Laura Resau's Blog, page 2

Puerto Morelos, Mexico!

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Hello beautiful readers!

Hope you're enjoying springtime! I've got a few manuscripts in to my editor and agent, and am now waiting for revision notes and news... At this point, the only thing I have to share with you, writing-wise, is that my new book (involving chocolate-making and the rain forest and magical dreams and a treasure hunt) will be coming out in Fall, 2018 with Scholastic! Oh, and I redesigned my website (by myself... quite the challenge!)... here it is if you'd like to check it out.



I thought I'd share some photos of our fun family trip to Puerto Morelos, Mexico, back in February...

Here's where we stayed, at Rancho Sak-Ol, just a 15 min walk from downtown.


My Lil Dude (not so little anymore... he just turned 10!!!) loved the hammocks....
 

He wanted to bring his guitar, but we compromised on bringing my much-smaller uke instead...



The bed swung from the ceiling... this was relaxing for reading in bed, but for actually *sleeping*, it was a little weird... every time you shifted positions,the whole bed would swing. ;-)
 

Some cool snorkeling right off shore...

 

To get downtown, we walked down a road through a mangrove swamp, complete with crocodiles.
 

Puerto Morelos is nestled between the busy, super-touristy cities of Playa del Carmen and Cancun.  We just flew into the Cancun airport and took a half hour shuttle ride to this sweet little fishing town. There were more locals than tourists, which was nice... we liked hanging out in the mellow town square, where local kids came to play after school.


Nights were magical... we ate outdoors at the yummy restaurants downtown and watched street performers like this fire dancer.


Playground in the town square at night... my dude got to practice his Spanish...


 Lots of bougainvillea...

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Very walkable...


Street art!

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Our favorite cafe was El Nicho, right on the town square...

 

Some parts reminded me of Huajuapan, the town where I lived in Oaxaca... 
 

Another restaurant we loved-- DK's... This place was made from a shipping container (in this pic, it was closed, but when we went, the walls opened up and cafe tables were set up around it.) Tasty blowfish tacos!



 

We went to Xcaret for a couple days-- it's kind of an eco-theme park.... One of the coolest things about it were these underground rivers that flowed through caves... you could float along the crystal-clear water for about 45 minutes on each river. Enchanting!

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There were jungle paths and animals to see along the way...


Swimming and snorkeling...


My dude loved this blowhole!


He and Ian had a blast on the ropes over the water in one of the little coves...
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 Thanks for swinging by!

xo,
Laura

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Meet Peachy and Winnie, Our Sweet Vintage Trailers!

Peachy, our 1950s canned ham trailer
Hello dear ones,

So, now that I am officially a crazy trailer lady, I thought I'd introduce you to our latest one, and show you some pics from this year of our other one.
This is our beloved old one, Peachy, named after my beautiful great-grandmother. She's a sweet little ten foot long canned ham from the late 1950s. She lives happily in our driveway and gives us a creative space to play and work. I've written three books sitting at her table, and revised more while lounging on her bed. We take her to the mountains for weekend outings in the summers...

 
 








 
And this is our new one, Winnie, named after my loving grandmother. She's a charming 1969 Red Dale, about 14 feet long. During the warm months, she'll be living by a babbling brook among the aspens on our land in the mountains. We'll be visiting her as often as possible. :-)

Winnie, our 1969 Red Dale trailer 




We just got Winnie a few months ago, and I had fun doing some renovations-- mainly painting and ripping up the carpet to reveal gold-sparkled original linoleum. Ian kindly painted marigold yellow stripes on the sides. I love going to flea markets and thrift stores to find cool stuff for her. I've been doing some book revising and tea-drinking on the comfy sofa and hosting a few *tiny* dinner parties in her dining area. When the weather warms up and she's in the mountains, I plan to do some writing retreats with her. :-)

 
We have some cool decals with the trailers' names-- Peachy and Winnie-- but we're just waiting for the weather to warm up enough to stick them on. Stay tuned...

If you're curious to know how we found Winnie and Peachy, it was on Craig's List. Both were pretty incredible deals.... and Winnie's seller was located less than a mile from our house! If you're in the market for a vintage trailer, I'd recommend spending time researching them online and checking Craig's List regularly so that you get a good sense of how much different styles/ages of trailers in your area are going for. Then you'll be able to recognize a good deal and pounce on it. :-)



*Note that these images all came from my Instagram feed.... that's where I do my updates on life, creativity, trailers, travel, etc. You can follow me here.

Here's a link to all my vintage trailer posts. Just click on the link, and once you get to the page, keep scrolling down for older posts, and click on "older posts." Enjoy!

Thanks for coming by!
xo,Laura

ESTRELLA EN EL BOSQUE Book Launch Fiesta!

 

Hello dear readers!
Hola queridos lectores!

