Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Mi última gira de los 30

Treinta y nueve es una edad comiquísima porque muchos preguntan sobre qué se siente tener casi cuarenta y a muchos se les olvida que me queda un añito de mis 30. Y es que se siente raro hablar de los 39. Es como cuando eras nene y te preguntaban tu edad y decías seis y medio o alguna bobada así. Sin embargo, es una excelente lección para no adelantarnos a los hechos. Casi tengo 40; pero si decimos casi chocamos, eso significa que no chocamos y lo mismo aplica a la edad. 

Ya mismito, pero todavía. 

En una secuencia de años curiosos e intensos, este último no ha sido la excepción con varios eventos de vida que ciertamente marcarán dónde estoy y a dónde iré. Cuando falleció Mama en junio, el cantazo dio duro por cuan esperado haya sido. Fue un alivio por un lado y desgarrador por otro y en estos dos meses luego de su partida me he dado cuenta cuánto tiempo pasaba conectado a la chica de alguna manera u otra. Fuese un mensaje de texto, un post que le gustó y compartió, palabras de consejo y aliento con esa paciencia eterna que la caracterizaba o nuestras llamadas de la mañana y la tarde, siempre estábamos pendientes el uno del otro. Por eso la veo en tantos detallitos. Por eso me canta a través de cosas tan microscópicas, que sólo sirve para demostrar que un corazón lo ve todo, lo escucha todo… y también lo siente todo. De la misma manera, me ha enseñado mucho de quién y cómo soy, de lo que importa en mi vida y que soy la única persona responsable por asignar jerarquía e importancia a lo que vivo… y aunque nunca me gusta generalizar, en este caso me parece que sí nos aplica a todos.

Siempre he tenido momentos de introspección tratando de calmar el carnaval que hay en mi cerebro para buscar cordura en la locura y hacer lo que tanto amo. Escribir siempre me ha venido bien y hoy por hoy es esencial a mi salud emocional, mental, física y espiritual. En el último año me ha ayudado a superar un sinnúmero de cosas y a enfrentar retos de vida, incluyendo a Mama. Durante el día que falleció, estuve escribiendo algo para ella y se lo leí a la noche. También le leí poemas que he escrito y otras cosas que he publicado. Como escritor, las palabras para mí cobran múltiples significados y roles y me parece que esa relación continuará evolucionando. Siempre doy lo máximo por ser un hombre de mi palabra y un hombre de palabra, o más bien, palabras. Llevo escribiendo por años y aunque he cumplido algunos logros, todavía tengo muchas metas por cumplir, cuentos por capturar y palabras por compartir. 

De las lecciones más valiosas que he aprendido en el último año es que no importa los retos, no importa lo triste que estés y lo mucho que duelan ciertos eventos, siempre podemos sonreír, siempre podemos dar lo mejor de nosotros y siempre podemos definir cómo manejamos lo que vivimos. En algunas cosas me queda muchísimo por aprender y crecer como ser humano. En otras, estoy feliz de cómo soy más que nada porque he puesto en práctica varias cosas que aprendí de mi madre y lo que quiero que me identifique como hombre, profesional y humano. 

Mi más sincero agradecimiento por todo el cariño y todo el apoyo que me expresan continuamente. Los mensajes de felicitaciones por el cumpleaños, por cosas de los libros y los mensajes de apoyo y cariño a la familia son regalos y bendiciones al igual que las sonrisas que inspiran. Gracias por un excelente año y a ver qué más inventamos antes de la nueva década. 

Un abrazo,

JD

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Three times 13 and a step away from 40


I’ve done these birthday posts for years and I think this is the hardest one to write yet. It’s not just because of what I’ve lived in the last year, it’s that I’m not sure how I want to frame it or what I want to capture. The last couple of months haven’t been exactly easy though I have gotten to know more of who I am through written and meditational introspection than possibly at any other point in my life. I think more than anything that I am able to see what’s important in life or at least in my life. Let’s not get carried away and think my opinion and my feelings apply to everyone… even if there is a chance you can agree with me here and there. 

