FIND YOURSELF…IN THE PAST BY VERONICA JORGE
August 22, 2018 by Veronica Jorge in category Book Reviews by Veronica Jorge, Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as book review, The Reluctant Groom and Other Historical Stories By Faith L. Justice, Veronica Jorge, Write from the heart
If you’ve ever thought of history as boring, you don’t know what you’re missing!
The Reluctant Groom and Other Historical Stories by Faith L. Justice s a collection of four intriguing tales that will move you to tears, renew your faith in true love, inspire bravery in you, and make you think twice about parting with an old antique.
The Reluctant Groom, the first story, portrays a sad, lonely and confirmed bachelor brought back to life by the power of love.
The Bitter Winter reminds us of the heart-breaking events that force peoples to migrate; the sacrifices they make for their families, and the risks they take to ensure their future.
In the third story, The Jar, Justice draws attention to the varied and important roles that women have played since the dawn of time, yet are often relegated to a footnote in history.
The final story in the collection, The Angel of the Marshes, highlights the contributions that children have made, frequently shouldering responsibilities like adults and demonstrating creativity and bravery.
The Reluctant Groom and Other Historical Stories will transform you in
to a historical fiction reader, and a Faith L. Justice fan.
Take the plunge and find your own self in the past!
See you next time on September 22nd.
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WRITE LIKE YOU COOK BY VERONICA JORGE
July 22, 2018 by Veronica Jorge in category Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as Cook, Veronica Jorge, Write, Write from the heart
Stir the pot; in this case the plot, and you’ll see how alike writing and cooking can be.
Whether you’re writing a novella, (fast food), a novel, (a five-course dinner), or a short story, (preparing a snack), the success of your preparation depends upon mastering the tools of the trade.
Need to perfect a paragraph? Slice and dice to shorten sentences and speed the action.
Introduce suspense? Use a rolling boil.
Brown and simmer to smooth and lengthen a passage and to bring your reader’s heart rate back in rhythm.
Determine your pacing by flash-freezing, nuking in a microwave, or constantly stirring with a long wooden spoon.
Remember that your protagonist has to suffer, so turn up the heat and roast them or slow cook them.
Dealing with your villain offers the most options. Fry them, stew them in their own juice, lay them out with a rolling-pin, grill them or mash them. Alternately, you can prolong their just desserts in an all-day crock pot.
Bake or fricassee, it’s your choice. Just make sure you serve up a delectable morsel each time that will keep your guests coming back for more.
So next time you sit down to write, think about what your readers like and ask, “Can I take your order?”
See you next time on August 22nd.
2 0 Read moreCAREFUL WHAT YOU READ BY VERONICA JORGE
June 22, 2018 by Veronica Jorge in category Book Reviews by Veronica Jorge, Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as book review, The Scribe of Siena by Melodie Winnawer, Veronica Jorge
Be Careful what you read. You might get carried away.
Time travel, suspense, history, political intrigue, murder and romance; The Scribe of Siena has something for every reader.
Transported back to the past and trapped in the Middle Ages, New York surgeon, Beatrice Trovato, is hard pressed to navigate the arteries of Siena, Italy…on the verge of the plague.
And a newly developed empathic power gives her more information than she knows what to do with, forcing her to seek answers beyond her normal world of intellect and science.
But more than that, The Scribe of Siena is a search for identity and belonging.
So many people are searching for their roots via DNA, Ancestry, and Genealogy sites, and are thrilled when they discover a part of themselves that they never knew. Visiting an ancestral country and wearing ethnic clothing often follow.
Like the true surgeon she is, Melodie Winawer takes her character further and deeper. Beatrice’s real journey is out of the brain and into her heart, where she discovers that love is a power that tra
nscends time and space. Now she must decide whether she belongs in the uncertainty and danger of Middle Age Siena, or back with her friends and lucrative medical practice in New York City.
Beatrice’s last name, Trovato, which means “found” should give you a clue of how things turn out. But the actual story, you’ll have to read for yourself.
And for those of you who prefer to travel light; The Scribe of Siena is also available in paperback.
A DANCE OF WORDS BY VERONICA JORGE
May 22, 2018 by Veronica Jorge in category Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as dance., music, Veronica Jorge, words, Write
Hispanola, which means the “Spanish island,” became the first Spanish settlement in America. It is my mother’s native country and today we know the eastern section of the island as the Dominican Republic; a fertile land abundant in mines and minerals and rich in a great variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, and flowers, where the sun shines brightly year round.
The merengue, the country’s traditional music, embraces you throughout the island for dancing is an entirely social activity independent of holidays or festivals. Any gathering includes dancing because Dominican’s don’t just listen to music, they live it. Emotionally, the merengue celebrates life wherein you partake of the rhythms of love, family and friendship. The most skilled dancer moves in unity with their partner, as one.
My mother, 
Celina Antonia Luna de Jorge, (isn’t that lovely? Like a song in itself), left her beautiful, beloved island, and part of her heart, when she came to America at the age of seventeen. Like most of our ancestors, her family traveled to America in the hope of a better future. I’m happy to say that she found it. (She had me!).
Mom is most fully herself, most fully alive when she is surrounded by her family and cooking us all of the traditional delicious foods of her country. She fills and satisfies us with her peace and joy. And like the savory aromas that waft through the air, she makes our hearts swirl to the rhythms of her warmth and love.
And that’s what I want my writing to be like; a dance of words wherein writer and reader move in sync and taste the flavors of love, friendship, loss and new found purpose, joy and laughter. Writing that, in spite of sorrowful events or hardships, celebrates life and fills the reader with hope that today is indeed worth living.
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom! I love you!
See you next time on June 22nd.
4 0 Read moreMIRROR, MIRROR: A WRITER’S REFLECTION BY VERONICA JORGE
April 22, 2018 by Veronica Jorge in category Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as art, reflection, revelation, words, writing
The painter stares at the canvas waiting for an image to appear. Patiently, he waits until a faint imprint of a landscape or a face emerges. He then grabs a brush and dabs it into the paint on his palette, making haste to reach the canvas with his brush to capture the image. The artist contrasts shade and light. He tightens or increases space. His brush moves rhythmically or scratches across the linen to make the colors and texture warm or cool. The work he renders leaves the viewer feeling airy or heavy.
That’s how I feel when I write. I stare at a blank page as though something secret lay hidden deep within the fibers and emptiness, that by patiently waiting will reveal itself to me. So I wait…until a word, a phrase, or a picture appears.
Could it be that the blank screen or journal page is a powerful mirror able to enlighten my own ideas and though
ts? Is it I who write on the paper; or does the paper draw out what is inside of me?
My words pour out and my hand races across the page. My mind tries to keep up with both for they seem to move of their own volition depicting moments dark and light. Paragraphs heavy laden with emotion yield and give way to joy and humor, while spacing slows or hurries the reader along.
Finished, I sit back exhausted and, ignoring my headache, I read what I wrote. Awestruck, I ask, “Where did this come from?”
My trembling fingers turn the leaf to uncover a new blank page and my sweaty palm smooths the journal sheet flat. Pen in hand, I sit ready to capture another treasure. My eyes dilate seeking and waiting for new wonders to behold.
See you next time on May 22nd.
Veronica Jorge
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