How Jorge Hernandez always gets what he wants 😱

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. 

My August newsletter 📰

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. 

Check out what was new in July:

Music and how it inspires my books 🎵🎸🥁

     Video

      Blog 

I'm not my characters 🙀

     Video

     Blog

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. 

Mima. 

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