah Erwin started her career as a children’s librarian, later becoming a public library director and now she’s a stay at home mom. While her career might have changed, her love of reading has been a constant since 4th grade and she reads over 200 books a year. Read along with her on her blog Sarah Can’t Stop Reading or on Instagram. Sarah lives in St. Louis, MO with her two kids, her husband and a family dog and cat.

Interview of Veronica Gutierrez:

KRL: How long have you been writing?

Veronica: I started writing scenes for my first book while I was still working. I’d pick it up from time to time, so it was slow going, but I started writing more seriously when I was fortunate enough to retire early at fifty-five..

KRL: When did your first novel come out, what was it called, and would you tell us a little about it?

Veronica: My first novel As You Look was published in 2022. It’s the first in my Yolanda Avila mystery series and introduces a Los Angeles private investigator, struggling with the intersection of grief, guilt, and latent psychic tendencies following the death of her mother. Her struggle peaks when she must solve her godson’s kidnapping and find her wife’s stalker, or risk losing another loved one.

KRL: Have you always written mysteries/suspense and if not, what else have you written?

Veronica: The adage about writing what you know has evolved into writing what you read. Well, my favorite genre is mystery, so that’s what I write. But I also write what I know because I focus on the Boyle Heights neighborhood where I grew up.

KRL: What brought you to choose the setting and characters in your latest book/series?

Veronica: I first read Agatha Christie as a teen, then loved Sarah Paretsky’s V.I. Warshawski, Julie Smith’s Skip Langdon, and Cara Black’s Aimee Leduc. I especially liked the badass women investigating crime and injustice, but also the way each writer made Chicago, New Orleans, and Paris another character. I had yet to come across lesbian characters closer to home.

It took me a while to find the incomparable Katherine V. Forrest. For a while after that, I couldn’t get enough of books with lesbian characters from Bella Books, Bold Strokes, and other publishers. But again, not someone Latina like me. So, I decided to give writing a try, and after my first book As You Look was nominated for a Goldie Award along with Katherine V. Forrest, I was blown away! She ultimately, and deservedly, won, but I had to keep going. Buried Seeds came to be.

KRL: Do you write to entertain or is there something more you want the readers to experience from your work?

Veronica: I think any fiction is for entertainment, but some fiction also seeks to impart a deeper meaning. I like to think I do both. I approach my lesbian characters Yolanda Avila and her wife Sydney Garrett as perfectly normal, but they also come across as having a very solid relationship. It was important to me to have them be free of the petty drama often depicted in lesbian relationships on television. Then there is the overarching social justice theme in my writing. As a former civil rights attorney from a family of community activists, it just seems natural to focus on those themes. The multicultural history of Boyle Heights demands it. I’m glad it does.

KRL: Do you have a schedule for your writing or just work whenever you can?

Veronica: I used to wish I was more disciplined than I am and could sit down and write on schedule, but I find that sometimes going on a walk is better. A lot of the dialogue in my books comes to me while I’m on a long walk. Some of it may be about a scene I have yet to write, but I draft it as soon as I get back home and save it for when I need it. When I do have the luxury of writing without interruption, I try to have a consistent schedule and try writing at least five hours a day.

KRL: What is your ideal time to write?

Veronica: The morning is probably best for me, but I like to take breaks too. My five hours of writing often go into the early afternoon.

KRL: Do you outline? If not, do you have some other interesting way that you keep track of what’s going on, or what needs to happen in your book when you are writing it?

Veronica: I like to work with what I call a “living outline.” I try to follow the Lisa Cron “Story Genius” method and nail down the backstory, the “aha” moment in the middle, and the end before I start writing. I also try to use Jenny Nash’s Two-Tier outline which can be found in her Blueprint for a Book and covers both the external story development and the internal character development. But that too is a living outline that allows me to change direction if I need to.

One time I killed off a suspect I hadn’t thought would die. It just happened and it made the story better, I think, but then I had to figure out how the rest of the story would proceed. I’ve had several living outlines die and resurrect that way, but it sure keeps things interesting as a writer.

KRL: Did you find it difficult to get published in the beginning? Did being an LGBTQ+ author make that any harder?

Veronica: I found it more difficult to get an agent. I still don’t have one. I don’t know if being an LGBTQ+ author had anything to do with it, but having read so many Bella Books novels, I figured I’d be a good fit and submitted my first manuscript to them. Jessica Hill, the publisher along with her wife Linda Hill, got right back to me. It’s been a wonderful relationship ever since.

KRL: Do you have a great rejection/critique or acceptance story you’d like to share?

Veronica: I heard from one of my beta readers soon after he started As You Look. He said, “I know this is supposed to be a mystery novel, but what I’m reading so far is about a lesbian investigator who has a very much in love with her wife and whose wife loves her back. I love it!” Or something like that. My first thought was “Great! He gets it!” I loved that that came across so early in the novel. For Buried Seeds, one of my beta readers mentioned that the story was almost biblical. I don’t think that was my intent, but I was glad to hear it had that kind of impact on him.