Age is a number and although it is tied to life, experiences lived, and things we’ve gone through, it’s also an attitude and I think it doesn’t have to be a constant. For certain things, I’m a wannabe sage and it’s a miracle I don’t grow a long beard to stroke as I share whatever experiences I’ve gone through if only with the hope that it helps other people to see what they’re going through in another light and maybe find something that’ll help them make sense of the madness that is life. Then I see a banana, get an idea, and act as if I'm 13. Some people might argue I need to grow up while others giggle along and join in on the madness as I take my inner child out for frequent strolls. 

I watch cartoons, I like candy and sugary cereals, but I know the value of balancing it out with good nutrition, exercise, and tough decisions. Life isn’t one thing and requires a varied skillset to be truly enjoyed… good times or bad. Having Mom pass away two months ago wasn’t a shock in the sense of it being a surprise. We knew it could happen and unfortunately complications were able to overcome her will, which is quite something since Mom shall always be synonymous with the word perseverant and quite often seemed indomitable, yet in the end, she was human... and remarkably human at that. It was a shock in the sense of how hard it’s hit me, which is anything but a surprise.

I think about her often and it’d be disingenuous not to talk about her as I write about my birthday, since she’s the reason I’m able to celebrate a birthday in the first place. I’ve had two months to come to terms with her passing and I know it’ll take many years as I continue to understand and share how much she means to me. Yet even missing her intensely, I’m able to talk to her spirit, smile at big things and small, joke around, laugh, and live. Part of her lives on through my brothers and myself and I’m amazed at how present she is in the smallest things. When she passed away, I felt equal parts helpless child and old man. It took the weight of worrying about her and replaced it with the weight of missing her and although we could speculate about how much each weighs, I’d rather focus on the fact that I will always be happy to carry her with me.

I’m 39 and I don’t know how long I have on this Earth… but I do know I have the beauty of choice in my life, as we all do. Life is about choice and it’s never been more apparent in my life. We can zoom in on the people who disappoint us, or we can invest our time in thanking and encouraging those who bring light into our lives. We can choose to focus on what hurts and what makes us sad or we can focus on what we can do to give our best while finding as many smiles as we can on the journey. We can be anchored to a moment, a memory, a pain, or a victory, or we can keep walking, occasionally skip, frequently dance, and possibly fly. 

So here’s to flying, my friends. Thank you for the love, the laughs, and the maki rolls. To much more of what makes us smile and to sharing our best, whether the weather is fair or we dance in the storm.

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Creative Connections – Voice Actor George Hoctor



One thing that’s always been important to me in life is to connect with people and help others connect. Knowing the right artist, accountant, masseuse, doctor, chef, caterer, stylist/barber, mechanic, and any trade can make a huge difference and if you know someone who can help someone else, then why not connect them?

That’s the main purpose of Creative Connections. To interview creatives and all types of professionals that offer services that might help you.

First up is George Hoctor, a voice actor I met at the Puerto Rico Comic Con who is based in Tennessee and ready to lend his voice to bring your stories to life. As an added bonus, I’m including the audio for his interview so you can also hear what he has to say, in case you’re not in the mood to read :) if you'd prefer this, go to the end of this interview.

* * *

1. Hey there, George. So nice to have you here. What can you tell us about your voice work and your experience so far as a voice actor?

What I feel I could bring to a group voice-over project or even a solo voice-over project is a sort of energy that I make sure to put into each of my recordings. Even if it's something as simple as me going "The Call of the Flame" or "This and that and this and that." It's an energy that I make sure to get out through the microphone and sort of make sure it gets embedded into that recording because that energy is what's going to cause audiences to sort of perk their ears up and really pay attention to what's going on.

2. Without too much tooting of thine own horn, what do you think you can bring to a project as either a solo VO or part of an ensemble? 


Well of course there must be a little horn tooting, I mean if you do work, you do it with pride! If it's something you enjoy, what you love, then you do it and you toot your horn as much as possible, as long as it doesn't make the other people sick.

