Maria Rodriguez Bross is an author and playwright delving into the fictional world of all things bodegas, botanicas and creative tales of the supernatural, the unexpected and the phenomenal. Stay tuned Brujas!
Break Your New Year's Resolution & Feel Better!
|
Volume 1; Issue 4: January 2025 Hola and Happy New Year! Do you make New Year's resolutions? I do. Earlier this month, I made a list of New Year's resolutions, a tradition I've kept for many years. But like most people (let's be honest), I break most of them. It got me thinking. Resolutions tend to be broad, overarching goals and limiting them to a one-year timeframe adds unnecessary pressure, leaving me disappointed. It's a confusing dilemma, since I'm the one that created the resolutions in the first place. For me, the list was a way of "fixing" myself -somehow I believed that a year of adhering to strict habits would make me a better person. I've come to understand however that resolutions are more complicated than that, and don't necessarily always require a schedule. Resolutions need to be granular; achieving them can be messy, unpredictable and beautifully human. So in 2025, I'm giving myself the grace to work towards my goals at my own pace. Cheers to a year of progress, but not necessarily perfection! What "broken" resolutions would you like to accomplish on your terms? Feel free to message me: Bodega News: I'm pleased to announce that Book 2 of the series, Bodega Botanica Tales: Carmen will be launched in March, 2025. In the meantime, Bodega Botanica Tales: Jose is available in Paperback- Click on book cover image to get your copy. Also, the audiobook is available for FREE at IndieAudioBooks.com until tomorrow, 1/22; click on the green button. Audiobook will again be FREE on Spotify from January 25th until February 1st. I absolutely love reading your feedback- if you feel inclined, please take a moment to rate and review- your thoughts mean so much to me.
Spanish Word Translation: BodegaBodega: The literal translation is store but it can translate to different meanings depending on the context. When I was growing up, bodegas were small convenience stores usually situated on corners of the neighborhood blocks. When I visited Spain, most bodegas are wine shops, sometimes serving a delicious tortilla at the bar counter. In my family, we would joke that fulana (slang for lady "down the block") had a bodega in her house, which usually meant that her pantry was stocked with food and drink for the winter. What's your take on bodega? Until next month...Stay tuned Brujas! Other Magical Tales You Might Like: Click on Covers
|
Bodega Botanica Tales
Maria Rodriguez Bross is an author and playwright delving into the fictional world of all things bodegas, botanicas and creative tales of the supernatural, the unexpected and the phenomenal. Stay tuned Brujas!
Volume 1; Issue 9: July 2025 Hola, Do you ever cry? I do. This past month, I've been wanting to cry. Yes, you read that correctly; I wanted to, but I'm having a hard time of it, especially as I get older. You see, I used to cry all the time, not only when I was sad, but when I was scared, stressed, and even happy. This got me thinking. Whenever I had a good cry, I was able to sort out my thoughts about the emotion I was experiencing and that gave me clarity and peace. In other words, the...
Volume 1; Issue 8: June 2025 Hola, Do you ever celebrate when you're stressed out? I do. Recently I've had a lot of celebrations and it got me thinking about all the times I celebrated when things weren't so great. I believe I do this to give myself a break from the grief, the struggle and the confusion. The truth is that good and bad things are always happening simultaneously. This is what makes life so complicated and difficult. One of my default ways to celebrate is to write, and in doing...
Volume 1; Issue 7: May 2025 "Mal de Ojo" Drawing Ever blame superstition on something that's a mere coincidence? I have. This month, I've had so many coincidences that I can't help but be a bit superstitious about it. Even though I know my luck won't change by relying on superstitious phrases like "knock on wood" or "never put a purse on the floor", coincidences are sometimes hard to accept as just random events. This got me thinking about why I'm sometimes superstitious in the first place....