posts found in this keyword
    Author Update: December 2025
    Author Update · · 3 min read

    Author Update: December 2025

    Every December, I use my Author Update to reflect on the year that was. I like doing this because working on the book is slow going, and progress often only becomes apparent when looking back. For this year’s update, I thought I would do something a little different and reflect on the book project

    Author Update: November 2025
    Author Update · · 3 min read

    Author Update: November 2025

    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.

    Author Update: October 2025
    Author Update · · 4 min read

    Author Update: October 2025

    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.

    Author Update: September 2025
    Author Update · · 3 min read

    Author Update: September 2025

    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.

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, August 2025
    Author Update · · 3 min read

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, August 2025

    Over the past month, I have been working on upgrading the technical infrastructure that powers my website and several other websites that I manage. While on the surface, this may seem like a distraction from my work on the book, it is an important step toward getting back to my writing.

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, Spring 2025
    Author Update · · 4 min read

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, Spring 2025

    While the spring coaching season is often very busy, I’ve also had some distractions to contend with that have made it harder to write. Since I don’t have a lot of news on the writing front, I thought I’d share some links to some of my work and a video that was sent to me.

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, January 2025
    Author Update · · 6 min read

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, January 2025

    Throughout most of January, I participated in the Under the Volcano writing residency in Tepoztlán, Mexico, which was an unforgettable experience that I will reflect on for some time. The remarkable people I met there inspired me to continue developing my craft.

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, December 2024
    Author Update · · 2 min read

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, December 2024

    This past month has been a good one. I was able to get some writing done and have finished seven chapters of my magical realism rewrite. I also started working on one of the new historical fiction scenes, and have been preparing for my writer’s retreat in Mexico.

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, November 2024
    Author Update · · 2 min read

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, November 2024

    This month’s update will be shorter, as most of November was occupied by my fall coaching job. Despite the hectic end of the season, I was able to get some writing done and prepare for my trip to Tepotzlán, Mexico.

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, October 2024
    Author Update · · 2 min read

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, October 2024

    I have some big news to share this month: I have been accepted to the Under The Volcano writing retreat taking place in Tepoztlán, Mexico, in January of next year. I’ve also completed four chapters of my magical realism rewrite.

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, September 2024
    Author Update · · 2 min read

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, September 2024

    It’s September, which means school and my coaching job have started back up again. Besides applying to the 2025 Under The Volcano writing retreat, I also started working with a productivity coach to help me as I rewrite the first half of my manuscript.

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, May/June 2024
    Author Update · · 3 min read

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, May/June 2024

    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.

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, April 2024
    Author Update · · 2 min read

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, April 2024

    This month’s update is shorter because the ultimate frisbee season is in full swing. However, I want to share a new direction I’m working on for my book and several novels I have been reading.

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, March 2024
    Author Update · · 2 min read

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, March 2024

    Even though February was technically shorter than March, this month has flown by. I ran a storytelling workshop for a group of Central and South American adoptees, worked on a series of blog posts, and explored a new direction for my book.

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, February 2024
    Author Update · · 3 min read

    Innocent Dreams: Author Update, February 2024

    Despite February being the shortest month of the year, I got a lot done. I wrote a draft of my essay for the NACLA Report magazine, created a workshop on how to tell a personal story and was interviewed for two different audio programs.

    Waking From Innocent Dreams · · 6 min read

    Prologue: Desaparecido

    The lumbering city bus comes to a halt next to a small rectangular concrete structure meant to act as the neighborhood bus stop. Lucia Angulo de Escobar, better known by her family as Mamá Chila, steps off with a few other women who are also returning home from work.