Guest Post: Everything is Manana by L. Leander

Living and writing in another country can be exciting or frustrating – maybe a little of both. My husband and I reside in Wisconsin during the summer months, but leave in October for the sun and beach of Mazatlan, Mexico. In case you’re not sure of the location, it’s approximately 950 miles southwest of Tucson on the Pacific Coast (mainland of Mexico.) I’ve lived here a total of eight years now and love the color, the people, the culture and the affordability.

The minute we touched down at the airport, I felt at home. Bright pink, blue, and orange houses greeted me. People on bicycles and motorcycles darted in and out of traffic and the taxi driver made a few hair-raising slides past buses and trucks, even hitting a traffic cone in the process. My motto? Hold on and pray! Gotta love it.
My book, Inzared, Queen of the Elephant Riders was born in Mazatlan. Through a friend I heard about a local writer’s group of expats that gathered once a week. At the time I had penned mostly songs and poetry. I went the first time and was welcomed. The group is everything a good writer’s group should be. Six to eight people get fifteen minutes to read and receive critique. The critique can be brutal, but it’s always sincere and helpful. I found myself among misfits like myself – with a passion for writing that exceeds everything else.

I jumped in with both feet and started reading, reviewing and critiquing. I don’t know how, but one night this character got in my head and would not shut up until I put her words on paper. She remained nameless for some time; although I thoroughly researched Gypsy names, there wasn’t one that fit. So I made one up. For two and a half years I read chapters and went home and changed them after receiving critique. It was finally published in June of 2012.

Now that I’ve told you the good things about writing here (along with the beautiful skies, sunsets, and ocean) let me tell you about a few things that aren’t so much fun.

As I sit here writing this piece, I am without electricity. The whole block is out – maybe the whole city. And it’s hot. Darned hot. The humidity is about 89% and the temp is in the mid-90’s. With no A/C or fans it is unbearable. Not to mention the fact that I am without Internet, too. When I have Internet, it’s better than what I have in the US. But when I don’t – not so great. We may get power in a few minutes, or a few hours, or tomorrow, even. Time is no problem in the land of Mexico. Everything is manana.

Occasionally, there will be a fiesta next door that lasts into the wee hours of the morning. No way can you muffle out a Mariachi Band. Everyone is so happy. Me, not so much, without sleep and coffee. The telephone can drive you batty if you let it with telemarketers (I play the dumb gringo even though I speak Espanol) so I have resorted to turning it off while writing. Makes my friends a little irritated. Oh, and speaking of friends? They are my greatest assets and biggest distractions. Every day something is going on that they want me to be a part of. I’ve had to learn to pick and choose and make lots of excuses so I can write.

Every morning I awake to the call of the donut vendor as he walks down the street with a tray of the delicious rolls balanced carefully on one hand. Later, the bread man comes through and you can hear his loud shout “Pan, pan” as he bicycles his cart through the neighborhood. A rooster cackles cheerfully at dawn – a strange thing to hear in a city of a half-million people. After dark, I hear the whistle of the knife sharpener, making his way up the street to render his services. All day there is a constant barrage of city buses past our front door.

I love this land, this culture, this place that is about as foreign to the Midwest as I can get. Sure, I miss trees and cows, barns and green grass. In the winter I trade it for palms, bougainvillea, and the ocean. It’s great to have the best of two worlds that are so different. I do my best writing here. I hope this winter will be fruitful!
Check out INZARED, Queen of the Elephant Riders on Amazon:

INZARED Video Trailer
L. Leander's website: www.lleander.com

Look here for an interview with L. Leander.

Look here for a book excerpt of Inzared, Queen Of The Elephant Riders

 

Talking With L. Leander

L. Leander is our featured author today. Linda's book, Inzared, Queen of the Elephant Riders, is available on Kindle and currently enjoys a rating of 4.6 from thirty-two reviews. Wow. Thirty-two! First, a little about the book:

Book Blurb:
Bertha Maude Anderson was born in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. Raised on a small farm, she lives a hard life far-removed from everything she craved. Misunderstood by her parents, her only confidante her brother Ezra, Bertha yearns for excitement. A Gypsy circus comes to town and her world changes forever.

Coaxed into joining the Romanoff Brothers Circus, Bertha’s name is changed to INZARED, Queen of the Elephant Riders. She learns to ride Cecil, the elephant, and the two forge an unbreakable bond. Inzared falls in love, learns to co-exist with the Gypsies, solves a mystery and grows into a woman, all the while searching for the life she has always dreamed of.
Welcome, Linda. Your characters sound fascinating. Are any of them inspired by real people? 
My main character, Inzared, was inspired by a woman who had a positive effect on me during my young adult life. She taught me that having little doesn’t mean being poor. She grew up in poverty in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina. As a young wife and mother she moved to the Midwest and encountered hardships most of us never dream about. Through it all she remained true to herself and loyal to her friends and family. She is one of the people in my life I would most aspire to be. Her stories of growing up and being part of her inner circle taught me a lot about life and about following your dreams. When I began writing INZARED, Queen of the Elephant Riders, the main character took on a lot of her traits.

