Condor Book Tours presents The Irish Soldiers of Mexico by Michael Hogan: Day One “On Writing”

On Writing: An Author Guest Post Series

Today we kick off our series “On Writing” with a guest post from award-winning author Michael Hogan.

This guest post also coincides with the first day of Condor Book Tours‘ The Irish Soldiers of Mexico by Michael Hogan virtual book tour.  We hope you’ll follow along with the virtual book tour to learn more about Michael Hogan and his book “The Irish Soldiers of Mexico” a history of the San Patricios, a predominantly Irish battalion that fought with Mexico against the US Invasion of the US-Mexico War.

Michael Hogan

 

On Writing

It comes from doing and doing.—Charles Bukowski.

It may well be that genius consists in something ordinary people
never guess at—obstinate persistence.—StendhalFew readers would guess that a street poet like Bukowski would have much in common with a classic author such as Stendhal but they would be mistaken. Both were widely read, both were persistent, both had highly disciplined writing habits, both persisted even when their talent was not recognized, both loved classical music, and both were widely appreciated in Germany even though neither lived there (Bukowski lived in L.A. and Stendhal in Paris). But it is the wide reading, the persistence and the disciplined writing habits that I would like to talk about today.

READING

 Aldous Huxley once wrote that there is “no great writing without great reading.” Most successful writers tend to agree. Stephen King, for example, an author appealing to a middle brow audience nevertheless has many allusions to history, contemporary literature, poetry and even Shakespeare in his work. He is someone who reads widely and enthusiastically.  A love of language permeates his work. Successful poets such as W.S. Merwin, the Poet Laureate of the United States read the classics. Merwin also reads poetry in French and Spanish, as well as his American contemporaries just to “see what they’re up to.” He also reads biographies, histories, and science. Sometimes we get so involved with our own work and then the marketing of it that we forget this important factor. We need to re-charge the mind, we need to fill up the vocabulary basin, and widen our vision through the eyes of others. We need to read a little bit each day and then more widely on weekends and vacations.

PERSISTENCE 

I first began writing short essays in my journals as well as poetry. My first publications were in small literary magazines and campus publications. I have since gone on to publish 18 full length books in my lifetime, and my poetry, stories and articles have appeared in hundreds of magazines. My work has been translated into six languages. But I have written perhaps 3,000 poems over the past thirty years, over 500 articles and stories, and 36 full length manuscripts. So only about 15% of my writing has been published. That means that 85% of the work I sent out came back with rejection slips (or I received a notice of rejection by email). My conversations with other widely published writers suggest that 10%-15% of submitted work being published is about average. So, it is important to believe in yourself as a writer; to feel that you have something to say and to have the faith that sooner or later if you persist, an audience for your work will be found. In the meantime, you keep sharpening your skills, keep reading, and keep open to a wide range of interests.

HABIT OF WRITING

And of course, keep writing. What I have found is that only a small part of the time do I feel inspired, or fired up with a genuine desire to communicate something. Many days I just show up at my desk and work away at a project with each word  being drawn out with the same pain and difficultly as a reluctant tooth at the dentist’s office. However, even on those dull days I am learning discipline;  I am practicing my craft, and I will be ready with the words and the style when the inspiration comes as it always does sooner or later. I should also note that for most of my writing career I also worked as a teacher. So that meant correcting papers long into the night. Most of my “real” writing took place on weekends, Christmas vacation, spring break, and in the early morning.The best advice I ever had from a fellow writer was from the poet, William Stafford, and I will share that now. When I told him that sometimes I found it difficult to make time to write, that I was locked in by the demands of family and work, he said, “Get up when the house is quiet, before the day actually begins and do your work then. Most places you can still be free if you wake up before other people.”

So, in the early morning hours of each school day I would get up early, do a short meditation and then sketch out a few paragraphs in my journal, or a draft or a poem, or an idea for a story. This was my real freedom from the daily work or teaching and the other demands of the day as a parent. And, day by day, year by year, those pages added up to books. Now I have the time to work on my writing full time, thanks to William Stafford. “Most places you can still be free if you wake up before other people. “ How true, in so many ways.Michael Hogan
Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

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Learn more about Michael Hogan by visiting his website, facebook & The Irish Soldiers of Mexico Facebook page.

Learn more about Condor Book Tours by visiting our website & facebook page.

Condor Book Tours’ The Irish Soldiers of Mexico Book Tour Schedule:

Book Tour Schedule

Sunday August 21 5pm Eastern/2pm Pacific Author Livechat. View the instant replay at Condor’s Author Chat Salon!

Mon Aug 22 Musings (Author Guest Post)

Tues Aug 23 Latino Book Examiner (Author Q&A)

Wed Aug 24 Dulce Bread & Book Shop (Review)

Thurs Aug 25 Juan of Words ( Review)

Fri Aug 26 New Latina (Author Q&A)

Mon Aug 29 Vida de Oro (Author interview)

Tues Aug 30 La Bloga (Author Guest Post)

Wed Aug 31 Franky Benitez (Review)

Thurs Sep 1 Latina Book Club (Review)

Fri Sep 2 Chica Writer (Review)

Purchase your copy of The Irish Soldiers of Mexico from Condor’s BookStore & 100% commissions earned will be donated to the Isabel Allende Foundation.

