Raul Ramos y Sanchez's Blog, page 8

Adult Fiction: Just 19 of Amazon's Top 100 Best Sellers

As an author of fiction for adult readers, I was not expecting this. While checking on the status of my own novels today (a near-onanistic habit most authors indulge in), I decided to scope out Amazon's Top 100. This is terra incognita for my titles and I was startled to find how few adult fiction titles made Amazon's Top 100 Best Sellers.

Just 19, to be exact.

Granted, this is a snapshot of a list that changes hourly. All the same, I cannot imagine this is a freak trend.

Below is a breakout of the adult fiction titles by genre…
Literary: 5
Erotica: 4 – by same author
Thriller: 3
Fantasy: 3
Horror: 2 – by same author
Romance: 1
SciFi: 1

So here's an observation for aspiring writers. Want to be a bestselling author? Consider writing a diet or self-help book. Between them, they make up more than 50% of  Amazon's Top 100.

The 19 adult fiction titles and their rank in Amazon's Top 100 are listed below.








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One Voice Radio Interview

[image error] PANCHO LAND, the final novel of the Class H TrilogyOriginally aired on: One Voice Radio Monday March 18 at 1PM Pacific - 4PM Eastern


Listen to this podcast as host Christian "El Catrin" Henriquez and I discuss the Class H Trilogy of novels and the issues they raise including: immigration reform, Arizona book bans and the Latino identity.
Host of One Voice Radio, Christian "El Catrin" Henriquez



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This month's winner of a signed novel from the Class H Trilogy

Congratulations to Irma Garcia S, this month's winner of a signed novel from the Class H Trilogy!

Everyone who likes the Class H Trilogy Faceboook page is automatically entered in a drawing to win a signed novel -- every month.

The Class H Trilogy Facebook page posts a wide mix of articles including new book releases, behind the scene views on the craft of writing from leading authors and screenwriters, humor, topical essays, event announcements and more.

The Class H Trilogy Facebook page.

Hope you'll join us!

Raul Ramos y Sanchez


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Group Discussion Questions – The Class H Trilogy

A Resource For Educators and Book Clubs
The novels of the Class H Trilogy explore complex and thorny topics. The group discussion questions that follow are intended to stimulate reader dialog about immigration, the Latino identity and the warning signs of a potential ethnic conflict. Questions about the characters and plot that are common to discussions of all fiction are also included.
If you are an educator or book club member, I hope you find these questions useful. Please feel free to contact me with your suggestions for improving them.
Raul Ramos y Sanchez
Several characters changed their feelings and views during the story. Which character changed most and what motivated the change?
How would you evaluate the moral compass of each character? Did they act justly or did they simply justify their actions?
Who were the “villains” in the story? What made them “villains”? Who were the “heroes” in the story? What made them “heroes”?
Which character in the story did you identify with most?
What challenges do couples of different ethnicities face in today’s society? What unique challenges do children of these unions face?
Did any characters make you aware of the racial diversity of people labeled Hispanic? Is “Hispanic” a race?
Were you surprised to learn of the racial prejudice within the Latino community in the U.S. and in the nations of Latin America? Were you aware of the history of emnity between Spanish-speaking nations?
The terms “Hispanic” and “Latino” exist only within the borders of the United States. Given the diversity of race and culture among Latin American nations, why do you believe many people from Latin America in the United States accept the Hispanic identity?
Did the acceptance of the Hispanic identity contribute to the turmoil depicted in the story?
How would you compare the grievances of the Hispanic insurgency in the story to grievances of other wars of independence such as the American Revolution or the U.S. Civil War?
If you were one of the interned Hispanics, what would you have done differently to change your conditions?
The turmoil in the Class H series parallels similar ethnic conflicts with the Basques in Spain, the Tamils in Sri Lanka, the Chechens in Russia, and the Balkans. Do you believe a similar conflict could ever develop in the United States?



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Nativist national protests a total bust

The National Protests Against Obama was touted as being "unprecedented and historic" by its primary organizer ALIPAC (Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee). They called for protesters to assemble at state capitals across the nation to denounce "Obama's totalitarian, dictatorial, and nation dividing regime." Not surprisingly, leading the list of ALIPAC's charges against Obama is his stance on immigration reform.

So how did this "unprecedented" movement fare? It's hard to tell from ALIPAC's website. As of noon Eastern Time, there are no reports regarding the turnout for this "historic" event. On the Facebook page created for the event, a couple of attendees posted photos of the massive turnout.

