I think we are all guilty and all victims of stereotyping. Whether by appearance or other traits, such as race, religion to the mode of speech, residence, or country of origin. I know I am guilty of it.
I have the kind of complexion that people identify as Greek, Middle Eastern, Italian, and Latin American. I am originally from Mexico. Because of my height or sometimes because of my personality, people say, “Wow, you are so tall, I thought all Mexicans were short.” or “Wow, you are so outgoing; I thought Latin women were submissive.” Yes, I have heard that more than you can imagine.
I do not mind, especially at airports notorious for profiling, in the U.K., for example, after the Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988. The explosion, caused by a terrorist bombing. It resulted in the deaths of all 259 passengers on board the Boeing 747 and 11 people on the ground.
When I get profiled, I thank the person trying to do their job for protecting us; I do not take it personally. I do not think I look like an evil person, but what is the appearance of “an evil person”?
In 1939, at the Brink of WWII, my grandfather Cesar Agustin Castillo, a biochemical engineer for Standard Oil of New Jersey, died with four other men on board a British Airways, LTD plane in Denmark. Hitler invaded Poland just two weeks later and set off what we now know as WWII.
Amongst the Dead was a German corporate lawyer, he had a glass eye, and amongst his belongings were his medals from WWI. Because of the brutal warfare and use of Bayonets, it was not unusual for WWI veterans to be missing an eye. During WWII, hollowed-out glass eyes were often used to transport microfilm, espionage. So understandably, Herr Beuß (Beuss) profiled as a potential, “evil guy” as Europe in August 1939 described in a letter written by Grandfather the previous night, and received by his father after his death, stated. “Europe smells of dynamite and is surely at the brink of war.” (I paraphrase as he wrote in Spanish.)
So, Herr Beuß was investigated thoroughly. But my grandfather, with a New York City address and a Mexican passport with no record as the veteran for any army, went unnoticed. To the point that he was referred to as Señor Castello or Casteilo as some of the few replacements for his actual name Castillo.
My grandfather was born in Mexico. At the age of 10, he was taken to Germany to receive a proper education in 1908. He remained there until the summer of 1914 when WWI broke out in Europe. His father, Victor Manuel Castillo, was in international diplomatic circles, a lawyer, and amongst his clients had Baron Von Krupp. You know the Krupp that in 1933 received the first order for 135 Panzer I tanks. During World War II, the Krupp made tanks, artillery, naval guns, armor plate, munitions, and other armaments for the German military.
My grandfather also attended as an undergrad Texas A&M University which until the early 1960s was a Military school and post-grad at Columbia University in NYC.
In 1939, he was stereotyped and deemed not a person of interest. In the 1990s and early 2000s, as I researched and received help from numerous brilliant people; who were well versed in the 1930s, I heard more than once the question. “Did your grandfather speak as many languages as you?” to which I honestly answered, “More, he was fluent in five languages, especially German.” After a pause, the same response; “You realize that you are most likely researching a spy?”
~
Death of a Sculptor in Hue, Shape and Color
by M.C.V. Egan
Genre: Suburban Women’s Fiction
Color-coded love stories and revealing female anatomies lead to the murder of world-renowned sculptor, Bruce Jones.
In life, the artist loved women, almost as much as women loved him. Adored for his art and colorful personality, Bruce is mourned by the world at large. The tale is launched with the multifaceted perspectives of four ex-wives, the current wife, and his new love interest and their children.
Mary, Bruce’s wealthy first love, is always in perfect pink; the color of love. Mother of Clair the famous actress and Aaron the corporate lawyer.
Leslie The Second’s color is yellow for her sunny nature as much as for her fears and insecurities. Her only son Bobby is vulnerable and lost. Mourning his father’s death, he finds himself.
Petra The Third, is outstanding in orange, representing not only her native Holland but also her love of the fruit. Cherished her freedom and had no children of her own.
Toni The Fourth is a vibrant passionate Italian red and part of the eventual glue that creates and solidifies this dysfunctional Jones family. Her teenage daughters Tina and Isa are as different as night and day.
Brooke The Fifth a gold-digger. Green, her color, reflects the color of money and envy. Her young son’s Kyle and Caleb are too young to understand why their world has been turned upside-down.
Mara, as blue as the ocean was the last woman to steal Bruce’s heart. Mother to newborn Baby Peter is the unexpected gift and surprise.
Bruce Jones’ eight children speak out, too. They are as distinctive as the women he loved, their mothers.
Loose ends are tied up by the insights of Sylvia, Aaron’s wife and a trusted keeper of secrets; Scott, the private investigator and family friend; Nona, the quintessential grandmother everyone loves but to whom few are truly related; and Detective Jim Miller who will not rest until he discovers Bruce Jones’ murderer.
A word, a single word defines a moment for Anne. She needs to find a new one when her spouse, Frank, leaves her at the age of forty-seven, coming out of the closet literally in a closet.
