This morning, I decided to kill the Weebly ads and give my author site a refresher. The ads were really annoying me when I posted on social media. So, Adios pinche ads. After much internal debate, I decided to start doing a monthly newsletter. I have the publication tools for it, and I don't plan on doing anything more than a double-sided piece. I just want to get folks excited about my upcoming pubs, especially when there is a sequel.
On that thread, I got the beta for my next publication, La Bruja del Barrio Loco (#2 in La Bruja del Barrio Loco). It looks so awesome! (See below) It is not finished because I want to see the printed proof, to see if the title is legible. I should get the proof on Monday. There are also some minor typos, but I asked the cover designer to fix them, and he is this morning. It has an old school feel I love. For once, I think the cover really captures the essence of the story. This morning, I am going to finish a chapter in The Harvest. Folks, for reals, I see the light at the end of the tunnel, and this novel will get done this summer. Somehow, my body has also reset and is waking up early in the mornings to write again. I have been doing so every day, which is energizing and awesome. So what's on the horizon?
OK folks, the siren calls, and I want to finish the Ashley chapter. Stay true to your writing goals. Siempre. #Resist!
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I suppose the day I don't get impatient, aggravated, excited, overjoyed about my new books coming out on Amazon, then I will have to throw in the towel. Luckily, that is not today and won't be for the foreseeable future. Or ever.
But, I just cant WAIT for my book cover of La Bruja del Barrio Loco to get done! I got the piece copy edited this week, and Moniqo did a great job! Now, I am waiting for the cover, so I can get a printed proof. Mostly, I can't wait to see what he did with the cover. Ugh, this is worse than Christmas morning. Anyway, enough agony. I am hitting my novel draft hard, every day, even with the fucking pinched nerve or whatever I had yesterday. I couldn't turn my neck, and I had so much energy to write in the morning. After I got that pain under control, and I rested, I ended up doing work in the afternoon. The Harvest is coming along beautifully. I started a new Ashley chapter, and I am going to probably end it in six more chapters. But the characters have taken a life of their own, as sometimes they do. I just hope to get it done by August, and start researching publication houses. Although it is a down draft, I think I can get it revised by Christmas. I am going to pitch it for a year, and if no one bites, guess what? I've got a beta reader, and editor, and two cover designers now. I'll just launch it myself if no one takes my novel. Someone asked on a blog post if we loved self-publishing. It's a love-hate thing, but mostly love. Writing itself can be so amazing and agonizing. There is really nothing easy about it. It's like giving birth. I know that sounds cliche, but once the work is done, you forget all about the pain. Honest. You hold that book in your hands, and just love it. Well, stay the course! Keep writing, because you know damned well you were meant to. Birth something you will love, today. #Resist. Last night, I finished editing and copy editing the ongoing book saga La Bruja del Barrio Loco. I also sent it to my friend Moniqo as a copy edit trade. I proofed her piece last Sunday, a great romance called Ice Cream Castles, which is coming out this Friday.
I am also waiting to see the beta or betas of the cover, so this promises to be a great week. So, that means, I'm going to keep writing The Harvest. I have about six scenes left, maybe about 100 to 150 pages, and then, I'm going to call the draft done. Unfortunately, I have to cut this one short because I slept wrong, and I can't turn my neck, but I am sure as fuck not going to let that pain get in my way of writing. Yes! Write through any personal pain. #Resist! Well, friends, today, I am starting off with the story about my sister, Little D. As most of you know, I started a road trip with my family, from Chicago to Arizona, and decided to collect one story a day. I enjoyed that project so much, I decided to continue collecting and post interesting stories. The next one is based on several secondhand accounts: "The Chata"
Chata in Spanish means flat nose and is usually a term of endearment reserved for a wife or kid. There's your Spanish for the day. "The Chata" is about my sister's last "friendly" Tang Soo Do tournament. Tang Soo Do is a Korean martial arts form, and my sister has been practicing, I think now for over two years; she's about to test for her black belt in May, which is an amazing accomplishment. Anyway, she was at an international friendly tournament a few weeks ago between Mexico and the U.S. She was representing region 2, which included other students from states like Utah. Few members came from her dojo that day, so the spotlight was on her from members in her dojo, especially the younger kids who look up to her. My sister is around 5 foot 3 inches. She is a beautiful person inside and out, but she is intense and fierce. She is lean, maybe a size 6, all muscle and strong. Her eyes are large, her nose chata, and her smile is gorgeous with perfectly white teeth. The only thing weird about Little D are her small hands, which pack a hell of a punch. Now, my sister usually places in every category, but that day, a majority of the judges were from Mexico. She was sparring with a 60 year old woman, much shorter than she is. The woman had been "messing" with her blocking all of her shots and weaving in and out. The judges were also not calling the old lady out, for what, I don't know. I suspect for not actually sparring. At some point, my sister go frustrated and went to punch the lady. Unfortunately, the spirited woman bent forward, just when my sister was punching, and my sister hit her on the right temple. Even though she wore a padded helmet, the old woman immediately crumpled to the floor--out cold. The referee, a Chinese doctor started screaming at my sister, "Bad Girl! Bad Girl! Go to your corner!!" My sister was like, "What corner?" Little D, sat at the corner and proceeded to take her protective gear off. Then, she got yelled at, again, for taking off her gear and was disqualified from sparring. Apparently, had she not taken her gear off, she could have continued fighting. The 12 year olds were shocked that Little D laid out an old woman and disappointed she didn't place that day. Now her husband calls that move "The Chata" which, just happens to be her nickname. Her sensei was disappointed she didn't place higher, but when he saw the videos, he realized the judges were being biased. I can only imagine what he thought of "The Chata". *** On the writing front, this morning, I am reading over "La Bruja in the Orchard." I did more research on the incarceration process. Unfortunately, I didn't get a hold of the officer who has the skinny on felony arrests and the incarceration process. However, after doing my own research, I tweaked some of the content, so it is more realistic. The story takes place in 2028, and I may make up some bullshit about wearing an ankle bracelet, even before you are incarcerated, even before having an arraignment before the judge. That will save a lot of the story. Well, that is all. I am back to getting up early in the wee hours to write. Luckily, my kids are very entertained here, and it looks like I will be done with my novel before I go back to Chicago. But first, I must finish "La Bruja in the Orchard." Keep writing those stories that wake you up at ungodly hours. #Resist |
Jesú Estrada
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