Journey to the Heart is about healing love scars, discovering one’s inner powers, and above all, coming into contact with one’s true Self. Lucina, a twenty five year-old computer programmer, has just had a burn-out. Following her therapist’s advice, Doctor Field, she travels to Mexico in order to find answers to her many problems concerning life and love. Once in Mexico, she meets a strange woman working in a used bookstore. It is this insightful, grounded woman who will bring Lucina to new understandings about sexuality, relationships and her true inner nature.

As she begins to open up to a whole new spiritual realm, Lucina encounters Senora Labotta’s charming green-eyed herbalist son, Teleo. Her first reaction is to run away from him, but slowly she opens up and begins to let go of her fears and anxieties related to men.

Nora Caron began writing Journey to the Heart originally as self-therapy, but soon realized that her stories had key revelations attached to them, revelations that could help others deal with suffering and loss. It is her hope that through her writings, others will find courage and strength to continue to walk the path of the heart rather than the path of fear.

Extract from Journey to the Heart

“Would you like to join me?”

“Sure, one minute,” she answered, closing her journal and putting it into her little backpack. She moved a bit closer to Teleo and he turned to face her. Lucina imitated his sitting position, placing her legs Indian style.

“Tell me, why did you come to Oaxaca?” Teleo began softly, his eyes semi-closed.

“I came because I needed to take a big break from my life,” Lucina replied, staring at the moving waters.

“Señorita…”

“Please Teleo, call me by my name, Luci.”

“Okay, Luci. My mother told me that you had a bad experience with your boss. I’m sorry to hear that. Is this why you hate men?”

Lucina quickly looked into his eyes and glanced away.

Doctor Field’s voice echoed in her head again; “Follow your instincts instead of your fears. Your instincts are usually right. If you want to say something, say it instead of churning it over and over.”

Lucina sighed and replied that she had started hating men at the early age of fifteen. Men had ruined her soul, she told Teleo, and there was nothing to be done about it except try to forget the past. She looked at the deep blue water whirling by them. Teleo was silent for a few minutes, respecting Lucina’s moment of meditation.

“Luci, you know that life is one big test?” he finally said. “It’s a test to see if you will fall into the pit of fear, or if you will climb the mountain of love. To climb is harder than to fall.”

Lucina stared down at her hands and felt them trembling slightly. His words penetrated deep into her being, and she suddenly felt like she wanted to run far away from the charming Mexican man sitting a few feet away from her. She tried to avert his radiant eyes. For the first time since she had arrived in Oaxaca, she felt her guard dropping and heard a familiar voice screaming at her not to let her walls down. Lucina pushed the voice away.

“The mountain is a wonderful place, but it takes courage to climb,” continued Teleo. “You need to make time for it, and you need to be in shape. You must be aware that years can go by before you reach the top. Once you reach it, you see the most beautiful thing: you see the world, you see the sky, you see everything. Love is everything.”

“Yep,” Lucina answered somewhat sarcastically, feeling her old self again. “So I take it you’re in love?”

His eyes became sad, and he quickly looked up at the sky.

“I once knew a woman. I thought she was my soul mate. She was a beautiful woman…” his voice trailed off. “She and I were engaged to be married. One day, a man came and took Patricia’s heart away. She married him instead. I was very angry at that man, and wanted to kill him. In the end, my mother helped me to forget about my anger and made me remember that we can’t control love. She even promised me that one day, I would meet my real soul mate.”

Lucina asked him why he believed in soul mates when the woman he had loved had left him for another man. Teleo remained silent for some time, then said softly that he believed in soul mates because he had always felt the presence of a woman near him in his most lonesome moments. Lucina almost burst out laughing, and turned her face away from his, trying to be serious again. She pointed out that maybe what he was feeling was the Virgin Mary consoling him after his loss. Teleo didn’t laugh. Be serious, Lucina, she told herself. He is not joking so try to be serious.

His eyes rested on Lucina again.

“Believe what you want to believe and it will happen to you. Believe that you will love, and you will. Believe that you will live forever, and you will. Belief makes the world turn round.”

Somewhat uncomfortable again, Lucina threw a stone into the tumultuous waters and watched it disappear into the swirling darkness.

