NEW WRITING CONTEST!

There is a new essay contest winner for ages 9-19. The winner will receive an autographed copy of Rogelia's House of Magic and a friendship bracelet. The answers lie within the pages of Rogelia's House of Magic. Write an essay, at least 150 words, explaining how or why the clothing of each protagonist (Fern, Marina, and Xochitl) reinforces their characterization. Deadline: August 29.

LAST WINNER:

With Rogelia's House of Magic due to be released in less than two weeks, I challenge you to write another essay about 150-200 words. The winner will receive an autographed copy of Rogelia's House of Magic and a friendship bracelet.

The question is: why and how are friendships and magic related?

WINNNER!

Here's the amazing winner for the essay contest!! A free autographed copy of Rogelia's House of Magic AND a friendship bracelet.

MY SPIRIT AWAKENING

By Melanie L. , 14 years wise

I have been trying to find my spirit animal (or animal totem) for ages; ever since my mom first bought me The Teen Spell Book and The Enchanted Diary, both by Jamie Wood. She explains how everybody has their own animal guide, and you can try to find out what yours is in many different ways. You could possibly receive a vision of it, meet it in a dream, or you could just pick an animal you have always been fond of.

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> Q - This may seem to be a silly question for you, but I really am not familiar with magic. I have heard about curanderas before, but I noticed that some of your other books have Wicca (I've heard the name Wicca before, but really do not know anything about it) in the title. Is there a connection between curanderismo and Wicca or are they different?

A - There are some similarities to curanderismo and Wicca. Number one would be their work with nature, plants in particular, for healing of the mind, body, and soul. They both use some form of chanting to get into the meditative state that promotes healing. They both believe in the Spirit World. Curanderas might call on saints or perhaps Aztec Gods and Goddesses. Wiccans ask for help and guidance from Gods and Goddesses around the world (incl. Mexican-based). Both work with energy, i.e., smudging to cleanse an area. There are some variants in the ways that Wiccans and curanderas observe the cycles of the moon and natural cycles of the Solstices and Equinoxes. They both work with symbology and ritual ceremony, though in ways that are unique to their traditions.

> Q - As I was reading Rogelia's House of Magic I knew it was fiction but based on your other non-fiction books I was always wondering if certain magical aspects were something that you created with your imagination or if it was something you had first hand experience with or knew someone capable of doing.

A - Thanks for asking this question. It was kind of the point to writing the book the way I did - to show that magic is real. I did receive a limpia from a curandera that was similar to the one in the book. When I was a young girl, we did move to a vortex of sorts and very soon after moving, I did experience hearing a deluge of voices every night. Unfortunately, I didn't have a curandera in the room across the hall, and eventually my room became soo very cold that I got scared and began sleeping with a Bible under my pillow. Plus I had an rather blunt nana, a tarot reader and psychic, who told me when I was sixteen. "Well, honey, the reason you're such a bitch is because you've got all those spirits living with you in your room." Bless her. That's when I realized that teens interested in magic really need a mentor to explain these things properly. There is nothing frightening about spirits living with you and you always have the ability to tell them to get lost. Let's see, using theories outlined in the book The Celestine Prophecy, I have seen auras. I do have a lovely relationship with faeries and in fact plan on attending a Fairie Festival in two weeks, promoted by Brian Froud (think Labyrinth or Dark Crystal). I haven't translated bird talk, but there are time I think I get the gist of their meaning. Most days I listen to my intuition, sit in the silence or in nature, just to be.

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> Got a question? email me at jamie@jamiewood.com

JULY -- "I believe in God only I spell it Nature"
- Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) architect, author, educator

The word "spell" has it's roots in the meaning to "speak" and "to signify." Spells in magick are the same. You are speaking of the things you want. We use rhyme to get out of our logical mind that says "it can't be done." Those of us who are deeply connected to the magic in nature, often find ourselves drawn to faeries, to the funky creatures living in forests, trees, streams, or underground. Hugging trees, believing with all my might that I was hugging the spirit that lived inside, is how I began my start in magick.

In summer, faeries are very active. Just look at the abundance and life buzzing around gardens and flowers and you'll see what I mean. Now, I want to get something straight here. There is no right way to "see the faeries." People connect with faeries differently. Some people see balls of light. Other people see the winged creature before them plain as day. Others see movement out of the corner of their eyes, but when they turn, the faeries vanish. Some people see the faery or sprite more clearly if they close their eyes. Some people see fuzzy wavy lines or something. And I'm sure there are a dozen other ways. Here are two interactions with faeries that I have had. My hope is that you will comes to understand the ways faeries have been trying to talk with you.

