Raul Ramos y Sanchez's Blog, page 9

HITN TV Interview Airs Saturday & Sunday

Saturday, December 15 at 6:00pm EST – 3:00pm PSTSunday, December 16 at 9:30am EST – 6:30am PSTHITN Network – Available on most cable/satellite suppliers (see list)“El Autor y Su Obra” (The Author and His Work)Host: José Nieto
I was in New York on October 23rd to record this TV interview. Six days later, Hurricane Sandy hit. After some epic efforts to get the HITN studios in the old Brooklyn Navy Yard back online, the show is finally airing. Many thanks and a tip of the hat to the production team at HITN and host José Nieto for their invitation –and all the hard work of rebuilding after the storm.
The half-hour interview covers the characters, themes and social relevance of the three novels of my Class H Trilogy: AMERICA LIBRE, HOUSE DIVIDED and PANCHO LAND.
Hope you’ll catch the show live at either of the air times. An English-captioned version will be posted online here after the show airs.
The novels of the Class H Trilogy:
 AMERICA LIBRE HOUSE DIVIDED PANCHO LANDAbout the Class H Trilogy:Set in the near future, the Class H Trilogy explores a chillingly plausible scenario: Following protests and riots in the nation’s teeming barrios, a violent backlash by supremacist vigilantes sparks a separatist insurrection by the U.S. Latino population. This cautionary tale about the dangers of extremism is seen through the eyes of a decorated Mexican-American Afghan War veteran and his family in Los Angeles. A generational saga, the Class H Trilogy concludes with a surprising new alignment of power in the hemisphere.  






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Illegal or not—immigrants are real Americans

Article by Raul Ramos y Sanchez first released on Que Viva Indiana
December 2012 Issue
The November presidential election was a wakeup call for the Republican party. For years, a number of GOP demagogues pandered to the xenophobes in their party by whacking the Latino community like a piñata under the guise of resisting illegal immigration. But after the overwhelming support for Barrack Obama among Latino voters, Republican leaders now realize the Latino bashing party is over. Not surprisingly, two senior GOP senators have proposed an act of contrition. They call it the Achieve Act, which many see as a watered-down version of the DREAM Act.
This is all good news. But the struggle to achieve immigration reform is far from over. Nativist organizations like ALIPAC, FAIR and others promise to fight like never before against what they call “amnesty.” Inevitably, in resisting efforts to bring the undocumented out of the shadows, these chauvinistic organizations denigrate into attacks on all Latinos. Speaking about conditions in California schools, comedian and FOX News commentator Adam Corrolla recently said: “schools are ruined — not because they’re out of money, but because we’re flooded with Mexicans, and they’re not into studying.” We can expect a surge of toxic rhetoric like this as immigration reform comes closer to reality.
Although news headlines depict this apparent culture clash, the upheaval we are seeing today is part of a larger pattern. For centuries people have come to this land with dreams of a better life. Their arrival has invariably been met with resistance. Eventually, their foreignness becomes familiar and they are welcomed into the fold, usually to be replaced by the next wave of newcomers who endure a similar fate.

"The first illegal immigrants in Texas came from Tennessee. Most of these Anglo squatters settled in the Mexican province of Tejas without any legal rights." 

Many say today’s wave of immigrants is different. They arrived here illegally. In truth, the world is not so simple. The first illegal immigrants in Texas came from Tennessee. Most of these Anglo squatters settled in the Mexican province of Tejas without any legal rights. Today, Texas is one of the most prosperous regions in the world and their legal indiscretions are long forgotten.
At its core, the current migration from south to north on our continent is easy to understand. The U.S. has the jobs. Mexico and Latin America have the labor. The economic gravity at work in this dynamic is as powerful as the tides—and just as irresistible.
Above all else, being American is an attitude. It is an affirmation of hope, the dream that sweat and energy can create a better life. No ethnic group can lay claim to that ideal. Nor is it limited to a single language. It’s time to recognize allof today’s immigrants for what they really are: the latest wave of Americans.
Raul Ramos y Sanchez


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PANCHO LAND radio interview with a focus on youth

Listen live or to a podcast later:Time: Wednesday, December 5th - 9AM PST - Noon EST
Listen Live: http://tobtr.com/s/4092247 
Listen to a podcast five minutes after the show:
http://tinyurl.com/PANCHO-LAND-LSAC-Podcast
Could the renewed efforts to enact immigration reform create a wave of backlash from violent supremacists that puts all Latinos in the cross-hairs? What are the future consequences of a growing generation of Latino youth coming of age in a nation that marginalizes them? These are questions sure to arise as we discuss the third novel in the Class H Series -- PANCHO LAND. A political thriller with an ethnic twist, PANCHO LAND follows the story of an American family caught in a chaos of a Latino uprising on U.S. soil. 
Please join us as Armando F. Sanchez, Executive Producer of the Latino Scholastic Achievement Corporation, interviews me on his weekly BlogTalk Radio show. Funded by a corporate grant from KABC-TV, the nonprofit Latino Scholastic Achievement Corporation helps students enrolled in Southern California colleges and universities by providing them with information, skills and moral support.

Acclaim for the Class H Series:

"Provocative"
--USA Today    

"Sweeping, intense"
--Publishers Weekly

"Raises questions that we ignore at our peril"
--Best-selling author Ralph Keyes  

About the show:
Successful persons are leaders and had to overcome many obstacles in order to succeed.  Show guests highlight what obstacles we can all encounter. Guests offer practical advice and strategies of how to overcome barriers and achieve.

Contact Armando F Sanchez at lsacnational@hotmail.com for information regarding this on-demand global podcast series.


