Once again, my spring coaching job took up much of my time, so I didn’t have the bandwidth to send out a newsletter update for May. Instead, I’m doing a combined May/June update. However, before I get into what I have been up to over the past two months, I want to share an exciting announcement.
Earlier in June, an article I wrote for The NACLA Report on the Americas was published as part of their Summer 2024 issue, “Donde Estan?” The piece is entitled “You are one of the disappeared?” and is about my journey coming to terms with being forcibly disappeared as an infant. You can read it on their website or in PDF form if you’d like to see what the print version looks like.
I’m incredibly proud of this piece because of the writing and because this is the first time my work has been formally published. When I think about my struggles with reading and writing when I was younger, I never imagined I would be here one day. It’s an exciting moment in my career as a writer, and if you read the article, I’d love to know what you think!
I would also like to thank my good friend Jorge E. Cuéllar and Heather Gies from NACLA, who worked on this piece with me.
P.S. In case you missed it, back in early April, the BBC aired an audio documentary about El Salvador’s disappeared children, for which my family and I were interviewed. You can listen to the episode online.
The spring is always hectic as I coach a middle school and high school ultimate frisbee team from late February through the end of May. This year was especially exciting because the middle school finished third in the state championship, and two players made the all-star team. The high school team also did well, winning their first three games by outscoring their opponents 41 - 4. Unfortunately, we could not play an entire season due to some injuries and low numbers and finished with a record of 3 - 2. Next year, the high school team will have a full roster, and we should be very competitive!
May was also busier than usual because, at the start of the month, I attended a literary conference called The Muse and The Marketplace that takes place annually in Boston. At the conference, I met with fellow writers, attended craft seminars, and received feedback from literary agents about my book. It was a fantastic experience, and I learned a lot. Getting an opportunity to practice pitching my project to a wide range of people was also extremely useful. While I didn’t get a book deal, I met with a few agents interested in seeing the next draft of the book.
The end of the frisbee season was extremely taxing, so I have been recovering and catching up on some sleep during most of June. I had been hoping to work on the next draft of my book, but I quickly realized I was far too drained to take that on. Instead, I have been cleaning up around the house and working on other projects.
Even though I’m eager to jump back into writing after the Muse conference, I plan to return to the book over the fall and winter. Writing requires a great deal of uninterrupted time and focus, which I simply won’t have this summer.
It probably won’t surprise you, but I have not had much time to read over the past two months. As a result, I’m still working my way through the pile of books I wrote about in my last update.
Even though I don’t have any book recommendations this month, I received one from a subscriber that I’m eager to check out. It is called Where There Was Fire and is set in Costa Rica during the 1990’s. Not only is the story set in a time and place I’m familiar with, but it also incorporates elements of magical realism. Hopefully, I get to read it soon, and when I do, I’ll be sure to report back!
My wife and I are traveling during July, so my next update should be at the end of August. Then, I’ll return to monthly updates. Until then, I hope you have a wonderful summer!
Sincerely,
Nelson/Roberto
This past month has been exciting, as I started working with Claude AI to run through a series of story-related exercises. This was a surprising development because I’ve been skeptical of AI for a while now. I’m not opposed to the technology per se, but I think it has been overhyped.
This month, I’m excited to announce Los Testigos (The Witnesses), a membership program, where you will bear witness to my magical realism rewrite as it unfolds. The name reflects both the story I’m telling (about forced disappearances and recovered truths) and the role you will play in shaping it.
Today, I have some exciting news to share with you. I plan to resume work on my magical realism rewrite in November and will be launching a new Early Reader Experience to coincide with this effort.
