Reflections: Walt Whitman and Book Marketing
Soon after I knew my book, Under the Tree Ferns, was going to be published, I started thinking about how to market it. Hiring a publicist was not an option: the cost of publishing the book through a hybrid company was…Continue reading→
Reflections: The Jíbaro House as Emissary
As is true everywhere, Puerto Rico has numerous cultural icons revered by both those living on the island and those pining for it from places far away. Among the icons are the guitarlike cuatro; lelolai folk music; foods such as tostones…Continue reading→
Reflections: The Hidden Memoir in All Fiction Writing
I could not write a memoir. First, I don’t find my life very exciting. After having my children later in life, at 38 and 41, a few friends said I should write about that, but what’s to say? Other than an…Continue reading→
Reflections: A Nonfiction Writer Tackles Fiction
Many years ago, at a gathering of English professors from the University of Puerto Rico, one of the professors announced she was going to write a mystery novel. “How hard can it be?” After all, she went on, she knew literature,…Continue reading→
Reflections: Thin Places
Do you ever feel moments of emotional tingles, when something brings on a reaction so intense it causes tiny shivers on the skin? I do. Here are a few of my tingle inducers—the grand finale of Dvorak’s New World Symphony, the…Continue reading→
The Story: Cáceres
Author’s note: To get the most out of this story, I recommend you first read the previous blog about the place. Thanks! One morning, Enrique’s mother handed him a bota, a wineskin made from goat hide, and told him to go…Continue reading→
The Place: Cáceres, Spain
“You’ve got to go to Cáceres.” I heard that suggestion from just about every seasoned traveler to Spain when they learned we would be visiting the Extremadura region. “It’s amazing.” They were not alone in their praise. The city has received…Continue reading→
Reflections: Origin Story
“How did you come up with the idea for your book?” Here is the answer to that question: In a time very long ago, I lived in Tucson, Arizona. There, hiking and nature adventures were popular pastimes, and good hiking boots…Continue reading→
Reflections: The Irony of Tree Ferns
For much of its long gestation, my upcoming novel went by the title The Irony of Tree Ferns, a title appreciated by me and perhaps one other person. Most people found it confusing. There was a reason for that title. In…Continue reading→
The Story: The Pueblos Blancos
Author’s note: To most appreciate this story, first read the previous blog about the place. Thanks! The professor and his wife, both aficionados of an old-world Spain, drove along the Route of the Pueblos Blancos. They had already been to several…Continue reading→