About Viola Canales

Viola Canales was born and raised in McAllen, Texas on April 21^st, 1957. Canales talks about her “Barrio” with such vivid and happy memories. During this time, many Mexican students were not treated with the same privileges as their classmates. Speaking Spanish was forbidden at school, and speaking English was forbidden at home. Canales says that in school, if you spoke Spanish, you would get whipped on the hand. Much of the time, students who could not grasp the English language were sent to the Special Education classes. Viola Canales learned English in third grade.

At the age of 15, Canales had an opportunity that changed her life. She obtained a scholarship to attend a prestigious school, St. Stephens Episcopal boarding school in Austin, Texas. This is where much of her inspiration for The Tequila Worm lies. After she graduated, Canales attended Harvard university. During that time, Canales joined the military where she became an army captain. She worked in western Germany where she identified missiles and aircrafts and shot them down. Canales says that this position was very life-risking, but a great learning experience. Shortly after her time in the military, Canales went back to Harvard where she obtained a degree in government in 1986. Following this, she went to Harvard law school and became a lawyer in San Francisco. An amazing fact is that Canales was a part of the group of lawyers that investigated the Los Angeles police department after the police officers that assaulted Rodney King were tried acquitted from all charges.

In 1994, the Clinton administration made her the US Regional administrator for the United States Small Business Administration. Canales was able to help get three billion dollars in loans. She focused on recruiting women minority CEOs.

Viola Canales’ first work of literature was a series of short stories in the novel, Orange Candy Slices and Other Secret Tales Her second novel, The Tequila Worm, won numerous awards including the Pura Belpre Award in 2006. Her latest novel is The Little Devil and The Rose.

Currently, Viola Canales is a professor at Stanford University where she teaches law and fiction writing. She also tours and visits her hometown of McAllen, Texas where she visits schools and shares her experiences. Canales wishes to make Mexican American culture as appealing as other cultures. She aims to bring awareness to white Americans about the significance of her roots.