Sons of Cuba by Ellen W. Martin - Book Tour + Giveaway
by Ellen W. Martin
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GENRE: Historical fiction
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BLURB:
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EXCERPT
BOOK II – SONS OF CUBA – HOMECOMING
TANGI rushed over and picked up the now hysterical Andrés. Her eyes widened. Standing at the front door was that same disgusting soldier that had harassed her at the plaza; three others were behind him, rifles in hand. Once again, he leered at her. She looked down; her blouse was still open. She buttoned the top button and held Andrés close.
Ramon Miguel stepped between Tangi, Fernando, and the soldier. “What can we do for you?” He asked.
“I told you, I’m looking for Fernando Reyes. Are you he?”
Ramon stared at the soldier; his eyes narrowed. “Maybe, but tell me first why you’re here.”
The soldier waved a piece of paper in front of Ramon’s face. “This is about you turning your farm over to the government.”
Fernando pushed Ramon aside and snapped, “I’ll do no such thing. That land has been in my family for generations. Besides, what would the government want with a few meager acres?”
The soldier looked first at Ramon, and then at Fernando. “Okay, which one of you is Reyes?
Fernando yanked the papers from the soldier’s hands. “I told you I am. What is this?” He asked, shaking the papers in the soldier’s face.
“It’s the deed to your land. Sign it; sign it now without argument. If you don’t, we have a prison cell waiting for you.”
Ramon Miguel took the papers from Fernando’s trembling hands, and glanced over the legal document. He turned his back on the soldiers and pulled the old man aside. “I’m afraid you have no choice,” he whispered. “You wouldn’t survive a week in jail, and I can’t go to prison for you. Who’d take care of Tangi and the baby?”
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AUTHOR INTERVIEW
When I decided to write my first three books, the process was a long one. Writing was a hobby, something I did when I wasn’t spending my free time playing league tennis.
Actual butt-in-chair for these books was over a period of
several months, maybe a year – on each individual book. It took longer because I realized how little I
knew about basic technical writing skills, i.e. plotting, the key element “show
don’t tell”, character development, writing believable dialogue, and all the
other tricks of the trade.
Honing your skills takes time if you hope to produce a decent
product. I found myself spending hours
working with online writing groups and meeting regularly with fellow local
writers so we could critique one another’s work. When the opportunity presented itself, I went
to Writer’s Conferences and soaked up as much knowledge as I could from
successful authors. At those Conferences
I also received valuable advice from both agents and publishers that were attending
those functions. After multiple
rejections, tired of the frustrating, unrewarding process of getting an agent
or publisher’s attention, my writing muse took a long eight to ten-year
sabbatical.
However, I do have a short answer to the question. My writing muse stopped by for an extended
visit while COVID-19 has been wreaking havoc across our country and the
world. Bored and with little else to do
but binge on Netflix or watch the daily depressing news, I sat myself down in
front of my computer and worked six hours a day for at least six days a
week. In just over 60-days I completed
the first draft of another suspense thriller.
Amazing what one can do when you are motivated, not to mention
disciplined.
This is a much easier question. The names of my characters depend on the plot, the character’s nationality, and what part of the U.S.A. or world they live. Sometimes names just pop into my head as I’m writing.
I usually have a grasp of the personality traits of my characters and the names I choose for them will just fit. However, when tagging a character eludes me, I’ll go to the internet, skim lists of names (both first and last), and select four or five that might work. Once I’ve made a choice, I’ll close my eyes and picture the character in question to see if the name matches their profile.
And finally, occasionally I’ve borrowed a first or last name of
friends, relatives, or “friendamies”.
The eagle is definitely my “spirit animal”. When I was a child I dreamed of flying – literally, either with my own wings or a jet pack. I didn’t care which of those methods I just wanted to soar through the air. My dreams to “fly” remained with me as a young adult. My ultimate goal was to see as much of the world as I possibly could — and I did.
Secondly, the eagle also represents freedom. Given the opportunities to live and travel around the world, I witnessed social injustices and experienced multiple cultures for a longer time period than just a short visit. I gained a greater appreciation of the democracy we Americans enjoy every day. I am convinced my deep-seated gratitude for our civil liberties and freedoms played a major role in my commitment to write SONS OF CUBA.
