Do you have a favorite ice cream? Perhaps some other delicious dessert that you can't get enough of?

 

We all do.

 

For example, if you were to ask me what my number one is, I'd quickly answer vanilla. Man, I could eat the heck out of some vanilla ice cream!

 

BUT...

 

Every now and then I tire out of my favorite - especially when I'm perusing the dessert aisle at the grocery store. I'll be walking through Harris Teeter (about ready to grab a carton of Breyers Natural Vanilla ice cream) when Mr. Rocky Road will appear in the corner of my eye.

​

What's this? Rocky Road? Why, I haven't had any of that in years. You know what? I think I'm going to try something new.

​

And that's how it is with the books I write.

​

By far, I enjoy reading and writing "sweet" stories - books that refrain from steamy sex scenes and language that most in the "clean reads" crowd would consider too colorful. However, I'm also an educated English major who has spent many years analyzing books of ALL genres. Doing so has made me realize that every so often I want to try something different - something not so...

​

Vanilla.

​

So, yes. Under the "Books" subheading you will find that I write for several different crowds. They are as follows:

​

Sweet Reads - These are those books that promise to refrain from profanity and sex scenes. Many of the characters are oftentimes Christians or come from a Christian upbringing. So don't be surprised if you read that a character sent up a silent prayer, or thanked God for things turning out well in the end. Oh, and if that bothers you then you definitely want to stay away from my Jericho Resistance series. The books are about characters who are redeemed by God. However, these books are definitely for you if you're looking for something sweet.

​

Spicy Stories - The fact is that sex is a part of life. If you're a Latinx, it might be a rather BIG part. You know what I'm talking about. How many of us grew up on our mother's laps, watching whatever popular telenovela was on Univision? Hey, that was a family event for quite a few of us! Right? Straight after dinner (o el postre... si tuvimos suerte) we would all be parked on the living room sofa learning about who was sleeping with who, and how to kill off characters. So it only made sense that I write books reflecting the people I knew growing up and the lifestyles they lived. Those people had relationships before marriage. Some didn't even want that kind of commitment! Many of us were "street" and still use language that reflects where we're from. I mean, why try to hide the fact that I grew up in los barrios de Trenton, NJ? Why not represent my people from the hood, and write the colorful stories I know they would enjoy?

​

So that's what I'm doing, 'manitas. These "spicy stories" (like the The Intimate Immortals series) are all for you.    

​

Magic & Mayhem - Have you ever watched the movie From Prada to Nada? Hold the phone! If you didn't, go do that right now. Then we'll talk. For the rest of you who have seen that fabulous flick... Remember the hospital scene near the end? Remember how the grandmother was standing over the girl, praying? Then the doctors leave the room and the women break out the incense and begin their incantations.

​

Well, that's US. So many Latinx grew up with la Virgin and brujería side by side. Yeah, there are some who will read that and think, sacrilege! However, it doesn't change the facts or our culture. Much like the woman who lit the black candle beside the white one to ensure her position in hell should heaven deny her, we grew up petitioning God for our needs... but took matters into our own hands if His response wasn't forthcoming.

​

So for those of you who want to keep a little magic in your lives, these books (like Day of the Dead Wish) are for you. Oh! And since I enjoy reading crime stories too, I may throw in a little "mayhem" now and then. 

     

Next Generation - All this talk about how we grew up... what about our children anyway? We want to instill a love of reading in them, too. Right? Well, you'll find that the books on this page do just that. From a picture book I wrote for my daughter (Speedy Evie) to middle readers for my son (Zeke the Geek Discovers the Sock Monster) and young adult stories for my nephew (7 Ogre Sunday), there is a little something for the "Next Generation" to come.

​

Other Pen Names  

 

I recently learned that having a single name for every genre isn't always good. At least, it isn't from a marketing stance. Retailers don't understand where to place me. (The same is true for some agents and editors.) It also isn't fair to my readers. I might be an eclectic writer who wants to tell every story under the sun. However, not all readers want to hear every story ever told. Some wish to find one little niche and stay there. So, I've created a couple of new pen names for other work that doesn't quite fit in with my current pen name of Mimi Milan. Well, I actually only created ONE new pen name. The other is my real name. Can you guess which is which?

​

Georgia Jade writes "chick lit" and cozy mysteries. Those might seem like two very different genres of literature (and they are). However, all the books written as Georgia have a tie that binds them ~ they all take place in the South. Hence, the author name I chose. 

​

Michél Claudio writes all the serious literature. That includes literary fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry. (Creative Nonfiction kind of gave away my name, huh? Ha ha.)

My books might cross over into other areas now and then, though. For example, I typically write my serious stories from a female point of view because, well, I'm a woman. So, some might label that as women's fiction instead of literary (though it can be both). 

Whew! So much going on. Who knows? Maybe I'll create another name for something else one day. For now, I think I might have a book or two for you to read.