A long time ago I had these really cool bell chime that I used to ring and call out "Calling all Faeries! Calling All Faeries!" Then I would run around my lawn or visit with the flowers and tell them how pretty I thought they were or just sit peacefully and imagine the faeries all around me. I'm the kind that sees faeries out of the corner of my eye and I was impatient to see a solid faery. So, after awhile when nothing exciting happened I stopped visiting as often. Then one night, I was feeling pretty bad about neglecting my little friends so I went out to ring the bells and call the faeries. "Please give me a sign to show me you aren't mad at me," I called out into the night. Right then the phone rang, so I went to answer it. A friend of mine was in distress. She had hired someone to play the Birthday Faery for her daughter's third birthday and the girl had cancelled and would I please, please come be the Birthday Faery. I asked her to hold on a second. I ran outside and yelled THANK YOU!! to my faery friends then went back inside to agree to be a faery.

Last year we were camping in the Sequoia National Park, a forest of the tallest and widest trees in the world. At night I try to use the moonlight as my guide instead of a flashlight. It makes me feel more connected with nature. After it had gotten dark, I start walking to the bathroom, only there isn't a lot of light. All of the sudden I hear this horrible screaming in my head. It's so loud I stop instantly. I put my hand in front of me and mere inches away is a pretty big tree. It's not the biggest tree in the forest, otherwise I would have felt the roots, but big enough to have hurt very badly had I smashed into it. Of course, I hugged the tree and walked a little slower after that. Next morning I brought a little water to the tree that had kept me from getting hurt. I noticed then that that tree was one of many that stood in a circle that felt very magickal indeed.

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You can pre-order the ebook for Rogelia's House of Magic! »CLICK HERE« TO PREORDER!

"Jamie Martinez Wood has proven that she is, again, a contemporary curandera straight out of Cali; with magical powers to cast an intoxicating spell over the most reluctant reader in your family.They will want more. Rogelia's House of Magic is one part heart-warming, two parts fun, with a hearty dose of cool. The key ingredients for a tasty read!"

- Michele Serros, author of !Scandalosa! A Honey Blonde Chica Novel

"Charming and magical...captures the essence and beauty of Latina girl friendships."

-Josefina Lopez, Real Women Have Curves & Hungry Woman in Paris

"The dialogue is natural and the girls' unwavering friendship will inspire readers... (Rogelia's House of Magic) conveys the beauty of Mexican culture and the seriousness of magical undertakings."

-Kirkus Review

READ MORE PRESS ABOUT ROGELIA'S HOUSE OF MAGIC »HERE«

MEET THE THREE APPRENTICES OF ROGELIA GARCIA
a wise old woman who holds the key to the magic of their ancestors.

VIEW BOOK TRAILER:

MARINA: the sweet yet spoiled Latina princess - she can hear the voices of dead people, and one of them is talking in Spanish. Marina knows she must interpret an important message from beyond, but how can she do that when she doesn't even speak the language?

FERN: the fiesty free-spirit - she sees colorful auras, especially around a cute boy named Tristan, a cute boys from the barrio. Fern is certain that the greyish cloud hanging over Tristan is bad news - but how can she ignore him when he's so gorgeous?

XOCHITL: the wallflower - she has the ability to turn invisible when she does not want to deal. And considering that she's mourning the untimely death of her twin sister, it's a wonder that anyone can see her at all. When Xochitl's grandmother Rogelia becomes a maid in Marina's house, she agrees to teach the girls the ways of the curandera (spiritual healer). Even though Marina and Fern are thrilled to have this chance to understand and use their powers, Xochitl isn't happy about sharing such a sacred practice with anyone but her sister. Besides, magic has let Xochitl down before - why wouldn't it now? But as she and her friends eventually discover at Rogelia's House of Magic anything is possible.

I chose to personally interview my subjects in the Latino Writers & Journalist to best capture the spark that makes them inspirational to readers, which is the point of any biography. In this way the biographical essays establish a commonality with you, the reader and hopefully inspires and encourages you to seek out and unearth their own unique gifts.

© Jamie Martinez Wood 2007