Monthly Archives: November 2011

Safety Tips for Kids for the Holidays

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Hi All!

As a martial arts instructor, I enjoy sharing with kids how to protect themselves not just from bullies on a playground but from strangers in a public place. With the holiday shopping season it’s easy to get lost in a department store or your local Wal-Mart even so with that in mind here are some things you can share with your child (and some for Mom and Dad) that are simple enough for them to remember.

Make a plan before going to a public place. If they get lost, then decide on a meeting place. Separately, I always tell adults that the first thing they should look for when they enter a public place is for all of the exits or a way to escape should there be a fire or other emergency.

If they are lost in a public place, tell them to go to a worker in uniform who is standing behind a counter.

For older kids (parents use discretion): If an adult asks them for the time (and they happen to be wearing a watch) tell them to not look down at their watch. Have them raise their wrist to eye level and maintain eye contact. This is a good tip for adults as well. Be aware that no child is obligated to tell an adult what time it is. It is perfectly fine for kids (of any age) to simply tell the adult that they do not know what time it is and walk away. They should not feel guilty for doing that.

If an adult asks you to help him/her find something of theirs that they’ve lost, run away to the nearest store clerk!

When a parent is not around a child should never take anything from an adult and they should not feel bad about not accepting it. Just to clarify, this is in reference to public places.

Heaven forbid there is an actual attempted kidnapping but if there is the first thing a child should do if someone grabs them is scream at the top of their lungs (practice this) “Help, this is not my Mom!” or “Help this is not my Dad!” and above all don’t stop screaming! Again, please practice this because you’d be surprised as to how uncomfortable kids can feel about screaming that even if they are rowdy during playtime! Then squirm like crazy until they are free. Kids are great at squirming.

Hope this helps and that you never have to use them!

Chat soon!

Lenny

Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels in the genres of Young Adult and Children’s Books. He is also a martial arts instructor.

For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.

Thanks for reading!

Five Key Lessons I Learned from My Grandfather (To Be a Better Dad)

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My grandfather, Benjamin was probably the best example that I had as a dad growing up since I never have a male role model to look up to. He had an insanely keen sense of connectedness that I’ve never come across anyone in my lifetime (except for my wife and daughter) but you wouldn’t know it from meeting him because he was so goofy.

It’s been five years now since he passed away. I’m glad my daughter got to meet him before he did.

Faithfulness
Don’t get me wrong, I loved my grandmother but holy cow was she a nag. She would stand in front of me while he was already engaged in conversation with me and scream at him about how he never lets her talk. “Benjamin! Will you for once let me talk? You never let me say anything!” He would then turn to me and wink and giggle. I’d leave their house and she’d still be fussing at him. They were married for 60 years.

Be Silly
I loved my grandfather’s laugh. It was giddy and heartfelt and you knew that when he laughed the joy he was experiencing at the time was deep and sincere. Best of all, there was never an unsuitable time to laugh. Of course, we laughed when appropriate but even then we did take it a little too far sometimes.

Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously
I don’t think I ever saw my grandfather frown or not have a smile on his face and there was hardly a time when he was not laughing at something. Nothing was off limits. I’m not advocating poking fun at folks (even though I did occasionally engage) but look we all know that life is too short. Have fun. Start with yourself.

Affection
Whenever my grandfather and I met, he would kiss me on the cheek. I know that may seem strange to some but what it taught me was to never be too embarrassed to give a hug or a kiss especially to my girls. And I do mean, my girls. ;o)

There’s No Such Thing as “Making it Up”
Whenever I was with him it was all about spending time together with no distractions. Nothing existed outside of our time together (especially grandma). Being a writer I do fail at times in this department but when it comes to my family I know that beyond a shadow of a doubt they know one thing.

I love them very much.

Thanks Grandpa. I miss you.

Lenny
Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels in the genres of Young Adult and Children’s Books. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.

