J.D. Estrada's Blog

Qué bonito esestar de vuelta en Puerto Rico. Aunque hablaremos sobre el regreso de ladiáspora luego, este post es para contarles las actividades que he disfrutadocon la comunidad literaria de Puerto Rico: en eventos más grandes, eventos míoscomo autor y como fanático de todo lo que se hace en PR en nuestra comunidad. Abajo les cuento yhacemos un conteo de todo lo que he podido participar este año, aún bregando con las mily una aventuras de la vida.

 

Eventos de Autor:2

 

Para no habertenido un evento en tienda hace años, dos eventos en un mes no está nadamal. Aquí resumen de los dos.

 

Diálogos dePenumbra Parte 1: El Book Stop en Santurce

Mi primer evento deautor en años fue el 5 de octubre. Ante todo, mis gracias a Lizbeth Arroyo deTazas y Portadas por el assist para conectar con El Book Stop. Conozco a Liz hace años, le tengo muchísimoaprecio y si en algún momento estás feliz de que mis libros están disponiblesen Puerto Rico, ELLA es la razón por la cual volví a traer los libros a la Islae incluso, la razón primordial por la cual estoy leyendo mucho más en español.

 

Eso yaestablecido, el evento de El Book Stop fue en el espacio cultural en Alto delCabro en Santurce, un espacio muy acogedor y lo más que tengo que resaltar fuelo cómodo y bien recibido que me sentí. Patrick y Aryam fueron sumamentesimpáticos y la moderación de Patrick fue hiper natural y llevadera. Te loresumo de esta manera: fue como si dos panas estuviesen hablando de libros yuno de los libros resultaba ser mío. Tuve la dicha de que autores se dieroncita así que mis gracias a Ale Wal, Abraham Delgado, Grace Bosques y Daniel Krowman por decir presente. Si quieren ver el live de nuestra charla, denleclic AQUÍ. Conste, necesito compartir el descriptivo que le dio Patrick a lacolección. Dijo que es como un Twilight Zone boricua y no puedo estar másorgulloso de una comparación así. La colección es oscura sin ser extrema y esun buen sitio para comenzar con el género. Aparte de eso, lo único que lespuedo decir es que pronto tengo date de ir a El Book Stop para buscar alguitopara mí. Tienen una selección muy interesante, ecléctica y diferente y si estánpor Santurce u Hormigueros, dense cita a cualquiera de las dos localidades.

Diálogos dePenumbra Parte 2: Casa Norberto En Plaza las Américas

El segundo eventode Penumbra fue el 25 de octubre en Casa Norberto: Libros and Café Bar en Plazalas Américas. Aquí quien se lució y lo tengo que admitir fue la familia. Unocuando hace un evento el mayor temor que tiene es que no vaya nadie y mis suegros,mis hermanos y sus esposas, los dos sobrinos que están en PR, una hermana de lavida, una cuñada, la suegra de mi hermano que es como mi tía y dos miembros de mi familiaextendida fueron. Además, dos amigos muy cercanos de la universidad también sedieron cita y tuve el placer de conocer una representante de una familia que letengo muchísimo aprecio, porque me llevan apoyando más de una década. Además,conté con el apoyo de Natalie Rosario Ruiz (nuestra querida Malamañosa) y elsúper combo de Gloria y Valeria González que escriben en conjunto eindividualmente demostrando nuevamente el cariño que hay en la comunidad deautores en PR. Este evento se dio 100% gracias a Marilyn Vélez quien medistribuye los libros en Puerto Rico a través de Letras Distribucion. Así quesi hoy por hoy te alegra poder conseguir mis libros en Puerto Rico, eso esgracias a Marilyn.

 

Del evento, pues,si algo es importante para mí es que no importa el evento que vayas, que telleves una experiencia única y memorable. Para este conversatorio, conté con elapoyo de mi esposa, La Capitana. La gente siempre se queda impresionada cuandola ven a ella presentar y moderar. Yo simplemente sonrío porque con 15 añoscasados, 5 más juntos y conociéndonos par de años más, si de algo estoy100% seguro es que si se trata de calibre, cito a PJ Sin Suela y digoclaramente que mi esposa es Top-Top-Top. Además, nos preguntaron que cuántas veceslo practicamos y nos tuvimos que reír. Aparte de una mini revisada de laspreguntas, no practicamos nada porque así somos y así fluimos.

 

Hablamos de lainspiración de Penumbra y cómo surgió gracias a una invitación de Ángel Isián yMelvin Rodríguez de Libros Eikon a contribuir a la antología No Cierres losOjos 2 (y también me invitaron a la parte 3). Nunca había escrito en el génerode horror y me lo disfruté un montón no sólo escribir en él, sino darle untoque puertorriqueño. Desde las localizaciones, el lenguaje, los temas, lajerga y hasta títulos de cuentos y capítulos en la novela corta, el ADN dePenumbra es 100% puertorriqueño, aunque evitando clichés.Otro tema que siempre resalto es que la artista de la portada también es localy que Karelys Luna es una dura. Ese primer draft de la portada me dejó bruto ysonriente y si estás buscando artista para la portada de tu libro, larecomiendo al 100%. Aparte de eso, dimos un resumen breve de cada cuento,tomamos preguntas y luego firmé copias para las personas que consiguieron lasuya en Casa Norberto. Fue mega bonito y me lo gocé a millón.

 

 

 

Ferias de libros:2

 

1er Festival delLibro en Manatí de la Editorial EDP

Para este evento,me uní a la mesa de Tazas y Portadas y confieso que más que un festival delibros fue un jangueo muy chulo para ponerme al día y conocer en persona aalgunos autores que llevo siguiendo hace tiempo. Conste, vi algunos autores quehe visto en otros eventos pero por despistado, pues se me pasó hacer lo mismo con ell@s. Pronto losveré en otro evento y de seguro saco un momentico para decir hola. El edificioen Manatí súper bonito y el ambiente muy ameno y relax, aunque de lo másespecial fue tener tiempo para compartir con gente que quiero.

 

 

 

 

Festival delibros 100x35 en Caguas

 

He visto MUCHO deeste festival con muchos autores que conozco participando y se ve bien bonito elgrupo de gente que se reúne y fui al de Caguas en Plaza Centro Mall. Para mí fue otra oportunidad de ponerme al día congente que conozco y aprecio, y como siempre, llevarme otro libro (o más deuno). Muy cool este esfuerzo. 

Eventos de otrosautores: 3

 

E.R. Landrón:Casa Norberto Plaza las Américas

 

Mi primera actividadde vuelta en PR fue ir a ver a E.R. Landrón presentar el segundo título de suserie de Reign of Darkness, con moderación de Chrysos Stomos. Un crowdcito delo más cool y vi a muchas amistades de las letras. Landrón se vive su saga y sugrip de micrófono como si fuese un rapero de los 90s estuvo épico. Esto fuepara julio y el próximo día me di cita en Bayamón a otro evento.

