Lori Eshleman has had a strong interest in Latin American culture since attending "Fiesta Day" parades on Mexican Independence Day in her home town of Sterling, IL. She spent summers in Ecuador over a period of years, and received a Ph.D. in Art History from the University of Minnesota. Now she lives in Tempe, Arizona, and teaches at Arizona State University, including courses in Mexican art, art of the Americas, and medieval art. She enjoys writing about themes of cultural, ethnic and religious encounter. Her first historical novel, Pachacuti: World Overturned (Bagwyn Books, 2015), draws on her experiences in Ecuador and on extensive research into the period of 18th century Andean life. Her sources include historical chronicles, travel narratives, works of anthropology and religious studies, and folklore. She also draws on religious festivals, rituals, and shamanic traditions in Ecuador. The novel is set in the lush landscape of Ecuador with its volcanoes, cloud forests, jungle rivers, and exotic plants and animals; and in the baroque city of Quito with its many gilded churches. Reviewer James Thomas Stevens says of her novel, "Deftly weaving history with strong characters in conflict with both class and race, Eshleman returns the human elements, both inhuman and humane, that are so often stripped away from history. This novel is a pachacuti, a world-turning, in itself, leaving the reader dazzled beneath a fiery Andean sun..." See her Interview at ASU Magazine: https://magazine.asu.edu/blog/arts-cu... See her Interview in ASU News: https://asunews.asu.edu/20150325-eshl... See her Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/lorieshlmn/... Review in ASU Magazine: https://magazine.asu.edu/december-201... San Francisco Book Review: http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com... Portland Book Review: http://portlandbookreview.com/2015/08... See her facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/lori.eshleman1 Author Page on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/lorieshl...