http://wwwsantafe.com/Pages/1872
See link above for interview: "Long, Winding Road to a Novel" from Santa Fe Journal
Excerpt:
Ortego, who has a Ph.D. in American studies from the University of New Mexico, said she had to teach herself how to write a novel. “I’ve written most of my life, poetry beginning in high school,” she said. “I was working the whole time I was writing it. There were a lot of false starts, self-study and workshops. The Writers’ Digest books on plot and character were helpful.”
Ortego’s book is loosely based on a period of her life in the mountains of New Mexico. “I was trying to write about how an emotionally dominated situation is not good and women should find the strength to move out of that,” Ortego said.
“People would say women aren’t oppressed like that anymore, but my contention is that they are,” Ortego said.
Ortego, who was born in New Orleans, is of Acadian heritage. Her Spanish heritage dates to Joaquin Ortega in the 1700s who was married to a French woman in Louisiana.
“They had nine sons, and she taught them all to speak French,” Ortego said. “It’s much more natural to pronounce the last syllable in French, so probably within the last generation, it became Ortego.”
Her next book will focus on her Acadian roots. Since becoming president of the community college two years ago, Ortego hasn’t had as much time to write, but is fitting in time for research and reading and drafting out some skeletons of chapters on the weekend.
Ana’s shift at St. Joseph’s had ended. The road ahead was a familiar ordeal. At La Cueva, 30 miles from town, the battered cattle gate had come into view, chained and padlocked on its cedar post. A late November snow had come, turning the road to muck. She had to get out to open the gate, slogging anke-deep in caliche, then back to the Wagoneer to drive through, and out again, to shut it.
— opening lines from “The Road from La Cueva” by Sheila Ortego
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Breaking Her Fall - by Steven Goodwin
Thursday, December 11, 2008
From: http://www.readingnewmexico.com/Fiction.html A new review!
NEW
ORTEGO, SHEILA
The Road From La Cueva
Sunstone Press, ISBN 978-0-86534-588-1
$26.95 Amazon
WINNER 2008 NEW MEXICO BOOK AWARDS
This beautifully done novel pulls the reader along through the trials of a young mother, unhappy in her marriage yet reluctant to do anything about it. Her home is thirty miles out in an undeveloped area. She resents the inconvenience, her husband’s lack of respect for her, his obsessive controlling, and the fact that he hasn’t provided the home he promised.
Working as a lab technician in a Santa Fe hospital, she meets a male nurse who is attracted to her. She sneaks an affair into her life which goes on for some time, until her lover breaks it off because she won’t leave her husband, being afraid of a confrontation.
She then gives up her job at the hospital to avoid her estranged lover.
During this time she becomes friends with a fiercely independent Indian woman who lives alone in the same neighborhood. From this friendship she derives strength of her own and builds her independence, finally divorcing her husband and starting a new job and a new life.
After taking care of her friend through a terminal illness, she finds herself no longer afraid to face life. She decides to reconnect with her lover.
This is a well-written story with only occasional typographical errors, the most disconcerting of which was the use of hyphens in place of commas in many places which makes the reader stumble over the meaning of the phrase. However, all in all, well worth reading for its examination of a woman’s psyche and her spiritual growth.
12/08 Reviewed by Lola R. Eagle, author of From the Eye of an Eagle
NEW
ORTEGO, SHEILA
The Road From La Cueva
Sunstone Press, ISBN 978-0-86534-588-1
$26.95 Amazon
WINNER 2008 NEW MEXICO BOOK AWARDS
This beautifully done novel pulls the reader along through the trials of a young mother, unhappy in her marriage yet reluctant to do anything about it. Her home is thirty miles out in an undeveloped area. She resents the inconvenience, her husband’s lack of respect for her, his obsessive controlling, and the fact that he hasn’t provided the home he promised.
Working as a lab technician in a Santa Fe hospital, she meets a male nurse who is attracted to her. She sneaks an affair into her life which goes on for some time, until her lover breaks it off because she won’t leave her husband, being afraid of a confrontation.
She then gives up her job at the hospital to avoid her estranged lover.
During this time she becomes friends with a fiercely independent Indian woman who lives alone in the same neighborhood. From this friendship she derives strength of her own and builds her independence, finally divorcing her husband and starting a new job and a new life.
After taking care of her friend through a terminal illness, she finds herself no longer afraid to face life. She decides to reconnect with her lover.
This is a well-written story with only occasional typographical errors, the most disconcerting of which was the use of hyphens in place of commas in many places which makes the reader stumble over the meaning of the phrase. However, all in all, well worth reading for its examination of a woman’s psyche and her spiritual growth.
