Everyone knows someone who they can call their own personal poison. Songs have been written about it, and I had plenty to choose from. But when I really thought about which one Justin would love, I immediately went to Alice Cooper. Released in 1989, Poison was featured on Cooper's eighteenth album Trash, and would go … Continue reading Music Monday: Poison by Alice Cooper
Category: Blog Post
The Mixtape to My Life Character Profile: Benny
Most MC's have a best friend, a confidant that they can share their deep innermost thoughts with. For Justin, that would be Benny, his happy-go-lucky joker of a friend that he would do anything for (as you will see in the book). Who are they? Benny is that sweet, cute, chubby, funny guy that never … Continue reading The Mixtape to My Life Character Profile: Benny
So is it or is it not a coming out story?
Lately I’ve been reading a lot of reviews and requests for YA LGBTQ books and a theme seems to be emerging: people want to see more than coming out stories. While I may one hundred percent agree, which may be due to my age and the time I grew up in, I can see why … Continue reading So is it or is it not a coming out story?
Music Monday: Seventeen by Winger
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
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
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
Jake Martinez - Author 
