Latest / Cristy M. Diaz Podcast Conversations from the Heart / Heart to Heart | Finding herself between the pages with Elizabeth ”Lisi” Lopez

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Heart to Heart | Finding herself between the pages with Elizabeth ”Lisi” Lopez · Cristy M. Diaz Podcast Conversations from the Heart

• 0:28
  Hi everybody and welcome. Welcome to our
• 0:30
  Heartto-Heart podcast. I'm Christy Diaz.
• 0:32
  And joining me today is Elizabeth Lopez,
• 0:35
  but we're going to call her Liy because
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  we're one of her friends now, just like
• 0:39
  the rest of her friends call her. And
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  we're going to uh hear her journey about
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  how she found herself between the pages.
• 0:45
  Uh not only is she a badass mom, but
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  she's also an author, and it took her
• 0:52
  becoming a mom and going through COVID
• 0:54
  and having time dur throughout the
• 0:56
  pandemic to discover her creativity. and
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  we're so excited here today uh to
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  discuss her journey as an author. Lisi,
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  thank you for joining us today.
• 1:05
  >> Thank you for having me here.
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  >> So, our two degrees of separation, which
• 1:10
  I mean our circle is even smaller than
• 1:11
  that, but we have your sister in common.
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  >> Yes. Yes.
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  >> And uh we reconnected because you were
• 1:18
  promoting your book in a book club that
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  my mother-in-law was in.
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  >> Tell us about that.
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  >> That was actually my first book club
• 1:24
  that I was invited to. It's funny. It's
• 1:27
  again the Miami community of a bunch of
• 1:30
  moms of kids that I went to elementary
• 1:32
  school with. Uh, one of them saw that I
• 1:35
  had written the book and she goes, "I
• 1:36
  have a book club. We would love to have
• 1:38
  you." And honestly, I I was nervous cuz
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  I normally don't like crowds or talking
• 1:43
  in front of people, but it was it was
• 1:45
  wonderful to reconnect with them. And
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  then I I had reconnected. I knew your
• 1:50
  mother-in-law, but I officially met her.
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  And then we put two and two together.
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  And she was like, "Oh, my
• 1:55
  daughter-in-law has this. Would you love
• 1:57
  to come on?" And I was like, "Yeah."
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  Like, "What are the chances? What are
• 1:59
  the odds?" I was like, "Of course, yes,
• 2:01
  absolutely." I followed you. I was like,
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  >> "It's so funny.
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  >> And I love your sister and your niece,
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  who I know because I know her through my
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  daughter, Adriana, is that's what I love
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  about Miami. We're a really big little
• 2:13
  town." Yes.
• 2:13
  >> Right.
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  >> So, let's formally introduce yourself
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  for those of you who uh for those that
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  don't know you.
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  >> So, I'm Ni. I'm um a wife to my college
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  sweetheart, a mom of three little ones,
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  uh ages 10, 8, and five. I'm actually an
• 2:31
  industrial engineer
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  by day. Moonlighting by author now
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  trying to make it the daytime also. Um
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  and yeah, that's me in a nutshell.
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  >> That's you in a nutshell. So number one
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  on your occupational list is mom.
• 2:46
  >> Yeah.
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  >> And you've got three. I don't know how
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  on earth you found the time to write a
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  book.
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  >> Four sometimes if my husband depends on
• 2:53
  the day, you know.
• 2:54
  >> Oh, listen. And five if you have the
• 2:56
  dogs.
• 2:56
  >> Oh, yeah. I'm allergic. So, at least
• 2:58
  that one I got saved.
• 3:00
  >> That's so funny. So, you went to
• 3:01
  University of Miami Goes. Um, it's
• 3:04
  funny. It's like an I I did not plan
• 3:07
  this, but this season or season two in
• 3:09
  the studio, we've all been graduates,
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  which I find so awesome. And what a what
• 3:13
  a little god sentences I call them, cuz
• 3:15
  I don't believe in coincidences. They're
• 3:17
  god dances.
• 3:18
  >> I like that word.
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  >> I Right. So, you went and you became an
• 3:22
  engineer, but you ended up coming out an
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  author because you were very much moved
• 3:28
  by a particular class. Can you share
• 3:29
  what that was?
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  >> Yes. So, I I have always liked writing,
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  but I'm also my logical side knows that
• 3:36
  it won't pay the bills or it'll be
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  difficult, a challenge.
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  >> Um, and I also liked math, so I ended up
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  doing engineering, which is where I met
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  my husband. And in engineering, they
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  make you take these arts classes. And
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  one of them that I took because I've
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  always liked, you know, the 40s, 50s,
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  those old black and white movies. Um, it
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  was an introduction to jazz class. I
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  took two of them. And I fell in love
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  with the whole, you know, you think
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  jazz, you think Kenny G,
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  >> right?
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  >> And it's just so much deeper than that.
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  It goes back way, way, way, way back.
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  And it was the history of it of it was
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  fascinating. I love the that sound, the
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  kuners, the the big bands, all of that.
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  Um, and yeah, I at that same time, I had
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  seen a movie um, Letters to Juliet,
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  which is like an underrated movie with
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  um, with Sophia. I just find her name.
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  >> Letters to Juliet.
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  >> What else has uh, the actress done?
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  >> Mama Mia.
• 4:38
  >> Oh. Oh, Amanda.
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  >> Amanda Seaf. Sorry. Sophia is her name.
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  >> I had a mom brain fart moment. Yes.
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  >> Yes. I love her.
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  >> And um in the beginning she's a fact
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  checker and she was fact checking this
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  famous life photo of the sailor kissing
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  the nurse in Times Square on VJ day,
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  victory over Japan day in 1945.
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  And she was factecking someone in the
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  background. But it got me to it got me
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  thinking this iconic photo. I never
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  really thought about looking into the
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  background or the story of the sailor
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  and the nurse who wasn't even a nurse.
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  She was a dental hygienist,
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  >> right?
