Does everyone have a creative side? 🎨(Updated)

Let's face it. A teenager talking about dreams of becoming a writer, a rock star, or a painter, may not be taken as seriously as someone who talks about college, university, or program that almost assures a job at the end of the line. Most creative professions are practically in the same category as psychics, life coaches, YouTube channels, and anything spiritual as being a little woo-woo. You know, it's interesting, but can you make money with it?

Interestingly, if you're good at any of those things, you probably can make a lot of money once you have a following. People are intrigued by psychics, artists, and spiritual teachers however, most people don't take them seriously, and one of the reasons is that many people pursuing these areas don't either. We all know people who talked of writing a book, joining a band, or studying herbs, only to flake as soon as they realized that it takes much more time and effort than they had assumed. After all, I don't get up at 6 a.m. for the hell of it.

Believe it or not, creative pursuits require a lot of blood, sweat, and tears because overnight success is rare. There's no easy formula. For example, if you want to be a nurse, teachers can help put you on the right path. If you want to be a rock star...not so much.

For that reason,  people are often discouraged from chasing their creative dreams. It just seems like a long shot and unstable. It causes people to bury their creative side, believing that it's silly and useless. However, be reassured it's there. If you were ever a child, 👶 (and I'm guessing, you might have been ☺️) you are creative. When you were five, chances are you weren't talking about the stock market or politics but most likely were ass deep in paints, Lego or toys. There was no structure. Coloring inside the lines? What? That was crazy talk!

Coloring outside the lines as an adult is a whole other story but does it have to be? Maybe it's time to explore that creative side because it's there. I promise. Underneath criticisms you once heard for not being serious enough, not following the rules, and of course, not sitting quietly, your creative side is waiting to come back out.

The Devil May Lie - book 6 in the Hernandez crime family series 😈(Updated)

The Devil May Lie is Mima's 11th book, the 6th book in the Hernandez crime family series. In this book, former cartel kingpin Jorge Hernandez is groomed for Canadian politics. Will the Canadian political landscape ever be the same again?

In the sixth book in the Hernandez crime family series, the murder and mayhem continue. Here is the summary:

With blood on his hands, Jorge Hernandez has enforced a brutal takeover of the Canadian legalized marijuana industry. Now facing opponents who want to challenge the existing laws, the former Mexican crime lord has no intentions of backing down. His brash style and sharp tongue captivate the media while behind the scenes, those who oppose him are often met by his crime family’s ruthless style of justice.

When a heartbreaking tragedy tears through the country and whispers of racism and government neglect dominates the news, Canada’s latest media darling finds himself courted by the nationally disgraced party. He has murdered, terrorized and tortured to get to the top and now he’s being groomed to lead one of the country’s political parties.

In the latest book in this brutal series, Jorge Hernandez insists that nothing is more important than the truth…and yet, the devil may lie….

Does a weak moment make a weak character? (Updated)

Just like real people, the strongest of characters have weak moments. Why should the reader see this contrast? As a writer, how do you demonstrate it?

First of all, the best characters are often complicated and full of contradictions. This gives them many layers and makes them seem more 3-dimensional and therefore, realistic. After all, most of us are also complicated and full of contradictions. This helps to make characters relatable to the reader. We like seeing that we aren't the only ones who are a bit messed up. Also, witnessing a strong, larger-than-life character falling apart makes them much more humble. We like that. 

A perfect example would be Jolene Silva, who is my current series. Jolene is strong, confident, powerful, and someone I would describe as a femme fatale. However, at one point in this series, the Colombian bombshell reveals a weak side to her personality that no one saw coming. She makes a series of bad decisions that places her in a dangerous position with Jorge Hernandez and his crew. After a long, difficult road, she finally is trusted by la familia again and comes back stronger than ever. 

I love this because it shows how the strongest characters can fall apart but can bounce back under some of the worst circumstances that life puts them in. There's something very reassuring and comforting about that fact. 

Never assume a weak moment makes a weak character. In fact, it actually makes them more human. 

Animals and Devils 🐺😈(Updated)

If you're familiar with my series, you probably already know that the books have an animal and devil theme in the titles. But why is that?

As I said in previous videos, this became the series that wasn't meant to be a series. It started with a book called We're All Animals in 2016 and took off with the follow-up, Always be a Wolf, a few months later. This portion of the series follows protagonist Chase Jacobs, a naive, small-town boy who tends to try to do the right thing.

