Mara Purl's Blog, page 6

Launching the Double-Double “Heart” Blog Tour

It’s that long-awaited, eagerly anticipated moment and rather magical date—10-11-12—when my new book Where the Heart Lives is just being released! All the months of writing, editing, re-writing . . . watching the beautiful new book cover manifest its shape and color . . . discussing marketing plans with my fabulous team . . . planning two back-to-back book tour segments . . . and working out the details on the elaborate blog tour . . . it’s all finally ready to launch!

Last year, when I first began blogging, of course I had to use my “head” to figure out how to do it. But the true core of my blog emerged when I realized it was all about the “heart.” As my theme became clearer, it was wonderful to ponder and share with you so many aspects of head and heart.

You might recall that last year I also did my first blog tour. It was a most extraordinary success, thanks to you, my readers, and to the gracious, dynamic blog hosts who invited me to visit their followers. We’re launching another blog tour this month, and of course I’m very excited that I’ve been invited back to some of my very favorites, and that ll be visiting some new sites.

The traditional blog tour is a true virtual tour: the “guest” author either posts an original essay for the host readers, or is interviewed by the host. I just loved every visit on that tour, and was honored to be the chosen guest. But there was more. Each one of my hosts was a fascinating, accomplished person in his/her own right. How could I thank them? By creating a reciprocal blog! So I interviewed each of them, and created something new: The Double Blog Tour. I “blogged back” each host right here on my own blog. What fun! It truly was a win-win. Having branded this special double blog, I decided to do it again. So during this next blog tour, you can look forward to reading about intriguing people in my “blog backs” of the Double Blog Tour, which might be better named the Heart-to-Heart Double Blog Tour.

Okay, that accounts for two of the hearts in this beautiful four-heart watercolor by Mary Helsaple, who paints my book cover art. What about the other two hearts? These refer to the fact that this year, instead of doing the virtual tour first and the physical tour second, I’ll actually be doing most of the book-and-blog touring concurrently! Hard to imagine how it will work to be driving down the highway from city to city, signing books, giving talks, and blogging at the same time. But it will be a new adventure!

This year’s tour will be a very special all-Independent bookstore book tour titled “Mapping the Journey of Your Heart.” My new book, Where the Heart Lives, is both a physical travelogue of my protagonist Miranda Jones, and the journal of internal travels in which my characters are re-mapping their emotional lives, figuring out where they are on their own professional maps, and putting a magnifying lens on the overall map of their lives. (Note the cover image is a map of California’s Central Coast with a magnifying lens over Milford-Haven.)

While my characters are experiencing the fictional map, I’m inviting you, my readers, to reexamine the non-fiction map of your own lives. Has your heart been tugging at you to travel to a special place? Do you find your surroundings inspire and nurture you? Do you feel a yearning for adventure? Or a pull toward a quiet retreat? Even if you can’t dash out of your house and embark on a physical trip, you can respond to your heart’s desire by joining me in Milford-Haven for an imaginative journey that can re-start your virtual “heart.”

And so . . . we’re off on a great adventure of the heart. Tune in for insights, humor, synchronicities, a few fears and challenges, some new friendships, and a new sense of connection to your own core values and beliefs. Come with me to map the journey of your own heart.

For more information on the evolving world of The Milford Haven Novels, visit my new website www.MaraPurl.com where you can subscribe to my newsletter, follow me on social media, enjoy photos and videos, discover more special offers and more.

Pre-Launch at Denver Women’s Press Club

Thanks for joining me on the 2012 MARA-thon! This includes a physical book tour through Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and California, and it includes a national blog tour. During the entire MARA-thon, please be sure to download your FREE prequel short story, When Whales Watch at www.MaraPurl.com/downloads. As of January 1, you’ll be able to find purchase links for all e-readers at http://marapurl.com/books/when-whales-watch.

This is posted from the road during my All-Indie-Bookstore book tour titled MAPPING THE JOURNEY OF YOUR HEART. Revisit the entire tour at any time by visiting www.MaraPurl.com/calendar where you’ll see event details, links to the bookstores, and soon, photo archives. Also join me on the ongoing Double Blog Tour, which will be archived at http://marapurl.com/fall-blog-tour-schedule.

Women’s rights, opportunities and access seem so much a matter of course in the twenty-first century. It’s hard to imagine there was a time when a woman could neither vote nor own property, when she enjoyed neither legal protection from domestic violence nor the legal right to make choices about her own body. When it comes to career opportunities, there’s still a glass ceiling, there are still areas of endeavor where a woman has to out perform a man just to stand even on the playing field. But at least women have long since proven their worth in the field of letters, as authors, writers, journalists, reporters, researchers and scholars.

The Denver Woman’s Press Club was founded in 1898, helping to forge the way for the opportunities and professions we now take almost for granted. The organization now boasts over 200 members of professional writers from journalists to novelists, from historians to corporate PR specialists.

