Today we're talking with Andrew J. Rodriguez, author of Santa Rita Stories
FQ: Let’s begin with that ‘small town’ life. Are you from a small town? If so, was there a Pedro among the mix, along with the other familiar characters that a small town offers?
RODRIGUEZ: I lived in a small coastal town as a child, and moved to Havana during late adolescence. At nineteen I left the country, and haven’t been back ever since (for obvious reasons). Though characters were fictional including that of Pedro, most stories were inspired in real-life events, including the Hurricane, and Ernest Hemingway’s encounters with Nazi U-Boats.
FQ: In this world of, what seems like, constant bad news, do you feel that the small town atmosphere is a better environment for a child growing up?
RODRIGUEZ: Absolutely; as long as his/her education are comparable in quality to what’s offered in larger city schools.
FQ: Considering you truly delve into the “human condition,” as it were, can you tell readers your personal views on what you feel are perhaps the negatives and positives today? And what may just be the area/industry that could bring down the next generation?
RODRIGUEZ: The cancer that allowed the Castro brothers to take over my former country is alive and well today in most Western societies. Inherent to our human condition, this malignancy is ferociously threatening our life-styles not with the same political ideology, though the end could be similar or worse.
Apathy, value decay, permissiveness, and generalized ignorance, are few of the human conditions that create dangerous vacuums in social leadership. But the most common and dangerous human condition is the tendency to forget human history, for those who ignore the past are most definitely condemned to repeat it. As to today’s positives, thank God there still are numerous men and women whose unique gift to promote truth, continue to exert hopeful changes in our society through their courage, faith, and dedication to family and country.
FQ: Dealing with today’s reality will help you cope with tomorrow’s disappointments” is a quote that came from this particular book. As a writer, though, dreaming is certainly a factor in that career. Do you feel that way? Should both feet always be on the ground, per se, or should one be free to imagine something far greater and then make it happen.
RODRIGUEZ: It is imperative for artists, musicians, and writers to escape reality and live in a fantasy realm of their own with the proviso that he/she remain tethered to the nearest fire hydrant on Earth.
FQ: Family is a support system. Do you have that foundation that encourages you to write?
RODRIGUEZ: Not necessarily. I always leave family and friends out of the loop when I’m writing.
FQ: You seem to have an avid hunger for knowledge. Are there other areas of writing you wish to explore? Other genres that appeal to you?
RODRIGUEZ: Santa Rita Stories is my fifth book. I have written The Incredible Adventures of Enrique Diaz, (historical fiction,) Adios, Havana, a
memoir) Helen’s Treasure, (a love story) The Teleportation of an American Teenager, (fantasy/ fiction/ and love story). But to answer your question, Santa Rita Stories have whetted my appetite for short stories, so perhaps my next book will be branded as Andrew’s Decameron, who knows?
FQ: I always ask this of everyone because readers truly would like to know: If there was one writer/philosopher/person, etc., you would like to have lunch with, who would that be and why?
RODRIGUEZ: Beethoven, Balzac, and Hemingway, all at once, and at the same table. Am I unreasonable?
FQ: Have you any other books in the works at the moment? If so, would you tell our readers a little about it/them?
RODRIGUEZ: Right now I can’t think of any. Most definitely I’m under the weather with writer’s block.
To learn more about Santa Rita Stories please read the review at: Feathered Quill Book Reviews.
Showing posts with label santa rita stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label santa rita stories. Show all posts
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Friday, August 8, 2014
Book Review - Santa Rita Stories
Santa Rita Stories
By: Andrew J. Rodriguez
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Publication Date: June 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4787-3698-1
Reviewed by: Amy Lignor
Review Date: August 8, 2014
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Publication Date: June 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4787-3698-1
Reviewed by: Amy Lignor
Review Date: August 8, 2014
Right off the bat the reader meets a truly unforgettable character. His name is Pedro, but he is referred to as ‘Old Man.’ Pedro is a homeless person who wanders the docks in the Cuban fishing village of Santa Rita. He is ripe with scent, and he is one of those storytellers who definitely uses the facts and weaves them expertly with his words of wisdom in order to help teach young Carlos about life.
