Story behind the book

The Amulet of Cananea was inspired by a painting by Rico Tomaso entitled “Carmelita”. It is used on the cover of the book. During a Cinco de Mayo weekend in Annapolis, 6 friends got together for a fiesta and a yard sale version of the painting was a centerpiece. It got me to thinking about who this woman was, where she lived, what her life was like, etc.
I used my curiosity and began to research different periods, based in Mexico in keeping with the Cinco de Mayo theme. I first wrote 7 songs that told the story of Carmelita’s life during turn of the century Mexico at the site of the Cananea copper mines. The mines happened to be the place where the first shots that eventually lead to the Mexican Revolution occurred, so I used the historical facts and built a fictional story around Carmelita, her family and the mines which lead to the revolution.
The story of the owner of the mines is fascinating. William Cornell Greene was one of the richest men in the world at the time and lived part of hi life at the Waldorf in New York (his son was the first child ever born there). He was a prospector, shot a man at the OK Corral and hobnobbed with Presidents and captains of industry such as J.P. Morgan and Rockefeller.
I am working on a sequel, and if you have the chance, you may want to take a look at the book. Hope you enjoy.