Why we love the softer side of a gangster character 💀(Updated)

Throughout the Hernandez series, readers are often surprised to see the softer side of the protagonist, Jorge Hernandez. Usually abrupt, in control, and dangerous, it's a surprise to see his vulnerabilities. This especially comes to light when dealing with either his children or wife, Paige. Something is appealing about the unexpected balance of his character.

In general, I think people enjoy discovering the unexpected when it comes to characters. There's something about getting past the mask, the bullshit, to learn who someone really is that is fascinating in both the real and fictitious world. I believe it's human nature to want to understand what makes people tick. Also, to see what we all have in common despite our backgrounds and status in the world.

I have said in the past that I normally don't write a love story. I guess it's perhaps my cynicism that makes me hesitant. However, I find the relationship between Jorge and Paige fascinating and adds an extra element to the series. I think the unlikelihood of two people who don't fit in well with the rest of the world meeting each other is somewhat inspiring. Throw in a couple of children, and the protagonist is forced to not always be in control, and as the reader, you get to see him unravel.

And there's something about seeing someone unravel that makes us see humanity. Which, I believe, is what we're often looking for in the first place.

Book themes that matter 😌(Updated)

Do book themes matter? Maybe not if you're a reader. But to a writer, it helps me focus on what the central idea is for the story. It's nice to have plots, subplots, and cool characters, but you need something more to hold it together.

Here's a quick rundown of the themes for a few of my books.

She Was His Angel

Long before I started to write this book, I planned to focus on powerful women as a central theme. It was important to me that readers saw how Paige was as dangerous as any male character. This was something that I always knew but feared that I wasn't effectively demonstrating in my previous books.

Its also important female readers are encouraged to show their power. They should never make themselves small to make others comfortable.

The beauty of this character is that everyone around her naturally accepts and respects who she is, never trying to demean or belittle her.

The Devil and His Legacy

I guess it's clear that the theme for this book was legacy. In the 7th book in my series, Jorge Hernandez spends a great deal of time considering the legacy he will leave. This becomes a concern after a close colleague is murdered, leaving Jorge to wonder what he will one day leave behind.

The Devil May Lie

The theme for this specific book was power. Remember, Jorge Hernandez doesn't focus on money, like many villainous characters we see in books. For him, it always was and always is about power. He sees this as one of the most important things and is very central in his life.

And the Devil Will Laugh

In this book, the theme is passion. Jorge Hernandez is a man who thrives on passion. It is the very instinctual passion that motivates him each day.

Not every author will concern themselves with themes while writing their books, but I find it helps me stay focused. It reminds me of what message I want to send to my readers about the characters and, in some cases, the world as I see it. 

The first paragraph of She Was His Angel ☠️(Updated)

Before starting the 8th book in the Hernandez series, I knew my focus would be on strong women and female empowerment. I needed to show how Paige Hernandez, the wife to protagonist Jorge, wasn't exactly playing second fiddle to anyone. I wanted to show that she could go head to head with any other character, male and female.

Throughout the book, She Was His Angel, my goal was to not only celebrate powerful women, but I also tried to demonstrate some of the bias and hurdles that we often face. While Paige is very much a superhero in the eyes of her husband Jorge, she often struggles as a mother, worries about the future, and attempts to keep everything in balance. Although this has been a focus throughout the series, I believe that this specific book takes a closer look into the world of Paige Noël-Hernandez.

Another angle that I hoped to focus on in this book was Paige's past. Up until this point, we didn't know a lot of details about her assassin lifestyle. We also didn't know how it even came about. I attempted to investigate in She Was His Angel, although I must admit, there's still a great deal to learn about this mysterious character's past. I've always said that some characters are more forthcoming than others. Jorge Hernandez, for example, is an open book, while Paige is quite the opposite. Even though she's been in most of the series, she's revealed very little about herself. Then again, maybe that's what keeps us all intrigued.

Why I won't be putting THIS in my next book 🙀🦠(Updated)

With the recent pandemic fresh on people's minds, many have suggested that I might want to incorporate this scenario in a future book. Not a chance.

Of course, I completely understand why people would feel this way. It's not as if I have ever shrunk back from exploring controversial subjects, and I'm all for potential conspiracy theories. However, we are already living in Covid-19 hell 24/7, so I suspect that people want to read about it as much as I want to write about it. Even publishers have expressed little interest in taking on any dystopian nightmare story at present. It's just a little too real, folks.

This isn't to suggest that it's impossible. I'm sure there's a crafty author out there who can do it in such a way that people find it appealing, maybe even exciting. And who knows what we will want to read in the future, once this is all over. 

I doubt it. 

