Posts

Posted on

Spicy Mexican Brownies

I was experimenting in the kitchen and came up with this awesome trick to spice up brownies.

Take a box of brownie mix (not the kind with the fudge package) and follow the package directions

Mix in two teaspoons of ancho chile powder* and two teaspoons of cinnamon

Bake according to the package directions

When I pulled them out, I let them sit for about ten minutes. The smell was da-vine but I forced myself to wait because they’re easier to cut out of the pan and yet, still have a bit of gooey warmth that won’t burn your mouth.

At first taste, the cinnamon and chocolate taste like Mexican hot chocolate. But then the chile kicks in – not too much but just enough to make it interesting.

If you don’t have or can’t find ancho chile powder, cayenne will do the job but use a teaspoon and a half because it has a smokier taste.

Make a batch and let me know what you think!
Psst! I wrote an essay for Gather.com’s “When My Mom Stood Up For Me” contest. Check it out and if you like it, please vote! Go here
And one more thing, if you’re in Orange County, CA, check out Tu Ciudad’s April Issue
Posted on

It Just Doesn’t Pay To Ignore Us

I’m not a political person. I hardly watch the news because it only scares me about the world I’ve brought my son into. But this is something that I have to talk about.

A couple of days after MGM and Salma Hayek signed a deal to create Ventanazul, PBS announced today that they are “amending” Ken Burns’ World War II documentary to include stories from Latino veterans.

I don’t have relatives who served in that war but my Auntie Betty’s father was in the Army and he was a very proud veteran. When I think about young men like him who served their country – even when their country had deported anyone who looked like a Mexican during the Depression – I think that at the very least, they deserve this victory.

The Little Dude is half Mexican and one day, I’d like for him to watch this documentary and hear about the men and women with last names like his, share their stories.

Posted on

The Real Mama Grande

Not only is Salma with child, but this mama is now tight with MGM.

Reuters reported yesterday that Salma Hayek and Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Inc. have agreed to form Ventanazul, a film company that will “make or acquire independent movies, and hopes to distribute two to four films a year that draw on Latin themes, feature Latino or Latina actors and cross over to mainstream audiences for broad, box office appeal.”

With Salma’s track record (Frida and Ugly Betty), she’s the woman who will get it done!

Posted on

What I Did This Weekend

I cleaned, cooked and then wore bunny ears while herding five small children hopped up on chocolate and God knows what else through an Easter egg hunt.

No lives were lost in the hunt.

And we had a blast!

But before the weekend began I got this … uh, if you haven’t clicked on link, here’s your second hint.

Posted on

How do you know it’s any good?

This week I’ve been in deep revision mode and I was on deadline for an article that will be published in the June/July issue of Tu Ciudad! Busy! Busy!

But the other day I was nosing around online and came across a message posted from a writer who asked when do we know a story is any good? How do you know if its worth pursuing?

For me, it’s gut instinct. If the characters come to life and refuse to go away until I finish their story, then I know this is a journey I have to complete. I don’t judge if the story is “good” or “bad.” My agent does that for me. How I feel is that every story and character who has come into my life has done so for a reason.

Right after I turned in In Between Men (waaay back in September 2004), I wrote a drama about two sisters who never knew the other existed until their father was diagnosed with cancer. I loved the characters Dori and Sela, but the story was so so. I talked to my agent about it she asked me what I was doing writing a heavy-handed drama when I’ve been writing comedies? Unfortunately, she has a really annoying tendency to be right and that story has since become an organ donor.

But I missed those sisters. Five or six months later, I was at a wedding and while eavesdropping on a conversation, found the story for Sela and Dori. Next month, “Till Death Do Us Part” will be inflicted on the reading public in Names I Call My Sister.

I’m not sure if I successfully answered this question. For those of you writing out there, how do you know if your story is “good enough”?

Posted on

Rereading Old Favorites

Before I start a new story or a major revision, I like to reread one of my favorite books. I read them because I want to be swept out of my world and into someone else’s. I like discovering the small nuances that I might have missed or forgotten. A favorite book simply reminds me why I am a writer. It’s not for the website or the publicity or smart business plans. A favorite book reminds me of the miracle in creating a whole world out of words, ink and paper.

So what am I reading? Diary of a Blues Goddess by Erica Orloff. Someone “borrowed” my copy, as in they’ll stole it and I happened to find it when I went to their house the other day! Anyway, it has been years since I last read it and even though Erica has written many amazing books since this one, it holds a special place in my heart.

Do you have favorites you like to read over and over again?

Cheers,
Mary

Posted on

In The CD Player

Have you heard Amy Winehouse? If you haven’t, you will soon. I’d been reading about her in Perez Hilton’s column and aftr mossying over to her MySpace page, I’m hooked.

Her sound is retro funk with influences of Etta James and the Motown girl bands. But what I love is her honesty. There’s none of that fake, R&B stuff you hear from most artists. She isn’t sweet and cute or looks like she’s been airbrushed to death. She looks like she just finished a gig at four in the morning.