Joining the DWPC comes about only from mentor to mentor, colleague to colleague, friend to friend. I’m fortunate in having Margaret Coel as mentor, colleague and friend. And I was honored to be invited to join this venerable organization. What a special delight it was to do my first event there, and to do it with Margaret! We both have new books this fall. Hers take readers back to the 16th novel in her beloved series. Set on Wyoming’s Wind River Reservation, her mysteries are jointly solved by the Arapahoe lawyer Vicki Holden and the Catholic Priest Father John O’Malley. They make an unlikely pair whose histories are inextricably intertwined with the rich history of the West.

My new book—which launches officially one week from today at the Tattered Cover in Highlands Ranch, Colorado—is book two of the Milford-Haven Novels, set on California’s Central Coast. Mine, too, contains the ongoing thread of a mystery that involves a journalist, and here Margaret’s and my stories cross-connect. She has a second series with two volumes thus far. They focus on a journalist who works in Denver.

So, here we were, two authors with journalist-protagonists who, because of their convictions and their commitment to getting “the story”, put themselves in harm’s way. During our talk, we shared a lot of information about the extensive research it takes to create the books we write. And—here, in the presence of many author and journalist colleagues—we wondered aloud just how far a journalist should go to “get the story.” From a collective perspective, given how long it look women to have the right to research and publish investigative journalism, do we still have to prove our courage and commitment? Or did Nellie Bly establish enough precedent that we can back off when we know we’re in danger? Margaret and I are both former journalists and have both, on occasion, been in harm’s way ourselves. So our work has the ring of authenticity.

It was a privilege to be in that venerable home, whose walls could no doubt tell as many stories as its members. It will be a joy to attend many more events in the future where I may listen to others’ writing tales. And it will always be special to be included in this sisterhood of writers.

For more information on the evolving world of The Milford Haven Novels, visit my new website http://www.MaraPurl.com where you can subscribe to my newsletter, follow me on social media, enjoy photos and videos, discover more special offers and more.

Indie Book Tour / Blog Tour – The MARA-thon

Thanks for joining me on the 2012 MARA-thon! This includes a physical book tour through Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and California, and it includes a national blog tour. During the entire MARA-thon, please be sure to download your FREE prequel short story, When Whales Watch at www.MaraPurl.com/downloads. As of January 1, you’ll be able to find purchase links for all e-readers at http://marapurl.com/books/when-whales-watch.

This is posted from the road during my All-Indie-Bookstore book tour titled MAPPING THE JOURNEY OF YOUR HEART. Revisit the entire tour at any time by visiting www.MaraPurl.com/calendar where you’ll see event details, links to the bookstores, and soon, photo archives. Also join me on the ongoing Double Blog Tour, which will be archived at http://marapurl.com/fall-blog-tour-schedule.

It’s always an exciting time for me when the newest novel in the Milford-Haven series appears. Behind the scenes, we’ve been working toward this moment for a whole year. True, I’m the sole author of these novels, but by “we” I don’t just mean the royal we. You might say it takes a village to create a book. My editor, the brilliant Vicki Werkley, works with me at several points through the writing process. Then my accomplished proofreader Jean Laidig works through the text with a fine-toothed comb. Meanwhile, artist Mary Helsaple and I work together conceptualizing the cover art early-on in the writing process, and when she’s completed her gorgeous watercolor, it goes to marvelous graphic artist and cover designer Kevin Meyer. Meanwhile the entire team at Bellekeep is overseeing and managing all this, from publisher Margot Atwell to publishing manager Tara Goff and publishing assistant Kara Johnson.

When does the marketing begin? Almost as soon as the book gets started. First, the Bellekeep marketing team brainstorms the core themes of my new book. Second, publishing partner/distributor Midpoint Trade has an expert team who begin grappling with the book’s theme and branding, matching it behind the scenes with the many organizations who present and purchase books, be it libraries, chain stores, web-sellers, or independent bookstores. And third, DM Productions joins the team to forge the all-important connections to the actual bookstores, blog hosts and media hosts who’ll partner with us for the actual book launch.

It was during the process that the team made the choice to focus this year on Indiebound and the large network of independent bookstores that enjoy membership in this national organization. The concept was such a terrific one: match the internal and external worlds. That is, take the core story of Where the Heart Lives, which involves my protagonist Miranda Jones going on a physical journey in California, and match it with me as I journey on my book tour. The first part of the tour will take me farther afield than Miranda travels — to New Mexico and Arizona, where I have a large group of readers. Then it’ll take me on the California part of the tour, during which I actually will be making stops exactly where Miranda does. So the map of this part of my tour bears a striking resemblance to the actual book cover.

