Back from Nicaragua

It was a very productive trip. Met a lot of sad, very poor people, including Maria, a mother of four who lives in this flimsy house made from sticks and plastic. You could kick it and the whole house would topple down. Maria is a single mom who works hard and managed to save US $400 for land to build the house.


But because the house is not secure and doesn't have a door that locks, Maria's 14-year-old daughter was raped inside the house and is now pregnant. Maria was in another town picking coffee. She had to leave the children alone because if Maria doesn't work, the children do not eat. We are going to build this family a new house with a steel door that locks. 


On this trip, I traveled north from the capital of Managua to the mountains of Matagalpa, where many of the coffee plantations are. We visited some remote areas where we will build houses. And while in Matagalpa, I had the chance to try "huevos de toro" soup.


Translation:  Bull testicle soup.


Not bad! Not something I'll clamor to eat again in the near future, but I'm glad I tried it. 


Before I left the country, I emailed the new Craving novella, Incubus Wolf, to my editor. This story is scheduled for release in October. 


Now I have to begin the new book, which I'm calling The Phantom Wolf. It's the second in The Phoenix Force series, about paranormals who are US Navy SEALS.