 

 

 

10 en 10:Santuario Libros y Discos en Bayamón

 

Diez autoreshablando sobre diez otros autores. Un formato muy cool en un espaciosimpatiquísimo con un café que estuvo de show. De nuevo, me encontré amuchísima gente, me presenté a algunos y me quedé con las ganas de conocer aotros. De verdad que fue fascinante ver a unos autores con obras y estilos TANdiferentes a lo que acostumbro leer y de verdad que un espacio diferente de lamejor manera. Cada vez que veo un evento queda claramente demostrado que en PRhay talento que ni botando.

 

 

E.R. Phoenix: TheBookmark San Patricio Plaza

 

Se los juro que no tengo preferencia a autores con E.R. en su nombre de autor. :) Por último, tuveel chance de conocer en persona y comprar el primer libro del Promissa Trilogy.Otro crowd completamente diferente y muy simpática la dinámica entre la autoray Frances Torres de Franbookshelf y el host de Capítulos con Café. Aunque la tramade Promissa suena intenso y desgarrador, algo que quiero recalcar es que elalma de educadora y de empatía de E.R. Phoenix siempre brilla. Desde los temasde sus novelas a su trato con la gente que se da cita a un evento de ella.

De paso, lescuento un detallito de ese último evento que NO me esperaba. Mientras esperabapara que comenzar el conversatorio, me cogieron MEGA fuera de base cuandoalguien viene y me dice —¿Estrada?. Y yo como que wow, sí. Soy yo, que vine aapoyar a una colega de las letras. Ahí nos pusimos al día, qué estoy haciendo,qué estoy escribiendo y fue una sorpresa TAN bonita. Así que seas autor, book toker, olector, si me ves por ahí y me quieres conocer, en confianza me dices hola JD uhola Estrada que será un gustazo charlar un rato.

 

Ahí hasta donde voy por ahora este año. ¿Inventaré oparticiparé en algo más? Desde ya te digo que sí. ¿Vienen cosas para el 2026?¡JA! Digamos que sí y a ver cuánto te puedo sorprender. Eso dicho, es ungustazo estar de vuelta en la Isla y poco a poco pues me reincorporaré en PRpara unirme a autores locales que están haciendo cosas bien cool.

Por ahora, puesdos abrazos, un adiós y nos vemos pronto.

 

JD

 

 

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* * * * 

Although my birthday was back in August, it’s taken me until now to find the proper headspace and circumstances to get these thoughts down, which I think is a hell of a message of what it is like to be 45. So, in case you need the math, that’s 68 days since my birthday, or a hair over two months. 

In that time, a couple of things have happened, which is why I took much longer to get to this post. There’s no doubt that 2025 has been a mad little year for everyone with a pulse. In that time, I moved back to Puerto Rico, have set up our apartment, had a shift in career direction, had one book event, and will have another by the end of this week. I’ve also surfed some of the best waves in years, had my first root canal, met up with a lot of friends, set up my Substack page, with weekly posts, and much more goodness for people who sign up for free with extra goodies for anyone who signs up for the paid version, including video readings, tips on video, first looks into future releases, and more slices of life…which brings us back to this blog.

You may be thinking I would be closing down this blog, though you’d be wrong. The only reason that would happen is if data scrubbing got so out of control that I would consider it a much better option to close shop. My Substack responds to certain interests and things I want to write. This blog responds to others. My upcoming releases respond to others. And LinkedIn shall respond to other things as well. 

Why the fragmentation? Well, because each audience is ideal for something different. My Substack is titled Organic Creativity and I go into my process in regard to most things, while also inviting readers to try different things to reconnect with their creativity and to do so directly. In these AI obsessed times, I see how some people lose touch with that spark that makes them enjoy what they do. Sure, they may be “more productive” but what does that even mean? That Substack continuously talks about the human experience and the importance of it, especially during these times. 

For LinkedIn, I will be posting several things focused mainly on my advertising career. I’ve been wanting to write about those experiences for years and to share whatever little nuggets I think could benefit other people, even if the focus of so many is to use AI for most things. I will write about synergy, about the power of conversation, about things to do during film shoots and VO recordings, and how little touches can help you get a better product and also nurture relationships with producers, talent, and clients. 

So, what the hell will this blog be about? About anything and everything. Don’t expect a tone shift though expect things to be as personal as usual, talking about things that are important to me and I think would benefit us to discuss. In the end, every writing endeavor is self serving and serves me for a reason or three. What I do in this blog would not be a good fit for the other places. Might I eventually adapt what I write into another collection from the blog? That’s very possible, but only time will tell.

As a writer, the act of writing brings me joy, satisfaction, and balance. With it, I decipher the madness we live as a collective and the one within. Quite often, I write and I feel a weight lifted and I’ll continue being thankful for it. 

And when it comes to birthdays and important dates, it helps me capture the moment I’m living. And right now, it took me over two months to wrap my head around everything that’s happened the last ten months. That’s also something I can say about being smack in the middle of my 40s. I internalize and take my time to understand things better than I used to. Beyond maturity, it’s a need to understand rather than shoot from the hip. I take more precautions, prepare plans A-J at the very least, have dispensed with pessimism for the most part, and am selectively optimistic, though more often open to whatever life brings. More than any of that, I’m thankful. Thankful for health for me and my family. Thankful for opportunities given. Thankful for experiences had. Thankful for readers who read me here, on Substack, on my books, or who interact with my posts on social media. Thankful for fellow writers who offer kind and genuine support. Thankful for challenging moment and challenging people, because I learn from those exchanges. About life and myself. About what I’m willing to take, what I will call out, and what steps I will take to protect what is important to me. 

I think more than wise, I feel more conscious about many things. About the importance of the things that matter. About how I experience, react to, and take things on board. About how being close to family matters much more than other things and how opportunities have a way of popping up in different ways and different places, and you have to allow yourself the freedom to give it a go. 

I also better recognize the things that keep me happy and young in mind and body. A good surf, consistently stretching, eating as well as I can, properly hydrating, still enjoying random treats, playing video games, listening to good music, having long conversations with friends, keeping in touch with the people that are important to me, and plenty of other things. So let’s say that to me, 45 is a time to be mindful, present, and aware, or at least, that’s where I’m at and where I want to be. 

What will the coming weeks, months, and yes, years, bring? Who knows? All I know is that right here and right now, I’m happy and thankful, and that’s not a bad place to be. 

Thanks for reading and til next we connect in words…

Peace, love, and maki rolls. 

BONUS BIRTHDAY SKYTHOUGHT

 

 

 

 

Plus, a birthday #Skythought , because why not?

