This week’s featured author is Mr. Manuel Ramos. Mr. Ramos is the author of seven novels, numerous short stories, and a few poems. He is the recipient of the Colorado Book Award and the Chicano/Latino Literary Award from the University of California at Irvine. In addition to being a critically acclaimed author, he is an attorney and Director of Advocacy for Colorado Legal Services; a statewide legal aid program. He is also one of the founders and contributor of an online literary blog called La Bloga.
Manuel Ramos was born in Florence, Colorado but currently resides in Denver, Colorado. He is married to Florence Hernandez-Ramos (one of the founders and a former Director of the public radio station KUVO in Denver). Mr. Ramos is the proud grandfather of seven grandchildren who reside in Colorado and Texas and is fortunate to have both parents living close by in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Read our interview with Manuel Ramos and see what has compelled and motivated him to become an author and still maintain a career as Director for a great and rewarding organization.
What inspired you to begin writing and where do you get your ideas?
I have written since I was a kid, not even in high school. I wrote because I loved to read and I thought I could write a story as good as some of the stuff I was reading. I have always respected writers and their craft – one of the best memories I have is the day I learned that the manuscript for my first novel had won the Chicano/Latino Literary Prize – I was validated as a writer. My earliest ambition centered on joining the “writers club.” It took me decades to reach my goal, but eventually I did it. Now, I get ideas from everywhere – as all writers do. One source is my wonderful wife, Flo Hernandez-Ramos, who has a great imagination and a highly-developed sense of fun and adventure. She has come up with concepts that I have followed and finished. Another source is the news (paper, Internet, TV, etc.) I write fiction, crime fiction primarily, but nothing I come up with is ever as fantastic as reality.
How did you choose the genre you write in?
My youthful reading included a good dose of mystery and detective fiction, hard-boiled and otherwise. I thoroughly enjoyed Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain, and Agatha Christie. My attachment to crime fiction continued into adulthood and I devoured the ubiquitous Gold Medal paperbacks that once were so popular. I suppose it was inevitable that when I had written a few chapters of my first book, “The Ballad of Rocky Ruiz,” I realized that I was writing a mystery – so the genre found me, rather than me choosing it.
What are some of the challenges you found in publishing your first literary work?
I was a bit naïve when I published my first book. I did not fully appreciate the business end of being a writer, nor did I understand marketing, publicity, etc. I am a reticent person and so the “selling” of my work was not something that I enjoyed or even understood. I’m better at this, now, but it is still a struggle for me to be “on the attack,” so to speak, about my writing. Other challenges included that when I published my first novel, 1993, the idea of a Mexican-American mystery writer was largely unknown in the publishing world. There had been a few Latino/a writers who had dabbled in this genre: Rolando Hinojosa, Lucha Corpi, Max Martínez, etc., but we were a small and marginalized group. That meant that editors, publicists, and booksellers did not fully understand how to treat my books, or me, in terms of trying to attract an audience. There were some ideas floating around back then that today seem rather primitive, such as whether all Spanish words had to be translated; whether the use of the word “pendejo” was okay; whether anyone other than a Mexican-American would want to read about a Mexican-American protagonist; and whether mysteries were read in the Latino community at all. Thankfully, most of this has changed.
What are some of your favorite books and why?
I enjoy all kinds of books. My favorite is usually what I am currently reading. This week that includes “Dracula” by Bram Stoker; “Here Lies Lalo: The Collected Poems of Abelardo Delgado”; “Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History” by Yunte Huang; and “The Angel’s Game” by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Other than current reading, I have read, a few times, “All the King’s Men” by Robert Penn Warren; “Bless Me, Ultima” by Rudolfo Anaya; and “The Postman Always Rings Twice” by James M. Cain. Why? The writing is superb; I read these not only because I enjoy the story and characters, but because I can learn from the writers. Writers never stop learning (some call it “stealing”) from other writers.
What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author and what has been the best compliment?
Criticism – I am always toughest on myself (except that my current agent can also be tough – she wants “more” even when I think I have said all I can. She cracks the whip and I come up with more – I am hopeful it is also better.) I’ve received my share of both good and bad reviews. I used to relish the good reviews until I accepted that I also had to respect the bad ones if I was going to enjoy the good ones. These days, I wait to hear from readers rather than reviewers.
Compliment – Several years ago I was a speaker at a book festival in San Antonio, Texas. My friend, Max Martínez, also a writer and a classic Chicano novelist, introduced me to the audience. I remember that he said that when he read my books he knew that a Chicano had written them and that the stories accurately depicted what it meant to be a Chicano at that time. He said he recognized and related to all that the characters were going through. It does not get much better than that.
If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?
How about: “A Chicano’s Journey Through the Broken Promise Land?”
What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
I like what someone said on La Bloga not long ago – be honest, write your own truth. This does not necessarily mean writing only what one knows (that could be boring), but it also requires clarity from the author in terms of characterization and motivation. Sometimes you have to cut open the veins and bleed on the page, as Red Smith (of all people) once said about writing. Writers have to be fearless and should be thick-skinned (as well as sensitive, if that is not a contradiction.) The other advice I appreciate is about writing short stories: Arrive late and leave early.
What projects or books are you currently working on?
My current novel-in-progress is tentatively titled “Desperado.” It’s my return to book-length crime fiction after several years (“Brown-on-Brown,” my last Luis Montez detective novel, was published in 2003. “King of the Chicanos,” 2010, is not crime fiction.) “Desperado” features Gus Corral, a character I introduced in the short story “The Skull of Pancho Villa,” which appeared in the anthology “Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery.” In “Desperado,” Gus confronts a Mexican cartel, an abused but dangerous young con woman, his own insecurities, and, last but certainly not least, the theft of a sacred religious object, the tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe, that has international repercussions and dangerous consequences for Gus. It’s a mix of thriller, mystery, and Chicano noir. I’m also trying to put together an e-book publication of all my published short stories – just need to find the time.
Visit me at: www.manuelramos.com!
