An Early Morning Swim

After a whirlwind three weeks of book signings, workshops and events, I woke up this morning thinking I didn't have to do anything but work on writing my new book.

But that wasn't completely true. I did have to do one thing - homework for a swim class. An hour of physical activity of my choice. It did not have to be swimming, but I decided yesterday that since I'd signed up for this swimming class to become a better swimmer, it made sense to actually swim rather than do another activity.

So, on my drive to the pool, the car is cutting through dense fog and I'm wondering if maybe I should have chosen another activity. But I keep driving. My plan is to work on being able to breathe from my left side without swallowing a mouthful of water each time. I've gotten pretty good at breathing to the right, but can't seem to turn my head far enough to the left to both breathe and swim.

When I get there, only one other person is crazy enough to be in the pool. Steam is coming off the surface of the water. Two twenty-year old lifeguards are sitting at their posts covered up in hoodies, working on their laptop.

I jump in the pool and start swimming, thinking this is actually pretty great, because the water is warm and I have a whole lane to myself. Normally, in class I have to share the lane with 5 or 6 other people. I make to the other side - 25 meters, and like always, I'm out of breath. So I rest for a couple of minutes and watch the other woman swim back and forth. I take off again and make it across the pool. Again, I rest. She swims. I continue to do this for about thirty minutes before I notice that this woman who is smoking me is pregnant. I'm impressed. But I notice that the life guards are gone. I'm not sure where they went, but I have this horrible thought about the pregnant woman. Is she supposed to get this much exercise? What if she suddenly goes into labor and the life guards are gone? Would I know what to do? Yes, run into the locker room, grab my phone and call 911.

Well, she didn't go into labor thank goodness, or this would be a different kind of blog tonight. Everything went smoothly and I finished my hour of swimming. Then went into the empty locker room, took a shower and went on to do my Thanksgiving shopping.

Is there a point to this blog? Not really, though I do want to say that it feels really great to follow through on plans to make heathy choices in life. It would have been easy to turn around and return home when I saw all that fog. Or to simply choose another activity or none at all. But the rest of the day has flowed great, thanks to this cold workout this morning.

Here's to making healthy choices as we prepare for Thanksgiving!!

Julia

Lateness Drives My Son Crazy

Every morning it's the same thing with my son. He hates to be late to school. Doesn't even like to be on-time. He has to get there early. I don't know where he got it from - I'm late . . . a lot. I look at the clock and see that I have fifteen minutes before I absolutely have to leave and decide that I can put a load of laundry into the washer, find a picture frame I've needed from the garage, and package up a book I've promised to send to someone. This ultimately adds a lot of stress to my life, and yes, makes me late.

Basically, I have more to do in one day than hours available to do them in, and this is why try to pack so much into every moment. But I realize it's not a great habit.

So, every morning at 8am my son starts to remind me that it's time to go. School starts at 8:40 and we live 5 minutes away, but he knows me. "Mom, let's go. It's time to go," he tells me. "8:15 we'll go," I promise. But he doesn't let up. About every minute or so he tells me again that we have to go and that we're going to be late. I start to get frustrated and try to ignore him, because if I don't focus on what I'm doing, I'm going to forget to take something I have to take with me as I walk out the door. Pretty soon it's 8:20 and he begins to pace and complain. "Jeeze, let's go. You don't need anything else. We're going to be late. Forget the coffee. Jeeze, Mom, what's wrong with you?" What's wrong with me? I've raised a spoiled, loud mouth kid, that's what's wrong with me.

But after I drop him off at school and he runs off with barely a good-bye, I get this warm feeling inside. I'm so proud of him for wanting to get to school on time, and for being so excited to get there. I know it's because he wants to hang out with friends before the bell rings, but still. What a great kid. Someday, he's going to be a fantastic asset to a company or his own business (and a bit of an annoying husband).

So today he calmly suggests that I plan to leave the house at 8am so that we will really leave at 8:15. I ask myself if he's really twelve, then unable to resist I give him a hug and tell him I'm proud of him for being so responsible. "Mom, really? I hate being late. Can we leave on time?"

"Yes," I tell him and I decide the laundry can wait and I'll buy a cup of coffee before I get to the university, and I'll mail that book tomorrow, and I don't need to hang that picture yet anyway. He got to school early and I got the the university on time and right now, I feel really good.

Wishing you all a great weekend with no stress and no craziness!