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  >> And so I started digging. It was not a
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  romantic story at all. It was two random
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  strangers kissing in Time Square. It was
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  an act that was happening all over and
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  just this one photographer happened to
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  capture this them in the right position,
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  the right background and it went from
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  there. But because I've always liked
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  writing and because I do have this
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  creative side somewhere in me, I started
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  coming up with a I was like, let me
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  write this story. You know, I was
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  inspired by my jazz class and the times
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  and I had a lot of songs in the book,
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  songs that I liked during the that class
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  that
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  >> that I went through. And this was in
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  2010. I started writing. I think I wrote
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  like 20,000 words and then just
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  engineering
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  took over my time and cuz as the cl as
• 6:07
  the years went on it got it got more
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  challenging and I I left it. Uh and then
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  after college I got I got married to my
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  husband and we kind of just started
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  having kids. Um he was in medical school
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  when we had our daughter, our oldest
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  who's 10 and then he went to residency
• 6:25
  for cardiology. And so I kind of just
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  put it on the shelf, pun intended, write
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  the book.
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  >> And I completely forgot about it. Still
• 6:35
  always liked writing, just never had the
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  time to do it. And then in 2017, so 7
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  years later, I we welcomed our son, our
• 6:44
  middle son with Down syndrome. And
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  obviously that took up a lot of my time,
• 6:51
  but I actually found a voice in that I
• 6:54
  felt like I it was like a cathartic
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  feeling that I had to write to advocate
• 6:59
  for him, to advocate for families who
• 7:02
  get a special needs diagnosis. And
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  through that, I was able to find or
• 7:07
  rekindle that love, that passion that I
• 7:09
  have for writing and creating a story
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  because what I was writing was my story
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  in order to help others who were in
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  >> my position. And then CO came and along
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  with COVID, we welcomed our third child,
• 7:23
  another boy. And I had time because even
• 7:27
  though I had three kids, there were no
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  after-school activities.
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  My daughter was on Zoom doing her
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  classes. Both of my boys napped.
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  >> The good old days.
• 7:37
  >> Yeah.
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  >> And I ended up cleaning out my hard
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  drive and I found that story that I had
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  written in 2010. And I read it and I go,
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  the writing was awful, but the idea I
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  was like, "Wow, this this was a good
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  idea. Why didn't I why did I leave
• 7:53
  this?" And I just picked it up again. I
• 7:57
  changed the the story a little bit and
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  my fingers had a mind of their own. They
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  just it was like we hadn't separated
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  from each other. We just we kept going
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  together and I I got um I finished that
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  story and
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  after that story it actually gave me an
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  idea for a second book and I was like
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  you know what let me just see where that
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  second book takes me and that's it. I
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  won't write anymore after that because
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  it does take up a bit of my time and and
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  I I can't be doing this, right? It's
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  it's my husband was in residency and
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  like I was working as an industrial
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  engineer.
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  >> But that second story also just took off
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  and then another story came to mind and
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  and this past year we were in a position
• 8:44
  in our lives that you know we were
• 8:47
  financially stable and my husband's like
• 8:49
  you know what why not go for it. I I
• 8:51
  ended up having back surgery for a
• 8:53
  herniated disc in December, which was
• 8:55
  kind of another like life's too short
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  moment. You don't never know what's
• 8:59
  going to happen. Why not? Um, and so I
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  didn't let that fear of what my writing
• 9:05
  was, how it was going to be taken by
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  others. Um, I didn't let that stop me
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  and I kind of just
• 9:12
  >> That is so amazing.
• 9:13
  >> Hi, this is Briana, designer behind
• 9:15
  Briana Handmade Jewelry. I'm so grateful
• 9:18
  to share my story with the Heartful
• 9:20
  Living community. As a thank you, I'd
• 9:22
  love to gift you an exclusive code. Use
• 9:25
  heart 15 at checkout for something
• 9:27
  special from my collection. From my
• 9:30
  heart to yours. Enjoy.
• 9:31
  >> And the these are the two books. So,
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  this is book number one, which I
• 9:35
  actually it's the quickest book I've
• 9:38
  ever read in my life. I could not put it
• 9:39
  down. I read it in 38.
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  >> Surprised. And you're like, I finished.
• 9:42
  I was like, what?
• 9:43
  >> I was texting her. So, I have some
• 9:45
  questions cuz I don't know who else to
• 9:46
  talk to but my mother-in-law. And why
• 9:49
  did XYZ? And she goes, "But you're
• 9:51
  done." I go, "Yeah, I have a 100 pages
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  left." So, it's called Painting the
• 9:55
  Maple Tree, and it's about Edward and
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  Evelyn, and they're here, and I'm not
• 10:01
  giving away the story, but
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  >> and Richard.
• 10:04
  >> Yeah. So, it's like a dual not it's not
• 10:06
  a dual timeline. It's like a love
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  triangle, I guess.
• 10:09
  >> Yeah.
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  >> Is what it You know, Richard, I always
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  felt when I was reading it, he was kind
• 10:13
  of like on the back burner. I was like,
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  "Come on, Richard. Get out of the way,
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  >> which which was I wanted to make sure
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  like I gave them." But but yeah, you
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  know.
• 10:22
  >> Yeah.
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  >> You when you're writing, you kind of
• 10:24
  have your favorites and then you try not
• 10:26
  to, but
• 10:27
  >> Right. Right. So, I have tons of
• 10:30
  questions, but my first one is why don't
• 10:32
  you give everybody like a quick
• 10:33
  synopsis?
• 10:34
  >> Okay. So it starts off with um in VJ day
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  in victory over Japan day in August 1945
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  in time square and the main charact
• 10:45
  female character Evelyn is a nurse and
• 10:47
  she's out there in time square you know
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  just basking in the celebration
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  uh because she was a nurse that had gone
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  overseas and had that traumatic postwar
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  you know stress and she all of a sudden
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  just gets embraced by a stranger danger.
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  And if you look at pictures of that day
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  there, it was packed. It was like a
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  concert there. Like
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  >> it's like New Year's Eve in black and
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  white.
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  >> Right. Exactly. And everyone dressed
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  better.
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  >> So cute.
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  >> Yes.