KRL: Most interesting book signing story-in a bookstore or other venue?

Veronica: I think the most interesting one is coming up at the Vinter’s Diary winery in Napa on August 9th. A friend set it up with her book club and wine club. The Latina owners are eager to support Latina artists. How great is that?! I am so looking forward to it!

KRL: What are your future writing goals?

Veronica: I’d really like to add at least one more book to my Yolanda Avila mystery series. You can’t write about Boyle Heights without covering the multiple ethnic groups that have moved through the community. In As You Look, I focused on the Mexican community. In Buried Seeds I focused on the history of the Mexican and Japanese communities. But you can’t write about Boyle Heights without writing about the history of the Jewish community and its continuing influence. I have an idea for that story that marries the past with the present, as in Buried Seeds, so I’ve started some of my research for it.

KRL: Who are your writing heroes?

Veronica: There are those I’ve come to know, like Naomi Hirahara and Katherine V. Forrest. Both are pioneers in their respective communities. Naomi has written non-fiction and fiction that reminds us of the terrible injustice of the American concentration camps and the remarkable resilience of the Japanese American community, and Katherine broke barriers in writing lesbian fiction that finally went mainstream.

KRL: What kind of research do you do?

Veronica: A part of me enjoys researching as much as writing. For As You Look, I didn’t do too much research because so much of the story came from my own life experience, but for Buried Seeds I delved into Japanese American history that I’d learned mostly through my work in civil rights, but I wanted to get the human element down in an authentic way. I was fortunate to find multiple books on the topics but also connected with people at Japanese American National Museum events in L.A.’s Little Tokyo, as well as the Densho organization that preserves so much of this history.

Of course, there was the remarkable generosity of people like Naomi Hirahara and Frank Abe who steered me in the right direction whenever I had questions. And I couldn’t believe my luck when Naomi’s husband Wes Fukuchi agreed to be one of my beta readers. His own family had been incarcerated at Heart Mountain, the same concentration camp where my Kinji Abe character was held. So, a lot of written and video history helps, but connecting with those with lived experience is the best, most valuable research.

KRL: What do you like to read?

Veronica: I obviously like mysteries, but I also like literary fiction, historical fiction, and biographies. My wife prefers essays and has turned me onto those as well, especially Samantha Irby, Roxanne Gay, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I have many favorite mystery writers, most of them members of the Crime Writers of Color. I highly recommend browsing through their website of the same name. As for literary fiction, my favorite is probably Carlos Ruiz Zafón. My wife and I read his Cemetery of Books series and kept interrupting each other with “Check out this passage!”- the writing was that great!

KRL: What are your favorite TV shows or movies?

Veronica: Well, I used to watch the news more before 2016. Now I binge watch crime series like Dark Winds, Deadloch, and True Detective. My wife sometimes catches me watching Forensic Files episodes—for research, of course. But we both decompress and take care of our sleep hygiene with Australian, Canadian, and British veterinary shows.

KRL: Have you any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?

Veronica: I know it might sound trite but just write. Write for yourself first, because your authenticity will come through. Consider getting a book coach to work through your story development or read Lisa Cron’s Story Genius for great advice and writing exercises that can move your novel forward.

KRL: What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

Veronica: When I was little, I used to think my real mother was a T-Bird. Our family was made up of big roller derby fans, and the T-Birds were L.A.’s team. My mom once told me that she’d shared a hospital room with a T-Bird skater who’d also given birth to a daughter she’d also named Veronica. I didn’t look like anyone in my family, and I was born bald, unlike all my siblings who’d each been born with a full head of hair. My sister and I were the first to learn how to roller skate. I was pretty good as a seven-year-old.

I was convinced I’d been switched at birth and that my real mother must be rich because she was on television. I thought maybe she lived in Montebello, never mind that the working-class town east of L.A. is nowhere near rich. I figured I’d go live with her and have my own bed but would still visit the family that had loved me and raised me as their own. Then, puberty hit. I became the spitting image of my father. So much for that fantasy.

KRL: Do you have any pets?

Veronica: My wife and I travel so much that she’s fond of saying “We have no pets, no plants, and nothing that ends with ‘pedia.’” Fortunately, we have great house sitters!

KRL: Is there anything you would like to add?

Veronica: I’d just like to thank all the readers for their love of reading. I’d also like to thank all the parents who helped instill that love of reading in their children. I grew up being such a bookworm that it still surprises me when I learn that some people don’t enjoy reading stories. Scrolling through social media can be so addictive, but the best hit one can take is a good book. Thank you for being willing to get lost in one.

KRL: Where can our readers find you online?

Website: veronicagutierrez.com
IG: instagram.com/vgauthor
FB: facebook.com/veronicagutierrez5
BlueSky: bsky.app/profile/vgauthor.bsky.social
Threads: threads.net/@vgauthor

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win a copy of My Little Black Cocktail Book, a journal for cocktail recipes and a rocks glass from Adelita’s, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “cocktail” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen June 28, 2025. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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