When Isabel Allende asks for “Just a minute,” it’s best to comply — even if you only have a limited 15 minutes with one of the most renowned Latin American authors of this century.

During a recent Zoom chat, the celebrated Chilean-American author, now honored as Mattel’s latest Inspiring Women Barbie, briefly steps out of view to fetch a step stool so she can retrieve a miniature plastic version of herself from her shelves.

“I’m so short that I need a ladder for everything,” she jokes while displaying the doll with a big smile: “This is me.”

The newly released Barbie, which comes just before the start of Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 to Oct. 15), embodies the same sophistication and spirit as its real-life counterpart. Adorned in a striking red dress accented with a gathered cape, the Barbie comes with gold statement earrings, sleek black heels, and vibrant red lipstick — Allende’s trademark style.

The accomplished author expresses her gratitude for being chosen. Among other notable figures recognized in Barbie’s Inspiring Women series, which began in 2018, are Dr. Maya Angelou, Frida Kahlo, Billie Jean King, Rosa Parks, and Eleanor Roosevelt. “I feel I’m in great company,” she remarks.

The doll also includes Allende’s cherished dog Perla and a miniature version of “The House of the Spirits,” her debut novel and international bestseller that she wrote while in exile following the Chilean military coup. (This 1982 novel has faced bans in Chile and challenges in schools across North Carolina and Modesto, California.)

The creator of “Daughter of Fortune” hopes her Barbie serves as a source of motivation for girls aspiring to be writers, instilling the belief that “with hard work and dedication, you can succeed.”

For Allende, the journey to becoming a writer felt like an overly ambitious goal at the time due to the lack of role models. “When I was born, the expectation was that girls would marry, bear children, and support their husbands’ ambitions—that was the norm,” she recalls.

Now at 82 years old, Allende has authored over 25 books, selling more than 77 million copies translated into more than 40 languages. In 2023, she announced plans to write three children’s books, with “Perla, The Mighty Dog” released in May, and is currently working on her upcoming novel set for 2025, titled “My Name Is Emilia Del Valle.”

“I always felt like an outsider in the world of reading and writing,” she explains. “Then I became a journalist, which allowed me to write, learn about research, express myself through language, and conduct interviews—all of which I found fascinating. However, when the military coup occurred in Chile in 1973, I was forced to leave my country and could no longer work as a journalist.” (She spent 13 years in exile in Venezuela.)

Eventually, she returned to writing: “I couldn’t write again until 1981 when I lost my grandfather in Chile, receiving the news on January 8. I started drafting a letter for him, which turned into my first novel. Sadly, my grandfather passed away a month later and never got to read the letter.”

Allende has been writing her books starting on the same day each year to honor her grandfather and to enforce discipline. She states, “Without setting an assignment for myself, nothing would ever get done. If I don’t tell myself, ‘Be there every morning at your computer to write for a few hours,’ who else will do it? I don’t have a boss so I initiate my own schedule.”

However, she sees deadlines differently. “A novel’s length is unpredictable,” she explains. “I stick to my journalistic discipline and write daily. Since I began my writing career 42 years ago, this has been my life. Writing is everything to me.”

Allende insists that writing never becomes tedious for her, although she admits to experiencing “writer’s block.” “After my daughter died in 1992, I found it impossible to write, as if a void surrounded me.”

To navigate through that emptiness, she turned to her passion, and in 1995, three years following the death of her daughter Paula, who was just 29, Allende released “Paula,” a memoir that captures her anguish and reflections during the long hours she was with her daughter in the hospital.

“After finishing ‘Paula,’ I found myself unable to write again,” she admits. “A couple of years passed before I thought, as a trained journalist, I can tackle any topic given enough time to research. So, I chose a subject far removed from death and sorrow to write a much lighter book that helped me overcome my writer’s block.

“Since then, the words have flowed effortlessly.”

Today, Allende stands as the most widely-read Spanish-language author alive. Her contributions have earned her significant recognition, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom from former President Barack Obama in 2014, the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters in 2018, and her induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2004.

Through her personal experiences, from displacement after the Chilean coup to profound losses, Allende has used those moments to empower rather than limit her creativity. Amidst ongoing challenges to women’s rights, she believes her collaboration with Mattel to create a Barbie reflects the idea that young girls can be “the stars of their own stories.”

She emphasizes the importance of unity in making a difference.

“It is challenging to accomplish anything alone, especially if you’re striving to initiate change. You need a supportive network, education, and awareness, and those connections are vital. I could not have achieved anything in my life without the assistance of other women.”