Read it, Now what?

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of being invited by Nora Comstock to attend a panel at the Hispanic Women's Corporation event in Arizona.  As she introduced our author panel, she explained to the audience the importance of supporting Latino authors.  "Support the authors by purchasing their books," she said.  "Then when finished reading the books donate them to a library, do not give them to your friends."

I've heard the support your Latino authors call before.  I've said this many times myself, because it makes sense; we have to support what we want to see in our market place.  Business continue to make more of what customers want and discontinue what customers don't buy, and publishing is a business even if we authors don't want to think of it that way.  So, if we like stories that have Latino themes and characters, we have to purchase these types of books.  But I had never heard anyone tell readers of how to dispose of their books once they were finished reading them.  Maybe because I rarely get rid of my books, I hadn't thought of it.  When I do get rid of books, I actually DO tend to donate them to a library.  All books, not just Latino books.

This helps the most people.  It helps libraries with extremely low budgets have more books in circulation.  It helps those who can not afford to buy a book, read great books.  And it helps the authors, because more people are reading them.

Another good idea is to find a senior center or hospital that stocks books and donate them there.  I've also taken a stack of books with me on vacation and depending on where I stay - if they have a library, I will leave books there if I can stand to part with the book.

The idea is to share your favorite authors with others - especially if it's a little known Latino author so that more people will become familiar with that author and hopefully buy their books.

Happy Reading!

Julia

Great Writers

Sylvia Beach Hotel

After a three year adventure in an MFA program, I finally finished and graduated with a degree that says I'm qualified to write.  Probably, more accurately, qualified to teach.  I think the majority of MFA graduates end up teaching or maybe working at a publishing house in all sorts of positions, I don't know.  I'm not sure how many actually go to write.

I'm sitting now, at the Sylvia Beach Hotel in Oregon.  I came here 23 years ago with my then boyfriend who proposed to me in the library of this "writers" bed and breakfast.  Each room is themed - the Hemingway room, the Agatha Christie, the Amy Tan, and so on.  I was so enchanted with the hotel back then - I wasn't yet a published author, I was barely a writer.  Now, here I am again, with my husband (yes, the guy that proposed to me in the library) celebrating our 22nd anniversary and my MFA, and I'm wondering what does it take to be a great writer.

It doesn't take an MFA - though it gives writers opportunities to experiment and learn what to do and not do.  It doesn't take vacations to writer's hotels, though it's definitely inspiring and relaxing and provides lots of time to think.  I sometimes wonder if being dead is the magic that transform an okay writer to a great writer.  Or just stupid luck.  Really, I don't know.

The university world doesn't believe any commercial writer is great or even good.  All the authors on the best seller lists are lousy and their millions of readers are a bunch of people with poor taste according to them.  And all those lovers of commercial fiction and their editors and publishing houses don't seem to think much of the great literary writers coming from the university MFA programs, because those books are rarely published and when they are, they barely sell.

Hemingway Room

So, after all this time, I really don't know much, I guess or I've realized that greatness is really someone's opinion.  I think I'm less concerned with being a great writer and more interested in simply telling stories that matter to me.  That's what I've been doing and probably what I'll continue to do.  Maybe my greatest novel will begin tonight on this rainy evening on the Oregon coast as I sit surrounded by Hemingway's books.

You Must Read This

A while back NPR asked me to write an aritcle about a book that influenced me.  The title of the column is called "You Must Read This."  As often happens in publishing, they never actually published the article. The book I chose was How to Be a Chicana Role Model by Michele Serros. 

Tomorrow, I'm attending a commencement that The Association of Latino Faculty, Staff, and Students puts on for all CSUSB graduating students, and Michele Serros is the key note speaker.  I'm thrilled to get the opportunity to meet her.  So, I figure, this is a great time to finally publish the article I wrote about her. 

You Must Read This:

I read How to Be a Chicana Role Model the year I published my first book, Conquest using my pseudonym, Lara Rios – a book that featured Latino characters. I have to admit that I am not a Chicana. Neither did I feel an urge to become a role model, but something about the title drew my attention. Maybe because at the time, I was a teacher and knew that Latino kids had very few, if any, role models.

Instantly, Michele Serros had me smiling and realizing that somehow I picked up a book that would change the way I wrote and what themes I chose to write in future books. I loved her style, and for the first time began to question if it was possible to write fiction about Latino realities. Stories that spoke to other Latinas and portrayed our culture the way it really was – not worse, not better – but authentic.

In one of the vignettes, Serros writes about being a teenager and overhearing a friend tell a guy they befriended over a CB radio that Serros had a wide, Indian nose. Feeling betrayed, Serros leaves without saying good-bye to her friend, but then spends years pinching her nose to make it more attractive and look less Indian. These are the type of stories that are subtle, and yet touch readers deeply. Who hasn’t had the experience of having someone carelessly say something that ends up hurting our feelings or affecting how we perceive ourselves. I have. Immediately, I related to that story.

But what I loved about this book was that it wasn’t a book about how bad it was to be a Chicana. It wasn’t a book about injustices or prejudices. She gives us stories like the one about her nose, yes. But she also shares stories about how Latinos treat each other. She tells how a Mexican Fly-girl on the set of In Living Color treats her like trash, because she doesn’t want to be seen with a less successful Mexican. Another funnier tale is her continual quest to get an honorarium she was promised by a Latino professor. And my favorite story was about her family all going to see Madonna play Evita as Michele reminds her relatives that they promised their struggling actor Uncle Charlie on his deathbed not to support films that cast non-Latinos for Latino roles. Her family though, full of excuses, defend Madonna and go off to see the film, leaving Michele home alone wondering how it happened that her family so easily transferred their allegiance to celebrities.