Reviews

“There’s a point where it all just isn’t worth it any more, and it’s time to run away. Journey to the Heart is a novel telling of Lucina who does just that. The story follows her life of beginning anew after a life where everything was simply so terrible it wasn’t worth the time. She meets a teacher who begins to show her a path to happiness in life, making Journey to the Heart an offbeat novel many a reader will enjoy. “

(Midwest Book Review, Oregon, WI, USA)
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“Ms. Caron weaves a wealth of interesting characters throughout the book, from the neurotic mother to the always-optimistic psychologist who is too much to bear for Lucina. The story heats up soon after Lucina meets Senora Labotta, who seduces Lucina away from her scientific and technological ways of viewing life. Only then does she begin to live and experience the rewards of real living with Labotta as her guide.

I highly recommend you pick up this novel if you long to find deeper meaning and greater fulfillment in life. You will certainly lose yourself in the world that Ms. Caron creates with such mastery.”

(The Toronto Quarterly, Issue I, Canada)
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“In her debut novel, Journey to the Heart, Nora Caron challenges the conventional model of the happily-ever-after story by . . . well, she creates her own fairy tale and with her in-search-of-the-real-thing protagonist, Lucina, we are guided through the labyrinth of illusions and disillusions that many encounter in our modern age.

Let down by life and others, 25 year-old Lucina finally makes a break, leaving behind a neurotic mother, shallow friendships, a pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps psychologist, and courageously sets off into the unknown. Only then does Lucina by chance meet her real guide, Señora Labotta, who with the mysterious spirit of many great teachers, seduces the curious Lucina away from her linear scientific and technological way of seeing and believing and into a life of adventure, spirit and reward.

Journey to the Heart is all about kissing frogs, seduction, and the quest for wholeness. This refreshing novel is sure to quench the thirst of many people, young and old, longing to find deeper meaning and greater fulfillment in life. Be sure to order your copy in advance from your local bookstore or from a host of on-line booksellers.”

(Mel Mathews, author of LeRoi, Menopause Man and Samsara)

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“Lucina Pilano is an attractive, 25-year-old computer professional living in Montreal where she appears to “have it all.” But appearances are deceiving. Having it all includes a burn out, a therapist, a neurotic mother, a string of noxious relationships with men, and many dark thoughts.

Blackness shadows her as a close companion. “I wish I were blackness itself,” she muses. “Then I could maybe pass off as being something other than empty and dead inside.”

Her therapist suggests a trip to Oaxaca City, in southern Mexico, for sunshine, energy and a fresh perspective. Though Lucina packs the dark thoughts in with the rest of her baggage, a providential meeting with Oaxaca bookstore owner Señora Labotta jolts her out of the tourist stasis of a typical vacation. The bookseller invites Lucina to check out of the hotel and camp on her property outside of town. In the mythic sense, this invitation is Lucina’s “call to adventure.”

While Lucina is not destined to become a sorcerer in Mexico, fans of Carlos Castaneda and Taisha Abelar will recall that the physical perils of adventures in wild places there fade into insignificance compared to the demons given free rein during the accompanying inner journey. As natural healers and spiritual teachers, Señora Labotta and her son Teleo are, in a sense, the magical beings who await all serious seekers who dare to step outside the safety of the city gates.

In the “Star Wars” saga, young Luke Skywalker asks the Jedi Master Yoda what dangers he will find within the forbidding swamp. “Only what you take with you,” Yoda replies. Lucina takes a head full of fears and naïve fairytale dreams with her to Mexico; so it is that her journey within, her “Journey to the Heart,” is a frightening undertaking with no guarantee of either sanity or survival.

In this poem of a debut novel, Nora Caron has given birth to Lucina, an engaging young woman who must lose herself to find herself. If she’s successful, the road she travels will carry her a lot farther away from her unfulfilling life in Montreal than Oaxaca City.

While details vary, many readers have been where Lucina’s coming from. They will cheer for her, and if things go well for her, perhaps they will follow. Between now and then, Caron’s words are good company and her story is hypnotically heartfelt.”

