Today's Guest Blogger...ASHLYN CHASE!

Meow!
Today I am turning the reins over to the HUMAN's fellow author, Ashlyn Chase!  Ashlyn recently visited Panama and would like to share her experience with our readers!

So...Here's Ashlyn!  (and say hello to Lightning, Ash! MEOW!)

What I learned in Panama

Ashlyn Chase

Like many people, I didn’t know a whole lot about Panama. (Ashlyn before) “Let’s see…there’s a big canal in the skinny part of the Americas, and it cuts through the middle so people don’t have to go all the way around. It’s called the Panama Canal.” So far, so good, right? Well, no. Because that was the extent of my knowledge, I’d say not good enough. The place is well worth a closer look.

Now, politics aside (waaaay aside, if I have anything to say about it) Panama is an awesome country with beautiful beaches and hard-working people. Unlike other countries I’ve visited, there are no beggars! Not even hucksters. Well, okay one beggar—in a wheelchair. And you might find a few hucksters in the city—but I have no problem with people coming to my car window if they have something to sell…as long as they go away when I say, “No, thank you.” That was hardly the case when I visited Mexico and India.

I don’t know what it was like under Noriega because I wasn’t there, but these days Panama is doing quite well by any other emerging nation’s standards. They’d still like to be us, and by that I mean the USA, but we don’t appreciate what we’ve got one little bit and could take a lesson from the Panamanian people.

Did you know it’s not at all unusual for the average Panamanian to climb aboard a bus called a “Red Devil” and commute two hours to a job that pays them $400 to $600 a month? Yeah, that’s right. A month! I was shocked until I realized I make about as much writing as the average Panamanian does pulling weeds in the hot sun, but I have an American husband who makes up the difference…They don’t. Thank goodness their cost of living is low! Sure, I don't make 5 figures yet either, but my workday is a piece of cake compared to theirs. (95% of the big advances go to 5% of authors. The rest of us are struggling and every sale is crucial. Thank you for buying our books!)

If all you need is food and shelter, Panama is the place to be. But no…we North Americans need gourmet food, luxurious shelter, designer clothing, the latest electronics, perfectly paved roads, top-notch healthcare, at least twelve years of schooling…oh, I could go on and on, but I won’t. My blood pressure is high enough.

Seriously, I don’t want to rant, but I live in NH, and every four years we’re inundated with people telling us how badly our lives suck and how much better we’d be if only we’d give them our votes. Then finally they all go away and we can get back to our lives (which don’t suck at all if you ask the average Mexican, Indian or Panamanian.) You know what? I don’t envy the winners of our elections! Why? Because no matter what they do or don’t do, people are going to hate them, treat them like the enemy, and blame them for everything they don’t like about their lives.

If I had one wish, I’d wish that every single American could spend one month in a third world country…then come home and dare to complain about our taxes. They make possible our clean drinking water, our paved roads, our free public education, our medical research, etc. etc. etc.

Aw, crap. I ranted, didn’t I? I was trying so hard not to do that. *Sigh* Well, back to our commercial.

My latest book is called Immortally Yours and is about a beautiful French woman who has no idea why she hasn’t died after three-hundred years. She doesn’t get furry under the full moon, doesn’t drink blood, and doesn’t come from an alien planet. But now her long existence is lonely and meaningless. 

She’s ready to call it quits and needs help so that she doesn’t muck it up. Who do you go to for suicide advice? A specialist in the area, of course. So Lizette seeks out Dr. Colin Breyer, a Seattle psychiatrist who advertises his interest in unusual cases and willingness to see patients at odd hours. Lizette’s instincts are right. Colin is one of the few doctors who believe immortals exist, but he refuses to assist her suicide.

He has other ideas about how to help her, but it might spell disaster for him. Free first chapter  can be found here:

http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9862-immortally-yours.aspx

I was in Panama when this book was released and with spotty internet I had a tough time getting the word out. I’d appreciate your passing along the link to your friends who enjoy a light, hot, paranormal romance.

Thank you for this informative post, Ashlyn!

Be back Friday with another new post...and next week Caitlin Kittredge guest blogs!


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