12/08 Reviewed by Lola R. Eagle, author of From the Eye of an Eagle
Saturday, November 29, 2008
The Road From La Cueva - 2008 New Mexico Book Award Winner
Many thanks to the New Mexico Book Co-op for
choosing the book as a 2008 New Mexico
Book Award Winner!
choosing the book as a 2008 New Mexico
Book Award Winner!
Review by "Terra57" - Theresa M.Studer (My Favorite Review!)
Courageous Survival, April 17, 2008
By
Theresa M. Studer "Terra57" (Hopedale, MA USA) - See all my reviews "Reviewed for Front Street Reviews" The Road from La Cueva by Sheila Ortego is such a wonderful read. It was short, far from sweet and to the point without all the added fluff and filler you will find in most books. This book could pertain to any number of women around the world in trouble. Ana Howland is an almost to perfect woman for a fiction novel. She's a wife, mother, friend, daughter and lover. Lacking self esteem, being depressed, feeling trapped and scared to death keeps her in a marriage of hardship. The story is a journey through a year of Ana's life and of the changes that come from a welcoming hand out of the blue. Each day, week, month offer up steps forward and steps backward while Ana tries so hard to find the tiniest morsel of courage to make the right decisions for her and her daughter. Ana is in an abusive controlling marriage with the constant threat of danger at every turn she makes. What she thought would be a life long loving relationship has been anything but. The only kindness her husband does show is to their young daughter and she wonders how much of that is true. A stranger comes along and offers her salvation but at what cost. A neighbor becomes friends with her on such a deep level that Ana's husband is jealous and forbids her to stay friends with this person. Both of these people help Ana see that life is not always what you're handed and you can change the outcome. All you need to do is ask for help but does she have the courage and will she escape unscathed. The author of this book deserves the best of reviews for this touching, heart melting story that could be of any one of our lives. The novel seems too real to be a work of fiction and I wonder how much is fact and how much is truly fiction. I would give this a 5 star rating because it captured me, educated me and let me see that there are true friends and love out there, you only have to reach for them.
By
Theresa M. Studer "Terra57" (Hopedale, MA USA) - See all my reviews "Reviewed for Front Street Reviews" The Road from La Cueva by Sheila Ortego is such a wonderful read. It was short, far from sweet and to the point without all the added fluff and filler you will find in most books. This book could pertain to any number of women around the world in trouble. Ana Howland is an almost to perfect woman for a fiction novel. She's a wife, mother, friend, daughter and lover. Lacking self esteem, being depressed, feeling trapped and scared to death keeps her in a marriage of hardship. The story is a journey through a year of Ana's life and of the changes that come from a welcoming hand out of the blue. Each day, week, month offer up steps forward and steps backward while Ana tries so hard to find the tiniest morsel of courage to make the right decisions for her and her daughter. Ana is in an abusive controlling marriage with the constant threat of danger at every turn she makes. What she thought would be a life long loving relationship has been anything but. The only kindness her husband does show is to their young daughter and she wonders how much of that is true. A stranger comes along and offers her salvation but at what cost. A neighbor becomes friends with her on such a deep level that Ana's husband is jealous and forbids her to stay friends with this person. Both of these people help Ana see that life is not always what you're handed and you can change the outcome. All you need to do is ask for help but does she have the courage and will she escape unscathed. The author of this book deserves the best of reviews for this touching, heart melting story that could be of any one of our lives. The novel seems too real to be a work of fiction and I wonder how much is fact and how much is truly fiction. I would give this a 5 star rating because it captured me, educated me and let me see that there are true friends and love out there, you only have to reach for them.
Excerpt of Review by Bestseller Eric Wilson, Author of The Best of Evil
A Heartfelt Gift, October 27, 2008
By
Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews I had the pleasure of meeting Sheila Ortego at a book festival in Nashville. She was unassuming, pretty in an unpretentious way, and there were stories of beauty and pain lurking behind her eyes. Within minutes, we discovered that we were fellow writers and decided to swap books. The pleasure was all mine. "The Road to La Cueva" is a wonderfully wrought tale of New Mexico's landscape and people, and yet it's also a microcosm of many who have lost and loved and tried to adjust to the changes of modern society. The story centers around Ana, a stoic wife who must endure her husband's carelessness and controlling ways. As she negotiates the treacherous mud and ruts of her rural road, we see her own inner turmoil with life and relationships. Along the way, she meets a male nurse with a tender soul, and a rugged Mescalero Apache woman who has scars of her own to bear and wisdom to impart...I think this storyline reflects a very real and desperate need many had to be free of a long-time, male-dominated society. In conclusion, we find Ana growing as a person, as a mother, and as a friend. She learns how to love by giving and serving, and this becomes her true ticket to a new existence. Ortego has offered a heartfelt gift to many who have felt this disconnection and loneliness, and she does so with poetic grace.