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  >> Um so she gets embraced by this man and
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  she doesn't really like catch a glimpse
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  of him. The sun's in her eyes. He kisses
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  her and she kind of has like this
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  flashback to the time when she was
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  overseas and a soldier she had met that
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  she had formed a not a physical
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  relationship but an emotional
• 11:39
  relationship with and um but then you
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  know she's catching her balance and
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  getting up and he disappears and then
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  she's looking around for him. She can't
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  find him. She's looking where he grabbed
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  her and the only thing she sees on the
• 11:53
  floor is like a discarded ashtray that
• 11:56
  she says she felt something fall or
• 11:57
  whatever. So, it kind of takes her on
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  this journey. It's an ashtray from this
• 12:01
  famous club in New York City. and she
• 12:05
  goes there with her friend and she meets
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  um Richard who's a soldier also had
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  fought in the European theater and he
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  reminds her of this soldier that she had
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  helped nurse is how she met the soldiers
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  >> similarities
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  >> right you know the blue eyes the so
• 12:27
  and it's funny because it was one of the
• 12:29
  challenging things that I I wanted to
• 12:30
  make it believable in the way that like
• 12:33
  uh how to lose a guy in 10 days is is
• 12:35
  believable, right? Like what are the
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  chances someone trying to lose a day in
• 12:39
  10 days is correct meets someone who's
• 12:41
  trying to keep someone
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  >> correct. You were saying about Edward
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  and Evelyn here and Richard being
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  >> poor Richard's the triangle. He's truly
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  in love with Evelyn,
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  >> right?
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  >> But she just can't get her soldier out
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  of her mind,
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  >> right? And so the whole time I think
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  after I I made sure that I could make it
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  believable that she didn't really know
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  what he might look like, not bruised,
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  not cut up, not with bandages
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  everywhere.
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  >> I also think part of it with Evelyn was,
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  you know, and I think everyone can
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  relate, sometimes you think something
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  and you want to ask someone a question,
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  but you're you're hold you're you're
• 13:18
  scared that you're going to be wrong.
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  And I think she kind of is scared that
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  she's gonna be wrong, that he's not the
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  soldier that she was hoping was still
• 13:27
  alive and that she happened to meet him
• 13:29
  again.
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  >> Yes.
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  >> And so she was scared to kind of
• 13:32
  >> Yes. ask him or you know dig deeper and
• 13:36
  that reservation kind of takes her on
• 13:38
  this path right
• 13:39
  >> where she does date Richard and then she
• 13:42
  meets Ed and you know the whole love
• 13:44
  triangle starts there and it's her
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  trying to either decide do I let go of
• 13:49
  my past love or do I embrace new love
• 13:53
  embrace the future
• 13:54
  >> right because you you as you read you
• 13:57
  realize they both had lives before and
• 14:01
  it's almost like they have brand new
• 14:02
  lives after,
• 14:03
  >> right?
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  >> And how did they merge all of these life
• 14:06
  paths is how I interpreted it. And one
• 14:08
  thing that when you had mentioned to me
• 14:11
  what influenced your writing, which was
• 14:13
  your jazz classes, I definitely got that
• 14:16
  through reading it. And it's funny
• 14:18
  because my mother-in-law either you
• 14:20
  didn't mention it during your book club
• 14:22
  or she kind of just missed that marker
• 14:24
  cuz I go, "Isn't it great how Liy
• 14:26
  managed to thread her influence of her
• 14:29
  jazz?" She goes, "What do you mean?" I
• 14:31
  go, "Yeah, that's I don't remember if I
• 14:34
  had brought it up or not."
• 14:35
  >> Yeah. And she goes, "I did not know
• 14:36
  that." Or if I did, I missed it during
• 14:38
  book club and I could see it. It was
• 14:40
  very evident when we were reading this
• 14:42
  book.
• 14:42
  >> And it's I kind of hope when people read
• 14:45
  it, I know people read it, they don't
• 14:47
  like to stop, but I kind of would like
• 14:49
  people to go and see which song that is
• 14:51
  and what it sounds like because I think
• 14:52
  it'll actually help them get into the
• 14:55
  scene even more.
• 14:56
  >> Yeah. Or if it's instrumental music with
• 14:58
  no noise, I also encourage somebody to
• 15:00
  listen to it in the background while
• 15:03
  >> which I I did I do that sometimes as I'm
• 15:05
  writing. Yeah,
• 15:06
  >> I got the feel for it. Um it's
• 15:08
  historical fiction.
• 15:10
  >> Uh fascinating that the picture of the
• 15:13
  soldier and the um nurse, which now we
• 15:17
  find out is not a nurse.
• 15:19
  >> Um fascinating point that you brought
• 15:21
  up.
• 15:22
  >> Yeah.
• 15:22
  >> That it's just it's a viral moment in
• 15:24
  time, right? And it's not
• 15:26
  >> and no one knew this. And the story is
• 15:28
  it's two random strangers. The guy even
• 15:31
  had his girlfriend who ended up being
• 15:34
  his wife later. So I guess she forgave
• 15:36
  him.
• 15:36
  >> Right. Right.
• 15:37
  >> They're behind him. And this, you know,
• 15:40
  it's just one of those, but it was such
• 15:42
  an iconic photo because it did capture,
• 15:45
  which is one of the things that um at
• 15:47
  one point the picture was cancelled
• 15:49
  because it was like, well, he didn't ask
• 15:51
  for permission,
• 15:52
  >> right? Crimson. And
• 15:55
  then it kind of wasn't it was back to
• 15:58
  being an inspirational photo because it
• 16:00
  was just capturing this like happiness,
• 16:03
  right? back then that kind of was the
• 16:05
  way that things and I'm not saying it's
• 16:07
  okay to show more.
• 16:10
  >> Even later the the dental hygienist in
• 16:13
  an interview cuz they figured out who
• 16:14
  she was said, oh no, I didn't care. I
• 16:17
  understood like I I understood that for
• 16:19
  me it was just
• 16:20
  >> correct.
• 16:21
  >> He was expressing the way that he felt
• 16:22
  because he thought I was a nurse and he
• 16:25
  had fought in the war where nurses were
• 16:27
  such an
• 16:28
  >> right
• 16:29
  >> a major piece of of winning,
• 16:31
  >> right? Imagine what a turn of events it
• 16:34
  would have been had the photo been
• 16:35
  cancelled. It never reached your hands.
• 16:38
  It never would have prompted you and
• 16:40
  thrown you into this. It wouldn't have
• 16:42
  inspired you.
• 16:44
  >> Um I guess that's that could be a case
• 16:46
  as to why we can't erase the past
• 16:48
  >> because you never know how it's going to
• 16:50
  touch a person whether good or bad,
• 16:52
  right?
• 16:52
  >> Um but that picture then not only
• 16:55
  produced painting the maple tree,
• 16:57
  >> but you just book number two.
• 16:59
  >> Yeah. Yeah. And that one was really fun
• 17:01
  because that one's a fictional take on
• 17:03
  the disappearance of Glenn Miller.
• 17:06
  >> Okay.
