My name is Leyla Rodriguez, American born and bred, from Cuban and Puerto Rican parents....

Becoming who I am now is only the beginning of a very long journey. I've been trudging throughout life, finally accepting my true identity. I hope to share some chapters of my story with you. I'm really a lover and not a fighter, but I'll fight anyone who gets in my way from stopping me from what I love. I speak a lot about peace and try to exemplify it, not only through my words but through my way of being, with the hopes of expressing the true beauty that lies within.

Since I was a teenager writing has been my escape. It has represented the voice inside of me which sometimes goes unheard. Besides writing, I love being a mom to my two beautiful children. Among, many aspects in life that inspire me, they play a big role. They inspire me to be real with myself despite having the world against you at times, trying to change who you are into someone you're not. A few of my favorite writers are Shakespeare, Rumi, Helen Keller, Henrik Ibsen, Pablo Neruda and Arslan Ali Zaidi. I'd like to consider myself an advocate for truly expressing yourself, whoever that is and whatever it requires, with due respect to others, as long as you are happy.

Here is my disclaimer, not in fine print, legible enough to read. I am not a professional writer, my grammar sucks big time, I am not a scholar, nor do I claim to know all the answers or to be politically correct in my opinion. My dream is not to be famous, nor to be popular either, but to hopefully touch one person in a way that compels them to be a better human being, believing one person can make a difference starting with themselves, by doing good and paying it forward. One of my wishes is that somewhere in between the chaos we are often faced with in life, and the pages of my fleeting words and lame humor, you can crack a smile. Remember that you are loved and deserve to be loved, by attaching yourself to the Creator of love, the possibilities are endless.