The physical tour’s schedule that stretches out ahead of me is so exciting! My husband will join me for the first long leg, and we love our road trips. During both segments I’ll be connecting with good friends and with readers in person. However, a physical book tour on its own now leaves out far too many readers, so the team has also arranged a concurrent blog tour. I’m still not quite sure how I’ll manage it all — drive with left hand and blog with the right? Not! Instead, the team has arranged enough time between physical stops for me to connect with the spectacular blog hosts who are part of this year’s fantastic blog tour! These include, for example, Entertainment Examiner, Romance Junkies, and the National Association of Baby Boomer Women, to name just a few.

So, as you can see, this really is a “MARA-thon” . . . from the new novel’s first outline, through the many blog posts, all the way to the last day of the tour, which won’t happen until December. Whew! Every “mile” so far has been a challenge and a joy. And I hope you’ll ride along with me on the interesting journey ahead. Remember, the entire schedule will be posted on my website. And afterwards, the entire blog tour will be archived on my website to be enjoyed any time.

For more information on the evolving world of The Milford Haven Novels, visit my new website www.MaraPurl.com where you can subscribe to my newsletter, follow me on social media, enjoy photos and videos, discover more special offers and more.

Milford-Haven Celebrates its 25th Anniversary!

Once upon a time there was a precocious young woman who thought she could leave behind a promising career in journalism and return to her theatre roots. She had a vague idea that her years of writing and researching could be put to good use in the entertainment business and that she’d somehow be able to blend her logic with her creativity, a concept she’d later describe as balancing her head and her heart.

To this hard-working New York journalist came a series of nudges in the form of assignments that took her repeatedly to one location: Los Angeles. After about a year, she realized she hadn’t actually unpacked her suitcase for several months. It was then she began looking for an apartment in the City of Angels.

She found a great place that’d been built in 1937 with the sweeping staircase and chair rails, high ceilings and built-in dressing table designed for starlets of a bygone era. In those first months in her new city, she landed a job as editor of On Location Magazine, and was accepted into the NBC Actors’ Workshop. Life was good, if somewhat frantic. She balanced auditions with deadlines, spent weekends writing script treatments or performing in plays, attending screenings and creating extraordinary friendships.

One of the friends kept mentioning that she should visit a place called Cambria. Meanwhile, she fell in love with a play called Sea Marks by Gardner McKay. Then things converged in a most interesting way. She got an invitation to perform this very play in that very town, which caused her to spend an entire summer in a small California coastal town which fascinated her no end. When the play was over, she landed a part in Days of Our Lives. She learned a lot from working in a day-time serial, and got intrigued with serial story-telling. Then things converged in a most interesting way. She created her own soap opera about a small California coastal town.

The show was called Milford-Haven, and when KOTR in Cambria, California wanted to broadcast the show, it became a hit there, and later did the same in San Luis Obispo. To record the show, she found an excellent engineer who brought technical wizardry and a love of audio drama to the project. To create sound effects she found an expert who’d studied with the last of the great foley artists from the days of classic radio drama, and to create a musical score she found a pair of composers who’d scored scores of television projects and produced their own award-winning albums. About half the cast were retired professionals who’s settled in Cambria and they lent their marvelous expertise and talent to the fledgling producer-writer. The other half of the cast worked with her in L.A between their television jobs, lending their energies and creativity and good names to their colleague. They all had a tremendous amount of fun and willingly took a flyer with this young producer. The young producer knew in her heart of hearts this was work she was meant to do, and could scarcely believe her good fortune at finding such grand compatriots, all of whom are listed on the Milford-Haven website.

This all happened long ago. But today, most of the original cast members gathered together in Cambria, together with original sponsors, experts who helped her with research, reporters who’ve written stories about the show, and friends who’ve taken an interest over the years, There were even some folks who joined the party just because it’s great to be part of a good story. Because it’s through our stories that we come to understand ourselves, find our dearest friends, and have moments of joy and belonging.

On her way to Cambria for this party, things converged in a very interesting way. The producer found that, although she was no longer quite as young as she was when she started this project, her time had been well spent. Because by following her heart, she’d discovered her talents and learned how to use them. She knows she can never thank her colleagues enough for all they contributed. She also knows it’s by following our inner voice that we find our true path. And that means the end of this story isn’t really an ending, but rather a true beginning.

Photos by the wonderful photographer Dennis Eamon Young will soon be posted at her Events Gallery page. For more information on the evolving world of The Milford Haven Novels, visit MaraPurl.com where you can subscribe to my newsletter, follow me on social media, enjoy photos and videos, discover more special offers and more.

Joys of the Central Coast Writers’ Conference

One of my favorite things is connecting with other authors, as those of you who read my blo already know. This happens in various ways—from small, private author tea gatherings, to huge book festivals like the L.A. Times Festival of Books where hundreds of authors speak and one hundred thousand readers some to find us.

