Santana's other half to give reading Santana's other half to give reading (March 25, 2005)

Musician's wife becomes author of 'Between the Stars'

By Allison Gerard

When your husband is Carlos Santana and your father is Saunders King, one of the pioneers of African-American blues, it can be hard to find your own creative niche. However, Deborah Santana has found her voice, having finished her first book.

Santana's memoir "Space Between the Stars: My Journey to an Open Heart," traces her life journey and the events that shaped her into who she is today. She will be at Books Inc. in Mountain View at 7:30 p.m. on March 31 to discuss her book and read passages from it.

The inspiration for the title came from an essay by Norman Vincent Peale she read in "Guideposts" magazine. Santana said the phrase "space between the stars" described her as a woman surrounded by men who outshone her and her struggle to be seen and heard in the world.

"When you are married to someone who has a very big life and is very famous, it's difficult," Santana said. "I felt diminished, but through writing, I felt it let the creative side of me come out and gave me a breath of fresh air and a real sense of purpose."

Santana's book does not follow a strict timeline but focuses on events that shaped her spiritual quest and awakening as a woman. The book discusses her upbringing in a biracial family during the 1950s and '60s, an abusive relationship with musician Sly Stone, and finally her husband Carlos, whom she describes as a gentle spirit.

"The book is about finding your voice and your passion and living with integrity and compassion," Santana said.

Writing this book has given Santana a voice and allowed her to better understand herself through telling others how she handled issues of race, faith, sexuality, love, feminism, motherhood and artistic expression, she said.

"I was always making plans for who and what I wanted to be, but now I'm just being," Santana said. "I'm who I am, and I'm happy."

She is currently working on her next book, which will either be a fiction about the secrets of life or another memoir that focuses more on the diverse roots of her family and the Milagro Foundation charity she started with Carlos.

Santana, a California native, is the chief operations officer of the Santana Foundation and vice president of the Milagro Foundation.

E-mail Allison Gerard at agerard@mv-voice.com

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