Life is funny that way, don't you think? Sometimes it throws you lemons, but other times it gifts you miracles! I'm going for the miracles. You may have noticed I haven't posted in a while, well, that's because I've been busy. Busy falling in love with Mexico all over again...
It was NanoWriMo 2023, and I was madly cranking out the rough draft of my latest WIP (work in progress) to "win" the 50,000-words-in-November contest (I won). The book, Kickback, wasn't coming easily; I had a lot of research to do on Mexican politics, Mexico City, and Mexican culture on the cusp of COVID. I hadn't visited in years, and after publishing Saints and Skeletons in June, I'd started letting go of memories. The memoir had helped me forgive all the difficult events and relive the wonderful adventure; I'd let the skeletons out of my closet. But I'd come across a good story, and I needed to write it, even if I was forgetting the smell of the air, the taste of street tacos, or the love I'd held for this magical country in all its virtues and errors.
And that's when the miracle manifested. Mexico wasn't letting ME go! First, I received an email from my old boyfriend, Fernando (read all about him in Saints and Skeletons). Thirty years later! And he wanted to make amends for everything that happened. How often does that happen?
We started talking: hashing out the memories, the joy—and the pain—catching up on a lifetime. (Still all in Spanish—another miracle, I'm learning it.) He'd googled me, discovered Saints and Skeletons, and reached out because he has written a book and wants to write more—supenso, thrillers. But he isn't a novelist by his own admission. Three months later, we're working on outlines for three thrillers, with a new idea brewing. Over WhatsApp we talk and brainstorm—just what we did so well through all those hours of traveling the back roads of Mexico in the 90s. We'll outline together. He'll research; I'll write. Suddenly I'm re-emmersed in Mexico—and it feels like coming home.
We don't know exactly how this will turn out, but I'm excited to have a new writing partner. If you like Mexico and crime, look for the first book sometime next year. In the meantime, don't miss the latest JadeAnne Stone Mexico Adventure Book 5, Backlash Venom and Vengeance from 'Nam. It was short-listed for the Chanticleer CIBA 2023 Clue Award and won Gold Book from Literary Titan.
Your past will always find you. And it’s going to take everything you love away. Including your life.
Jackman Quint spent years in prison for his crimes during his tour in Vietnam. He’s made a new life: reunited with his daughter JadeAnne, expanded his investigations, and dipped his toe into the dating pool. Life is going his way until Nader shows up in Mexico City. Now, when he has someone to lose, his past finds him. And Nader is out for blood.
You can learn more on March 9th. Join us at Barns and Noble, El Cerrito Plaza from 2:00-4:00. It'll be a crime if you miss it!
"Ana Manwaring does an outstanding job of crafting a story that both stands alone on its psychological and thriller components. Prior readers will appreciate the plot while newcomers won't need an introduction to past relationships to appreciate the characters and actions that represent international relationships and survival efforts.
The tension is nicely built, premises are logical and embedded into the story's action-packed scenarios, and readers receive a high-octane action work well steeped in Mexican affairs.
Libraries and readers seeking thrillers that center around attacks that challenge individual and national interests will find Backlash: Venom and Vengeance from 'Nam seamless in its action and characters and hard to put down." Diane Donovan, Editor, California Bookwatch; Donovan's Literary Recommended Reading
Don't miss Smashwords Read an eBook Week, March 3-9. All my books are Free!
And if you want to get started now the Kindle version of Book 1, Set Up, is currently on discount at Amazon.
Backlash Book 5 Published on November 15th, 2023
Here's a little something to sip while you catch up with JadeAnne and Pepper
XOCOLATL
1 cup milk, soy milk, almond milk, or water
1 package/disc Taza Chocolate Discs (any flavor)
Salt to taste
TO PREPARE:
1. Roughly chop or grate one disc of any flavor and set aside.
2. Heat one cup of milk or water in a small saucepan over medium heat to just below a simmer.
3. Remove the milk from heat and add a pinch of salt.
4. Slowly mix in the chocolate, stirring frequently until dissolved.
5. When the chocolate is dissolved, return the mixture to the stove and re-warm over low heat.
6. While the chocolate is warming, use a whisk or molinillo to froth the chocolate.
7. When the chocolate is hot and frothy, remove from heat and serve.
Thanks for reading! Find me and my books through https://linktr.ee/anamanwaring and my website, www.anamanwaring.com
Don’t miss: Strong Women in Peril, Saving Themselves at 3:35 p.m. on September 1st.No fairy tales here! I’m moderating Christina Hoag, Tori Eldridge, L.A. Chandlar, and Susan Roland in a lively discussion of why we don’t need knights in shining armor anymore! If you’re going to Bouchercon San Diego, please join us. Even you knights!
