Discover LOCA: An Afro-Dominican Queer Literary Debut

Jacaranda Books is set to publish debut author Alejandro Heredia’s "heartbreaking exposé on queer youth", Loca. Valerie Brandes, CEO of Jacaranda Books, acquired UK and Commonwealth (excluding Canada) rights from Rachel Clements at Abner Stein on behalf of Meredith Kaffel Simonoff at The Gernert Company.

Alejandro Heredia is a queer Afro-Dominican writer from The Bronx. He has received fellowships from Lambda Literary, VONA, the Dominican Studies Institute, Kenyon Review, and Trinity College. 

In LOCA, Junot Diaz’s critically acclaimed collection Drown meets Janet Mock’s Emmy-winning series Pose. Set in 1999 New York, “ this remarkable debut…capture(s) the heartbreak of queer youth, a woman’s rebellion against the confines of motherhood, and, above all, the pain and power of friendship” (Adam Haslett, bestselling author of Imagine Me Gone).

On this publication, Heredia shares: "I’m thrilled that Loca will be published by Jacaranda Books alongside a brilliant catalogue of diasporic writers. The Caribbean diaspora is vast, spanning languages and cultures — my hope is for the locas in my novel to expand what it means to be born to those islands, what it means to be a queer person leaving their home behind, and to push readers to think and feel deeply about the role of friendship in all of our lives."

Acquiring Editor, Valerie Brandes shares her excitement saying: “LOCA is a tender portrait of working class life shown through a sepia-like, almost cinematic lens, that traverses queer lives and the ways in which they are intersected. With New York City as a character and backdrop for its residents’ dreams and inspirations, LOCA explores the experience of being an immigrant and observes the suppressive challenges of heteronormativity. Without any compromise, Alejandro has centered and illuminated gay boys and men, trans women, and queer culture while embedding the reader in a world that is complicated and kind. It was a joy to live and grow with these characters. In a time where community and love are more important than ever, LOCA is a resounding affirmation of both. Heredia’s writing is adept and restrained, letting the world and characters he has created speak for themselves. It is an honor to bring this gorgeous novel to the UK market.”

LOCA is expected to hit shelves July 2nd 2026 and will be a key title for Jacaranda Books’ fiction list for the year.