MISKITO TALES 
September 11, 2018 

Fifth Edition 
Welcome to the fifth edition of the quarterly newsletter, Miskito 
Tales, based on the book M
​ iskito​ set on the Mosquito Coast of 
Nicaragua during the 1800s. A lot has happened over the past 
few months: hostilities in Nicaragua, book fairs and events 
where M
​ iskito h
​ as been a key feature, news on the Miskito 
Series and upcoming events about the book. In this edition of 
the newsletter, we’ve asked the author, Michael Molinski, to 
write an analysis of the current events happening in Nicaragua.  

Miskito ​continues to attract readers at book fairs in San Diego and 

Los Angeles 
“Historical fiction is making a comeback, and Central America in particular is back on the minds 
of readers after decades of falling off the front pages of newspapers,” said Michael Molinski. 
That was the takeaway from the recent L
​ os Angeles Times Festival of Books​ and from the ​San 
Diego Union-Tribune Festival of Books​, where tens of thousands of writers, readers, and fans of 
literature gathered. 

San Diego stood out for its community feel, 

and the fact that ​Miskito​ was invited to 
participate in the Hispanic Section; also, the 
way people stopped by the booth, either just 
to chat about the history of Central America, 

 
  

 
current events or because they were genuinely interested in historical fiction. 

Los Angeles, on the other hand, attracted 

a much higher percentage of celebrities 
and Hollywood producers and agents, 
hungry to spot the next idea for a movie 
or TV series. Miskito will definitely return 
next year for the book fairs in San Diego 
and Los Angeles! 

 
 

Analysis: Hostilities in Nicaragua are nothing new 

By Michael Molinski 

As an economist and historian, Nicaragua’s recent unrest is startling, but it’s nothing new. 
Nicaragua has seen such violence before -- crime and gangs under right-wing President Arnoldo 
Alemán from 1997 to 2002, post-war violence under moderate President Violeta Chamorro in 
1990, and of course the back-to-back wars of the Sandinista Revolution during the 1970s and 
the Contra War during the 1980s.  

If Nicaragua didn’t have events like this every few years, it would not be Nicaragua. Nicaraguans 
are an inherently divisive people. And that is what is so wonderful about Nicaraguans! They 
don’t put up with anyone’s crap. If you are going to live in Nicaragua (including foreign tourists), 
you have to be prepared for the occasional outbreak of violence.  

The violence over the past few months has resulted in the deaths of more than 300 people and 
more than 2,000 injured. It began in April when President Daniel Ortega enacted a law that called 

 
  

 
for pensions and social security checks to be cut back, and simultaneously increased payroll 
and corporate contributions. This, by the way, was a law that was endorsed by the business 
sector and by the United States. The response was an immediate negative reaction by the 
people of Nicaragua. Ortega, realizing the response, quickly reversed his order, but by then it 
was too late. What had become an action against the welfare cuts turned into a referendum 
against Ortega’s presidency. 

What happens now? 

In my opinion, Ortega should eventually step down. I arrived in Nicaragua in early 1990 to live 
and to report on the Contra War, not knowing that the war would soon end and that a new 
candidate, Violeta Chamorro, would take office. I was neither a Sandinista supporter or a Contra 
supporter, but even back then Ortega gained my respect for turning over the reigns to Chamorro 
without a fight because that is what the people wanted. They had grown tired of the decade-long 
civil war. They wanted peace, and they wanted their own land. 

Ortega continued to earn my respect by reconquering Nicaragua by winning two back-to-back 

elections in 2006 and 2011, and in that time he oversaw some solid economic and pro-business 
policies which saw Nicaragua increase its GDP and begin to attract foreign tourists. However, in 
2014, he oversaw the National Assembly’s vote to abolish the law that limited the presidency to 
two terms. Ortega, the new law said, could be president for life if that’s what the people wanted. 
My respect for him began to tarnish then. 

Still, until the violence of the last few month’s erupted, I was still an Ortega supporter, especially 
since the people elected him by 72% in the last election in 2016. But the violence lately, in part 
due to government crackdowns and the protests on the street, mean it’s time for Ortega to find 
someone to replace him. And that someone should not be his wife, Vice President Rosario 
Murillo. There’s still time to replace Murillo with someone else who is not family and who has 
the respect of Ortega and the Nicaraguan people. Otherwise, we could be looking at another 
U.S.-backed coup, and I don’t think anyone in Nicaragua is anxious for the days of Somoza to 
return. 

 
  

Michael Molinski speaks at 

Heart of Hollywood about 
plans to turn ​Miskito​ to the 
silver screen 
Author Michael Molinski joined a panel of 
entertainment industry experts, entrepreneurs, 
producers, software developers and influencers to 
discuss the tools, opportunities, and guidance you 
need to break into Hollywood. Molinski was the only 
author invited to speak. The event attracted hundreds 
of people to a red-carpet event in downtown Los 
Angeles. 

Among the several tips Molinski gave 

during the discussion were: “Have a 
well-rehearsed elevator speech, and be 
ready to deliver it at any time … If you are 
passionate about your book, you have to 
sell it. Get out there! Don’t stand or sit 
behind the table!”  

For more events at Heart of Hollywood, 

see: 
https://www.heartofhollywoodmedia.com 
/events 

 
  

News from Nicaragua’s evolving history 

Ortega still wants to meet with Trump this month 
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega still wants to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on the 
occasion of the UN General Assembly in late September, although he accused Trump of 
financing and plotting a CIA-backed coup against his government. 
https://www.newsweek.com/nicaragua-president-wants-meet-trump-1114000 

Violence is threatening Nicaragua’s decade-long economic 

recovery, as businesses cope to stay afloat 
An average of $7m a day is flooding out of Nicaragua’s banking system. Tourism has collapsed. 
The economy could swing from growth of nearly 5 per cent in 2017 to a contraction of almost 6 
per cent this year. Read more: 
https://www.ft.com/content/f72e3086-947c-11e8-b67b-b8205561c3fe 

U.S. compares Nicaragua to Syria and Venezuela 

The United States on Wednesday declared Nicaragua’s civil unrest a threat to the region’s 
security, comparing the government repression of protests to Venezuela and Syria.​ Read more: 
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nicaragua-un/u-s-warns-of-regional-crisis-if-nicaragua-unre
st-goes-on-idUSKCN1LL33G 

Will NAFTA be thrown out? Central Americans stand by 

The Trump Administration has threatened to throw out NAFTA entirely if Canada doesn’t go 
along with Trump’s new trade policies. Meanwhile, Central America is standing by, waiting to 
see if Trump will honor the Central American Free Trade Agreement. Read more: 
https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2018/09/05/trudeau-criticizes-trump-arguing-canada-ne
eds-an-independent-nafta-dispute-system-because-the-us-president-breaks-the-rules.html 

 
  

How to buy ​Miskito 

Available at selected fine bookstores and available at these websites: 

https://www.amazon.com/Miskito-Michael- Molinski-ebook/dp/B00QLR0LV4/ref=sr_1_2/146- 
6018204-9519532?ie=UTF8&qid=1495501312&sr=8-2&keywords=michael+molin
ski 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/miskito-michael-molinski/1120833163?ean=97814969456
86 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24292083-miskito?from_search=true 

¿Le gusta leer en español? 

Watch for the new Spanish-language version of ​Miskito​, due out in 2018. Keep watching our 
website for news of its release.