Johanny Ortega | Have A Cup Of Johanny LLC
The Ordinary Bruja
For fans of Mexican Gothic and The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina, The Ordinary Bruja is a psychological horror and magical realism novel about grief, ancestral secrets, Dominican brujería, and one woman’s fight to reclaim the magic her family tried to bury.
When strange messages appear in mirrors, and the scent of cigar smoke follows her through her small Ohio hometown, Marisol Espinal must confront the ghosts of her past, the truth about her mother’s death, and the family curse waiting for her on Hallowthorn Hill.
Her ancestor buried the magic. Now it wants out.
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Mrs. Franchy’s Evil Ring: A Fresh Spin on Christmas Tales
Read more: Mrs. Franchy’s Evil Ring: A Fresh Spin on Christmas Tales“Mrs. Franchy’s Evil Ring” is a refreshing take on Christmas tales, filled with suspense, adventure, and valuable life lessons. Set during a frosty Massachusetts winter, it follows the journey of a brave nine-year-old, Isla, who faces her biggest fear – her stepmom. Along the way, Isla and her family learn to let go of long-held…
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Echoes of Despair: A Glimpse into Gaza’s Crisis Through an Outsider’s Eyes
Read more: Echoes of Despair: A Glimpse into Gaza’s Crisis Through an Outsider’s EyesThus Far: An Overview On October 7, 2023, an act of violence broke through our subconscious and enlightened most to see something that has been going on for 75 years. Hamas, a rebellious group from Palestine that has been categorized as a terrorist group by various countries, attacked and killed Israeli civilians attending a concert.…
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Selling Books at Monster Mall: 10 Lessons I’ve Learned as an Indie Author at California Markets
Read more: Selling Books at Monster Mall: 10 Lessons I’ve Learned as an Indie Author at California MarketsAfter three California author markets, I’m learning that selling books in person is less about being everywhere and more about choosing the right events, controlling costs, creating options, and connecting with the readers in front of you. Monster Mall became my second-best market so far, and gave me ten lessons I’m taking into every event…
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Diarra from Detroit Season 2, Episode 7: Growth Starts With Recognition
Read more: Diarra from Detroit Season 2, Episode 7: Growth Starts With RecognitionIn *Diarra from Detroit* Season 2, Episode 7, Diarra navigates ancestral tunnels, romantic chaos, a treasure hunt, and the gang war she accidentally started. Her life remains beautifully messy, but she is finally recognizing the patterns behind her problems, and that recognition may be her first real step toward growth. #DiarraFromDetroit #DiarraKilpatrick #BlackTelevision #TVAnalysis #CharacterDevelopment
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The Hill Is Finally Here: A The Forgotten Bruja Writing Update
Read more: The Hill Is Finally Here: A The Forgotten Bruja Writing UpdateChapter 29 marks a shift in The Forgotten Bruja. Hallowthorn Hill is no longer something Isadora only reads about. It is now something she experiences. Here’s what this structural editing pass is teaching me about dread, pacing, restraint, and not giving the story away too soon.
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The Art and Science of Getting in Way Over Your Head: Diarra From Detroit Season 2, Episode 6
Read more: The Art and Science of Getting in Way Over Your Head: Diarra From Detroit Season 2, Episode 6In Diarra from Detroit Season 2, Episode 6, Diarra, Danger, and Aja are each trying to build a future without confronting the past. Their avoidance, guilt, and unresolved feelings reveal how getting in over your head rarely happens all at once it happens one complicated decision at a time.
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When Latine Stories are Safe, But Latine Authors are Not
Read more: When Latine Stories are Safe, But Latine Authors are NotLook, that memory that I shared about a writer’s conference came to me for a reason and it’s not because a white author decided to write a book with two Latine leads but of what that implies. And as an overthinker, of course I couldn’t let it go. Things tend to go around in circles…
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Why Can’t That Be Me? What Laura Aguilar’s Photography Broke Open in Me
Read more: Why Can’t That Be Me? What Laura Aguilar’s Photography Broke Open in MeYesterday, I walked into an exhibit at The Huntington and something inside of me broke open. I wasn’t expecting it. I had gone to The Huntington as the first stop on my bookish birthday adventure. The plan was books, art, gardens, indie bookstores, good food. You know? All the things that make me happy. And…
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