Today, we are Interviewing Author Rick Zazueta who lives in Baja, California. He has just released his first novel Baja Air and Sea. He will be talking to us about his journey! So, let’s get started!
Please tell us something about yourself.
I live in Baja, California, alongside my wife, Geraldine, and my two kids, Maximo and Larissa. When away from my duties, I play professional croquet as a member of the Mexico national team.
How did you get into becoming an author? Please tell us more about your journey.
I was a yacht steward aboard a luxury yacht on the Sea Cortez. I met so many characters and had so many adventures during my time at sea. But it wasn’t just the life at sea that inspired me, it was living in this “other Mexico” that made it all the more interesting. There are two Baja Californias, the ex-pat community, and the locals. As a Mexican-American bilingual person, I was able to seamlessly navigate these two worlds that seem so different. After some time, I began to realize that other than the language barrier, the two Bajas are essentially the same. So I started thinking about blending the two cultures and writing a book in that tone.
I have a passion for storytelling. And I loved the idea of telling a story that took place in Baja and included not only a great plot but memorable characters and an amazing setting. When people read Baja Air & Sea, I want them to become completely immersed in the story.
Wow, that was an amazing journey! Would you like to share with our readers what inspires you?
I love Baja, California. I’ve always been completely passionate about it. It’s a land so unique and so full of tales that I wanted to be a part of its folklore. The story only makes sense in Baja California, because of many factors; its proximity to the US, and the influence it directly has on Mexican culture, the climate, the sea, the desert, the tourism, the corruption, the food, and lifestyle, for me it was just a perfect pot to stir.
What type of readers would enjoy this book?
I wrote this book to inspire people with a tale of adventure, passion, desire, and the sea. If life has gotten too predictable, if you need an escape into a tangible world of excitement and want to get completely lost in the waves of the ocean and in the luxury of big yachts and Eurocopters, then this book might be for you.
Please tell us about your novel Baja Air & Sea
Baja Air & Sea is a novel about a stolen yacht and the adventures that happen aboard this vessel. The book, like everything in this world, is about the human condition.
Behind every great fortune, there is a great crime. Julian Mayorca wasn’t always a billionaire. At one point, he was an honorable port captain and legendary yachtsman, but a single temptation—a crime of opportunity—leads him down a path of betrayal, passion, power, and the sea.
Baja Air & Sea, a high-end crime-thriller set in La Paz, Mexico, begins with the story of Julian Mayorca. As a port captain, he manages the harbor and oversees a fifty-million-dollar budget. His only mistake? Being incorruptible. On a sunny day, his cousin, Alex Cuevas, who works for a notorious criminal, holds a gun to Julian’s head and forces him to sign resignation papers.
A series of questionable decisions cause Julian to transition into the entrepreneur that otherwise, he wouldn’t have been. What follows is six years of Julian’s life; his voyages, romances, mishaps, and how a need for revenge leads to immense fortune and adventure he never thought possible.
You have a lot of colorful and creative characters. Did you think them up from scratch, or were they inspired by people you know?
Stephen King said that all characters are a combination of three people; Somebody you know, yourself, and somebody you imagine. So, yes, all characters are a play on that. I have always been a curious person, and I’ve always been more interested in people than in anything else, so I like to observe human beings, how they are, how they react, their sense of humor, their sense of style, I can be a big extrovert, so I meet a lot of people and pay attention to their lives.
What did you learn about yourself while writing this book?
Writing a novel is a long journey, and I learned not to judge myself more harshly than I would others. I learned that if I treat these characters with respect, I have to treat myself and those around me with that same respect. So if I commit a mistake, I just erase it and continue.
What type of reader would enjoy this book?
I wrote this book to inspire people with a tale of adventure, passion, desire, and the sea. If life has gotten too predictable, if you need an escape into a tangible world of excitement and want to get completely lost in the waves of the ocean and in the luxury of big yachts and Eurocopters, then this book might be for you.
What did you learn about yourself while writing this book?
Writing a novel is a long journey, and I learned not to judge myself more harshly than I would others. I learned that if I treat these characters with respect, I have to treat myself and those around me with that same respect. So if I commit a mistake, I just erase it and continue.
Who is your favorite character, and why?
Papa Fabio is the money man; he doesn’t get as much attention as he deserves, but for me, this guy is a huge success story. Born to a family of miners in the small town of El Triunfo, developed into a mathematical genius from a young age, got a scholarship to La Paz Technical Institute, and then a master’s degree from MIT. Now an adviser to the UN on international tax code, a great financial analyst, rogue investment banker, and CPA.
What is your next writing project?
I have begun plotting Baja Air & Sea – Book II, which will be titled Offshore.
How can people connect with you?
Readers can contact me directly through my website or social media: Instagram, Twitter