Everything goes in cycles, and the truth be told, what's going on in the world affects creativity and what we find enjoyable. However, sometimes it has the opposite effect, kind of like reading a Christmas book in July.

I will continue to write my twisted series because regardless of the state of the world, raw human emotions are always in style.

She Was His Angel ☠️(Updated)

From my press releases: 

The Canadian author known as Mima published her 13th book (9th in the Hernandez series). The book is titled, She Was His Angel. 

A former Mexican narco transitions into Canadian life with family, politics, and business while holding tight to his ruthless, criminal ways. Meet Jorge Hernandez.

Power-hungry CEO of Our House of Pot, Jorge Hernandez, holds tight to his ruthless ways in the 8th book in the Hernandez series when he decides to take down the pharmaceutical industry in one powerful swoop. The man once known as the Mexican cartel leader El Diablo isn’t satisfied controlling the monopoly in the Canadian marijuana industry but wants to make Big Pharma squirm under his thumb. Using his political influence to cripple his nemesis, while simultaneously backing the incriminating docuseries Eat the Rich Before the Rich Eat You, Jorge might win the battle, but can he win the war? 

Recognizing that he’s started a bloodthirsty game of cat and mouse with a sinister opponent, Jorge enlists the help of the only person that he considers his equal. Former assassin Paige Hernandez, one of the most dangerous women in the world, takes on her husband’s advice to do her worst. But when an unexpected adversary forces her hand in a no-win situation, Paige is left with a heart-wrenching decision of who will live…and who will die.

When the couple unites forces, they discover a bloodbath overflowing in deception and disloyalty that shakes them to the core. Together with Paige, Jorge fights their enemy to the end because he is the devil and she was his angel.

This book centers on celebrating strong, powerful women who can take on the world. I also use this platform to resurface many stereotypes that women encounter throughout their lives, as well as the struggle of balancing family and work....and of course, in Paige's case, murder.

How do you keep track of everything?? 🤔 (updated from original)

After watching one of my recent blogs about how I have 10 different lives, (characters, I mean, just so you don't think I have a split personality....at least, nothing diagnosed 😜) a friend asked me how I kept track of everything. Not only do I have a lot of characters, but I also have a lot of books in my current series. I thought I had addressed this in a previous blog, but then, I wasn't sure if I covered the bases, so I thought I would dive into this question.

To begin with, I have a lot of stray notes that get stuck on a clipboard. These are comments in a specific character's voice, ideas, scenes, various things that I want to bring to light at some point in my book. Eventually, I take all these little notes and add them to a long list of things that are there as reminders of events and plot points coming up in the future. I don't necessarily use everything, and sometimes, these thoughts carry on to another book in the series. Sometimes they aren't used at all.

My most valuable writing possession (outside of my laptop) is a black book where I keep my writing notes. In the first section, I have a list of characters, notes about each one (age, family, etc.), and in which books you can find them.

The second half of this notebook is the notes for each chapter of every book in the series. I'm afraid the scribblings aren't necessarily as detailed as they should be but, they give me enough information to use as a reference point. That allows me to look up whatever book and chapter I need to review some material. Sometimes, for example, I have an old character returning to the series and have to remind myself what role they played, how they spoke, and their connection to the protagonist.

My little black book isn't perfect but, it gets the job done. It's the personal journal of my characters and their story.

Do we really need genres anymore? (updated)

It's not the first time I've talked about not wanting to be stuck in a genre: and it probably won't be the last. Are genres too confining?

The problem is that as soon as we put books in a category, it limits your audience. It suggests it's the central theme when most books, movies, and television shows can dip into a whole range of genres. You can watch a detective show and catch a little romance. You can read a detective book and stumble across some unexpected humor. Sometimes stating that a book is a specific genre only shows your potential audience a portion of what they can expect. It's like introducing your new friend and describing her as a journalist: when she's also a mother, a wife, an activist, and maybe even a volunteer in her community. The one-word description limits our view of who she is when she has so many aspects to her personality. Books are the same.

Another issue with having a specific genre is that it limits your audience. For example, if I learn a book is a 'romance', you've already lost me. It doesn't matter that perhaps it's only one element, and maybe the novel is full of humor, drama, and other things. I might enjoy it but, I've already written it off as 'not my kind of book'. This is another reason why I'm iffy on genres. I write books that more or less fall under the thriller-suspense categories, but I have a lot of other stuff going on, including romance, dark humor, maybe even a little horror from time to time.

I guess the point is that good books, movies and television shows have many different things going on. We have short attention spans and need lots of colors lighting up at once or we get bored. I'm not sure if genres are as important as they were in simpler times. What do you think?