Julia

Meet the Characters!

Official release day of SAY YOU'LL BE MINE!! After months of writing, rewriting, reading copy edits, and weeks of marketing preparations, the book hits bookstores today! I'm very excited and am off to celebrate tonight.

For the next few days, I will post information to get readers better acquanted with the story. For today, let's mee the characters.

SAY YOU'LL BE MINE has a fairly large cast of characters and multiple view points. Although, this is undeniably Isabel’s book, each of the characters in SAY YOU’LL BE MINE really have their own stories that complicate and enrich the main plot-line.

ISABEL GALLEGOS
As the owner and CEO of Gallegos Wines, Isabel is used to having the power to make decisions and even more used to seeing them carried out. However, when her cousin dies and motherhood is suddenly thrust upon her, Isabel finds that she has no power to control even her own destiny.
Now, when she’s in the process of selling Gallegos, she must to travel to Mendoza, the wine country of Argentina where she and her parents once lived, to meet the children who need her to be the person her cousin Brenda hoped she would be.

NICK REEVES
Nick grew up the fatherless son of an alcoholic mother. He follows in her footsteps without even realizing what he’s doing. In his twenties, he falls in love with Isabel while attending college in Argentina. He is moved by the close relationship she has with her parents and encourages them to move to America to start their business. Eventually, he marries Isabel. His drinking becomes so bad that after repeated attempts to help him get healthy, Isabel gives up and divorces him.
After the divorce, he continues to work at Gallegos. When he gets sober and rebuilds his life, he meets a new woman. They are due to get married once the winery sells and he’s finally free of his entanglements with Isabel. When Isabel gets the call about her cousin’s death, he sees this as a potential obstacle to both their plans of selling the winery, and decides to accompany her to Argentina.

BRENDA AND ANDRES GARCIA
Isabel’s cousins who die in a skiing accident, leaving behind three children.

RAMIRO GARCIA
Brother to Andres. Ramiro was in love with Brenda back when he was young, wild and irresponsible. Brenda cared about him, but chose Andres to marry and build a life. This caused bad blood between Andres and Ramiro and they eventually stopped talking. Ramiro was accused of stealing from his mother, and disowned by all his family. But now Ramiro has turned his life around, or so he says. But no one trusts him, especially the children’s grandmother who makes Isabel promise to keep him out of the kids’ lives.

ADELMO GARCIA
Eight-year-old Adelmo is devastated to lose his parents in a skiing accident, but the agony is compounded when he learns that his mother appointed a cousin from America to be their guardian. Adelmo's Goal quickly becomes to make sure he gets to stay in Argentina even if he has to live with a man his father hated.

JULIETA GARCIA
Julieta is only four and all she wants is to be loved. She wants to find safety and reassurance and feel less afraid.


SANDRA GARCIA
Sandra is the oldest sibling at ten-years-old, and she is the one who has the most in common with Isabel. As the only one who actually met Isabel, she feels a connection to her and she wants to trust that her mother knew what she was doing when she appointed Isabel their guardian. She’s also convinced that if Isabel and Nick get re-married, they can all be a family again.

ROSA CALVO
Isabel’s best friend in Argentina who finds herself falling in love with the enemy. Ramiro is rude and obnoxious and dangerous. But he’s also incredibly sexy and is able to make Rosa forget that she’s an aging divorcee. So when it appears that there will be a battle between Ramiro and Isabel, Rosa has to choose between friendship and love.

TIA DOMINGA
Losing her only child is the most heartbreaking thing that can happen to a mother, and Tia Dominga avoids a complete break-down only because Brenda has three children who need an adult to comfort them. But she knows that she can only take care of them temporarily until Isabel returns from America and takes charge of Brenda’s children.

SAY YOU'LL BE MINE is available at all Barnes & Noble and online stores.

Enjoy!

Julia

I Won't Miss You, Mom

After flying on a redeye, I arrived in Boston this morning, pretty worn out. I can never sleep on an airplane, and to make things worse American Airline thinks it's a good idea to show a movie on those screens that come down from cieling on the center aisle so that the bright flickering light makes you feel like you're at a disco club from the 70's.

So, tired today, but I realized I'm not as worried about the kids as I used to be when they were younger. Maybe because I know they won't miss me as much as they did when they were little. I remeber leaving for writer's conferences and calling my husband a million times. I worried about who would read them a book before bed (my husband of course buy my mom ego told me he wouldn't do it as well), what they would eat, and how they would live without me there telling them I loved them.