It’s Back to Work on Jupiter Chronicles

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Hi All,

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Although I did do some editing on Jupiter Chronicles this weekend for the most part we did relax and got to spend some quality family time together. Our 10-year old loves to cook and this weekend she was able to hone her talents. She made homemade stuffing, homemade pumpkin pie and she stuffed the turkey. The only reason she wasn’t able to put the bird in the oven was that it was just too darn heavy.

As for me, I feel like I’ve gained 150 pounds just from this weekend but it was all so good! I think the only downer this weekend was the price of food in general going up. Our dinner cost us a lot more this year than last and there does not seem to be and end in sight as far as the cost of food rising.

Even so, I remain grateful for what we do have. We also got around to putting up the tree and as always had fun doing that.
Speaking of Jupiter Chronicles, I’ve mentioned before that my wife is a school librarian. She wrote up some very good edits and I was able to incorporate those into the book and it’s coming along very nicely. I was also able to finish up the dedication of the book and wanted to share that with you.
DEDICATIONI grew up in a broken home. My parents divorced when I was seven. This story is for those young and young at heart who have shared that experience and are searching for some kind of healing.If this is you, just remember one thing and you’ll be all right.

You are loved.

Don’t worry, the book itself is a fun ride (at least, I hope you see it that way) and not humdrum.

I also got an e-mail from Ronan who has been working on the props for the book and he sent along images for the Jupiter rings that are in the story. He’s obviously been working very hard on this and it shows. The ring lights up and looks like the surface of the planet.

Check it out.

Please be sure to visit our Facebook page and hit the “like” button at http://www.facebook.com/jupiterchronicles.
As always, I’m grateful for you. Thanks for reading and supporting us through this process.
Chat soon!
Lenny

Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels in the genres of Young Adult and Children’s Books. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.

What I’m Thankful For…

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In lieu of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday here is a list of some of the things I’m thankful for.
      God,
my wife and my daughter,
my extended family,
That’s my dad who suffers from Alzheimer’s
Yup, that’s me with my older sister.
my country,
friends past, present and growing,
our home,
creativity,
Karate,
                                    our dog, Tinkerbell,








As well as….

Chocolate
Blueberry pancakes
Cherry pie
Hamburgers
New York hot dogs
Krispy Kreme
Cheese Scrambled Eggs
Bacon
French Toast
Puerto Rican food
Pizza
Comics
Star Trek
iPhone
Coffee
Action figures
Toothpaste
Deodorant
And last but not least, toilet paper.

What are you thankful for?

I’ll be spending some much needed downtime with my family so I won’t be posting any blogs for the rest of the week. I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!

Chat soon!

Lenny

Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels in the genres of Young Adult and Children’s Books. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.
Thanks for reading!

The Living Writers Collective – Character Development

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Last Thursday I had the honor of hanging out with The LivingWriters Collective which (as their website describes) is “an eclectic group of writers” that exist to “support and encourage one another on the road to publication”. Their ages range from 17 to 90 and their “skills range from beginner to published writers.” That’s a great description for this talented group but if I were to use fewer than five words to describe this group I think I would use sheer joy.

There’s a reason why I don’t belong to a writer’s group (right now it’s because of my schedule) and that is because you rarely come across a good mix of talent/humility. I’ve been to writer’s groups where authors feel the need to use words like patronymics or epistolary; words that no one knows the meaning of. Don’t get me wrong, this group knows their stuff but they are also very welcoming of folks from all walks of life and see value in everyone attending. That’s a true testament to the leadership of Karen Aldridge who uniquely creates an atmosphere of friendly professionalism. So far our discussions have ranged from in-depth character development to cardboard strangers lurking in corners praying for a scrap of attention (see the image below).

Their website is replete with resourceful information from poetry to a guide to literary agents. Please check out their member sites as well. There’s something for everybody.