Pedro, the Old Man, weaves ten tales. He begins with the story of a man named Don Patricio Mayor – a poor immigrant who became a nobleman. Of course, to accomplish this feat, Mayor didn’t always do the right thing. Mayor began as a personal assistant when he was young working for a boss named Juan de Dios. This job introduced Mayor to a world of lies and thievery. However, when a fight occurred between the two men, it took years for them to meet up again. And, when they did, Mayor was the boss. He hired Juan to act as a ‘thug’ to round up debts in Santa Rita. But Juan is still the ultimate liar and when he falls ill, Juan decides to make a mockery of the town, as well as his old assistant by using lies to convince the Church that he is basically a Saint. This is one tale that teaches a true lesson about how looks can definitely deceive.
Each and every tale that comes from Old Man Pedro teaches a lesson to Carlos. Whether it be the completely wrong lesson is up to the boy (and readers) to decide. As the story moves forward, we see Carlos deal with many things that occur in real life; from his first kiss to dealing with a bully to his debate and wonder over sex. Carlos defies authority, yet tries to keep his morals and values intact. And while doing all this, he comes to make a lifelong friend.
This author offers up entertainment, fun, sadness and thought. This is a book that teaches a great deal to any age group that reads it. The “Human Condition” is spoken about by many, but as technology grows and as temptation increases, everything can alter peoples’ minds as they attempt to adjust to a far different world, while keeping their faith and self-respect.
Carlos reminds people of their own battles; and the ‘Old Man’ is most definitely that familiar character for anyone who grew up in a small town where everyone from the con men to the saints to the church ladies to the local librarian always knew exactly what you were doing. Although the freedom was lacking there, the support was easy to feel. A small town is a family with both good and bad members – the foundation that never moved, as you did your best to grow up. And this particular author shows every corner of that foundation, even the ‘cracks’ in the marble pillars of society.
Quill says: Outstanding work that offers depth without burying the kindness, humor, and variety of life.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Books In For Review
Some really interesting looking books have just arrived for review. Check them out and then stop by in a few weeks to read the reviews!
McKay and the Magical Hat by Kate David McKay and the Magical Hat is another engaging story with a magical theme from award-winning author, Kate David. In this second book from "the magical hat" series, readers are reintroduced to Murphy and meet her younger sister, McKay. Sparked by a conversation with a little boy at school, McKay wonders what she can be when she grows up? Is there something she is destined to become? Are there things she can't be? As readers begin McKay's imaginative journey where she explores some of the many things she can be when she grows up, they may find themselves reconsidering their own stereotypes about careers little girls dream to have. Where will McKay's imagination take her? What will McKay decide to be when she grows up?
Santa Rita Stories by Andrew J. Rodriguez Welcome to Santa Rita, a Cuban fishing town populated by a colorful cast of saints and sinners, con men and fishermen, athletes and hunchbacks, politicians and priests...where everyone eventually knows everyone else's business and the collective memory reaches backward for generations. To help him unravel the deeply rooted traditions and gossip of this tropical melting pot, fifteen-year-old Carlos turns often to his friend Pedro, a foul-smelling, cigar-chomping vagrant who lives on the docks and is affectionately known as el Viejo-the Old Man. In the course of ten linked stories, Andy Rodriguez brings to vivid life the rhythms of daily life in mid-1950's Cuba, and the transition from Carlos's carefree, nurturing childhood to his awakening to the responsibilities-and possibilities-of young manhood. Carlos resists authority; but he can't resist Pedro's wisdom as the Old Man dispenses advice about everything from the proper method of romantic kissing, to how to avoid judging a book by its cover-dramatized by a tale of Ernest Hemingway and an encounter with a Nazi spy. By the final story, just as Carlos longs to escape the restrictions of a small town and spread his wings in the big city of Havana, we also long, right along with him, to linger forever in the magical, love-filled world of Santa Rita. In the course of ten linked stories, Andy Rodriguez brings to life the rhythms of daily life in mid-1950s Cuba, and the transition from Carlos's carefree, nurturing childhood to his awakening to the responsibilities--and possibilities--of young manhood. Carlos resists authority; but he can't resist Pedro's wisdom as the Old Man dispenses advice about everything from the proper method of romantic kissing, to how to avoid judging a book by its cover--dramatized by a tale of Ernest Hemingway and an encounter with a Nazi spy.
Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Reality Shock! by Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Reality Shock! is the 2015 edition of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! bestselling annual series. This incredible collection is loaded with unbelievable facts, amazing stories, and incredible animals. With amazing photography, zany stories and unbelievable facts and figures, this book is sure to be a favorite with adults and children alike. Reality Shock! Is filled with more of the amazing facts, unbelievable stories and extraordinary photography that makes Ripley’s Believe It or Not! so popular. Read all about the amazing things that people all over the world have done- from insane stunts to crazy traditions. Take a closer look at the extraordinary images nature produces, such as mutated animals and amazingly impossible vistas. Crystal clear photography paired with zany stories, amazing facts and figures that are undeniably true but incredibly hard to believe will make this book a must have for every household.
Basil Instinct by Shelley Costa In this second cozy mystery series that started with You Cannoli Die Once, a chef and her cousins launch their own investigation when a new sous chef turns up dead in their Italian restaurant. When Chef Eve Angelotta’s grandmother, Maria Pia, is invited to join Belfiere, a secret all-female Italian culinary society, Eve is concerned. Rumor has it that membership is lifelong—whether you like it or not. Eve and her cousin Landon try to research Belfiere, but all they come up with is a two-year-old blog entry warning against the two-hundred-year-old society that centers around meals inspired by famous female poisoners. Soon after, Eve’s new sous chef turns up dead just inside the front door of Miracolo, Eve’s restaurant. When they discover the sous chef had connections to Belfiere, Eve and her Italian cousins start a mission to find out what happened—before Maria Pia is made an offer she can’t refuse.
Prism by Roland Allnach Prism presents the best of Roland Allnach's newest stories together with his most acclaimed published short fiction. These selected stories fracture the reader's perceptions among a dazzling array of genres and styles to illuminate the mysterious aspects of the human experience.
Grandma, Aren't You Glad...the World's Finally in Color Today! by Lori Stewart We all can imagine what children think when they first see the old black and white family photos hanging in the hallway, framed on the mantle, or carefully tabbed into place in the family photo album. It s certainly enough to make grandchildren say, Aren't you glad the world's finally in color today! Grandma, Aren't You Glad The World's Finally in Color Today! is a story in rhyme that takes readers on a then and now journey through time. Narrated by a grandmother, the story compares her own mother's life and times to those of her grandchildren. Side by side vintage and full color photos contrast fashion, schools, transportation, entertainment, technology, culture and the arts from the Great Depression and World War II years to those of today. This book creates an opportunity for readers to share their own family tree, and gives grandparents a way to start conversations about who we are and where we came from, and fulfill their role as family historian.
The Book Stops Here: A Bibliophile Mystery by Kate Carlisle You never know what treasures can be found in someone’s attic. Unfortunately for bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright, some of them are worth killing for. Brooklyn Wainwright is thrilled to be appearing on the San Francisco edition of the hit TV show This Old Attic as a rare-book expert and appraiser. Her first subject is a very valuable first-edition copy of the classic children’s story The Secret Garden, which is owned by a flower vendor named Vera. Once she hears what her book is worth, Vera is eager to have Brooklyn recondition it for resale. But after the episode airs, a furious man viciously accosts Brooklyn, claiming that Vera found the first edition at his garage sale, and he wants it back—or else. Brooklyn is relieved that she’s put The Secret Garden in a safe place, but Randolph Rayburn, the handsome host of This Old Attic, is terrified by the man’s threats. He confides in Brooklyn that he fears he is being stalked. He doesn't know who might have targeted him, or why. In the days that follow, several violent incidents occur on the set, and Brooklyn is almost killed, leaving both her and her security expert boyfriend, Derek, shaken. Is someone after Brooklyn and the book? Or has Randolph’s stalker become more desperate? And then Brooklyn visits Vera’s flower shop…and discovers her dead. Is the murderer one of the two obvious suspects, or is something more sinister—even bizarre—going on? Brooklyn had better find the clever killer soon or more than her chance at prime time may be canceled…permanently.
