By Jo Mixon
“The Cochabama Conspiracy”
Brinn Colenda and I had a nice visit this week. I didn’t have him teach me anything about his Real Estate profession because I was more interested in the fact that he is now a published author! I thought you would also find that interesting. As newlyweds, Brinn and his wife Linda came to Angel Fire for a visit. Each on their own had an epiphany as they drove over the pass, that Angel Fire and the breathtaking valley in which it resides was where they one day wanted to live. Prior to leaving Angel Fire that first visit, they purchased a lot and a timeshare; and they promised each other to return as often as possible. Over the course of the next eleven years, they kept that promise, returning yearly to ski – even during the years they lived in Bolivia!
When Brinn retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the United States Air Force in 1995, Angel Fire, NM became their permanent home. Brinn and Linda brought with them their three young sons, ages five and three. These young men – Cameron, Josh, and Jake – grew up on the mountain, with each of them becoming nationally-ranked skiers and/or snowboarders.
Linda is a ski instructor at Angel Fire Resort; and she also teaches Spanish, Latin, and English at the Moreno Valley High School. Brinn decided to un-retire and get his real estate license in 1996. He told me he did that because he was a believer in Angel Fire. He said, “We came here on purpose. We are living our dream!” He wanted to share that dream with other people. For many years he was also a ski instructor at Angel Fire Resort. He is still active as a Mountain Host during the winter season. Brinn says being a Mountain Host gives him yet another venue to promote Angel Fire by greeting the guests, and helping to insure they return year after year. And the guests do return, many to purchase property. Brinn’s vision for Angel Fire is infectious.
Living his vision is also the reason he decided to run for a Village Council position earlier this year. He said he felt the village had some challenges, and he wanted to help with those challenges in a positive manner. Brinn was elected to a four-year term beginning March 2012.
With all this being said, he now adds to his list of accomplishments a newly released book, The Cochabamba Conspiracy. It is the first novel in what he hopes to be a series of six. The story takes place in Bolivia during the Napoleonic Wars. It is a blend of fact and fiction. Many of the events in
The Cochabamba Conspiracy actually happened. Others he created for the storyline or altered to minimize embarrassment to the original participants.
The book has already received a Southwest Writer’s Contest Award. Phaedra Greenwood, author of Beside the Rio Hondo, says, “It’s a compelling novel of foreign intrigue, part of a trilogy that leaves the reader hungry for more.” Brinn says the series will chronologically and inter-generationally follow a family of American immigrants through the years. The Shuter Library in Angel Fire held a book reading last night and another will be held January 24, 2013 in Taos at the Harwood Museum. This event will be sponsored by S.O.M.O.S and will also include an appearance by popular author Michael McGarity.
The Cochabamba Conspiracy can be purchased at www.brinncolenda.com or at Amazon. Brinn would like for you to “Like” the FaceBook page at https://www.facebook.com/TheCochabambaConspiracy?fref=pb.
Buy Yours Now!
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