• 17:06
  >> Who was a very famous big band leader in
• 17:08
  the ' 40s,
• 17:09
  >> okay?
• 17:10
  >> And he actually went overseas um and
• 17:14
  they created the the army big band to uh
• 17:18
  boost the morale of soldiers.
• 17:20
  >> And you did touch a little bit on that
• 17:22
  >> and that that scene in the painting the
• 17:24
  maple tree. Correct.
• 17:25
  >> Just that tiny scene that I had actually
• 17:27
  written in 2010. I kept that scene in
• 17:29
  there. Brought me over to that book.
• 17:34
  >> Wow. So, you just released book number
• 17:37
  two.
• 17:37
  >> Yes, I did.
• 17:38
  >> Congratulations.
• 17:39
  >> It's crazy. I don't know if this is my
• 17:41
  midlife crisis or if I I'm finally
• 17:43
  understanding that that it's okay to
• 17:46
  have your passions and and pursue them.
• 17:48
  Hi, I'm Lisi Lopez, author of Painting
• 17:51
  the Maple Tree. My story is about
• 17:53
  finding beauty and hope even in life's
• 17:56
  hardest seasons. A journey of healing,
• 17:58
  love, and second chances. I had the
• 18:01
  honor of sharing my heart on the
• 18:02
  Heartto-Heart podcast with Christy Diaz.
• 18:05
  You can learn more about my book and our
• 18:07
  conversation by visiting
• 18:09
  heartfulliving.com
• 18:11
  under hearts that align. Heartful living
• 18:14
  where stories connect us. You know, Liy,
• 18:17
  I am a mom just like you and my when I
• 18:20
  was little and they would say, "What do
• 18:21
  you want to be when you grow up?" I
• 18:22
  would say, "A mom, right?" But that's
• 18:24
  not your soul hat,
• 18:26
  >> right?
• 18:26
  >> And you have other passions and other uh
• 18:30
  creative outlets and the fact that you
• 18:33
  have gone with it and just let it take
• 18:35
  you. I admire that so much. Um, and
• 18:38
  you're still a stellar mom and and wife
• 18:40
  because of it and you're still an
• 18:42
  engineer. Yeah.
• 18:43
  >> But
• 18:44
  >> Yeah. But you've gone for it and I I
• 18:46
  it's admirable. It truly is.
• 18:48
  >> Thank you.
• 18:49
  >> You weren't
• 18:49
  >> No. And honestly, it's it's been
• 18:52
  everyone in the community, the Miami
• 18:54
  circle, we like to call it, is the one
• 18:56
  that kind of has pushed me to keep going
• 18:59
  because I I had the guilt and I had the
• 19:01
  fear holding me back. You know, am I
• 19:04
  gonna take away from being a mom and a
• 19:07
  wife by putting time into this? is my
• 19:10
  writing gonna be, you know, enough for
• 19:12
  people to think that, oh, she actually
• 19:15
  can write? And it's actually something
• 19:18
  that my kids taught me to just let go of
• 19:20
  that fear sometimes. It's as adults, we
• 19:23
  really let fear um determine the path
• 19:28
  that we choose. And and I think that's
• 19:30
  what's great about kids. They kind of
• 19:31
  don't have that fear yet.
• 19:33
  >> Yes, absolutely. Although I I use them
• 19:35
  as my inspiration and I that that's
• 19:37
  they're the ones I I dedicated the first
• 19:39
  book to for that reason because I think
• 19:41
  that it's I could take a page from their
• 19:44
  book, you know, don't don't let fear
• 19:46
  stop you from pursuing and it's not that
• 19:49
  you're giving up anything, right? It's
• 19:50
  not that I'm giving being a mom or
• 19:52
  giving up being a mom or a wife. It's
• 19:54
  just I'm finding the time to also do a
• 19:56
  little bit of what makes me me, right?
• 19:59
  what my passions my grandma who passed
• 20:03
  away 5 years ago uh one of the many big
• 20:06
  lessons she left me with and it's
• 20:07
  something that I think of almost daily
• 20:09
  is in Spanish
• 20:12
  that life isn't linear and it sure as
• 20:15
  hell is not for many reasons right for
• 20:18
  the good for the bad for the you know
• 20:19
  the the top and the bottom
• 20:21
  >> right
• 20:22
  >> um and this is just another path that
• 20:25
  being a mom which is your priority
• 20:28
  >> right
• 20:28
  >> sets you Right.
• 20:30
  >> And how beautiful is that?
• 20:31
  >> Yeah. Absolutely.
• 20:32
  >> So, you also wrote a memoir.
• 20:36
  >> You also wrote a memoir about your
• 20:38
  middle son.
• 20:39
  >> Yes.
• 20:39
  >> And that one's tucked away,
• 20:42
  >> I think. So, right now I'm writing uh I
• 20:44
  have one more book that I had written
• 20:46
  cuz I had written all these by 2023. I
• 20:49
  have one more uh about my grandparents
• 20:52
  life coming to Miami that I want to put
• 20:55
  out there. and I'm writing the a
• 20:58
  spin-off of the painting the maple tree.
• 21:01
  >> Once I'm finished with those two, I
• 21:03
  think I will go back to that memoir
• 21:05
  because again, uh it's what made me find
• 21:09
  my passion for writing again, advocating
• 21:11
  for my son. And it's important, I think,
• 21:16
  for other families to realize that
• 21:18
  they're not alone when you get a special
• 21:19
  needs diagnosis. It's just a very
• 21:22
  emotional project because that one is it
• 21:26
  is home. It's not that it hits close to
• 21:28
  home. It is home. But I think it's
• 21:30
  important and I think these books have
• 21:32
  given me the confidence to go back and
• 21:36
  look at that one with a new perspective.
• 21:39
  >> Absolutely.
• 21:40
  >> To share it with with everyone.
• 21:41
  >> And I do commend you for breaking those
• 21:43
  taboss. I do. There's not enough um out
• 21:47
  there.
• 21:47
  >> Yeah. No, I don't. God God said, "Oh,
• 21:50
  you thought this was going to happen to
• 21:52
  you?" Nope.
• 21:53
  >> Right.
• 21:53
  >> Here you go. And we've been we've been
• 21:55
  really blessed and he's just
• 21:58
  >> Leo. He's awesome.
• 21:59
  >> He's a firecracker. But
• 22:01
  >> yeah, he is. So, another question for
• 22:03
  you is about your third book and your
• 22:06
  grandparents story. And you mentioned to
• 22:09
  me that he was actually also an
• 22:11
  engineer.
