Genaro and I were away in Puerto Rico for the past week or so. You wouldn’t have known because I’m private and paranoid about announcing being away from home, burglars lurking on the Internet y’know. Sadly, we had to leave Chloë behind. She would have liked the beach, but you just can’t travel with a cat. We’re reunited again, and she’s not letting the two of us leave her sight.
Here’s some photos of our trip from my iPhone.
El Yunque rainforest
La Mina Falls in El Yunque
Approaching Castillo San Felipe del Morro in Old San Juan
Eastern View from Castillo San Felipe del Morro
Gay Pride Flag in Old San Juan
This statue of Puerto Rican educator and independista Eugenio Maria de Hostos captured my attention
There are plenty of domestic cats in Old San Juan
A view inside the Camuy caves
We were happily surprised to find many cats hanging out on the grounds of Camuy caves. Mostly, they beg for food at the outdoor cafeteria. But they looked pretty healthy.
This statue of Puerto Rico’s famous coqui was outside Camuy caves
Did I get inspired while away on vacation? You bet. Some of the stories I’m working on take place in tropical places, and it was great to get a feel, taste and smell for that setting.
I also brought a book with me for reading on the beach, and it got my creative gears churning. I tore through, and nearly finished Helene Wicker’s The Golem and the Jinni. This is a rather superlative fantasy book, a bit Neil Gaiman-esque in its imagining of folk legend creatures trying to survive in a modern world. Wicker’s world is not quite so modern; the story is set in New York City in the late 1800s. She brings to life the fascinating and frightening experience of Jewish and Syrian immigrants coming to America, and the Golem and Jinni mythology is really well researched and beautifully portrayed.
Some good things happened while I was away. Werecat garnered two good reviews, first at Tracy’s Place and then at Joyfully Jay’s M/M Reviews & More.
Werecat and I will be hopping around the blogosphere a lot throughout July so here’s a little programming alert.
This Thursday, July 11th, Fiction with Friction is running a feature and a book excerpt.
July 15th, I’ll be a guest at Chris Cochet’s Purple Rose Tea House .
I’ll leave you with some sounds from Puerto Rico.
