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Dear friends,
Thanks so much to everyone who sent in congratulations, and to everyone who jumped onboard and pre-ordered JCT last week! No matter how many times it happens, I feel a swell of gratitude wash over me every time the little email notification comes in letting me know someone out there said, hey I want to read that book!
And it's curious, too, how small the world of a writer is. Just yesterday I was in the market getting some milk and tangerines, and as I turned the corner there was a good friend of mine, a fellow mom, whom I was about to text to thank her for getting a copy of the book. So I got to thank her in person. And catch up on things of course.
What's so special about friends like that is that they've been through it all with you: they're there when you come up with the idea, they're there when you're head down in research, they're there for you when you write. They're with you through the thick and thin, all the highs and lows.
I was particularly grateful to her because she has a newborn—and two other young children. She doesn't have bathtubs of time to lay around in.
There are many others like that—and I'm sending everyone a great big warm hug, Olaf style. People I've come to know from all walks of life and social circles, friends I've known for years, new faces I've met recently, and faces I've never seen in person but have had lots of talks and conversations with. This is my extended human family.
And that is what the spirit of the holidays is about for me. It's about those close relationships, that transcend blood relations, time, and distance. It's the quiet of a fresh-fallen snow, those foggy mornings, the scent of firewood in the air. It's that warmth and coziness you feel when the year finally rolls to a close, you stop working, sleep in, sneak cookies, and share presence.
Because your presence is the gift of NOW.
~ Birgitte
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Someone's tugging at my sleeve. Max from JCT wants to say something to you all... so here he is!
Hey everyone, this is Max. I'm 11 and I'm from the Bay Area. My dad's a bee researcher, and he takes me with him on his field trips which is really cool. We just got back from Guatemala. I'd never been anywhere in South America before, but after this first trip I didn't want to come home. It was amazing down there. It's a really good thing school's gonna be out soon because I haven't been able to get back into things. My best bud Claude keeps telling me I'm like a walking zombie. But the thing is, when you meet your nagual and a black Jaguar and you get to see the Sacred Cacao Tree with all the history of chocolate in its pods and all the other stuff I saw that I'm not supposed to tell you about ('coz my literary mom doesn't want me to give it away!) it's like, you kinda do have a hard time coming back to your regular old routine life.
Anyway. What? Wait one second guys.
Oh, it's my lit mom telling me you guys might not know what a nagual is. Ok I can explain. It's your... it's your spirit guide. Like an animal that has the same spiritual energy as you. Like your animal soulmate, does that make sense? If it doesn't my friend Itzel can explain it better. She's in Guatemala and their Internet connection isn't too good though, so it might be a little while.
Anyhow, I was going to say we're all super excited that our story is finally getting told, it took FOREVER! I still don't get it all but my lit mom says that's how the publishing industry works, super slow and snail like. Whatever, we're here now!
Oh and we have our first Pinterest page! I really hope you guys check it out and follow me & Itzel and we'll follow you back. I wasn't really into it before but I wanted to put up all the amazing artwork Ms. Luba did for the book, for all the chapters, so Bibi (that's my lit mom) said why don't we try Pinterest. Itzel really loves it too, and she just barely started on social media. I wonder if it's a girl thing.
So that's it for now but we all wanted to wish everyone here a really great holiday, no matter what you celebrate! But you definitely need to make chocolate a part of it, hehe.
Happy Holidays! from Max, Itzel and everyone at K'aax Itzà.
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You didn't think I'd end this special year-end issue of The Muse with nary a hint as to where to get your holiday chocolate, did you?
First and foremost, getting good quality chocolate is not as difficult as it may sound. You don't have to scale seven mountains and cross seven seas. It just takes a little knowledge and awareness. And reading the label. But despair not—even that soon becomes a habit of the intuition.
My "DON'T" tips:
• Anything with artificial colors or flavors, PGPR, corn syrup, hydrogenated palm kernel oil (gross) and other unsavory ingredients should not make it into your shopping basket. No matter how pretty the wrapper or well-known the brand. And beware of synthetic vanillin—that's not vanilla, it's made from a petrochemical!
• If it takes too long to read the list of ingredients, chances are it's not real chocolate.
• If you can't pronounce an ingredient, chances are it's artificial, chemical, or in some way malevolently produced.
My "DO" tips:
• Organic, non-GMO, fair trade, and sustainably sourced are all good things to see on a chocolate wrapper.
• Sugar is ok, but not if it's first on the list.
• The higher the cacao percentage, the closer you are to heaven.
• Do grate dark chocolate on your oatmeal, pancakes, and other things not typically associated with chocolate.
Worried about price? Good quality chocolate does cost more but it's not crazy expensive: $3.69 for a 3.5-oz bar of 80% cacao vs. $1.54 for a similar-size bar of "the other stuff." You're paying for the real deal instead of chemical fillers. Plus, real dark chocolate satiates and satisfies orders of magnitude more than the commercial concoctions marketed as "chocolate." Trust me. You will melt away into bliss.
Want some suggestions? Happy to oblige—we've been doing a lot of research:
If you're in beautiful Santa Barbara, check out the eponymous Santa Barbara Chocolate Company. (They do ship nationally by the way.)
If you're into protecting endangered animals, get a few bars of Endangered Species Chocolate.
If you're in the UK, try Niko B, a small boutique manufacturer of fine natural chocolate. Say hello to Anthony for me.
If you really want to get into it, and know more about chocolate than you ever thought possible, subscribe to the C-Spot. Good people there.
And don't forget to send a loved one the gift of a special chocolatey story.
Have a blessed holiday... see you on the other side of 2015!
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