By
Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews I had the pleasure of meeting Sheila Ortego at a book festival in Nashville. She was unassuming, pretty in an unpretentious way, and there were stories of beauty and pain lurking behind her eyes. Within minutes, we discovered that we were fellow writers and decided to swap books. The pleasure was all mine. "The Road to La Cueva" is a wonderfully wrought tale of New Mexico's landscape and people, and yet it's also a microcosm of many who have lost and loved and tried to adjust to the changes of modern society. The story centers around Ana, a stoic wife who must endure her husband's carelessness and controlling ways. As she negotiates the treacherous mud and ruts of her rural road, we see her own inner turmoil with life and relationships. Along the way, she meets a male nurse with a tender soul, and a rugged Mescalero Apache woman who has scars of her own to bear and wisdom to impart...I think this storyline reflects a very real and desperate need many had to be free of a long-time, male-dominated society. In conclusion, we find Ana growing as a person, as a mother, and as a friend. She learns how to love by giving and serving, and this becomes her true ticket to a new existence. Ortego has offered a heartfelt gift to many who have felt this disconnection and loneliness, and she does so with poetic grace.
Review by Alex Pattakos, Author of Prisoners of Our Thoughts (A Best-Seller in Spain!)
I'm going to do a few postings with a variety of the book's reviews, so you can see all the different and insightful perspectives! Here's the first:
Review from Alex Pattakos, March 24, 2008
By
Sheila Ortego "Sheila Ortego" (Santa Fe, NM) - See all my reviewsHere's a review from Alex Pattakos, author of Prisoners of Our Thoughts: The Road from La Cueva"A powerful and passionate story about the defiance of the human spirit! The Road from La Cueva is an existential drama that needs to be read by anyone who has ever questioned the deeper meaning of their life's circumstances. In an engaging and empowering style, Dr. Sheila Ortego takes us on an adventurous road trip through the hills and valleys of the human experience. And she does it with characters with whom we can all resonate on some level! Here's an intimate, authentic account of the struggle within that all of us, as human beings, must face in our everyday lives."
Review from Alex Pattakos, March 24, 2008
By
Sheila Ortego "Sheila Ortego" (Santa Fe, NM) - See all my reviewsHere's a review from Alex Pattakos, author of Prisoners of Our Thoughts: The Road from La Cueva"A powerful and passionate story about the defiance of the human spirit! The Road from La Cueva is an existential drama that needs to be read by anyone who has ever questioned the deeper meaning of their life's circumstances. In an engaging and empowering style, Dr. Sheila Ortego takes us on an adventurous road trip through the hills and valleys of the human experience. And she does it with characters with whom we can all resonate on some level! Here's an intimate, authentic account of the struggle within that all of us, as human beings, must face in our everyday lives."
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Southwest Literature
While some have billed The Road From La Cueva as Southwest Literature, others have tagged it as a Romance NOVEL or Relationship Book. I like to think of it as women's literary fiction, with a strong (and spicy) southwest flavor.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Review by Bestselling Author Michael McGarrity
Michael McGarrity, bestselling author of Nothing But Trouble and Dead or Alive, provided this review of the book:
A touching story of the search for fulfillment. Sheila Ortego's tender voice will move you.
Nice! Thanks, Michael!
A touching story of the search for fulfillment. Sheila Ortego's tender voice will move you.
Nice! Thanks, Michael!
2008 New Mexico Book Award Winner!
The Road From La Cueva is a winner (for the 'first book' category) in the 2008 New Mexico Book Awards competition! Many thanks to Melissa Weiner, my publicist, and Sunstone Press, for entering the book in the competition and for all their support in general.
Friday, April 18, 2008
New This Week: The Road from La Cueva by Sheila Ortego
January MagazineSheila Ortego’s debut novel is interesting on several levels. Ortego holds a doctorate in American Studies from the University of New Mexico and she has taught Southwestern
literature, women’s literature and women’s studies at several institutes of higher learning. She is currently the president of Santa Fe Community College, the first woman to hold that post. So, clearly, she is someone who has spent time exploring the intellectual side of making words that move hearts.On the other hand, Ortego is a poet and she was recently invited to join the Live Poets Society in Santa Fe.
