2019 - A breakthrough year

After I put up my report card for the year that’s closed, I always do a blog of what I expect for the new year. Last year I also wrote a mantra that though I didn’t repeat it every day, I did put it into practice. 

For this year, I have a new mantra:

“I believe in me. 

I believe in my work.

I am successful. 

I am grateful for every lesson.

I am paying attention. 

I am growing every day.

More and more people join me on my Writer Journey every day.

Forward is the way to go.

Now enjoy the ride.”

For some reason, I’ve always found it tricky to accept I am successful. It's always sounded kinda douchey and conceited in a way, but the reality is that success is defined by the individual and progress means there is some sort of success. So I may not be a NYT Best Seller… but for the first time I feel comfortable adding the word yet to that sentence above. As time passes and different types of people read my work, I realize I’m not half bad… and if people who kinda suck can be successful, then there’s no reason why I can’t breakthrough… and I honestly think this year will mean I have several types of breakthroughs… 

The plan shall be more concentrated this year as well and you’ll see with my goals below. Last year I nailed several goals even when circumstances weren’t ideal. It was a good reminder that sometimes you just need to stop paying attention to the ideal conditions you'd like to have and just do the thing. So here are my goals for 2019: 

PUBLISHING GOALS

1.Book 3 of the Human Cycle. Top of the list. Front and center. And get ready… it’s going to be intense. 

2. Collaboration with UK author Cate Evans– Cate is a good friend who has offered support a lot throughout the last several years. We hit upon a concept we thought could be fun to write and we got to writing a novel. It’s a dark comedy and a delight to write. 

3. Daydreams Vol 2. – I’ve mucked about this one for long enough. 2019 is the year.

4. Blanc Comics in book form– I am tweaking and adjusting this, but it is progressing and a project I believe in a lot. 

5. Philosophy coffee table book – text is written. Now I just need the artist to get his neurons ignited ;)

WRITING GOALS

1. Poetry. Continue working on my collections. Several in the works and enjoying the process. No due date. Only goal is for these to grow… and last I checked it’s 5 collections running at the same time, because that’s how I write. 

2. More consistent blog writing. I do enjoy blogging and it’s part of my efforts to have a positive impact with what I do, so why not more of what makes me happy? 

3. Story arc for 3 series. I do enjoy doing research and there are 3 series I will be working in the future and want to work on world building for each of them. No specific goals, just want progress for all three.

4. Historical paranormal fantasy story. I had originally wanted this for Wattpad, but I will be tweaking this concept to do something different with it. This will include plotting, organization, character development, and world building. 

5. Concepts for Spanish fantasy middle grade books. I have been meaning to write more in Spanish and have 3 ideas in the works. Will begin organizing these as well. 

6. Contemporary comedy set within the advertising industry. Continue jotting down ideas and finalize the story arc. 

7. A special project with mom. Still pending but still in my mind.

8. My Noir Novel. Begin it.

9. Greek mythology project. Begin it.

10. More songs. Already have 2 new songs plus a couple of older ones I haven’t gotten to recording. 

11. Book Events. Have sent emails to participate in 3 events: Jordan Con, Atlanta Comic Con, and Puerto Rico Comic Con. Emailed Barnes and Noble to see if I can do an event. Will email 3 bookstores to get events. Wish me luck.

OTHER Goals

- Get more reviews. I REALLY need your help here. Be it good or bad, please leave a review. It promotes sales, gives visibility, and helps out immensely. 

- Website… progress will be made. 

- Be on the best of year list of at least 10 people. ANY suggestion to get on this list is welcome.

- Get nominated for somethinglol. Any help will also be accepted for this one. :D 

- Estrada Crates. Sell 12 Estrada Crates in the year. That’s one per month. 

- Humans 4 Humans. Organize my #Humans4Humans efforts more to have less activities and a more focused impact.

- Release electronic music EP. Already have the first version of the tracks. Will tinker more with them soon… and a cover.