3. What are some projects people should check out?

Well as I said before I have a fantastic podcast project that I've worked on called "The Call of the Flame" and we're currently working on the next chapter for that but I believe we're up to 9 or 10 chapters so there's plenty of lead in for you to be able to enjoy of the narration done and even then just all of those people are so fantastically talented and of course I am most proud of my work with PShattuck Productions on YouTube. You can find me as such voices for fan comics as Pennywise the Dancing Clown (It movie 1990) or Sans the Skeleton (Undertale videogame) from Undertale, I've done Cuphead (Cuphead videogame) for the Cuphead series and so I'm really most proud of those because they are comics that have been done with such love and care by other artists that we wanted to bring life to them with our unique voices and I must admit I do have so much fun working with those nut jobs; they really are the best people I could ever hope to work for.

4. If you had a top 5 projects you’d like to work on, which would they be?

If I had a Top Five Projects I'd like to work on? Well definitely audiobooks, audiobooks are fantastic because it gives people who may not have the advantages of other people, whether it be a type of dyslexia or some other disability that makes it so they can't really enjoy books like other people do, it gives them a sort of bridge to help them get across that small boundary they may have, whether it be mental or personal, it lets them enjoy the book, it lets them really get into it. I suppose another project I would love to get into would be video games, though I've been told those are abit challenging and quite demanding as well. Honestly, if I can get the chance just to go "Double Kill, Triple Kill, Overkill" just a few times in one videogame I believe I would be quite happy. And animation as well. cartoons have been a profound part of my life. it's been a big part of every voice actor's life in some way or another and in cartoons anything is possible. I would love to be able to have the chance to pull a mallet from a giant burlap sack or just place down a whoopie cushion underneath the villain (or hero's seat) just to sort of have the last laugh.

5. Have you ever done VO work for animations or video games?

I've not done work in animation or videogames as of yet but I feel like I could definitely try, try and succeed, and even if I don't succeed the first time that doesn't mean I'm going to give up! I'm going to keep on doing take after take until we have what is needed.

6. What tips can you give up and coming people would like to do voice-over work?

What tips would I give a younger voice actor who's just now starting? Keep yourself in the best shape possible, of course the weight and diet and exercise and good foods, those are all very important. but also keeping yourself internally good, keeping yourself mentally aware and happy because in the end if you're going to do this job you need to make sure you love it. You need to make sure that you have this small tingle going down the back of your spine when you step up to a microphone with your script in hand, thinking "My God, I get the honor of doing this!", even if it's something as simple as just laughing out loud like an insane clown.

7. Do you have equipment ready to go in case of quick project?

I actually have two kits, ready and raring to go, and one is a USB Studio Kit with an Audio Technica 2020USB+ microphone and cables and wires and a nice studio headset and another kit which is not full because it actually would house my studio equipment that I am currently using. Right now I am using a Focusrite Scarlett Solo XLR Interface with an Audio Technica 2020 XLR Cardioid microphone and I could be able to pack all that up, have that ready and if scheduling permits, which most of the time it's pretty permitting (I have open weeks) I could get down to Atlanta, or wherever needed, as fast as possible.

8. Where can people get in contact with you if they want your talents for their project?

People may get in contact with me through my professional voice acting email, gmhoctorvo@gmail.com. They may get in contact with me through my twitter, @georgehoctor404.


* * * *


It was great to meet George at the Puerto Rico Comic Con and it was so random he'd fly down for that, but just goes to show how solid a show it is :D Anyways, for your audio enjoyment, here's the interview in audioform and for his reel, click here

Cheers

JD




Saturday, August 3, 2019

Puerto Rico Comic Con 2019: Books, Smiles, and Camaraderie


I’ve been going to the Puerto Rico Comic Con since 2014 and every year has been a wonderful adventure. The first year I had one book, one poetry collection, and my Daydreams on the Sherbet Shore were handmade by my family. Every year I meet more people and the genuine enthusiasm over what I do and how I do it is fuel to keep going and giving my best. 

This year I had 13 books and sold out of two of them. I also had the best year in terms of sales, with 118 books sold over the weekend. This happened with me being away from the booth most mornings while I was with Mom at the hospital and the Captain held down the fort at the con. Throughout the event, a LOT of people came by to offer support, see if she needed some help, and always asked me how Mom was doing and shared plenty of positive vibes I passed along to her. 