At smaller regional book festivals I’ve had the pleasure of meeting several colleagues who’ve become friends over the years. This autumn, the stars must’ve aligned because I found myself at the nexus of three favorite things all at once: I got to be in my spiritual home, California’s Central Coast; I got to teach and mentor scores of fellow writers; and I met three outstanding authors who became immediate friends.

The Central Coast Writers’ Conference has the reputation of being one of the best-run in the country, and now I know three reasons why. Writer July Salamacha is its Director; she has a fabulous team; and it’s hosted by Cuesta College, one of the regions education gems.

Judy writes a weekly column “By the Bay” for The Tribune in San Luis Obispo, highlighting events and issues in Morro Bay, Los Osos and Cayucos. She’s also the program director for the premier professional writers’ organization in the region, SLO NightWriters (where I had the honor of being a guest speaker last year.) Add to this her many community advocacy activities, and it’s hard to imagine how she gets it all done. But with her finger on the pulse of writing and publishing trends, and a passionate belief in helping young writers find their true path, she directs the Conference with both head and heart.

For two days, we teacher-types race from classroom to classroom to meet with our eager, over-achieving students, who come in all sizes, ages, and writing genres. And when we’re not teaching ourselves, we sneak into each other’s classes to eavesdrop on the wisdom of our colleagues. Among my students were two young women who sparkled with creativity and passion for their craft; an award-winning author whom I know from Women Writing the West; and a noted local journalist. So even while standing at the podium, I was learning as much as I was teaching.

Now to the new author pals. One is Jeff Carlson, whose [high-tech sci-fi thrillers are thrilling tens of thousands of followers, and besides, his humor and spirit are infectious. His latest novel is Frozen Sky. One is Barbara Abercrombie, who writes essays, non-fiction, and children’s books with a grace and sensitivity that are inspiring her huge following. And then there’s Victoria Zackheim whom I seem to have recognized as a spiritual sister, but also a mentor. Victoria has a way of gathering people and ideas, then shining a spotlight on issues that may have been right in front of us but remained invisible until she sets the stage and flips the on switch. She writes and edits essays, writes plays and screenplays, and the critically acclaimed novel The Bone Weaver, bringing a sense of both social conscience and personal revelation to all her work. She also teaches in the UCLA Extension Writer’s Program, conducts workshops in the U.S. and Europe, and was a 2010 San Francisco Library Laureate.

I’ll be keeping in touch with these wonderful colleagues and students. And I sure hope to get invited back to this fantastic conference. If you live anywhere in the region and have dreams of being a writer, don’t miss next year’s. By the way, photographer Dennis Eeamon Young has posted fabulous photos of the event in case you’d like to take a look.

For more information on the evolving world of The Milford Haven Novels, visit my new website www.MaraPurl.com where you can subscribe to my newsletter, follow me on social media, enjoy photos and videos, discover more special offers and more.

Whales’ Tales by the Dock of the Bay

Writing is tough. It takes hours, weeks, months, years of solitude and focus. It requires “killing your darlings”—a writer-term for throwing out your favorite passages. It means wrestling with characters, struggling with storylines and remembering why the heck you’re putting yourself through all this torment in the first place. Then there are days when writing is just plain fun. For me, this often occurs when I get do a research field trip. I’m not entirely stupid about this—I choose favorite locations where my story just happens to take place. So I got to spend today in Morro Bay, one of the most delightful spots along California’s gorgeous Central Coast.

My new short story When Whales Watch has been percolating for about three decades. It started when I was a crew member on a Greenpeace Voyage to save whales. One of only six women in our crew of twenty-six, we lived aboard a 144-foot converted coastal mine-sweeper and traveled 6,000 miles in the North Pacific. The voyage was a life-transforming event for me and for all of us. We learned some technical skills we put to immediate use. For example, I learned how to pilot the vessel, and even how to dock the giant craft. We also gathered lessons that continue to unfold through the years, and it’s sometimes startling to get yet another “Aha” so many years after the fact.

I wrote about this journey in an essay published by the Christian Science Monitor. I co-wrote a documentary for ABC narrated by Jack Ford. I was interviewed by Jane Pauley on the Today Show. I also wrote a song called Save the Whales that the legendary jazz artist Charles Lloyd decided to record with me. So it’s not that I didn’t process this incredible trip in many ways.

But, sure enough, there was more to be learned from this precious experience, more to be understood, and more to be shared. Because when we encountered the sperm whales we’d traveled thousands of miles to save, they were being slaughtered, as we knew would be the case. We were there to bear witness to the atrocity, extending the cries of these fellow mammals so they could be heard around the globe. We only saw them under the gun, at the mercy of mechanized harpoons and fleets of killer-ships. What we didn’t get to observe was their natural behavior in the wild. Nor did we get a glimpse of how they might interact with humans as equals.

