Let's talk about courage 🦁

The theme for my 18th book (the 13th in the Hernandez series) will be courage. I thought this was important since I fear that courage is a trait that's currently lacking in our world. Some will speak up and feel the need to have a voice, while others cower away and feel more comfortable going with the flow. It's been suggested that it's a generational situation, but I don't know. Without a backbone, do you have anything?

Anyone familiar with my Hernandez series is aware that the protagonist is fearless. In a way, he represents the courage many people wish they had, the freedom to speak up whenever they want, with no consequences. Of course, in the real world, that isn't always possible. We live in a time where some people hold puppet strings that can easily get tied up in a knot. 

In the world of Jorge Hernandez, there will be no one and nothing that gets in his way. No one intimidates him. Nothing scares him (and if it does, he will never let you know). Although some might rightfully suggest that his courage may sometimes go a little too far, these extremes in my series are to make a point. For example if Jorge is going up against someone in Big Pharma and takes extreme measures to make a point, it's representative of a society that perhaps has justifiable anger about the same oligarchs. Jorge takes on a lot of people, many of which represent ideas and behavior that those with courage might be already questioning. Not that new ideas aren't good, but we increasingly live in a society where there's a 'right' and 'wrong' view to have with no discussion allowed. Jorge Hernandez knows what he believes. No one tells him how to think. He listens but isn't swayed because of his strong personal beliefs. The popular vote isn't necessarily his vote. 

Although his tactics are questionable, no one can argue that Jorge Hernandez has courage. In a tight situation, you want this guy in your corner. 

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. 

All my books have hidden themes 🤫(Updated)

Did you know that my books have a theme? This is the message that takes the driver's seat and creates a direction for the entire book or, in some cases, the series. But why are themes important?

In a nutshell, themes are the 'point' of everything you do. For example, when you pick jobs, there's probably an underlying reason that goes much deeper than a paycheque. When you choose a mate or friendships, chances are there's a theme there too. With my writing, there are underlying themes that create a central idea behind by books. Themes are essential because they are the lifeblood of the story. I think the best way to demonstrate this is to give some examples.

In my first two books, Fire and A Spark before the Fire, my theme was how our culture often doesn't see entertainers as real people but rather machines whose every move is meant to be entertainment, their lives on constant display. This happened when I watched a celebrity have a very public meltdown, and people were essentially laughing at her rather than having any concern for her mental state. It frustrated me that we have tabloids and silly shows that focus on everything the stars are doing, and actually, this has only grown worse since writing these two books over ten years ago. Of course, this wouldn't exist if there wasn't a demand.

My third and fourth books had a vampire theme. Not surprisingly, the vampires in my books represent the 'bloodsuckers' or 'vampires' in our lives. Around the time I wrote these books, I saw an increasing number of people who fell in this category, not even in my own life but the world in general. We view it in the news regularly as many of these questionable characters float to the surface, in clear view. The Rock Star of Vampires is my first of two books that dive into this area, and in it, we discover that the protagonist, although she's a vampire, is probably less of a vulture than other characters in her life. In Her Name is Mariah, we learn about a young, troubled woman who preys on others because it's the only way she knows to survive, therefore, showing both sides of the same situation.

My current (Hernandez) series eased the reader into the whole world of organized crime and an underground world that people may assume is rare if they even believe it exists at all. The central theme is corruption, crime, collusion, and the belief that sometimes it's hard to distinguish the 'good' people from the 'bad'. Although my books follow a group of criminals, there is a point where readers see that the lines are often blurred. My goal was to make readers think and perhaps ask some questions, if only to themselves. Who runs the world? Politicians, corporations, religious leaders....or is it you? Who controls what we see and what we know? Is it manipulated? These are the questions that I've explored as the series unfolded a few years ago, and I continue to ask myself.

A theme gives us a larger focus, which is essential to both the writer and the reader.