On this Day 31 – Hispanic Heritage Month – Thank you. Mil Gracias. To all the writers who participated.
The 2022 Hispanic Heritage Month theme is: “Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation.
I enjoyed meeting new authors and re-connecting with others. Now, I have more books to read than before, but I LOVE it. Reading is what propelled me into writing.
Thank you Susie Black, Norm Harris, Mary Olivia Patino, Chloe Holiday, Lupe Ruiz-Flores, Ruben Soto, Jennifer Ivy Walker, Diana Lopez, Gil Dominguez, Bertha Jacobson, Xavier Garza, Carlos Ponce, Janie Alonso, Lourdes Maria Nunez Encinas, Cynthia Leal-Massey, Jax Cortez, Linda Griffin, Santiago Daydi-Tolson, Mary Vela, Steven Miller, Edna Gravenhorst, Rebeca Gomez-Galindo and Albert D. Gonzalez.
You are part of my writing family – The Wild Rose Press, Society of Latino & Hispanic Writers, and The Next Chapter. Gracias also to my family, my forever support.
I hope to return next year. In the meantime, I’ll be back soon with informative posts – filled with more books and and other fun stuff I hope you’ll enjoy.
Please help me welcome Albert D. Gonzalez on Day 30 – Hispanic Heritage Month.
FLOPPY-EARED FREELOADER
How profoundly animals inspire our creativity, Paws Healing The Earth anthology is just one example of it. Seventy-six animal poems by forty-four poets woven into one thread allow us to discover our collective consciousness in pure brilliance essential to our survival and well-being.
Paws Healing The Earth poetry anthology is an effort to raise awareness about the environment and animal rights.
The contributing poets, through their poems, discover the sacredness of our natural environment and honor all the animals who share the planet with us. The poems in this anthology thoughtfully penned by the poets are meditations on animals’ lives, giving rise to compassion in our hearts, much needed to bring the changes we want to see to protect animals, domestic or wild, and their abode. This anthology is a celebration of all animals and wildlife, healing the earth with their presence.
What inspired you to write this poem?
Beloved, long-time teacher and friend, Marian Haddad, tagged me about “Paws” accepting submissions. It was about pets. I put it aside. Deadline was far off. As you know, some of us writers love to procrastinate. Before I knew it, I had written, not so much a poem about my lost pet, Scrappy, but a poem about grieving over my younger brother, Michael, who passed. Brothers together, taking care of Scrappy. Losing Mikey, then losing Scrap.
Albert D. Gonzalez studied Communication Arts at Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) in San Antonio, Texas. He is an author and poet. His poem, “Floppy-Eared Freeloader”, was published in “Paws Healing the Earth”, his first published piece in 2021. His poetry is about grief, loss, and everyday struggles.
His beloved Mexican American culture also plays a central role in his writing in this politically charged world. His work often reflects the news of the day.
Thank you for stopping by to visit, Albert.
Albert is my son and I am very proud of him for pursuing his writing career. I write romance, but his path took a different route. He wrote a screenplay at age 16 for a class and the writing bug bit. He took a creative writing class in college and began writing poetry – and reading it to audiences at Barnes & Noble. The next fork in the road for him was writing music. He is right when he says his poetry, his writing, is about grief and loss because, and this is from a proud mom, the best music he wrote was the music after his brother, Michael, died which he called “Michael’s Brother. Congratulations on all your writing pursuits to this point and I wish you continued success.
Please help me welcome Rebeca Gomez on this Day 29 – Hispanic Heritage Month.
KIDNAPPED INNOCENCE
Ximena Villarreal is the only daughter of the wealthiest banker in Mexico City. Her life seems perfect, her future planned. Existence inside her family’s protective bubble isn’t exciting but it is safe. Until the night the bubble shatters and she gets kidnapped. Alejandro Montalban, Ximena’s alienated cousin and the family’s black sheep, throws himself in the quest to rescue her. In essence he is a man and she is a woman who salvage each other from their mistaken lives, defying moral taboos. Will Alejandro be able to save Ximena from the kidnappers, or do the fates have something else in store?
What inspired you to write this story?
“This book is a labor of love,” said author Rebeca Gómez Galindo. “The male lead in the book is inspired by my cousin Alejandro Moreno who lived an amazing life, albeit far too short. This story is a tribute to him and a way for people to remember the great hero that he was.”
In the book Alejandro is there to guide our heroine through a myriad of adventures and experiences as she struggles in the process of growing into an inspirational young woman.
(Taken from Press Release 3/28/2016)
Rebeca Gómez Galindo has been creating stories since grade school and continues to delight readers through a variety of publications. She was born and raised in México City and moved to San Antonio, Texas in 2004. She was awarded permanent residency via an Extraordinary Ability in the Arts Visa classification.
Her work has been published in México, Spain and the United States. She’s the former vice-president of the Society of Hispanic and Latino Writers of San Antonio. Her first book “Habitantes de mi Tiempo” was featured at the Salon du Livre in Paris, France, 2009.
