The official blog is associated with www.mimaonfire.com. Author of 18 books including the Hernandez series 🔪
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It might surprise you to learn that meeting a character isn't all that different from meeting an actual person. I mean, there are some obvious differences, but in theory, it's quite similar. What do I mean? Let me explain.
When you meet a person, it takes time to get to know them. You can make assumptions about them, get your first impression, but it tends to take time to unravel the complexities of a human being. People are complicated. They're a series of experiences, heritage, genes, and self-concepts that makes them both fascinating and at times, difficult to understand.
Characters are also complex, a product of their environment, experiences, and views of the world. And contrary to what many people might think, you can't decide ahead of time exactly who they are and fit them in a neat little box. It usually takes writing about them and seeing them in various circumstances and conversations to slowly reveal who they are and how they fit into the world.
So, in essence, I meet my characters when they come along in the story, but getting to know them is a whole other thing.
Thanks for checking out my September newsletter! I only have a few things to report for August, so let's get started.
Most of my focus in August was on promoting my latest book, Psychopaths Rule the World. Hopefully, I've done so with new and creative ways to capture people's attention and interest. It's a struggle when you're up against famous names, but I do my best to let people know about my books. I'm currently contacting various libraries throughout the world. And of course, I'm also writing my 16th book. With working full-time, it's been a challenge, but I hope to have another book out this year.
Another project I've been working on is updating all my older blogs (eventually, I may do the same for my videos) so, I only have one new video/blog to share with you:
Despite his gangster ways, it may surprise you that murder is not Jorge Hernandez's automatic go-to when solving a delicate problem. But before dusting off his gun, the former cartel boss has a few tricks up his sleeve when dealing with uncooperative individuals.
The first thing you have to know is that Jorge Hernandez can quickly analyze any circumstance. Having been in many dangerous situations over the years, it's his instinct that has kept him alive. Needless to say, he can read a room fast and with accuracy, which helps him quickly figure out the best way to manipulate and intimidate anyone who gets in his way.
What can start as an unnerving conversation can quickly grow very intense. Anyone who casually writes off Jorge Hernandez as all talk should know better than to assume there will be no action. This is usually where the threats come in. Keep in mind that he has a powerful, frightening presence, which tends to bring the point home. This is a man used to going up against brutal criminals, so when dealing with the average person, who, at worst, might be an asshole, his methods tend to border on terrifying.
But make no mistake. If all else fails, Jorge Hernandez thinks nothing of murdering. You just better hope he mercifully makes it quick and painless.
Thank you for checking out my August newsletter. I'm reviewing what you might've missed during the hot days of summer!
As you might already know, I experimented with selling products with my book covers on them during July. Although the concept was great, I, unfortunately, had to close my store with a particular print-on-demand company because I felt their postage rates were too high. The good news is that if you ordered products from them, they should be arriving shortly, and I'm looking into some more affordable options. It was a learning experience and one that I'm still....well, learning about, as it turns out. I will say that I had a lot of interest from people wanting to buy products, which is exciting!
What videos and blogs were new in July? I have a couple of new ones, and of course, you can always go back to check out my entire channel or blogs. Learn about my books, writing, and how I got started.
That's about it for this month! I'm working on book #16 and already know what #17 is about and I'm super excited. I'm also thinking of starting up a personal blog again soon.
If you enjoy my videos, don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel.
Enjoy the rest of your summer. Thank you for your support.
Shortly after publishing my first book, Fire, in 2010, I was surprised when people started to inquire if the protagonist's story was based on my own life. This came as a bit of a surprise to me. It never would've crossed my mind that people would assume that my books were autobiographical, but apparently, that was a common belief.
As it turns out, I didn't spend my 20s in a rock band, with two of my bandmates in love with me. I didn't become famous, and most of all, my life wasn't quite as exciting as that of my protagonist, Tarah. Although, my protagonist and I did indeed have similar physical traits (petit and blonde), and that's pretty well where our similarities ended. If anything, I was living vicariously through my characters while writing the book.
I would later write about vampires in The Rock Star of Vampires, and Her Name is Mariah, which seemed to end any speculation that my characters were representative of my own life. After all, I'm pretty sure no one thinks that I'm a vampire. Of course, if there had been any uncertainty, I'm sure that ended when I started writing the Hernandez series, which centers on a man who used to be in the Mexican cartel.
Then again, one never knows what people think.
In my opinion, it's never a great idea to write about your own life or that of others you know, even if the book is technically fiction. In the end, it becomes more autobiographical, and rather than following a character and telling their story, you're telling your own. I can understand why someone might want to do this, but I would warn that this brings things a little too close to home, making it more difficult to see both sides of a story. To write a good book, I think you have to show other perspectives, not just that of your protagonist. Also, you have to consider whether or not you want people to figure out it's about you. There are things you might not want to share and books, even fiction, are deeply personal when unraveling your characters.
That's not to say that it's always a terrible idea. If you decide to write about characters based on you, my advice would be to distance yourself to get a broader view. I would switch up some details just to make sure no one catches on. 😉
As I've mentioned in previous blogs, music has always been an inspiration to my writing. Scenes in my books often remind me of the specific songs I was listening to when I first envisioned them, long before they found their way to the pages of my book.
I think this is pretty common with authors. However, I'm not sure if it works the same way for them as it does for me. I don't pick specific songs that I think should inspire a scene, but quite the opposite. Sometimes the most random, unexpected songs will stand out to me, and with them comes a vision of a scene between my characters. Sometimes I don't even know where it will fit into a future book or when, but I know that it has a relevance that will come to light eventually.
One great example is the song Peace Sells... but Who's Buying by Megadeth. This song inspired a scene in one of the books in my series (I think it was The Devil May Lie) where a man attempts to intimidate Jorge Hernandez. Things happen, as you can imagine, and it ends up with Jorge's associate, Chase Jacobs, hitting the man with a bar stool. I see the scene so clearly every time I hear the song and forever will associate the two.
Of course, it's not just songs that inspire specific scenes that count, but also the music that helps me during the actual writing process. People might be surprised to learn that I tend to listen to meditation-style music while I write. I want something calm, relaxing and that helps me get centered when I'm writing. This causes me to find balance and helps me to think more clearly, not to mention allows a flow that comes naturally. You never know where a chapter will end up and, that's exactly what I want.
I thought it would be fun to start a video newsletter to accompany my standard, monthly newsletter that I send out at the end of each month. I do this in order to review my latest news, videos, and of course, book information to keep everyone up to date. Check it out!
The BIG news for July is that my NEW book is out! Psychopaths Rule the World can be found in most online stores. Here are a few links:
