As a mystery author, I’ve drawn inspiration from my experiences living in Mexico and Central America, as well as travels in East Africa and the South Pacific. I’ve met amazing people, learned about different cultures . . . and seen too many communities without running water or decent sanitation. And let me tell you, I hope to never use an open pit latrine again.

Lack of running water forces someone’s life to shrink in ways you don’t think about when water is freely available. You can’t cook something that requires much water, for example, and the size and type of container used to transport water becomes very important. It can’t be too big, because then you can’t carry it, and the mouth can’t be too narrow because then it’s too hard to fill. And what if it originally held gasoline? How big of risk do you take to get water to your family?

Throughout 2014, I’m teaming with other authors to contribute part of our earnings to water.org. I’ll be tracking our progress in The Water Diaries, a monthly blog series on http://carmenamato.net/blog.

We’ve all experienced some literary success and want to use it to make a difference in a fundamental way. That’s why we’re asking you to buy a book, not only because you’ll be entertained, but because it will help us help others.

Please support the effort to bring clean water and decent sanitation to those who need it by buying one of these books this month. All titles available at Amazon.com:

-- Carmen Amato THE HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY, a political thriller

CLIFF DIVER, HAT DANCE, MADE IN ACAPULCO: the first 3 books in the Emilia Cruz mystery series featuring the first and only female detective in Acapulco:

-- Sharon Lee Johnson WELCOME TO ZOMBIE ZOO, a collection of fun and addictive zombie tales by the mistress of all things zombie

--Melissa Mayberry The gripping YA coming-of-age saga, MELLIFICA: DEVASTATING FIRST LOVE and MELLIFICA: WAIT FOR ME

No time to read? Support us in reaching our monthly goals by making a donation to this fundraiser. Thank you very much.

P.S. If you are a fellow author and would like to join the effort, we’ll cross-promote your books for the duration of your participation. Please contact me [email protected].