So, Jose B. Gonzalez one of the founding members of LatinoStories.com (an awesome resource for all things Latino/a and literature, so link to it, will you!) taped me reading from my latest short novel, A Good Long Way, and summarizing the rest of it. Click on the following link to check it out, then head straight to his site to check out what all he's got going:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76HzZoHROhw
This was in Orlando at NCTE's annual convention. The guy is super generous, first to do this work for authors who aren't doing it themselves, myself included, and also because it was one take after another that he had to do to get even this clumsy couple of minutes. So, my hat's off to you, Jose! Mil gracias!
12.17.2010
Ofelia Dumas Lachtman and the Mystery Novel
Looking for La Unica by Ofelia Dumas Lachtman
(Arte Publico Press/Pinata Books, 2004)
I was only recently introduced to the work of Ofelia Dumas Lachtman by Marina Tristan at Arte Publico, after I asked if she knew of any detective/mystery novels out there for children or young adults by Mexican American writers. She said, "Oh, sure, there's this author we publish." She put a few of Lachtman's titles in the mail for me, and though I'm a horribly slow reader, I finally finshed Looking for La Unica (the follow-up to The Summer of El Pintor). In Unica, Monica Ramos is spending her first summer on Lucia Street where she and her dad have moved to after he lost his job in the D.C. area. She is conflicted about her new home because on the one hand it isn't her old posh neighborhood where she'd been friends with some of the girls from school but it is the place where her mother grew up. Curious like she is, she doesn't have to look for mysteries to solve, they simply find her. In this one, La Unica goes missing. Come to find out, La Unica is a guitar, but not just any guitar: it has been in the Salcedo family for a couple of generations, the product of a forefather master-guitarmaker. Accused of being one of the thieves, Monica will discover the real rat in order to prove to Mr. Salcedo that he couldn't be more wrong in putting the blame on her. The search is on, and Monica finds way more than what she sets out for originally.
So, I'll get to The Summer of El Pintor sometime during the Christmas Holidays, but right now I'm reading another of Lachtman's novels, Call Me Consuelo, a mystery for slightly younger readers than Unica as Consuelo is herself 12 years old.
(Arte Publico Press/Pinata Books, 2004)
I was only recently introduced to the work of Ofelia Dumas Lachtman by Marina Tristan at Arte Publico, after I asked if she knew of any detective/mystery novels out there for children or young adults by Mexican American writers. She said, "Oh, sure, there's this author we publish." She put a few of Lachtman's titles in the mail for me, and though I'm a horribly slow reader, I finally finshed Looking for La Unica (the follow-up to The Summer of El Pintor). In Unica, Monica Ramos is spending her first summer on Lucia Street where she and her dad have moved to after he lost his job in the D.C. area. She is conflicted about her new home because on the one hand it isn't her old posh neighborhood where she'd been friends with some of the girls from school but it is the place where her mother grew up. Curious like she is, she doesn't have to look for mysteries to solve, they simply find her. In this one, La Unica goes missing. Come to find out, La Unica is a guitar, but not just any guitar: it has been in the Salcedo family for a couple of generations, the product of a forefather master-guitarmaker. Accused of being one of the thieves, Monica will discover the real rat in order to prove to Mr. Salcedo that he couldn't be more wrong in putting the blame on her. The search is on, and Monica finds way more than what she sets out for originally.
So, I'll get to The Summer of El Pintor sometime during the Christmas Holidays, but right now I'm reading another of Lachtman's novels, Call Me Consuelo, a mystery for slightly younger readers than Unica as Consuelo is herself 12 years old.
