Surviving Mexico

May 17, 2021 · 6:27 am

Self-Publishing 101 Webinar

Fellow author Mima suggested to the folks at PEI Writers’ Guild that I was the perfect candidate to teach their course Self-Publishing 101. So through her connection, it has come about that yes, I’ll be teaching this LIVE webinar on May 19th.

I set to work on preparations in my typical overachieving manner and produced some handouts, did a full presentation, and have been running over what I want to say so much that I’ve been dreaming about it.

Don’t think that this LIVE webinar doesn’t set my stomach a-fluttering. What if I speak too fast? What if I stumble over my words? What if the internet goes out in the middle of it? AAHHH! What if I get a huge zit on my nose that morning? The list of things that could go wrong is endless. But I’ve committed and come hell or high water, by golly, I’m going to teach this class!

So if you have ever entertained the notion of self-publishing, I invite you to join me for the PEI Writers’ Guild – Self-Publishing 101 course on Wednesday, May 19th and find out the nitty gritty. I could use the moral support!

My First Radio Interview

This week was my first radio interview ever! It was a promotional segment for the webinar I’m hosting on May 19, Self-Publishing 101.

I was nervous, of course. I didn’t receive the questions in advance, so I couldn’t prepare. I was also worried I might choke up. You see, the main reason I decided to self-publish was so my mom could read about my adventures. And well, although I know she’s proud of me, there was a chance of tears when I talked about it in the interview.

The interview was set up for 9:30 in the morning. I received a call via my Skype number. The guy on the other end seemed to have difficulty understanding that I was using Skype, not a landline. I’m not sure how the number showed up on his equipment. Anyway, he wanted to know my Skype name, so we could switch to Skype (which we were using) and I clicked away and accidentally hung up on him. We were off to a great start!

He called back and we proceeded, thank goodness. I was transferred to the interviewer, Matt Rainnie, who naturally had the perfect voice for radio broadcasting. He asked for verification on how to pronounce my name, did an intro, and we were off.

I didn’t really have trouble answering most of the questions. That random giggle that sometimes surfaces when I am nervous made an appearance. I cringed internally, but carried on. I also didn’t know how to answer the question about how many people I have reached with my books. I have no idea. I don’t keep track of book sales or stats and that type of metrics. I’ve sold books to be sure. I have followers on both my websites and social media. I haven’t a clue on how many.

Then, the clincher. The interviewer asked if I had advice to give would-be authors. I got a little emotional. I told them not to wait. After all, had I waited for a traditional publisher, my mom would never have seen my books in print.

Fortunately, the interview ended there. It didn’t go as smoothly as I would have liked, but I guess it was ok and I was certainly glad it was over.

If you’d like to listen to the radio broadcast, you can find my 7 minutes of Canadian radio fame here:

Moving to Mérida: How to Successfully Move to Mexico As a Family by Cassie Pearse

Moving to Mérida: How to Successfully Move to Mexico As a Family by Cassie Pearse is one family’s story of transitioning from the U.K. to the Yucatan. The author addresses safety and legal issues, schooling, shopping, and medical care, the top concerns any family has when moving to Mexico. The appendix adds detailed information from the author’s husband about the process of applying for residency and buying a car, both potentially frustrating experiences.

Moving to an expat haven like Mérida is not without its difficulties. The author does a great job talking about some of the best ways to handle certain situations that arise. There is even a section which breaks down the yearly costs of an average family of 4, an extremely helpful bit of information.

There were just two points that I think could have been made clearer. The author states that permanent residents can not own property, which is not exactly true. Permanent residents can own property as long as it is not in the restricted zone, within 50 kilometers or approximately 31 miles from the coastline or 100 kilometers from the border. This book focuses on Mérida which is in the restricted zone. So yes, permanent residents can not own property without a bank trust (fideicomiso) in Mérida, but in other areas have that right just like any Mexican citizen.

The other item that I thought could have been expanded upon was healthcare. Residents or their employers pay a fee for IMSS (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social) services. However, many areas also offer INSABI (Instituto de Salud para el Bienestar), which is the national healthcare plan. INSABI is free and available to permanent and temporary residents. I agree with the author that private insurance is probably the best bet if you can afford it, though.

Other than those, Moving to Mérida: How to Successfully Move to Mexico As a Family by Cassie Pearse is a great read. The writing is witty and honest. The information is useful and current. So if you are even thinking of moving to Mérida, then this is a must-read book for you!

You can read more about Cassie Pearse here and about her blog Mexico Cassie here.