• 22:12
  >> Yep.
• 22:12
  >> So, the apple didn't fall far from the
• 22:14
  tree.
• 22:15
  >> My whole family is engineers. That's
• 22:18
  crazy. Yet, um he did write everything
• 22:22
  down.
• 22:22
  >> He did. He at one point um someone in my
• 22:25
  family asked him, "Can you please write
• 22:27
  it down?" Because as many Cubans in
• 22:29
  Miami know, they're all each story that
• 22:32
  we have of how our family came here.
• 22:34
  It's so unique and so powerful. Imagine
• 22:37
  leaving I can't imagine leaving Miami
• 22:40
  with one item, some clothing, and
• 22:43
  leaving my family behind, not knowing if
• 22:45
  I'm ever going to see them again. And
• 22:46
  it's something that he always instilled
• 22:49
  in all of his grandkids and his kids is
• 22:52
  the fact that we cannot take for granted
• 22:53
  this freedom and this liberty, which is
• 22:55
  another reason why I've been writing and
• 22:58
  publishing because I I have the freedom
• 23:00
  to do that and I'm not going to take
• 23:02
  that for granted. And so this third
• 23:05
  story, it's it's fiction because he did
• 23:07
  write a lot about how they left, but he
• 23:10
  was a very a brilliant brilliant man.
• 23:13
  and the way he wrote was more um tech
• 23:16
  factual, right? So, I just grabbed a lot
• 23:19
  of that plus their story of how they
• 23:20
  came over in the 60s and created this
• 23:24
  new story that I just really wanted to
• 23:26
  hit home what my grandparents and my
• 23:28
  parents have always taught us, you know,
• 23:30
  that you always have to fight for what
• 23:31
  you believe in. You always have to fight
• 23:33
  for freedom of speech and religion and
• 23:35
  the right to have an education which is
• 23:38
  why we also most of our family either
• 23:40
  pursued an engineering or you know we
• 23:44
  all took that to heart and we all went
• 23:46
  to college because we could right and so
• 23:49
  that story I think shows get it has that
• 23:54
  theme in it um and that's the one I'm
• 23:57
  probably the most excited to publish
• 23:59
  >> of course
• 24:00
  >> but um Yeah, it's it's it's
• 24:04
  very it's in the 90s. It's based in the
• 24:06
  90s and it's this daughter her father
• 24:09
  has just passed away which was the other
• 24:11
  thing I wrote it a a year after my
• 24:13
  grandfather passed away and he is the
• 24:15
  reason why my entire family is so him
• 24:18
  and my grandmother is the reason why my
• 24:20
  family is so united. Right. My
• 24:22
  grandparents they have always um pushed
• 24:24
  instilled that on us and made sure we're
• 24:26
  always in each other's life for better
• 24:27
  or for worse. That's sometimes too much
• 24:29
  but I'll take it. It's our It's our
• 24:32
  culture, right? It's our culture.
• 24:34
  >> Privacy. What? Like, no. And so, yeah, I
• 24:38
  think I think it's an important one to
• 24:40
  put out there. Um,
• 24:42
  and I hope wherever he is, it would it
• 24:45
  would make him
• 24:46
  >> I have no doubt.
• 24:48
  >> And I I do put some of his quotes that
• 24:50
  he had written in there. And so kind of
• 24:53
  my way of of keeping him alive and his
• 24:57
  his uh spirit and what he what he lived
• 24:59
  for alive, which was his family. He
• 25:01
  lived for his family.
• 25:02
  >> Absolutely. Oh, that's so beautiful. I
• 25:04
  can't wait for you to publish that one,
• 25:06
  too. Uh speaking of publishing, you
• 25:09
  write these books.
• 25:11
  You have it. And you're like, "Okay, now
• 25:14
  what? How do I how do I get this out to
• 25:15
  the world? What was your path? And how
• 25:18
  did you figure things out?" not knowing
• 25:21
  anything about the literary world,
• 25:23
  >> I went in blind.
• 25:24
  >> Yeah.
• 25:24
  >> But no, I I learned a lot. I joined some
• 25:26
  Facebook groups, read some I did some
• 25:29
  courses, free courses on YouTube. Um,
• 25:32
  and then I, like I said, I had written
• 25:33
  most of these. By 2023, I had these
• 25:36
  three books. And so I tried to go
• 25:38
  through the traditional publishing
• 25:40
  route, which is what I had originally
• 25:41
  heard of. And I queried a bunch of
• 25:44
  agents or publishing houses that took um
• 25:48
  submissions without an agent. And it was
• 25:51
  always the same thing. I got a reply
• 25:53
  back. We love your idea. We love your
• 25:54
  story, but you don't have a platform,
• 25:57
  >> right? Because I'm not a writer. I don't
• 25:59
  have a platform for that. So, I just
• 26:02
  held on to them and hoping maybe one
• 26:06
  publisher, one agent would be like,
• 26:07
  "Sure, let's give it a try." Okay. But
• 26:09
  then I've heard about because the
• 26:12
  problem is also is the book market is so
• 26:14
  saturated now with all these
• 26:16
  self-published books that you can
• 26:17
  publish your own book, right?
• 26:19
  >> And I understand. So they require you to
• 26:22
  do a lot of the marketing. So if you
• 26:24
  don't have a big platform, they know
• 26:26
  you're not going to reach a big
• 26:27
  audience, right? They don't know I have
• 26:29
  a big Miami circle that they don't know
• 26:32
  what is h where you live in.
• 26:34
  >> But whatever. So I I just held on to
• 26:37
  them. I was like motherhood and just
• 26:39
  working out still. I was like, "Oh,
• 26:40
  maybe it's not the time." And then in
• 26:42
  December or November, I had my back
• 26:44
  surgery and I was like, "Why am I why am
• 26:47
  I scared to put this out on my own? I
• 26:49
  know I can do it. I know what I need
• 26:52
  help in. I needed to find a cover artist
• 26:54
  and I needed a good editor." So, I
• 26:56
  focused on getting those two things and
• 26:59
  that gave me the final push, the final
• 27:01
  confidence to go ahead and release the
• 27:04
  first book. And then the community, that
• 27:06
  was it. It was like so many words of
• 27:08
  encouragement. Honestly, I'm I've been
• 27:10
  blown away by how much support I've I
• 27:12
  mean, I don't know if everyone really
• 27:13
  loves me and they're saying it's a great
• 27:14
  story, good writing, or if they actually
• 27:17
  mean it, but it's it's been really,
• 27:20
  really, really beautiful. I've been so
• 27:22
  blessed and for better, for worse, I'm
• 27:25
  balante.
