Eve Gaal's Blog, page 28

Shelly Arkon's Latest

Blogger Bff Shelly Arkon has a new story and I wanted to make sure all of you have the entire scoop. After all, she writes the best stories and I'm a not-so-secret fan. 


























They say God gives second chances.

Forty years have shown Wilhelmina has nothing but a lifetime of four failed marriages, a job she hates, and her most recent affair with a married businessman. Until one day, while sipping coffee her silent prayers are answered--she’s visited by her future self, offering Wilhelmina a chance to re-do her life, giving her a mission to save the future world from the baby she’s unknowingly pregnant with.

Is it the miracle she hoped for, or will this lead into a whole new set of problems?





Get it by clicking on these words.





It will be FREE Nov. 1 to Nov, 5th.

Who is your Favorite?

My favorite poets


T.S. Eliot

William Butler Yeats

Rudyard Kipling

E.E. Cummings

Robert Service

Robert Frost

Emily Dickinson

Sylvia Plath

William Wordsworth

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Robert Browning

Maya Angelou

Walt Whitman

Edna St. Vincent Millay

William Carlos Williams









Who is your favorite??

One Door, One Reader at a Time

“Ask, and it will be given to you, seek and you will find;
knock and it will be opened to you.”

                                                                                                                -Matthew
7:7




The other day I had a dream about heaven. First, I saw a big
dark cloud in the sky and I asked other family members to take a look at the
incredible nimbus like formation. As the puffy gray clouds moved away, there
stood a gigantic, fifty-story high turquoise colored door. Next to the door
were bleachers full of happy people waiting to get in. Some of those people
were waving at us but I didn't recognize anyone. As we moved closer, we came to
a glass wall that separated us and in front of the glass was a handrail. The
wind was picking up and I dramatically shouted that everyone should hold onto
me. “Hold on tight,” I yelled. They grabbed a hold of me and the wind blew us
sideways away from the beautiful scene and the handrails. That’s when I woke
up.




I keep wondering about this dream and understand most of the
imagery but something very interesting happened the following day.




We were watching the old Michelle Pfeiffer movie called Dangerous Minds about inner city youth and
their bus trip every morning from the ghetto to the suburbs. The principal of
the high school had a thing about knocking. Entering his office without
knocking was the ultimate rude thing to do and his reaction was a stellar point
of the entire movie. Have you seen this movie? I don’t want to ruin it for
anyone who hasn’t seen it but I found it very interesting. Especially after
having that dream!




A few days later someone handed me a book called Paranormal: My Life in Pursuit of the
Afterlife by Raymond Moody, M.D. Interesting book but it’s all about people
seeing the light and having past life regressions. I read and reviewed the book
but honestly, it didn't live up to my expectations.




Then, a very nice, local organizer scheduled my first book signing for a Tuesday afternoon at
a coffee shop. I found very few folks drink coffee at 3pm. Duh. In fact, if
you turned your ears a certain way you might have heard crickets.

Boldly, I approached the three coffee drinkers and asked them to buy Penniless Hearts.
Instead of wasting good hot coffee by throwing it at me, they kindly purchased
my book.






 I asked! I knocked, they answered and for their kindness, I am eternally grateful. I know I'm kind of rambling on here, but this stuff ties together somehow--and though I can't really explain it, at least you get a glimpse into one week at The Desert Rocks.

Wild Thursday of Haiku

My local artist friend, Michelle took a group into the
desert at night to view scorpions! Can you imagine? They took photos under a
black light to reveal the scary critters and all I could think of is thank
goodness I wasn't there. I’d be shaking my hair and pant legs right now
wondering if any of the creatures climbed aboard for a ride. Shake, shake, shake...it would be too much for me to handle. 

Nevertheless, I missed out, because it sounded intriguing and everyone wrote Haiku afterwards about the experience. Take a look at the ghoulishly frightening photos here.

Here’s my Haiku about it.




 Clawing little gods-

Found by those I do applaud

-Desert arthropods.