How to Be a Chicana Role Model is a work of fiction. Or is it? It’s written in first person, the narrator being Michele Serros. In a witty conversational tone, Michele takes readers through events that feel real and leave you wondering if she made all this up or if it really happened. The truth is that it doesn’t matter, because each of her vignettes could have happened to any Latina. This is what made it such a special book to me -- the universal nature of the character and the stories. Years later, as I write my own books, I remind myself that I want to make my characters specific, but their issues and challenges universal enough that when the reader closes the book they feel I wrote the book specifically for them. This was Michele Serros made me feel and why over ten years later, her book still sits on my shelf.

Julia

Pictures from The Hike

I thought today, I'd share pictures of the hike I took a couple of weeks ago. It was a couple of miles long and tomorrow I am planning on accompanying my son and his boy scout troop on a 10 mile hike, which might turn out to be more than I can handle, but I'm going to try anyhow.

However, the hike connected to these pictures that I'm sharing today was short and peaceful. I think there's a perception of writers as people who spend a lot of time alone and that's true to a point. We have to actually sit behind a desk or table, our fingers on the keys of a computer and write the stories in our heads. That requires that we spend time alone thinking, planning, and writing. But outside of the"office" when the computer is shut down, most authors tend to have a full social life. This is true for me too, so when I get the chance to be alone or do something like go on a hike where I can have time to notice the colors of trees, the songs of birds or even the sound of my own breathing, I'm thrilled. Suddenly I remember to call people I've wanted to chat with, or a conversation I had suddenly returns and I realize that though I heard what that person said, it didn't penetrate until that second. Or I might simply realize that I need to spend more time exercising so that I'm not so winded the next time.

At the time I went, there weren't many people out on the trails. It was chilly and I actually thought maybe I was too alone as I read the signs warning that rattle snakes and mountain lions have been seen and can appear suddenly. Being the smart girl scout leader that I am, I promised myself that next time I'd bring someone along with me. Having time to think and enjoy nature is great, but being safe is pretty important too.


The nature trails are part of the Wildlands Conservancy in Oak Glen. They are mostly very easy trails and perfect for families with small children. Great picnic spots are available throughout and wonderful benches like the one pictured on the left can be found with views of lakes.

I'm planning a return trip with my girl scout troop.

Tomorrow with the boy scouts is going to be more challenging. Wish me luck!

Julia

Happy Trails

I've had this urge lately to go on a hike. Nothing crazy, but just to walk out in nature. I think there is something restorive about being outside, breathing fresh air (which isn't an easy thing to do in California), and getting away from the normal rhythm of life that has most of us cooped up inside some sort of building.

So instead of going out and finding a place to hike, I surfed the web instead (okay, I was actually looking for easy trails close to home) and found sites like this one that talks about the benefits of hiking. The list wasn't surprising. It improves cardio vascular performance, muscular strength, bone strength, helps you burn calories, etc. But I sort of believe the benefit goes beyond just the physical. Being outside and listening to bird calls or the sound of your feet crunching on leaves and twigs; watching clouds drift across the sky or the sun rise and set; feeling your own heart beating a little harder than it normally does makes us appreciate the beauty of nature and wonder of our amazing planet.

I found a blog of this guy who decided to hike everyday for a year. Supposedly he did it and still maintained his job and family. For me, I think I'll just resolve to go on a hike this weekend. I'm almost positive I'll return to my writing with renewed energy and desire to sit at my desk again, rather than staring out my window at the mountains and wishing I were out there instead.

Happy weekend!

Julia

Interviewed by The Latino Author

Stop by The Latino Author, a great website for writers. This week, I'm thrilled to be their guest author and an interview has been posted.

Have a fantastic week!

Julia

Time off for a writer

The end of my three weeks off comes to an end. Really, my children were the ones that got three weeks off from school. For me it was going to be a time to read and write mostly, but I had a long list of things I would do with them, things I would for myself, and lastly for my home.




Holiday shopping (check)
Put up Christmas decorations (check)
Take down Christmas decorations (check)
Holiday cooking (check)
Take kids to the movies (check)
Take kids swimming in Palm Springs (check)
Take kids to visit friends (check)
Take my daughter rollerblading (check)
Volunteer at the Aquarium of the Pacific with my daughter (check)
Go on a bike ride with my son (check)
Take the kids to Castle Park Amusement park (check)
Spend time with friends (check)
Read for fun (check)

Then things beging to fall apart
Clean out the garage (sort of check)
Write everyday (yes, but . . . does a sentence or two count?)
Finish my parital to get it to agent (sort of check)
Clean my office (never happens)
Update my website (...)
Organize my girl scout paperwork (...)


Well, the list goes on and it's too depressing to think about all the things I didn't get done. So, I begin my work week which always begins on a Friday for me feeling like I sort of wasted the last few weeks "off", but looking back I realize that for a work-a-holic like me I only feel like I've wasted time, because I didn't get a lot of chores done. And I'm realizing that I don't understand the concept of taking time off. I actually DID accomplish that goal and I had a great time with my kids and friends. And to be honest, I wouldn't trade any of that time for a clean garage or house.

Now, it's back to work. The best part of getting back into my office is being able to focus on my current novel and move it back up to the top of my priority list. I've got new productivity goals and a bit of catching up for all the things I didn't do, but I'm ready to tackle them all.

Hopefully, for me and you, the new year begins not with a list of resolutions, but a continuation of a plan that brings us closer to becoming the people we enjoy being.

Happy New Year to all,

Julia