As I look at the book of my life
I see many pages behind me. 
Stories of every hue
Moments of bliss
All the genres mixed’
In a way that only makes sense in hindsight.

Part of me wants to sneak a peek
But the pages are blank…
Powerfully unwritten. 
 
I have committed verses to memory
And memories to stories.
I’ve danced with dreams and nightmares
I’ve sung dirges and hymns.
I have written much
In life and in books
But I can’t help but start today
With a devilish smile
Knowing the plot twists I foresee
And those that’ll just happen
One page
One word
And one breath at a time. 
©JD Estrada 2025

#SKyThoughts #poem #poetry #birthday 

Once upon a time, I had a random conversation that led todozens of ideas for short stories. Rather than let those ideas go, I wrotewhimsical short stories on this blog and later released a collection withseveral of those adventures. Years later, I released a second installment wherethe stories were much bigger to be able to hold the amount the size of thoseadventures.

It’s been 10 years since I published the first collection ofmy Daydreams on the Sherbet Shore and to celebrate this, bothinstallments are free until Friday and later free on KDP until the Fall.

These stories are extremely special to me since the projectcontinues to evolve and grow to the point that from here on out, we will nolonger be going on little short story adventures, but full-fledged Daydreamnovels. Out of all my projects, this is the one I invite the most audience participation,suggestions, and requests since all human characters are people I know fromreal life. It’s a project where I put no limits on what we can do togetherbecause it’s a space I always want there to be. So stay tuned for futureadventures. I won’t say there’s no chance I won’t do short stories, becausethis project is what we make it, fellow dreamers. Thanks for 10 years ofsupport with this and all my projects, for allowing me to pursue and indulge ineach project to the maximum capacity and here’s to dreaming up a storm.

Peace, love, and daydreams.

JD

CLICK HERE to get your copy of both volumes of the Daydreamson the Sherbet Shore.

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If this is the first you’re hearing of Outer Wilds from me,maybe you want to stop by my Substack first. Or maybe you’d like to start hereand then see what else you can find.

However, if you’re coming from the other posts I’ve madeabout Outer Wilds, then let’s get to it.

Accessing the downloadable content for the video game Outer Wilds is so simple that Ihad to look it up. (this is what we call sarcasm). 

While other games give you a second menu or somethingnormal, this game goes full meta and invites you deeper into its universe. Asfor bang for your buck and whether it’s worth the price of admission, I’ll goon record saying I’ve never played any DLC that is half as memorable as this,because Echoes of the Eye is brimming with character, mysteries, puzzles, andenough new things to soothe that pain you have once you finish the main game.

Unlike the main game, Echoes of the Eye’s tone is muchdarker, with genuinely creepy moments that offer plenty of jump scares, whileexpanding and deepening an already rich lore. Whereas the main game is hopeful quite often, this chapter often feels and plays downrightLovecraftian and the stakes are just as drastic as in the main game, except youhave new hazards to worry about.

While Outer Wilds explores several planets within a solarsystem, Echoes explores a cloaked spaceship somewhere hidden in orbit of said solar system. Thefirst time you get past the veil and see the spaceship, it is a huge moment.Gravitationally, navigating around the vessel can be extremely tricky until you decipher how to approach it effectively. Once you get inside, the spacefeels so vast and constricted at the same time. It’s a marvel and you can seethat they fleshed out a story before they designed the rest of the game, whichseems to be the opposite of how they developed the main game. What results is anarrative heavy epilogue that becomes more so a sequel. You discover anotherrace of beings that explored this solar system. Very polished, very organized,and quite often, very much out to get you.

In the main game, you’re surviving against the elementsaround you. In the DLC, on more than one occasion, you are running like crazyin the dark trying to get away from creatures who have realized you are whereyou shouldn’t be. These moments of tension might not be to the liking of manypeople, though I found them extremely exciting.

As for the tone, it reminds me of the Room mobile phone games. Dark, ethereal,heavy. Quite often you find yourself discovering a new room or a new piece ofthe narrative that is unsettling. Quite often you see a sequence that kind ofrattles you and suddenly, there’s a flash flood or a super nova goes tabularasa on you so that you can get your bearings and dive back in to explore thatship.

The ship has several zones and rather than have its own distinctflavor like each of the planets, everything here feels connected just enough to lead you into a shadow world. Ifthis sounds a bit out there, it is. If it also sounds a bit complicated, you’realso right. 

Mechanics, narrative, gameplay, and puzzles are heavier and harderthan the main game. Whereas with Outer Wilds I was able to decipher roughly80% of the game, with this DLC, I needed help almost half the time. The cluesare there, but they’re subtle. And in some areas, you have to turn so many waysin the dark while avoiding sentries, that a walkthrough is recommended, because although it won’t be easy, it’ll be doable. In this game,making a sound draws attention and sentries are agile and will outwit you and force you to restart on several occasions.

But like I said above, the narrative is heavier, and withthat heaviness comes a rich story that shakes you as deeply as the main game,but in a different way. What the main game has better is that you have quite afew solutions to a couple of things while the DLC is very specific in when,how, and if you have to do something to get a solution or not. Although it wasfrustrating that I needed to ask or look for help, it never took away from thegame. And once the end credits roll for this second part, you still feel thatdesire for more, though have to applaud the team for going to the lengths theydid to present something so different while still maintaining the core of itsDNA.

From all I’ve posted, I think it shows that playing OuterWilds and its Downloadable chapter of Echoes in the Eye is one of the best andmost profound video game experiences I've ever had the privilege to ply. This is storytelling andexploration reimagined in ways that should invite artists of any medium tochallenge themselves and their audiences. These are games that rewardexploration, experimentation, curiosity, and painstaking attention to detail.These are not games merely developed to reach into your wallet. It’s an experiencethat reaches into your soul to shake your hand, pat you on the back, and wishyou well upon the journey of life.

Or maybe it’s just a video game.

To Héctor Álvarez, thank you for the game recommendation,brother. My apologies for taking so long though I wanted to write and createsomething worthy of the experience.

To the kind readers of this blog, my Substack, or my books,thank you as well. As a small thank you for tagging along, I mentioned therewas one more breadcrumb as a thank you for joining me on this little scavengerhunt. It’s the least I can do as thanks to everyone who’s joined me. Feel freeto share the link to the Substack, this blog, or just what’s below.

CLICK HERE For a thank you to my fellow dreamers.

Before the world ended as we knowit in 2020, my world as I knew it ended in 2019. It’s been six years since myMother passed away and it still feels like yesterday. I think about her often,I talk and write to her often, I ask for advice and for her to guide me throughmy intuition in some way, and you’d be surprised how often my gut reaction ison the money.