A few hours prior to the Scorpion Hunt and Haiku
outing, I was driving over the mountains and saw some major-amazing wildlife
too. Big horn sheep were galloping over the rocky terrain! It was a
magnificent, remarkable sight and a lovely way to usher in a new season.



Here's a Haiku about that:





 Above desert rocks-


Bounding, hurdling Big Horn Sheep-

My heart also leaps.







Photo from Wikipedia

Is Happiness a Choice?-A poem

Recently, I had a post about using Wite-Out on bad memories--but not everyone thought it was a good idea.

Hence, that reaction prompted me to write the poem below.

Have you or a friend suffered one or more of the following?


Job loss?



Accident?



Disease?



Violence?



Bombs?



Terrorists?



Wars?



Revolutions?



Miscarriage?



Divorce?



Funeral?

Other_________?




How can we judge which pain is deeper? 

Do you know someone who has experienced several of the things on that list?

I have friends going through some tough times right now and I hope they

find some comfort soon. 

Will they choose to forget? 




Here's my poem:

                                         Figuratively Swept



I
am a bad memory

hiding under the hallway rug.





What was it exactly? 








I grasp the filament



of cheap nylon ply,



inhaling puppy urine.



I deserve heavy steps,



throttles and  beatings.








Still, there are those who insist



I should be welcomed with open arms.



No, I will remain here until



you roll up this rug and give it to charity.



Then I’ll be free to torment you again.



Where would I go?



How will I live without the nurturing



carpet of warmth holding me down?



Let me peek at your world and see where I’d go.








I follow you to your room,



and contemplate joining you again.



With you, I am safe.



You encourage me and allow me to grow.



You feed into me with fear



and haunted recollections of the past



acting as if you enjoy pain.



When tears run down your face,



I know I've done my job,

Creating



another bad memory.






I can give birth to more by being with you



but you have fought me so many times



I think I’ll stay here,







under this rug.









by Eve Gaal





What do you do to forget 

something painful?

Can world peace begin with our reactions?

Do we make a choice to be happy?

These Books are Very Entertaining!

Bailin’ by LintonRobinson

“I loved this book because I love funny movies where there
are slapstick-action-pratfalls and politicos who learn their lessons. Who will
win in the end? Read Bailin' and find out, because you'll laugh your head off.”
Excerpt from my Amazon review.   






Always by D MYates

“This romantic fantasy by DM Yates doesn't just question love
but explains the journey of the heart from youth to death and beyond.” Excerpt
from my Amazon review. 




Root of the Vines
by Arlene Morgan and Ronald Krivosha




“The beautiful cover pulls you right into a vineyard and
slowly the story unfolds, sweeping you to Italy, back to Boston and finally to
Napa. The twists and turns mirror the roots of the planted vines, the diseased
and healing plants perhaps an indication of why Maggie's life begins in such
turmoil. Will the



growers find a solution or will God intervene?” Excerpt from
my Amazon review.




Mirrored Self by
Don Ford

“There are
no sappy good angels, no devils, no strings, trap doors or smoke--only a rear
view mirror and some kissing. I enjoyed this story and so will you!” Excerpt
from my Amazon review.




The Christmas Promise
by Alan Riehl.

“This sweet, touching tale will remind you of how certain
family connections last eternally beyond this life, into forever....” Excerpt
from my Amazon review.




 Kipling:A Selection of His Stories and Poems. 

I'm still reading and enjoying every
minute of these classics and haven’t finished with the entire collection. Here is a short summary of the stories I've read so far:





*A Matter of Fact-Three newspaper men--each with their version of the story.

*Beyond the Pale-A tragic love story.

*A Bank Fraud-The truth catches up with the accountant.

*The Daughter of the Regiment-Will Miss McKenna ever marry?

*At the Pit's Mouth-A story of a most unusual relationship with the Tertium Quid

*The Rout of the White Hussars-A small case of revenge.

*A Second Rate Woman-A story of humiliation.

*The Phantom 'Rickshaw-Classic tale about an imaginary rickshaw.

*My Own True Ghost Story-Spirits and pool tables.

*The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes-Desert zombies.

*The Man Who Would be King-My favorite one so far. Two newspaper men try changing the world. Fabulous movie with Michael Cain and Sean Connery.

