The Big Apple or the Big Easy - Jolene Navarro

Hello, Jolene here. With summer vacation just around the corner, my husband and I are talking about places to go. All my stories are set in my home state of Texas. The small towns of the Hill Country are in my DNA, but I love to travel beyond our borders. 

My father was a commercial airline pilot, and growing up we traveled a lot.  On the other hand my husband grew up on a ranch (ranchers do not take vacations) and was one of eleven children. Needless to say traveling was not done, so I love to take him to new places. 

We've been talking about our favorite places and maybe revisiting one of them. New York City and New Orleans are right on top. My husband was surprised by how much we enjoyed our experience in New York. The energy and vibe of one of the biggest cities in a very land locked piece of property was amazing. We got to dance in the rain in Times Square. I was able to see works of art I’d only studied in art school.

 We found a family diner off not far from our hotel on Wall Street. My husband was exited to discover  burgers under 5.00 plus the owner spoke Spanish. 

We found this gem of a family diner off Wall Street. Home cooked food with very good price.

Just the history alone was mind boggling. I have to say the people were super friendly and even when we got a bit confused in the subway there was always someone willing to help.

Lower Manhattan – It amazes me that so many people can live in such a small space. It looks as if it could just fall of the little piece of land.

In the city you can hardly see the sky. From the river it looks like another world

Central Park

The human spirit is amazing…you can see it and feel it in large doses all over New York, but no matter how many building we build we still are drawn to nature. Central Park is an oasis in the mist of a man made jungle. Did I mention the history everywhere you looked?

Then there is the southern city of  New Orleans. 

Reid, my hero in The Texan's Twins is a native of New Orleans. Katrina relocated him to Houston as a kid. I listened to hours of videos to hear the voice patterns of people from this beautiful city. It was fun and if you read, The Texan's Twins I hope you can hear the sounds of the city in Reid's voice. 

The Texan's Twins - Jolene Navarro

 A big city with a completely different feel from New York. Relaxed, happy, laid back and ready for a good time.  We were sent to New Orleans with a Smithsonian Educational grant and I wasn't sure what to expect. I’m not a party person so I wasn’t sure about New Orleans.  We fell in love with textures, people and food.

Waiting to enter the unknown in New Orleans.

On the way to Pirate Ally in the French Quarter’s of New Orleans.

There is so much art and creativity in New Orleans

Anyone who has ever been to New Orleans will tell you to stop by the Cafe Du Monde, any time of day or night.

So many shops had a cat in the window. This one was watching over a weaving shop

You can’t go to NOLA without at least one visit to the cemetery. This was taken at Lafayette Cemetery No 1

Taking the Paddle Boat down the Mississippi while listening to live music was a wonderful experience. Warning: save your money and skip the dinner.

We stayed in the French Quarter and walked everywhere, even late at night we felt safe. We stepped onto Bourbon Street for about five minutes, that was enough.

The history, art, music and people made this a trip we want to make again. 

Have you been to both of these cities? If you had to choose one which would it be: New York or New Orleans?  Maybe neither? LOL

 Do you have a favorite city that you would visit over and over?

Knocking on Doors with Jolene Navarro

We live by faith, Not by sight - 2 Corinthians 5:7

 

     I’m fascinated with doors, love them. Walking the French Quarter in New Orleans last summer, I took more pictures of doors than anything else.

 Doors are a strong symbolism for opportunities and rejections. How do we handle an opened door? Afraid of the unknown or do you have the faith to walk through with courage?

 How do we react when confronted with a closed door? There are times we want to bang on the locked door until our fist is bloody and our throat raw, or imagine going Chuck Norris on the thing that keeps us from our perfect life. Denying us what we think we desire the most. The one thing that would make us happy. 

 

In my August release, the heroine, Vickie, had been beating on a closed door. Her husband wanted out of their marriage so he could move on to better things. She fought as long as she could to save the marriage.

Now she’s back in her hometown wanting to be strong for her kids. Is she so focused on the closed door she might miss the opened door?

