Mona Rodriguez's Blog, page 7
March 8, 2013
Women's History Month Salute to the unknowns...
March 3rd marked 100 years since suffragists marched on Washington. In my historical novel, Forty Years in a Day, which I coauthored with my cousin Dianne Vigorito, one of our characters is a young Italian immigrant woman named Catherina who becomes passionate about the progression of the women’s rights movement. Standing up for her beliefs and advocating women’s rights, she puts her life in danger by handing out flyers on street corners and attending rallies. She communicated her reasoning quite eloquently when she said, “If there’s to be true democracy, there needs to be changes. Why, it’s an American right to vote, denied only to criminals, lunatics, and women. How ridiculous is that?”
There are many famous women in history who have fought against convention for justice and equality, and there are also millions of lesser known women from all walks of life who have faced incredible obstacles in pursuit of freedom and opportunity. In the end, all women, no matter how famous or unknown, who have helped change the course of history for the betterment of all should be remembered and saluted.
Women's History Month salute to the unknowns...
March 3rdmarked 100 years since suffragists marched on Washington. In my historical novel, Forty Years in a Day, which I coauthored with my cousin Dianne Vigorito, one of our characters is a young Italian immigrant woman named Catherina who becomes passionate about the progression of the women’s rights movement. Standing up for her beliefs and advocating women’s rights, she puts her life in danger by handing out flyers on street corners and attending rallies. She communicated her reasoning quite eloquently when she said, “If there’s to be true democracy, there needs to be changes. Why, it’s an American right to vote, denied only tocriminals, lunatics, and women. How ridiculous is that?”
There are many famous women in history who have fought against convention for justice and equality, and there are also millions of lesser known women from all walks of life who have faced incredible obstacles in pursuit of freedom and opportunity. In the end, all women, no matter how famous or unknown, who have helped change the course of history for the betterment of all should be remembered and saluted.
Mona
February 14, 2013
Valentine's Day tribute to Vinny and Ava...
When I was in my teens, my sister told me that my father had been married before. Initially, I thought she was joking, but she convinced me that she had recently found out herself. I was shocked that I did not know this significant fact about my father. What else happened that I should know? Over the years, I wondered about his previous wife. Who was she? What did she look like? How did they meet? Is it possible they had children? Why did they divorce? My mother vaguely answered my questions, and my father, I don’t know if I even asked. I questioned aunts and uncles about his first wife, but I sensed there were bits of their life, and everyone’s in our story, that were swept under a rug. It was over twenty years later and the night before my mother had brain surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in the center of her brain when she told me to look in the safe in their home; there was something she wanted my siblings and me to see. The next day my mother underwent surgery and was never the same. We would have found this curious envelope that was tucked away in the safe when my sister, brother, and I were cleaning out the contents of their home, my childhood home, but for some reason, my mother had wanted us to know that she wanted us to know—if that makes sense. It was a few days later, maybe a week, by the time my sister and I went to their home. (My father was living with me at the time and had dementia). What we found in the safe was our parent’s Marriage License — they had married when my siblings and I were in our teens. WHAT?! Impossible! We were all illegitimate children! The next few years were sad ones, and when my parents died, I felt more compelled to delve into their past. No one alive could tell me the whole story. My parents were now dead and took their story with them to the grave. I should have asked more questions when they were alive. I should have been more curious. Well, the story of Vinny and Ava is conjured from the pieces of stories I had put together, and I filled in the rest. I think it is the story, especially emotionally, of what had happened between them.
Happy Valentine's Day! Mona
Valentine's Day tribute to Vinny and Ava...
When I was in my teens, my sister told me that my father had been married before. Initially, I thought she was joking, but she convinced me that she had recently found out herself. I was shocked that I did not know this significant fact about my father. What else happened that I should know? Over the years, I wondered about his previous wife. Who was she? What did she look like? How did they meet? Is it possible they had children? Why did they divorce? My mother vaguely answered my questions, and my father, I don’t know if I even asked. I questioned aunts and uncles about his first wife, but I sensed there were bits of their life, and everyone’s in our story, that were swept under a rug.