Earlier this fall, my close friend Gloria Garcia Diaz and I celebrated the release of ESTRELLA EN EL BOSQUE-- the Spanish version of Star in the Forest, which Gloria translated! (See this older blog post for details about the book and our translation process.)


Hace unos meses, mi amiga cercana, Gloria García Díaz, y yo celebramos la publicación de ESTRELLA EN EL BOSQUE—la versión en español de Star in the Forest. (Puedes leer más sobre el libro y nuestro proceso de traducción aquí.)
Thank you to everyone who came out to party with us! Gracias a todos que vinieron a festijar con nosotras! 
The party was at the awesome Wolverine Farm Letterpress and Publick House here in Fort Collins.

La fiesta fue en el maravilloso Wolverine Farm Letterpress and Publick House aquí en Fort Collins.




La fiesta fue un evento bilingüe—todo en español y inglés…  y muchos de nuestros invitados eran bilingües también. :-)

The party was bilingual-- everything in English and Spanish... and many of our guests were bilingual, too. :-)




Gloria read one of her favorite parts in Spanish...


Gloria leyó una de sus partes favoritas en español…



Y su sobrina adorable leyó su parte favorita en español…

And her sweet niece read her favorite part in Spanish...




Vladimir, mi querido amigo creativo y bilingüe (11 años de edad) cantó unas famosas canciones mexicanas… y todos nos quedamos muy impresionados! (También, Vlady is un escritor increible!)

My dear, creative, bilingual friend Vladimir (age 11) sang some classic Mexican songs.... and he took everyone's breath away! (Vlady is also an incredible writer!)

He puts so much feeling into his singing.... the audience was welled up with emotion!


Puso muchísima emoción en sus canciones, y en la audiencia, nos sentimos muy conmovidos.


Gloria hooked us up with a mega-rico tres leches cake made by local pastel-maker Albina. It was huge and layered with fresh peaches!
Gloria nos consiguió un delicioso pastel de tres leches hecho por una señora que se llama Albina. Fue enorme y contenía duraznos frescos!




Gloria organizó un divertido juego de lotería mexicana, usando mis libros como premios.

Gloria orchestrated a fun game of the Mexican loteria, with my books as prizes.


Everyone listening intently for Gloria's next loteria call...

Todos escuchaban bien durante el juego de la lotería...






Look at this little cutie!
Mira este chiquito!






Puedes comprar Estrella en el bosque en tu librería local (tal vez tendrías que hacer un orden especial con la librería, pero como es con Scholastic, debe ser fácil.) También, puedes encontrarlo online en Amazon. Y si tu escuela es parte del Scholastic Book Club, puedes ordenarlo por su sitio de internet en el catálogo de “Club Leo.”

You can get Estrella en el bosque from your local bookstore (might have to special order it, but it's with Scholastic, so it should be easy for them to order.) You can also find it online. And if your school is part of the Scholastic Book Club, you can order it through their website under the "Club Leo" catalog.


 
Un resumen enespañol

Thank you so much for coming by!
Gracias por venir!

Abrazos and hugs,
Laura

Teens and Cultural Exchange in Ecuador

Hello dear friends and readers!

I'm thrilled to be joining with adventurous teens Julia and Carsyn to do this post in honor of the Tandana Foundation's ten-year anniversary.  Tandana is one of the wonderful non-profits where I donate a portion of my royalties.  My donations go toward scholarship funds to empower indigenous Ecuadorians through education. This organization is especially awesome because they also facilitate cultural exchange trips for all ages, which has been a life-changing and eye-opening experience for Carsyn and Julia.  I'll let them tell you about their experiences in their own words!

 Carsyn in Otavalo with Maria Virginia Farinango, co-author of  our book The Queen of Water, based on her own life
Here are Carsyn's inspiring words:



     “In order to live fully you must make the world your classroom. Just recently I have traveled through Ecuador and learned more lessons than I ever could have imagined.      The most important lesson I learned, was appreciating an education. In the States we might dread going to school or studying for your next test, but over seas children love school and want to learn. This example is represented in the wonderful book Queen of Waterwhen Maria Virginia escapes her life as a young servant by discovering an outlet through education. I had the opportunity to meet Maria in Otavalo, Ecuador.      The one piece of advice she emphasized was to never give up on an education. Always push yourself, study harder, and be the best student you can be. Maria inspired me to come home and to have a different insight on learning."