- Record and release music. I have a pretty good bank of songs… wouldn’t mind recording and releasing, because why not? 

- Social Media. Organize myself more to be more organized and also schedule social media breaks.  

So there you go, fellow humans. What do you think of these goals? Which are you looking forward to the most? What are YOUR goals? What do you think of the mantra? Any and all thoughts welcome. Wishing you a cracking 2019 with health, happiness, and success… because why not? 

Peace, love, and maki rolls.

2018 – A Year of Focus

Every year I try to find a word that encompasses what I want the next 365 days to look like and for this year, the word is focus. I also try and get a mantra up and going because it helps but last year I didn’t write one… so since we’re doing things different this year, here’s my mantra for 2018:

“I practice discipline and focus to always pursue relentlessly that which matters to me.
I smile at my path and walk it grateful of the journey, the lessons, and the progress I make daily.”

With that mindset, here are my goals for 2018:

PUBLISHING GOALS

1. For Writing Out Loud – first Blog collection. It will be edited, refined, and finished in January.

2. Given to Fly – I shall finish this manuscript and get the cover it deserves. I will also be looking for beta readers, so if you’re interested in a middle grade fantasy about a boy who dreams about flying, write me.

3. Peace, Love, and Maki Rolls – my NaNo project was a nonfiction work talking about my life philosophy in my mission to continue making as much of a positive impact as I possibly can. I’m no Dalai Lama but if I can make inspire anyone to do anything for the sake of doing good, then it’s worth it.

4. Method to Madness - look at #2 below for more info :D In case you’re wondering, what’s in this list is already underway and set to publish while the next list is more works in progress. :D

5. Daydreams Vol 2. I shall focus and this shall come to Raelity.

6. Natural Intelligence – My first sci-fi work is a novella. It shall be released this year. Beta Readers will also be needed.



WRITING GOALS

1. Write 3 new poetry collections beginning in January. These three collections will be exploring the topics of Love, Heartbreak, and Hope. Some poems are incredibly old and will be reworked and revisited, while many will be new. It’s something I’ve wanted to write for a long while and I think it’s the right time for that.

2. Organize, write, edit, and publish a book with writing tips and techniques. This is a project I started last year and I want to finish it sooner rather than later.

3. Bilingual poetry collection.

4. Puerto Rican Haiku collection.

5. Make a print version of my Blanc Comics to push this project to the next level.

6. Begin work on a historical paranormal fantasy story exclusive for my Wattpad page. I want to share my writing experience with people so they see the process of a project. If it makes it to print one day will be seen. This will be for the pure love of writing first and foremost and has been inspired in part by fellow indie author Christie Stratos and the music video for Nine Inch Nail's Perfect Drug.

7. Write a Spanish fantasy middle grade novel set in Puerto Rico. Something I really want to do this year in support of my Island. It has fairies inspired in part by Maricel Jiménez, a fellow indie author of the Pixie Piper series and great friend who always offers support in a variety of ways.

8. Begin work on a contemporary comedy set within the advertising industry. Something I’ve been mulling over for a while and I think this is a good year to give it a go and keep things flowing and fun. You can expect adult situations, language, and inappropriate humor. All part of a well-balanced TBR.

9. A special project with mom. Pending to get word from her but I would love for us to do something together :D We’ll see what comes forth from me and Momma E. :)

10. My Noir Novel. Will get those notes and will continue work in this project.

11. Greek mythology project. Will ALSO get those notes and start work here as well.

12. Begin work on Book 3 of the Human Cycle. Research will be intense but I have a good idea of how it will flow. It’s all a matter of organizing myself and focusing.

13. More songs. More songs were done last year including some new ones. This year I’ll continue posting new songs on YouTube and if you’re curious as to what I sound like in song version, here’s a link to my songs on my BookTube/YouTube channel. 