Don’t miss: Strong Women in Peril, Saving Themselves at 3:35 p.m. on September 1st.
No fairy tales here! I’m moderating Christina Hoag, Tori Eldridge, L.A. Chandlar, and Susan Roland in a lively discussion of why we don’t need knights in shining armor anymore! If you’re going to Bouchercon San Diego, please join us. Even you knights!
I’m thrilled to have been interviewed by Marcia Macomber on Mondays on the Morning Show on KSVY—The Voice of Sonoma Valley. You can hear the ten minute interview HERE!
Excerpt from the article, “The Extreme New Tactic in the Crusade to Ban Books” by Summer Lopez, PEN America Chief Program Officer, Free Expression published May 8, 2023 TIME/Ideas https://time.com/6277933/state-book-bans-publishers
“This is a dangerous escalation in the movement to censor public education. In a very short time, the censorship advocates have gone from trying to control what can be studied and read in schools to trying to control what private companies can publish.
Let’s be clear. These bills are not about protecting children. They are about using the power of the state to intimidate private companies and ban ideas and stories that some people find offensive or uncomfortable. By going after private publishing houses, these bills represent an appalling and undemocratic attempt at government overreach, and yet another escalation in the war against the freedom to read.”
Stand against book censorship!
CHICAGO – The American Library Association has announced the theme for Banned Books Week 2023: “Let Freedom Read!” Banned Books Week will take place October 1 – 7, 2023.
"As we’ve seen throughout National Library Week, as long as there are libraries, Americans’ right to read will not be overcome by censorship,” says Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada. “Our 2023 Banned Books Week theme – ‘Let Freedom Read’ – captures what’s at stake for our democracy: that the safety of our right to speak and think freely is directly in proportion to our right to read. ALA encourages libraries in every context to mark Banned Books Week by inviting other groups within their communities to celebrate and take action to protect our freedom to read all year long."
We had a great time at Vintage House in Sonoma at the launch of Saints and Skeletons! My co-presenter was Aletheia Morden whose book, The Last Indentured Servant A Hollywood Memoir, published in April.
It’s topping my list of favorite reads right now! Our host was Susan Savage who will be wowing reading audiences with her novel set in Wales in the near future. Many thanks to Katie DeJongh, VH’s program director, for a wonderful event. It even came with lunch! Put on your hat and pour a cool drink. These memoirs make great summer reading.
Pages: 368 | ASIN: B0BJGZRTGP | Smashwords | Kobo
Part travel, part action-adventure, Saints and Skeletons is the memoir from which Manwaring’s award-winning JadeAnne Stone thriller series was born. Look for Saints and Skeletons at your favorite on-line bookstores.