So this was the tale that began rising from the deep, calling to me with the insistent clicks and clangs of the majestic toothed whale that roams our planet ocean by ocean with no enemies except the homo sapiens with whom they sometimes try to communicate. On my desk I placed the small sculpture I’d received as a gift after the voyage—the distinctive square head of a sperm whale breaking the surface of the water. I read texts, studied scientific websites, conducted interviews on the latest findings. And then I listened to hear what the whales might have to say in their story.

The whale’s story segments were complete, and so was ninety percent of the rest of the tale when this wonderful research day popped up on my calendar. What I was so eager to fill in were the final details of the human segments, which were set in Morro Bay and just offshore. I woke to the eerie sound of the sea lions who, this time of year, sing mating songs that bounce off the bay and echo across the adjacent hills. Before any of the tourists arrived for their shopping and excursions, I was dockside soaking up the atmosphere of the tidy marina and looking for mariners who could answer questions—some of them technical, some historical.

It was my good fortune to meet Kevin Winfield who owns Sub Sea Tours and has been taking visitors out on these waters for years. Over a cup of coffee, we talked about my story, set in 1996 and in need of confirmation about navigational systems in use at the time, long before GPS. Soon he was spreading out his well-worn charts and explaining the old LORAN-C, giving me just the kind of specifics that, when woven into the story, will anchor it in its proper setting both geographically and chronologically. With many thanks and the promise of my new book when it’s published, I wandered down to the Harbor Master’s office where I met Becka Kelly, the Harbor Patrol Supervisor. She relished the opportunity to discuss the story and confirmed important details, pointing out the window to illustrate tides and currents, explain harbor protocols and mention the names and specs of every craft in view. She’ll get a signed copy of the new book too.

If you’d like to inhale the salt spray and hear the water lap at the edges of the bay, feel the throb of an engine underfoot as you head into the waves, then have a surprise encounter with one of the planet’s most extraordinary creatures, download the new e-story When Whales Watch next month. The whales have something they want to tell you.

For more information on the evolving world of The Milford Haven Novels, visit my new website http://www.MaraPurl.com where you can subscribe to my newsletter, follow me on social media, enjoy photos and videos, discover more special offers and more.

Milford-Haven U.S.A. Celebrates its 20th Anniversary!

When the calendar flipped to 2012 last new year’s eve, a bell began to ring in my mind, faintly at first, until I began to pay more attention. The bell ringing was a date happily seared in my memory: the date my radio drama began broadcasting on the BBC. That year was 1992, so of course the ringing bell indicated 2012 would be the twentieth anniversary of the momentous occasion. What? The twentieth?! Holy fleeting time, Batman!

Well, it was too fabulous a landmark not to mark the occasion. So when I mentioned how this anniversary had snuck up on us to my sister (Linda Purl, a cast member of the original show), she immediately offered to host the party. Several weeks in advance, I began contacting other cast members, some of whom, like Erin Gray, still live in L.A.; some of whom, like Michael Horse, have moved to other cities; and some, like Colby Chester, to other states. I also had great fun connecting with “Engineer Bill” Berkuta and composers Marilyn Harris & Mark Wolfram, with whom I still work, and tracking down crew, guest-stars, directors, and loyal supporters. Take a look at the all-star cast and all the gifted contributors at the Milford-Haven website. Soon we’ll have some great photos of the gathering posted at my beautiful new website in the Events Photo Gallery.

When I arrived a few hours early for the party, I brought with me photos of all us recording in the studio, rehearsing our scenes, and celebrating at various gatherings through the years. And I brought CDs of our shows, cards and notes we’d written, original head shots and resumes, and scores of clippings from the British press that covered us extensively. All this was displayed on a huge tables, with stacks of books and CDs offered as gifts to these amazing creative artists who’d offered their talents to this show. My friend and colleague director Verne Nobles came with a film crew and recorded individual reminiscences of all who were able to attend. It was an incomparable gathering. My heart is filled with gratitude.

Flashback to 1992: Milford-Haven, the original radio drama had become a success in a few several U.S. locations. But the question was, what to do next? Syndication seemed the next logical step, so I went to New York for some meetings. “Hmm, radio drama,” they said. “Did you notice radio drama went off the air before you were born?” I had noticed that, but, I explained, I also noticed that audiences loved the show and ratings spiked no matter when or where the show was broadcast. They did agree to listen to the tapes I’d brought. I flew home to L.A. to await their response.

When they got in touch they said, “We love your show. But we don’t know what to do with radio drama. We checked the numbers . . . and they’re bad.” Well, I pointed out, the numbers for radio drama are “bad” because the numbers are zero—that is to say, there are no radio dramas currently on the air. To make a long story short, though they meant well, syndicators had by then forgotten how to make decisions based on looking forward creatively and proactively. Instead, they’d been trained to look backward by crunching numbers of existing programs. What a shame. What a loss for American audiences. Happily, the U.K. suffers no such deprivation. They’ve continued to broadcast radio dramas—especially radio soap operas—an American-grown format—for decades with great success. They have so much radio drama that they have the equivalent of a TV Guide for radio.