Thank you for coming by to visit today, Rebeca.
Rebeca joined the Society of Latino and Hispanic Writers at a time when I was going through a family emergency. She and another writer, Martha Curcio, joined Ruben Soto, Vince Bosquez and Gil Dominguez in going forward with the Society. Others also joined in like Dr. Santiago Daydi-Tolson and Carlos Ponce. That is why I have been so happy to feature these writers on my author blog during Hispanic Heritage Month. Congratulations to you, Rebeca, and to all the other writers.
I hope this year we can have an in-person Christmas Tertulia.
Please welcome Edna Gravenhorst on Day 28 – Hispanic Heritage Month.
TE DE CANELA
A collection of poems, essays and short-stories.
I was born in 1955 in South Texas in a community that was not accepting of Latinos in mainstream America. The book is written in Spanglish or Tex-Mex, as our slang was called at that time.
What inspired you to write this book?
These stories document and help preserve a mixture of English and Spanish slang at a certain time and place in history.
Edna Campos Gravenhorst is an author who studied at South Texas Commercial College, Delmar College and Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico-San Antonio and is bilingual in English-Spanish. This is her second career after spending twenty-five years in sales, merchandising and marketing. She has been published in national newspapers and magazines and has been interviewed in print media, radio and television around the country. Campos-Gravenhorst is working on her 9th book, “Catarina Munguia Hassett, A Tejano Family Story.”
“It is time to tell our stories, in our own voice.”
Campos Gravenhorst’s has won, among several others, two International Latin Book Awards in 2007 and 2008; and in 2009, she was awarded a Women on the Move Award by the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She is a member of several groups. One is the San Antonio Conservation Society, Briscoe Western Art Museum, the Society of Latin and Hispanic Writers of San Antonio, and Las Comadres Para America. In St. Louis, Missouri, she served two years as a Commissioner of the Missouri History Museum Sub-district. Edna Campos Gravenhorst speaks to groups and organizations around the country. By sharing her experiences and the success stories of others to audiences ranging from grade school students to mature adults, she inspires people to use their unique talents to achieve their dreams. As a writer, Campos Gravenhorst’s mission is, “Excavating the past, to inspire the present.”
Thank you for stopping by, Edna.
Congratulations on your many faceted writing career, from your writing to speaking engagements and teaching. You also have published a book, “San Antonio’s Historic Market Square”. Edna has won several awards and is a member of writing groups, one of those was the Society of Latino & Hispanic Writers where I had the good fortune to meet her. I’m looking forward to your new book.
Please welcome Santiago Daydi-Tolson on this Day 25 of Hispanic Heritage Month.
LAS EDEDAS DEL ENIGMA
A collection of 23 short stories that combine fiction and personal memory, dialogue and soliloquy.
“Veintitrés historias de alta manufactura fluyen con naturalidad combinando ficción y memoria personal, en las que queda evidente la vocación literaria que ha marcado el destino de su autor, la elegancia del lenguaje, la cadencia exquisita y discreta que a lo largo de tantos años ha logrado establecer como su sello personal.”—Alfredo Ávalos
What inspired you to write this book?
From Marisol Vera Guerra’s Book Review: “En este libro se enlazan brillantes aforismos que sintetizan la vida, entre personajes humanos y felinos: comparten, todos, un apego hacia el lenguaje, pero en especial –y acaso más revelador– hacia el silencio. En mesurados diálogos y hondos soliloquios, Daydí-Tolson guía a su lector por la aparente dispersión de la memoria hacia un espacio cada vez más infinito. Con la pericia del hombre que ha leído mucho y andado mucho (a la manera del Quijote), se sienta con nosotros a presidir la ausencia antes de concluir con una sentencia tan sencilla como cierta: “No pasa el tiempo en la muerte”.
Santiago Daydi-Tolson was born in Chile and has resided in the USA since 1969.
His publications include numerous articles and five books of literary criticism, a novel, “Under the Walnut Tree” published by MediaIsla, September 2013, two poetry collections–“La ira de la lira and SOME IRATE LYRICS”, and “Insectarium”. “Los Cuadernos de Don Baruj”, is a book of short non-narrative prose.
Gracias por venir a visitar, Dr. Daydi-Tolson.
Thank you for stopping by to visit. When I first met Santiago he was a professor of Hispanic Literature at the University of Texas in San Antonio (UTSA); this was in 2005. He was also a member of the Society of Latino and Hispanic Writers. Since then, he has written his first novel, “Under the Walnut Tree” and two books of poetry. And, of course the featured book was published in July, 2021.
Felicidades! Congratulations on your continued writing and publishing.
A beautiful Birthday Celebration with my family even though so many of us are gone. In talking to other writers, I find I am blessed because my family supports me in my writing. Look at the gift Amelia Garcia gave me today. Thanks to my lil sis, Dora M. Calderon, we have a great group picture!!