That’s because when I say myworld ended, I’m not saying it in a tragic sense, even though it’s obviouslysad that I don’t have Mom on this plane to talk to. It was a personal paradigm shift where I found myself without grandparents or parents and it was odd. It’s notlike I shed a skin, though it was transformative. It has to be, simply because you have tocome to terms with the fact that those calls in the morning, lunch, and in theevening would become monologues and that responses would come in signs,feelings, and all manner of random things where Mom keeps popping up and sayinghi. 

 

Today is also Father’s Day, andyesterday I was lucky enough to spend time with both my brothers and two of mycousins to celebrate in family. So it was natural for me to also think about Dad. My middle brother showeda picture where he had grown a magnificent mustache and looked like a green-eyedvariant of Dad. 

Dad, Mom, and my bro.

So it’s a day with a lot of mixed emotions, though I can’t saysadness. Longing for a chat? Yes. But not melancholy. It’s not that it doesn’thappen and doesn’t come along, it’s that today I don’t feel melancholy. Itprobably has to do with everything that’s going on in the world and thingsbeing so heavy that thinking about my parents doesn’t weigh a ton today. It’sbeen six years without Mom, and twenty-two without Dad. And it’s weird, becauseI also remember that when he passed away it was also an end of the world moment. One that brought a lot of life lessons, though so has the hindsight I’ve experiencedin two decades without him. 

 

I think that as we get older,chunks of the world or versions of our world fade away, evolve, shift, fall,break, or transition. I think it depends on the life event, the person, and thecircumstances, though it still becomes a different world. One day you have a parent,the next you have a memory but you still carry that love, though by nature, itis forced to change and evolve. And it’s not a bad thing, it’s just life. 

 

While thinking about this, Ithink about my home spot where I surf and how it shifts with tides, swells, storms, erosion,and all manner of things. There are some core things that shall always be there,like certain parts of the reef. Sure, many things in the environment change,but those pieces of reef do not. 

 

 

No matter how big the waves come... 

 

No matter howviolent the storms... 

 

No matter how much or how little the sands shift...

 

That chunk of reef is a constant and I think back to when I was a kid and I realize how many things I keep alive and maintain to this day, all pieces of my reef. And I realize that constants help remind us of whowe are, regardless of what the world brings, and how many of those worlds end. 

 

So on this Father’s Day thatcoincides with Mom’s anniversary, I raise a glass to both Mom and Dad. I livein a different world than when you were here, though my reef remains, as does the love for you, which shall always be there. 

 

Cheers Mama Estrada, Cheers Papa Carlos, and to you kind reader... 

 

Peace, love, and maki rolls.

 

 

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Another year,another report card. Were there challenges? Lord. Next question, please.

To be honest, itwas a very hard year to gauge and maneuver, let alone grade. So many ups anddowns. So many curve balls. So many surprises. Yet somehow we made it through.

After somethought, I gave myself an A- though A+ for effort and resilience. So let’sbreak it down to see why I didn’t give myself a solid A or more…or less. Iusually focus on things I got done, but there’s a variety of aspects thatdeserve a closer look and a proper run down.

Health. Health in your 40s is quite theadventure. I'll tell you that much. You can do everything right, but one strong sneeze or cough or evena bad movement, and your back can quit on you…completely or partially. I waslucky that last year it was only a partial ARGHHHHH versus 2023’s end-of-the-yearadventures in feeling my age and having to visit urgent care. For 2024, I was also able to steerclear of burnout for the most part, but just barely. There were three veryclose calls. But this is a win, because I didn’t land in burnout (or crash, as it were). Luckily, Ilearned from past experiences and spoke up. Could it have been better? Yes. Oh,definitely yes. But it could have been so much worse. In short, I allowedmyself to be human and asked for help, resources, or time and got what Ineeded for the most part. And when I felt off, I didn’t push through, I tooktime off. I did notice that my stamina took a hit because I went from moreintense workouts to mainly walking, but these walks and yoga helped me in otherways. Was I a bit sluggish surfing at the end of the year? Yes, and we canblame that on the conditions I actually surfed in, or the fact that I wasHanseled to oblivion with foods, desserts, beer, wine, and all sorts ofculinary delights from people happy to see me and happier to feed me.But that’s something to address in 2025 and give myself some grace. I was tiredand mentally a bit burnt out, sure, but I didn’t go into a full burnout or land in acrisis. And though there’s always tomorrow, for yesterday and the whole of lastyear, I worked hard and made sure I was as OK as I could be. Anyways, nexttopic!

Books. You might have heard, but I did a thing.I finished a series. Part of the burnout I mentioned above was due to theeffort I put into finishing Beyond Human which finishes the HumanCycle.

This not-so-little book was a not-so-little beast and it took much-more-than-not-so-littleto get it edited, proofread, and finalized on time for the Puerto Rico ComicCon. Although I won’t know how well I did until I read the whole series fromstart to finish, what I can say is that in the reading department, Ifinished several series and I feel more comfortable with how I did than say,the City of Ember Series or His Dark Materials. “But JD, those are best-sellingseries!” I’m well aware of that fact. I’m not talking about relevance, reach,or sales. I’m talking about story and craft and although I can’t say I didbetter than either of those series in general or particularly in regard totheir high points (which are VERY high), The Human Cycle was more consistent asa series than both of the ones I mentioned and I would put money on that claim.Book One isn’t the sole driver in a series. Main driver? Yes. Sole driver? No. Books2 and 3 don’t feel like a major drop in quality. Actually, either qualityremains consistent, or it improved. I also worked very hard to make sure mostof a hearty list of characters got a proper send-off while also leaving acouple of doors open in case some of these characters want to come back foranother adventure. But I didn’t leave any cliffhangers. I left open doors. Ialso didn’t half-ass explanations or skip BIG chunks of the narrative (Lookingat you, City of Ember). I also didn’t put every single idea I had in my head(Looking at you, His Dark Materials). I’m sure once I read it, I will think ofthings I could have included, tweaked or, dare I say it, “improved”. But I’m atpeace knowing I gave my absolute best and that this project is truly and deeplya solo project. No beta readers. No editor. Only me. For better or worse. Morethan wanted, I needed a project like that. It had to be as humanas I could make it and it’s done and so far, reviews are positive, with a lot of people praising the series as a whole. Did I get the sales I wanted? Not really, butI did much better than I’d thought seeing combination of numbers in events,from book sales in Puerto Rico thanks to collaborating with Letras Distribution, and thanks to Amazon. As for awards, I got two honorablementions in the International Latino Book Awards and though I would have preferreda win, it’s just an invitation to push myself more. Can I do better? We canALWAYS do better. In sales and in my writing, but I’ll once again choose tofocus on the fact that I gave my best and did my best. 

 Writing eventsand activities. In person,I participated in the Puerto Rico Comic Con to celebrate my tenth anniversaryas an author (another reason why I NEEDED to finish the Human Cycle). I kept myend of the bargain and brought a new book for readers. I was very happy to seethat readers also kept their part of the bargain and came to say hello, catchup, and I was very happy to see that my book was still a must buy for manypeople. Actually, this went for several of my books. In addition, it wasbeautiful to see the author community in PR continue to flourish and I’m soproud of all my writer friends. 