Over the weekend I saw a lot of new faces, but I also saw a lot of familiar faces and all of them made me smile so much. I truly do love writing and connecting with people and if this year has taught me anything, it’s that people who go to the Puerto Rico Comic Con want to connect with you. I talked to hundreds of people, offered advice to writers of all ages, and in true me form, I dedicated each book with my awful handwriting to capture the joy I experience at an event like this. 




Every year has a particular feel to it and this year, there was a LOT of joy and kindness. People who met me were genuinely thankful for me answering all the questions they had. Then there were the people I’ve been seeing since 2014. Among the nicest things someone said was that they had missed me last year and were happy to see me back at the PRCC. That meant a lot because it validated that at least to some people, seeing me and catching up is a highlight… which it already was for me, but to know the feeling is mutual… that’s quite wonderful to be honest. 



Another highlight for me was to see that Atlantic College from Puerto Rico held a contest to choose several artists to let them have a booth there. In front of me, 6 booths in a row had young, kind, and extremely talented artists showing off their art and as a creator, it was refreshing and lovely to see them have such a solid weekend. Some were a bit shy and learned to come out of their shell during the weekend, while other young artists glowed with enthusiasm. This is the type of effort I support 100% and if anyone from Atlantic reads this, I'd love to help out any way and who knows? Maybe we can collaborate one day, but I'll write more about this in an open letter soon. 

I also saw artists from the states who had taken a gamble on this show and time after time I heard how good of a show people were having and that they made their booth and covered their expenses before the halfway mark of Saturday. Some even sold out of inventory (see the pics below). I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, fans of the Puerto Rico Comic Con are some of the best because unlike other major US cities, San Juan and Puerto Rico in general for that matter aren’t spoiled with event after event after event. In addition, since autograph sessions are pre-sold, that means people have more to spend the day (or days) that they go. 





As per usual, cosplayers were showing off their skills and my highpoint was a magical unicorn (pictured below). I stood next to her and could not find one flaw in the craftsmanship of the suit and SO MANY of the cosplayers brought their A+ game. I wasn’t able to take as many pictures as I wanted, but definitely brought a smile to our faces and the Coraline and other Mother cosplay just had me grinning from ear to ear. 




As for the books, Only Human sold out early Sunday morning as did Black Tie Affair. I am always happy every time a book title sells well and I promised a ton of people that I’ll finish the Human Cycle for next year, so hold me to that. Given to Fly also sold pretty well as well and only left a handful of copies left over and everybody loved the concept of a boy who dreams about flying. I’ve already read some new reviews from readers and that’s also something that encourages more than people know. 


In terms of quirky stories, I got the visit from Eric AKA Average Joe on Instagram, a super nice guy who blogs and shares tips on how to save money and make more money. It took a couple of attempts, but we finally met and he was a super nice guy. Also kind enough to take a couple of books and I gifted him an extra one, not because he's always on the lookout for a deal, but because he passed by not once, or twice by the booth, but five times until we connected, so it was the least I could do. 

In addition, a fellow Puerto Rican with a comedy channel on YouTube called Alex Manuel also swung by. He was actually cosplaying as the ex-governor of Puerto Rico, Ricky Roselló and even took pics and recorded a get-well video for Mom. He passed by each day and asked how she was doing and like many other people, kept in touch after the con to see how things were going. If it wasn't clear by now, I think it's obvious that the fans of the Puerto Rico Comic Con are some of the nicest and most genuine in the world and although I always get a lot of love, this particular year was very special and people outdid themselves in offering love and support. 



So all in all, it was a lovely show and even with the challenges my family was facing, we had a great show, a lot of people sent love to Mom, and we even got some videos recorded by people in character. It was a weekend full of joy, happiness, kindness, quirkiness, geekness, support, and enthusiasm. Some people might say it was even a little bananas :) I’m thankful to each and every Geekrican that passed by my booth and all my fellow writers, artists, and creators. I’m proud to know you and call you friends y los quiero de todo corazón. 




Til next we get our Geek on. 

Peace, love, and maki rolls

Ps.: for more pictures from the comic con, check my facebook page.  

Friday, August 2, 2019

2019 B-day Wish list

 
It’s been several years since I’ve re-learned to celebrate my birthday. For the longest time, I had a hard time celebrating during the month of August because 3 family members have passed away in this month. I used to be mopey and not the best company. But a while back, I decided to retake birthday celebrations and have since had some pretty fun outings to say the least.