She finds herself back in her hometown of Skvallerby, Connecticut among her high school friends which she had left in her past.
An inheritance from a frenemy leaves her with the means to meddle and spy on the lives of mutual acquaintances.
In an attempt to run from her reality Anne becomes engrossed in a game of fun and flirtation with her friend and fellow sufferer Connie.
Their fun games turn into a deadly reality. It is no longer a game. Life, death and not even a defining word can stop the reality of manipulation.
On August 15th, 1939, an English passenger plane from British Airways Ltd. crashed in Danish waters between the towns of Nykøbing Falster and Vordingborg. There were five casualties reported and one survivor. Just two weeks before, Hitler invaded Poland. With the world at the brink of war, the manner in which this incident was investigated left much open to doubt. The jurisdiction battle between the two towns and the newly formed Danish secret police created an atmosphere of intrigue and distrust. The Bridge of Deaths is a love story and a mystery. Fictional characters travel through the world of past life regressions and information acquired from psychics as well as archives and historical sources to solve “one of those mysteries that never get solved.” Based on true events and real people, The Bridge of Deaths is the culmination of 18 years of sifting through conventional and unconventional sources in Denmark, England, Mexico and the United States. The story finds a way to help the reader feel that s/he is also sifting through data and forming their own conclusions. Cross The Bridge of Deaths into 1939, and dive into cold Danish waters to uncover the secrets of the G-AESY.
M.C.V. Egan is the pen name chosen by Maria Catalina Vergara Egan. Catalina is originally from Mexico City, Mexico. Catalina has lived in various countries and is fluent in four languages; Spanish, English, French and Swedish.
Her first book The Bridge of Deaths revolves around her maternal grandfather’s death in 1939. A true-life pre-WWII event. It has over 200 footnotes with the resources of her extensive search through Archival materials as well as the use of psychometry and past life regressions. It is more fact than fiction.
The revised edition of The Bridge of Deaths; A love Story and a Mystery focuses on the story-line as opposed to fact, but all footnotes and facts are available through the website for any curious minds. http://www.thebridgeofdeaths.com
Defined by Others taps into the dark quirky side found even in the best of people. With the 2012 American elections as a backdrop and the fearless reassurance that the world might end on December 12, 2012, as predicted by the Mayan Calendar.
Death of a Sculptor; in Hue, Shape, and Color is a novella written in sixteen different voices. It is a murder mystery. She is currently working on a sequel; Bruce (title subject to change).
M.C.V. Egan lives and works in South Florida. She loves cooking and crafting. She is married and has a son. Aside from writing Astrology is one of her passions and careers she pursues.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter
The idea behind International Authors Day began with book blogger Debdatta. Last year she realized that there was no day set aside to praise all the authors (traditional or self-published) who have provided us with years of entertainment. Debdatta has declared July 18th as International Authors Day and for that, we all love her. From July 14th thru July 18th book bloggers and authors will be sharing posts about their favorite books and or authors- oh and there will be lots of giveaways! Check out mine at the end of this post. Be sure to check back with this hop on July 18th – International Authors Day, see if you’ve won a prize.
Today I’ll be mentioning a few authors I enjoy and then I will feature the author of a wonderful book I’ve just reviewed.
Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design, graphics, and technical editing. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group and co-host of the A-Z Challenge. His awarding winning Cassa Series is now an affordable boxed set and his Dragon of the Stars continues to increase in popularity. What are the Kargrandes?
Stacey Rourke is the awarding author of the Gryphon Series and The Legends Saga, for which I had the pleasure of revealing the latest cover for here. She writes with a quick wit and isn’t afraid to go beyond the norm. My review for book 1 in The Legends Saga, Crane, coming soon.
Ian Mathie is an awarding winning memoirist with a life story worth writing about. He has an incredible outlook on life and is definitely an author worth getting to know. He’s also written some fiction. I’ve just finished Chinese Take-Out and will post my review soon.
And last, but definitely not least, is M.C.V. Egan. This author writes in genres that I’m just not all that interested in, at least that’s what I thought. She changed all that with her Historical-Metaphysical novel The Bridge of Deaths. She’s at it again with her latest release, a Contemporary (Women’s Fiction), entitled Defined by Others. See my review below.
Defined by Others (Defining Ways Series Book 1) by M.C.V. Egan
I give this book a 5
This author has a way of intriguing me that always manages to entice me into reading outside my preferred genres.
Defined by Others, on the surface, is the tale of a mid-life crisis gone terribly wrong, but it’s actually much more than that. It tells the bounce back journey of Anne, a woman who likes to define moments in a single word, only now she’s a little speechless and unknowingly open to pursue other actions. She is after all trying to bounce back from learning that her husband is leaving her for a man, her father has just been hospitalized, and an old frenemy has just died- but not without leaving Anne a parting gift.