Conversion by Katherine Howe CONVERSION follows a group of teenage girls who must uncover the real reason behind a mysterious outbreak at their high school.
The Good Know Nothing: A California Century Mystery by Ken Kuhlken During the summer of 1936, destitute farmers from the Dust Bowl swarm into California, and an old friend brings police detective Tom Hickey a manuscript, a clue to the mystery of his father Charlie’s long-ago disappearance. Tom chooses to risk losing his job and family to follow this lead. Even his oldest friend and mentor, retired cop Leo Weiss, opposes Tom’s decision. Why so passionately? Tom lures the novelist B. Traven to a meeting on Catalina and accuses him of manuscript-theft and homicide. Traven replies that the Sundance Kid, having escaped from his reputed death in Bolivia, killed Charlie. Tom crosses the desert to Tucson, tracking the person or ghost of the legendary outlaw, and meets a young Dust Bowl refugee intent on avenging the enslavement of his sister by an L.A. cop on temporary border duty in Yuma. Tom frees the sister, delivers the boy's revenge, and becomes a fugitive, wanted for felony assault by the L.A.P.D., his now former employer. What he learns in Tucson sends Tom up against powerful newspaper baron William Randolph Hearst. He hopes to enlist Leo, but instead Leo offers evidence that Tom's father was a criminal. For Tom and his sister, both victims of Charlie’s wife, their crazy mother, what now? This is the final chapter in the Hickey saga that ranges across the 1900s, the California Century.
Sports Illustrated Kids What are the Chances? The Odds of Everything in Sports by The Editors of Sports Illustrated Kids How often do golfers make a hole in one? What are the chances you'll catch a foul ball at a baseball game? How often do Number 1 draft picks become Super Bowl winners? This book is the perfect combination of little-known stats, amazing plays, and fun facts. Not only will we address all the burning questions that curious sports fans want to know, this book will highlight some incredible moments and underscore exactly how special those highlight-reel plays are.
Sports Illustrated Kids Football: Then to WOW! by The Editors of Sports Illustrated Kids See how all aspects of football have evolved in this highly visual book filled with history and trivia about the game. You'll see a football transform before your eyes from a melon-like ball crudely stitched together to the aerodynamic pigskin it is today; or watch as a quarterback evolves from a scrawny helmetless player of the 1930s to a hulking play caller of the modern era. From rules to equipment to the all-time greats, this book is a journey through the game spanning the years
McKay and the Magical Hat by Kate David McKay and the Magical Hat is another engaging story with a magical theme from award-winning author, Kate David. In this second book from "the magical hat" series, readers are reintroduced to Murphy and meet her younger sister, McKay. Sparked by a conversation with a little boy at school, McKay wonders what she can be when she grows up? Is there something she is destined to become? Are there things she can't be? As readers begin McKay's imaginative journey where she explores some of the many things she can be when she grows up, they may find themselves reconsidering their own stereotypes about careers little girls dream to have. Where will McKay's imagination take her? What will McKay decide to be when she grows up?