We all age as the years go by. We live through joys, sorrows, ups, downs and we wouldn’t be who we are on our birthday if it wasn’t for what we’ve lived – and survived. Feliz Cumpleanos to me!!!
Amelia Garcia’s gift to L. M. Gonzalez, writer. Yay!Loved & Blessed Family-Albert, Dora, Amelia, me, Nora, Javier
Tonight, was the Light the Night Walk. We, The “M” Squad walked for the first time in 2006; Michael was with us, a survivor, so we carried a red balloon. Now, survivors carry a white balloon. Afterwards, we carried a gold balloon in memory of Michael.
Please welcome Linda Griffin on Day 23 – Hispanic Heritage Month.
ON SALE AT AMAZON FOR 99c!!! OCTOBER 7 TO OCTOBER 21, 2022 Click on the book to go directly to Amazon to buy.
SEVENTEEN DAYS
She wasn’t looking for love, but the next seventeen days would change everything.
Divorcee Jenna Scott moves to a quiet California fishing village during the first Gulf War to make a new life in a house inherited from her grandfather. Her next-door neighbor recommends widowed handyman Rick Alvarez to fix her leaky roof. Jenna is intimidated by his good looks and annoyed by his self-assurance, but disarmed by his affection for his young son. She is still hurting from her ex-husband’s betrayal and resists the attraction between them.
Rick has lived in the village for only three years and is still an outsider, friendly but not sharing his past with anyone. When an attractive vacationer is murdered, local gossip says he is the killer, and rumors spread about his wife’s death as well. Jenna is determined not to believe the gossip, but will she ever be able to trust Rick with her wounded heart?
What inspired you to write this book?
This book’s origins began with the ‘80s soap opera Santa Barbara. My sister taped it, and years later I saw a scene in which A Martinez as Cruz Castillo is wearing a toolbelt. He was so sexy that I was inspired to create the character who became Rick Alvarez, the carpenter hero of Seventeen Days. As often happens with me, it took more than one trigger to start the words flowing, though. In this case the second trigger was a movie battle scene that evoked the term “cannon fodder,” which became part of a pivotal scene. I wanted to set it against the backdrop of a war that was popular with the public and didn’t last too long, and the 1991 Gulf War was perfect.
Linda Griffin retired from the San Diego Public Library to spend more time on her writing. Her stories have been published in numerous journals, including Eclectica, Thema, and The Avalon Literary Review, and the Wild Rose Press published her five romance novels, including Seventeen Days (2018) and Bridges (2022). In addition to the three R’s–reading, writing, and research–she enjoys movies, Scrabble, and travel.
Thank you for stopping by to visit Linda.
Linda is published by The Wild Rose Press who has published my books as well. Your book, “Seventeen Days” sounds good. I read the excerpt and can’t wait to read more. Linda also has five other novels published by The Wild Rose Press.
From today, October 7 to October 21, 2022, “Seventeen Days” is ON SALE AT AMAZON FOR 99c!!! Click on the book to go directly to Amazon to buy.
Please welcome Jax Cortez on Day 22 – Hispanic Heritage Month.
BETWEEN THE WOLVES AND THE SHEEP
Two child victims, no clues. “The Eraser” has struck again for a third time.
Can Detective David Johnson hold his marriage together long enough to solve the case with a town on the edge, the media circus on his heels, and now an unexpected tragedy unfolding right before his eyes?
In a world where David thought he was safe being a cop, nothing could ever prepare him for what he is about to experience.
I was inspired by the unsung heroes who give everything they have to keep their communities safe: our police officers. I wanted to show that there’s a human face behind the badge, tasked with a very difficult job that often takes more than it gives, and I wanted to honor those who still get up and do it every day without complaint.
Jax Cortez worked in the field of education for sixteen years before pursuing her passion to write in 2004. She is an indie author, blogger, and freelance writer where she has published articles through different media outlets. Not one to be pigeonholed to a single style of writing, being an indie author has given her the opportunity to explore her voice by challenging herself to write short stories and novellas in the genres she loves: magical realism/urban fantasy, thrillers, speculative fiction, and her last novella, a crime drama. She is currently working on a speculative fiction/dystopian novella about a not-so-distant future filled with A.I. and genetic engineering.
Thank you for coming by to visit, Jax.
The novella,”Between the Wolves and the Sheep”, a crime drama published in October, 2017 sounds very intriguing. One of the first books I remember written by Jax was “Heart of the Jaguar”. Congratulations on your newest book and your upcoming ones.
Jax is another writer who I met years ago; she was both a member of the Society of Latino & Hispanic Writers and of the Mujeres Writing Group, now The Next Chapter. She was at times a workshop presenter at both groups.
To read more about what inspired my latest work in progress, dealing with A.I.’s and genetic engineering, you can read that on my last blog entry for writers here:
L.M. GONZALEZ, WRITER 