It was over twenty years later and the night before my mother had brain surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in the center of her brain when she told me to look in the safe in their home; there was something she wanted my siblings and me to see. The next day my mother underwent surgery and was never the same. We would have found this curious envelope that was tucked away in the safe when my sister, brother, and I were cleaning out the contents of their home, my childhood home, but for some reason, my mother had wanted us to know that she wanted us to know—if that makes sense. It was a few days later, maybe a week, by the time my sister and I went to their home. (My father was living with me at the time and had dementia). What we found in the safe was our parent’s Marriage License — they had married when my siblings and I were in our teens. WHAT?! Impossible! We were all illegitimate children!
The next few years were sad ones, and when my parents died, I felt more compelled to delve into their past. No one alive could tell me the whole story. My parents were now dead and took their story with them to the grave. I should have asked more questions when they were alive. I should have been more curious. Well, the story of Vinny and Ava is conjured from the pieces of stories I had put together, and I filled in the rest. I think it is the story, especially emotionally, of what had happened between them.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Mona
February 12, 2013
Trailer for FORTY YEARS IN A DAY | a novel by Mona Rodriguez and...
Trailer for FORTY YEARS IN A DAY | a novel by Mona Rodriguez and Dianne Vigorito
January 25, 2013
Reality? You never know...
Mona
Reality? You never know...
People have being asking me how much of our book is realistic—especially family members who want to know if this is the actual story of what had happened. They try to draw a parallel between family members’ personalities and our characters’. The truth is that no one can piece together that puzzle of tales one hundred percent. There are parts to every family’s story that were pushed under the rug for fear it would tarnish the family’s reputation. The elders think they are doing their family duty by taking some of the more scandalous stories with them to the grave. When, as a writer, you realize all this, you are forced to conjure your own conclusions from the pieces of stories that you gather and add a dose of sensationalism to make it more interesting.
November 29, 2012
All so scary...

All so scary...
When I decided to pursue my dream and write a book, it seemed to be the perfect job for me. I get to stay home and work in my pajamas if I want. I get to work with my cousin. I was on my own schedule: no boss, no deadlines, no stress. How lucky am I? I think of myself as a bit of a recluse, so it all worked perfectly for me. Now, reality was setting in.
My husband was leaving for work and I wanted to give a copy to his coworker, who was gracious enough to read our manuscript several years ago. I read you should sign books with an extra fine tip Sharpie and in a color other than black. Apparently, there are rules for signing books. I had a blue fine tip Sharpie so I decided to use that. How much difference could there be between a fine tip and an extra fine tip? My hand was actually trembling and my heart was racing. I was thinking this is crazy, I’m just signing a book, and who wants my signature anyway. Maybe I shouldn’t sign it—I should just give her an unsigned copy—but my husband talked me into it. I wrote out what I wanted to say on a separate piece of paper so I wouldn’t destroy a book with my scribble. I took a few deep breaths, and signed on the title page (another rule of signing). Well, I was using an older Sharpie and the tip was too thick so the ink showed through the page. Damn! And after I had finished, I thought of so many other things I wanted to say to her. My husband assured me that I was overthinking the whole thing and she would love it.
He took the book with him to work.
Mona
November 20, 2012
FINALLY available for purchase...
My cousin Dianne Vigorito and I are very excited to announce that our book is finally available for sale. Yeah! It has been seven years in the making and a year in production. It is a novel that begins in 1900 and follows the lives of a mother and her four small children as they escape from Italy into the streets of Hell’s Kitchen, New York. If you’re interested go to our website www.fortyyearsinaday.com and it will tell you more about our story and how to order. The RELEASE DATE is FEBRUARY 19th, but it is available for purchase now through our publisher’s website (allow 10 days for shipping), and after the release date, it will also be available at online retailers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble, in bookstores, and in libraries. It is available in soft cover or digital download. Yeah again! It is truly a Happy Thanksgiving!
http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-62147-138-7