Category: Thoughtful Thursday

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What to do in-between books?

This Thoughtful Thursday is about a question I am frequently asked? What do you in-between books? The answer is that you hope you’ve got something else contracted!

But seriously, what I do is start research on the next book and work on other proposals to be sent out by my agent. I’m always working on a new idea because for every book I am lucky enough to sell, there are at least one or two that end up gathering dust at my desk. Sometimes even though I think it’s a rocking book (like UNDEAD UPRISING!).

So the first answer to the question is: Always be preparing another project for consideration. Even if you’re in the middle of working on books that are contracted, keep your creative mind going, even if it’s to just to jot down some story ideas that you can flesh out later.

The second answer is: Get to work on the next book you need to write.

This spring and summer was blessedly busy for me. I had to finish two more book in THE CALLING vampire novels – ARDOR CALLS and VENGEANCE CALLS. Also had to do copy edits and galley proofs for SINS OF THE FLESH. And in the midst of all that, I was busy writing the next book in the SINS series – STRONGER THAN SIN – as well as researching that book.

Third answer: Spend some time researching your next novel.

For me, researching STRONGER THAN SIN meant long walks through some of the shore towns where I planned to set the novel. Snapping photos of places where I might be putting the hero and heroine so that I could get a real feel for the places. I’ve always thought that it’s important to really let you get a sense of the place and am always delighted to hear from someone who visits one of those towns that they felt like they knew it because of something I put in a novel.

So far in STRONGER THAN SIN, my ability to move them around has been limited, but I’m working up to allowing more and more scenes where the hero and heroine will be walking along the same streets that I visited and sharing their views of some of New Jersey’s delightful shore towns.

In STRONGER THAN SIN, most of the action will be taking place in Bradley Beach, Asbury Park, Ocean Grove and Spring Lake. For today, I’m sharing with you some pictures of Ocean Grove and Asbury Park. I’ve got to head down the shore again this weekend and work on adding some shots of Spring Lake and also, the wonderful tent city area close to the Ocean Grove auditorium.

Hope you enjoy the photos and if you can’t see the slide show, you can follow this link to the photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2034521&id=1130005412&l=1c0a076248

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Thoughtful Thursday – The Signs are all around us . . .

The signs are all around us.

Only 75 days until the end . . .
Hurry before it’s too late . . .
Act now, before it’s over . . .

Okay! I get it! It’s hard enough dealing with the end of summer without everyone beating me over the head with information about sales and all the back-to-school supplies that I’ll need to buy.

Summer is probably one of my favorite seasons. Fall is next followed by Spring. Unfortunately, if you live in the Northeast you know that we’ve barely had a summer this year.

June was a washout and July wasn’t much better. August has been sweltering and so my one hope is that we’ll be lucky and have an Indian summer.

Is that PC anymore? Indian summer? According to Wikipedia, “Indian summer is a name given to a period of sunny, warm weather in autumn, not long before winter. Usually occurring after the first frost, Indian summer can be in September, October, or November in the northern hemisphere, and March, April, or early May in the Southern hemisphere.”

As for whether it’s PC or not, according to Wikipedia, the name might mean “false summer” since settlers considered the Native Americans to be deceitful. Really? I’m therefore banning that phrase – Indian Summmer – from my vocabulary!

But I still can wish for a late summer, with nice sunny skies and temperate weather to replace the wet dreary summer we had. Maybe then I’ll get to stick my toes in the sand a little longer and take some more energizing walks down the Shore before the weather gets too cold. Hang out on the balcony and write like a demon in those very creative morning hours.

How was your summer? Are you getting your kids ready for school? Dreaming about some nicer weather before winter settles in?

summer

P.S. – I’ll be picking the winner of yesterday’s guest blog contest over the weekend and will announce the winner on Monday. Many thanks to all of you who visited with my friend Amanda McIntyre and took the time to leave a comment!

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Thoughtful Thursday – A Cure for Recession Depression

It’s not easy watching the news lately. In fact, it’s downright depressing. For the first time in my life, I feel like I have no control and that’s not a good thing. For that reason, I can understand the anger of many who might be feeling the same way.

But luckily, this morning’s news has something good to read! The AFP reports that researchers in Stockholm have found that ” Heart attack survivors who eat chocolate two or more times per week cut their risk of dying from heart disease about threefold compared to those who never touch the stuff.”

