Mesmerizing Coolness

Okay. Newest way to keep from jumping right into writing at 7:00 in the morning (used to be playing sudoku and  trying clothes on cyber-self) but now, browsing graphic design sites and looking at book covers. Doing it for hours. Okay. Only one hour, but an hour every day, which is at least 1 page worth of writing time. But can’t stop. Can’t stop thinking about my cover.

There was a time when holding a hundred of my own pages was enough to keep me happy for weeks. Okay, yes, still is. Only now I want something besides a staple in the corner. I want a book with a cover. A really cool cover. And yes, I know there are people who get paid a lot of money to design them, and that I’m not one of them.

But doesn’t mean I can’t help thinking the best guy to hire would be the one who got me to buy this...

When I went to buy this...

And without using any gold stars or blurbs or blue lights or anything. Just sticking on a cool picture was enough to get me to forget I was there for Concha y Toro. I know. Crazy. I was mesmerized by coolness. Which is exactly what I want in a book cover, Mesmerizing Coolness. 

All time favorite cover:

What's yours?

From Kristen Torres-Toro

From Lisa & Laura

From DebralSchubert 

From Erica

From Dawn Simon 

A heraldic concept image from Elaine still writing Smith  

From Amy Tate

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An End

Now that my book is done, or I should say, now that its passed from my hands and into someone else’s, I decided it’s time to go through all those binders that contain the outlines, the barely legible notes written on post-its in the middle of the night, the drawings and newspaper clippings, all tools I used to shape this book into something more than an idea dancing around in my head. Some are single words, others phrases so disconnected to me now, I don’t recognize where I was going with them. And a very few, amazingly good. Those I’m saving for the next book. Copying myself.

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Haiti's Earthquake

Image: New York Daily News

When we lived in Puerto Rico, our house was made from poured cement and cinder block. It was built to withstand hurricanes and it did, many times. The Hatians protected themselves from the same force of nature, only they were hit with another and the cinder blocks have come loose. They have buried a nation. As unimaginable as the devastation is, only a few dollars will help provide much needed medical and food supplies.  


I am sending something today. Please, if you can, join me.
Unicef 
World Vision 
Doctors Without Borders 
American Red Cross 

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My 46th Year

Every year on my birthday I do my New Years resolutions. My birthday is on January 5th, and since I’m usually busy taking down the tree, cooking, entertaining, it makes sense to wait. When I finally get around to it, I start at the mirror. I look in my face to see what the next birthday looks like. It's always written there. Never skipped one yet. After that, I make promises. How things are going to be different. How I’m not going to live in regret. How I am going to make every day an exciting adventure. And I believe it for a good long while. Months. And that works for me, but I didn’t do that this year. This year, no promises. This year I started a new tradition.

It is called What I Learned.

Like...

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Orange Jicama Salad

For the salad:

1 large jicama peeled and grated

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 cup cilantro

8 oranges, peeled and sliced, membranes removed

1 head bibb lettuce

For the dressing:

¼ cup of limejuice

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sugar

Think of this as an orange salad. The other ingredients are there for more than taste, to give each bite zest and texture.

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Natural Fashion

I want to share this book Natural Fashion - Tribal Decorations from Africa as photographed by Hans Silvester. The beauty of the people of the Surma and Mursi tribes in the L'Omo Valley, along the borders of  Ethiopia, Kenya, and Sudan, areas of heavy conflict, is breathtaking. I had no idea such expression existed, and now that I have, I cannot stop enjoying their faces. What is most amazing is this is a daily expression. 

"The tribes’ daily paintings are an essential expression of their lives – more elemental to them than music or dance. Fascinated by the Surma and Mursi tribes’ painting practices and astounded by the beauty of their ephemeral art, Silvester captures the diverse and extraordinary effects that they achieve through their ancient tradition."

Source Malborough Gallery

A slideshow of even more images...

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Since you asked, How I got An Agent

So here goes my story…
I started writing my book Hey Chica quite a few years ago. I could say ten years ago only I didn’t really write for the first seven besides the initial five or so pages. Which I thought were so brilliant at the time, but reading them now, they’re unconnected ramblings. Ideas of ideas. But at the time, they were enough. Enough for me to dream on and plan on and hope on until something better came along. Only I didn’t know that the something better was a lot of hard work.
But my agent story…

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Mango Salsa Recipe

Making a salsa, as you probably know, is mostly chopping, mixing, and sitting. But what you might not know is that sitting is the most important. Salsa is a dish that is best eaten after it has sat fifteen minutes on your counter. Only then will the flavors have a chance to mix together and become something new, something more, something that is sweet and tangy and hot all at one time. 

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Happy and Dancing

Okay. So, I got an agent. Oh, yes I did.

Only thing is, didn’t go at all like I dreamed it. Not even close. For one thing, I was dressed way better in my dream and I was sophisticated and calm and well spoken. I had a pen and paper and was taking notes. I think I was even using a pink princess phone seeing as I’ve had this day planned forever.

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Arroz Amarillo

This is one of my favorite dishes. Your house will smell so good while it is cooking that it won’t matter if it and black beans are all you have for dinner.

To make this dish, cook four cups of rice, whatever kind you use, however your would normally cook it, only add a few saffron threads right before you cover it to boil. (Right here is a good time to tell you, I always wash my rice before cooking. That way it is shiny, the stickyness is gone, and its tastes so much better. To wash it, just put it in the pot you will cook in and add a few cups of water. Then using your hand, move the rice around as though it is in your clothes washer. You will immediately see the water cloud as the grains rub against each other loosing debris. I do this at least three times, pouring and refilling with fresh water each time. It is not necessary to remove all the water, simply hold your hand as a sieve, and pour away as much as you can. Of course, you will have some extra water when you add the normal amount you usually, but it is only a few tablespoons and will not matter.

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