Off I went to San Francisco to attend the annual National Association of Broadcasters, under the auspices of , who’d decided to represent my show, along with some Louis L’Amour audios. The convention was almost over when two gentlemen began pointing at me. “May I help you?” “No,” they said in British accents. “We can help you! Call this number!” Turns out an innovative BBC producer had heard about my show and wanted it for her newly revisioned eclectic BBC Radio 5.

Wahoo! We became the first American radio serial ever broadcast by the BBC. We didn’t know whether or not it would compete well in a market filled with brilliantly produced British shows. Pat Ewing called me after six weeks. “You might like to pop over,” she said in the Queen’s English. “It’s doing rather well.” By that, she meant that we had 4.5 million listeners! For our British audience, we were a trip to far-away coastal California. We were also a trip home, that universal place where heart meets heart. Thank you, dear cast and crew, for taking this great unknown journey with me. Thank you, BBC and Pat Ewing for having the vision to try bring something new to your audience. It’s true, I used my head to work as hard as I could on this amazing project. I could write a book about it. But why did this little show achieve such a global reach? It’s because it came straight from the heart.

For more information on the evolving world of The Milford Haven Novels, visit my new website www.MaraPurl.com where you can subscribe to my newsletter, follow me on social media, enjoy photos and videos, discover more special offers and more.

My Heart Goes Red for Women

To be worthwhile, a story must be well thought out. It must have compelling characters who have something at stake, dramatic structure with plenty of tension and intriguing plot twists. Yet, even with all this, a story—be it an essay or short story, an anecdote or a novel—won’t stick with us or be worth sharing unless it has something else. That something is heart—a deceptively small word that actually encompasses a vital core of meaning.

“Core” is, in fact, synonymous with “heart,” as shown by the French word for heart, “coeur.” So we use expressions like “the heart of the matter” when we’re describing that which is essential. As I’ve learned from many years of service to women’s causes, there are several things that belong on the “essential” list for women’s well-being.

A marvelous moment of core synergy happened a few months ago. Two committed, generous women had volunteered to co-chair a major event for the American Heart Association. One of them, drawn by the wording of my book titles, attended an author event where she heard me speak. Excited, she called her co-chair and they decided I’d be the perfect keynote speaker for their event. What Paula Pollet and Susan Davis didn’t know then was it’d been my heart-desire to speak for the AHA for many years.

It was a thrill and an honor to speak today for this group of women in Colorado Springs—hundreds of them, in fact, and each one more beautiful than the next, in dresses and jackets every shade of red. I began by telling a funny story. One day a woman came up to me in town (Colorado Springs being my second home, and the location of my husband’s medical practice.) She thanked me for helping me through her pregnancy. When I gave her a blank stare, she said, “Oh you don’t have to be modest. I know how dedicated you nurses are!” As she walked away, I realized what must’ve happened. She was undoubtedly one of my husband’s patients. On the wall of his office is a photo of me—in costume. As a cast member of Days of Our Lives I played Nurse Darla Cook. “I’m not a real nurse . . . but I played one on TV!”

After a good laugh, my audience and I settled into my talk, which was filled with “Aha” moments in honor of the A.H.A. I slipped into metaphor-land, as we creative-types are apt to do. Addressing serious health issues are the core message of the AHA. But from my perspective, addressing the underlying issues might give us the most dynamic access and the most effective results. Need to get a handle on our cholesterol levels? Well, what might be clogging our feelings? Blood pressure too high? What triggers the most stress in our lives? Not taking enough time to workout? How can we best exercise control over our circumstances?

Looking around the room during my keynote address, there were enough nodding heads and note-taking to demonstrate that “Aha” was happening at every table. And during the morning before I spoke, dedicated doctors and technicians had offered classes and coaching, screenings and recommendations; survivors had told harrowing but inspiring stories of their near-misses. The whole community turned out in record numbers to support this annual event, because it makes a difference to the women in this community. I was so impressed and inspired that I plan to continue working with local chapter Executive Director Dot Teso to create seminars and coaching sessions. And I’ll be working with other organizations to do all I can on behalf of women’s health.

There’s more to a woman than her physicality. Yet, that precious physicality is the outcome of her thoughts, feelings, and actions. Even if we take exquisite care of our bodies, sooner or later we must acknowledge those deeper places in ourselves. That’s why I always ask my readers: In your heart of hearts, what did you always want to do? Are you doing it yet? If not now, when? And if not here, where? As I said to the Go Red audience today: honor yourself and cherish your heart’s desires. Why? Because you’re worth it. That’s the core of every good story.