The focus of that evening’s talk was character development and the invitation to come and share was a result of my blogs on the same subject which can be found here and here. The questions asked in a character interview can change from person to person so here are some others that although may seem fun and silly, still add to the fullness of the character.

Here are some of them:

If you had a time machine, what major world event would you change?

What’s the first question you’ll ask God when you see him?

What’s in your refrigerator right now?

If you could trade places with a fictional character who would it be and why?

What’s the dumbest cover story you’ve ever told your parents?

You see a homeless person on the street and you pass him by. Why?

You see a homeless person on the street and you give him food. Why?

Big Macs or Whoppers?

Coke or Pepsi?

Decaf or Regular? (What’s the point of decaf?)

Why so many questions?

Create full/round characters.

Character becomes their own person and separate from the author. Take the power of choice away from the author and gives it to the character!

Helps shape the story and adds richness to it.

Where we’ve been and what we’ve done in the past helps determine what decisions we will make.

Like it or not, our associations and relationships are an influence on who we are.

You and I are not two dimensional so your characters should not be either.

How would your character react in certain situations? What would they say?

Is there anything in the characters’ past that is holding them back from enjoying life?

What are their hang-ups?

What does the character have to go through in order to find some semblance of healing?

When should questions be answered?

At the beginning of the tale- Character has not gone through the experiences they need to in order to learn what needs to be learned.

Let your characters write the story!

In hindsight here’s what I would add:

Pain is not a waste. Hardship is not a waste.

Learn all that you can from right where you are about people, settings, and environment. “Question with boldness even the existence of God” ~ Thomas Jefferson What I mean by that in this application is to question everything that you see. Ask yourself why things happen the way that they do and why people react the way that they do (without judgment or prejudice) and in time you’ll come to some understanding of what makes people tick.

So with all of that, if you’re in the Middle Tennessee area and are looking for a writer’s group to join, my I strongly suggest The Living Writers Collective.

You won’t be sorry.

Chat soon!

Lenny

Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels in the genres of Young Adult and Children’s Books. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.

Where I’ve Been (Part Two)

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Don’t get me wrong, I love the fact that my parents are Puerto Rican but by the time that my mom had moved us there I was so “Americanized” that I could not wait to get back to the states. You’ll find that most people who criticize the U.S. have never lived somewhere else but that’s another story. Leaving Puerto Rico was not without incident. I was staying with my dad at the time when I woke up to the sounds of sirens and police lights. I ran outside to see what was going on and my mom was screaming at the police about my dad having pushed her after coming to get me. I was asked by the police who I wanted to be with the most (remember, I was ten at the time) and I responded by saying both. I was given over to my mom the next day.My grandparents were ecstatic to see us again when we arrived in Tampa and it was good to see them. I remember her running out of her house to run towards us with tears in her eyes thanking God for bringing us there. We didn’t have a place to live so we stayed with my uncle for a while. I’m taking a wild guess and assuming that my mom spent all of her money on plane tickets as well since we had literally no money to live on. I only got to see my dad over the summer and when I did it wasn’t always fun. He owned a small cafe and worked it 6.5 days a week. Our treat was that we got to go out to another restaurant or see a movie.
When we finally moved out we moved into a flat duplex. I loathed the sand spurs that permeated that property. I’m not sure why but I know that my mom didn’t work for a while. Being in the fourth grade meant me getting a job was out of the question. We got our groceries from the Salvation Army as well as our clothes. I remember a thick yellow shirt that I absolutely hated because it was not meant for hot weather.
I attended Lockhart Elementary which sat on a sink hole. You could see through the cracks in the walls into the next classroom. They’ve since built a new one. Good for them. I don’t remember much about Christmas except for one and that was when I got a used skateboard. It was plastic – not like the ones that everyone else was using. I also remember getting a used Ouija game from the neighbors that had someone’s name scratched out on it. I didn’t keep it nor did I want to. Those are just weird. We couldn’t afford for me to get a haircut so my mom cut it. It would have turned out better had I simply stuck my head in a toilet and flushed.