   Making bread during Carsyn's home stay with Tandana
     "As I enter to be a freshman in college this fall, I will be appreciating my education, and remembering that no matter when I think times are rough there is some young girl in the world giving up everything she has to gain an education. So love learning, create a friendship with your textbook, and change the world with an education."
~Carsyn
Planting trees during the community minga on Carsyn's trip with Tandana
Julia is another high-schooler who participated in Tandana's program. Here are her fascinating thoughts on her experience:



   "Traveling evokes a whirlwind of emotions and new understandings. It debunks what you think you know and leaves a world that is calm chaos. Enticing, unnerving, addictive. What you learn is something that can’t be taught. It must be discovered.      During the time I was in Ecuador I was happy, truly and unabashedly happy with no limits or restrictions. I was free. Back at home now, the world looks differently. It’s like I’ve only been looking at the corner of a painting and traveling has enticed me to step back and admire the entirety of the artwork.      When you hear the stories of people around the world you realize that we are all the same. No matter where we come from or how different our daily routines are, we are all human. We are all family."
 –Julia

Maria Virginia, her daughter Leslie, Anna Taft (founder of Tandana), and me in Otavalo
Here's what Tandana has to say:



"The Tandana Foundation is turning 10 this year! To commemorate the start of our nonprofit status and celebrate a decade of "Joining Hands and Changing Lives" in Ecuador and Mali, we've launched a year-long campaign on that theme."


Veronica (scholarship coordinator at Tandana), Susana (scholarship student), and me
More from Tandana:



"'Ten Years of Joining Hands and Changing Lives'  highlights what is most important to Tandana: relationships. Forging positive relationships is at the heart of our international volunteer programs and community initiatives as well as our school scholarship fund. These opportunities to live, labor, and laugh with people of diverse cultural backgrounds broadens our worldviews, strengthens our communities, and propels us all toward our potential—not as isolated individuals but as globally interdependent ones. In this way, our ability to change lives is amplified exponentially."


The folks from Tandana are wonderful and big-hearted, and I recommend you check out their organization here if you're interested in doing a service-learning or volunteer trip to Ecuador (or Mali-- they have programs there, too!)  And of course, your donation to their scholarship fund would make a HUGE difference in an indigenous student's life.

It's been so special for Maria Virginia and me to be involved in helping people forge these meaningful and life-changing relationships across cultures! I'm so glad Tandana's moving into its second decade and continuing this amazing work.

Thanks for coming by, dear readers...

xo,
Laura

Faith's Poem

Hello, dear ones!

I've been wanting to share this with you for a while now, and I finally have the time to do it!  Meet brilliant poet Faith Gomez, whom I had the joy of meeting in person on my trip to Northern California this spring.  We'd started corresponding about a year earlier, back when she was in fifth grade-- I was really impressed with her creative writing.  And I was completely thrilled when she came to my writing workshop at her local library!


Faith has a lot in common with Zitlally, the main character in my book STAR IN THE FOREST. A fun thing: she also loves dogs.  A sad thing: her father was also deported to Mexico, which has been heart-breaking for her and her family.


With the guidance of her talented creative writing teacher and librarian, author Lea Aschkenas , Faith wrote this deeply moving poem about her family's experience. The prompt for her poem was a photo of her family, back when they were able to be together.

Cuernevaca, Mexico


Here I am in the photo, pigtails
tied with mini silk pom-poms,
left hand on chin,
shoes like pink roses,
my dress with a big bow
tied as if I were a present.


My brother, Jacob,
wearing his first fancy pants.
Behind him,
my mother in her white dress
on her wedding day,
her smile as big as an upside-down rainbow,
full of color and joy.
Next to her is my dad,
the two of them like turtle doves.


Three years later,
I imagine him
still as a marble statue,
still in Mexico, waiting
for permission to return,
waiting alone
without us  
like an abandoned house. 
~ by Faith Gomez (last year in 5th grade)
That brings tears to my eyes every time I read it.  My heart goes out to Faith and her family.... yet the hopeful thing about her situation is that she has a strong and beautiful voice that expresses her family's experience in an incredibly powerful way. Young voices like hers have already sparked some positive political change for immigrant families, and are hopefully paving the way for even more, soon. 
Gracias, Faith! Keep writing!
xo,Laura
 

ESTRELLA EN EL BOSQUE!

Hello dear friends!

¡Hola queridos amigos!
¡Puedes desplazar hacia abajo para leer las noticias emocionantes en español! :-)

I have some incredibly exciting news for you, something I've been waiting a looooong time to tell you, something I've been dreaming about for many years... and it's finally a reality!

There's a Spanish translation of one of my books coming soon: STAR IN THE FOREST!  ¡ESTRELLA EN EL BOSQUE!
  Release date Aug. 30, 2016
A huge gracias to my agent Erin Murphy and my Scholastic editor Andrea Davis Pinkney, whose generous enthusiasm helped get momentum going for this unusual project! And another gracias to the amazing team at Scholastic en español!

The translation process was very special and unique... here's what happened... from the very beginning.  Almost fifteen years ago, when I was teaching ESL to adult immigrants here in Fort Collins, I had a beautiful and brilliant student named Gloria García Díaz.

Gloria and me!
When we discovered we both had a passion for reading and creative writing (and dancing and music and many other things...), we became friends.  Over the years, we've grown very close and have become writing partners and collaborators. She's an immigrant from Mexico, with family connections to the Mixtec culture in Oaxaca (where several of my books are set) and she's generously given me feedback on the language and culture details in my pre-published manuscripts.