• 27:26
  >> That's a make palante. I love that.
• 27:29
  That's that's very much our culture
• 27:31
  right there. Um, I'm super excited to
• 27:34
  read book number two. again in like 3
• 27:36
  days.
• 27:36
  >> In 3 days. Well, this one I'm actually
• 27:38
  going to savor um
• 27:41
  >> it's a little it's a little uh the book
• 27:43
  is more serious. It's not as like
• 27:45
  >> romance. Yeah.
• 27:46
  >> Yeah. Yeah. So, I was in such a hurry to
• 27:49
  read it to to make it for today to be
• 27:51
  able to discuss things. So, I you know,
• 27:54
  it's called the speed reading for a
• 27:55
  reason, right?
• 27:56
  >> I Yeah. I don't think I could do that.
• 27:58
  >> I almost died laughing. My my son
• 28:00
  watched me. He goes, "What are you
• 28:02
  doing?" I'm like, "I have a book
• 28:03
  report." And he goes, "You have a book
• 28:05
  report?" I go, "Yeah, for the podcast.
• 28:07
  >> Get the spark notes on it."
• 28:08
  >> And he goes, "Mom, just go to chat GBT."
• 28:11
  I go, "Baba, it's not hunchhat GBT."
• 28:15
  >> It might be now. I don't know. Chap QBT
• 28:17
  is scary because you go on Amazon and
• 28:19
  you look for it and it gives you like a
• 28:20
  synopsis of it. Like Amazon's own AI, I
• 28:24
  think, gives you I think
• 28:25
  >> a spark notes to it. This is not one you
• 28:27
  want to spark notes, folks. This is one
• 28:29
  you want to sit and enjoy. uh with some
• 28:31
  nice swing music in the background.
• 28:33
  >> A little venito.
• 28:35
  >> A little. Yeah. Well, you you you
• 28:37
  mentioned a Manhattan.
• 28:38
  >> Oh, yes.
• 28:39
  >> You mentioned a Manhattan the book which
• 28:40
  um my swagger drinks.
• 28:42
  >> Oh, really? Well, it's funny cuz so
• 28:44
  after um your mother-in-law's the book
• 28:46
  club. I had another one and they they
• 28:48
  I'm these book clubs, they go all out.
• 28:50
  They make you want to join a book club
• 28:51
  because it's so much fun. Like that's
• 28:53
  the way to live life is join a book
• 28:55
  club.
• 28:56
  >> Oh yeah.
• 28:56
  >> And um they know Yeah. They had they
• 28:59
  made Manhattan. It was the first time I
• 29:01
  like actually had a man that
• 29:04
  >> because most of it was research. I did.
• 29:06
  Um yeah, lately I've been drinking more
• 29:07
  like bourbon and whiskey. So I did I
• 29:09
  liked it.
• 29:09
  >> Oh, so the influences are sleeping.
• 29:13
  >> Lacy, what did you feel in the moment
• 29:15
  where you had this hard copy in your
• 29:17
  book? I mean, what must that have felt
• 29:20
  like? We actually had just come back
• 29:21
  from Disney World when the proof came in
• 29:24
  and it was I think it was nine o'clock
• 29:26
  at night and my kids were so excited
• 29:27
  because I was so excited and I like
• 29:29
  pulled them out and they like took a
• 29:31
  picture with me and them and we all
• 29:32
  looked you know after Disney pretty.
• 29:35
  Yeah.
• 29:36
  >> Um but it was it was surreal.
• 29:38
  >> What a full circle moment. I don't know
• 29:40
  if you just sit with that image right
• 29:43
  now. Your mom you put everything on the
• 29:47
  back burner. You revisit it and the
• 29:51
  proof comes in fresh off a trip from
• 29:54
  Disney World with ears and all. Wow,
• 29:57
  what a circle.
• 29:58
  >> Yeah,
• 29:58
  >> that's amazing.
• 29:59
  >> And and honestly, my daughter mostly cuz
• 30:02
  she's the oldest, but I I love that she
• 30:04
  can see this because I want her to know
• 30:06
  that I I tell her you have to go to
• 30:08
  school, you have to study, you have to
• 30:10
  get a an education because again, this
• 30:12
  is what is important because we can
• 30:15
  because we have the privilege of being
• 30:16
  through that. Um,
• 30:19
  but I also like for her to know that
• 30:21
  when the time is right, you can also
• 30:25
  pursue your creative side. She's also
• 30:28
  very creative. I told her I'm like, you
• 30:30
  know, your father, he was in medical
• 30:32
  school, then he was in residency. I was
• 30:33
  the one that was was bringing in most of
• 30:35
  the we had three kids almost like
• 30:38
  someone needed we needed to feed them.
• 30:40
  and and I' and I'll never regret it
• 30:42
  because that was being a mother is a
• 30:44
  blessing and and being a wife to my
• 30:46
  husband is is is a blessing as well. But
• 30:49
  the time was right last year is like uh
• 30:53
  what the word you use God
• 30:55
  >> Godidence.
• 30:55
  >> God sentence and everything kind of just
• 30:57
  and I was like okay if you're if you
• 30:59
  think this is the right time now let's
• 31:01
  let's see.
• 31:02
  >> Absolutely. And you went for it
• 31:04
  >> and I went for it. Do you think 20 years
• 31:07
  ago you would have gone for it without
• 31:09
  the kids?
• 31:10
  >> No. No.
• 31:11
  >> Really?
• 31:12
  >> Because
• 31:12
  >> they gave you the strength to move
• 31:14
  forward.
• 31:15
  >> I think it was mostly because back then
• 31:18
  I still thought I had to, you know, get
• 31:21
  an education, get a job, get married,
• 31:23
  have kids. Like that was what life was
• 31:26
  about. And I didn't think about pursuing
• 31:29
  something like that because engineering
• 31:32
  itself was just time consuming. And then
• 31:34
  one thing led to another and I didn't
• 31:36
  really have time to even think about it.
• 31:38
  Um because I think self-publishing was
• 31:40
  was around in 2010. But even even if it
• 31:44
  was as prominent as it is now, I I don't
• 31:46
  think I would have had the confidence.
