I picked up Misa Ramirez‘s first book in her Lola Cruz Mystery Series: Living the Vida Lola. The book was suggested on a “Like Janet” list. I was doubly excited to read it when I realized Misa Ramirez had an article in the most recent RWA magazine about marketing plans for writers: “How to Write a Killer Marketing Plan”.
This line from the article caught my eye (she’s discussing her target market):
“I want readers of Stephanie Plum [Janet Evanovich's main series protagonist] to venture out and give Lola a try.”
The Lola Cruz series has three things that caught my attention in a great way. First, the story is a good parallel to Janet’s Stephanie Plum series. Second, there is plenty of hispanic culture and language. Third, and this is a craft thing, the romantic leads, Lola and Jack, each have secrets they keep from each other through the entire book.
The parallel between the two writers in very close except for a few points. Both are strong twenty-something women who go after bad people as a part of their daily job. Both refuse to carry a gun. Both are sassy and smart. Both cover the office environment where there is great tension. The romantic relationship is years in the making, stretching back to childhood. The family of the female protagonist is a vital part of the story and even interferes at times. All the reasons I love the Stephanie Plum series are in the Lola Cruz series.
The second point about the Hispanic culture and language is important to me as a reader. I like reading about different cultures and I know enough Spanish that the language and culture enriched the book. That aspect of the book reminded me of The Yiddish Policemen’s Union. Well done.
The third point about the craft is why I read the book. I was looking for something to learn. It turned out that I didn’t recognize it for what it was until I was almost done with the book. The romance between the characters is wonderful. There is a lot of fun conflict already there but some of it has to be resolved inside the book.
The main character, Lola, took pictures of Jack when he was having sex with another girl in high school. This moment set Lola on her PI career but she kept the pictures. The hidden pictures of Jack doing the deed is a point of conflict in their relationship. Lola wants to keep the photos and doesn’t want Jack to find out. This line goes through the entire book and isn’t resolved. Jack also has a secret (someone named Sarah) that isn’t resolved in the book. So the second book automatically has some built in conflict that won’t take much wordcount to explain. I loved it. What a great way to add to the Stephanie Plum relationship-history plot line.
Misa Ramirez on twitter (@misaramirez)
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Misa Ramirez, Bellingham Writer. Bellingham Writer said: I loved how "Living the Vida Lola" (by @misaramirez) was like Janet, and then some. http://bit.ly/4L3QJo [...]