Do you have
any advice for aspiring writers?
Definitely! If you have
the desire to write don’t allow anyone to stop or discourage you. Remain determined. Be a sponge when it comes to learning anything
about the craft of writing. Most of all
welcome constructive criticism with open arms and a smile on your face.
What is your
favorite genre to read?
Hands down suspense thriller and murder mysteries.
I wanted to share one last thing with you. Even though I lost my enthusiasm to write for a long period of time, my elusive muse did return. In the summer of 2019 I found myself once again in front of my computer searching for the completed books I had written so long ago. I cleared the cobwebs from both my head and the files, and then wrote and rewrote my earlier endeavors — and then I tweaked them again. The two book series SONS OF CUBA – PRELUDE TO REVOLUTION and SONS OF CUBA – HOMECOMING were released late fall of 2019 and are available to read either as an e-Book or in paperback.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
After a lifetime of personal adventures, travel and escapades (a lot of risky escapades), author Ellen Martin, is living her sunset years bouncing around a tennis court or clicking away on her keyboard.
Outrage at social injustices, the thrill for suspense, and unraveling a good mystery are triggers that motivate Ellen to write memorable stories and colorful characters.
Over 30 years as a military wife, she has resided both in the Orient and in Europe where she became no stranger to social injustice and poverty. She and her family have lived in the Philippines, Japan, Italy, and the Netherlands — not to mention both U.S. coasts and Kansas in the winter. She is fascinated by real-life, colorful personalities.
On a more personal note Ellen was a flight attendant for the Charter Airline Saturn in the 1960’s. Her job was escorting United States troops in and out of Viet Nam. Her adventures in the war zone continued until she was swept away by her fighter pilot husband.
After retirement the couple’s travels included Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungry, Spain, Scotland, and Ireland and topped off with a visit to Cuba.
God gifted Ellen with one “perfect” son and three grandchildren.
You wrap all this in a package and Ellen has been rewarded with an endless supply of fodder for her fiction.
In her historical fiction Book-I SONS OF CUBA–PRELUDE TO REVOLUTION she weaves an embellished tale of the most notorious and charismatic Cuban rebel in modern history. There’s a chance you might find him charming, intriguing and actually root for him in his early endeavors to free his beloved Cuba from tyranny.
However, in Book II - SONS OF CUBA – HOMECOMING, the story takes the reader from the rebel’s exile in Mexico to preparation for the revolution from the Mountains of the Sierra Maestra. This is where you will meet the fiery redheaded peasant girl, Tangi. The narrative shifts its focus from the revolution and centers around the fictional character, Tangi, and her family’s struggles, fears and disappointments in the new regime.
How the story in real life ends is no secret. But, in Book II – SONS OF CUBA – HOMECOMING, the characters and the author may just get the last word.
In 2020 Ellen’s new book INTO THE DEVIL’S DEN turns from historical events to present day reality – Terrorism — terrorism in our own backyard.
Check out her website for excerpts from her books: https://www.booksbyellen.com
Book Video:
Amazon buy links:
Prelude to Revolution
https://www.amazon.com/SONS-CUBA-BOOK-Prelude-Revolution-ebook/dp/B081LMXDHK/
Homecoming
https://www.amazon.com/SONS-CUBA-BOOK-II-HOMECOMING-ebook/dp/B082WSVJT6/
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
8 Comments
Thank you Jazzy Book Reviews for hosting my tour today.
ReplyDeleteIf any of your visitors have any questions, I'll try my best to answer.
Ellen
You're very welcome! :)
DeleteHappy Friday! I've enjoyed following the tour for the Sons of Cuba and can't wait to check it out.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting today
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
DeleteI enjoyed following the tour and leaning about your books, sounds like a great historical read, thanks for sharing and I hope the tour was a success!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jazzy Book reviews for hosting my book tour today and thank you to all those that stopped by to check out the two book series SONS OF CUBA.
ReplyDeleteEllen
These books sound great
ReplyDeletePlease try not to spam posts with the same comments over and over again. Authors like seeing thoughtful comments about their books, not the same old, "I like the cover" or "sounds good" comments. While that is nice, putting some real thought and effort in is appreciated. Thank you.