Thread: First Of Several Questions

I'm writing a novel about a man living in San Diego, CA who discovers he's fathered a daughter 15 years ago, and she's been kidnapped. The original short story is found at http://indefixa.ravensbeak.com/2005/06/14/the-sad-girl/. I'll eventually be asking for help with some idiomatic Spanish.

Danny was in California prison for 15 years, and picked up some Spanish there. His employee Maria, 19, is an immigrant from Mexico. Right now, my notes say she grew up in Oaxaca, Mexico and immigrated when she was about 5 or 6. Her parents still speak mostly Spanish at home. It's reasonable that she'd let some Spanish slip into her conversations with Danny, especially if he's trying to learn more, yes? Mainly idiomatic stuff, but it would happen some?

There's also a pastor in the story who's also an immigrant, perhaps 10 years ago. His accent is still there, maybe not as thick as someone who arrived just a few years ago. I haven't figured out where he's from. Can anyone describe what kind of speech patterns he might have, so I can added them to his dialog? Soft j's? I don't want stereotyped. I want realistic.

This should be easy enough. Where is the pastor supposed to be from? Is he latino, or from another country altogether? I'm a writer too BTW, working on my second novel.

He is at least Latino, and I had assumed Mexico, although I might have him be from another Central American country for variety.

Well, it sounds like an interesting story. The Central American Spanish I'm accustomed to is a very lovely language.