In addition, the news article mentions that there was a connection between cocoa and improved blood flow and lowered blood pressure!

Good news! You can click here for more of the news article or cut and paste this link:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090813/hl_afp/healthdiseaseheartchocolate

Also – please drop by tomorrow to visit with my friend Raul Ramos y Sanchez to find out more about his new book, AMERICA LIBRE.

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Thoughtful Thursday – The Power of Language

Raul Ramos y SanchezMy friend Raul Ramos y Sanchez (who will be visiting us on August 14th) talked a little about learning his first English word yesterday at Mama Latina Tips.

I remember learning my first English words from television:

Doublemint adds to your fun
Double pleasures all in one
So refreshing, great taste, too
Chew Doublemint, Doublemint, Doublemint gum!

LOL! Had to look up the lyrics to that classic commercial.

Actually, we had the television on constantly. It was how my sister and I started to learn English before I was plopped into kindergarten with barely any understanding of the language (I had only been in America for a short time at that point). There were no ESL classes back then. You learned by immersion which is much the same way most people effectively learn a foreign language today.

In no time I was speaking and reading English and eventually I learned Italian, some French and because all the Romance languages have their roots in Latin (which I took in high school), I realized I was able to read Portuguese as well.

Being able to speak and/or read all those languages has really been a blessing. Whenever a project came up at work that required someone who was bilingual, I was the one handed the assignment which means that I’ve been able to visit over a dozen countries for an assortment of projects and conferences.

Learning other languages opens up new worlds and not just because you can visit somewhere else. When you take the time to learn even a few words, it opens doors of communication. If you learn a little more, you’ll also come to know more about other cultures.

For those who don’t speak English, learning it is important because it is the lingua franca of the business world. Get ten people together in any country and chances are, a large number of them (if not all) will speak English.

For those who only speak English, learning another language gives you new opportunities for growth. Many companies are global now and need people who can communicate with those in other countries. Even though these people may speak English, conversing with them in their own language makes them feel more comfortable and establishes an immediate bond. With another language under your belt you are that much more marketable in today’s economy.

Do you speak another language? Did your parents or grandparents?

Want to visit some more with Raul? Check him out on one of these other stops on his virtual blog tour:

WEEK ONE
August 3: “Musings” by Nilki Benitez http://Nilkibenitez.blogspot.com
August 4: “Chasing Heroes” http://chasingheroes.com
August 5: “Mama Latina” http://www.mamalatinatips.com
August 6: “Efrain’s Corner” by Efrain Ortiz, Jr. http://efrainortizjr.blogspot.com
August 7: “Writing to Insanity” by Icess Fernandez http://www.locacrazywriter.blogspot.com

WEEK TWO
The AMERICA LIBRE “Virtual Book Tour” continues…
August 10: “Sofrito for Your Soul” by George Torres http://www.blogcatalog.com/blog/sofrito-for-your-soul
August 11: “Author Terri Molina” http://terrimolina.com
August 12: “Latino Books Examiner Mayra Calvani” http://www.examiner.com/x-6309-Latino-Books-Examiner
August 13: “Unloaded” by Ricardo Lori http://www.un-loaded.com
August 14: “Author Caridad Piñeiro” https://www.caridad.com

WEEK THREE
The AMERICA LIBRE “Virtual Book Tour” continues…
August 17: “Author Julia Amante” http://juliaamante.blogspot.com
August 18: “Author Charlie Vazquez” http://charlievazquez.wordpress.com

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Thoughtful Thursday – City Mouse, Town Mouse

mouseAs I was writing yesterday’s blog post, it occurred to me that I truly enjoy the small town life in a shore town like Bradley Beach, but that I also like the lights of the big city. There’s nice things to be said for both.

The quiet and pace of a shore town is relaxing and frees my mind. The noise and bustle of the city are invigorating and challenging.

I’m lucky to be able to do both – be a city mouse and a town mouse.

How about you? Do you have a preference for one over the other?

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Thoughtful Thursday – A Wise Latina Woman Once Said . . .

That wisdom has nothing to do with race, religion, ethnicity or gender.

Much is being made of Supreme Court Justice nominee Sonya Sotomayor’s 2001 comments that she “would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.”

