Leah Ranada was born in the Philippines, moved to Canada in 2006 and currently resides in New Westminster, BC. She is a graduate of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila and attended The Writer’s Studio at Simon Fraser University. Ranada’s short stories have been published in several literary magazines.
Fiction
The Cine Star Salon
Edmonton: NeWest Press, 2021.
E-book (Access restricted to members of the university community)
Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)
Philippine-born Vancouverite Sophia is most grateful for two things: her modest hair salon and Adrian, her mild-mannered fiancé. She is eager to get married, move away from her highly educated but career-frustrated parents, who believe that their daughter can be so much more than a beautician.
Then Sophia’s estranged friend reaches out from Manila, desperate for help. After a dubious accident, her fiery Auntie Rosy is on the verge of losing the Cine Star Salon—the place where Sophia first felt the call to become a hairstylist and salon owner. Coming to her auntie’s aid is not so easy though. Sophia worries helping might reopen old wounds and threaten the bright future she has planned.
Awards and Honours
2022 IPPY (Independent Publisher Book Award)–Multicultural Fiction (Gold medalist)