https://media.giphy.com/media/122J2erzLgqddm/giphy.gif Okay, so I’m gonna start out this Music Monday by acknowledging that this isn’t exactly the best song in the world for various reasons. The subject matter alone may make some people uneasy (and I won’t get into why right now.) In fact, while I was googling it the word creepy was actually in … Continue reading Music Monday: Seventeen by Winger
The Mixtape to My Life Character Profile: Dominic Mendoza
While The Mixtape to My Life is essentially a coming of age story, what would an eye-opening summer be without a romantic interest. For Justin, that would be Dominic Mendoza. The two shared a moment when they were in the eighth grade after Dominic helped save Justin from a bully, but then Dominic suddenly moved … Continue reading The Mixtape to My Life Character Profile: Dominic Mendoza
Music Monday: Welcome to the Jungle By Guns N’ Roses
https://media.giphy.com/media/xUNd9SJzqmfHmp183u/giphy.gif Welcome to the first edition of Music Monday, where I will highlight a song that helped inspire my book The Mixtape to My Life. As I've mentioned before (at least I hope I have), each song is a chapter title within the book. They are meant to capture the spirit of the chapter, and … Continue reading Music Monday: Welcome to the Jungle By Guns N’ Roses
The Mixtape to My Life Character Profile: Justin Ortega
So you hear me (or actually read) talk about my upcoming book The Mixtape to My Life. I’ve talked about the story and the music, but what about the characters? Well I’m going to fix that. Starting now, I’m going to regularly release a character profile of the wonderful personalities that make up the story. … Continue reading The Mixtape to My Life Character Profile: Justin Ortega
What are Walkmans and Mixtapes?
I recently had a conversation with a much younger friend who was born in the 90s about She-Ra. Or more to the point, he had no idea what I was talking about. Even using the current reboot from Netflix for context didn’t help. While my heart sank at the thought of someone never knowing the … Continue reading What are Walkmans and Mixtapes?
So Why Young Adult (YA) Novels?
I don’t think it’s hard to determine that I’m an 80s kid and a 90s teen. My book The Mixtape to My Life after all takes place in that era and makes a lot of references to it. So it begs the question why would someone in their forties want to write young adult (YA) … Continue reading So Why Young Adult (YA) Novels?
Why Hair Metal Means So Much to Me
Okay, so I know that some people may not understand why I love hair metal so much. Or why I decided to put it in my book The Mixtape to My Life. I realize a lot of those songs are used in strip clubs and some are cheesy as hell, but I promise you, I … Continue reading Why Hair Metal Means So Much to Me
The Songs That Inspired The Mixtape to My Life
Mixtape: A compilation of favorite pieces of music, typically by many different artists, recorded on to tape or another medium by an individual. https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/mixtape Music moves many of us in our everyday lives. It picks us up when we are down, helps us put an extra spring in our step when we are happy, and … Continue reading The Songs That Inspired The Mixtape to My Life
The Mixtape to My Life: Brief Synopsis and Thoughts
So I’ve been talking about this book that I’ve written, but you may be wondering what it’s about (or at least I hope you are.) Here’s a brief, unofficial synopsis: Set in the early ’90s, The Mixtape to My Life centers around Justin Ortega, a seventeen-year-old who just doesn’t know what his place in the … Continue reading The Mixtape to My Life: Brief Synopsis and Thoughts
Who Exactly Am I?
Hey there folks. First of all, I want to thank everyone for all their support during this process. There are a lot of people to list, and I’ll be doing that in future posts. I also want to thank everyone for stopping by my blog. I hope you like it and my upcoming book The … Continue reading Who Exactly Am I?
Jake Martinez - Author 