| Reviews: |
| “Saints and Skeletons is a captivating and introspective work that encourages readers to embrace life’s complexities. Ana Manwaring’s unflinching honesty and willingness to bare her soul are both brave and inspiring. This memoir stands as a testament to the transformative power of storytelling and the remarkable human capacity for growth and resilience.” ~ Pricilla Evans, Managing Editor Literary Titan “In Manwaring’s immersive memoir, Saints and Skeletons, she deftly takes her reader on a pilgrimage to Mexico. Rendered with heart and vulnerability, we observe her inner life through the risky choices she regrets, the love she desires, the sublime beauty she discovers. Don’t miss this multisensory adventure of a lifetime.” ~ JC Miller, Amazon bestselling author of Vacation, Heliotrope and Larkspur “A true original, Ana Manwaring combines an uncanny eye for detail with unflinching honesty to create within her memoir internal and external landscapes that are arresting, unsettling and gorgeous.” ~ Laura McHale Holland, award-winning author of memoirs Reversible Skirt and Resilient Run “What could be more delicious than a foodie road trip through Mexico and beyond with a Latin lover and beloved dog? Add a few thieves, sprinkle with corrupt officials, then mix in some fun-loving hippies for Ana Manwaring’s mid-life adventure with a bit of Spanish thrown in along the way.” ~ Aletheia Morden, author of The Last Indentured Servant A Hollywood Memoir S&S 5 star review ~ Literary Titan Some events in the book were chillingly similar to real-life events. Did you take any inspiration from real life when developing this book? Yes! The opening of Set Up is a try story of what happened to me, although I was not kidnapped. From there I began to read everything I could on the burgeoning problem of organized crime in Mexico. I even went back to my local community college and studied Spanish to read Spanish-language news and commentary. The story is fiction, but rooted in reported facts...continue reading: https://literarytitan.com/?s=Ana+Manwaring |
Backlash | A JadeAnne Stone Mexico Adventure | Book Five | Thriller | Suspense
Jackman Quint spent four years in prison paying his debt to society for his crimes. Now, when he has someone to lose, his past finds him. And it’s out for blood. If Quint can’t unravel why Nader is bent on his destruction, he’ll never be able to protect the team, his woman, or most importantly, JadeAnne.
Book #5 of the JadeAnne Stone Mexico Adventures is with the publisher! It will be available in October for pre-order and comes out November 15th.
“Your past will always find you. And it’s going to take everything you love. Including your life.”
Jackman Quint’s former CO, Chuck Nader, has a vendetta to settle. For Quint, the Vietnam war ended thirty-two years ago with a dishonorable discharge, a prison term, and his daughter JadeAnne, lost to him. Shouldn’t Quint be the one with the grudge?
He’s made a new life for himself, reunited with his daughter, expanded his investigations, and dipped his toe into the dating pool.
Finally, life is going his way when Nader shows up in Mexico City on a top secret mission through the U.S. Embassy. Coincidence? But it’s soon clear, Nader is out for blood. And he won’t settle for killing Quint—he’s after everyone Quint loves. He’s already killed one of the team. If Quint can’t unravel why Nader is bent on his destruction, he’ll never be able to protect the team, his woman, or most importantly, JadeAnne. She flies home in less than a week. The days are counting down.
A quick and easy weeknight meal
I didn’t learn this recipe in Mexico, but it’s a delicious take on quesadillas and worth trying. I’ve adapted it from Linda Gassenheimer/Tribune News Service.
Chicken-Mushroom Quesadillas
Makes two generous servings
Ingredients:
½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (½ “ thick) or a large whole breast to cut yourself
½ tsp. Ground cumin or more per your taste
Good quality olive oil or olive oil spray
¼ lb. baby bella mushrooms or your choice chopped to about 1 ⅓ cup
1-2 cups washed spinach
Salt and pepper
2 8” flour tortillas
¼ c. shredded melting cheese of your choice.
Procedure:
Sprinkle the chicken cutlets top and bottom with cumin. Heat a skillet to medium-high and add olive oil to coat.
Add the chicken cutlets and mushrooms and saute for 3-4 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft and the chicken is cooked.
Stir in the spinach and cook until it wilts. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove filling to a bowl.
Heat a dry comal or a large, dry frying pan and place two tortillas in a stack in the pan. Cook until the bottom tortilla begins to brown. Flip the stack and repeat. Open the stack and place one uncooked side down and cook to lightly browned.
Set aside the top tortilla and spread one half of the filling over ½ of the cooking tortilla. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the top. Gently fold the tortilla in half and cover with a lid and cook about a minute. Remove the quesadilla to a plate and repeat with the second tortilla.
Serve with salsa of your choice. JadeAnne prefers a creamy tomatillo and avocado salsa or pico de gallo. Any cooked salsa can be turned creamy by the addition of some Mexican crema or creme fraiche.
This dish goes well with a corn and black bean salad or a slaw with chipotle-ranch dressing and a frosty Victoria cerveza.
¡Buen Provecho!
"I hate it that Americans are taught to fear some books and some ideas as though they were diseases..." ― Kurt Vonnegut