There was also some physical abuse happening at home. Eventually, my mom did end up getting a job but she still expected me to be the “man of the house” whatever that means.

High School was a lot better, at least for me it was. A distant relative had bought a house and let us live in it so I got to live out my high school days with some sense of normalcy. I was a drum major in the marching band and made decent grades.

I went to the prom in my junior year but thought it boring so I skipped it my senior year. I graduated early (in January) but kept going to band class because I felt at home there even though Mr. Keen could really tear into someone when they made him mad.

At the end of my senior year those aforementioned distant relatives threatened to kick us out of the house. I didn’t realize at the time that my mom hadn’t paid rent for quite some time. That act was delayed until after my first year of college when we were booted out.

My mom moved in with our neighbor, my older sister joined the Army, my younger sister moved to New York and I moved to Clearwater to stay with a buddy which didn’t last. I moved in with another friend who was much older but he was drunk all of the time. One time I came home and the oven was left open (yes, it was on) and he was passed out on the kitchen table. I was close to the folks that led the church I was going to at the time so they insisted that I move into the church building. They had what used to be a motel that reached away from the main building so I stayed there.It was nice of them to offer that but it had no hot water. I remember having to pray up the courage to jump in and yes, it does get down to the 20’s in Florida. The irony was that even though I wasn’t in a home of my own we still went out and helped other homeless people by feeding them. The job market in Florida took a dive at this time and I was let go and by this time, my mom had moved to Houston (again with the moving) and had wonderful things to say about the job market there. I told my best friend Chris that I’d be back in a year or two but that I needed to get back on my feet financially. I ended up breaking that promise. He’s still a good friend though.

As for the hardships…do I regret any of them?
Heck no. There is a very happy ending…so to speak.

More later.

Leonardo Ramirez is an author ofprose fiction and graphic novels in the genres of Young Adult and Children’s Books. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.

Want to follow this blog? Visit http://leonardoverse.blogspot.com
Thanks for reading!

Is There Any Value to Linked In Anymore?

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I am seriously rethinking the value of Linked In as a tool to connect to professionals. (If you’re not familiar with LinkedIn it is a social media tool geared for business professionals who want to link up and support each other.) This became increasingly evident last night when in one of the science fiction discussion groups one chat went awry as one of the members went on a tirade that could easily be construed as a threat.
Here’s what he said: You want a war? By God you’ll get one. You want a revolution? By God you’ll get it and you’ll be on the bottom instead. You want the Bolsheviks back so badly? By God you will get them. If that’s what you really, really want. I don’t see you sad sacks doing anything to stop the injustice. In fact, you FAVOR injustice. That’s fine. You’ll be taken care of in due time. See you in the street, sucker. I’ll see you but you won’t see me.

This was in reference to Frank Miller’s now infamous post about the Occupy Wall Street movement which can be read here but that’s another story.

Aside from the fact that the person that this quote came from doesn’t know anyone on the thread he posted that in there is no way to “unfriend” him should he actually mean what he says. Once you post a comment anyone can go to your profile and find details about you that you wouldn’t normally grant access to when it comes to people like this. Out of all of the groups I’ve been a part of I’ve really not found a solid connection that I would want to retain that is not already in another social media outlet. My personal belief is that my freedom ends where yours begins. If I can’t talk to you civilly then I shouldn’t talk at all. In other social media outlets I have more control over who I friend.

I’d love to hear from you before I make my final decision as to whether or not to keep my account.
Have you found any value to Linked In?

Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels in the genres of Young Adult and Children’s Books. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.

