Entrepreneur shares her love of literature

Desiree Hernandez has always had a good business sense and started a couple of small companies while in elementary and middle school, but it wasn’t until she was in 10th grade that she launched her most ambitious venture. The recent Mountain Heights Academy graduate has a passion for reading and decided to share that with online customers through www.loversofliterature.com.

As an independent study student that was affected by pandemic-induced online learning, she decided to capitalize on her time spent on the computer by starting her latest successful business. The San Jacinto resident attracts customers through social media platforms Instagram, Facebook and TikTok and has received orders from far away countries such as Japan and throughout the United States.

Her unique business offers what she calls “Blind Date with a Book.” Only the genre is revealed ahead of time. Hernandez chooses a book and pairs it with items that relate to the story. Buyers get the book attractively wrapped in plain brown paper, with a relevant sticker, goodie bag, bookmark and tea bag to enjoy while reading. She finishes each package with a personalized name tag.

Her goal as a woman- and family-owned small business is to take customers on a journey to their favorite parts of the world. Hernandez wants to help everyone step out of their comfort zone by selecting books they would likely not find on their own and provide a unique and unforgettable experience for them. She has found the most popular choices have proven to be romance and thriller novels.

“I always loved to read, and my mom used to read to me all the time when I was younger,” Hernandez, 18, said. One of her favorite books is “The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller, a Greek mythology retelling. She has authored about 10 chapters of her own fiction novel based on an idea she had when she was 14. “It has a little bit of romance that is part of a much bigger story,” she said. She said the greatest challenge she has faced is the urge to constantly rewrite her drafts but says she has disciplined herself to keep moving forward to complete it. “I understand that everyone likes different things and it’s okay; I just want my story to be out there,” she said.

Hernandez earned her high school diploma in December and is currently majoring in Business Administration at Mt. San Jacinto College where she plans to take summer classes. She also is on the verge of launching a second business as an online bookseller for those that are requesting specific titles and don’t want to dabble in the element of surprise that “Blind Dates with a Book” offers. And her business ideas don’t stop there as she is working on yet another online company idea. “It will be a completely different shop where everyone, not just book lovers, can find something they like,” Hernandez said.

She gets positive feedback from customers on her social media accounts, whose links can be found on her website. The business keeps her busy, sometimes working all day to fulfill orders. She said that other than Christmas when she expected sales to pick up, she was extremely busy last July. Her grandmother, Lucy Gonzalez, helps out when needed. Hernandez has two younger sisters who don’t share her passion for reading but her mother, Okairi Pineda, said she has always encouraged all her daughters to pursue their dreams.

“When she shared her vision with me, I told Desiree that whatever she wanted to do I would support her,” Pineda said. “She can do anything she puts her mind to.”

Hernandez said a quote from American businessman and writer Max DePree that has always resonated with her is, “We cannot become what we want to be by remaining what we are.” As a result, the self-motivated, self-disciplined and self-proclaimed “Swiftie” (Taylor Swift fan) reinvests all of her profits into her business to make it bigger and better.

For more information, https://loversofliterature.com.