Over the past decade, as my novels have been published, I've frequently gotten requests from readers for Spanish translations.  But sadly, no Spanish publisher had shown interest in publishing any of my books, largely because they didn't want to risk losing money on translating and publishing a literary kids' book that isn't already a huge bestseller (at least that's my take on it. ;-)  (Typically, with foreign language translations, the foreign language publisher first buys rights and then orchestrates the translation themselves, without involvement of the author.) But I really, REALLY wanted to be able to offer my Spanish-speaking friends and readers a version in their own language!

 Here I am with Gloria and her adorable daughter at my most recent release party
One day, a couple years ago, Gloria and I started talking about the possibility of translating STAR IN THE FOREST *before* we had a publisher, and *then* shopping it around... and as a last resort, self-publishing. (I say a last resort because without a publisher, we'd have very limited distribution and marketing.) A week later, Gloria handed me the first several chapters, written by hand in a notebook and beautifully translated!  Over the course of the next year, she translated more chapters, and together, we went over every single word to make the translation shine. As we were devoting hundreds of hours to this project, in the back of our minds, we knew the risk: that we might not find a publisher for it....

.... so, we were *beyond thrilled* when Scholastic en español expressed interest in it!  Over the winter and early spring, we went over revisions and copy-edits, and now, we can finally officially announce it!  Hooray!


Gloria was the absolutely perfect person to translate this book because she lives in the mobile home park here in Fort Collins that inspired the setting of the book. As a Mexican immigrant, she understands the kinds of challenges faced by the main character, Zitlally, and her family. As part of this community, Gloria was able to make Zitlally's voice ring true. Gloria was involved in helping me with this book way back in the idea stages for the original English version, and it's so fitting that she's the one bringing it to the Spanish-speaking world.  I adore Gloria, and I feel so grateful and honored that we were able to bring this labor of love to fruition!

You can see details on the Scholastic website here.

It's also available for pre-order on Amazon here.
You can see a summary, reviews, and awards for STAR IN THE FOREST here.
Here is Gloria's website.

Gloria dancing at my release party for The Lightning Queen
¡Ahora, en español! ¡Mi libro ESTRELLA EN EL BOSQUE va a ser publicado el 30 de augosto del 2016!!! ¡Es un sueño hecho realidad para mi!!! 
¡Es mi primer libro traducido al español, y estoy muy pero MUY emocionada! ¡Y una de mis mejores amigas tradujo el libro.... la maravillosa Gloria García Díaz!  Aquí
está la nota sobre la colaboración de Gloria y yo que aparece en el libro:
La autora, Laura Resau, y la traductora, Gloria García Díaz, han sido amigas muy cercanas y compañeras de escritura por más de una década, incluso desde que Gloria era su estudiante en las clases de ESL. A través de los años, Gloria ha retroalimentado los manuscritos de Laura, basada en su valiosa perspectiva como inmigrante con familiares indígenas al sur de México. Sucesivamente, Laura ha ayudado a Gloria con su escritura y proyectos de traducción, que incluyen libros ilustrados y memorias.  Gloria y su comunidad fueron gran inspiración para Estrella en el bosque. Desde el principio, ella trabajó con Laura para contar detalles de la vida real. La traducción de Gloria es especial porque ella vive en el parqueadero de casas móviles que inspiró el escenario de Estrella en el bosque. Como ella pasa por el tipo de luchas que Zitlally y su familia enfrentan, ella pudo hacer que la voz de Zitlally en español sonara auténtica.Esta traducción fue un trabajo de verdadero cariño. Gloria derramó su corazón en ella y cuidadosamente repasó cada palabra con Laura, con la esperanza que después de todo, algún publicador mostrara interés. (¡Gracias, Scholastic!). Su colaboración celebra los lazos de amistad y creatividad que pueden crecer por encima de cualquier frontera o límite que construya nuestra sociedad. 
Sobre la traductora: Gloria García Díaz es una escritora bilingüe, danzante folklórica y cantante de canciones mexicanas. Escribe poesía, historias y memorias, y tradujo el libro Mamis Felices por Kathleen Pelley. Viene de la Ciudad de México y está muy orgullosa de sus raíces indígenas. Ahora vive en Colorado con su esposo y su hija pequeña. Para más información, por favor visita a Gloria en: GloriaGarciaDiaz.blogspot.com . ***

