Interview

An Interview with Veronica Jorge

Bethlehem Writers Group: How did you become a book reviewer?

Veronica Jorge: I never knew that just anyone could review a book. I always thought it was the domain of professionals. It wasn’t until I joined an online book group that I discovered otherwise. Someone who had recently published asked for reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. I thought it was a great way to encourage and support the members in the group. The first book I reviewed was The Scribe of Siena by Melodie Winawer, a time-travel historical mystery with a bit of romance. That review appeared on the blog A Slice Of Orange on June 22, 2018. After that I continued reviewing books, especially ones that I found particularly interesting and wanted to tell others about.

BWG: What do you like best or worst about reviewing? And what books have you reviewed that you still think about and why?

VJ: I’ll answer on both counts. The worst part about reviewing is the time it takes for me to think about what to say because I don’t just want to write what the book was about, as though I were writing a school book report. We all remember those. It takes me a while to find the message or heart of the story that will do justice to the author, and that might also encourage someone to buy the book and gain more readers for the author.

The best part about reviewing is the sense of gratification I feel when I connect with the author’s words and feelings because a lot of hard work and emotion go into writing a book. I also find that I gain a better understanding and perspective of others. And it’s humbling to discover something about myself and how I might respond in similar circumstances.

For example, The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz is a novel about a family in Guatemala who send their child to the United States alone. It would be easy to question the parenting skills of such a person. But then you learn of the dangers and challenges. Once children turn thirteen, they are recruited by gangs; refusal is not an option. So, what do you do when the only way to protect and save your child is to send them out of the country so that they can have a chance at life, because to stay in the home country means certain death?

I think back to the Vietnam War after the fall of Saigon and the heart-wrenching scenes of mothers giving up their children so that they could be safe in America. And going further back, Jochebed, the mother of Moses. In order to save him from the Pharaoh’s order that all male babies were to be killed, she set him in a basket and entrusted her child’s fate into God’s hands. So, it makes it impossible for me to sit in my comfort and safety and claim that I would never put my child at risk. I love it when a book challenges my preconceptions and makes me think that deeply!

BWG: Do you have a writing routine?

VJ: I can only say that I’m always writing; jotting ideas on paper, elaborating scenes in my head, and then looking to see what pieces might fit together to make a story.

BWG: Do you start with a plot idea, a character, or a theme?

VJ: I would have to say all of the above because I often find myself seeking the who, what, when, where, and how of a story idea. For example, I have a Chinese ancestor who emigrated to the Caribbean. I wondered why, of all the places in the world, he chose to go there. That turned into a detailed and fascinating exploration that eventually became a novel, and with it I was fortunate to win an author/writer mentorship with Latinx in Publishing. You can see info about that on this link, Writers Mentorship Program Showcase: Veronica Jorge — Latinx in Publishing.

BWG: Have you ever suffered from writer’s block? If so, how did/do you get past it?

VJ: I’m often inspired by a quote, an event, an untold story, or a little known part of history. The block occurs in not knowing how to write it or bring the story to life. Researching the time period in question helps. It is there that I may find an individual, a work of art, an item, or a significant event that will get the ideas and words flowing. If I get stuck along the way, I step away and look for the story in the story, asking myself, “If this were a movie, what should happen next?” Many of us are armchair film critics, and we often see missing pieces or gaps in a movie, sequence of events that sometimes fall short or don’t provide enough detail, something a character does or says that doesn’t make sense or sound believable. So, I become that armchair critic for my own story and I find that strategy really helps me.

BWG: What writing idea are you dying to try next?

VJ: I’ve always been fascinated by the theories of space/time continuum and time travel. How you can stand in the very spot where someone else from the far past once stood, or where a significant event occurred and feel a connection. So, I’d like to try writing a story from the perspective of two people in two different time periods sharing the same space and what effect it has on each of them. Or have a character travel back in time. I’m not really sure how to develop that yet, but it is definitely something I would like to try.