For more information on the evolving world of my “heart” novels What the Heart Knows and Where the Heart Lives, visit my new website www.MaraPurl.com where you can subscribe to my newsletter, follow me on social media, enjoy photos of this and other events, videos, discover more special offers and more.

Serial Novels are the Dickens

A world-wide celebration is under way to celebrate the two-hundredth anniversary of an important February birthday—that of one of the great authors of the English language. It seems to be a bit of a mania with exhibits from the Morgan Library & Museum in New York, to an elaborate puppet show festival in Colorado; from multiple offerings in London to Dickens World in Kent, England. Through the decades, Dickens has found his way onto the stage in more productions than can be counted, and onto the silver screen in 320 films, to date.

My own introduction to Charles Dickens came early, and was so woven into the fabric of my childhood that I can't imagine my life without the presence of his characters with their failures and triumphs. My father, a graduate of Yale Drama School, adapted A Christmas Carol into a dramatic reading—restoring the vivid story to its original telling style. Ray Purl also performed the part of "Scrooge" while the rest of his family and various core groups of actors played the spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future; Tiny Tim and Bob Cratchit, Jacob Marley and Mr. Fezziwig. By the time Scrooge was transformed and Tiny Tim proclaimed, "God bless us, every one!" there was never a dry eye in the house, including mine.

The expression "the dickens" actually goes back at least to Shakespeare's time, and means something devilishly difficult. And that describes serial story structure—a writing style that must've seeped into my thought-process more profoundly than I realized. Except for A Christmas Carol, all fifteen of Dickens' major novels were originally published serially. When it came time for me to create my own major work, it turned out to be a serial radio drama called Milford-Haven. The head part of this project was a dedicated study of episodic structure, an ongoing experimentation with dialogue and timing, story arc and character development. Each scene had to begin with a quick establishment of mood and place, and had to end with a revelation or a realization. In the middle there had to be a specific plot advancement or an authentic moment of connection between the characters— romantic or humorous, argumentative or conciliatory.

The heart part of this project was the intuition that guided the progress of the themes and overall premise, the irrepressible joy that bubbled up during each recording session with my fantastic actor colleagues, and the long, but often gleeful, hours spent with my engineer and foley (sound effects) artist. I never tired of watching their wizardry, whether it was to layer a subtle combination of pre-recorded ambiences, or to hand-make a specific set of sounds, such as for episode 10 when a lead character suffered through an underwater accident beneath an offshore oil rig, or episode 52 when a tanker ran aground in Alaska (preceding the Exxon Valdez disaster.)

When publishers and audiences became interested in novelizations of the series, of course the books had to follow the serial structure upon which they'd be based. At the time, this style of book-writing was utterly out of favor, causing publishers to turn me down, agents to tear their hair, and me to seek publication through a small press. (A marvelous New Yorker cartoon by Handelsman has Dickens meeting with a publisher who remarks: "Well, Mr. Dickens, was it the best of times, or was it the worst of times? It could hardly have been both!") Despite the skepticism of publishers, both Mr. Dickens and I gained a loyal following through our serial publications. And—wouldn't you know—in our own time, serial story-telling has once again become the "latest" and "greatest" fad! I remember Jeff Bezos, chair of Amazon, announcing at Book Expo America four years ago that he felt the new technologies and delivery systems were uniquely suited to serial story-telling and that he "wouldn't be surprised" if authors figured this out. I shook his hand that day, and thanked him for affirming what my readers and I were already proving.

Writing a serial story really is the dickens: more complex than knitting a multi-cabled sweater, planning a wedding for three-hundred, or even writing a comprehensive review document for P&G's Guiding Light, which I was hired to do several years ago. Why? Because each individual character has an arc, a theme, a series of goals. And these are changed by each contact with every other character. New information comes to light that casts new shadows on previous storylines that cross-connect. The documentation to keep all this coherent takes up one hard drive after another, and now, a fair amount of water-weight in the "cloud." But the thrill and the challenge, the realism and the imagination . . . I wouldn't have it any other way.

Well, now I do have a major publisher, and all's right with the world. Book one, and its short-story prequel, are both available as e-books—following the Bezos prediction. Yet far from deserting traditional print books and book tours, my publishing team and I are committed to providing quality books to satisfy touch, smell, sound, and sight; and to ensuring that I meet my readers in person whenever and wherever possible. My own acting genes demand that I connect with my audience, another point of agreement with Dickens, who performed his texts as dramatic readings. Indeed Dickens himself said, "Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true." Ah! The very goal of my books and my talks. Thus, What the Heart Knows (Book one of the Milford-Haven Novels) is also traditionally published as a gorgeous hard-cover tomb, and book two will follow next fall.