Santa Rita Stories by Andrew J. Rodriguez Welcome to Santa Rita, a Cuban fishing town populated by a colorful cast of saints and sinners, con men and fishermen, athletes and hunchbacks, politicians and priests...where everyone eventually knows everyone else's business and the collective memory reaches backward for generations. To help him unravel the deeply rooted traditions and gossip of this tropical melting pot, fifteen-year-old Carlos turns often to his friend Pedro, a foul-smelling, cigar-chomping vagrant who lives on the docks and is affectionately known as el Viejo-the Old Man. In the course of ten linked stories, Andy Rodriguez brings to vivid life the rhythms of daily life in mid-1950's Cuba, and the transition from Carlos's carefree, nurturing childhood to his awakening to the responsibilities-and possibilities-of young manhood. Carlos resists authority; but he can't resist Pedro's wisdom as the Old Man dispenses advice about everything from the proper method of romantic kissing, to how to avoid judging a book by its cover-dramatized by a tale of Ernest Hemingway and an encounter with a Nazi spy. By the final story, just as Carlos longs to escape the restrictions of a small town and spread his wings in the big city of Havana, we also long, right along with him, to linger forever in the magical, love-filled world of Santa Rita. In the course of ten linked stories, Andy Rodriguez brings to life the rhythms of daily life in mid-1950s Cuba, and the transition from Carlos's carefree, nurturing childhood to his awakening to the responsibilities--and possibilities--of young manhood. Carlos resists authority; but he can't resist Pedro's wisdom as the Old Man dispenses advice about everything from the proper method of romantic kissing, to how to avoid judging a book by its cover--dramatized by a tale of Ernest Hemingway and an encounter with a Nazi spy.
Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Reality Shock! by Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Reality Shock! is the 2015 edition of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! bestselling annual series. This incredible collection is loaded with unbelievable facts, amazing stories, and incredible animals. With amazing photography, zany stories and unbelievable facts and figures, this book is sure to be a favorite with adults and children alike. Reality Shock! Is filled with more of the amazing facts, unbelievable stories and extraordinary photography that makes Ripley’s Believe It or Not! so popular. Read all about the amazing things that people all over the world have done- from insane stunts to crazy traditions. Take a closer look at the extraordinary images nature produces, such as mutated animals and amazingly impossible vistas. Crystal clear photography paired with zany stories, amazing facts and figures that are undeniably true but incredibly hard to believe will make this book a must have for every household.
Basil Instinct by Shelley Costa In this second cozy mystery series that started with You Cannoli Die Once, a chef and her cousins launch their own investigation when a new sous chef turns up dead in their Italian restaurant. When Chef Eve Angelotta’s grandmother, Maria Pia, is invited to join Belfiere, a secret all-female Italian culinary society, Eve is concerned. Rumor has it that membership is lifelong—whether you like it or not. Eve and her cousin Landon try to research Belfiere, but all they come up with is a two-year-old blog entry warning against the two-hundred-year-old society that centers around meals inspired by famous female poisoners. Soon after, Eve’s new sous chef turns up dead just inside the front door of Miracolo, Eve’s restaurant. When they discover the sous chef had connections to Belfiere, Eve and her Italian cousins start a mission to find out what happened—before Maria Pia is made an offer she can’t refuse.
Prism by Roland Allnach Prism presents the best of Roland Allnach's newest stories together with his most acclaimed published short fiction. These selected stories fracture the reader's perceptions among a dazzling array of genres and styles to illuminate the mysterious aspects of the human experience.
Grandma, Aren't You Glad...the World's Finally in Color Today! by Lori Stewart We all can imagine what children think when they first see the old black and white family photos hanging in the hallway, framed on the mantle, or carefully tabbed into place in the family photo album. It s certainly enough to make grandchildren say, Aren't you glad the world's finally in color today! Grandma, Aren't You Glad The World's Finally in Color Today! is a story in rhyme that takes readers on a then and now journey through time. Narrated by a grandmother, the story compares her own mother's life and times to those of her grandchildren. Side by side vintage and full color photos contrast fashion, schools, transportation, entertainment, technology, culture and the arts from the Great Depression and World War II years to those of today. This book creates an opportunity for readers to share their own family tree, and gives grandparents a way to start conversations about who we are and where we came from, and fulfill their role as family historian.