BWG: When you were ten, what did you want to be?

VJ: I don’t remember what I wanted to be at age ten. But when I was twelve years old I wrote my first short story for a creative writing assignment in English class, “Rudolph the Pug-Nosed Reindeer.” The teacher, dear Miss Walsh, read it aloud, and it was a big hit with my classmates. It was a real encouragement to me. After that I kept writing: poems, short stories, essays, which I shared with friends. My dream was to one day write a number one best seller. I’m still working toward that dream and hoping that it will come true. Persistence and perfecting your craft are important, but I never feel like it’s work, and I never get tired or discouraged. Writing is something that I truly enjoy and will always continue to do regardless of the outcome.

BWG: What is one thing you’ve never been asked, but wish someone would?

VJ: There are two things I would love to be asked. “The pay is generous so would you consider writing for our magazine?” And, “Would you allow us to make your novel into a movie?” My answer to both would be a screaming, “YES!”

BWG: What’s your all-time favorite book?

VJ: Anything by Charles Dickens. He was brilliant at creating characters and had such a mastery of  the English language. It’s no wonder all of his works are still well-loved classics today.

BWG: What’s on your To-Be-Read pile?

VJ: Let’s say piles, with a capital S, as I have mini-stacks of books throughout the house. Here are some titles.

Thomas Jefferson’s Cook Book by Marie Kimball. I understand President Jefferson was the first to introduce vanilla and macaroni to the United States and he always combined business with lavish meals. I like history and food, so I’m sure I’ll learn something new, and may find some interesting recipes to try.

Watercolor With Me by Dana Fox. It’s an instructional workbook. At some point, don’t know when, I would like to be able to write and illustrate my own picture books so I decided to start learning a bit on my own. Art classes are expensive.

The Spectacular by Fiona Davis about a young girl who arrives in New York City to pursue her dreams and finds herself dancing in Radio City Music Hall with the Rockettes.

My Music Is My Flag by Ruth Glaser. It’s a nonfiction title of Puerto Rican musicians and their New York City communities. The title intrigued me because music plays an important role in every culture and forms so much of how we all express ourselves.

Children of the Book by Ilana Kurshan. The author explores how reading together can help to foster family connections as well as teach children independence.

You Don’t Know Us Negroes by Zora Neale Hurston, because there is still much to learn and understand about this part of our shared American experience.

Sweet As Sin: The Unwrapped Story of How Candy Became America’s Favorite Pleasure by Susan Benjamin.

And because I always love watching the film How Green Was My Valley, I want to read the actual book written by Richard Llewellyn. In the movie, for those who may not be familiar with it, a young Roddy McDowell plays the child who narrates the story of life with his family in his Welsh coal mining village. It’s a warm, tender, and at times heart-rending story. As a writer I think it’s a great mentor text for learning about setting and world building and creating strong, memorable characters.

BWG: If you could travel back in time with whom would you like to meet and why?

VJ: I would love to meet my Chinese and African ancestors so that I could thank them and let them know that their sufferings and hard work were not in vain. They made a wonderful life for me possible.

BWG: If a spaceship landed in your backyard and the aliens on board offered to take you for a ride, would you go? Why or why not?

VJ: My initial reaction would be, No way. That’s got stranger danger written all over it. Then the New Yorker in me would kick in wondering, What’s their angle? What do they really want? And maybe watching too many episodes of The Twilight Zone would remind me of the one show where the “friendly” aliens took the earthlings home for dinner…literally. The humans were the main course! But, since I like meeting new people and seeing new places, I might consider it if I had a guarantee that I could return home whenever I wanted. So, I would definitely need a pair of Dorothy’s ruby red slippers to click myself back home if I needed to make a quick escape.

Thank you for allowing me to share about myself. And my thanks to those of you who took the time to read my answers. Would love to hear from all of you! Reach out and say hello. Tell me about what you are writing and reading.