(Malcolm R. Campbell, author of The Sun Singer)
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“With lucid, flowing prose Nora Caron delves deep into the rift between men and women, while never losing a sense of optimism and wit. Disenchanted with life, and wounded by a string of passionate affairs, the protagonist Lucina packs her bags and leaves for Mexico. Amid the incense-laden aisles of a bookstore in Oaxaca she encounters Señora Labotta, gatekeeper to a world far from the routine of a Canadian suburb. All too familiar are the flirtations of Teleo, Señora Labotta’s handsome son, and yet this time the rules have changed. Esoteric pursuits into the nature of sexuality and love open Lucina’s eyes to her most intimate issues and shake the foundations of her pragmatic view of life. For Señora Labotta is not merely a guide, but a catalyst: the whetstone upon which Lucina sharpens her sense of self. And the transformation that takes place is as real, and as colorful, as the blossoming of a flower.”

(Anthony Marais, author of The Cure and Delusionism)
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“If you’ve seen the movie The Number 23, you know that the concept revolves around a guy who picks up a book in a bookstore, and then becomes convinced it’s really about him. Not just that he can relate to it, but that it’s about HIM. Well, I had this same experience while reading Nora Caron’s debut novel, Journey to the Heart, and I think anyone who has lost at love and embarked on a physical journey to get over the pain will feel the same.

But Journey to the Heart is not just the story of an individual’s path to healing. It also acknowledges the societal undercurrents that are making relationships in general more challenging. For example, in her session with her therapist, Dr. Field, he tells her, “Get a life. Computers are not living things. They are dead things. They keep us busy but a human challenges us, a human being confronts us with who we really are…Computers just help pass the time until we die.” He then orders her to go out dancing, to get drunk, and to have sex. Basically, he’s telling her to live.

What struck me about reading Journey to the Heart was that it seemed so real. I didn’t feel as if I were reading a story, but eavesdropping on someone’s actual path to self-realization. If you enjoyed Eat, Pray, Love, Tales of a Female Nomad, or even Unplugged, you’ll enjoy Journey to the Heart. Who knows? It may even prompt you to finally embark on your own journey! ”

(Nancy Whitney-Reiter, author of Unplugged)
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“Journey To The Heart is a brilliantly written novel by Nora Caron. Spiritually explosive and introspective. Lucina, a 25 year-old woman from Montreal, travels to Oaxaca City, Mexico, on the advice of her therapist, Dr. Field, who insists she take a vacation after a series of inhibiting relationships with people in her life.

Once in Mexico, she meets a mysterious, yet deeply insightful woman, Senora Labotta, and her son, who offer her a place to stay, and teach her how to look within and grow strong in spirit.

Nora has the ability to write in such a way the reader is strategically taken to a place of recognition in the character’s make-up, thoughts, emotions, and experiences. One travels with Lucina, and becomes the character, seeing the sights, smelling the smells, feeling the feelings, tasting the foods, and experiencing the emotional hindrances and growth.

Truly, this is the mark of a great writer and a powerful story. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a guideline toward their own spiritual fulfillment.”

(Dorothy Jo Miller, Wyoming, USA)
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“Love is a complex affair and sometimes deceiving and disappointing when we don’t find our true soul mate. Soul mates. That’s the magic theme and the novel Journey to the Heart underlines this notion very clearly. This great book teaches us the importance of our souls when choosing love. The outside realm is not all; sadly, in these modern days spiritual meaning is almost ignored and young generations fall in the “shell trap”. Many people think that true love is not important anymore or they don’t give love the importance that it deserves.

On the contrary. To love is a pretty important decision in our lives. It should have the same level of importance as our career choice and job as well , and of course like all in this life we have to stumble sometimes in the path to find true love, but failure doesn’t exist- only different results exist. And that’s the only way that we will find success, that’s the only way that we will find true love, by trying.

Nora Caron’s talent for writing and describing is outstanding. She takes you into the story in an incredible clear and detailed way. We need to keep track of this writer’s future books. Her literature is fresh and innovative and forces you to think.

Thumbs up!”