A Google search of news reports for the protests showed zero media coverage. In that sense alone, the NPAO was an abject failure. Without support from a Republican party no longer interested in backing a nativist "grass roots" movement, ALIPAC is being exposed for what it was all along, a haven for xenophobic crackpots.

The National Protests Against Obama Facebook page thanked those who participated, saying the NPAO was an opportunity "to stand and to walk with Americans that are willing to do more than rant on their computers."

After the event's dismal turnout, it seems computer ranting is a much more popular option for this crowd.

Raul Ramos y Sanchez


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"Unbridled police lawlessness"

David Perdue holds a casing for one of three bullets Torrance, CA police fired into his SUV after ramming the vehicle.  
David Perdue was on his way to the beach when his SUV was rammed by a police cruiser. Moments later, the police in Torrance, CA fired three shots into Perdue's vehicle. Luckily, none of the bullets struck Perdue. But he still sustained a concussion and shoulder injury from the collision. 

Why was an innocent citizen assaulted by police?  Perdue's vehicle vaguely matched the description of the SUV of alleged cop killer Christopher Jordan Dorner. By the way, Dorner is African-American and weighs over 100 pounds more than Perdue, who is white. 

"Unbridled police lawlessness," is how David Perdue's  attorney described the actions of the Torrance, CA police.  On the heels of the indiscriminate shooting of two innocent women by the LAPD in another vehicle mistakenly matching Dorner's,  it's hard to argue with the accusation. 

In the desperate manhunt for alleged cop killer Christopher Jordan Dorner, law enforcement officials in Southern California are rapidly losing all control -- and credibility. 

Raul Ramos y Sanchez

See my previous post on the LAPD's volley of gunfire into the SUV of two innocent women delivering newspapers.  





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The LAPD's lunatic response to a lunatic

The vehicle was the wrong model and the wrong color. There were two small women inside, not a six foot, 270-pound fugitive. Yet LAPD officers in pursuit of cop-killer Christopher Jordan Dorner were so intent on exacting "street justice," they opened fire on the vehicle, riddling it with bullets. When it was over, 71-year-old Emma Hernandez was shot twice in the back and is now in intensive care. Her daughter, Margie Carranza, 47, was also wounded. Their crime? Delivering newspapers.

Whether Dorner's allegations of corruption and racism at the LAPD  are true or not, killing the family of those he accused of malfeasance are the actions of a lunatic. 

But this response by LAPD officers reveals a search for revenge reaching lunatic levels.  

Raul Ramos y Sanchez



  


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Borrow PANCHO LAND free with AmazonPrime

The Kindle Owners' Lending Library lets Amazon Prime members borrow PANCHO LAND free. No due dates. Keep the novel as long as you like.

Details here: http://amzn.com/B009NZS6PO




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The US Quarantine Zones from the novel PANCHO LAND

From my novel PANCHO LAND: A map of the 47 urban "Quarantine Zones" where U.S. Hispanics are interned.


An excerpt from PANCHO LAND:

As the bus emerged from the empty man-made canyons of downtown Los Angeles, the first sight of their destination finally came into view: the graffiti-covered concrete wall marking the border of Quarantine Zone B. The high wall loomed malevolently above the paved banks of the Los Angeles River beyond the expanse of a long-abandoned railroad yard. The upper floors of a few multi-story buildings rose above the razor-sharp concertina wire atop the wall. 

The bus slowed to a crawl then resumed normal speed as they passed a checkpoint manned by heavily armed men in brown wide-brimmed hats. They were crossing the last line of the government’s defenses around the zone.  

Read the PANCHO LAND synopsis, first chapter and  reviews.
Raul Ramos y Sanchez 


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The School Shooters In Our Midst

 (AP Photo/Newtown Bee, Shannon Hicks)












Earlier this year, science and psychology journalist Rebecca Coffey released MURDERS MOST FOUL: The School Shooters in Our Midst, a book that explores the wave of slaughter-style killings at America's schools and universities. In light of the shocking events in Newtown, Connecticut, I asked Rebecca to shed some light on this most recent tragedy.

Q. According to your book, the recent school shooting in Connecticut is part of a long history of similar incidents in the United States. How far back do these tragedies go? 
A. Like Friday’s elementary school massacre in Connecticut, America’s very first school slaughter targeted the young and those who taught them. In 1927, school board member Andrew Kehoe detonated the local elementary school, killing 37 children and seven adults. Since then, school massacres have always been a part of our culture—though since then they have been perpetrated exclusively with guns.