I have learned that closed doors can be the greatest gift, forcing us to find a new path.

Yes, faith is believing in what you can’t see, but I also think we need to see with faith. If we take the time to look we can see God’s love in the most unlikely places.

Have you ever yelled at a closed door only to learn later it was a blessing that you didn't get it open?

 Excerpt from LONE STAR HERO available now

For a moment, she imagined them all together as a real family. Her gaze traveled the outline of his cabin. The cabin he built. If she had been brave enough to make the right choices in high school, this warm home and special man could’ve been hers. The reality of it hit her hard. Jake made is easy to image reconnecting with him, but she had to put her life back in order, starting with two kids that needed her to be strong.

Her baggage weighted too much to drop on Jake’s steps. Friendship with Jake sounded easy. Vickie knew her heart would fly right past friendship and into dangerous territory of rekindling that first love.

She couldn’t afford to make any more wrong choices. Time to grow up.  “Jake, your mother’s right. I’m not what you need.”

He leaned forward, elbows planted on his knees. “Why don’t you and my mother let me decide what I need?”

The intense stare of his eyes seared right to her unreliable heart. She couldn’t handle that look right now. Vickie stepped back. “I’ve got to go. The kids are waiting for me at my parent’s house. Bye Jake.” Teeth clenched, she ran all to her car.

Jolene Navarro’s Bio:

Jolene, a seventh generation Texan, knows that, as much as the world changes, people stay the same. Good and evil. Vow-keepers and heart breakers. Jolene married a vow-keeper who showed dancing in the rain never gets old.
Her life and her stories are filled with faith, family, dirty dishes and all of life's wonderful messiness.  Jolene teaches art at an inner city high school. When she's not hanging out with her four almost grown kids, she loves creating her own world of family and love. You can connect with Jolene on facebook and her blog at jolenenavarrowriter.com.

 

Ask Elnora--About Setting?? Third Friday Writing--Lenora Worth

It's that time again, bloggerville! Time for Third Friday Writing! Elnora loves the third Friday of each month since we get to talk about--what else--writing! Today's subject is setting. It was a dark and stormy night--in New Orleans maybe? Or what about New York City? Or how about it was raining cats and dogs in Dodge City? Okay, I've got it. It's raining men in Winslow, Arizona. But maybe it doesn't really rain there all that much? Setting is as important to a story as plot and character. When we write a book, we have to decide who, what, when, where, why?? Did I leave anything out? I always add how, too. Just in case. The where is all about setting. We don't want to wrie a whimsical story about flowers with a dark, dead forest kind of setting. Unless of course there is only one flower growing in that dark forest and the prince has to pluck it to save the princess and he knows if he sets foot in that forest, dire things will happen to him. See how the forest becomes part of the setting. I love to use setting like a character. For example, my August release "The Diamond Secret" is set in New Orleans. So it's all about the vibe of this unique place--a saxophone player down the street, the sound of the streetcar rolling by, the smell of the river--part decay and dampness and part fishy and fresh. Or the hiss of a cup of coffee being pulled at the Cafe du Monde and the clop, clop, clop of a horse drawn carriage. New Orleans lends itself to sights, sounds, smells and definitely taste and touch. Setting allows us to build our own world within the world we already know. When we describe a room, a home, a yard, a neighborhood or a town, we want the reader to stroll along with us and see what we see. I love a lush, interesting setting. If the mood of the story is dark, I make sure the setting is a bit dark and menacing. If the mood is lighthearted, I make sure there is a hometown cafe where everyone gathers and that the whole town is bursting with greenery and pretty places. If I'm writing a suspense I try to make sure even the trees are creepy and dangerous. If my setting is near a big body of water, I use that to my advantage even when I'm giving my characters a narrative, as in--her heart filled with a joy as vast and deep as the bay. Setting can add a richness to our stories and give our readers a true journey into a new world. So let's discuss setting. What's your favorite kind of setting?