I’ve also developed the habit of putting out wish lists because who knows? Maybe some of those wishes can come true. So here’s my wish list for birthday #39.

1. If you want to get me anything, make a donation using the hashtag #CheersMamaEstrada. At the end of the year I’ll probably do a #Humans4Humans effort in her honor, but for now, if you want to channel her spirit through your good will, I can think of no better way to celebrate.

2. Tell people about my books. One of the hardest things as an indie author is to get the word out. If you’ve ever read anything by yours truly and you think someone would enjoy it, talk it over coffee or tea.

3. If you know any booktubers, readers, podcasters, blogger, or fellow authors in Atlanta (or anywhere in the world actually), let me know. Always love getting in touch with good people and wouldn’t mind making an appearance in their shows, blogs, or bookshelves.

4. Whether you loved or hated something I wrote, drop a review. Although a rating is nice, a review is 1,000 times better in making a case to read or avoid a book. Reviews also happen to be one of the hardest things to come by and so you know, the magic number on Amazon is 50. With fifty reviews, I start appearing in more searches and recommendations thanks to how their algorithm works. Otherwise, I’ll be someone’s favorite barely known author. :)

5. If you see a post of mine that you enjoyed on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or Facebook, like, share, and comment. A like is good for morale, a share is amazing to reach more people, and a comment works with those pesky algorithms that make being an indie creator so challenging.

6. Get someone an Estrada Crate. I have books, I have boxes, and I’d love to be on more bookshelves. So if you know someone in the US or Puerto Rico who loves books AND you’d like to support me, you can make two birds happy with one book… or a couple.

7. If you are or know any English teacher that would like me to do a chat for a classroom or think your students might enjoy one of my books, drop me a message. One of the most important things to me is encouraging people to read and write. In addition, if you have Hispanic kids or teens you’d like to encourage to write from the perspective of a multicultural and bilingual hooman, I’d love to help in any way I can.

8. If you are or know any librarian and think one of my books would make a good addition to your collection, please let me know. I dedicate books to patrons and am always happy to help out.
9. If you are or know an artist who’d love to share their vision, get in contact. I recently released the book version of my Blanc Comics and although I’ll write more about this later, right now what I want is to take the next step with this project. More on this later, including a YouTube video or two.

10. Join me in saying #CheersMamaEstrada. Through all the month I’ll be toasting to Mom. It’s my way of celebrating her and keeping her near me and share the brightness she is in my life. You can toast with tea, milk, juice, ice cream, wine, milk shakes, soda, beer, sushi, soup, cocktails, or whatever you want. There are no rules except to smile when you toast. And if you have anyone you know who is going through a rough time, let us know so we can say cheers to them as well.

And I’ll leave it at a cool 10, because if not, who knows what else I’ll ask for? My thanks to you for reading and supporting in so many ways and bringing a smile my way so often. My best to you and til next time…

Peace, love, and maki rolls.

JD

Thursday, August 1, 2019

31 Day Salute - #CheersMamaEstrada

 
Earlier in the year when Mom was dealing with her health issues, a former Puerto Rico Governor passed away and the country had 30 days of observance. In her eternal cheek, she said that she wanted 31 when she passed away. We celebrated her between June and July but didn’t really make it official.

This will be my first birthday without Mom and August has 31 days in it, so why not celebrate her the entire month as well as my birthday? First off, the artwork you see here was commissioned by one of my best friends and script writer/developer Andrew Horng. It’s a beautiful gift and I think the colors and artwork capture a good chunk of Mom’s essence. She was a bright light in the lives of many and she continues to shine on.

This month I’ll be doing several things in her name, including writing, music, videos, and other stuff, because why not? The #CheersMamaEstrada posts and gallery shall continue although a little more frequent this month, rather than the scheduled weekend posts I’m actually doing.

To all the beautiful friends and family who have reached out and sent love: thank you is much to brief a way to express the gratitude we feel. Regardless of the challenges though, we continue to share her light and cheer and that shall always be the case.

Stay tuned here and on my social media including facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for more of the celebration.

Peace, love, and #CheersMamaEstrada