(David Flores, Mexico City, Mexico)
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“In todays fast moving online world, taking the time to pick up a book is no easy thing. Especially when the book in question is a first novel by an unknown Canadian girl. But don’t let that fool you. This writer has a bright future. Caron’s book will grab you, not by the lapels, but by the gentle influence of clear writing and an appeal to the romantic in all of us.

With a combination of the mystical teachings of Carlos Castaneda, and the bodice ripping page turners of Danielle Steele, this book avoids melodrama while exerting a peaceful, sweet spiritual feeling that leaves the reader satisfied and full. I predict it will especially appeal to young women of all stripes, as the protagonist Lucina is the kind of kung fu kicking, strong and willful girl that young women wish they could be, and men wish they could have. The action is seen through her eyes, and takes us from her heartbreak to enlightenment, all without cliches or heavy handedness.

As a man, I prefer gun battles and action, but this story instead puts you inside the head of a three dimensional girl, her loves, and her heartbreak, which, as it turns out, can be just as fascinating, and very illuminating. The setting of rural Mexico adds an exotic and earthy tone, and the characters are all recognizable, and overall, I would say this journey is one well worth taking.”

(Ingo Neuhaus, California, USA)
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“I fell in love with this book from the first chapter. The reader lives the journey of Lucina, a young woman at the end of her rope as she flees from her cold, empty urban existence to warm and welcoming arms in Mexico. Lucina’s plight is all too familiar today, as that of an urbanite who has been subjected to a society in which one is forced to surrender oneself to the existence of a ‘human doing’ rather than a human being. The story follows Lucina on her adventures as she stumbles her way back to an existence of wholeness through a quirky sequence of events that help her to allow her heart to bloom for the first time. This novel, heart-warming as the rays of the Mexican sun, is laced with charms and delights that elevate Nora Caron’s work to rival that of Paulo Coehlo and Kahlil Gibran. It is simply a must-read.“

(Jocelyn Taitt, Vancouver, Canada)
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“This was such a romantic/adventure story. The characters claim your heart quite early and hold you there to the very end. It is about a young woman who has so much trust and faith in people and relationships only to be torn apart. Lonely and disillusioned, she dives deep into her work and shuts off her heart. At the advice of her doctor, she finds herself thrown into a new adventure far away from her home. There seem to be more forces at work here than she is able to understand.
The mysterious and whimsical characters who enter into her life and heart embrace her as their own and their cultural lessons are not like anything she has ever experienced before. Through them, she is able to empty the pain and fear she has locked within herself for much too long. You will find yourself wanting to know more about her and what will happen next and just when you least expect it….there is a twist you would never expect! I didn’t put the book down until I had read every morsel it was feeding me.”

(Mary Friend, Tennessee, USA)
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“Journey to the Heart found me still grieving over a lost love and wondering if I should or would ever love again. I traveled with Lucina Pilano to Oaxaca City in southern Mexico, wandered that warm place with her, closed and dark. This novel worked its magic on me as Oaxaca, Senora Labotta, and her son Teleo worked their magic on Lucina, and I found myself at the end of the book forever changed.

Journey to the Heart is a gentle but powerful first novel by Canadian writer Nora Caron. Full of hard won wisdom and spiritual and emotional insight, Ms. Caron’s novel is for anyone at the place of betwixt and between, living and dead, loving and hard-hearted. Journey to the Heart asks you to make a choice: will you take a chance, will you live, will you open your heart? Sometimes, even against our better judgment we do, and the world, and life, and love open up to us.

As I was finishing the book, lazy in the sun of my mother’s patio, water sounds and everyday noises all around me, I was visited by a fearful buzzing, louder than a bumblebee. So near the end, I kept reading. Again and again the buzzing came close and then faded. Finally, I looked up and was confronted by a large, metallic green beetle hovering nearby. In fifty years, I had never seen such an insect. It danced and hovered beside me for what seemed like minutes and then flew off. Later research on the internet indicated that this was probably a Fig-eater Beetle, a member of the scarab family. A visit by a scarab in Huntington Beach, nowhere near figs and fruit? The symbol of rebirth visited me and I realized at that moment that I too had been reborn and was ready to live and love again.

I am eagerly looking forward to Caron’s next magical novel.”

(S.M Cross, California, USA)