"Chasing the Sun," a novel by Lima, Peru native Natalia Sylvester, brings a Peruvian tale, author and culture to the forefront of American literature.

The novel was released in June 2014 and takes place in 1992 Peru, a time of unrest for the country according to NBC News. It tells the story of a marriage rocked by an unexpected kidnapping and is based off the kidnapping of Sylvester's grandfather, who was taken when the author was 3 years old.

"Although I was too young to remember it, he was held ransom for about 60 days," Sylvester told NBC News. "My father was the person who ended up having to negotiate with the kidnappers, arrange a price, bargain for my grandfather's life. ... As I got older, I started to wonder how such an event affected my family, and I decided to explore those questions in my writing. The characters in the novel are not based on my family, but some of the questions I had were the spark of inspiration for the novel."

After writing an entire draft without consulting any one in her family, Sylvester, now 30 years old, was able to get information for the novel from her grandfather.

"As it turned out, my grandfather was willing to talk about those events; he brought them up on his own. ... I spent all these years thinking he didn't want to talk about it, and I was wrong," she explained. "I spoke with my dad about the kidnapping, and I got to know a different side of him, too."

In addition to the book's setting, Sylvester's Peruvian culture is seen in the title.

"... the sun is an important part of Peruvian heritage," the author explained. "In Inca culture, the sun (Inti) was worshipped as a god. It was the name of our first currency unit, Inti. Even today, the currency is still known as Nuevo Sol (new sun). The sun is very ingrained in our culture, so it made sense to have it in the title."

Sylvester encourages other Latino writers in the U.S. to continue writing despite challenges because "the audience is there."

"Especially for Latinos, it is important that we stay uncompromising about the kinds of stories we want to tell," she said. "We may be Peruvian-American or Colombian-American, but we are still part of the American narrative. ... Don't just go to the diversity panel at writing conferences, be part of the larger conversations too. We deserve just as much representation as anybody else."

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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.

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