Un resumen del libro:
Zitlally se siente muy solita.  Papá ya no está para susurrar con ella en el lenguaje de las estrellas.  Y Mamá siempre está hablando por teléfono, preocupada.  Y las hermanas de Zitlally  sienten tanto miedo como ella.  Todos están pensando en ese día.       El día que detuvieron a Papá por pasarse los límites de velocidad.     El día que la policía descubrió que Papá era un inmigrante sin papeles.     El día que la familia de Zitlally supo que Papá sería deportado.     Zitlally busca consuelo en el bosque de la chatarra atrás de la traila de su familia.  Allí encuentra un perro sucio y flaco con una marca de estrella en su cuello.  Pronto, ella se da cuenta que Estrella no es un perro ordinario.  Él es como los animales mágicos en los cuentos que Papá le ha contado.  El destino de Estrella está conectado al destino de un humano.     Al destino de Papá.     Si Zitlally puede proteger a Estrella, su papá también estará protegido.     Cuando Estrella desaparece, le toca a Zitlally y su nueva amiga, Crystal, encontrarlo.  Es la única manera de que Zitlally puede estar segura de que Papá, también, regresará a casa… y una vez más, su familia será reunida. 
 Gloria giving a library presentation
Puedes ver mas detallos en el sitio de Scholastic aqui here.Tambien, puedes comprarlo en Amazon aqui here.
¡Gracias! Thank you! Hugs!
¡Abrazos!

XOXO, Laura

Family Trip to Puerto Rico!

 

Hey guys,

Ian and Lil Dude and I just got back from a 12-day spring break in Puerto Rico, and loved it.  We spent a few days in Old San Juan (for culture and history), a few days in the El Yunque rain forest (hiking and waterfalls), and a few days on the island of Culebra (beaches, snorkeling.)


There are a couple huge, cool forts in Old San Juan, complete with turrets and tunnels and dungeons and pirate history and other features perfect for a 9-year-old boy. He had a blast in the big spaces by fort and sea where he could run around like a little maniac...


The buildings in Old San Juan were deliciously candy-colored.  I'm a firm believer in painting homes cheery colors (ours is yellow)-- I wish people did this more in the U.S.! It would make wintertime less depressing, I think... and it would make houses and apartments and condos easier to find. ;-)


Can't get enough of these wrought iron, plant-filled balconies...



Pink!

 

Puerto Rico is such an easy place for overseas travel with a kid... you don't have to go through customs and immigration at the airports, you can use dollars, and you don't need any special cell phone plan (at least with Verizon we didn't.) And yet, you're in a completely different culture, immersed in a different language (well, not completely, because almost everyone seemed able to speak English here.)

 
 We took a little puddle-hopper to Culebra island-- a gorgeous ride. On the way there, I got to sit next to the pilot, and on the way back, Lil Dude did... he was over the moon!


This island was incredible-- really laid-back-- most travelers drove golf carts around rather than cars. The beaches were breath-taking, and not crowded.  There were a few we had to hike to that were particularly secluded and beautiful. We saw lots of fish and even got to swim alongside huge, graceful green sea turtles.




The hike to two of the beaches (Tamarindo 2 and Carlos Rosario) was technically off-limits because of the "unexploded ordinance", which means that there are undetonated bombs in the forest in that territory.  But everyone assured us that as long as you stay on the path, you're fine. (eek!)

 

The bombs came from the U.S. military, which did target practice on this island until about 1976.  I talked to some old-timers who remembered the constant explosions, and were relieved when they finally came to an end. Here's one of the old tanks, now a rusted work of art on Playa Flamenco.

 

We boogie boarded...


Lil Dude dug holes and built sand castles... here he made a new, local friend. He got to use some Spanish to make plans to fortify the walls. :-)

 
 We happy-danced at twilight...


We were entertained by the wild chickens who hung out with us on the beach...

 

Lil Dude really enjoys getting "battered" by waves, and enjoys it even more when I get battered. (Below, he's been knocked over and I'm about to join him...)

 We stayed at a sweet little guesthouse called Mango Fish. Our idyllic routine involved snorkeling in the mornings, having lunch in town, having relaxing siesta time (I read and wrote, Ian slept, Lil Dude read and wrote and played video games), then going for a late afternoon swim, then heading to dinner in our golf cart (aka "this bad boy.")  Lil Dude loved the golf cart-- one evening, as we were getting buckled in, he took a blissful breath and said, "A starry night, going out to dinner in this bad boy.... does life get any better?"

 

  It was so pleasant to sit on the porch and feel the breeze and hear the birds and insects (and wild chickens).  The temp was perfect-- 80 degrees and not too humid. I love these clanky old metal screen doors...

 

I truly didn't want to leave!  I'm such a beach girl at heart. In college, I lived with friends in a beach shack on the Chesapeake Bay in southern Maryland. Every morning and evening I'd walk on the beach with my dog, Nut, and we'd all track sand around the house and no one cared.

 

We also stayed a few days in El Yunque rain forest less than an hour's drive from Old San Juan. We hiked to waterfalls and old towers, saw brilliant flowers, cool animals...




Trying to fly...

 

View from the tower...


Romantic moment in the rain in dorky army surplus hats (photo credit: Lil Dude)...


Lil Dude and I giving ourselves a limpia (spirit-cleaning) in the waterfall...


 Thank you for swinging by! Hope you've been having fun adventures of your own!