Both of these facets of Ortego’s life path are well represented in The Road from La Cueva (Sunstone Press) where we meet Ana Howland, a woman at a violent emotional crossroad in her life. Ana is faced with choices, some of which are hidden from her by a controlling husband and a habit of personal repression. None of this is particularly new ground, but Ortego’s sharp eye and delicate tread make it a vibrant journey of discovery. The Road from La Cueva is slender, but engaging and entirely memorable.
Front Street Reviews
The Road from La Cueva
Sheila Ortego
Reviewed by Terry Studer
Front Street Reviews
The Road from La Cueva by Sheila Ortego is such a wonderful read. It was short, far from sweet and to the point without all the added fluff and filler you will find in most books. This book could pertain to any number of women around the world in trouble.
Ana Howland is an almost to perfect woman for a fiction novel. She's a wife, mother, friend, daughter and lover. Lacking self esteem, being depressed, feeling trapped and scared to death keeps her in a marriage of hardship.
The story is a journey through a year of Ana's life and of the changes that come from a welcoming hand out of the blue. Each day, week, month offer up steps forward and steps backward while Ana tries so hard to find the tiniest morsel of courage to make the right decisions for her and her daughter.
Ana is in an abusive controlling marriage with the constant threat of danger at every turn she makes. What she thought would be a life long loving relationship has been anything but. The only kindness her husband does show is to their young daughter and she wonders how much of that is true.
A stranger comes along and offers her salvation but at what cost. A neighbor becomes friends with her on such a deep level that Ana's husband is jealous and forbids her to stay friends with this person. Both of these people help Ana see that life is not always what you're handed and you can change the outcome. All you need to do is ask for help but does she have the courage and will she escape unscathed.
The author of this book deserves the best of reviews for this touching, heart melting story that could be of any one of our lives. The novel seems too real to be a work of fiction and I wonder how much is fact and how much is truly fiction. I would give this a 5 star rating because it captured me, educated me and let me see that there are true friends and love out there, you only have to reach for them.
Sheila Ortego
Reviewed by Terry Studer
Front Street Reviews
The Road from La Cueva by Sheila Ortego is such a wonderful read. It was short, far from sweet and to the point without all the added fluff and filler you will find in most books. This book could pertain to any number of women around the world in trouble.
Ana Howland is an almost to perfect woman for a fiction novel. She's a wife, mother, friend, daughter and lover. Lacking self esteem, being depressed, feeling trapped and scared to death keeps her in a marriage of hardship.
The story is a journey through a year of Ana's life and of the changes that come from a welcoming hand out of the blue. Each day, week, month offer up steps forward and steps backward while Ana tries so hard to find the tiniest morsel of courage to make the right decisions for her and her daughter.
Ana is in an abusive controlling marriage with the constant threat of danger at every turn she makes. What she thought would be a life long loving relationship has been anything but. The only kindness her husband does show is to their young daughter and she wonders how much of that is true.
A stranger comes along and offers her salvation but at what cost. A neighbor becomes friends with her on such a deep level that Ana's husband is jealous and forbids her to stay friends with this person. Both of these people help Ana see that life is not always what you're handed and you can change the outcome. All you need to do is ask for help but does she have the courage and will she escape unscathed.
The author of this book deserves the best of reviews for this touching, heart melting story that could be of any one of our lives. The novel seems too real to be a work of fiction and I wonder how much is fact and how much is truly fiction. I would give this a 5 star rating because it captured me, educated me and let me see that there are true friends and love out there, you only have to reach for them.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Writing Awards
Here's a short list of awards I've won:
Third Prize ($25), for the Santa Fe Writer's League 2007 Quarterly Poetry Competition, for: "Agamogenesis"
Second Prize ($50), for 2008 Modern Love Writing Competition, for The Road From La Cueva synopsis.
First Place for First Novel (Recognition Only) in 2008 New Mexico Book Cooperative's annual Book Awards.
I hope there will be many more awards to come!
Third Prize ($25), for the Santa Fe Writer's League 2007 Quarterly Poetry Competition, for: "Agamogenesis"
Second Prize ($50), for 2008 Modern Love Writing Competition, for The Road From La Cueva synopsis.
First Place for First Novel (Recognition Only) in 2008 New Mexico Book Cooperative's annual Book Awards.
I hope there will be many more awards to come!
The Road From La Cueva
The book signings for my new novel, The Road From La Cueva, are coming up soon! Even better -- they will serve as fundraisers for Esperanza, the shelter for victims of domestic abuse. I'll attach the post card invitation momentarily...
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