Much should be made of that statement because it is either a statement made with poor judgment or one made with the conviction that she is better equipped to make a decision because she is a Latina woman. Either of the rationales for the statements is troubling.

As a judge and a person in the public eye, Sotomayor should at least be more circumspect when speaking. Being a fellow lawyer, we are taught to carefully consider what we say and write. To not do so and speak thoughtlessly can lead to repercussions, witnessed here by words that are coming back to haunt her.

Being a Latina who understands the whole underdog thing — my parents came here from Cuba, I wasn’t born here and didn’t speak English when I went to kindergarten, I went to a top tier college on a scholarship and to law school — I appreciate how hard Sotomayor has worked to get where she is.

But isn’t that underdog story typical of America? Isn’t that one of the wondrous things about this country? My husband’s grandparents all came here from Italy. Barely spoke English, but learned. Worked hard to buy homes, send their kids to school. Grand kids have prospered.

It’s the American dream. Work hard and prosper. Whether you’re white, black, brown, Italian, Cuban, Irish, Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, America is the land of opportunity. Equal opportunity, sometimes not as equal as we would like, but certainly doable.

I should know. I did it. My parents did it. My husband’s grandparents did it. So did millions of others.

But back to Sotomayor. She did it and we should applaud her for it, but not just because she is a Latina woman.

You might remember that “just because” discussion from months back. The risks of making decisions based on “just because.”

When the nomination was mentioned, many people in the office looked to me and asked, “What do you think?”

I wondered, did they ask their white male counterparts right off the bat, or just me – the Latina Woman.

That’s one of the problems of “just because.” Everything you do is tainted by the “You got that (job/scholarship/nomination/published) just because you were (white, black, brown, Italian, Cuban, Irish, Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim).”

Just because diminishes you and everything you do. It diminishes those around you and builds resentment.

If we are to nominate Judge Sotomayor to the Nation’s most important Court, please let it be on the basis of something other than just because.

I, for one, intend to read more about her and her decisions and you should as well. You can click here for the White House press release. Read about some of her decisions (links provided, although I do not vouch for their authenticity nor the opinions which may be expressed therein).

http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/judge-sotomayor%E2%80%99s-opinions-with-dissents-%E2%80%93-part-i/

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/05/26/us/0526-scotus.html

http://ninthjustice.nationaljournal.com/2009/06/debate-continues-on-sotomayors.php

And do you know what? If you take even one minute to read one of these cases, you will be one up on Harry Reid, who said, “I understand that during her career, she’s written hundreds and hundreds of opinions. I haven’t read a single one of them, and if I’m fortunate before we end this, I won’t have to read one of them.” Courtesy Politico – click here for more.

Just some thoughts for you on this rainy Thursday.

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Thoughtful Thursday – Brain Drain

brainThis morning as I was thinking about what this Thoughtful Thursday’s topic might be, I was overwhelmed by the fact that it was already Thursday and that May was almost over. I thought, “Wow, time flies” and I should write about that and then thought, “Duh, you already did!”

Which of course led to today’s topic. Do you feel as if you can’t remember anything lately? That your memory is fading, draining from your brain?

Memory loss as we age is a normal occurrence and sometimes, forgetting things isn’t so much about forgetting, but about being distracted due to the many things we have to juggle. I know the first step to my not forgetting is to make a list to keep track of all those things I have to do!

When should you worry about memory loss? FamilyDoctor.org notes “A memory problem is serious when it affects your daily living. . . you may have a more serious problem if you have trouble remembering how to do things you’ve done many times before, getting to a place you’ve been to often, or doing things that use steps, like following a recipe.”

What can you do to help stay sharp? Newsweek offered up these suggestions in a January 2008 article:

  • 1. Go aerobic. Moderate exercise helps ward off dementia.
  • 2. Play more. Software games, puzzles, etc. help you keep your brain active.
  • 3. Increase your intake of Omega 3 fatty acids.
  • 4. Take Folic Acid.
  • 5. Treat yourself to a glass of wine each day.
  • 6. Relax. Stress produces cortisol which eats away at your memory centers.

I’m going to go practice some of these stay sharp items and do something else — make some lists of what I have to do!

Hope this Thoughtful Thursday was helpful!

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