14. More interviews. Had several interviews and participations in panels, which is always fun. Will work on this more and look for interviews in local publications and other book blogs. If you’d like to interview me, let me know, be it for your blog, your podcast, or your YouTube channel. In that line, I’ll also be doing more interviews and collaborations for this blog, from other authors and artists so keep an eye out for that. :D

15. Book Events. Apart from the Puerto Rico Comic Con, I didn’t have a book event in 2017. This will change in 2018. Period.

16. Puerto Rico Comic Con. Last year was my fourth year in the Con. It’s always a rewarding experience and last year was no exception with plenty of beautiful surprises. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be able to make it to the Con this year mainly to do with a money situation. In short, I do well in shows, but when you add travel to the costs, I went under last year and need another year to save up to be able to do the Con back home and stateside the right way, while continuing to publish work. This year I will instead focus on events in Georgia and Tennessee and see how those go.


OTHER Goals

- Get more reviews. This is never ending but will be writing about this more in depth and be focusing on this intensely. If you have a book blog or know someone who does or a booktube channel and would like to help, by all means, contact me and let's see how we can make this work.

- Website… nuff said.

- Be on the best of year list of at least 10 people. I know I was in the best of list of at least one person. As January progresses, I’ll see if I get into 9 more lol. But will work to be on a couple for this year.

- Get nominated for something lol. Didn’t happen, don’t know how to make this happen, any suggestion on this, by all means let me know.

- I have specific goals for social media and will share soon in a post dedicated exclusively to my work on social media.

So that’s what I have in store. It is a lot but my main focus will be the first 6 items from the first list (another reason for the separate lists) and then flowing into the others.

I used the word focus above and once again come to boxing when looking for the perfect metaphor of what 2017 was and what I want 2018 will be. 2017 was me being a brawler focusing on volume punching. It's a popular style of fighting but often times too much energy is spent in throwing shots carelessly that do not connect or just pushing forwards without being effective. When I think to my favorite fighters, sure they're not afraid to slug it out, but what draws me to them is heart and in ring IQ. They look to place the right shot at the right moment and I can't think of a better highlight of a career than Juan Manuel Márquez, who also retired last year. Apart from being what I believe to be the best Mexican boxer in the history of the country, his tetralogy of fights against Manny Pacquiao are some of the best boxing you'll ever seen culminating with one of the most devastating counter punches I've ever seen in my life. Manny Pacquiao was pressing the action, he was relentless even after having gotten knocked down earlier in the fight. He looked like the stronger fighter, but the perfect punch nullified any efforts. 

This year I will not be afraid to slug it out but I'll be looking for my shots with each of my goals, and when the opportunity is right, I'll capitalize and show what one determined and focused human can do in the pursuit of what matters. 

Let’s see what grade I get for the year and how I progress. What do you think of this batty list? What are you most looking forwards to? What are some of your goals for the year? What will you hold as your mindset for 2018?

Peace, love, and maki rolls.

Monday Reviews - hinting at Shadows by Sarah Brentyn

I honestly believe that what differentiates a 4 and 5-star rating for this collection is the mindset with which someone picks up the book. Here’s the thing, the title tells you exactly what to expect: short fictions. The writing is spot on and at least 85% of all the stories make you wish for more info on what’s happening. Instead, you get brilliant snapshots that work like poetry, but in prose, even if it’s not poetic prose.

Throughout the collection, the approach is like a really good joke, in the sense of premise, build up, surprise, except that instead of laughter, you run a variety of emotions that range from sadness, to wonder, to shock.

The fact is clear though, Sarah Brentyn can write and Hinting at Shadows is almost a sort of literary preview reel of great stories. There are some solid entries here that could easily be made into a fully fleshed short story or even a book. But that’s not the purpose of this collection, instead it’s meant to tantalize, to inspire, to serve as a snapshot or a glimpse within a much larger story that invites the reader to unleash their imagination. It definitely makes me wonder what she could bring forth with a long form work.

