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Welcome to another trip around the sun!
I hope you had a wonderful holiday, got to relax, spend time with loved ones, roll around in the snow a bit if you're anywhere cold enough to have snow, and consume shameful amounts of (healthy) food. We did, minus the snow.
In terms of the acquisition of material goods, we don't do much of that but I did get a pair of rollerblades. About 20 years later than I intended, but hey, you're only as young as you feel. And I sure feel young enough to go rollerblading. Wiped out only once—and I have to share that it is an amazing thing to fall on your bottom for the first time in many years. Makes you appreciate a.) that gravity is still alive and well; b.) the strength of your bones; and c.) the resilience of the iPhone in your pocket.
But not everything in our home was feeling quite so youthful.
First, our vacuum cleaner started losing its power of persuasive suction. Then the carpet cleaning machine that we so proudly mix our own cleaning solution for, melted. Our refrigerator spun down and lost its icy breath. One of our desktop computers told us it would like to retire soon. So what's with all the wear and tear, precisely now, at the end of the year? Maybe all of these machines are trying to tell us something? Ya think?
Renewal. But renewal doesn't always mean get rid of the old and buy something new. Our vacuum cleaner, we fixed ourselves; it needed deep cleaning and new filters. The carpet cleaner we're having serviced. The computer is now so old Apple will declare it legally obsolete in a few months, but it's working just fine. As for the refrigerator, well... we did have to renew in that department. Food doesn't do well with excessive cold or warmth.
Funny thing about cycles. They tend to repeat themselves. Good thing is, you don't have to stay in the same loop. You can take it up a few notches, or down. You get to decide whether your cycle is vicious or virtuous.
May this year's cycle be most virtuous for you.
~ Birgitte
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Max and Itzel want to say hi again, so here they are! (For everyone who just recently subscribed, Max and Itzel are the protagonists of The Jaguar and the Cacao Tree. Max is 11 and lives in San Francisco; Itzel is Maya, 12 years old, and lives in Guatemala. They're great kids.)
¡¡Hola a todos y muy Feliz Año Nuevo!! Soy Itzel y estoy super emocionada de ver cuantos niños ya están leyendo el libro. ¡Espero que nos visiten pronto o nos comuniquen sus pensamientos! ¡Y que estén tomando también su chocolatito calientito rico! Ok now I let Max speak because he talks better English. ~ Itzel.
Hi everyone and Happy New Year! This is Max. I'm still wiped out from the holidays, but actually couldn't wait to get back to school. Yeah I know, weird! But I don't get to spend enough time there and see all my friends coz my Dad travels so much, and I always (well, almost always) go with him.
So, our first, official, prize is from Professor Chocolate. I'm totally serious you guys! There really IS a Professor Chocolate. His name is Rob, he works with kids, and he's in New York and he wrote a book about the cool chocolate shops in New York City, and... he also does tours! So he told us he wants to offer a... hold on I need to make sure I say this right from his email... ok, here it is: "luxury chocolate tour for up to 4 people in Manhattan." The tour comes with chocolate samples, and you also get free copies of Professor Chocolate's ChocoWalk app and his Hot Cocoa guidebook.
OMG. Itzel we HAVE to go to New York!!
Oh, wait, it says here... airfare not included. No 5-star hotel either. What, you don't get a chocolate carpet rolled out to your door?? Bummer. Knew there had to be a catch in there somewhere. So I guess this is just for people who live in New York. Or if you are coming to New York anyway, maybe like when the book launches, in the spring, then you could do it too. But it's an awesome prize anyway, because New York is awesome and so is chocolate, so if you put that together in one prize that's beyond cool.
We're going to have more prizes but I can't tell you about those yet because... well... because I don't know. Birgitte doesn't tell me anything until it's all formal and official blah blah bc she's one of those adults and they think we kids don't know how to keep secrets. Ha! I kept the secret of the Sacred Cacao Tree from my own parents! They still don't know. Seriously. I can keep a secret. Can one of you adults please email Birgitte and ask her to reveal the other prizes??
Ok gotta go but Happy New Year you guys! from Max, Itzel and everyone at K'aax Itzà.
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Okay.
So now that Max spilled the cacao beans about the prizes, I need to tell you how it all works.
First, you need to be subscribed to The Muse. If you're reading this because it popped into your Inbox, you're golden. If you're reading this because a friend sent it to you, go subscribe! You don't want to depend on your friends to keep you in the loop when it comes to chocolate! Good heavens.
Second, get yourself a copy of The Jaguar and the Cacao Tree (or "JCT" as we lovingly call it) on or before launch day. That's March 22, 2016. JCT is your entry into the vibrant and wondrous world of sacred cacao myths and histories, animal guides, and ancient chocolate recipes.
If you've already pre-ordered, there too you are golden.
Third, wait. Wait for more prizes to be announced. Once we have all the prizes confirmed, you get to tell us which prize you want to be considered for if you win, because, as Max discovered just now, some are location-specific and as a starving author I don't have the funds to go fly you guys places.
Yet. As soon as the numbers hit the big time, I'll be singing a different song!
(It is always about the numbers, isn't it. We're all the same people, the same wonderful, talented, loving human beings, but somehow the "numbuhs" in our lives (er, bank accounts) dictate too much of what we can or cannot do. But that's another musing for another time.)
Oh, one more thing. To everyone who's been writing in sending us love, sharing how the JCT journey has inspired you to write your own stories and get them out into the world, do it! I'd love to hear about it, too, so we can include you in our "Inspirations" section of the book's web site. Which we are now building.
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