Q.  Is there any pattern that can be traced between these terrible events? 
A. Unfortunately, aside from “mostly guys and almost always with guns,” no. School murderers come from all ages, races, economic backgrounds, and temperaments. A few common threads:
•  While few of the culprits were diagnosed with mental illnesses at the time of their massacres, for many their actions brought them into such close scrutiny that their illnesses were belatedly addressed.
•  A good handful had horribly traumatic pasts.
•  Most of the perpetrators really liked guns—lots of heavy duty ones. They were also good at smuggling them into places where they didn’t belong.
•  Most killers worked alone.
•  Except to dispense with relatives who might be “embarrassed” or get in the way of the planned rampage, most of the killers had not killed before the day of their rampage.
•  Most of the perpetrators were Caucasian.
•  Some attacks took place in urban schools, but most were launched in the suburban and rural communities to which families move to avoid violence.
•  Not a single massacre showed signs of having been carried out impulsively. Quite the contrary. Diaries and videos left by the Columbine High killers showed that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold planned for over a year. And certainly Seung-Hui Cho at Virginia Tech spent time assembling his arsenal and creating the materials he mailed to NBC. Time will reveal whether the Newtown massacre was carefully planned.
•  Each massacre provoked a rush of media coverage.
•  Each massacre resulted in a frantic national discussion about how to
prevent the next one.

Q.  Are there any precautions parents can take to help keep their children safer? 
A. I think parents' best opportunity is to work with schools to help them follow the FBI guidelines, which actually seem quite sound. The FBI notes that almost all school shooters—even the very young ones—"leak" about their plans during the planning period. Sometimes they tell not just one person but many. The FBI says that children must be encouraged to report threats they hear on the playground to parents or trusted teachers.
  In my opinion, this would require that schools get rid of zero tolerance policies. How can anyone expect a child to report a friend’s “leakage” if the friend may turn out to have been joking but, even so, will automatically be expelled?

Q.  How should parents explain these terrifying incidents to young children without creating irrational fears?
A. I have asked many therapists precisely that question. I hear time and again that what is most traumatizing for children who hear about school massacres is the feeling that they are helpless in the face of gargantuan forces. The remedy, then, is to help children feel like they have at least some power. I've watched therapists working with children ask them how they think they can help protect each other. For very young children the plans they devise won’t necessarily be practical. But devising them may make them feel less helpless, and that is important.

Q. Is there anything you believe can be done to keep our children safer in schools? 
A. There are lots of security firms with expensive answers to that question, but there's very little school budget money to hire security officers or implement new procedures or technologies. And a school that feels like a fortress is not necessarily where a 5-year old, for example, will feel like learning.
  That said, in my opinion we need to throw more financial resources at the problem of school massacre. The FBI has published excellent guidelines about how to assess threats and communicate with law enforcement and mental health agencies, but the schools have no money to implement the guidelines. Counselors, administrators, and teachers remain untrained. Systems are not in place for reaching out to community resources for help with potential murderers.
And the elephant in the room is still gun control. We all know that parents should keep guns out of reach of children. I think that the events of Friday December 14 have once again made clear that automatic weapons should be kept out of reach of everyone. Period.
***
Rebecca Coffey is an award-winning print and radio journalist and documentary filmmaker. She is the author of the book MURDERS MOST FOUL: The School Shooters in Our Midst . She currently contributes to Scientific American and Discover magazines, and is a broadcasting commentator for Vermont Public Radio. Learn more about Rebecca Coffey and her work at her website: www.RebeccaCoffey.com.

Postscript
A tragedy that involves the deaths of 20 school children begs an explanation, a pat answer that will prevent this from happening again. That's not surprising. As a culture, we are spoon fed that notion by politicians eager to win our votes and an entertainment industry that thrives on providing a satisfying emotional climax in the length of a TV show or feature film. Reality is not that simple. They are called "senseless tragedies" for a reason. All the same, these terrible events deserve analysis and introspection. I want to thank Rebecca for sharing her insights at the cost of some sleep. I’m especially honored she took the time to answer my questions after 10PM on a day that had already been filled for her with requests for interviews. She appeared on four radio programs yesterday.

Raul Ramos y Sanchez





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