As for the rating, it’s a 5 because the quality of writing, ideas, concepts, and dialogue is there. The only 4 star thing is that feeling of wanting more… and as a writer, I don’t think there’s a better reaction one could hope for.

Method to Madness, Bloghop Edition: Why I write

Recently a very lovely friend of mine wrote a wonderful post on why she writes and invited me to bloghop it up to give my answer to said question. So before we get into my answer, some words about your bloghop sponsor.

Larysia Woropay is a Canadian gamer, writer and like many of us, has a day job. She is insightful and her videos with the incomparable Walking Casino are reminiscent of Mystery Science Theater 3000 but with video games. Trust me, the banter is often hilarious and it’s nice to share a slice of Canadia, especially for a guy from the Caribbean. Apart from a talented writer and a funny gal, she also happens to be an extremely friendly human, open to discussions, conversations and all sorts of life enriching banter. Oh and she can probably kick your ass at the gym. She is currently in the final steps of bringing forth to reality her first book Lucidity and being a fan of dreams myself, I can’t wait to get my read on in the world she brings forth. Instead of offering spoilers, click here for her reasons on what she writes. It is an intriguing read and offers quite the unique perspective at the power of words and will invite you to look twice at heating and AC vents for the rest of your life.

By all means, also check her blog and keep an eye out; that above paragraph doesn’t do her justice though I’ll do my best in trying to answer the question of this particular blog hop.

Why do I write?

The short answer today is that I have to. For some time I wondered if I could be a writer. Then I really wanted to be a writer. Then I needed to publish a book and now I’m this maelstrom of ideas and once in a while I select a few to ground, polish and share with the world. I mention this because I know PLENTY of people who say they have a great idea for a book… the thing is that they leave it at that. They don’t tie an anchor to it. They don’t ground it, plant it, water it, prune it and enjoy its fruits. After I wrote, edited, formatted and published Only Human, I saw that it was possible and like I said at the start of this paragraph, I write because I have to.

What began as a curiosity became a desire and is nowadays a relentless need. Does that sound melodramatic? Of course. I told you I liked to write, right? The thing is that every writer has their driver. Some people want to create an epic story. Others want to touch someone’s life. Others desire to have impact. I can relate to all three except that when I begin a project, there's NO guarantees as to how it will end. Sure, I can have plot points, a story arc and an idea of where I’m going, but during the course of writing, special and wonderful things happen. Unexpected things pop up. Connections link and random bits of information cease to be arbitrary and become pivotal.

Only Human took me 7 years to write. That’s highschool, plus an extra year. That’s longer than some master’s degrees and PHDs. That’s one hell of an itch and I scratched it until I bled out a story. It began harmless enough, vampire kidnaps human to save the world. As basic an archetype as you can get. People have mentioned the first two chapters echo Underworld and the Matrix. This was intentional. What happens later is when things start to get interesting. For several chapters, Nathaniel Runnels is wondering where this is going and as the writer, so was I. I had no idea that this book would take me to where it has. It’s invited me to analyze humanity in all its aspects, it’s been a stage to challenge age old rules of the genre and to gender swap wherever and whenever I feel the need. It’s been my way to show just how much I question the reality I live while creating my own version. It’s me writing at my most agnostic in a fictional setting.

There is nothing else I do in my life that has allowed me such freedom of expression, of personal growth and of creative liberty as that book and my writing in general. Working in advertising and communications, quite often what ends up labeled as your work has several filters before it is published. It's part of the process and works in a corporate setting. My writing is me at my purest, at my most demanding at my most challenging. Although I want people to enjoy, I also want people to think, to question, to wonder, to explore.

