Maria E. Andreu's Blog: Maria E. Andreu on Goodreads, page 23

We don’t choose our stories

A friend posted about a writing book she was reading. The quote was this: “I believe that we don’t choose our stories,’ she began, leaning forward. ‘Our stories choose us.'” It was exactly the kind of self-congratulatory thing that writers love to say to each other. I’ve done it dozens of times myself, paper cup […]

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Tale as old as time

This weekend I went to see the live action remake of Beauty and the Beast. I’d been looking forward to it for months, luminous Emma Watson starting as Belle, the book nerd heroine that so captivated me in my young adult years. In many ways, it did not disappoint. It held faithfully to the gorgeous […]

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The day I discovered my powers could be used for evil as well as good

I grew up Catholic AND Hispanic. That means that I got a whole lot of guilt and “shoulds” right out of the womb. What will people think? If you do that, what will happen? When I was little, I was sure the Big Dude was always watching, cataloging, frowning at the booger I wiped behind […]

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The day I discovered my powers couldn’t be used for evil as well as good

I grew up Catholic AND Hispanic. That means that I got a whole lot of guilt and “shoulds” right out of the womb. What will people think? If you do that, what will happen? When I was little, I was sure the Big Dude was always watching, cataloging, frowning at the booger I wiped behind […]

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White, Irish, and one other thing

I often ask the question during my book talks: What does “undocumented” look like? Of course most people conjure up an image pretty readily: dark-skinned, work boots, a certain set of features associated with Mexico and Guatemala. I ask this question because I don’t fit that mold, and yet I was undocumented. It is my […]

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Not today

Yesterday, I went to do a trade show for work. It was a small, regional show, and so I went alone instead of with a colleague. Walking into the university gym converted into an exhibitors’ hall surfaced all my old scabs of awkwardness in crowds. I imagined running back to my car in safe retreat, […]

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New email address

I have just received a notice from my internet service provider that they will no longer be supporting email as of April 7th. When I switched email addresses from Earthlink, back in the neolithic era, Gmail wasn’t quite yet a thing, so in a moment of not being very forward-thinking, I took the “free” email […]

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I didn’t forget

You didn’t forget? Me neither. But what’s the use in remembering?                                          

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You go, girl

I’m seeing lots of “phenomenal women” t-shirts popping up on my Twitter feed. Lots of “women are great” sentiments. It’s International Woman’s Day, you see. And we women want our flowers and chocolates. (Heck, I even re-posted a “you go, girl” meme on Instagram. I am not immune). Don’t get me wrong. I know a […]

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Train wreck politics

This morning, I stared at my Facebook status bar for a full five minutes, trying to come up with something non-political to share. I have noticed so many of my progressive friends post about nothing but the Daily Outrage, the one line we thought the new president would never cross, but has. What happened to […]

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