A story to tell: Lehigh writer has 11 books

By Staff | May 13, 2015

MEL TOADVINE Writing comes natural and easy with Luis Maldonado, a Lehigh Acres author. A cashier by day, he is a writer at night.

He’s 35 years old, lives in Lehigh, works as a cashier at a gasoline station and convenience store, and has written 11 books in the last couple of years.

Luis Maldonado says he has “four books going all the time” in his mind.

This young author didn’t go to college, but says he has been interested in writing ever since he was in school. And some of his short stories and poems were even printed in his school newspaper.

“I enjoy writing about almost anything,” Maldonado said. “I’ve always been told I have a great imagination and I think I do. My mind is always coming up with something and often, those ideas end up in print.

Maldonado says he can be anywhere, working, eating out, anywhere and if an idea comes to him about a character for a book he is considering or any other information he wants to consider for a book, he jots down a note and stuffs it in his pocket.

MEL TOADVINE Luis Maldonado’s published works are shown.

And his pockets are filled with notes of ideas and information he has picked up from friends and associates.

“I do that so I won’t forget,” Luis, as he prefers to be called by his friends and co-workers, said.

His books can found on Amazon and usually priced from $9.99 to $12.99 and many of them are available on Kindle on the Internet at a lesser price.

Originally from Pompano Beach Fla., he moved to Lehigh in 2012 and says he likes the people in Lehigh and the “small town atmosphere.”

At the age of 17, he moved to West Texas for 16 years. Later he thought it would be a good idea to head back to his roots in his home state.

Luis Maldonado

His books range from horror to science fiction to thrillers. You name it and he has probably written a novel about it.

He admits that many of his friends from high school and those he has made over the years are surprised to hear that he has turned into a successful writer and that his books can be bought almost anywhere in the country.

He has written some children’s and middle age-teens books and says he has done a “first in a four part series.”

He says some of his books are about romance and eroticism and others are about werewolves and love stories.

“I love to write about just anything if it gets in my mind or if I can imagine it or someone gives me an idea,” Luis said as he sat behind his laptop computer in his living room where he comes up with all the words that goes into his books.

“Miami Runway”

“I may come home from work and jump right on the computer with thoughts that have been building up all day,” he laughed. “And I always back them up so I don’t lose anything.”

His day job, he says is working as a cashier at the former Hess station that has become a Speedway on Lee Boulevard.

Some of his earlier works, he said are a book of short stories that came out in March of 2014.

“They’re creepy stories all right,” he laughed

Then he has a full-length novel called Immortal Beloved and it’s about a vampire on a crime spree who falls in love. Then he has his own version of Jack The Ripper and the one that came out two weeks ago is the Werewolf of Ocean Drive.

MEL TOADVINE Writing comes natural and easy with Luis Maldonado, a young author who lives in Lehigh. He is a cashier at a convenience store during the day and a writer at night.

“That’s my latest one,” he said. And one before that was a gay-themed book about a werewolf, which took him three months to write.

“I can usually write them in about four to five months it is just when those ideas start popping out of my head,” he said.

Sometimes Luis says he uses the real names of characters in his book “with their permission of course,” and other times, changes the names so nobody recognizes who he may be writing about.

Many of his characters are real people that he knows, he admitted.

“And basically, I write about the truth about some of these characters,” he laughed.

Luis is an avid reader and still finds time to have published 11 books in the past two years “usually in the afternoons after work or other off time that I may get at work.”

He’s currently working on a book he calls Cabbage Key about a small island.

“I got the ideas when I took a boat ride to the islands. It’s a romance novel.”

Others in the pipeline in his brain include a book about a pair of ‘star-crazed’ lovers, a sequel for one of his werewolf books.

Maldonado says his published works are soft cover books and easy to read because he uses a font and size that makes it easy on the eyes.

He has formed his own publishing company and works with a talented artist he met on Facebook from Canada whose name is Jennifer Munswami.

He says they work together via email and Facebook. He also has his books edited by Todd Barselow of the Philippines, someone he has also met online. He has developed a good business relationship with both.

Those who are interested in his books can go to Amazon and plug in his name, he says, or they can call him and he may have a few books available at home. His number is 239-895-3342. If he is unable to answer, leave a message with your number and he promises to call you back.

His plans for the future: “To keep on writing. It has always been my dream.”

Next book coming out in June is titled Miami Runway and it’s about five models living in one apartment, and he calls it an “erotic mystery.”

Then late summer, he has something coming out titled Leviathan, in his own version.

And in the fall, he has one he says is titled The Third Eve and calls it a teen supernatural novel.

Wrapping up much of what is said about Maldonado can be found on the Internet:

“He’s a fan of most things geeky (think: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Charmed, Once Upon A Time, The Walking Dead, all kind of books like Beautiful Creatures, The Vampire Chronicles, Twilight Saga, The Hunger Games, Fear Street, Harry Potter…). He has been in love with books since he was given his first novel on his 8th birthday called I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan, way before Hollywood ever thought of making a Blockbuster movie out of it.

“Everyone who knew him in school says that he is caring, giving, and the brave one out of the group of friends. Every time you see Maldonado, he always has a book in his hand reading. While he was in high school he wrote poems and short stories and had a number of them published in the school newspaper.”

: MEL TOADVINE Luis Maldonado’s published works are shown.

: Luis Maldonado

: “Miami Runway”

: MEL TOADVINE Writing comes natural and easy with Luis Maldonado, a young author who lives in Lehigh. He is a cashier at a convenience store during the day and a writer at night.