…one story started “she dug a hole and hid him under a tarp, when they knew the law was coming”

Yvonne Martinez – 19 October 2022

The Back Flap

At Eighteen, Yvonne Martinez flees brutal domestic violence and is taken in by her dying grandmother…who used to be a sex worker.  Before she dies her grandmother reveals family secrets and shares uncommon wisdom.  “Someday Mija,” she tells Yvonne, “you’ll learn the difference between a whore and a working woman.”

Yvonne gets an education and starts a family.  As she heals from her own abuse, she becomes an advocate/labor activist. Grounded in her grandmother’s dictum not to sell herself short, she learns to fight for herself and teaches others to do the same — exposing sexual harassment in the unions where she worked and corruption.  Someday Mija, You’ll Learn The Difference Between A Whore And A Working Woman is a memoir in essays of transforming transgenerational trauma into resilience and post-traumatic growth.  Ultimately, this book is about a grandmother’s love.

About the book

When did you start writing the book?

Twenty-six years ago.

How long did it take you to write it?

Twenty-five years.

Where did you get the idea from?

Family stories, some forbidden, …one story started “she dug a hole and hid him under a tarp, when they knew the law was coming”

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Yes

What came easily?

The stories that included food.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

These essays are about events I experienced, including people I met.  Some of the names have been changed.

We all know how important it is for writers to read.  Are there particular authors that influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

On a grand scale, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, for his fantastical, lyrical, yet realistic allegories.  Minimalist writers like Raymond Carver, Mark Richard…. The minimalists for the sublime torture of a story laid bare to reveal its truth.

Do you have a target reader?

No

About writing

Do you have a writing process? 

Mechanically, long hand on a yellow pad first, then transcribed to a print page.  Methodologically, I wrote one essay at a time over time, fighting for an hour or two where I could find the time, usually early in the morning at a coffee shop. The essays began to inform the direction as they developed into a cohesive narrative.

Do you outline?  If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences? 

The outline formed organically.  I added essays as needed to support the developing narrative.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I edit as I go.

Did you hire a professional editor?

Yes.

Do you listen to music while you write?  If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

No.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

Yes, one.  He never got back to me.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher?  Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

I read about successful Indie authors in mainstream news publications.  It was a gradual process.  I pitched to a local small press without success.  Book industry research presentations by my Indie publisher made the publishing process understandable, accessible, uncomplicated and straight forward.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

Professionally done.

Do you have a marketing plan or are you just winging it?

I have a marketing plan.

Any advice that would like to give to other newbies considering become Indie authors?

Study the industry; but mostly let the story guide you.

About You

Where did you grow up?

Salt Lake City, Utah, South Central and Boyle Heights Neighborhoods in Los Angeles

Where do you live now?

Berkeley, California.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I am a working-class nerd.

What are you working now?

Another set of essays, a play and more research to find out what happened to the body of Cirilo Rico, my great-grandfather, our first patriarch, who was shot as a bandit by a posse of 90 Mormon deputies in Delta, Utah in October, 1922 one hundred years before my book is to be published.

End of Interview:

Get your copy of Somday Mija, You’ll Learn the Difference Between a Whore and a Working Woman from Amazon US or Amazon UK.