As a daydreamer with dysgraphia I never thought all the stories in my head would ever be shared with anyone else.
Dysgraphia is a neurological disorder of written expression that impairs writing ability and fine motor skills. It is a learning disability that affects children and adults, and interferes with practically all aspects of the writing process, including spelling, legibility, word spacing and sizing, and expression.
With the encouragement of other writers, including Jodi Thomas, I found the courage to submit my stories to an agent. It took a lot of editing, but it was sold to Harlequin’s Love Inspired line. That was eight years ago and twenty stories later I still can’t believe it.
This is the topic we tackle in our newest podcast, Who Asked Us? The Unsolicited Opinion of Two Romance.
My oldest daughter, Katrina Navarro and her fiancé, Mark Salinas join us to give a first hand experience of growing up with Dyslexia. This is the YouTube link, but you can also find us on Spotify, Google Podcast, Pandora and now Apple!
The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman has been around many years. I read it as a young parent of four children. My husband and I read it. I now use it to help develop my fictional characters. We all want to belong, to have people in our lives that love us. Understanding the love languages not only helps you see how others might be expressing it to you, but how you feel loved. To visit their website click on the books.
When a love language is not expressed or it is used to hurt a child the wounds can cause deep scares. I think it’s the reason one child can be traumatized by something and another doesn’t even remember it. A child that scores low on words of affirmation can ignore hurtful words. But take a child that words of affirmation is how they feel loved, those words of anger or hate cut deeper and can linger a lifetime. A child that needs time or service to feel loved will have a harder time being left alone after school. But to the child that has the love language of gifts, they wont mind being alone. they will feel loved when a parents shows up with a thought present to show they were thinking of them. Our strongest memories are tied to emotions. We remember how someone make us feel.
That is why we respond differently to the same situation. It will depend on our love language if we remembered feeling loved or ignored. My son Tate joins us as we explore The Five Love Languages on our Podcast this week. Who Asked Us? The Unsolicited Opinions of Two Romance Authors. Hosted by Storm Navarro and her mom. (That’s me)
Who Asked Us? The Unsolicited Opinions of Two Romance Authors.
Words of affirmation. Acts of service. Receiving gifts. Quality time. Physical touch. We LOVE love languages! Join us with my brother Tate as we discuss the five Love Languages from Gary Chapman and how it can be incorporated into real life AND romance novels!
In my writing world I’m back in Port Del Mar with Andres Sanchez. I hope to have a cover to share soon. I’m getting excited about the final edits for my October 2021 release. Her Holiday Secret is a lovely family story of redemption, faith and love.
Today I’m in edit mode and I’m checking in from my back porch.
As a romance author, I get to play around in the male brain. Finding that balance between masculinity and emotional authenticity is a fun challenge. But I do completely feel that instead of men vs woman we are individuals. Are there tendencies? Yes. Are there unfair stereotypes? Yes.
Studies claim that men speak few words. Some say men don’t notice details. People will claim that woman are more emotional and men more logical (haha). My two sons and two daughters join us as Storm and I explore the topic of writing male POV.
June is going to be a busy month. It actually starts on May 21, 2019 with a new book that is kicking off a new series: The Cowboys of Diamondback Ranch. The first book is The Texan’s Secret Daughter. The official release is June 1.
June 8th, 2019 – If you are in the Dallas area, I will be at Boas and Tiaras in Allen Texas. This is my first time for this event, so I hope to see some friendly faces. Clink the link for more information. It’s an event full of authors.
June 10 – 14: Is one of my favorite times of the year. It’s a great place to be if you want to strengthen you writing, up your marketing game or just learn from some amazing writers. Maybe you just want to spend an indescribable week with other people that hear voices in their heads (writers).
This year they will have agents you can pitch too.
If you write or want to write, you need to head out to Canyon Texas. West Texas Writers’ Academy is on the West Texas A&M campus. I will be leading a class for Alumni, but there are many other to choose from if it’s your first time. I’ve went as a student in 2013 and have not missed a year since.
Are you in the Amarillo area? Monday June 10 There is a Writers’ Roundup. There is more information in the link below.
Hola. Evidence of spring is in bloom on my morning walks. These were taken on the edge of downtown San Antonio.
Today I wanted to talk series. I love series. Revisiting the same town, the same family and touching base with favorite characters. Right now I’m listening to Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series. I’m on book 11. (side note..she lived in San Antonio for a time.)
I love writing series too. The Bergmann sisters of Clear Water, Texas have their own series. There are three books. Texas Daddy, The Texan’s Twins and Lone Star Christmas.
Texas Daddy is the first in a Lone Star Legacy. The story of four sisters raised by a single dad in a small town lumberyard.