‘Manipulation’ is the single word that would define this book. It’s very dark, but glossed over with pretty wealthy people and little white lies, that turn black in the blink of an eye. That’s how the end comes at you. You see it coming the whole time, but when the “stuff” hits the fan, it catches you off guard- even with the metaphysical aspects in the story.
People often complain about the dangers of social media much in the same as they do the use of firearms. I’m not going argue either case here, but as many would agree, it’s not the “weapon” it’s the user. Anne and her friend Connie take their old frenemy’s gift and turn Facebook into a weapon of mass emotional destruction. When they say misery loves company, they must be thinking of Anne and Connie- but is Anne really looking to destroy lives or is she simply hurting, lost, and confused?
I didn’t fall in love with any of these characters, but I did become enthralled in this story. The whole time I read it, I kept thinking, “There are crazy people out in the world just like this, for real. I’m so glad I don’t have this kind of drama in my life.” This book made me appreciate the small number of close friends I have and made me appreciate how wonderful my husband and family really are. One word to define my feeling for this book would be ‘grateful’, plus is was quite entertaining.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes to read Women’s Fiction or Contemporary fiction with a hard edge. This is purely an adult read, though it does not contain erotic material. It deals with mature concepts that young children will not understand and that hopefully teenagers aren’t currently dealing with (but consider the times we live in).
This review has been posted to GoodReads. If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link.
And then there’s me, Toi Thomas. I write to entertain and read to be entertained. I’m very proud of my Eternal Curse Series, and am currently working on a contemporary romance, It’s Like the Full Moon, which I plan to release in late 2015 or early 2016. If you want to know more about me and my writing, just take a look around this site…And now for the giveaway.
Please visit the button below to hop around and celebrate with all those participating.
Greetings humans, half-breeds, and everything in between. Today I’m sharing a very special update from one of my dearest author friends, a trend I hope to develop more. It’s been a while since I’ve hosted this special author or reviewed something of hers, but that’s just me being disorganized and frazzled as usual. Not only is Catalina, a.k.a. M.C.V. Egan a wonderful author and friend, she just a neat person to know.
So here’s an update on what she’s been doing.
Toi:Can you believe it is 2015? Did you make any great resolutions that you know you can keep?
M.C.V. Egan: I did set a few goals/resolutions and at this stage I like to be very fluid. If I stumble, I can pick my self up and remember the set course. 2014 was full of many good moments, sprinkled with a dose of some health issues and teen drama, but it was overall a good year. I am very much looking forward to 2015, one such resolution is keeping more in touch with my friends, so be warned Toi, you will see much more of me! Another sadly is to watch my intake of caffeine….
Toi: Is there anything new happening on your blog?
M.C.V. Egan: I run three blogs in 2015 and I have fun plans for all three.
On Tumblr @ The Bridge of Deaths, I plan to interview more bloggers. I did that a few years ago, and although some bloggers are also authors, I really enjoy that exchange.
I am welcoming more diverse guests @ Is History The Agreed Upon Lie? I am also not leaving the guests on for the full two weeks. The theme is still discrepancies in history and the guests are amazing. I have a fantastic one now about The Pilgrims.
I have agreed to host for many more on-line book tours and other promotions. I feel this is a great way to learn how to best promote myself, while helping others. I have connected with many fantastic people this way. I really recommend hosting other authors.
Toi: Any books news?
M.C.V. Egan: YES, MANY BOOK NEWS ! I am working hard on a series, YES A SERIES, it is The Defining Ways series and the first book is now available on AMAZON. I will release the printed version of DEFINED by OTHERS soon.
The series book two is Climbing Up The Family Tree; Defined by Pedigree is going to be diverse, not all of the books will be considered contemporary nor will they have the same format (Surprises ahead) , they will all have the common thread of all that defines us; which is great because there is so much out there that shapes and molds us!
Toi:So, how’s the future looking? Any cool plans?
M.C.V. Egan: I am working hard on marketing strategies, both locally and in our great cyber world. As a part of that I have started using as many tools as I can find such as photofunia.com and Animoto. With this as well as with my blogs, I feel that sharing and helping others is key to success, so I am making trailers and promo videos for my artists, poets, and author friends.
Enjoy my latest promotional and a bit about my new venture…Oh yes if you get a chance swing by AMAZON and FOLLOW ME Please?????
See why I love this lady so much. She’s so positive and kindhearted, it’s hard not to like her; plus she writes some really good stories. So please, take some time to visit her blogs, follow her on Amazon, and check out her books. You’ll be glad you did. Head over to 4covert2overtto see an update from me.
If you like this update of my dear friend Catalina and are wondering about some of my other past guests, don’t worry; their updates are in the works. So, humans, half-breeds, and everything in between, that’s all I have for today.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords
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Stacey Rourke
Ian Mathie
And last, but definitely not least, is 
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