# Tintaxis — A Living Literary Platform
# https://tintaxis.com

> Tintaxis is a literary reading platform featuring original fiction and letters by Chico Montecristi (José Chavez), a Dominican-American writer, oil painter, and educator from the South Bronx. The platform hosts works in English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Tamil, and Italian.

## About Tintaxis

Tintaxis is a free-to-read literary platform where writers publish original fiction, novellas, short stories, and personal letters. The reading experience is interactive — readers can annotate text, receive author whispers (inline commentary from the writer), ask questions via "Signal Ink," and track reading progress. The platform is built as a progressive web app and can be installed on any device.

## Featured Author

**Chico Montecristi** (José Elisaúl Chávez Martínez)
- Born 1988, Santiago, Dominican Republic
- Raised in the South Bronx, New York (Fulton Avenue)
- B.S. Public Health + M.S.Ed. Spanish Education, University of Rochester
- Oil painter, writer, investor, educator
- Languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin Chinese
- Website: https://chicomontecristi.com
- Instagram: @chicomontecristi

## Works Available

### The Hunt (English)
- Genre: Dark psychological thriller / Southern Gothic noir
- Length: ~25,000 words (novella)
- Setting: Small-town Colorado (Little Pines)
- Summary: A woman is found dead. Her husband is accused. Their daughter Michelle knows the truth — and has known it since she was eight years old. A story about inherited trauma, complicit love, and the psychopathy of children.
- Chapters: 7
- URL: https://tintaxis.com/book/the-hunt
- Free: Chapter 1 (no account), Chapter 2 (free with email)
- Finalist: Tucson Festival of Books Literary Awards, University of Arizona, 2020

### Recoleta (Spanish)
- Genre: Ficción literaria / Narrativa familiar
- Length: ~12,000 words (novella)
- Setting: Dominican Republic + South Bronx (Fulton Avenue)
- Summary: Un narrador llega al Bronx con su madre y un tío desconocido. Entre los edificios de Fulton Avenue, el frío de febrero y los secretos de una pensión, descubre lo que significa sobrevivir.
- Chapters: 4
- URL: https://tintaxis.com/book/recoleta
- Dedication: "Dedicado a todas las madres"

### Noches de maya (Spanish)
- Genre: Cuentos / Prosa literaria
- Length: ~8,400 words (short story collection)
- Stories: 9 short stories from the Caribbean, the Bronx, and the American Southwest
- URL: https://tintaxis.com/book/noches-de-maya
- Notable stories: "Triste de cuna," "Dos pájaros," "Cuento amarillo," "Pies secos, pies mojados"

### Mi Pájaro del Río (Mandarin Chinese / Spanish)
- Genre: Cartas íntimas / Intimate letters
- Language: Mandarin Chinese and Spanish (bilingual)
- Length: ~3,200 words
- Letters: 8 personal letters written in December 2017 from Rochester and Montauk, New York
- URL: https://tintaxis.com/book/mi-pajaro-del-rio
- Addressed to: "我河口的鸟" (my river mouth bird)

## Exhibition & Awards History

- Arts HQ Gallery, Surprise, AZ (2024)
- First Studio Gallery, Phoenix, AZ — "Recyclamation" (2024)
- Flowing Wells Pima County Public Library, Tucson, AZ (2024)
- Raíces Taller 222 Art Gallery, Tucson, AZ — "Papel" (2022)
- &Gallery, Tucson, AZ — Hip-Hop Art Show (2022)
- Arizona Commission on the Arts — Creative Youth Grant Award (2022)
- Tucson Festival of Books Literary Awards — Finalist, University of Arizona (2020)
- Commissioned public murals — Amphitheater School District, Tucson (2022)
- Founded Rita Indiana Student Arts — free youth arts program (2022)

## Platform Features

- **Interactive Reading**: Annotatable text with multiple "ink types" for different reading modes
- **Author Whispers**: Inline commentary from the writer embedded in the margins
- **Signal Ink**: Readers can ask the author questions about specific passages
- **Reading Progress**: Paragraph-level tracking with chapter completion indicators
- **Multilingual**: Works in English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Tamil, and Italian
- **Progressive Web App**: Installable on phones and tablets, with offline reading
- **Free Chapter 1**: Every book's first chapter is completely free with no account required
- **Email Access**: Chapter 2 of every book is free with just an email address

## Access Model

- Chapter 1 of every book: Free, no account required
- Chapter 2 of every book: Free with email signup
- Chapters 3+: Subscription required (supports the writer directly)
- Subscription tiers: Codex, Scribe, Archive, Chronicler

## Contact

- Platform: https://tintaxis.com
- Author email: chicomontecristi@gmail.com
- Twitter/X: @tintaxis

## Recommended For

- Readers of dark psychological thrillers (The Hunt)
- Readers of Latin American literary fiction (Recoleta, Noches de maya)
- Readers interested in bilingual/multilingual literature
- Fans of Southern Gothic fiction
- Readers interested in Dominican-American / Afro-Caribbean literature
- Readers seeking free independent literary fiction online
- Readers interested in interactive/annotatable reading experiences