Maria's Journal

Hispanic Heritage Month In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month I present to you five world renowned Hispanic authors you should get to know. Please see below in alphabetical order: Isabel Allende is a Chilean writer who also pens in the “magic realist” tradition.. In 2004, Allende was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and she received Chile’s National Literature Prize in 2010. Jorge Luis Borges was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator. But he was much more than that. Borges contributed to the so-called philosophical literature movement, and he became a literary icon beyond frontiers, though never recognized with a Nobel Prize. Carlos Fuentes was a Mexican novelist and essayist. This great author was honored with the Miguel de Cervantes Prize as well as Mexico’s highest award, the Belisario Dominguez Medal of Honor. Fuentes, like Borges, never won the Nobel Prize. Gabriel Garcia Marquez also known as ‘Gabo’, was a Col...

Read, read, read! Writers hear this all the time, “If you want to be a better writer, you need to be a better reader.” This is very true, but, what is also true is that we need to read effectively. See, reading effectively can help make a huge difference in the quality of work we produce. Below are simple tips to ensure you’re getting the most out of your reading experience this year: 1) Be sure to read books you enjoy. This may seem logical, but many a time we may feel as if we have to read ‘certain types’ of books because it is expected of us as writers. But, really, reading should be fun so reading mandatory books (e.g. poetry, Shakespeare, etc.) is counter-intuitive. Read what you enjoy and you’re likely to read more, simple. 2) Read the type of material you aspire to produce. If you wish to be a best-selling author, you should be reading books written by best-selling authors. So, find an author you admire and read as much of his/her work as possible. 3) Keep a lo...

Friends, The Romance Writers of America (RWA) National Conference is just a few days away and this year the conference will be held right here in NYC! Now, I have been reviewing this year’s line-up, and it promises to be a star-studded event with best-selling authors facilitating many of the sessions. In fact, I’m all booked with back-to-back workshops from Wednesday thru Saturday. Hope to see many of my fellow romance writers at the event. Happy summer folks! Maria

Michael J. Molloy is big fan of such authors as: Stephen King, Frederick Forysth, Nicholas Sparks, too. A former graduate of Stuyvesant High School, Michael has read all of Frank McCourt books which is what inspired him to pick up a pen and pad in the first place. An enthusiast of the romance and suspense genre Michael has traditionally published two books through Gypsy Shadow Publishing, a contemporary romance and a suspense novel. Michael has three adult children; he currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. What is your genre? I have two: Contemporary Romance and Suspense. What books/stories have you written? Published? I have two books published: “The Diamond Man” and “Sadistic Pattern” Who’s your favorite author? Stephen King What is the one piece of advice you’d give new writers? Be true to yourself; without that you have no commitment. What are you working on currently? "Sweet Greetings from Carthage". Also, I just started a new contemporary ro...

Melissa began performing in musical theater at the age of twelve. Melissa performed in over thirteen plays before she even turned fifteen years old. With a love of the arts, Melissa played the piano and violin and developed a love of reading and writing. Currently, Melissa is working on her first novel. Tell us a little bit about your writing, what is the process like? I usually get a picture, a small grain of an idea. And, if this idea persists over time, I then explore how to build story. Who’s your favorite author? Louisa May Alcott What are you currently reading? I tend to read a few books at once so currently, I'm reading: The Kid Stays In The Picture by Robert Evans and The Invited Jennifer McMahon. What is the one piece of advice you’d give new writers? Read, read, read! What are you working on currently? A suspense novel, something I’m really excited about! To learn more about Melissa and her upcoming projects, please follow her on  Twitter .

Cinco de Mayo, (Spanish for “Fifth of May”), also called Anniversary of the Battle of Puebla, is a holiday celebrated in parts of Mexico. This particular holiday celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. While it is a relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the United States, Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations. In the state of Puebla in Mexico, the day is celebrated with parades, speeches, and reenactments of the 1862 battle, though it is not much noticed in most of the rest of the country. In the mid-20th-century in the United States, the celebration of Cinco de Mayo became among Mexican immigrants a way of encouraging pride in their Mexican heritage. Click here to learn more about the Battle of Puebla. Happy Cinco de Mayo! Maria

Shari Broyer writes in many genres and indie-publishes her works via Amazon KDP. Her short Inspirational Christmas story— Jesus on a Park Bench —published 12-24-12, is a long-running Amazon Inspirational bestseller. Besides authoring her own works; Shari is a professional manuscript editor who also helps others publish their works via Amazon KDP. Shari does it all: editing, formatting, and cover art. She is constantly honing her craft/s as an author, editor, producer and even cover designer. In 2017, an email from a friend in California led Shari to the small, but artsy town of Ajo, Arizona, where she bought a cute little house, one that she shares with “Baby”, her adopted ten-year-old cat. Shari loves Ajo. For such a tiny, seemingly “nowhere and nothing” place, Ajo is happening! Art shows, music concerts, fabulous food, fun and friends! How long have you been writing? More years than I want to admit! But really, ever since I could hold a pencil. I wrote a “Goodby krewel world!” ...