For God and Hummingbirds

Hello,

Yes, I know it seems like forever since I posted a blog. I hope this one finds you all well, and experiencing life in some new way.

Here is what is going on with me.

The Book Update: The title of my first novel is Harvesting the Hummingbird. I finally completed the first draft and it is now being revised for all the fun stuff like sentence and paragraph structure and clarity. Then on to the editing phase and to my beta readers.  My beautiful daughter-in-law is working on my cover design centered around a fabulous photo generously shared by my fairy godparents Donna and Stu McNicol. It actually is Stu's photo and I can't wait to see what Sarah is able to do with it for a cover design.

I am writing this book, the first in a series, with a coauthor. His name is Sloan Moorland and he has been invaluable with helping me capture and portray the male psyche. As well as keeping me motivated.

The premise of the book is about a lady who escapes a bad marriage and moves to Ecuador. It is her story, as well as the story of her healing, encapsulated in the suspense of a very angry man, hell bent on finding her and making her pay for ruining his life.  If you read the short bursts of fiction through the April A to Z Blog Challenge, they are from the book. If you missed them, hop back and read a few.

I would love to be able to offer the book in September, my anniversary of arriving in Ecuador. We will see how long the editing takes. Fingers and paws crossed.

I am looking for someone very adept at photoshopping photos to help out with a photo.  I have a picture in my mind that I would like to take, but so far the weather here just isn't cooperating, so if you know how to "blend" or overlay two photos, and would be willing to help, let me know.

As for my Cuenca experience, I promised to share the "New Cathedral" with you. My photos aren't the best, but this is such a lovely place I wanted to share it with you. I have shared previously on Facebook photos of the outside of the Cathedral, but on Mother's Day it was open and we could get a look around inside. There were people worshiping, so I tried to be respectful, unobtrusive and sly while taking photos.

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is known to the locals as the New Cathedral. Construction began in 1885 and lasted 90 years when it was finally completed in 1975. There is a tremendous amount of marble in the structure, both Pink Italian marble as well as local Ecuadorian marble and lots and lots of gold. Here, see for yourself.  At the time of it's completion, it could hold 9,000 of Cuenca's 10,000 citizens.

This week begins the Corpus Christi celebration and I hope to have lots of photos to share with you soon.  Have a great week!

Cuenca, where even the dogs can go to church. I assume they should be properly clothed.

The scaffolding is where they are repairing leaks in the dome.

Paintings and Marble work inside the front dome.

This particular niche is said to be the most popular among worshipers. It is very realistic and moving.

The stained glass throughout is absolutely stunning, my photos just don't do it justice.

The inside of the Center Dome. There are 3 blue domes on the Cathedral that can be seen all through Cuenca.

These marble columns are massive.

Rick and Mom in the foreground to try to show the scale of the columns and the building.

Doors and windows on the side of the Cathedral

The front doors. This is an older pic, but I brought it back for reference. That's my mom standing on the steps, again to see scale.

~*~
Scarlett Braden in Cuenca
 Living the good life!