Carnival!
It’s carnival time here in Ecuador. For the first time in three years, people are able to celebrate
one of our major festivals with parades, music, food, dancing, and freedom to be out and about.
Together. Videos of Cuenca on the weekend showed the central park packed with happy
people.
This is a culture that values family, culture and community and welcomes strangers who show
our appreciation for the culture we’ve adopted.
Not every gringo here is respectful or grateful. There are those who come to try to recreate what
they left behind but in a place where their money goes farther and they feel rich. Sometimes
they behave with disturbing arrogance and entitlement, even aggression. Nobody likes those
kinds of behaviors. Here, like everywhere else, tensions can run high around issues of health
and comfort. Many of us work hard to let our friends and neighbors know how grateful we are to
live here. Toward that end, some of our local expat leaders organized a float for our parade with
the theme “We Are the World.” Our little town has representatives of forty different countries!
My own big exercise ball got to be transformed into the “world” and ride on the float in front of
about 5O people dancing, drumming, and tossing candy to the townsfolk. The paint will wash
off, and I expect to feel the difference the next time I bounce and roll around on it. What a gift to
be part of a loving, supportive community.
Terra’s Story
It’s almost here! Terra’s Story, the prequel to The Shaman Chronicles and Book 1 of The
Protectors’ Archives, launches Wednesday, March 2nd! Thanks so much to all you who pre-
ordered. What a journey Terra took me on as she told me her story. I hope it affects you as
profoundly. It seemed fitting to see how Terra started in order to see how far she’s come,
especially since Book 4 of The Shaman Chronicles launches in April. Stay tuned for more
details, including how to pre-order. People ask me if Book 4 is the last one. For now it is. But
then, I just do what the books tell me to!
eLove
Did you know that Amazon now has a platform to serialize stories? It’s a great way to try out
new authors and see what you like, one nibble – uh, one chapter – at a time. It’s also a great way
for authors to try out new genres. I’m having a ball writing a different kind of story – a 2nd
chance virtual romance – for that platform. Steamier than what I’ve written before [she says,
blushing] Stay tuned for more details on that one, too.
My Wish for You
Right now I wish for you to feel the sweetness of your close connections, the pull of your
dreams to help you embody your personal magnificence, and the value of your becoming for
yourself and for our collective consciousness. Aho!