Texas Daddy (Lone Star Legacy)
In Texas Daddy one of my most popular secondary characters, Adrian De La Cruz finally gets his own story. With his identical twin brother, he walked onto the page in book one helping Pastor Levi restore an old historical ranch house. He shows back up as the first on the scene to look for two lost children. In book two he’s volunteering at the 4-H party and helping other single parents juggling kids and work. At seventeen he became a father and gave up bull riding to fully committed to raising her after her mother left them. That was ten years ago.
I started receiving massages from fans after book two, wanting his story. But as you can see he is such a great guy. A good hero has flaws. It’s dealing with those flaws that makes a good story. Once I knew the issues he was hiding, I went looking for the women that would challenge those issues.
And I did. His one sided high school crush returns to town. Navy officer and extreme adventurer, Nikki Bergmann needs to recover from an injury.
Oh, man! I love these two together and the fireworks are set off. She pushes him right out of his safe, overly controlled world and makes him face his worse fears.
Of course he does the same for her. He is hiding to avoid being hurt and she is running. Together they find that God has the perfect plan if they are willing to trust.
The Texan’s Twins Lone Star Legacy #2
Next is Danica’s story in The Texan’s Twins. All we know about Danica from the first story is she is the single mother of five year old twins and has a deeply wounded heart that she doesn’t talk about.
Between providing for her five-year-old twins and achieving her dream of running a wildlife sanctuary, Danica Bergmann has no room for anything—or anyone—else. So when the wildlife volunteer she’s taken on turns out to be Reid McAllister, her secret husband, who disappeared before she got a chance to reveal she was pregnant, it flips her world upside down.
He vanished without a trace six years ago, before she knew they were expecting, now he’s back needing community service. While she was raising thier twin daughters, he had been in prison. The worse part? He’s still the only man she’s ever loved.
It’s a long road to redemption, but can Danica learn to trust Reid with their children…and their future?
Lone Star Christmas Lone Star Legacy #3 by Jolene Navarro
The third book is Jackie’s, Danica’s twin sister. In Lone Star Christmas, she determined to restore the historic buildings in Clear Water, Texas, Jackie Bergmann needs permission from the property’s absent owner—her ex-boyfriend. After the death of his father Max Delgado is temporarily staying on the family ranch with his younger brothers. He agrees to give her access, with one request: that she help him care for his orphaned brothers. But when she starts to fall for Max again, can she convince him not to sell his family’s ranch…and stay home for Christmas and forever?
If you want to get updates on my releases you can follow me at a couple of places.
I’m at SARA Café today being interviewed about my writing. Would love for you to stop by and leave a comment. Insecure author feeling all alone over here.
The writer Peter De Vries said, “I write when I’m inspired, and I see to it that I’m inspired at 9:00 am every morning.” Color Doodle
We are all born with a creative brain. If you don’t believe that, hang out with some four or five year olds. The impulse control is underdeveloped. The filters of acceptable behavior and fears of rejection aren’t there yet in the young mind. This is why the creative genius, Picasso, said: “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”
So how do we redevelop our creativity?
In the mid 1800s there was a movement that changed how the world would forever look at and judge art. Impressionism was incubated at Café Guebois. How did a small group of people accomplish this fete? By meeting together regularly, they challenged and debated the idea of art. They had heated disagreements over the “rules” of art. Manet, Monet, Renoir, Cezanne and Degas were a widely diverse group of artists, but their creative energy paved the way for generations of modern artists. Steve Jobs said collaboration works best when ideas are met with brutal honesty and are forced to explore a deeper purpose. Sound like good critique to me.
Four years ago, I found SARA (San Antonio Romance Authors), and my writing has greatly improved because of their questioning, pushing and tough critique. They introduced me to other writers that changed my life.
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In June, for the last two years I have made my way to West Texas A&M to a writers week organized by the amazing Jodi Thomas and Tim Lewis. Morgan Hysinger, Winona Cross, Matt Sherley, Linda Trout, Alexandra Sokoloff, Jolene Navarro, Storm Navarro, Deann Landers, Sheri Waide, MarilynTucker, Sherrill Nilson
The people above are superstars. For five days, we meet about five hours a day in a class led by Alexandra Sokoloff. This year bordered on magical. A full week of brainstorming, being pushed by this small group to find that twist in your story. The ideas are there, buried deep in your brain.
Side benefit? Lifelong friends that “get me” in a way no one else ever will. Brainstorming in class.
If you want to be creative, you can’t let fear of rejection or ridicule hold you back.
Find people that help push past your first superficial idea and get to the imaginative workings of your brain. Whatever it is- art, writing, computer, finance, or building things- We are beings created to create, find that group of liked passions and discuss how to make your dreams come true.
Do you have a group that challenges your creative mind?
Jolene Navarro 