SOLSTICE - WHAT'S SPECIAL ABOUT IT?

Hello Thriller fans,

Thanks to everyone who wished me good luck with the VanOps team getting to appear on the Big Screen! I feel interest brewing...

Also, congrats to those who won a signed paperback of VanOps: The Lost Power! We received so many entries from the last newsletter, that we expanded to three winners: Jackie T. of MA, Kim Young of AL, and Linda R. of NV. 

There's something for everyone in today's missive: you can listen to recent podcasts, read a hot-off-the-press article in Authority Magazine, check out a passage from Solstice Shadows, and pick it up on SALE.

If you love podcasts, here's one with yours truly and Talking Books and Stuff. 

If you prefer YouTube, this podcast is with Boomers on Books.

Or we have an old-fashioned print interview with Authority Magazine:

What's all the worldwide fuss about solstice and the ancient rituals to celebrate it? To give you a flavor, here's two passages from Chapter 26 of Solstice Shadows, reprinted with permission.

Bear took a bite of pie. “I’ve always wanted to go to Machu Picchu. What’s your favorite there?”

“Tough question. There’s a building called the Torreon. The northeast window is centered on the June solstice sunrise, while the tail of Scorpius can be seen rising through the southeast stone opening.”

“That’s pretty cool. What else?”

“Ancient peoples used the skies for worship. Historical sites are full of divine planets and sacred stars. Humans had gods of rain, fertility, and storm to honor the connection between sky and earth.”

“Like the Roman gods who governed the days of the week?” Bear asked.

The last of Anu’s icy demeanor melted, and she beamed at him. “Yes. Saturn’s Day to ‘Sun Day,’ Moon and ‘Monday’, are pretty obvious, but most people don’t know that Wednesday is from the Latin ‘Dies Mercurii’, or the day of Mercury. The other days of the midweek are similarly named. Nice job.”

“Thanks. I like history. Tell us more please.”

“We’ve planned entire cities around the stars, as at Beijing and Teotihuacan,” Anu said.

That amazed Maddy. “Beijing? Really?”

“Oh, yes! Beijing’s primary axis is north-south and is laid out on a sacred cosmological plan. The Monument to the People’s Heroes, the flagpole in Tiananmen Square, and Mao’s Mausoleum are all on the main axis between the two great gates of old Imperial Beijing.”

Bear’s tone held surprise as well. “Didn’t know that.”

“Many of their architectural names read like an astronomy litany, too. Sun Gate, Gate of Heavenly Peace, Earthly Tranquility, etc.”

“Fascinating. What else?”

“We’ve tallied days using stone rings—”

Maddy interrupted, saying, “Stonehenge!”

Anu smiled. “Yes, among others. There are rings all over the British Isles and even some in Africa.”

“At least I knew one,” Maddy said.

Anu continued. “Humans have kept vigils with sun priests, buried our dead in pyramids and tombs aligned with the stars, and created temples that are physically and symbolically united, such as the solar sanctuaries of Egypt’s New Kingdom. I could go on for hours.”

“I’ve studied some of the places, but didn’t know the depth and breadth of the astronomy of those lost civilizations. I’m impressed,” Bear said.

“Don’t be impressed by me. Be awestruck by those earlier peoples and how much they knew about the ancient skies. Astronomy was a common theme across most prehistoric cultures.”

Maddy felt overwhelmed. “No wonder you called it a needle-in-a-haystack search.”

And a passage from Chapter 20:

Bear’s eyes wandered toward the pyramid. He was clearly dying to learn more about it. “What research brings you here to Chichén Itzá?”

“Where do I start? There’s El Caracol, or The Observatory, down the road. Different windows align to different celestial events, everything from summer solstice sunrise and the northernmost place Venus sets to the winter solstice sunset.” Anu looked up at the sky. “I’m hoping for a break in the weather. Like I said, I’d love to discover something new here. My career could use a big break.”

Bear nodded. “Bummer about the rain.”

Anu continued, waving her hand at the stone monument in front of them. “This is the most iconic structure in Mexico: a twenty-five-meter-high step pyramid called El Castillo. In English it’s The Pyramid of Kukulkán, also known as The Castle.” Bear opened his mouth to ask a question, but she pushed on. “And there’s much to learn throughout the entire city. Maya watched the skies, had sacred stars, tallied the days, and performed rituals with their temples.”

