LATINAS WRITE ROMANCE: PURPOSE FOR WRITING by Mercedes Cruz

 
Please help me welcome author Mercedes to our blog.  This post is part of a month-long Latinas Write Romance blog tour with Mercedes Cruz, Vanessa Peters and myself. 

When an Author sits down to write anything they start with a purpose, the end result of their writing; what message they want to relay to the prospective readers. As an author I try to always keep this in mind before I start my writing session, therefore I can focus my writing and stay on topic.

With all of that said, I also know the importance of just writing even if you have not yet established your purpose for writing. The practice of writing using pen, pencil, crayon, markers, keyboard, and dictation, whatever works is just as important as having a purpose or outcome.

My purpose for writing has changed over the course of the last five years. I started out with children’s picture books; yes one of the hardest if not the hardest publishing genres to get into. In my spare time I read a few Erotic Fiction novels by a famous female African American author.  I was instantly intrigued by the genre. I took an online course on the basics of writing Romance Novels, and I read how-to-books on Writing a Novel. However it wasn’t until I got very clear on my message that I actually started to take my writing serious and started to call myself a writer in public.#


Mercedes Cruz lives and writes in the great Borough of Brooklyn, New York. She writes short stories and is working on her first novella besides of multicultural charters living in New York City and the Tri-State area.  Visit her at: www.MercedesCruz.com.
Twitter: @MercedesAuthor
Facebook Page: Mercedes Cruz Romance
 

LATINAS WRITE ROMANCE: A VALENTINE TANGO

  

It’s Valentine’s Day.

            Forget the chocolate and the flowers, instead, let’s Tango.

            The Tango started in Argentina and has conquered the world.  In Puerto Rico, we have boleros.  Slow dancing.  Partners come together; circle each other, while passion hovers around them.  Boleros are like a prelude.

            The Tango is action.  It’s both sensual and sexual.  It’s both ethereal and carnal.

            The Tango screams desire, passion. 

It screams SEX.

            The dancers come together in an open embrace.  The female’s hands are draped over the male’s shoulders.  His hands at her back to guide her, to establish the rhythm. 
He advances, she retreats.

            The footwork is fast and calculated.  The dancers invade each other’s space.

            Legs entangled. 

Hands caress.

There’s heat, friction, intensity, possession, and at last, surrender.

            Like love, the Tango captivates and mesmerizes both dancers and lovers.

            

Here are some of my favorite Tango scenes from some great movies:   

From “Take the Lead” with Antonio Banderas, click here.  

From “Scent of a Woman," click here.

From “Frida, The Movie,” click here.   
(This one is between Frida and Tina!)

From “Dirty Dancing," click here.  
(Love this Patrick!)

 

And if you want to try a few steps with your partner, click here for a quick lesson from Tango expert Jesus Reyes Ortiz.

Now that you've learned my passion for the Tango.  Check out what other Latinas are writing about on Valentine’s Day:

For Mercedes Cruz, click here.

For Vanessa Peters, click here.  
(Click on the "pencil" on the right for her blog.)

Wishing you all a Happy Valentine’s Day! 

Feliz Dia de los Enamorados!

May your Tango last forever!

LATINAS WRITE ROMANCE: A WRITERS DESK

A writer writes, always.

A writer writes anywhere and everywhere.  At least, I do.

And, everything and anything can serve as a desk.

I have a “real” desk that is more of a paper holder than a “writing desk.”  I have not sat in it for years.  Instead, I prefer to sit and write on my sofa; in the summer, at a little table on my terrace; and always on the subway to and from work.

To me it’s not the desk that matters but the words on the paper.

I find that I write faster using pen and paper rather than a laptop.  I guess it’s because on a laptop I feel like I have to watch my grammar and spelling, whereas when I am writing in my notebook the words just flow.  And while I don’t much care about a desk, I do care about my notebooks.  I like them bright and colorful, and I often decorate them with postcards or magazine ads.  I find that a “creative” notebook stimulates my creativity.

Now some writers have wonderful desks in front of big windows or desks hidden among a forest of books. Each writer is different in how they write and where they write. 

In fact, two of my friends are also talking about their writing desks today.  Please visit Vanessa Peters and Mercedes Cruz at the following links:

For Vanessa Peters, click here.

For Mercedes Cruz, click here.

And, whatever your writing style or the size of your desk, remember that a writer writes, always.  Happy Writing.♥

LATINAS WRITE ROMANCE....with author Vanessa Peters

   

I am proud to introduce you to author and painter Vanessa Peters.  She is our Guest Blogger today and part of the Latinas Write Romance Blog Tour this month.  Welcome, Vanessa!

MY FAVORITE TYPE OF ROMANCE….FATED LOVE

by Vanessa Peters

There is an undercurrent to all romance stories that pulls the reader in.  Sure the sexy and steamy parts are a big draw, but what keeps our dear Constant Reader coming back again and again is the love story at the core of it all.   We all have our predilections towards a certain type of romance -- tragic love, unrequited love, first love….

But, what is it that attracts a reader to a particular type of love story?  Why is one tale of romance more alluring than another? 

As a teenager, I was drawn to any and all types of tragic romances, the darker the better.   But with age and experience, taste and tendencies change, now in my thirties I find I prefer a love story centered on…sigh…fated romance. 

There is a seed that is planted in the mind of our dear Constant Reader from every tale we weave of fated love.  It is a seed born of lost loves, old crushes and lovers of days past, which blooms at the end of each story.  Fantasies of what-ifs and a force greater than ourselves that could lead the love they lost at 18 to suddenly reappear.  Fate would weave a web of events and chance encounters that would bring that one great love back to them.

And then maybe they end up being a werewolf too…but that’s a story for another day.♥

Born and raised in New York, Vanessa Peters lives and works out of her apartment in Brooklyn.  A lover of art and self-professed romance junkie, she spends her free time, when not writing, reading and visiting galleries throughout the city. She is a true believer in love at first sight, and that the best stories come when opposites attract and sparks fly.  Vanessa is currently working on her first full length novel under the name Vita Perez.  Visit her at  www.vanessa-peters.com.  Twitter  @VPetersBKNY  Instagram  @vpetersbkny. And, visit Vita at www.vitapetezwrites.blogspot.com.  Twitter @VitaPerezWrites.

Visit the first stop on the Latinas Write Romance blog tour by clicking here.