• 31:48
  We also talk a lot about the pandemic
• 31:51
  and co and while it was a horrible thing
• 31:54
  on certain sides, you know, of the
• 31:58
  conversation, it also brought another
• 32:01
  sense of time at home and it opened the
• 32:05
  doors, I think, to a lot of people to be
• 32:07
  able to discover interests and pastimes.
• 32:11
  >> Um, had the pandemic not taken place, do
• 32:13
  you think we'd be sitting here right
• 32:14
  now?
• 32:15
  >> No, absolutely not.
• 32:16
  >> Really? I I don't think so. You never
• 32:18
  know. Never say never, right? Um I think
• 32:20
  what the pandemic did with a lot of
• 32:22
  people is we appreciated
• 32:24
  >> the val like we appreciated the value of
• 32:27
  life, right?
• 32:28
  >> And as we were home scared if we were
• 32:31
  ever going to get CO or give it to
• 32:33
  someone and they would get really sick,
• 32:35
  we kind of started to appreciate life
• 32:37
  and how not to take it for granted, you
• 32:39
  know? Yeah.
• 32:40
  >> And because everyone has that like money
• 32:42
  usually drives what we need to do. We
• 32:44
  need to get jobs so that we can and I
• 32:46
  get it. We do. The logical part of me
• 32:48
  knows that you need a job. You need to
• 32:51
  make money so you can eat and live and
• 32:53
  provide for your family. But it doesn't
• 32:56
  mean that you have to put your passions
• 32:58
  on the shelf.
• 32:59
  >> That's beautiful. Um, heartful living is
• 33:02
  all about living with intention and
• 33:04
  embracing life as it is, the messy parts
• 33:06
  and all. So, how do you practice it in
• 33:08
  your own life today?
• 33:12
  Well,
• 33:14
  three three kids at the end of the day.
• 33:16
  Sometimes I just I'm kind of in zombie
• 33:18
  mode and it's it's hard to. So,
• 33:22
  I've been because my kids are in the
• 33:24
  stage right now that they're just
• 33:25
  growing really fast.
• 33:26
  >> Yes. I've been finding moments when
• 33:30
  we're just sitting on the couch just
• 33:32
  watching movie or you know I'm sleeping
• 33:34
  the boys because I still like to sleep
• 33:36
  them cuz one day I know they're not
• 33:37
  going to want me to even like hug them.
• 33:40
  >> I do the same with my daughter.
• 33:42
  >> And then in those moments I kind of try
• 33:44
  to stop everything that's going on in my
• 33:46
  brain.
• 33:47
  >> Good for you.
• 33:48
  >> Shush it out and just like focus. Try to
• 33:51
  memorize their face. try to memorize the
• 33:53
  way you know they feel in your arms
• 33:56
  and that's and again it's hard some
• 33:58
  nights because I'm exhausted and all I
• 33:59
  want to do is go to bed because I'm
• 34:01
  going to bed right
• 34:02
  >> because I need to sleep
• 34:03
  >> right
• 34:03
  >> but I've been trying to be more
• 34:06
  proactive in for forcing myself to stop
• 34:11
  appreciate what is happening you know
• 34:14
  >> yeah no I agree I couldn't agree with
• 34:16
  you more actually because I do the same
• 34:19
  thing with my daughter and my my husband
• 34:21
  sometimes will tell me, why'd you spend
• 34:23
  an hour in there? I go, cuz in in a
• 34:26
  blink of an eye, she's not going to want
• 34:27
  me in there anymore, you know? Yep.
• 34:29
  >> And thank goodness she still does, cuz
• 34:31
  >> when we wake up in the morning, it's a
• 34:33
  minefield of, you know, a 13 and
• 34:35
  11year-old, they don't know what side of
• 34:36
  the bed they wake up on anymore. So, if
• 34:38
  she wants to cuddle me at night, so for
• 34:41
  it.
• 34:41
  >> Um, if your younger self saw you sitting
• 34:44
  here today, the one that was studying
• 34:45
  engineering at M, what do you think
• 34:47
  she'd say?
• 34:49
  I think that she might consider dropping
• 34:52
  out of engineering now.
• 34:55
  No, I think I think she would um feel
• 34:58
  really blessed and which is the way that
• 35:01
  I feel right now. I think she'd feel
• 35:02
  really blessed um seeing how lucky she
• 35:06
  is to have her kids, her husband, her
• 35:09
  community, uh and being able to follow a
• 35:12
  passion of hers that again it's I would
• 35:14
  have never thought in a million years,
• 35:16
  oh, I could call myself an author. And
• 35:18
  here we are.
• 35:19
  >> Two books now. Hopefully three soon.
• 35:21
  >> Yeah. You're listening to the
• 35:22
  Heartto-Heart podcast with Christy Diaz
• 35:25
  for Heartful Living, where stories,
• 35:26
  connection, and intention guide
• 35:28
  everything we do. Interested in
• 35:30
  partnering with us? We're always open to
• 35:32
  collaborations that align with
• 35:33
  intention, creativity, and community. If
• 35:36
  you feel your brand is a match, we'd
• 35:38
  love to connect and explore what we can
• 35:40
  create together. And now back to
• 35:42
  listening. Do you think age has a you
• 35:44
  know I recently had uh Suzanne Perez
• 35:47
  Bernol and she is an amazing
• 35:51
  entrepreneur who went off on her own and
• 35:53
  has a great uh business uh very
• 35:57
  successful business in the PR world and
• 35:59
  I asked her the same question. I asked
• 36:01
  her, "Do you think age has anything to
• 36:04
  do with the fact that we are not scared
• 36:06
  to go out and do our thing now in our,
• 36:09
  you know, late 30s, 40s as opposed as
• 36:11
  when we were in our 20s?"
• 36:13
  >> Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think you
• 36:15
  change as you get older and part of that
• 36:17
  is getting gaining confidence and
• 36:19
  realizing that uh you don't have as many
• 36:22
  fears as you did before. um you've lived
• 36:26
  a little bit more of life to know that
• 36:30
  it's not as scary as it as it appears to
• 36:32
  be and that I think also we're we're
• 36:36
  part of a community where we like to
• 36:38
  lift each other up.
• 36:39
  >> Absolutely.
• 36:40
  >> And as I've grown up, had kids and
• 36:43
  become part more involved in this
• 36:45
  community of you know parents and
• 36:48
  whatnot um you realize that you have
• 36:51
  that support.
