A native of the Rio Grande Valley, Chuy spent the past 10 years working on his book, which follows three generations of a Mexican family, as they make their way from Northern Mexico to South Texas. Its young protagonist, Joaquin, comes of age in the 1960s. He grows up ashamed of being poor, of working the strawberry fields, and is determine to have a different life.
“The short stories of STRAWBERRY FIELDS,” said Jose Ramirez, Jr., author of SQUINT, “are like beautiful and colorful blouses made of delicate chiffon--revealing. The stories reveal the transformation of a young child becoming a man....a man appreciative of his raiz (roots). This is a book that crosses color and geographic boundaries. It is a book that will touch the soul of its reader.”
Chuy is currently working on a new novella about a dying woman, who spent time as a child in the Tulelake Concentration Camp during World War II. The book is about the mother-son relationship that develops between the woman and the lawyer drawing up her last will and testament.
His creative process combines stream-of-consciousness and writing an outline. He will write or type whenever he can and whatever comes through. Then, he'll outline, redraft, re-outline and redraft again. And, to unleash his creativity, Chuy finds several things work for him -- being at home, being alone, reading or listening to music. Traveling of any kind also allows him to separate himself from his daily work and move into a creative state.
His favorite authors include, Carlos Fuentes, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Charles Dickens, David Frost and Edgar Allen Poe.
Chuy’s advice to new writers: Read, read, read and write!♥
STRAWBERRY FIELDS:
A Book of Short Stories
First Texas Publishers, 2009
For more information on Chuy and his book, visit the following:
http://www.firsttexaspublishers.com/
strawberryfieldsramirez.blogspot.com
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