 

Other than that, the other events I attended wereas a civilian to scope the land, evaluate the prospect of participating, sayinghello to a ton of writer friends, and picking up quite a few new books. Online,I continued to participate in a wide variety of interviews on several channelsand that’s always fun. I spoke with friends I hadn’t been in touch with for awhile and it was great to chat and catch up. I also gave chats to classrooms inPuerto Rico and Pennsylvania, two writing classes, and I participated in theAuthorTube Writing Conference giving not one but two presentations: a panel on Healthy Writing Habits with Heidi Angell and Joe Compton and a webinar on Collaboratingfor the Perfect Cover. All in all,not bad at all…and I’m ready to do more, so if you are a teacher or would liketo round up a group of friends for a class on creativity, then let’s make ithappen.  

 

My First Writing Course

Students from Mr. Weimann's class

Me talking about writing to 4th/5th graders

Reading. 44 books was the goal and we got the 44though I did rush in the last week as if I were in a competition. I was happywith the variety of books, from kids books, to poetry, to whole series, in bothEnglish and Spanish, and for the most part reading what I wanted to andenjoying. The main thing is to keep it steady and find a book or two where youreally hook into it. I do plan on reading more this year, but I kept my basegoal the same because life happens and 44 isn't bad at all.

 

Work. The usual roller coaster asked2023 to hold its beer and 2024 at times felt like a bull hellbent onbucking me off or goring me. High points include presentations I gave to clients, projectswe finished that had everyone involved happy, and participating on a panel fora company-wide event. I was also involved in a film production at the end ofthe year in Puerto Rico, got to know a program I wasn’t aware of called TechosPa’ Mi Gente (Roofs for my People) and it was a very special experience and Iwill be sharing more information about this cause soon. That’s the good, thebad was crazy work volume at times and life offering me plenty of lessons andmore than one slice of humble pie in regard to situations and dynamics. I didmy best to learn from the experiences and speak my truth. Did some thingsaffect me more than I would have liked? Sure, but hey, I’m Only Human. ;)Still, we forged ahead and all I can say is that I gave my best and that’senough for me because no matter what adversity I faced or unpleasantness I was offered, I kept giving my best regardless. 

 

Friends and Family. I did my best to be in touch, to bepresent, to make time, and to work around things as best as I could, but I learnedthat sometimes winging something works endlessly better than planning. Thisgoes for friends, family, and even projects. Making time for something isn’talways easy and sometimes every will work against what you want to do. But onother occasions, a small silly little thing can lead to making true memories.So, here’s to more of that. To those I wasn't able to get to, I'll keep doing my best though feel free to give me a hand so we can make more awesome moments together ;)

Is there more tounpack?

 

Of course, butthis gives you a pretty decent idea of the year I had. The grade is because thingsdid affect me that I wish wouldn’t have. But the grade is also because I avoideda full crash and honestly, I got dealt a lot of rough hands and made due andforged ahead. Did I absolutely crush everything? No. I sold less than I wanted.I’m still eons away from author sustainability. Reviews are still not as often as I'd like them. I need to continue to focus onwork-life balance. But I did pretty good and the note to see after class is toremind myself that for being indie, for having a high demand job, for beingtossed a bunch of challenges and some dirty deeds, I did good and was stubbornfor the good things. I didn’t push things. I stayed true to who and how I am. Iwas human. And that deserves praise, even if the extra credit doesn’t get methe full A.

 

Still, there’salways next year. Thanks for joining me for the recap and til next we meet inwords.

 

Peace, love, andmaki rolls.

 

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I’velived in Atlanta for almost 9 years and people still write to me or mention myMom’s cakes in conversation. In my life, I’ve had many names: Jorge, George,Jorge Alberto (if I heard that, I knew I’d done it), Cheech, Giogio, Gio and inthe last decade JD. Still, there was a recurring name I was given in many a jobI had back home: the Cake Guy.

 

Now,although I’ve learned to bake some of Mom’s cakes although to a lesser degree(albeit still respectable), Mom was always the Cake Queen. The amount ofbirthdays, weddings, sweet sixteens, quinceañeros, parties, gatherings, and allsorts of festivities that included one of Mom’s cakes was easily in the hundredsand possibly in the thousands. Beyond that, I’d often tell Mom to bake acertain amount of cakes and that I would sell them for her in the office,thusly becoming the unofficial (but probably quite official) distributor for Marietta’sSweets, in addition to my duties as a creative copywriter in advertising and publicrelations. To keep things on the up and up, I would often talk with asupervisor or someone from HR to make sure everyone was OK with this sweet sidehustle, although I mainly got paid in cake and love. Fortunately, I neverencountered any “buts”. Quite the contrary actually. They’d thank me and in thesame paragraph ask me when I could bring some cakes. Please note, cakes.Plural.

 

Sofor monthly birthday celebrations, I’d bring, one or two (even up to three) ofMom’s cakes. At some offices, I had a part of my desk dedicated to the storageof cakes. As a promotor, I was always beyond confident in the product becausenot only did I know the chef, I had the privilege of trying those cakes frombatter to bundt, sometimes with only enough time out of the oven to be able tode-mold.

 

Onmore than one occasion people would ask me if I worried that someone wouldn’ttake me seriously at work for selling Mom’s cakes or if I thought it wouldaffect me in any way. I’d reply that I always deliver what I have in thepipeline and that one thing has nothing to do with the other. Besides, it wasfor Mom and I’d do anything for her, and this especially since it brought Herjoy as well as anyone fortunate enough to snag a piece of cake. That’s how Iwas in four different jobs I had. With either days dedicated to the delivery ofcakes or with a cake (or several) available at my desk, ready to go to anyonewho had heard stories or wanted to confirm their in-depth flavor theories ofthe levels of deliciousness contained within those cakes, while I deliveredevery task I had been assigned. Her heart was always full when she knew hercakes were a hit and that people often fought for a second piece (never violent,but plenty insistent).

 

Nowadays,although I no longer sell cakes, they live on in my stories. Mrs. Fawn is oneof my absolute favorite characters to write because she’s inspired by Mom. Sheappears in several of my books because she’s not bound by any rules, literaryor otherwise. She has a universal magic that is welcome in any story she wantsto step in and she’s with me in everything. Aside from her pivotal role in thecosmos, Mrs. Fawn doesn’t limit herself to that type of magic. There’s always aslice of lemon cake nearby to offer weary travelers sweet nourishment with aside of smiles.

