Holy-November-moly! I’m not ready for the holidays!
Stuff from Ann’s Brain…
It’s been a long, hard month here full of edits, edits, and more edits. Ugh!
In between the editing extravaganza, I’ve been doing a whole lot of research for the next Dig Site book. Here’s a few fun facts about the Maya civilization that I’ve gleaned while my head has been buried in the Central American jungle:
1. Currently, it is estimated there were 15 million people eating, breathing, working, and celebrating life during the height of the Maya Civilization.
2. The Maya understood the concept of zero by 400 CE (Current Era–or AD, as we used to call it), which put them 400 years AHEAD of the Europeans, who didn’t grasp that concept until 800 CE.
3. Maya temples often served a dual purpose as both funeral monuments and to keep track of time.
4. Jade was the most valuable object in trading, but cacao beans were also used as currency, which was fermented and turned into a cocoa bean. (NOTE: I would always be poor because I’d be turning those cacao beans into cocoa and eating them … “Ann, did you eat our savings again?”)
One of the many interesting (and often sad) books I’ve read in my research is about treasure hunting and grave robbing. One of the main questions repeated throughout the book is: Who owns the past?
Should items found in the ground leftover from long ago civilizations be left where they are (graves and grave goods especially); placed in a museum (which are often overcrowded now with storage rooms full of past pieces nobody gets to see); given to the culture who shares a history with the “treasure” to teach those who will come after them; kept by those who found them (or paid enough to have them found); or retained by those who own the land (in the US, in particular, the law somewhat allows this)?
This question has stuck with me as I continue to research archaeological digs and learn about the Maya and what is being found that the jungle canopy has kept secret for centuries.
Onto this month’s newsletter …
There is a lot of holiday fun stuff in store for you below:
A new Deadwood Mystery series book
The chance to vote for the 2025 calendar pics (and win a desk calendar)
A FREE ebook from DeborahWilde
A Holiday Bundle of Books to win
And more!
Have a Happy November!
Ann
Hang onto your hats…Violet is loose again! |
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Cops & Clobbers in Deadwood(Deadwood Mystery Book 14)“Yet another great book! So many laugh out loud moments.”~E. Boudreaux~~~Violet is back in a wild and crazy clock caper just in time for you to enjoy an escape from the holiday havoc!~~~ Violet Parker has big troubles these days—the ticking kind. To duck the Grim Reaper, she needs to get her hands on eighty-plus rare, mystical clocks locked up tight by a thick-headed detective. The solution? Highjack the truckload of ticking time bombs out from under Johnny Law’s nose. But no caper ever goes according to plan. What starts out as a game of clocks and robbers twists and turns into a chaos of cops and clobbers. Will Violet beat the detective in time? Or will she spend Valentine’s Day behind bars? ~~~ “Wow! Just when I think Violet’s world can’t get any crazier, Ann comes up with more goodies for her and the gang to handle.”~D. Smithwick~~~ How can you get your copy of Violet’s latest wild ride?**Official EBOOK Release Date: November 29, 2024**Psst—GOOD NEWS! If you don’t want to wait for the official NOVEMBER 29th release date for Violet’s new Deadwood ebook, YOU CAN GET THE EBOOK NOW in my online store ON SALE for $6.49 (US$). But HURRY, because this sale lasts only through Nov 28th! Start off your holidays with laughter!EBOOK: Available at my online store NOW or you can PRE-ORDER at the usual retailers (go to my website for links to pre-order the ebook). PRINT: Available by December 10th AUDIOBOOK: Available in Spring 2025 |
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Deborah WildeCONGRATULATIONS to the October Prize winners! The Deadwood book pack winners were: Thomas Woodward from Phoenix, AZ and Carol Hughes from Chehalis WA. I hope you enjoyed the goodies. ~Ann
*Subscribe to the newsletter to enter prize drawing and receive the download for the free books: https://anncharles.com/connect/
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