Everyone says its dangerous to take a bus into Mexico, so there may be a hiatus on blogs for a week. Don’t be concerned if there is. I never can remember my passwords to log on down there. And if we spend all our lives fearing the unknown, we’ll never go anywhere or do anything. […]
To celebrate or not to celebrate? As many of us Baby Boomers reach, approach or exceed that milestone, some choose to ignore the date, others have a quiet gathering or perhaps a nice dinner. Still others, like my friend Lolita, go for the gusto—an all-out, budget-busting, fandango in the Spanish style. She began planning this […]
Is it wise to take time off to attend a Writers’ Conference? This morning, as soon as I post this blog, I am headed for Houston to a Writing Day Workshop. Then on Monday, my cousin and I are headed to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico for a week-long Writers’ Workshop. And Tuesdays I belong […]
I know what is going to destroy the world and bring it to a screeching halt, forever. It’s not going to be nuclear wars or holocausts. Those only affect a city or two, or a few million people. It won’t be Mother Nature’s hurricanes, tornadoes or tsunamis. Those only affect an occasional coastal area or […]
If you were an agent, would you be interested in seeing this book? This letter is the one shot I have to entice an Agent to find a publisher for my work. Last night at the Woodlands Writers’ Guild, the members insisted that self-publishing is the only way to go. The author gets to keep […]
I didn’t realize that everyone and their dog is writing about Malinche. I just started a book by Laura Esquivel called Malinche. It is edited by Johanna Castillo of Atria Press (Simon and Schuster), and published in 2009. It is by no means the only book on Malinche but it is […]
I didn’t realize that racism is rampant among the Latin American nations. Racism, according to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, is a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. A second definition suggests that racism leads to prejudice and discrimination. As I see […]
Nope, I’ve missed the blogging too much. I’m going back to daily blogs, so look for the ramblings of my feeble mind again with your daily coffee. Blogging is good practice for writing, it’s good discipline, and it’s a good means of getting focused. And it’s delightful to know I have a kind and gentle […]
It’s always beneficial to learn from other writers and authors. Yesterday I listened to an interview with Michael Hyatt. He suggested that writing and posting blogs on a daily basis gets to be overwhelming, not only for the author but for the readers. He maintained that his readers thanked him when he cut back […]
How did the wealth of the Spanish world get to Madrid to fill the new palace of Carlos III? We’ve discussed Mexico City’s palaces during the 1770s and the Manila Galleons. Hopefully, everyone has heard of the Spanish silver fleets. After gathering silver and gold from Peru and Mexico, the shipments were collected […]