The post below is mainly intended for students reading my Garza Twins series, but the information may be useful for others as well. Most societies in pre-Columbian Mexico (Aztec, Maya, Mixtec, etc.) used a complex system to keep track of dates. Basically there were two overlapping calendars in this system: a 365-day…
Here are some key facts about one of the protagonists of the Garza Twins series. Name: Carolina “Carol” Garza Birthday: August 10 Aztec day sign: Ce Ocelotl or “One Jaguar.” Note, however, that the twins were baptized on August 26, which falls under the sign Nahui Izcuintli or “Four Dog,”…
Here are some key facts about one of the protagonists of the Garza Twins series. Name: Juan Ángel “Johnny” Garza Birthday: August 10 Aztec day sign: Ce Ocelotl or “One Jaguar” Pronouns: he, him Orientation: straight Home town: Donna, Texas Interests: electronica music, old cartoons and comics, video games, architecture,…
What is the most likely reason Carol wakes up in her back yard with a dead jackrabbit in her hands? How has the disappearance of the twins’ mother affected their family? Why is it ironic that Johnny says, “An animal? Maybe I am one, too” in Chapter 2? At the…
Here are a few resources than can be used by teachers in connection with The Smoking Mirror Glossary for The Smoking Mirror Related readings The Mayan Hero Twins story from the Popol Vuh Condensed version Newly translated and adapted version by David Bowles Description of the Aztec Underworld from the Florentine Codex 1978 translation…
Here is a list of mythological characters, objects, places and concepts mentioned or featured in The Smoking Mirror. Acolmiztli—A black puma who leads the Balamija in the second level of Mictlan Ahuiateteo—Gods of vice and excess. ahuitzotl—(pl. ahuitzomeh) “Water dog,” a sort of magical aquatic creature with a hand at…
Here is an image from the back cover of my upcoming YA fantasy novel The Smoking Mirror. It features the twin protagonists of the series, Johnny and Carol Garza.
IFWG Publishing has just released a cover reveal of my middle-grade/YA fantasy novel The Smoking Mirror, the first book in the Garza Twins series. Here it is: Synopsis: Carol and Johnny Garza are 12-year-old twins whose lives in a small Texas town are forever changed by their mother’s unexplained disappearance.…
IFWG has announced their publishing schedule for 2015, and my upcoming YA fantasy novel The Smoking Mirror is set for release in the second quarter of the year. See specifics and learn of other titles at http://ifwgpublishing.com/forthcoming-titles/
The international small press IFWG Publishing, which specializes in speculative and children’s fiction, has picked up my YA fantasy novel The Smoking Mirror for publication in 2015.
