The official blog is associated with www.mimaonfire.com. Author of 18 books including the Hernandez series 🔪
Loyalty Above All
There are no exceptions.
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If you're already familiar with my Hernandez series, then you're probably also aware that Jorge Hernandez is very protective of his family. The former cartel boss believes in loyalty above all and is willing to do anything - literally anything - when it comes to those he loves the most.
This comes from Jorge's cartel background, where loyalty was necessary to remain alive. If someone in your army of people wasn't watching your back, you could end up dead. If we want to go even further back, we learn that the family Jorge grew up in quickly turned their back on him when the stakes were high. As you can imagine, this played a role in why such a stringent rule exists for the people in Jorge's life.
I think readers appreciate the significance of loyalty to Jorge Hernandez. After all, most of us may feel uncertain if the people in our lives are as loyal to us, as Hernandez is to his family. However, there is a price to pay if they're not.
Just like in real life, characters also have relationship ups and downs. All it takes is an issue or argument to throw everything off course. But why is this important in fiction? Why can't everyone always be happy and get along?
One of the most important aspects of a book has to be the connection with the characters. How do we connect with characters the most? It tends to be because we relate to a situation they are dealing with. And what better relatable situation than having relationship ups and downs with people in their lives? Hey, we can all relate to that, can't we?
Relationships tend to go in cycles. Even the people we get along with the most will irk us sometimes. It's human nature. I often notice that when writing, I'm running into this situation. You have to consider the values that characters have and how someone else's comment or decision affects them. Again, like real life. If your cousin is sensitive about her weight and you comment on how she looks thinner, how will she react? What if you tell her she looks like she gained a few pounds? How do these two comments affect your relationship? Remember that characters are the same.
Of course, even if relationships go off course, they also can come back. Depending on the state of the relationship, this can sometimes happen more quickly than others. Then again, there are some relationships that will always be a bit prickly.
Summer's coming! Although not as fast as I would like. 🌼
I continued to work on my next book while working on some side projects. One of which was to update my entire Blogger account. I finally completed it this week! Check out all the blogs here (with accompanying videos for each)
I'm also in the process of adding all my videos to Rumble. Check it out and subscribe!
I have one new video and corresponding blog from April:
Most of the time, we don't even think about it. However, caring about characters is one of the main reasons you may feel connected to certain books, movies, or television shows. In truth, if you don't care about the characters, you probably don't care what happens to them either. The same rules apply if you're writing. The only difference is that as a writer, you already formed a bond with your characters. Your job is to make others see what you see. It's not always an easy task, but it's necessary to keep readers intrigued.
One of the best ways to create this connection is to show the character's vulnerable sides. Readers need to see their weaknesses, opinions, and anything that irritates them or brings them joy. Maybe you don't like to admit it, but you may share a character's secret insecurities or habits. Something as minor as that can sometimes be enough to connect and care about a character.
Currently, I'm watching a television series that I find enjoyable, but at the same time, I could stop watching it today. It's not that the acting is bad. It's not that the storylines aren't intriguing. It's not that I'm never surprised. It's because I find all the characters a bit insufferable and don't care about them. The only part of me that's still interested is the part that's intrigued to see where the character development goes in the future. Will the characters start to break down? I'm in season two, and this is what I'm discovering, but there's still a ways to go.
And speaking of television series, I think that's why sometimes people hate the book-to-screen transition. Sometimes we connect very strongly to a character on the pages of a book, whereas the wrong actor or script can completely blow the entire thing out of the water. If my Hernandez series were to turn into a television series, I've always said that the wrong actor to play Jorge Hernandez would sink the entire ship. It's a delicate balance between books and what you see on a screen.
Characters have many sides. Let readers see them all.
Here we are again! Another month has slid by, and it's time for my latest monthly newsletter.
There isn't a lot to report for this month. I've been busy with a couple of projects. The first one is to update and edit my blog account. This has been an ongoing and tedious project, but it's getting close to the end. I've also been adding my video catalog to Rumble. Again, it takes time, but I'm slowly updating these two things.
...and of course, I'm writing another book. I'm about 11 chapters into it.
We may not always agree with them, but protagonists are free to have their point of view. Unlike what readers might think, writers aren't playing God when writing a story but merely the co-author of every book. The protagonists run the show.
Granted, if you're reading about Jorge Hernandez in my Hernandez series, those points of view can get disturbing, can be sexist, and come from a very sharp tongue. This isn't a man who's hoping to be politically correct and he doesn't care about your feelings. It's his story to tell as he wishes. You're merely the reader who's coming along for the ride. Some people stay for the whole thing, while others get out of the car on chapter one. It just depends on the kind of adventure you want.
You have to remember that every protagonist comes with a vast array of experiences. Their past often predicts how they view the world, what they're most aware of, and how they react to any given situation. A former cartel boss will respond differently than a rural housewife or a suburban teenager. The things they notice and their instincts will vary, as do confidence levels in any given circumstance. There are so many factors that play a role, and it's also why a room filled with characters will react differently to the same event.
The protagonist and characters, in general, shouldn't be censored. There's enough censorship in this world without forcing our characters to also hold back on how they really feel.