And that's when things take a bit of a turn.

In the fall of 2017, the devil-themed titles start appropriately with the blood-thirsty thug Jorge Hernandez as the protagonist. The Devil is Smooth Like Honey followed the life of the Mexican narco who's about to take over the legalized pot industry in Canada. While Chase was very much the boy-next-door, Jorge is the complete opposite, demonstrating the vast differences in characters. Having Chase as an employee, both men tend to have an influence on one another as the series continues with A Devil Named Hernandez and And the Devil Will Laugh. (Since this blog was posted, there are MORE books with animals and devils in the title. Go HERE to learn more.) 

I've always said that I love character contrasts in books and feel that extremes have a way of balancing each other out. I'm curious where this will go in the future because I predict a shift in both of these characters in my next book. Will Jorge bring out the bad in Chase and Chase bring out the good in Jorge, or are certain aspects in their DNA to stay? What do you think?

Should characters ever be based on people you know? 🤔(Updated)

I recently stumbled across a video recommending that writers base characters on people they know. I cringed.

I never pretend to be a writing expert. I do feel that after a few books, I've learned a couple of things along the way. Basing characters on people I know never seemed like a good idea, and therefore, I never did it. To begin with, I'm assuming there would always be a paranoia of someone 'discovering' that a character was strangely like them, not to mention hurt feelings, potential arguments, and maybe even a few Facebook rants...as much as we all love those.

Most importantly, I feel that characters create themselves. You might have a few ideas of who they are or what they're about, but in the end, characters tend to form as you write the story. It's kind of like having a child and assuming the personality you think they'll have; chances are, they'll soon show you that you never had a say in the first place.

Characters are complex. As a writer, you'll probably have a deeper understanding of your characters than most people in your life. You can see inside their heart and understand what makes them tick. This makes sense because you're on a long journey together.

The interesting thing about characters is that they often are a piece of you. Just like every songwriter inserts a piece of who they are in their songs, every author tends to do the same with their characters. It's not something you think about, but rather it just happens. Maybe one of your characters shares your fears in life or your fixation on a specific pet peeve. The characters are unique, but they're also you.

And really, isn't that what makes the writing process amazing?

Let's talk about Paige Noël-Hernandez 🧘🏼‍♀️ (Updated)

Paige Noël-Hernandez is the assassin wife of Jorge Hernandez and makes her first appearance in The Devil is Smooth Like Honey and continues throughout the series from that point on. 

What I love about Paige, is that she's incredibly calm and balanced regardless of the situation. She manages to keep a little sanity to the otherwise erratic group of characters, and yet, you're left wondering if maybe she's a little too calm in various situations. I guess it's the meditation. 

Paige enters the series (and meets her husband Jorge) in a unique and dramatic way. Although it's probably a situation that seems insane, for some reason, the two find themselves drawn to one another and start a very fiery, intense relationship, which dominates this series almost as much as....well, the violence. There's a strength to their relationship that can't be denied and in many ways is admirable. 

Of course, if you're looking for a fairytale princess meets prince storyline, the relationship between Jorge and Paige Hernandez might horrify you.

The loyalty factor 👊🏼 (Updated)

One of the aspects that I think people find most appealing about my current series is the loyalty factor. Actually, as the writer, this is one of the aspects that I also like the best. There's something to be said about a group of people who can trust each other, literally, with their life. We find comfort when watching or reading about these relationships because loyalty is a trait we respect. 

In today's society, many people don't necessarily feel that they have loyalty in their lives. If we're lucky, we might have a small group of people that we would even put in that category, and even then, many of us have also fallen into the 'blind faith' scenario, only to find ourselves shocked when someone lets us down. We've seen disappointment in relationships, friendships, employers, and family, to name a few. To a point, loyalty might not only be a hot commodity, but it might also feel like a rare one, making it even more precious.

When I think about shows that have been popular over the years, I notice that characters' loyalty to one another has been prevalent. It doesn't matter if it's friends living together or a group of gangster/mobster characters; the basis of their relationship is often loyalty, whether the protagonist is dealing with a broken heart or a broken body. It doesn't matter if these relationships are dysfunctional most of the time; what matters is that when needed, these people show up for one another.

It takes time to demonstrate loyalty. The beauty of writing a series is that I have the opportunity to create and show the strength of these relationships through time, as it continues from book to book. Interestingly, real life is not that different, except it runs over years.