Dear Reader,
Born and raised in Santa Barbara, California, today's guest author, Jessica Winters Mireles holds a degree in piano performance from USC. After graduating, she began her career as a piano teacher and performer. Four children and a studio of over forty piano students later, Jessica's life changed drastically when her youngest daughter was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of two; she soon decided that life was too short to give up on her dreams of becoming a writer, and after five years of carving out some time each day from her busy schedule, she finished Lost in Oaxaca.
She also knows quite a bit about Oaxaca, as her husband is an indigenous Zapotec man from the highlands of Oaxaca and is a great source of inspiration. She lives with her husband and family in Santa Barbara, California.
About the Book: Piano teacher Camille Childs is a lost soul who is seeking recognition through her star student--so when her student unexpectedly leaves California to return to her village in Oaxaca, Mexico, Camille follows her. There, Camille meets Alejandro, a Zapotec man who helps her navigate the unfamiliar culture of Oaxaca, view the world in a different light, and perhaps find love along the way.
Jessica is giving away two copies of Lost In Oaxaca. Drop her an email and you'll be entered. Email: [email protected]
Endless Possibility
My fifteen year-old daughter recently gave up her bedroom to her older sister, who had to move home because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Isa decided she would move into the spare room--a tiny office located at the back of the house. I was surprised by her generous offer, as it was out of character for my often self-absorbed teenager.
Isabella is the youngest of our four daughters. My husband and I refer to her as our surprise child, as she was born when I was forty-two--a full ten years after we thought we were done having children. And if that wasn't life-changing enough, when Isa was two, she was diagnosed with leukemia. After three years of chemotherapy, multiple blood transfusions and surgeries, she was cured. Her survival as nothing short of a miracle, which is why we are guilty of indulging her a little. All right--'a lot'.
At first, I said no to the move. If she couldn't keep her current room clean and organized, how would she manage with a space half its size? Normally, I'd have fought her harder, but this pandemic has been especially hard on my little girl. When the natural process of disentangling from her parents has suddenly been put on hold, depression sets in. It's no wonder Isa was looking for some change.
I relented. The next morning, Isa rose at dawn and packed up her books, knickknacks, photos, and clothes. With an excited look in her eyes, she left behind her spacious room with the view of the garden, and headed to the junk room with no closet.
Up on the walls went dozens of framed photos of her friends. New floral bedding was purchased, along with many houseplants--succulents, ferns, and trailing ivies, all of which were artfully placed around the room. She put up an array of shiny vinyl records she found at the thrift store. 'Very hip.' She added an essential oil diffuser and a strand of lavender LED lights around the window, and, 'viola'--her room became a soothing spa. I wanted to lie down on her soft, billowy bed and never get up again.
It's been two weeks, and Isa's room is still clean and organized. Her attitude is different, too. She's present with our family in ways that she wasn't before the pandemic. This gives me hope for her generation. They have gained a newfound resilience, one that will allow them to view the world with the endless possibility of beautiful transformation.
-- Jessica Winters Mireles
Enter the drawing for a copy of Lost In Oaxaca. Email: [email protected]
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.
THE ABOLITIONIST'S DAUGHTER (Fiction) by Diane C McPhail
Is there a story from childhood that haunted you? Mine was the horrific tale of the Old Greensboro "feud." Imagine discovering this was the story of your own family! The story begged to be told: a Southern Abolitionist Judge, his murder, mob violence and a lynching; three extraordinary women left to negotiate trauma, loss, and a bloody Civil War on the horizon; and the difficult journey to truth, forgiveness, and redemption.
Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on THE ABOLITIONIST'S DAUGHTER to read more and to email author Diane C McPhail, you'll get a reply.
KIDSBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.
"Hilarious" says Brightly about Primo Gallanoosa's debut picture book HEY, WHO MADE THIS MESS?, just right for kids ages 3-5. Check it out. For a chance to win free copies, to talk with the authors, and more, see KIDSBUZZ.
PENGUIN CLASSICS this month features the book The Posthumous Memoirs Of Bras Cubas, by Machado de Assis. I have a copy of the book to share, so start reading and enter for your chance to win.
Comments