Kirk

Thanks, Joe!

Hi, Nikita.
I don’t know if you (any of you) have found this to be true, but it is easy for me to discuss almost anything–except my writing. It’s when impostor syndrome quickly takes me by the throat. When someone asks what is my book about, I never know what say. It always comes out as sounding trite or somehow less than. I guess in one quick thought I would say it is about community and ostracization. But it’s also about trust and betrayal and the living and the dead, or those things unseen. And now you still you nothing about what my book is about. Ha! Here is the quick blurb I put together with my editor for the top query letter. It does it a little more justice.

“The Coffiner of Escondido” is a story of Lourdes Peña, a 19th-century Mexican artisan and clairvoyant living at the fringe of a small Mexican village. Her story is one of impossible love, crowded with desperate spectres and heart-stopping obras de arte. She builds and paints coffins for the living, and sometimes for the dead. Descended from a line of craftspeople and women with astonishing sight into the spirit world, Lourdes combines her talents to create exclusive coffins adorned with scenes revealed to her by spirits—her skill surpasses the Italian renaissance masters and is brushed through the lens of Mexican folk art. Lourdes, a pariah in her staunchly Catholic rural village, has long struggled for acceptance and a dignified life. She has few companions: her mother, a small dog, and a relentless suitor. She draws the lecherous eye of the local Padre, who lords over a brutal micro-theocracy, coveting her beauty while marking her sins, bringing a storm of trouble to her already cursed life.

I believe readers who have ever experienced marginalization—or even assault—based on their core differences, or have faced religious judgments, will find facets of themselves in Lourdes’ courage and extraordinary story. This novel should also appeal to those who relish tales of magic realism and mystery written within a rich and vibrant landscape and culture.

The story is set in 1887 in the fictional village of Escondido, with scenes extending into Mexico City. My love for the writings of Gabriel García Márquez, Isabel Allende, Pablo Neruda, and Luis Alberto Urrea have heavily inspired this book and the two additional novels on which I am currently working.

Congrats, Joe! Looking forward to it.

Most excellent! Congrats, Nikita! Very exciting!

Yes, please do. And I think your summary is spot on. And keep the word “unflinching.” This is one of my favorite words and it definitely applies to your style. Keep at it, Joe!

These parallels you point out are interesting–fascinating actually. I am looking forward to reading it when you are all done and release it to the world. I remember reading your story well. I recall your unique style, your ability to immediately put some hooks into your reader, and the sense of urgency and tension you created in a very quick and literary fashion. You are a great writer, Joe. I am glad that my feedback was, and remains, helpful. Best of all in your writing and keep me posted!

Joe – thanks so much for all the positive feedback — and sorry it took me so long to get back on here and respond. I am glad parts of this story stuck with you and had some staying power. And thanks also for the recognition for my efforts in representing the culture surrounding La Santa Muerte. I want people to enjoy this work but I also want it to feel authentic.And your comments on the owls gave me a bit of a positive chill. Owls have a strong place in my story, and it is not too different from what you say here.
What are you writing these days? I’d love to hear about it sometime.
Keep in touch and take care!