12.08.2010
You Don't Even Know Me: Stories and Poems about Boys
You Don't Even Know Me: Stories and Poems about Boys by Sharon G. Flake
I finished Flake's second collection that works as a companion to her first collection, Who Am I Without Him? This one focuses on boys, while the first one deals with the lives of girls. She also includes poems in this latest work documenting snippets of boys existences. I have to be honest: I wasn't as impressed by this book as I was Who Am I Without Him? There doesn't seem to be the depth there is in the previous title. There is the first poem, from the perspective of multiple young men, each asserting his respective existence, that I like. If you visit Flake's internet site, you'll find a video made by five young men who perform the poem, and it is that much more powerful because you can see the different voices (that is, who is speaking) as well as hear them. And for me, only one of the stories is memorable: "My Hood." It is about two best friends on a day out in North Philly's heat. The two boys make their way to a fire in the area, take a dip in a pool without the family's permission, join a craps session, meet up with some fine Philly girls, eat and dance at a block party, swim in a local pool, watch a fireworks show, then head home. It might not seem like much of a story, but it is about friendship of the best kind: the narrator describes his friendship with Elliot, a kid with fire and emotional issues: "This is why I like Elliott. He's braver than I am. Funny and loyal, too. You can't give up on someone like that just because their mind don't work like yours" (163). The story takes place on July the 4th in Philadelphia. It can't be about anything but independence.
The collection as a whole doesn't necessarily work for me, but the tidbits that I do like, I like a lot.
I finished Flake's second collection that works as a companion to her first collection, Who Am I Without Him? This one focuses on boys, while the first one deals with the lives of girls. She also includes poems in this latest work documenting snippets of boys existences. I have to be honest: I wasn't as impressed by this book as I was Who Am I Without Him? There doesn't seem to be the depth there is in the previous title. There is the first poem, from the perspective of multiple young men, each asserting his respective existence, that I like. If you visit Flake's internet site, you'll find a video made by five young men who perform the poem, and it is that much more powerful because you can see the different voices (that is, who is speaking) as well as hear them. And for me, only one of the stories is memorable: "My Hood." It is about two best friends on a day out in North Philly's heat. The two boys make their way to a fire in the area, take a dip in a pool without the family's permission, join a craps session, meet up with some fine Philly girls, eat and dance at a block party, swim in a local pool, watch a fireworks show, then head home. It might not seem like much of a story, but it is about friendship of the best kind: the narrator describes his friendship with Elliot, a kid with fire and emotional issues: "This is why I like Elliott. He's braver than I am. Funny and loyal, too. You can't give up on someone like that just because their mind don't work like yours" (163). The story takes place on July the 4th in Philadelphia. It can't be about anything but independence.
The collection as a whole doesn't necessarily work for me, but the tidbits that I do like, I like a lot.
11.24.2010
New Work Accepted
I got word today that my second in the Mickey Rangel detective series, tentatively titled The Lemon Tree Caper. This is very cool news. I had a ton of fun writing this one, getting Mickey on the case for a second time. Now to get to work on the next.
Also, with Arte Publico Press/Pinata Books: another collection of stories accepted, likely to be called Devil's Dance: Stories from Beyond. The stories are more contemporary takes on Mexican American cucuy legends: la llorona, la mano pachona, the devil at the dance, and the like. Hopefully this one will also come in a bilingual edition. More meant for middle and high school readers than something like Xavier Garza's Creepy Creatures and his more recent Kid Cyclone books, which I'd say are more for older elementary and middle school readers. But it'll be cool to be in the same space as him.
I have gotten started on my next book or story, like I posted before. It's very stream of consciousness for now, but it most likely not stay that way. I was on the plane back and took the couple pages I'd hand-written the day before and added another six or seven hand-written pages. I'm excited about it. More later.
Also, with Arte Publico Press/Pinata Books: another collection of stories accepted, likely to be called Devil's Dance: Stories from Beyond. The stories are more contemporary takes on Mexican American cucuy legends: la llorona, la mano pachona, the devil at the dance, and the like. Hopefully this one will also come in a bilingual edition. More meant for middle and high school readers than something like Xavier Garza's Creepy Creatures and his more recent Kid Cyclone books, which I'd say are more for older elementary and middle school readers. But it'll be cool to be in the same space as him.
I have gotten started on my next book or story, like I posted before. It's very stream of consciousness for now, but it most likely not stay that way. I was on the plane back and took the couple pages I'd hand-written the day before and added another six or seven hand-written pages. I'm excited about it. More later.
NCTE/ALAN 2010 Orlando
I shouldn't complain because ultimately the venue was easy to maneuver, if you can get over the idea of wanting to walk from where I'm staying (the Yacht Club) to where much of the action is taking place (the Coronado). I mean, the shuttle service was pretty good and always on time. Kudos to those drivers and organizers. But man, the weather was, for the most part, awesome and would that there would've been more forethought on keeping the show as green as could be. At times, I was one of two people on the buses traveling back and forth. TV stunk, for the most part, and it was kind of funny to walk into my room and see a Mickey head on one of the beds fashioned out of hand and face towels.