 

AsI mentioned above, I was witness to the entire process to make one of Marietta’scakes. From the batter, I knew it’d be on point. From how it looked, to how itflowed silkily into the mold and the Elysian aromas that would hug every cornerof the house as magic did its thing within the oven. But beyond the recipe,there was something she included in each and every cake of which there was noshortage in her pantry: love.

 

Todaywould have been 76 and although we toast to you today, the fact is that everytime I raise my glass, your name is there apart from having it tattoed in mysoul. With my stories, the legacy of her cakes continues in a way, becausealthough I may be many things, part of me shall always be the Cake Guy andMarietta’s youngest.

 

Thanksfor reading,

 

Peace,love, lemon cake and Cheers Mama Estrada.

 

 #CheersMamaEstrada

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Llevo en Atlanta casi 9 años y todavíahay gente que me hablan de los bizcochos de mi Madre. He tenido muchos nombresen mi vida: Jorge, George, Jorge Alberto (uy de mí si escuchaba ese), Cheech, Giogio,Gio y en la última década, JD. Ahora hubo un nombre por el cual me conocieronen muchos trabajos cuando estaba en Puerto Rico: el muchacho de los bizcochos.

 

Aunque he aprendido a hacer algunos delos bizcochos de Mama con un nivel de éxito inferior, pero al menos respetable,la de los bizcochos siempre fue mi Madre. La cantidad de cumpleaños, bodas,quinceañeros, fiestas, reuniones y festividades que contaban con un bizcocho deMarietta fácilmente raya en los cientos y posiblemente en los miles. A menudoyo le decía a Mama que hiciera cierta cantidad de bizcochos que yo se los vendíaen la oficina, así volviéndome en distribuidor oficial de Marietta’s Sweetsaparte de mis labores como redactor creativo en publicidad y relaciones públicas.Esto quiere decir que a menudo tenía que hablar con un supervisor o alguien de recursoshumanos para que estuvieran bien con esas actividades ya que no me queríaquedar con los bizcochos y sin la soga ni la cabra. Nunca tuve un pero. Al revés,me lo agradecían y me preguntaban para cuándo pudiese traer bizcochos.

 

Para la celebración de los cumpleaños delmes a menudo traía uno o dos (o hasta tres) bizcochos de Mama. En otrasoficinas tenía una parte de mi escritorio dedicada al almacenamiento debizcochos. De promotor, siempre hablaba confiado porque no sólo conocía a lachef, sino que tenía la dicha de probar los bizcochos desde las paletas decuando estaba lista la mezcla hasta literalmente minutos salido del horno.

 

En más de una ocasión me preguntaban quesi me preocupaba que en el trabajo no me tomarían en serio por vender bizcochoso si me afectaría. Contestaba que siempre cumpliría con todo lo que se me pediríaporque una cosa no tiene que ver con la otra. Además, es mi Madre y por ella loque fuera y más esto, que le traía felicidad a ella y a toda persona que sellevara un pedazo de sus bizcochos. Así fue en cuatro oficinas que trabajé. Condías dedicados a traer bizcochos o con un bizcocho o una bolsa de bizcochos enmi escritorio, listo para vender, aunque siempre cumpliendo con mis labores. Ellasiempre le llenaba el corazón saber que sus bizcochos eran un hit y que lagente a menudo no se conformaba con un pedazo.

 

Hoy por hoy, aunque ya no vendo bizcochossiguen vivos en mis cuentos. Mrs. Fawn es de mis personajes favoritos paraescribir porque es inspirada por mi madre. Aparece en varios de mis libros queno están relacionados porque ese personaje carga una magia universal y ella estáconmigo en todo. Además de su rol importantísimo en el cosmos, Mrs. Fawn no selimita a ese tipo de magia, ya que siempre tiene un pedazo de bizcocho de limónlisto para brindarle a alguien en su camino, para endulzarle la vida y traerleuna sonrisa con cada bocado.

 

Como mencioné arriba, era testigo delproceso entero de la creación de un bizcocho de Marietta. Desde la mezcla yasabía que iba a quedar en su punto, aunque también el semblante de esta, ladelicadeza como pasaba la mezcla al molde y sus aromas encantadores que permeabanla casa entera mientras la magia se daba en el horno. Pero más allá de lareceta, había algo que no podía faltar y que se incluía en cada bizcocho y que siemprehubo en sobreabundancia de su parte: amor.

 

Hoy hubiesen sido 76 y aunque brindamospor ti hoy, la realidad es que cada vez que levanto una copa, tu nombre está ahíy lo llevo tatuado en el alma. Con mis cuentos, sigo el legado de los bizcochosporque aunque seré muchas cosas, parte de mí siempre será el muchacho de losbizcochos.

 

Gracias por acompañarnos hoy.

 

Dos abrazos, un pedacito de bizcocho delimón y Cheers Mama Estrada.

 

#CheersMamaEstrada
 

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El año pasado mucha gente me agradeció que les traje los temas de la Marchade los Escritores con más tiempo porque hay quienes les gusta estar másorganizados. 2025 comenzó y wow, desde ya promete el año en mantenernosentretenido así que este esfuerzo es también para mantener el balance y darlesla oportunidad a escritores a darse a conocer y a conectar con lectores y otrosescritores.

 

Si esta es tu primera vez en este blog o escuchando/leyendo de la Marcha delos Escritores, no te preocupes. Estaremos hablando mucho más de esto en las próximassemanas en lo que nos preparamos. Pero aquí una pequeña definición para quesepas que es.

 

La Marcha de los escritores es un evento para escritores o en realidad,cualquier persona creativa que tiene temas para cada día del mes. Su intenciónes darte a conocer a lectores y escritores para que conectes para queconozcamos a la persona más allá de la persona que escribe.

 

Las reglas del juego:

 

A. Interpreta los temas como quieras. Aquí la única regla es pasarla bien,disfrutar y conectar.

 

B. NO tienes que participar todos los días. ¿Te perdiste un día? ¿No entiendeso no te gusta un tema y lo quieres brincar? ¿Quieres hacer todos los temas porsemana o de una? Pa lanteeee. Aquí mandas tú y de nuevo, la única regla es quedisfrutes. ¿Quieres hacer poemas, audio, videos de YouTube o TikTok, arte, oensayos? Con TODO el gusto.

 

C. Puedes unirte cuando quieras. La Marcha es INCLUSIVA no exclusiva y laidea es de conectar.

 

Lo más importante es pasarla bien.

Eso sí, cuando hagas un post, recuerdahacerme un tag y usar los siguientes hashtags:

 

 

#MarchaDeLosEscritores

#MOTW

#MOTW2025

 

Ahora, sin más espera, ¡los temas!!!

 

1.         Introduciendo…

Esta es tu introducción de autor. Cuéntanos, ¿Cuánto tiempo llevasescribiendo? ¿Ya publicaste algún libro? ¿Qué géneros escribes? ¿De dónde eres?Y cualquier otro detalle para que tus lectores te conozcan mejor.