Back to the matter of serial-story-telling . . . now that I've had so many comments from you, my readers, about book one, what's the consensus on reading a book where some issues are resolved, but some are left dangling? Many folks try to get some sort of hint out of me, either at my book signings or via e-mail. I just smile, though, and reassure them they really don't have much longer to wait. I learned this from my mentor Louis L'Amour, who refused to reveal an important plot point when the paperback copy I had of his current novel had been misprinted, with a clump of repeated pages. He did get me a fresh copy of the book. But he made me read it. What he really did was protect my reading experience, refusing to interfere with it. So I must do the same. Nope, I can't reveal what's coming next October in book two, Where the Heart Lives. Well, maybe a hint here and there—so check my blog, Twitter, Facebook page or newsletter. I mean, what's the fun of writing a serial story if I can't provide little clues here and there? Oh, and while you're waiting for book two, come September you'll have another prequel short-story, this one titled When Whales Watch.

It's not easy writing a novel series—remembering exactly where each character was when we last saw them, and not having them like rhubarb in one book and hate it in the next. And it's a complex business, striking a balance between enticing my readers and maddening them (you). In fact it's the dickens to do this work and do it right. But I have a great Dickens to follow. And I can hardly wait to see what's next.

For more information on the changes that are taking place with The Milford Haven Novels, please read my newsletter. If you have not subscribed, visit www.MaraPurl.com to have my newsletter sent to your mailbox every month.

Uni-Tea of Head and Heart

Every journey has its especially sparkling moments, and for my Winter Western States Book Tour, this was it. Elegance and style, generosity and community, connections with old friends and new—a unifying experience for all. The setting—a historic home in the mountain canyons of Santa Barbara; the time—Valentine's weekend; the opportunity—helping others.

I had the privilege of working with a superb charity in co-creating a fund-raiser/ friend-raiser author tea. This is truly my favorite kind of event because of its synergy—which makes it a win-win-win: for the charity, for the guests, and for the author. In this case, there's a fourth winner: the community of Santa Barbara, which benefits so directly from the services this charity provides. You could also say this event was a  prime example of head and heart working together.

The first heart-element of this story is Santa Barbara itself, a glamorous location that famously dazzles with its mountains-and-ocean scenery, that's been a second home of sorts all my life. I fell in love with it as a child, when my parents took us there, the first of many visits to life-long family friends. And through the years there have been further adventures: recording a single with Beach Boy Mike Love; recording an album with Charles Lloyd; speaking annually at the Santa Barbara Book Festival; author teas at Café Shell on State Street; a house-trade to celebrate my wedding anniversary. Not surprisingly, about half the storylines of my Milford-Haven Novels take place there, So even if I don't live there (yet), several of my characters do.

And the first head-element of the story is that a year ago, I approached two super-smart, dynamic women who've become good friends to see if we could brainstorm a special event that would benefit the city we love. Marcia Reed is Director of the Chamber of Commerce; Jonatha King is owner of King Communications. It was their suggestion that we work with the Unity Shoppe; it was mine that we create the first Uni-Tea. (Those of you who've followed my Tea events know that I always give them a special name: Generosi-Tea, Hospitali-Tea, Connective-Tea. . . .)

What makes Unity Shoppe such a heady brainsmart organization is its innovative structure. We're all aware that some members of every community struggle to make ends meet—especially in these economically difficult times. Well-meaning organizations of all kinds step in with donations, and though the recipients are of course grateful, they seldom receive what they actually want or need. What Unity does is gather goods—donated, or purchased in wholesale bulk; sort and shelve them; then open the doors of their well-stocked store to families in need. These families now have the opportunity to shop like anyone else. The practicality and dignity of this arrangement is so effective is would make an excellent template for communities everywhere.

And this is where Unity becomes a heart story. To keep the shop doors open for those whose lives are being so positively impacted, Unity's people raise funds ingeniously, diligently, and creatively. They've become experts at creating special events with special appeal. The Uni-Tea was a perfect example, inspiring the local press and attracting a wonderful crowd of supporters. It had every ingredient of a posh afternoon tea with all the trimmings: fabulous delicacies elegantly served with hand-poured teas and coffees, and outfits reminiscent of the golden age of Hollywood, highlighted by prizes for the best hats, of which there were several. The venue itself was a magnet—a spectacular historic home designed to entertain.

When you think about it more deeply, what's most impressive about Unity are indeed its people, individuals who are living lives of generosity—living from the heart. Barbara Tellefson, CEO, takes an almost impish delight in wearing many other hats behind the scenes. Tom Reed, Executive Director, never misses an opportunity to charm people into a new awareness. So, when is life at its most productive and inspiring? When we're living in unity of head and heart.

To make a donation to Unity Shoppe please visit UnityShoppe.org. For more information on the next book in the Milford-Haven Novels series, please read my newsletter (subscribe here www.MaraPurl.com)