Heaps o' love,
Laura

The Lauras Go to Mexico

 

Hola, queridos amigos,

Just got back from a soul-filling writing retreat in Tulum with one of my closest friends, Laura Pritchett... and it was abracadabrant! In addition to sharing my name, Laura also lives in Fort Collin, also is in Old Town Writers' Group, and also gets the winter doldrums in February (and this winter's been tough-- snow on the ground since November, plenty of days in the single digits and teens) .... and we also both had airline vouchers just waiting to be used.... So we spontaneously decided to soak in some sea and sunshine and tropical greenery and warmth together last week to lift our spirits.

 SUCH a good idea!

Laura writes books for *grown-ups* although there's some crossover with older teen audiences.... her most recent novels are Red Lightning and Stars Go Blue, and they're fantastic and you should read them (along with her other 6 books)!  More that we have in common: celestial things like Lightning and Stars in our titles, and colors like Red and Blue/Indigo in our titles... and we both have 8 books out at the moment.... and we like old stuff and Mexico (and I could go on and on).  Suffice to say, she was the perfect retreat companion!



Here's where we spent most afternoons-- reading and writing ("working") on the beach and taking occasional ocean dips and beach walks.




Passion fruit ice cream!  I love this flavor so much-- perfect mix of tart and sweet-- and the crunch of the seeds is deeply satisfying.  Here, we're on the beach chairs of the Alma hotel, but our favorite evening place for food (and magical ambiance and live salsa music) was La Zebra.

 
Before this trip, I'd just finished yet another revision of my futuristic speculative fiction YA novel, which is set on a tropical island (specifically, on a a beach, in a jungle, and in a mysterious lab facility.)  So of course I was noticing all the subtle multi-sensory details of the water so I can describe it better when I do the inevitable *next* revision.




 Seaweed has some significance in the book...


I also jumped back into my new manuscript-on-progress, which is middle-grade (ages 8-12) and involves chocolate and the Amazon rain forest.  I love working on something in a new place-- I always get interesting ideas and think more outside-the-box.  I read that working in expansive places makes your mind think in a more expansive way.... and that was definitely the case sitting with my manuscript in the expanse of sea and sand and sky.

 

So, let's see... we *did* do some things beside write and read and walk and swim.  Laura visited the cool Coba Mayan ruins, where I've already been a few times, and wrote about in another post. I went to a yoga class in this studio on the beach... behold my view from the mat!


One morning, we visited a nearby cenote (a freshwater lake connected to an underground cave system, sacred to the Maya). This one was called Cenote Encantado, and was just down the road by a campground. It was surrounded by mangroves, and supposedly there were some baby crocodiles floating around nearby. We rented out a little boat and did some snorkeling and felt minorly freaked out by the baby crocodiles (which stayed hidden).


We stayed in a simple, sweet ecolodge called Las Palmas Mayas on the side of the road opposite the beach, which was just a one minute walk away.  Woulda been nice to stay right on the beach, but this place was much, much cheaper. And it had a kitchen where we could fix ourselves breakfast and tea and snacks, which made it very budget-friendly.

View from my window:


In the courtyard area:

 

Palmas!


Always fun to check out the folk art.... I got some smaller skeletons for Lil Dude-- a snorkeling skeleton, a dog skeleton, and a guitar-playing skeleton, since that's what he's into these days. :-)

It felt so good to soak in flowers and leaves and COLOR after being in the brown and white landscape of Fort Collins for the past three months.



So grateful to Ian for taking such good care of Lil Dude all week and taking time off work for sled-riding on the snow day.  (Did I mention there was a *blizzard* while we were gone?)  


Thanks for reading!
xo,Laura

Nuance Chocolate Factory Tour!

 
Hello, dear chocolate-lovers!
Last week, I got a fascinating, personal chocolate factory tour, led by Toby Gadd, chocolate-maker extraordinaire and owner of Nuance Chocolate in Fort Collins.  His chocolate factory is located in Old Town, just a few blocks away from his storefront/cafe.  This latest adventure was part of my on-going research for my next middle-grade novel, which has a LOT of chocolate in it. 
 
You might have read about my interview with him a few months ago here (and if you haven't, you should, because it complements this post!)  He kindly offered to give me a follow-up tour of the factory itself.  Technicolor visions of chocolate paradise swam in my head.... 

Alas, there was no chocolate river to fall into, but there was chocolate-tasting....

... and there was no slightly-creepy Gene Wilder or Johnny Depp in a velvet top hat, but there was super-friendly and knowledgeable Toby in his dapper hairnet...