Chinese as a Focus Language in Schools

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Lately there seems to be a big push for bringing Chinese as a focus language into school systems. The weight behind the decision of the language in my mind bears equal weight to espousing the ideals of the country that uses that same language. Chinese is a prime example of this. To endorse the Chinese language is to endorse its ideals. I am absolutely not, by any means, an isolationist. I am simply suggesting that it indirectly endorses in the minds of our children the ideals that the country presently holds. I am, by no means, advocating not learning a foreign language. To the contrary, being bi-lingual has benefitted me immeasurably in understanding the mindsets of other cultures. What I am saying is that the foreign language be a matter of choice and not a formal endorsement of one language over another.

Using China as the example and as a matter of history, The People’s Republic came about through the genocide inflicted by Mao Tse Tung. This should not be compared to the American Revolution which was a movement designed to structure the “Great Experiment” that is the United States of America which is a government by the people and for the people but instead was brought about by the “political power that grows out of the barrel of a gun” as Mao put it himself.

Under his reign, Mao starved 700k of his own men, women and children. In the span of his reign over 50 million were killed by his hand.

As hinted before, understanding the mindset of other cultures has given me a greater appreciation for American exceptional-ism which I believe would be undermined in the minds of our children should we endorse one foreign language (or focus on one alone) as opposed to granting them a choice of their own.  As a side note, please allow me to clarify that the term “American exceptional ism” does not mean better than or superior in any way, shape or form but what it does mean is that we live in a country where the freedom to create, learn and achieve is granted to individuals who wish to embark on that journey and are free to do so.

As a child of divorce, poverty and abuse I can attest to the benefits of that freedom which has allowed me to choose my own path. We have the freedom to try whereas in most other countries that freedom has been taken away by either a repressive or corrupt government who sought its own gain under the guise of taking care of the poor. Here we have the freedom to express and worship whereas in most other countries expression is met with dire consequences. I simply feel that we should not nudge our children into a position where they may come to possibly admire a country with lesser freedoms than our own. So to clarify, I believe it is one thing to create an official foreign language and focus on that than it is to simply give the option of learning it.

Although I speak fluent Spanish I am not advocating endorsing Spanish as an official language either. What I am advocating is the freedom of choice and that each student given the opportunity to pursue the language that he/she feels will lead them to whatever destiny they have in store and that they may find it for themselves.

Think you want to be like the Chinese?

Here are some interesting facts about China according to the Business Insider.

140 million Chinese farmers have had their farms seized by the government in the past 17 years.

Since 2003, the cost of housing in China has tripled.

If he spent his entire yearly income on housing, the average Beijing resident could buy 6 square feet of residential property.

China has 64 million vacant homes. Entire cities are empty.

Chinese credit card debt is projected to surge 600 times in five years.

500 million Chinese living on less than $2 a day

493 mass protests every day.

When you buy Chinese stocks you’re financing the government

China executes 3x as many people as the rest of the world combined.

20% of Chinese exports go to the United States

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/facts-about-china-2011-9?op=1#ixzz1dmu6AIpg

Having worked in the music industry as an international marketing manager, I can personally attest to the fact that China is the world’s leading source in illegally copied music, software, clothes and other goods. Chinese government sanctioned piracy costs the United States around $50 billion in sales each year. 90% of lawsuits in China are for copyright infringements. 43% of American companies have seen their products duplicated in China.
I know it sounds like I’m overly criticizing China and I don’t mean to be. I prefer to see it as lifting up the United States. I grow weary of folks who don’t appreciate what we have and take our country for granted. I don’t know about you but I would rather our children lead than follow. I would rather our children invent and producerather than submit to the ideals of another country.Instead of surrendering the minds of our kids why not focus on honing their technological and/or creative skills? Why not teach them to be the innovators? Steve Jobs did pretty good. I’m sure there are more Steve Jobs out there somewhere but if we keep striving to become like someone else they will never have a chance to thrive. The last great invention that came out of China was the explosive and that was in 1161.Try inventing something in China and see what happens to your invention.Leonardo Ramirez is an author of prose fiction and graphic novels in the genres of Young Adult and Children’s Books. For more information please visit http://www.leonardoverse.com.Thanks for reading!