*The Wreck of the Visigoth-500 souls and too much to drink.

*Wee Willie Winkie-Great story about a kid who saves the day.



'Make it then. You've only to sit down and write it out.'

'Give me a little time. Have you any more notions?'

'Not just now. I'm reading all the books I've bought. They're splendid.'

 from The Finest Story in the World by Kipling.



                                                                                                     





Have you written any reviews lately? Good reviews can really
help authors move ahead in rankings. It’s like the Nielsen ratings for
television. Best of all, writing a short review doesn't take long and readers
and writers both appreciate the input.  Anyway, some of these stories made me laugh and some made me cry but most of all they were entertaining. Hope you enjoy them too.

Guest Post About Overcoming Writer's Block

This is an awesome guest post written by my friend, Jay Noel, author of the upcoming steam-punk novel, Dragonfly Warrior. A busy, working professional and all around loving, family-guy, this Renaissance man somehow makes time for amazing, informative and inspiring blog posts.  By the way, he began blogging before most of us even had a computer!  Let's welcome Jay....





So many thanks to the lovely Eve for allowing me to be a guest on her equally lovely blog.





Since this blog is titled "The Desert Rocks," I thought about taking two biblical passages concerning splitting rocks in the desert:




He split the rocks in the wilderness
    and gave them water as abundant as the seas;

He brought streams out of a rocky crag
    and made water flow down like rivers.









Now I'm not going to get all-biblical up in here, but these two passages are interesting. It deals with something coming from nothing. When you're lacking, suddenly you find yourself with an abundance of what you need to nourish you. (Sure, the people continued to sin against God, but let's not go there!)




Many artists find themselves without inspiration at times. Writers call it "writer's block." I've also heard it referred to as "art block." I call it: HELL ON EARTH.




Sometimes, the pressures and stresses of work interfere with my creative juices. Personal issues can too. I know several writers dealing with life and death situations with family members, and those things take priority. For many of us artists, the well simply dries up and it seems impossible to create anything.




So how the heck do we split rocks and find water when we feel uninspired?




1) See your art as work. If I'm a house builder, am I not going to build a house because I don't feel like it? I have blueprints, I have a budget, I have a deadline. Therefore, I will get my butt in gear and build that house. See your art as work. Set deadlines, set a schedule, and even when you don't feel like it, create something. It might be crappy, but it's a start.




2) Lean on your peers. Many times, just shooting the breeze and sharing ideas with a fellow artist can drum up inspiration. Bouncing off ideas with a friend can be energizing and fun.




3) Give yourself a break. Don't be so angry with yourself when you're thin on inspiration. Maybe take a little vacation after every project. Sometimes, absence does make the heart grow fonder. A little breathing room is often all it takes to get things going again.




4) Swim in a sea of awesomeness. If you're a writer, go read a book by an author you love. Maybe watch a movie that you've always admired. Check out the art museum. Surround yourself with the artists that have always inspired you. You just might catch the creation-bug again.




5) Try nature. There is something about being outside immersed in nature that inspires all artists. Take a walk, go find a nice quiet spot in the desert, the forest, by a babbling brook, or the beach. Whatever. It worked for Thoreau and Hemingway, and it will work for you.




Being an artist of any kind isn't easy. And there will be times where you will try to dig deep and come up empty handed. Relax, give yourself a chance to center yourself, and know that it too shall pass.





Soon, you will find water in the desert.





After doing some freelance writing and editing for more than a dozen years, Jay decided to stop procrastinating and pursue his dream of being a novelist. He's been blogging for over eight years, and even had a comedy podcast syndicated all over the internet. All of that was fun, but all the steampunk-inspired stories in his head just wouldn't leave him alone. Jay spends his days working in medical sales, but he can be found toiling over his laptop late at night when all is quiet.



He draws inspiration from all over: H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Shakespeare, Ray Bradbury, Douglas Adams, and Isaac Asimov.



And Jay loves cookies.





Find more of Jay at his blog by going here:www.jaynoel.com

Worth Stealing!!

