The Cruise

I had just received my email confirmation for the 2nd Annual Comadres and Comadres Writers Conference in Brooklyn, New York on Oct 5. This will be my first writer conference and I'm psyched! I don't know what to expect, but I am sure it will be an awesome experience. I will love being among fellow Latino writers from all over the United States and abroad and of course,  making new friends and literary contacts.

So, to get myself in a New York frame of mind, I emailed my good friends, Liz and Ron, and asked when I could visit them in Throg's Neck, NY and their very gracious reply was "ASAP!" We met in Brussels, Belgium where we were stationed in 1994 and hadn't seen other in 11 years. The old adage that with some friends, you pick up where you left off is true for my friends and I. We didn't miss a beat, I'm so very happy to be here with them--they are fantastic hosts and great friends.

As well-traveled as I am, I've only been to New York one time when my kids and I visited three years ago right before Christmas. We had a ball doing all the touristy things, so when my friends asked me if I was interested in a tour of NYC during this visit, I bowed out. I wanted to get acquainted with the Bronx, specifically Throg's Neck where my friends live and with Long Island which I've wanted to visit for decades.

I am a nature lover with an affinity for any body of water and my friends have a boat, so can we say perfect? The weather couldn't have been better and the company was awesome. We left the marina and headed into the Long Island Sound and I pinched myself--I thought of how fortunate and blessed I was to be alive at that very moment. The seagulls called out to us and the breeze was luscious as we sailed under beautiful old bridges and passed throngs of people enjoying the day in parks at the water's edge.

When the water got choppy, my friend told me we were passing through Hell's Kitchen, the area where the East River, the Harlem River and the Hudson River with the Bronx on the right bank. As my friend veered the boat to the left, the Manhattan skyline came into hazy view. I now understood what was so awesome about the skyline and why artists paint it over and over.

We sailed past the Chrysler Building, the United Nations Building and the new Freedom Building where the Twin Towers stood and fell on September 11, 1992. I didn't know anyone who perished but my friends did. I doubt you could live in the city and not have known people who were forever changed by that time. I said a silent prayer as we passed.

Then, off in the distance, the Statue of Liberty came into view and I could feel my excitement build. I was really going to see the Statue of Liberty up close and personal in all her French glory after a lifetime of seeing her in print and on the television. I was not disappointed. The statue is magnificent and as beautiful as I thought it would be.

A once-in-a-lifetime experience of seeing the Lady and her city from the water--it's a totally different story from the river. Now, I had tons of questions. I wanted to know about the history of New York City and the cast of characters who built and founded this great city. My girlfriend said she had three books by Lloyd Ultan written in collaboration with the Bronx Historical Society, I can't wait to get stuck in.

I am in love with the Long Island Sound and all the wonderful communities I've seen. I have added this area to my short list of places to really retire. I say really retire because I'm fully retired at the moment. I have an historic house in the downtown area of my city and a river property on the Potomac River. My goal is to combine the two one day--an old house on the water. I have a new goal and I love the hunt. Search and research are my two middle names. More tomorrow...

Peace and love,
Ellie

My Novel Is About...

Today is Pierre's first birthday and so far, he has spent the morning napping in a sun beam. Pierre has a great life and so does my Pug, Ozzy. My fur babies make me smile, laugh and sometimes want to pull my hair out, but all in all, they are super awesome company.

There's always a story to tell with those two underfoot or overhead in Pierre's case. I can tell you in detail about how Pierre and I met at the shelter--love at first sight. I can share how great it was watching Pierre meet his older brother Ozzy for the first time by rubbing noses, and I can even tell you about the items and collectibles Pierre has broken in our home as he continues to test his kitty prowess and by sowing his wild oats or catnip.

Perhaps during this morning's nap, Pierre is thanking his nine lives that I rescued him from the SPCA in my town. But most probably he is pretending to be asleep because before this nap, he probably knocked over some valuable in another room that was high on a shelf that I'm unaware of. All that stalking of collectibles, pushing them to the edge, and watching said collectibles drop to the wood floor and/or rug can get tiring and yes, boring. I can tell you a ton of stories about Pierre and Ozzy...

BUT...ASK ME WHAT MY NOVEL,  A DECENT WOMAN, IS ABOUT AND I MIGHT FREEZE.

What's that all about?! I don't know why I instantly freeze and thaw out slowly, and it has happened to me more than once. A person asks me what my novel is about and I stop and think. I'm going to answer you, but I hesitate. Now, I KNOW what my novel is about for goodness sake. I wrote it! All 77,557 words of it! So, why do I hesitate before telling interested people what my novel is about?!

I'm known as the storyteller in my immediate family. I can tell a good story, honest to Betsy. I tell stories from when I was little and I share stories from a simple trip to the hardware store, a walk to the mail box or even about a neighbor I spy from my front yard, for goodness sake. I can tell a great story, but ask me what my first novel is about and I'll begin to tell you, but I seem to fall short.

Why do I find it so difficult to tell you briefly what my novel is about? I've researched my novel and I'm from Puerto Rico, the island where my novel takes places. I'm from Ponce where my characters live! But, I either add way too much detail or I leave out way pertinent information. I begin telling the person what my novel is about and midway through, I add something else or omit something and by the time I finish, the person might have just yawned. The person or people may have smiled at me politely, but the subject has gone from my novel and my spotlight (my Andy Warhol 15 minutes of fame!) to a missed opportunity!

I'm a balance between an introvert and an extrovert, leaning more toward introvert in my older age :) I can tell you a story about stuff that happens external to me, about me, but when it comes to explaining what my novel is about...I flounder. I'll tell you stories about my past, my failures and joys, fears and dreams, but when it comes to my novel that only four people in the world have read from cover to cover--I get nervous.

My query letter is well-written and has been well-received. It is clear, concise and grabs a reader, piquing their interest. But, if you ask me to tell you in three sentences what my novel is about...I flounder and hesitate as to what I should share with you.

So, I've decided to memorize the first paragraph of my query letter which has a great synopsis of my novel. That synopsis says it all.

I'm attending my first writer's conference in NYC in October--

The 2nd Annual Comadres and Compadres Latino Writers Conference, which will take place at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, New York on October 5, 2013--

and I'm psyched! I need to have my synopsis down pat by then because there are agents, publishers, writers and authors attending and the list is awesome. http://lascomadres.com/countonme/latino-writers-conference/

I have to be ready to talk about my novel and not be shy about marketing myself!
I have to sell myself and my book to people who don't know me and need to know me!
I have to find a bit more self-confidence so that I can speak eloquently and concisely about myself, my novel and my awesome characters because if I don't, no one else will!

Happy Hump Day to you!

Peace and love,
Ellie