In 1992 when the original hit the stands, it was a dream come true. We, Latinos, finally had our own Tolstoy, Faulkner, our modern day Marquez. And now Beyond Rain of Gold (April 2011) takes us on an ancestral magic voyage “beyond” the original. It begins with the funeral of Villaseñor’s father, who announced his own death on New Year’s Eve and then passed over three months later. This event becomes the catalyst for an amazing journey of discovery and initiation, taking us back to an indigenous understanding of what it was like to live in the Americas before Columbus – plus telling the incredible story of Villaseñor’s perseverance that it took for the original Rain of Gold to be published. This is a monumental work! A must read!

    Since the publication of Rain of Gold, Villaseñor has received numerous awards and was appointed the Founding Chair of the National John Steinbeck Institute. The book has sold over 500,000 copies and has become one of the most successful books ever by a Latino author. Rain of Gold is currently being made into a seven hour HBO miniseries.

    Villaseñor was born in California to Mexican parents during the 1940s. During his childhood in Oceanside, CA, he confronted bigotry and a cultural barrier combined with dyslexia. Villaseñor was lost until he went to Mexico and discovered a wealth of Mexican culture and heritage. At the young age of 19, he made a pact to become a writer and after receiving 265 rejections Villaseñor sold his first novel, Macho!, which the Los Angeles Times compared to the best of John Steinbeck. Today, Villaseñor has published 15 novels, biographies, and children’s books, and has twice been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. To describe him and his work as brilliant is an understatement. Beyond Rain of Gold, like the original, is destined for greatness.

    Beyond Rain of Gold is a thrilling journey of real life magic and “beyond,” with Villaseñor’s father becoming his Spiritual Teacher just as Don Juan was Carlos Castaneda’s Spiritual Teacher.

    A series of miraculous encounters convinced Villaseñor that not only is there no firm line between life and death-but that the time has come in our collective “human-story” to usher in a new era of abundance, peace, and harmony on our beloved Mother Earth and among all of humanity!

    His new partnership with publisher, Hay House, is a perfect fit. Hay House is the fastest-growing self-help and spiritual publisher in the world, selling their books in more than 35 countries. Hay House also publishes bestselling authors Lousie Hay, Wayne Dyer, Suze Orman, Doreen Virtue, Jerry & Esther Hicks, Marianne Williamson, Tavis Smiley, and Corel West.

    Ultimately, Beyond Rain of Gold is a transformational, magical journey into our “beyond.”