Check this out from “I’m No Good.”

sweet reunion, jamaica and spain
were like how we were again
i’m in the tub you’re on the seat
lick your lips as I soak my feet

then you notice little carpet burn
my stomach drops and my guts churn
you shrug and its the worst
to truly stuck the knife in first

Check her out

Posted on

If I Were a Man, I Never Would’ve Gotten Any Action

Because in my 20’s, I had a real problem with asking for what I wanted.
I remember the very first query letter I wrote to Harlequin Silhouette. I was almost apologizing for wasting their time in asking them to consider my book. Admittedly, it wasn’t a great book but you think after all the nights and lunch hours I spent on that thing that I would’ve been a better advocate than that.
As time wore on, I wanted to be published so badly that it became my life purpose to sell Hot Tamara. Maybe I was tired of rejection, or just getting ornery as I approached my thirties. Whatever the case, I began thinking about why I should be published as opposed to why I shouldn’t. When I wrote that fateful query letter to Harper Collins, I shook my moneymaker, baby. I was damn proud of that story. Having reread the letter recently, there’s a chutzpah to it even though the book had already been rejected by ten agents.
The thing is, when you finally climb up into the realm of publishing, you have to keep on asking for what you want. You have to risk that someone will tell you no, which then requires that you do some fancy footwork to change their mind, or maneuver around them. Even though I consider myself to be moderately ballsy, I still squirm just a little bit when I ask my agent to do something on my behalf, or my readers to buy my next book.
When I hesitate, I remember that no one else will do it for me … unless of course, I ask them to.
Posted on

You Know You Want It!

Yesterday … I think it was yesterday …

Anyway, there was a conversation about criticism. People talked about where they get it, how they deal with it and whether they even want it.

Since many of you are writers, I thought I’d toss out how I handle the whole criticism thing. Maybe this list will help your process or not. So here we go.

1. Trust your sources. The only criticism I trust comes from my husband, my friends, Jen & Dana, my agent and my editor.

However in the beginning, when I didn’t have an editor and agent, my husband and Jen read my work. They told me what I needed to hear and believe me, that’s very different from what I wanted to hear! So my point is to be careful as to whom you give your work. Be picky but most of all, learn to trust yourself so you know what is constructive and what isn’t; what suggestions make your work stronger, versus making into what that person wants it to be.

2. Take in critiques when you’re ready. When I get a revision letter from my agent or editor, I don’t open it right away. If I’m in the middle of writing a new story (and depending on the timing of the revisions), I hold off on reading the letter until the new story is done. And then I go through my ritual. I make a cup of tea, close the door to my office, print out the letter and then read it over and over again.

3. Digesting the suggestions. I don’t always take every single suggestion. With Switchcraft, my editor suggesting removing a supporting character all together. But I really felt that this character (her name is Arlene) allowed us to see one of the heroes in his most vulnerable moments. So I kept Arlene but I also kept in mind the spirit of my editor’s suggestion. I only used Arlene in very specific scenes and my editor didn’t make a peep.

4. Sometimes you need a little tough love. About six months ago, my agent had to shake me up a little. She told me that my writing wasn’t up to my usual standards and dude, it hurt! But she was right, damn it. It shook me up, made me sit up straight and pay attention to what I was doing. So when I sent the revised proposal to her, she told me that I was back.

5. Tame the inner beast. Nothing, not one word of my very worst reviews could top the criticism that comes from me. My inner critic is a beast. It knows where and when I’m most vulnerable and lay me up for days. But I’ve learned to silence the beast, or throw a bone over my shoulder and run!

Meditation and my Buddhist studies have helped me in this way. Especially the idea that what we tell ourselves isn’t always the truth. When I get down on my writing, I have to remind the beast that if I were that bad, then how is it possible that I have three books in the stores right now? I know it sounds cheesy but the book that changed my thinking in this area is The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.

So there you have it. How do you manage criticism? Does it keep you on your toes, or knock you on your ass?

Cheers,
Mary

Posted on

How Honest Is Too Honest?

Yesterday, Ryan and I took the Little Dude for a walk and we happened upon a miniature train. The Little Dude being a dude ran screaming with delight. When we caught up with him, he pointed through the gate and demanded a ride.

Three bucks later, we were seated right behind the engine. But then the train operator tried to get the Little Dude to smile at her. He frowned. She tried harder. His forehead looked like an accordion by the time she gave up.

Unlike me who has been conditioned to smile and always be polite, the Little Dude doesn’t hide his scorn. You know right off the bat if he likes you or not. And while it can be a bit awkward, I secretly wish I could be more like him.

There have been too many times when I’ve “had” to be nice to a nasty cousin or a colleague who’d stab a pencil in my eye if given the chance. If I was more like the Little Dude, I’d avoid situations where the person thought I liked them and then kept asking if I’d be their friend but inside I was trying to come up with an excuse that wouldn’t hurt their feelings.

I’m torn. How honest is too honest? Is it better to just shut people down, or try not to hurt their feelings?

I know what Mom and Sandy will say. But they’re of that certain age where they just don’t give a sh%$.

For the record, I can’t wait to be a grandma like them!

But for the rest of us young-ins, how do you deal with these types of situations?