Now, I drop them off at school and my daughter, who is still at the age where she can show affection and not be paranoid about it, will say, "I love you, Mom." My son, on the other hand, told her the other day that she should not say that so darned loud as she's getting out of the car. I sort of joked and said, "Hey, why not? And where is the I love you from you?" He shook his head and got out of the car. I yelled, I love you loudly and he ran away. LOL.

Well, I guess it's my job to keep saying it even if they don't want to hear it. But it does give me a feeling that they can be apart from me now without going through mommy withdrawls. Which makes me more relaxed on my trips.

I will call home tonight, and remind them that I love them. But, I'll also enjoy reading a novel in peace in my hotel room and getting a good night's sleep : )

And for any Bostonians out there, I will leave Say You'll Be Mine bookmarks at the BN in Copley Square and any other book store I run across.

Happy weekend to all!

Julia

Interview with Dalia Cejas

I'm SO excited about my guest this week! I first learned of Ceja Vineyards last May when I saw the business profiled on Hispanic Lifestyle. I knew immediately that I wanted to interview Dalia Ceja and ask her my own questions. If feel very lucky that she has taken time out of her busy schedule to spend some time with me and my readers.

I hope you enjoy the interview!

Julia: Dalia, interviewing you is such a treat for me! I spent hours reading about production and wine tasting and trying to learn all I could about the business in order to write Say You'll Be Mine. But what I did not do is talk to actual owners of wineries. That was partially on purpose, because I wanted my characters to be complete fictional creations. I didn’t want to inadvertently pick up facts about actual people. But now that the book is finished and due to be released next month, I’m very much interested in learning about the real people who have chosen to make wine-making and the running of a winery their life. Thank you for agreeing to this interview! First of all, can you introduce me to the Ceja’s family and what they do for the business?

Dalia: There are three generations of Ceja’s that are involved in the business. The partners and founders of Ceja Vineyards are Amelia, Pedro, Armando & Martha Ceja. My mom, Amelia Ceja is the first Latina woman to be President and Owner of a winery in Napa. My uncle, Armando, is our winemaker and my father Pedro, is behind all of the architectural creativity of the operation. I joined my family’s team in 2009 as Director of Sales and Marketing and my grandmother, Mama Juana, also helps us cook for many wine club events and special dinners.

Julia How did your family get involved in the wine-making business? Would you share a bit of history?

Dalia:My grandparent’s came from Mexico to the U.S. in the 60’s as migrant farm workers through the Bracero program. In the mid 60’s they settled in St. Helena working in the fields picking the fruit during harvest. In 1968, both sets of grandparents brought their families from Mexico in search of better life opportunities. The kids worked in the fields and continued going to school. We went from vineyard workers to vineyard owners in a very short period of time. My uncle, Armando went to UC and got a degree in Viticulture & Enology. In 1999 my parents founded Ceja Vineyards and launched their own brand. Currently we make a total of 10,000 cases annually and make beautiful handcrafted wines.

Julia: What a great success story! When I first learned about Ceja Vineyards, my interest was immediately piqued. Here was a Latina family who owned a winery. How do you bring your Latino roots into your business? Maybe in the food you serve? Or does your background figure in your business at all?

Dalia: For us, our roots go very deep into our Mexican heritage and Mexican culture, and we show that with everything that we do. Cooking plays an integral part of our culture and we pair authentic Mexican cuisine with all of our wines. We’re also in the process of constructing our Mission style winery, which plays homage to the Missions of CA.

Julia: Yes, I've watched a few of your YouTube cooking videos, and loved them! Yum. And I appreciate learning how to pair wines to different foods. The next point of interest for me, since the protagonist of my novel comes from Mendoza Argentina and her family brought their knowledge of wine-making from South America, is that you spent a number of weeks traveling around South America, including Mendoza. Can you share what you learned from your travels and what you enjoyed about this trip?

Dalia: I spent six glorious months backpacking throughout South America. It was probably one of the greatest and most life changing experiences yet. In a nutshell: I traveled with my best friend exploring five countries, over 500 hours of bus rides, crashing in hostels, visiting Machu Picchu, trekking up an active volcano, falling in love {with Chile}, swimming in the gorgeous white beaches of Brazil, eating amazing asado {Argentian BBQ} and most importantly, discovering who I really am… For me, my experiences can be described in three words {that are tattooed on my forearm} – live your passions. This became the anchor for a blog that I would later launch in 2011.

