Glue gun a weapon in ‘Land of Glitter’

Martha Stewart ain’t got nothing on the crafty chicas featured in the new sassy novel “Waking Up in the Land of Glitter” by Kathy Cano-Murillo.

In a world where glue guns can double as dangerous weapons and imported vintage glass glitter is the drug of choice, Cano-Murillo introduces her readers to three wild, lovable, and a teeny bit crazy women who have hearts of gold, and a ton of creativity and imagination.

Estrella “Star” Estevan is the beloved artistic daughter who has made her parent’s restaurant, La Pachanga’s, in Phoenix one of the most visited eatery/art galleries in the valley. But when her overabundance of enthusiasm combines with her helter-skelter love life, disaster is certainly a possibility. Determined to prove that she is not a total screw-up to her parents and her “on again-off again” boyfriend, Theo, Star arranges for the restaurant to be one of the sponsors of the CraftOlympics, and promises to provide all the centerpieces for the big awards banquet.

Recruiting her best friend, Ofie Fuentes — a craft diva of questionable taste — to help her find enough people to make the decorations, Star doesn’t realize that she actually is feeding Ofie’s obsession with crafting, bringing it to a new obsession. If it can be glitter, Ofie is your girl for the job, and no amount of glue, paint or macrame will stand in her way of creating the tackiest, outlandish works of “art” ever seen.

Meanwhile, news reporter Chloe Chavez, known as “Crafty Chloe,” is determined to break into the big time as a professional craft show hostess, regardless of the fact that she hates crafting. When she is sent to cover a mural disaster at Star’s restaurant, Chloe smells a story bigger than just some spray paint mishap. So Chloe offers to help Star and Ofie with the CraftOlympics, but will her aversion to glitter and gunk be her downfall in her rise to the top of the hobby world?

Cano-Murillo, known as the “Crafty Chica” and for her line of craft products, has delved into the writing world to create one of the most lively, imaginative novels I’ve run across lately. Full of humor, love, friendship and some pretty cool art projects, “Waking Up in the Land of Glitter” will have readers howling one minute, sobbing the next, and reaching for their trusty glue guns to create their very own “love shrines” before the end of the book. This novel was just a delightful glittery, shiny, light-hearted treat.