“What about the Russian doll pyramid effect?” Bear asked.

Maddy smiled to herself; Bear had studied up on the place. 

“What’s that?” Will asked.

Anu gestured with her hands. “A few years ago, using a type of penetrating radar, archeologists discovered a smaller third pyramid inside the one we already knew rested beneath this larger outer pyramid.”

Will’s green eyes lit up. “A pyramid within a pyramid within a pyramid?”

“Yes, that’s why my friends are here. I’m here to look at the winter solstice and to study what the Maya and Itzá peoples knew about the stars. Ancient civilizations can teach us many things. For instance, last year mathematicians took a closer look at a Babylonian trigonometry tablet and realized their mathematical methods were more advanced than our own.”

Will nodded his head several times. “I read about that.”

“What does this pyramid have to do with the stars?” Maddy asked.

“Nearly everything! The whole pyramid is a sacred calendar.”

“Can you elaborate?” Jags asked.

“Yes. As an example, there are four flights of stairs, one on each face of the pyramid. Each flight has exactly ninety-one steps. When you add the top platform, you get 365 days in a year.”

Jags tilted her head. “That’s fascinating.”

“It is. Another example. There are eighteen terraces on each side of the stairways, equating to the number of months in the Maya religious calendar.”

Bear swatted a mosquito. “That’s neat, but isn’t the real spectacle here at the spring and fall equinox?”

Anu favored him with the first genuine smile Maddy had seen from the woman. “Yes. Thousands gathered then and now. The Maya aligned the pyramid to make a special optical illusion during those times. As the sun sets, the terrace corners cast diamond-patterned shadows, representing the body of their feathered serpent god, Kukulkán.”

Maddy pointed to the bottom of the stairs. “Do those huge carved snake heads help the illusion?”

“That they do.”

“What about winter solstice?” Maddy persisted. 

“Similar thing, smaller scale. This pyramid has two sides bathed in light, two in darkness.” Anu pointed southwest, along a path. “But see the smaller pyramid over there, the Ossario?”

They all nodded. 

“Late in the afternoon of winter solstice—today if the weather clears—a serpentine shadow can be seen wriggling its way down the face of the structure on one of those balustrades.”

Maddy could imagine the cheering crowd and the magic as the sun moved lower and created a magnificent snake god. “Too bad we won’t be able to see it.” From the pained look on Bear’s face, she could tell he agreed. 

‎Anu shook her head. “It is. The effect will last for another day or two. No more. That pyramid has only been reconstructed in the last twenty years. I’m here to study the phenomenon, along with the fascinating observatory I mentioned earlier. The design of El Caracol is unique in the world. There is much for me to study here.” Anu opened her notebook. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” 

She collected a few dimensions from the ancient stone pyramid with a yellow tape measure, jotted them down, and then led them back toward camp. 

While they walked back along the gravel path, Anu again rubbed her upper arm. Now the spot looked red and a little swollen. 

“Is your arm okay?” Maddy asked. “I have some salve in my purse.” 

Anu looked at her arm, frowning. “No, I’m fine. Just a nasty mosquito bite. You get them out here,” she said with a hint of patronization. 

Maddy already had a few bites herself, so she changed the subject. “Bear, you mentioned the star chart doesn’t relate to any known constellation. Is that right?”

Bear looked at Anu. “Yes, that’s why we thought you might be able to help.”

Anu looked down at her dirty khakis. “I’m sorry. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m sure you could find someone more qualified.”

“What if your assistance could lead us to your uncle Ravi’s killer?” Jags asked.

Anu froze, and looked at Jags with wide, shocked eyes.

To further celebrate solstice, and the 50th anniversary of the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark (Author Tracey Phillips called Solstice Shadows "A modern-day Raiders of the Lost Ark), my publisher has put Solstice Shadows on sale through Tuesday on Amazon.

Click here and enjoy the ride!

May the light of the longest day of the year fill your soul and lift your hearts,

PS - If you loved Solstice Shadows, you can vote for it and four other favorites in this year's Killer Nashville Readers' Choice Awards. Thanks in advance!