• 36:52
  >> Yes. And I think that support gives a
• 36:54
  lot of the confidence as you're getting.
• 36:56
  You realize that you can't do it all
• 36:57
  yourself.
• 36:58
  >> You realize that you have to lean
• 37:01
  whenever you can and that that's okay.
• 37:03
  It doesn't make you weaker. It doesn't
• 37:05
  make you you don't have to feel ashamed
• 37:07
  of that. And because of that, I I it's
• 37:11
  it's where I I get my boost to take a
• 37:15
  chance on something that I probably
• 37:17
  would not have done when I was 20 years
• 37:19
  old.
• 37:19
  >> Sure. Well, this mom can attest that I
• 37:22
  am so happy to introduce this book,
• 37:25
  Painting the Maple Tree, to our
• 37:28
  community. Um, it is actually going to
• 37:31
  be linked in our hearts that Align tab
• 37:33
  on our Heartful Living website because
• 37:36
  from one mom to another, this is
• 37:39
  amazing. I, you know, above the story
• 37:42
  and above the book, the fact that you
• 37:44
  have gone out and done this as a mom of
• 37:46
  three and have pursued your dreams that
• 37:49
  you never ever thought would be
• 37:51
  possible. I commend you and I admire you
• 37:53
  for it.
• 37:54
  >> So, I was hoping that you would send us
• 37:56
  off on our podcast today by reading an
• 37:58
  excerpt from the book.
• 38:00
  >> Let's see.
• 38:05
  Okay, I'm going to Yeah. Okay. How how
• 38:08
  how long?
• 38:09
  >> As long as you want.
• 38:11
  >> I'm gonna read the moment that the tall
• 38:13
  figure comes and and kisses.
• 38:14
  >> Okay. So, I'm gonna backtrack and say
• 38:16
  ask you to read a little bit.
• 38:21
  >> So, Lisi, I am so excited to link your
• 38:23
  book to our Hearts the Line website.
• 38:26
  Apart from Hearts that Align website,
• 38:28
  people can also find your book on
• 38:29
  Amazon. Correct.
• 38:30
  >> Correct. Paperback and ebook. Well,
• 38:32
  >> and I've been asked for the audio
• 38:33
  version, but I'm like, unless you're
• 38:34
  going to fund it, I can't do the audio
• 38:36
  version right now.
• 38:37
  >> I'd be happy to help you do that. We
• 38:40
  could
• 38:40
  >> You have a good voice for that. No one
• 38:42
  will want to hear my voice for that.
• 38:43
  >> Okay. But I don't want to be Evelyn. I
• 38:46
  want to be her fun friend.
• 38:47
  >> That's what I'm writing, by the way.
• 38:48
  Doris and Michael's story.
• 38:51
  >> Oh, but not Doris. I want to be Betty.
• 38:53
  >> Oh. Oh, okay.
• 38:54
  >> I loved her. The southern
• 38:57
  >> Yes. Her southern friend. Okay. Count me
• 38:59
  in for that one. Okay. So please read us
• 39:01
  out.
• 39:02
  >> Okay. This is um in the beginning when
• 39:06
  uh the soldier or the man comes and
• 39:08
  kisses her in time square. Suddenly a
• 39:11
  tall figure appeared beside her. Before
• 39:13
  she could turn to face him, his arms had
• 39:15
  wrapped her in a tight embrace and two
• 39:17
  oddly familiar eyes met hers. A rush of
• 39:21
  nostalgia flooded through her body and
• 39:23
  her eyes closed, surrendering to a veil
• 39:25
  of memories that swarmed her vision
• 39:27
  while the man's supple lips pressed
• 39:29
  firmly against hers. Her hand
• 39:31
  instinctively cupped his cheek as if it
• 39:34
  were the most natural thing in the
• 39:35
  world. His grip around her body was
• 39:38
  unfaltering, and his fervent kiss made
• 39:40
  time stand still, filling Evelyn with a
• 39:43
  sense of tranquility. As their lips
• 39:45
  pressed together, she felt the blood
• 39:47
  rush to her face, waiting to evaporate
• 39:50
  with the summer's sun. Stunned, she felt
• 39:53
  like a wave that had made it to the
• 39:54
  shore, washing away the despair that had
• 39:56
  lingered for too long. As as he pulled
• 40:00
  away, she tried to regain her balance
• 40:02
  and focus her eyes to look more
• 40:04
  carefully at her mysterious greeter. But
• 40:06
  the crowd pushed her away, and the
• 40:08
  moment was gone. Yet those calm and
• 40:11
  vibrant blue eyes gleamed in her mind.
• 40:13
  Could it be had the man she loved so
• 40:16
  deeply made it out alive?
• 40:19
  >> And if you want to hear more, you'll
• 40:21
  have to get the book. Liy, I can't thank
• 40:24
  you so much for joining us today.
• 40:26
  >> This has been it's one of the things
• 40:28
  that I've the experiences that I never
• 40:31
  thought I'd be having when I published
• 40:32
  these book because I'm kind of an
• 40:34
  introvert that like just I just type,
• 40:35
  right? I don't speak. But I've been able
• 40:38
  to meet so many uh wonderful new people
• 40:41
  and create these relationships that I
• 40:44
  would have never unless writing this
• 40:46
  book.
• 40:46
  >> God sentence, I'm telling you. So, apart
• 40:49
  from getting the book actually on Amazon
• 40:52
  and also on my website, you can also
• 40:55
  reach out to Liy and she'll join your
• 40:56
  book club.
• 40:58
  >> I've been having way too much fun. These
• 41:00
  book clubs have been a treat. It's been
• 41:02
  and and it's funny because everyone
• 41:04
  tells me their what they took out from
• 41:06
  different scenes that I hadn't even
• 41:08
  thought about.
• 41:09
  >> Absolutely.
• 41:09
  >> It's funny to see how everyone's take on
• 41:11
  on the story and the characters.
• 41:13
  >> Well, I can't wait to get to work on
• 41:15
  book number two, which is Stranded
• 41:17
  Serenade, and eventually books three and
• 41:21
  her memoir will come out, too. And we
• 41:22
  look forward to having her back on the
• 41:24
  program to hear all about it.
• 41:25
  >> Thank you so much. Thank you.
• 41:27
  >> Thank you. Bye, everybody. Have a good
• 41:28
  day.
• 41:28
  >> Bye.
• 41:30
  Heat. Heat. N.