     My book Penniless
Hearts is so popular right now that a thief made off with a printed copy,
possibly right from my friend’s mailbox! If you own this heartfelt book, be
careful. The message is special, the descriptions unique and the funny
characters will remain your friends. Just check out the reviews. I didn't realize it would become such a sought-after, worldwide sensation. It may not be
the Hope diamond, but it’s truly worth stealing!




Almost everyone dreams of Hawaii and all I did was sprinkle
in some adventure, stirred in some humor, mixed it with a little fire, creating a dreamy concoction fit for a luau. Turn up the tiki-torches and order your copy today.




 Here’s my drawing of
the way I imagine the criminal running off with my novel. Since I’m practicing
my drawing skills for a children’s book, thought I’d share my illustration.








 By the way, I just
read a very long, fascinating interview of a very successful screenwriter who actually
said heartfelt is good but dark, bleak and cynical is not that great. He made a
point to say that Hollywood is ‘afraid of heartfelt’ and they take refuge in
dim, bleak and ugly only because it’s 'cool'. Will someone judge you if you read something uncool? Does that explain the theft?




 Today your mailbox...tomorrow the world. If
you’re brave enough, click here:Penniless Hearts

Telling Tall Tales Again....

It rained out here in the desert like it has never rained
before. Our car floated through some intersections while others stalled in
rushing rivers, water reaching halfway up the side of their automobiles. Somehow,
by the grace of God we made it home from dinner. The news reports said a one-inch
rainfall because anything closer to reality might scare away tourists. We live
in a very tourist- friendly area where summer dollars are like Midas gold.
Heck, it’s at least one hundred degrees around here all summer but welcome mats
are out and vacuumed. Manicured golf courses look like imported rugs and happy
hours begin early and end later than usual. 




The nice part of a short stay in our valley is that even a monsoon is truly an experience. If you were visiting this
weekend, you would have a tale to tell about waist high water rescues and
filled aquifers. People were slogging through giant puddles in shorts and
chasing after their flip-flops. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I’d
probably never believe it! With dry flowers clogging drains, even the most
luxurious resorts were dealing with strange water levels, over-flowing pools
and fountains gone wild.



More cloudy skies today with a pale blue lining.




The desert leaked and thundered but the impromptu lake
behind my house is seeping into the sandy soil and little birds and butterflies
are happy again. 





Do you ever tell true stories that sound made up? When does non-fiction become fiction? Don't all true stories become fiction with the passage of time? Unless someone actually rode next to Amelia Earhart in the cockpit, how could they write a historically accurate account of her life? If you saw the dry streets today would you believe me?  

My Postcard Collection

I collect postcards from all over the world. The problem with displaying postcards is that those that are written on or stamped, have two meaningful sides. Some people keep their postcard collections in plastic sheets and I've thought about hanging them from some sort of two-sided room divider but until I decide what to do with them they are collecting dust in a wooden box. Many were sent to me from far away and others I picked up on my travels....




Postcards can be funny and boring like this one:

The other side has a section with boxes to check as to why I am sending this postcard.

Besides I miss you and I wish you were here my favorite one is: because I am not creative enough to write my own letter. 










This is the S.S. France, at one time the longest luxury liner in the world.



The one below is an old picture of Victoria, B.C.ca. 1900



The ones below could be anywhere. 



An elegant dining room in the early '70's.



Artist Sulamith Wulfing's cards were favorites to collect.



Mid-century modern in Texas



A card from my high school friend Stephanie from 1975.

 Maybe her card inspired me to live in the desert.



The front of her card is here:

 

 I enjoyed collecting cards by British artists Molly Brett and Noel Hopking



One of my favorite places to hike in the Eastern Sierras.



Embroidered postcard from Seville, Spain





This was sent in 1905 from Budapest, Hungary to Ann Arbor, Michigan.

I picked it up at an antique shop and couldn't

 help but love the calligraphy. The other side is very lovely too and now you can 

see that choosing sides can leave one in a quandary.






Do you collect anything?

 Milk glass?  Hummel figurines? Movie star memorabilia?

Comic books? Barbie dolls? Cats?