I'm not my characters 🙀

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.  😉

Music and how it inspires my books 🎵🎸🥁

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. 

My July newsletter 📫

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:

Amazon.com

Book Depository

Amazon.ca

Barnes & Nobles 

Kindle

Kobo

iBooks

Target

Also, you can find my latest book in the July edition of The Buzz. 

You can also check out my latest videos/blogs:

Are your characters RUDE?? 🙀

     Blog

     Video 

Psychopaths Rule the World 🔪

     Blog

     Video 

Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to my videos. If you hit the bell, you'll receive notifications each time I have a new video up.

Thank you for your support!

Mima 🌸

Psychopaths Rule the World 🔪

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

This is the tenth book in the Hernandez series but if you haven't had a chance to check them out yet, I think you'll get to speed quickly with this new book.   

Elevator pitch:

When rumors of a tell-all book about the former cartel leader and his ruthless, blood-thirsty ways start to surface, Jorge Hernandez is in a race against time to make sure the biography never goes to press.

Full back cover synopsis:

There are few things that Jorge Hernandez thrives on more than being in the spotlight. Whether it’s his revealing docuseries, Eat the Rich Before the Rich Eat You, his short stint in politics, or his occasional live stream interviews, Jorge thrives on public admiration despite his insistence that fame is silly. However, his wife Paige has concerns that his need to be the center of attention might one day shine a light into some very dark corners.

When rumors that a tell-all book about the former cartel leader and his ruthless ways start to surface, Jorge is livid. On a mission to uncover the author that plans to expose him as a bloodthirsty vigilante who uses intimidation and corruption to rule his empire, he encounters numerous roadblocks in his race to stop the book from going to press. 

How underground must you go to get away from Jorge Hernandez and his rage? Will a counter book telling a fictional account of his life help to alleviate the problem?

In the tenth book in the Hernandez series, Jorge fears he could drown under the potential media glare. But could a shark like him ever sink, especially when psychopaths rule the world? 

Are your characters RUDE?? 🙀

I never really understood why so many writers feel the need to make their protagonist the saint and innocent victim of life, but I tend to play my cards differently. There are many of my characters that might be considered rude, and I'm ok with that. 

It all started when I wrote about a guy named Jimmy Groome in my first book (who came along as the protagonist in my second book, A Spark Before the Fire) that I discovered that writing about characters with an edge is fun. Although we learn that Jimmy was originally quite shy and bullied as a child in his back story, he eventually became a talented musician, which brings with it, popularity. That's when his rude side came out and often to those who were mean to him in his childhood. His remarks were often downright mean, but you could understand where this snappy attitude came from as a reader. 

Later, I would write about a sassy, young vampire named Mariah (Her Name is Mariah) who was bold and had an attitude, but we understood once you know her back story. She grew up with an alcoholic mother and a father who left the family while Mariah was still a child. She grew a sharper edge because she needed it to survive. Determined to be no one's victim, Mariah never felt the need to hold back on her direct comments and attacks. 

Of course, my sharpest, most abrupt, and rudest protagonist of all would have to be Jorge Hernandez (Hernandez series). He has few limits when it comes to rudeness. When you're on his bad side, Jorge has no limits to what he will say, with little concern about hurt feelings. Often a fine line between rudeness and threats, he once told an annoying telemarketer that if they called again, he would find them and cut their fucking throat. Needless to say, he's pretty extreme in his rudeness. 

Rude characters can seem inappropriate to the very sensitive but let's face it, they're kind of fun to read (and write) about because they say things that sometimes, we wish we could say too. 

- Mima

Let's talk about the Hernandez series ☠️

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

Starting with We’re All Animals we follow naive Chase Jacobs from small-town Alberta to the big city, where he unknowingly is employed by a group of sinister characters. The truth slowly reveals itself in Always be a Wolf, but a horrific tragedy rocks Chase’s world, and quickly discovers that his new family will do anything for him. Anything.

Jorge Hernandez takes over as the protagonist in the third installment of the series,  The Devil is Smooth Like Honey. The beloved character is bold, blood-thirsty, and always gets what he wants because he sees no boundaries. Nothing and no one stands in his way. 

In A Devil Named Hernandez  Jorge is muscling in on the Canadian legalized pot industry but is distracted by enemies that crop up to threaten someone he loves. Do they really want to dance with the devil?

The collusion, corruption, and murder continue right through to And the Devil Will Laugh where he successfully takes over the pot industry despite a few obstacles that get in his way…but isn’t there always some collateral damage?

In The Devil May Lie,  Jorge Hernandez is groomed for Canadian politics with hopes of saving one of the major political parties after a public uproar. Will the Canadian political landscape ever be the same again? 

In The Devil and his Legacy, Jorge Hernandez starts to questions his own legacy after one of his foot soldiers is murdered. He opts for a simple life but will the simple life opt for him?

In She Was His Angel, Jorge uses his political influence to cripple his nemesis Big Pharma 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?

When a cop has the nerve to show up at his door and harass Jorge in We’re All Criminals, his fury quickly ignites. While Jorge wants to exhibit his power and publicly taunt the police, his family fears that he may have pushed too far this time. 

Subplots, conspiracy theories, and a cast of characters that will jump off the pages. 

Loyalty above all. There are no exceptions.

For more information on all these books, click HERE for a complete synopsis.  Watch the playlist on YouTube.

Why Jorge Hernandez constantly corrects how people pronounce his name 🇲🇽(Updated)

If you don't have a lot of exposure to the Spanish-speaking world, chances are you aren't familiar with the pronunciation of some of their most common names. For example, the correct pronunciation of my protagonist Jorge Hernandez's name in Spanish is 'Hor-hay'. On the other hand, the English version is 'George'. However, if you're familiar with the Hernandez series, you already know that Jorge quickly corrects anyone who uses the Spanish version of his name. Readers often ask why a man who grew up in Mexico, using the Spanish pronunciation of his name, opts to change it to the English version? 

To begin with, Jorge spent a lot of time in the US (California) when he was younger, so it makes sense that he picked up some more American habits. Keep in mind that he probably encountered many people who used the American pronunciation, so it might've been easier to go with it. You have to remember that he was with the cartel and wanted to fit into American life as best he could without standing out. 

There might also be an argument that since his childhood was difficult, Jorge wanted to shed his former identity in some small way. After all, his parents named him, so changing the pronunciation might be a form of rebellion, symbolic of his separation from his family. After all, it's a touchy subject with him, which indicates a very personal reason for his insistence on English pronunciation. 

As a writer, I'm slowly learning more and more about all my characters, and I wouldn't be surprised if there's even more to the story that I haven't learned yet.  Some characters aren't forthcoming, and sometimes they can surprise you.