The Book Stops Here: A Bibliophile Mystery by Kate Carlisle You never know what treasures can be found in someone’s attic. Unfortunately for bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright, some of them are worth killing for. Brooklyn Wainwright is thrilled to be appearing on the San Francisco edition of the hit TV show This Old Attic as a rare-book expert and appraiser. Her first subject is a very valuable first-edition copy of the classic children’s story The Secret Garden, which is owned by a flower vendor named Vera. Once she hears what her book is worth, Vera is eager to have Brooklyn recondition it for resale. But after the episode airs, a furious man viciously accosts Brooklyn, claiming that Vera found the first edition at his garage sale, and he wants it back—or else. Brooklyn is relieved that she’s put The Secret Garden in a safe place, but Randolph Rayburn, the handsome host of This Old Attic, is terrified by the man’s threats. He confides in Brooklyn that he fears he is being stalked. He doesn't know who might have targeted him, or why. In the days that follow, several violent incidents occur on the set, and Brooklyn is almost killed, leaving both her and her security expert boyfriend, Derek, shaken. Is someone after Brooklyn and the book? Or has Randolph’s stalker become more desperate? And then Brooklyn visits Vera’s flower shop…and discovers her dead. Is the murderer one of the two obvious suspects, or is something more sinister—even bizarre—going on? Brooklyn had better find the clever killer soon or more than her chance at prime time may be canceled…permanently.
Conversion by Katherine Howe CONVERSION follows a group of teenage girls who must uncover the real reason behind a mysterious outbreak at their high school.
The Good Know Nothing: A California Century Mystery by Ken Kuhlken During the summer of 1936, destitute farmers from the Dust Bowl swarm into California, and an old friend brings police detective Tom Hickey a manuscript, a clue to the mystery of his father Charlie’s long-ago disappearance. Tom chooses to risk losing his job and family to follow this lead. Even his oldest friend and mentor, retired cop Leo Weiss, opposes Tom’s decision. Why so passionately? Tom lures the novelist B. Traven to a meeting on Catalina and accuses him of manuscript-theft and homicide. Traven replies that the Sundance Kid, having escaped from his reputed death in Bolivia, killed Charlie. Tom crosses the desert to Tucson, tracking the person or ghost of the legendary outlaw, and meets a young Dust Bowl refugee intent on avenging the enslavement of his sister by an L.A. cop on temporary border duty in Yuma. Tom frees the sister, delivers the boy's revenge, and becomes a fugitive, wanted for felony assault by the L.A.P.D., his now former employer. What he learns in Tucson sends Tom up against powerful newspaper baron William Randolph Hearst. He hopes to enlist Leo, but instead Leo offers evidence that Tom's father was a criminal. For Tom and his sister, both victims of Charlie’s wife, their crazy mother, what now? This is the final chapter in the Hickey saga that ranges across the 1900s, the California Century.
Sports Illustrated Kids What are the Chances? The Odds of Everything in Sports by The Editors of Sports Illustrated Kids How often do golfers make a hole in one? What are the chances you'll catch a foul ball at a baseball game? How often do Number 1 draft picks become Super Bowl winners? This book is the perfect combination of little-known stats, amazing plays, and fun facts. Not only will we address all the burning questions that curious sports fans want to know, this book will highlight some incredible moments and underscore exactly how special those highlight-reel plays are.
Sports Illustrated Kids Football: Then to WOW! by The Editors of Sports Illustrated Kids See how all aspects of football have evolved in this highly visual book filled with history and trivia about the game. You'll see a football transform before your eyes from a melon-like ball crudely stitched together to the aerodynamic pigskin it is today; or watch as a quarterback evolves from a scrawny helmetless player of the 1930s to a hulking play caller of the modern era. From rules to equipment to the all-time greats, this book is a journey through the game spanning the years
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