On the other hand, I’ve been asked why I publish poetry, after all, poetry doesn’t sell. My answer is again simple but complex: I write poetry, because I have to. For the longest time I’d stopped writing poetry and two years ago, at the invitation of another great friend, I began to write again. What began as an occasional poem has become quite the stream of thought and I’ve already published two poetry collections, with a third one nearby and a fourth one in Spanish nearing completion, plus several other projects being worked on in tandem, exclusively in poetry. I’ve been able to explore my feelings and take painful negatives and turn them into positives. I’ve been able to become an emotional alchemist and say what I feel under the blanket of metaphor. I’ve been able to heal and know myself through my words.

On this blog I’ve written over 200 blog posts with plenty more to come. It has allowed me to connect to several people and share my opinion in a forum of respect and comprehension. I’ve had the honor of meeting people from around the world and who have been generous enough not only to read my words but to offer comments of gratitude, support or to establish dialogue. I’ve had people thank me for something I’ve written and tell me it was the first time they’d been able to love themselves in a long time. There's no way I can express my gratitude for such a comment except that I'm happy I was able to help.

All of this thanks to words. My words. Our words.

And that’s why I write. To connect. As soon as I hit publish or put out a book, those words cease to have exclusive rights to me. As soon as someone reads a poem, a book, a story, a post or a novel, we’re connecting and part of me wants more of that.

Even as a kid I enjoyed giving a good story and for the longest time in college I would go on these long rants to make people laugh and entertain them. Then when I was in my mid-twenties, a great friend invited me to collaborate on a blog that ran for 9 years. That blog changed my life because it showed me that I could resonate with someone from India as much as I could from someone who lived on the same block as me. For those 9 years, my therapy was to spew forth anger filled rants that slowly helped me hone my craft. What began as little bitch fits became more intricate and complicated and eventually, my desire to connect overshadowed my desire to vent. Writing on that blog convinced me I could put out a book and gave me some lifelong friends.

I also know the value of a well written letter. It can make someone’s day, it can bring them to tears and it can touch their lives. Words… just words on paper.

I am moved by words. I am touched by words. I am defined by words. I am better with words.

That’s why I write.

As this is a bloghop, we can’t leave out some interesting new people for you to connect with.

I give you three options then:

Katie M. is an extremely lovely librarian who has been kind enough to read my work. Being surrounded by books, it was a surprise my book resonated. But the more I read her blog, the more I understand. Living in Wisconsin, having such open, loving and tolerant thoughts might come as a surprise to many people. But if you get to know Katie, the love she has for writing, the love she has for a good book and her genuine interest in making a positive impact, it’s refreshing to know my words made sense. Her blog includes honest musings of a person who is bombarded with words and is always asking for more. She has incredible potential even if she writes it off. So expect references to books, to TV series, movies and to all things geeky, because she is a wonderful geek and goes to show that some of my favorite people in this world are in fact fellow geeks who have found common ground in what I have to say as well as what they have to share.

Maricel Jiménez is a fellow Puerto Rican author who has written one novel that has to do with pixies and fairies. A lovely lass, the joie de vivre and spark in her is undeniable. She embraces her inner child and offers up some genuine musings on her blog, showing that love for fantasy does not hinder one’s abilities to think critically and invite people to review things they thought they knew their full opinion on. At the Puerto Rico Comic Con I saw her interact with readers and she was another of those people for whom it is easy to root for. So if you’ve ever wondered what a Fairy Godfather has to say when things get dicey, best get on this ride. :D By all means, check out her book The Adventures of Pixie Piper.

Colin Rutherford knows a thing or million about dragons. His passion is borderline obsession and to boot, he’s a hell of a nice guy with a compelling book series that has dragons and plenty of them. Colin also manages the blog for a real life fictitious dragon and that’s what’s wonderful. It’s not every day you get to talk to a real life fictitious dragon :D much less read a full on series about them. So it begs the simple question… what are you waiting for? :D Get your read on with C.J. Rutherford and his Tales of the Neverwar.

So that’s my blog hop, including three brilliant up and coming writers in three stages of their careers, even if they don’t know it.

Peace, love, and maki rolls.