She sounds like an amazing person. What would your main character say about you?
Inzared told me more than once that I was a procrastinator and that I needed to get her story out. I put it off for three years until she drove me crazy, and I published the first book just to shut her up! (In actuality, I’m not so much a procrastinator as unsure of myself. I kept trying to tell her that but she wouldn’t listen.)

Characters. What are you gonna do with them. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I tell everyone I can do a lot of things, but I’m not great at any of them. I don’t mean that to sound like I don’t think I’m any good. I don’t believe that. But I am a perfectionist and get mad at myself all the time for making what I call “stupid” mistakes. (I’m working on positive reinforcement.) So, here goes: I love to play the guitar, fiddle, autoharp and dulcimer, and write songs. (I play a lot of instruments, but those are my favorites, and I’ve been writing songs since I was in my teens). I have been sewing and quilting since I was very young, and it totally relaxes me. I’m on an apron kick right now, but I love to sew absolutely anything! Reading has always been my passion – if I could pick books or television, books would win hands down! I enjoy cooking and baking (especially campfire cooking). I love, love, love to go to the movies, especially if I’ve read the book! My husband and I camp in the summer and like to take walks and visit with friends. I am reality-tv obsessed! My favorite tv show is Survivor, but The Amazing Race comes in at a close second. I also like The Voice, American Idol, America’s Got Talent – you get the drift!

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
This one’s easy – Mexico! I live in Mazatlan, Mexico in the winter months, and it’s the best place on earth. Surrounded by the ocean, great food, wonderful events and fantastic friends – couldn’t ask for more.

Which author would you most like to invite to dinner, and what would you fix me? I mean, him. Or her.
Sorry darling. No room at the table. I’ve already invited Stephen King, Ann Rule, Amy Tan, and Harlan Coben. I’m doing research for my next novel – paranormal Chinese history true crime mystery with a surprise ending! I’d do a barbecue because my hubby is an awesome grillmaster. I’m the prep cook then, and I make drinks and desserts to go with whatever he has in mind.

Oh man. Are you sure I can't come? I'll be really quiet and eat just a little...okay, moving on. When you start a new book, do you know what the entire cast will be?
No. I’m totally a “pantster.” I have learned that I need to outline (dread the thought) my characters and flesh them out a little or I tend to think everyone understands them the way I do. The characters apply when I put out the call, and after I’ve interviewed them and chosen the ones I need, I write them in. It’s kind of like doing a jigsaw puzzle (another favorite pastime of mine).

What were your favorite books or favorite authors a) as a child: There was an Americana series that I loved growing up. The books were based on real historical figures, such as Abraham Lincoln, Betsy Ross, Abigail Adams, Andrew Jackson, etc. I loved and read each one over and over. By the age of ten I graduated to Zane Grey and read every one of his books – Wildfire was my favorite. I also began reading Jack London about then and couldn’t get enough of his books – loved White Fang! Grimm’s Fairy Tales and Anderson’s Fairy Tales were my other favorites as a child.
b) as a teenager: As a teen I grew to love the classics. Thomas Hardy was my favorite, but I also loved Bronte, Dickens, Shakespeare, Austen, Poe, London, Longfellow, and many more. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was one of my favorite books as a teen.
c) as an adult: I have pretty eclectic tastes in reading. I don’t read Sci-Fi or Fantasy, as a rule, although I have found a few in each of those genres that I did like. I absolutely loved the Harry Potter books. For a refreshing read I like Sophie Kinsella, Janet Evanovich, and Stephanie Weiner. I have read everything Ann Rule has written as True Crime fascinates me. I cannot believe people are so base. Harlan Coben and Michael Connelly are my favorite mystery authors. Stephen King cannot be beat as the most intelligent writer of all time, in my mind. He proved that perseverance does pay. Amy Tan is brilliant, as is Barbara Kingsolver. I love biographies and autobiographies, and just about anything non-fiction. I love learning things, and research is my favorite part of writing, so I haunt the non-fiction section of the library. INZARED, Queen of the Elephant Riders is the title of your book. How did you come up with it?
I didn’t come up with it - she did! I had a couple of other names in mind, but Inzared was adamant. Some writer friends thought I should change it. She had a hissy fit. So it stayed.


My characters have hissy fits with tails. They're so dramatic. Thank you, Linda, for talking with us. I'm looking forward to reading about Inzared tomorrow in the excerpt you're going to share with us. 

About the author:
L. Leander is an e-book author, freelancer, and songwriter. She writes for Yahoo! Content and does guest posts on author blogs and groups. As a child, L. Leander dreamed of running away to join the circus. Instead, she grew up to write about it, bringing the magic alive for all who read her work.

Ms. Leander currently resides between Wisconsin and Mexico. INZARED, Queen of the Elephant Riders is the first book in a series about a Gypsy wagon circus in pre-Civil War America.