I'll tell you what: it was great seeing Chris Crowe again, Matt de la Pena, Dana Reinhardt, Janet Wong, Wendy Lamb, Adrienne Waintraub (as always, too cool for school!), Bill Broz (a very awesome co-presenter), Lyn Miller-Lachman, Steve Schneider, Lee Byrd, Benjamin Alire, and the list goes on and on and on. Cool meeting Amy (A.S.) King. Teri Lesesne. Kenan Metzger. James Blasingame. Walter, the Giant Heart. The folks at National Geographic School Publishing: Andy, Tamara, Ellen, and the crew. Marina Tristan at Arte Publico. More later as my memory refreshes.
Got lots of reading done, started on a new story (long or short? don't know--it hasn't defined itself yet in that regard). Had a novel pretty much rejected, but it serves as the impetus to get back to work on it, or on something else.
ALAN was great. I got to sit in on several of the sessions and a couple of the break-outs. Would love to be invited back. I think one of the highlights for me was being on a panel titled "It's a Guy Thing," moderated by Kenan Metzger. The other panelists included Martin Chatterton (a very hip British dude), Brent Crawford, Tom Angleberger, and Derrick Barnes. Tom was hilarious! Especially when he introduced the Shipless Pirates in his latest book. But Derrick was, to me, the highlight. He spook about a man's responsibility for his family and his community. And then on the plane back I got to read his latest novel, We Could Be Brothers, in which he writes about two boys, each from opposite ends of the social economic stratus, but they got each other's back, even through the toughest of situations. It's a must read.
I'll tell you what: it was great seeing Chris Crowe again, Matt de la Pena, Dana Reinhardt, Janet Wong, Wendy Lamb, Adrienne Waintraub (as always, too cool for school!), Bill Broz (a very awesome co-presenter), Lyn Miller-Lachman, Steve Schneider, Lee Byrd, Benjamin Alire, and the list goes on and on and on. Cool meeting Amy (A.S.) King. Teri Lesesne. Kenan Metzger. James Blasingame. Walter, the Giant Heart. The folks at National Geographic School Publishing: Andy, Tamara, Ellen, and the crew. Marina Tristan at Arte Publico. More later as my memory refreshes.
Got lots of reading done, started on a new story (long or short? don't know--it hasn't defined itself yet in that regard). Had a novel pretty much rejected, but it serves as the impetus to get back to work on it, or on something else.
ALAN was great. I got to sit in on several of the sessions and a couple of the break-outs. Would love to be invited back. I think one of the highlights for me was being on a panel titled "It's a Guy Thing," moderated by Kenan Metzger. The other panelists included Martin Chatterton (a very hip British dude), Brent Crawford, Tom Angleberger, and Derrick Barnes. Tom was hilarious! Especially when he introduced the Shipless Pirates in his latest book. But Derrick was, to me, the highlight. He spook about a man's responsibility for his family and his community. And then on the plane back I got to read his latest novel, We Could Be Brothers, in which he writes about two boys, each from opposite ends of the social economic stratus, but they got each other's back, even through the toughest of situations. It's a must read.
11.04.2010
11.03.2010
Pluma Fronteriza Interview
Check out my new interview about A Good Long Way with Pluma Fronteriza's Raymundo Rojas:
http://plumafronteriza.blogspot.com/2010/11/mas-than-menos-interview-with-rene.html.
And Kirkus, Booklist, Teri Lesesne, and ForeWord have all said very cool things about the novel. It's due out sometime soon. No specific date, but I understand it's at the printer's as I type this up. Technical issues kept it from coming out at the end of October.
http://plumafronteriza.blogspot.com/2010/11/mas-than-menos-interview-with-rene.html.
And Kirkus, Booklist, Teri Lesesne, and ForeWord have all said very cool things about the novel. It's due out sometime soon. No specific date, but I understand it's at the printer's as I type this up. Technical issues kept it from coming out at the end of October.
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