And now, chocolate-loving friends, I'll take you on the tour...
Welcome inside, to the cool 62 degree interior of the factory, which is a collection of small-ish rooms a bit larger than the ground floor of my house (maybe about 1000 sq ft?) We began by de-linting ourselves and putting on hairnets. 
First, Toby brought us ("us" refers to me and a journalism major and cameraman from CSU) to the room of large, orange metal barrels where he stores the beans once they arrive. As you can see, they're labeled with date and country of origin.  Nuance sources their beans from ethical and sustainable growers and cooperatives, most of which are small, and they only use one kind of bean in each chocolate bar.  They can specially tailor the process to bring out the best of each bean, which makes the flavor rich and complex and fascinating, like fine wine.   
At this stage, the beans smell sour and acidic from the fermentation process.  Each cultivar of beans-- trinitario, forestero, and criollo-- has a different smell.  The fermentation process helps to develop over 600 flavor compounds, which is essential to the final taste of the chocolate, although the palette is further modified at every stage... as you shall see!

Can I just take a moment to say how lucky I feel to live just a ten-minute walk from his shop and factory?! Nuance has ***the widest range of single-origin chocolate IN THE WORLD!***
Okay, back to the tour... The cacao beans are harvested and fermented onsite in Latin America and Africa, then shipped here in giant sacs.  Toby and his wife Alix and their few employees then put the beans in the barrels, keeping them carefully separated.  In order to avoid any icky chemicals, they use natural dry ice to prevent any insect infestations during this stage.

They are also continually getting in new shipments of sample beans from potential growers to work with.... they come in wee batches (see above).  Toby and Alix make a small, test batch (1-5 lbs) of chocolate with the beans to see if they're good enough to order in bigger quantities to use in the chocolate they sell.  Only 15-20% of the beans they try out pass this test... the bar is high!
So, next, the cacao beans are roasted at 250 to 350 degrees for 20-40 minutes, which further develops the hundreds of flavor compounds. Toby and Alix spend lots of time experimenting with the best temp and length of roasting for each kind of bean they use.  If they over-roast, the chocolate becomes bitter, for example.
I can't show you pictures of the roasting process, because it involves some *top secret stuff* and I am sworn to secrecy.  (I couldn't help thinking of those spies in Willie Wonka's factory when Toby was swearing us to secrecy. ;-)

Okay, so next, the cooled, now-brittle beans are cracked into nibs and separated from the husks.  Toby is also a self-taught inventor and creative collaborator of sorts-- important skills for small-batch chocolate makers.  With the help of resources online, he came up with a cool, hand-made machine to do the cracking and winnowing.... involving a Champion juicer, a specialty vacuum, and a blade device custom made on his 3-D printer (all approved by the FDA and the CO health dep't!) The core component of this winnower was designed and made by John Nanci (the godfather of small batch chocolate).  Toby's modifications included the additional 3-D printed parts and other parts.
Much of his equipment are cool inventions using re-purposed equipment. And this is necessary because small-batch single-origin chocolate production is such a new and creative endeavor-- a blend of art and science lovingly done by just a handful of small, often family-owned, businesses. I felt so inspired learning how these folks re-envision uses for machines and equipment, to make them fit their own purposes.
Moving right along... so, the husk by-products are then stored in plastic white buckets (see above), which can be used for tea, body scrubs, brewing beer, etc.... Toby and Alix often pass these husks along to breweries or other local small businesses they work with. It's so heartening to see how these small, artisenal and hand-crafting companies work together creatively and promote each other's products. (At Nuance's recent birthday party at a local brewery, I had the most amazing, deep, rich chocolate beer.)

(Time lapse-- I just have to tell you that I took a little break from writing this blog post to make myself a cup of hot chocolate, which I am now enjoying.  *Sigh.* I knew something was missing...)
Okay, moving right along.... So, the cute little nibs go into the grinder next, and come out with the texture and consistency of peanut butter-- this is called chocolate liquor (and has nothing to do with alcohol, incidentally.) The machine Toby uses is the red cube above, whose original purpose was supposed to be a nut grinder, but which Toby uses exclusively for nib-grinding.
Next phase of the journey-- the melanger! This is a French verb meaning "to mix." This machine has a granite stone bottom disc and vertical granite wheels.  Interestingly, it was originally supposed to be an Indian spice grinder. Again, creative re-purposing to the rescue! 
The chocolate liquor and sugar are poured into the melanger (see below) for between 60 and 90 hours, depending on the particular kind of bean.  For days, the particles of cacao and sugar are ground down to between 20-30 microns (itty-bitty), so that the chocolate feels silky-smooth on your tongue. This process also helps release the volatile compounds and aromatics, while aerating and oxygenating the chocolate.  Note the chocolate's temperature here-- just pleasantly warm, a touch above room temp, but not hot.


Toby let us do a taste test here (!!!)-- we tasted chocolate from one melanger that was only done half of its final 90 hour timeline.  We noticed that it tasted kind of fruity and bright-- it still tasted of some compounds that interfered with the intended final, smooth, rich taste. It also still had a slightly gritty texture.
We tasted chocolate from another melanger (there were several in the room), which had completed about 75 hours already.  That was much smoother-- all silk-- and tasted heavenly. Toby said he was going to stop that one soon.... if you mix it for too long-- over 100 hours, for example, then it could taste flat, losing its fruity brightness altogether.  It's a lot of trial and error, art and science. Toby and Alix work hard to figure out the perfect process for each bean to maximize its delicious potential. 
If Toby's making milk chocolate, this melanger stage is where he adds the powdered whole milk, specially ordered from Europe. You can see it's lighter in color than the pure dark chocolate above.