Julia: How do you compare the process/production/taste of California and in particular Ceja Wines to those you saw in South America?

Dalia: One thing a visitor will notice about Argentine wine producers is their sense of enthusiasm. The revolution in technology and information that has flooded the industry has left winemakers as excited as kids on Christmas morning playing with all of their new toys.

It was evident that a significant portion of the Argentine and Chilean wine industry has been revolutionized. Where they once produced simple, inexpensive wines primarily designated as red, white and rosé, now in 2011, Argentina is focused on fine varietal-designated wines, especially their Malbec (which I love!).

Their mission is to deliver, high quality wines of good value. Much of the technological advancement, along with the development of the new international style of winemaking in Argentina and Chile, is directly related to consultants from California, France, Chile and Italy sharing information with Argentine winemakers.

Julia: Very cool, I love Malbecs too. Which are your favorite Ceja Wines and how can readers buy your wines if they can’t travel to Napa Valley?

Dalia: I love all of our wines for different reasons. It depends on the dish I’m pairing it with, the time of year and the mood I’m in. Right now, I seem to gravitate toward our crisp and refreshing “Bella Flor” Rose, which is the perfect wine to pair with spicy food. You can buy our wines on our website at www.cejavineyards.com, at our tasting room in downtown Napa on 1248 First street, or over the phone at (707) 255-3954.

Julia: Wine tasting is such an art. Even after spending half a year doing “research” and going to wine tastings, I still have a difficult time really understanding how to choose a good wine. What should the average person look for when choosing a wine after a wine tasting event?

Dalia: In my opinion wine is subjective and to many people, a very personal experience. The best way to choose a wine is to enjoy the varietals you love, that you might have had a fabulous experience drinking in the past, or enjoyed drinking in a memorable setting with family and friends. Since I’m a foodie, I usually choose a wine that with compliment the dish I’m about to cook and devour. Also, have fun with your decisions, pick a wine that you wouldn’t normally try and I promise you it might surprise you and your taste buds.

Julia: That's great advice, especially about a wine you've enjoyed with friends and family. Wine always seems to taste better when sharing it. Moving away from the product to the business aspect of owning a vineyard and winery - what does it take to be successful in the wine-making business? I notice that you have a big presence online. I love yours and Amelia’s recipes! And you both seem to be naturals behind the camera. In today’s world, do you feel that this type of connection with your customers is necessary?

Dalia: Be passionate. Love what you do and it will never feel like work. There is a saying in my family, “we don’t have blood in our veins, we have wine.” This is a mere reflection of the passion and enthusiasm I have always felt toward this industry. We have utilized social media {Facebook, Twitter &YouTube} as a means to create a community around our brand. It has been a very powerful tool for our business and to create an online persona. My mom and I have over 120 videos on YouTube that focus on short food and wine pairings. We love to cook and this has been another creative outlet to brand our business and sell wine!

Julia: Dalia, would you like to share a bit more about yourself? Tell us about your blog, your interests and passions in life. Pictures? Video clips?

Dalia: I have been surrounded by wine, food and travel my entire life. I may have grown up in the wine industry but I come from very humble beginnings. In 2008 I graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in Marketing & Communications. After graduating from college I departed on a six month “Study Abroad” backpacking journey through South America, learning, exploring and enriching my career with real life experiences. This became the anchor for a blog that I would later launch in 2011.
In 2011 I was named “Woman of the Year” through the Napa Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for my entrepreneurial leadership and charitable contributions. In May of 2011 I launched my own blog and website titled The Ole! Report. I highlight my own passions to creatively focus on wine, fashion, food, travel and fiestas! Please visit www.theolereport.com
I also plan to further my education and attend Sonoma State University to receive my M.B.A. in Wine Marketing. With a personal flare and passion for fashion, wine, cooking and travel, I’m set to leave a mark! Ole!

Julia: How can readers find Ceja Vineyards on the Internet? Blogs? Facebook?

Dalia: You can find Ceja Vineyards at www.cejavineyards.com, Also on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube! Become a fan and become a part of our extended familia!

Julia: Thank you so much for letting me ask so many questions! Best of luck to you and your family! You are true inspirations to many hard working Latino families.