Hope you can join us live or listen to the podcast later!
Raul Ramos y Sanchez









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Indigenous vs Imperialist

Composer/Performer Chief Ten DogsChief Ten Dogs, composer of Indigenous vs Imperialist, tell us this song is "like if Bob Marley was a Spanish looking Sephardic Jewish Zapatista and he put out Redemption Song in the winter of 2012 hoping it would crush the iTunes charts." Give a listen:


Free download Indigenous vs Imperialist© 2012 Sergio Munoz Lyrics: 

Indigenous: What did you do? What have you done? How could you have done the things you did?

Imperialist: I think you know. I was the One. I was ready to advance us along.

Indigenous: You cant control all that isn't yours. The advances you make will destroy us all.

Imperialist:  You don't know how to measure it all. The changes I bring will help us grow.

Indigenous: In the space of time at your breakneck pace. I cant adapt to all you've done. 

Imperialist: Its not easy but you've gotta try. If you don't, life will pass you by.

Indigenous: I liked it soft and I liked it slow. I don't understand what you've come to know.

Imperialist: I told you before and Ill tell you again. Its always painful when we grow.

Chief Ten Dogs is the composer/performer persona of


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Get A Free Gift Copy of PANCHO LAND - Ends at Midnight ET

My publisher has released a special Kindle promotion which you may find worthwhile.

Anyone who buys my new novel PANCHO LAND on Amazon before midnight ET November 30th gets a free Gift Copy to share with a friend. Here's how it works:

1) Click here to buy your Kindle copy at Amazon for just $4.99. 
2) Email your gift recipient and proof of purchase to: Info@RaulRamos.com 
You can add a personal message with your gift if you like. Or have the gift copy certificate sent directly to you. The choice is yours.You'll get an additional free copy with every paid purchase. Got questions? Contact us at Info@RaulRamos.com


PANCHO LAND advance reviews:

"Like Mockingjay (the last title of the Hunger Games trilogy), Pancho Land kept me up all night reading about war and, in the end, weeping about the losses that help create peace."
-- Rebecca Coffey, author of Unspeakable Truths

"A strong novel peopled by characters who grip us and don't let go. I was in the author's hands all the way."
-- John Thorndike, author of The Last of His Mind





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Get A Free Gift Copy of PANCHO LAND

My publisher has released a special Kindle promotion which you may find worthwhile.

Anyone who buys my new novel PANCHO LAND on Amazon until November 30th gets a free Gift Copy to share with a friend. Here's how it works:

1) Click here to buy your Kindle copy at Amazon for just $4.99. 2) Post your Amazon purchase on Facebook. 3) Email us your gift recipient at: Info@RaulRamos.com 
You can add a personal message with your gift if you like. Or have the gift copy certificate sent directly to you. The choice is yours.You'll get an additional free copy with every paid purchase. Got questions? Contact us at Info@RaulRamos.com


PANCHO LAND advance reviews:

"Like Mockingjay (the last title of the Hunger Games trilogy), Pancho Land kept me up all night reading about war and, in the end, weeping about the losses that help create peace."
-- Rebecca Coffey, author of Unspeakable Truths

"A strong novel peopled by characters who grip us and don't let go. I was in the author's hands all the way."
-- John Thorndike, author of The Last of His Mind





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Five free eBooks. Only two days.

Great news for readers! For the next two days you can download 5 free eBooks from authors represented by my agent Sally van Haitsma. (Use the five digit code after each title to get your free copy.)

Bohemia by the Bay by Chris Sands: AQ83F
Dearest by Carole Marshall: AL28L

Death-Defying Nina by Lily Salter: WZ55G
Vampires of Bustamante by James Peyton: FG39N

Californios by Jeff McElron: EL49M
Get more details here. 





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Just a coincidence?

Maybe it's just a coincidence, an unfortunate choice that sends the wrong message. I'm referring to some of the images and rhetoric coming form the Texas Nationalist movement. Take the map below for example. Is it just by chance that the rest of the United States is depicted as black? Hmmm.

The Texas Nationalist website has some equally questionable rhetoric. In the closing of their  "What we believe" section they state their reason for secession is...

 "... to be an independent light in a world that is being plunged into darkness."
Maybe I'm reading too much into these choices. Would any rational person believe there is an undercurrent of racism behind a movement to secede from the union following the re-election of a black president?

In the novels of the Class H Trilogy, a third party called the Nationalists emerge as a force in U.S. politics. Eerily, the Nationalist Party of Texas exhibits many of the same tendencies. I hope the similarities end there. If not, the nation may be facing a disturbing future.

Raul Ramos y Sanchez




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I get by with a little help from my friends

New Kindle Release now available

































My deepest thanks to everyone who took part in the PANCHO LAND "Go Viral" Kindle launch event on Facebook. By the end of the week, nearly 4,000 people had seen the news of my new novel.

As John Lennon wisely said, "I get by with a little help from my friends."

Raul Ramos y Sanchez


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Help PANCHO LAND Go Viral and Win a $100 Gift Card

When you post this Facebook event on your timeline and join the event, you'll be entered in a drawing to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card. 

Five second place winners will get a signed copy of any novel from the Class H Trilogy. 

Please help PANCHO LAND go viral! Just click on this link:
http://tinyurl.com/PANCHO-LAND-Go-Viral

Drawing will be held: Wednesday November 14 at 4PM ET.


About PANCHO LAND:
Sarah Evans was once the hostage of Latino insurgents. Now she's returned, not for vengeance, but for love. More details: http://tinyurl.com/PANCHO-LAND-Synopsis

PANCHO LAND is available for Kindle here:
http://tinyurl.com/PANCHO-LAND-Novel 

Acclaim for the Class H Trilogy:
"Provocative"-USA Today 
"Sweeping, intense"-Publishers Weekly 
"Thrilling and vibrant"-New York Times Best-selling author James Rollins






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