Author Livechat with Michael Hogan 8/21 at Condor Book Tours

Join us for an author livechat with

Michael Hogan

author of The Irish Soldiers of Mexico on Sunday August 21

5pm Eastern/2pm Pacific

Condor Book Tours will be kicking off Michael Hogan’s The Irish Soldiers of Mexico Virtual Book Tour with an author livechat at Condor’s Author Chat Salon. Join us for an hour of candid conversation with this award-winning author and historian, and get a sneak peak into the virtual book tour which will take place from August 22 thru September 2.

From the author’s website:

Michael Hogan lives in Colonia Providencia, Guadalajara, Mexico, with his wife Lucinda Mayo, the internationally known fabric artist. Born in Newport, Rhode Island in 1943, he is the author of sixteen books, including a collection of short stories, six books of poetry, collected essays on teaching in Latin America, a novel, and a history of the Irish battalion in Mexico which formed the basis for an MGM movie starring Tom Berenger. His work has appeared in many journals such as the Paris Review, the Harvard Review, Z-Magazine, Political Affairs and the Monthly Review. He is a consultant to the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Overseas Schools in Latin America. As an author he has received wide recognition for his work, including a PEN Award, two Pushcart Prizes, an NEA fellowship, the Benjamin Franklin Award, the gold medal of the Mexican Geographical Society. Dr. Hogan received his B.A. and MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. He holds a Ph.D. in Latin American Studies from the University of Guadalajara and the Institute of Advanced Studies. For many years he worked as an international educator and is currently a consultant for the College Board’s programs overseas. He has given workshops and presentations at over sixty conferences in 36 countries.

In addition to his work in Latin America for the past two decades, Dr. Hogan is a former consultant on institutional programs for the National Endowment for the Arts, a consultant for the Irish Embassy in Mexico, and on the land mine removal initiative in Nicaragua. He has received the Robert Shafer Memorial Award from the NCTE for “outstanding contributions to international education,” a nomination for the Singer Prize for Excellence in Secondary Teaching from Harvard University, and a citation for meritorious service from the Office of Overseas Schools, U.S. Department of State. Currently he is completing work on a novel, a collection of essays and a book of poetry.

Writing for the American Poetry Review, Sam Hamill noted: “Hogan’s poems are virtually free of the ego and fake emotion, the public posturing and self-regard, that infects so much recent poetry. For Hogan, to undertake the poem is to undertake the possibility of radical transformation. The humility and compassion of his poems warm me when other leave me chilled to the bone. He rewards the reader with intelligence and warmth and a wide sweep of understanding.”

Condor Book Tours Presents The Irish Soldiers of Mexico by Michael Hogan

The Irish Soldiers of Mexico by Michael Hogan

We’re super excited to be promoting Michal Hogan’s The Irish Soldiers of Mexico at Condor Book Tours.

This book sold out four editions in English & two editions in Spanish and for the first time ever, it’s now available as paperback and ebook from Amazon.

The Irish Soldiers of Mexico tells the story of The Saint Patrick’s Battalion (the San Patricios) who after finding themselves mistreated by & at odds with the U.S. Army and their offensive actions towards Catholic Mexico, deserted the U.S. Army and fought alongside Mexican soldiers during the Mexican-American War. The penalty for the captured San Patricios has been called “the largest hanging affair in North America”.

This new edition of the Irish Soldiers of Mexico available now includes new historical material, “After the War” and “Commemeration” sections.

Order your ebook or paper back copy now and join us on this book tour! 100% commissions generated from purchases using this link will be donated to the Isabel Allende Foundation.

To learn more, visit Michael Hogan’s website and The Irish Soldiers of Mexico Facebook Page.

And don’t forget to come check out Condor on Facebook & give us a like!

Here’s the schedule for The Irish Soldiers of Mexico by Michael Hogan Book Tour:

Book Tour Kick-Off:

Sunday August 21 Author Livechat at Condor’s Author Chat Salon 2pm Eastern/5pm Pacific

Don’t miss this awesome opportunity to chat with PEN Award and 2-time Puschart Prize-winning author Michael Hogan! Set a reminder:
Author Chat with Michael Hogan

Mon Aug 22 Musings (Author Guest Post)

Tues Aug 23 Latino Book Examiner (Author Q&A)

Wed Aug 24 Dulce Bread & Book Shop (Review)

Thurs Aug 25 Juan of Words ( Review)

Fri Aug 26 New Latina (Author Q&A)

Mon Aug 29 Vida de Oro (Author interview)

Tues Aug 30 La Bloga (Author Guest Post)

Wed Aug 31 Franky Benitez (Review)

Thurs Sep 1 Latina Book Club (Review)

Fri Sep 2 Chica Writer (Review)

Don’t forget to purchase your ebook or paperback copy of The Irish Soldiers of Mexico now & join us on this fun & educational Book Tour! Click here to buy!

New Beginnings

It’s nice to have a new home. I’ve learned so much over the last few years and have grown restless with my previous platform. So much so that my blog Musings slowly turned into an online version of an urban platform on which to glue event flyers.

Nothing wrong with that, and I’ll continue to post events at Musings, but we’re here because I needed a space to share, and a space to properly highlight the talented and passionate writers I’m honored and blessed to be working with.

So here we are. Thank you to those of you who have come over from facebook, twitter & Musings, and welcome new friends and old, to CondorMusings.

This is a blog dedicated to promoting diversity in Literature, supporting fellow writers, continuing to grow as a writer, and making a living at all of it.

This is the official blog for Condor Book Tours http://condorbooktours.com and just like every aspect of my business, this blog will reflect my mantra:

It’s more than a business, it’s personal.