To my wonderful readers, please leave your comments or questions for Dalia below. I will draw one random name next Friday 9/30 and the winner will have the opportunity to own a fabulous wine kit to uncork and re-cork your wine - $30 value! Great to take on romantic picnics!

State Street Winery

Recently, in my local newspaper I ran across an article about a new winery opening up close to home, and it piqued my interest immediately. I love when new, cool businesses start, especially family owned businesses. With Say You'll Be Mine being set in a winery, I knew I wanted to meet the owners and interview them. Happily, one of the owners, Janet Harter agreed to an interview.

I hope you enjoy the interview and if you live close to Redlands, California, stop by and sample their great wines.

Julia: Janet, it’s so exciting to have a winery in Redlands! How did you and Robin come to the decision of opening a winery?

Janet: Robin and I wanted to have our own winery for about 5 years and then the last year we decided to open our winery.

Julia: Why did you choose Redlands as the perfect location to open your business?

Janet: We have lived in Redlands for 30 years and just thought down town would be the perfect location for our winery.

Julia: I agree! I think it's going to make downtown even more charming and enticing than it already is. I really love that this is a family business for you all. In fact, when I was doing research for Say You'll Be Mine, I realized that it is a business that tends to be family run. Who are the family members and how do you help each other run the winery.

Janet: Yes we are a family business. Robin –Husband wine maker, owner, Victor son-in-law wine maker, stocker, Desiree- daughter, helps bottle, label, work tasting room, Kelly-Daughter helps bottle, label, work tasting room, Elizabeth- daughter, helps bottle, label, work tasting room. My family does whatever it has taken to help run the winery and get it started they also have other jobs as well. I also have friends that all help bottle and label. They work for wine.

Julia: LOL - that would work for me too! What varieties of wines do you offer?

Janet: Whites, Reds, Fruit

Julia: You offer patrons the opportunity to create custom labels and to have their own vintage. Can you tell me a bit about how that works?

Janet: Guest can email me a picture for a bottle of wine or just put words on a label.
Guest would pick out a wine they like and we would start the wine for them
And the 5 to 7 weeks later they would come back and bottle it themselves.

Julia: How fun! In fact, that idea is so appealing to me, that I'm going to be doing it!! I can't wait to see the bottles of wine with the Say You'll Be Mine label. Well, thank you for taking the time to meet with me. Where can readers go on the web to find out more about your winery?

Janet: They can go to Statestreetwineryredlands.com

Julia: Great! Thank you so much. State Street Winery als has a wine club where members receive one bottle of wine a month and they get 10% off everything in the winery!

I'm also excited to announce that anyone who comes to the launch book signing of Say You'll Be Mine on October 29th, at Barnes & Noble (3485 Tyler Street, Riverside, Ca. 92503) and purchases a book, will be invited for a free wine tasting at the State Stree Winery!! Thank you, Harter family!

Julia

Loving Writing

As writers, I think, we have the illusion that everyone enjoys writing. I'm not sure where it comes from. People actually do confess to authors often that they would like to write a book or that they have an idea for a book and one day they will find the time to actually "write that book."

So, realizing that some people struggle with writing or really don't like it is short of a shockers. It's like when I meet the odd-ball person who says, "I don't like chocolate." Really?? How is that possible?

Well, later this month I'm going to being working in a writing center at my university. I'm excited about it, because I love to teach writing! I love to help people produce papers that help them express exactly what they want to say, or stories they can be proud of. And I enjoy reading other people's writing. Everyone views the world differently, so no two people will write quite the same thing even about the same subject.

But I was warned, that some students who visit the writing center will be there because the instructor forced the to go, not because they want to be there. Really? How is that possible?

Doesn't everyone want to improve their writing? I've tutored children before, and I was an elementary school teacher, so I'm not that naive, but seriously, I wonder why anyone would dread writing and being able to express their thoughts on paper. It's such a gift that we are given as people and citizens of this country. Is it because someone has told them at some point that they are not a good writer? If so, don't let that stop you people. Every writer has been told that by someone. EVERY WRITER. Is it because they don't have confidence in their skills? That's what writing centers and tutors are for - to help people improve their skills.

I think I'm going to approach this writing center job with the attitude that everyone wants to be there and that they may not yet know it. I'm hoping that my love of writing will be infectious and will translate into getting others to love it too, or at least like it. I'm excited!

Julia