 

2.        Defínete.

¿Si fueses una definición de un diccionario, qué diría?

 

3.        ¿Musiquitao silencio?

¿Escribes con música puesta? ¿Esto influye lo que estás escribiendo? ¿Oprefieres el silencio? ¿Has visto el pleilist de March of the writers? ¿Tienescanciones que crees que serían perfectas para incluir?

 

4.        Ritualesautorísticos

A veces necesitamos motivarnos para escribir. A veces sólo nos hace faltasentarnos para poner manos a la obra. ¿Cuáles son algunos de tus rituales?

 

5.        Tierrasagrada

¿Hay algún sitio que haya inspirado tus obras? ¿O es que hay algún sitiocuya existencia permitió que te diera de lleno la inspiración? ¿Dónde son ycómo te inspiraron?

 

6.        Recovecos

Cuándo y dónde se escribe a menudo depende de la persona que por X o Yrazón permiten que las palabras fluyan. ¿Cuáles son algunos de tus sitiosfavoritos para escribir?

 

7.        Método anuestra locura

El escribir es un proceso de lo más curioso y todos tenemos tácticas paraevitar problemas con la trama, mejorar nuestra escritura, evitar erroresortográficos y mil otras cosas. Danos algunos consejos o describe tu proceso deescritura.

 

8.        Manantialde ideas

Como escritores, una de las cosas más importantes que nos toca hacer escapturar las ideas. Sea usando un proceso, meditanto o utilizando múltiplesherramientas para capturar ideas, cuéntanos: ¿cómo conectas con tu creatividado te aseguras que no se te escapen las ideas?

 

9.        Hábitossaludables

Cada año incluyo este tema porque hay tantos consejos excelentes paramantenerse saludable en cuerpo y mente, que necesitamos este espacio paracompartir ese conocimiento. ¿Has hecho algo que haya sido un cambio radicalpara tu salud, ya sea en la escritura o en la vida? ¿Has establecido uncalendario o un horario para escribir? ¿Has eliminado aplicaciones? ¿Has dejadoo comenzado a hacer cosas para tu bienestar que crees que podrían ayudar a losdemás? Pues comparte la riqueza.

 

10.      Distanciamientosocial

En el último año, MUCHAS personas han decidido no participar en algunasplataformas de redes sociales o algunas plataformas han sido o seránprohibidas. Esto puede ser preocupante para algunos, pero para otros, es uncambio bienvenido de cosas que podrían no valer la pena. ¿Qué piensas de estatendencia? ¿Has dejado de participar en algunas plataformas o eventos?

 

11.       Haciéndolopersonal

¿Incluyes cosas únicas y particulares en tus historias o tus escritos engeneral para premiar a tus lectores, especialmente a aquellos que leen más deuno de tus libros, poemas o historias?

 

12.      ¿Por dóndetodavía andas?

El 2024 fue un año para borrar aplicaciones y elegir no participar enciertos eventos o utilizar ciertos sitios web. ¿Qué aplicaciones y eventos aúnutilizas y participas y por qué?

 

13.      Adelanteque tú puedes.

A veces necesitamos una bofetada y a veces necesitamos una mano amiga. ¿Quépalabras de apoyo has recibido y quisieras compartir o decirle a otros?

 

14.      ¿Dónde enel mundo…?

¿En cuántos países te leen o tienes seguidores? Este es un pequeñoejercicio para mostrarte tu alcance porque a veces tienes seguidores dondemenos te lo esperas. Además, lectores, esta es su oportunidad dejarnos saberdesde dónde nos leen. Y, escritores, ¿dónde más te gustaría que te leyeran?

 

15.      Mama IA

Uno de los temas que continuará siendo un gran tema de contención lo es laIA, su uso y abuso. Cuéntanos tu opinión a favor o en contra de la IA. Si teopones vehementemente, qué cosas buenas podría traer. Si estás a favorcuéntanos pero de paso dinos, ¿qué te preocupa?

 

16.      Aevolucionar

¿Cómo te sientas que has evolucionado como escritor?

 

17.      Combustiblede escritores Pt 1- gustitos

Antes de conquistar a veces necesitamos algo para comer. ¿Qué snacks sontus favoritos a la hora de escribir o leer?

 

18.      Las 3 Ps:Plotter, Pantser, Plantser.

¿Cuál eres?

 

19.      ¡Café vs.té!

¿Cuál gana y cómo lo tomas? ¿Mejor y peor té/café que has tomado?

 

20.     ¡Allá nosvemos!

¿Tienes algún evento en agenda? ¡Cuéntanos!

 

21.      Compinches.

Una de las mejores cosas sobre ser parte de la comunidad de escritores eseso mismo, la comunidad. Cuéntanos de tu experiencia con la comunidad y elimpacto de algunas personas en tu trayectoria.

 

22.      Competitivamentecompetente

¿Alguna vez haz participado o participarías en una competencia de escribir?Si es así, cuéntanos tu experiencia. Si no te simpatizan, dinos por qué.

 

23.      Marcadoresmaravillosos.

Este tema es de los favoritos todos los años, así que luce tu colección demarcadores de libros.

 

24.      ¡Alertaescritores!

Otro tema muy popular es compartir cosas para que todos estemos pendientes.Hay estafadores a cada esquina y nos toca cuidarnos los unos a los otros.

 

25.      Saliendo dela zona de confort

¿Has pensado o hasta intentado escribir en otro medio? ¿Libretos, teatro,poesía o hasta una canción? ¿Posiblemente un género diferente? Si es así,¿dinos qué te gustaría explorar y por qué?

 

26.      Combustiblede escritores Pt 2: influencias

Como escritores, la influencia es inspiración pueden venir de muchossitios. Por supuestos, algunas personas que nos inspiran nos puedendecepcionar, pero la influencia sigue aquí. ¿Quién sirvió de influencia parati?

 

27.      Identidadsecreta.

La mayoría de la gente que yo conozco no pueden vivir de sus libros ytienen trabajos cotidianos (y no tan cotidianos). A veces piensan que vivimosuna vida doble y para algunas personas, pues ciertamente es el caso, ya quetienen una personalidad especial que es MUY diferente a su yo del día a día.¿En qué trabajas y eres igual en línea y en vida real cuándo estás en tusactividades de autor o hay un tú diferente para esos eventos especiales?

 

28.     Recomendadospor la casa.

TODOS tenemos nuestros favoritos así que comparte los tuyos en música,películas, arte, video juegos, libros y cualquier otra cosa que nos quierascompartir.

 

29.      Combustiblede escritores Pt 3: Recompensándonos

Como escritores, podemos ser hasta crueles con nosotros mismos así que essólo justo el que nos celebremos con el MISMO entusiasmo. ¿Cómo te premias?