So next, they pour the smooth, sweet, warm chocolate out of the melanger machine, and let it dry and cool into hard chunks.  Since the chocolate is still untempered, it looks mottled white and deep brown and striated. The chunks are stored in carefully labeled plastic bags until the next step.
This is the final step-- tempering, which means the controlled melting and cooling of the chocolate.  Here are the tempering units, with extremely precise temperature controls. The chocolate can stay in here for about an hour, or, can be set on overnight mode.

Check out this one-- the EZ Temper.  It was invented by a research doctor turned chocolate maker who re-purposed incubator equipment for tempering.... very creative, no?

So now that the chocolate has the right gloss, snap, melting point.... and feels like paradise on your tongue... it's ready to be poured into the molds! They make the molds using 3-D printer-- Toby also has a design background-- he created the Nuance logo and other design elements himself. These sweet little stars are used for the tasting flights Nuance offers in their shop. They also make chocolate bars, hot chocolate mix, and truffles (using extra ingredients like spices and fine liquor from other local food-crafters.) They also make some killer hot chocolate that you can sip and savor in their cafe-- perfect on a winter's day.  

Alix and Toby aren't doing wholesale at this time, which means you need to go to their shop to procure and enjoy their chocolate.  This means that they can be as experimental and creative as they want, and continually try out new processes and recipes, like true scientist-artists.
Nuance shop/cafe is located at 214 Pine St, in Old Town Fort Collins, CO. Toby, Alix, and their awesome employees are always happy to talk with you about their chocolate- making process.  It's SO much fun to do the taster flight of chocolate-- it's like wine-tasting, but yummier, and more kid-friendly.  You learn to distinguish among the complex notes and flavors that vary from bean to bean.  This is a super-fun activity to do on a date, with friends, with kids, when family is in town, or by yourself for a treat.
If you haven't read my first chocolate research post, please check it out here so that you can get the FULL chocolate-making experience....

In case you're curious, I've got my chocolate book outline done in delicious detail, and I've written and revised about half of it.  The novel is partly set in a small, family-owned chocolate shop in a small mountain town in Colorado, and partly set in the Amazon jungle of Ecuador. I can't wait to finish it and share it with you! Thank you for swinging by....
xo,Laura  

The Lightning Queen Book Party Recap!

 

Hello everyone!

I had so much fun celebrating the release of The Lightning Queen with friends here in Fort Collins!

 

Lil Dude was the Master of Ceremonies, and did a great job introducing me, doing magic tricks, interviewing me, drawing names for prizes, playing his White Stripes song on his guitar, and generally ad-libbing jokes throughout.... He loves being onstage and has been looking forward to this for a long time.


Beautiful dancers were there doing beautiful dances!

 
(photo from Gloria)
My good friends Gloria Garcia Diaz and Julie Lee performed some gorgeous traditional Mexican dances with their troupe, Quetzalcoatl....



They were fantastic...



Gloria's rainbow dress was a thing of wonder!



And there were all ages in the troupe, which was really cool...





We're so grateful to everyone who showed up to celebrate-- what an amazing bunch of people!



There was a free-for-all dance on stage, too, and all who participated got to choose a bell as a prize.  (The bells had been in a box in our garage for thirteen years, and I figured it was time to let them go ring freely with new owners...)

 

And there was book-signing... (Thanks to Old Firehouse Books for doing such a great job with the book-selling!)


 


 photo from Gloria


Alma (right) was one of the girls who interviewed me *in Spanish* about The Queen of Water for the local Bookends TV show.  She came with her awesome friend Ivan, who's also a fan of The Queen of Water, and her sweet cousin Karen.

My heart still feels full from all the neighbors and friends-- old and new-- who came to celebrate with us!

 Dear writer friends Todd Mitchell and Teresa Funke

Longtime super-creative friend, Julie Lee 

 Fun-spirited artist neighbor Diane Findley and her wonderful husband Tommy 

  Close friend, Spanish writing partner, talented writer and translator, and dancer Gloria Garcia Diaz with her adorable daughter
 My vivacious and big-hearted 6th-grade neighbor, who's the most avid reader I know!

 More awesome neighbors-- Beth and Dan!  (We are SO lucky to live where we do.)

 And Julie with her lovely family
Afterward, there was the clean-up, which Ian did, oh-so-graciously.  ;-) (And my generous writer group friends, Laura Pritchett and Kayre Cattrell were life-savers helping me set up, but somehow they escaped being photographed!)



Thank you to all of you who were there in body and spirit!

Lots of love,
Laura

 photo from Gloria