Innocent Dreams: Author Update, February 2021

(A print on demand copy of my book.)

It’s time again for another Waking From Innocent Dreams author update. My last email was very brief because I was working hard to complete Act 2B. If you missed that update, you can find it in the newsletter archives on my website.

This month I’m going to be changing the format once again. Instead of writing about one subject in-depth, I will be sharing several smaller updates on a variety of topics related to the book.

Finished Act 2B

At the end of January, after five months of work, I finished Act 2b. I'm thrilled with how it came out, and after reviewing this section, I feel like I'm finally able to tell the story I had envisioned from the very beginning. Bridging the gap between the image in your head and what's "on the page" is one of the more emotionally challenging aspects of creative work because you rarely get it right the first time. It's only after reworking the material over and over again, does your initial vision becomes a reality.

Moving on to Act 3

I have started work on the ending payoff, or Act 3, of my book. Unlike the other sections, I won't be talking about this one in great detail because I don't want to spoil the ending for you. What I will say is that I’m feeling very confident about my abilities as a writer to create a payoff that is both surprising and yet inevitable.

The L.A. Times, Salvadoran Series

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been speaking with Esmeralda Bermudez, an L.A. Times staff writer. She is working on a series of articles focusing on all aspects of the Salvadoran diaspora. As she says in the project’s announcement video, even though Salvadorans are now the third-largest Latino population in the U.S., there is so much that is misunderstood about this community and so much of their identity and history that has been erased.

These articles will cover everything from Salvadoran art, to culture, to political influence (or lack thereof). She will also be writing a piece on family separations, in which Esmeralda will highlight my family's story. It's hard to put into words how excited I am for this series and how honored I am to be part of it.

Esmeralda does not yet have a publication date for the Salvadoran Series, it may be later this year or early next year, but I will keep you posted as soon as I know anything!

Selling my first 20 copies!

At the beginning of the month, a good friend, and early reader, approached me about using Waking From Innocent Dreams in his high school Spanish class as a discussion piece. While the book as a whole is still a work in progress, I've gotten enough feedback about the first act that I felt comfortable sharing this section with his students. Using the print-on-demand service Lulu.com, I made a few physical copies to give to the students. I’m thrilled with how the books turned out and looking forward to virtually chatting with the students in the coming weeks.

Pssst… want to get your hands on my book early? Stay tuned. In a couple of weeks, I’ll be announcing how you can do just that.

The month ahead

Work on Act 3 continues, and while I don't know when I will finish it, I can tell you that this section is in good shape and shouldn't require quite as much work as other parts of the book.

I hope you have a wonderful month and I will see you next time!

Sincerely,
Nelson/Roberto