 

30.     Lista dedeseos.

Siempre está el miedo que compartir nuestros deseos pueden hacer que no senos den, pero también pienso que compartir nuestra visión puede ser poderoso.¿Qué son algunas cosas en tu lista de deseos para este año y el futuro?

 

31.      Acontinuación…

¿Qué podemos esperar de ti en el futuro y cómo nos podemos mantener encontacto?

 

 

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Another year, another March is on its way fellow writers!Like last year, I’m sharing the prompts with plenty of time so you can getready, in case you want to record or do something bigger or that requires moreplanning or a bit more time. And like last year, you are free to interpret eachprompt in your own way.

 

If this is your first time hearing about March of theWriters, no worries. There will be more posts and videos explaining what we doduring March but for an elevator pitch version of the definition, here we go:

March of the Writers is a month-long event where you will have a prompt per day.The idea is for you to post on your preferred social media platform, newsletter,blog, or what have you and let readers and fellow authors get to know you a bitbetter.

 

The rules of play are simple:

 

A.    Youcan approach prompts however you want. The idea is to get creative, have fun,and connect.

B.    Youdo NOT need to participate every day. If you missed a day, no harm, no foul. Youcan either catch up or skip it altogether.

C.    Youcan join WHENEVER you want. Heck, want to do it in another month? Why not? ButMarch is when most people who participate will do it.

 

Also, SUPER IMPORTANT, make sure to use the followinghashtags when you post:

 

#MarchOfTheWriters

#MOTW

#MOTW2025

 

And now that we have that out of the way, let’s get to theprompts!

 

1.         Introducing…

This is yourauthor into. Tell us, how long have you been writing, have you published anybooks, what genres do you write in, where are you from, and anything else yourreaders might want to know.

 

2.        Define yourself.

If you were adictionary definition, what does it include?

 

3.        Tune up or enjoy the silence?

Do you write withmusic on? Does it influence your writing? Do you prefer silence? Have youchecked out the March of the Writers Playlist? Do you have some tracks youthink would be great to include in it?

 

4.        Author rituals

Sometimes we needto motivate ourselves to get our write on. Sometimes we just sit down and getthings done. What are some of your writing rituals?

 

5.        Hallowed ground

Are there anylocations that have inspired your work? Is there any place that for some reasonallowed inspiration to hit? Where are they and how did they inspire?

 

6.        Nooks and crannies

Where and when weget our write on depends on the person and we each have places that for somereason let the words flow. What are some of your favorite places to write?

 

7.        Method to Madness

Writing is such acurious process and we all have things we do to either sort plot holes, improveour writing, catch typos, or what have you. Give us some tips or describe yourwriting process.

 

8.        Idea well

As writers, one ofthe most important things we have to do is capture ideas. Whether it’s aprocess, meditation, or using a variety of capture tools, how do you tap intoyour creativity or make sure that ideas don’t run away?

 

9.        Healthy habits

Every year Iinclude this topic because there are so many great tips to stay healthy in bodyand mind, that we need this space to share the wealth. Have you done somethingthat was a game changer for your health whether it's in writing or life? Haveyou gotten a writing schedule? Have you deleted apps? Have you stopped orstarted doing things for your wellbeing that you think could help others? Thenshare the wealth.

 

10.      Social distancing

In the last year,a LOT of people have opted out of social media or some platforms have been orwill be banned. This might be worrying to some, but for others, it’s a welcomepruning of things that might not be worth the price of admission or yielding properreturn of investments. What do you think of this trend and have you stoppedparticipating in some platforms/events?

 

11.       Making it personal

Do you includeunique things in your stories and writing in general to reward your readers,especially those who read more than one of your books, poems, or stories?

 

12.      Where are you still at?

2024 was the yearof deleting apps and saying no to certain events, websites, etc. Which apps andevents are you keeping and why?

 

13.      You’ve got this.

Sometimes we needa kick in the ass and sometimes we need a shoulder to cry on. What are somewords of encouragement you’ve received, and you’d like to pay forward?

 

14.      Where in the world?

How many countriesare you read in or have people that follow you? This is a small exercise toshow you your reach and that sometimes, you have followers where you leastexpect them. Also, readers, this is your chance to let us know where you’rereading us from? Also, writers, where else would you like to be read?

 

15.      May I AI?

One of theelephants in the room continues to be AI, the use, misuse, enthuse, and abuseof it. Get your soap box out and make your case for or against AI. If you arevehemently against it, what are some good things that come from AI? If you arefor AI, defend your stance but also share some of your areas of concern.

 

16.      Do the evolution

How do you feelyou’ve evolved as a writer from when you started to where you are now?

 

17.      Writer fuel Pt 1- Snacks

Before we conquer,sometimes we need to snack. What’s a go-to fuel for you while reading orwriting?

 

18.      The 3 Ps: Plotter, Pantser, Plantser.

Which are you?

 

19.      Coffee vs. Tea!

Which wins and howdo you have it? Where is the worst coffee/tea you’ve had and the best?

 

20.     It’s a date!

Do you have eventsscheduled for the year or special meetups? Let us know!

 

21.      We go together.

One of theabsolute best things about writing is the community. Tell us about yourexperience with the community and how some people have had an impact on you.

 

22.      Competitive drive

Have you ever orwould you ever enter a writing competition? If so tell us about the experience.If it’s not your cuppa, tell us why.

 

23.      Bookmark palooza.

This is a favoriteof a lot of people, so flex your swag and show us your bookmark collection.

 

24.      Writer Beware!

Another popularentry is to share things we should ALL keep an eye out for. Scammers are gonnascam and we gotta stick together.

 

25.      Beyond the comfort zone

Have you everthought about or tried writing in a different form? Script, play, poetry, oreven song. Maybe a different genre? If so, what would you like to try and why?

 

26.      Writer fuel Pt 2: influences

As writers,influence can come from many places. Sure, some of those might end updisappointing us, but the influence is still there.

 

27.      Secret identity.

MOST people I knowcan’t live off their writing and have a regular (or not so regular) day job.Some people think we live double lives and for some people, that is the case,having a creative persona that is starkly different to who and how they are.What’s your day job and are you the same online/offline and when you’re doingyour authorly things, or is there a different setting for you?

 

28.     Author picks.

We ALL have ourfavorites, so share your faves in music, movies, art, video games, books, oranything you’d like to highlight.

 

29.      Writer fuel Pt 3: Reward time

As writers, we canbe very brutal with ourselves, so it’s only fair to celebrate with the sameverve. How do you reward yourself?

 

30.     Wishlist.

There’s alwaysthat fear that speaking our wishes out loud might make them not come true, butI also believe that sharing our vision can be very powerful. What are somethings on your wishlist for this year and in the future?

 

31.      To be continued…

What’s on thehorizon for you and how can we keep in touch?

 

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