Uvi Poznansky's Blog, page 200

Cover reveal: A Peek at Bathsheba

My book, A Peek at Bathsheba, includes a sighting of Bathsheba at mouth of a cave, located just above the Kidron valley, near Jerusalem. The setting immediately brought to my mind A Woman Bathing in a Stream, painted in 1655 by Rembrandt, immediately after he painted Bathsheba at Her Bath. 
During the history of art, most artists portrayed Bathsheba as a fleshy, mature woman. They often placed her in a lush outdoor scenery, such as a royal garden, with flowing water or with a fountain. Spotting a forbidden woman in a setting reminiscent of the Garden of Eden is a tempting fantasy, and quite a departure from the biblical account, that states she was bathing on her roof. Artists go after their own heart—and so, indeed, do writers—to suggest the emotional essence of the story.
Rembrandt places his figure not in a garden, but in a cave with a pool of water, which is at once an outdoor and indoor scene (and in Bathsheba at Her Bath he presented her in an indoor scene, in her bedroom.) 
Unlike paintings done by other artists—depicting Susanna and the Elders, Bathsheba, or the goddess Diana, who were all spied upon while bathing—this painting does not show the peeping man. Instead, Rembrandt supplants him by you, the viewer. Also, the woman in his painting is in control of the situation, rather than a victim of it. Rembrandt worked mostly with a grays, browns, and blacks, setting objects back by plunging them into this dark tone, and bringing them forward by shining a bright light directly upon them, creating stark contrasts. The resulting image is sculptural in nature, and strikingly dramatic.
Clearly, the composition of my watercolor painting is inspired by his admirable art, shares a similar spirit of intimacy, and maintains a loving respect for the model. Here is my approach, my homage to it, which illuminates the new vision I use for the story. 

I strive to maintain a sculptural feel for Bathsheba, but take the freedom to play with a splash of colors, so as to draw contrasts between cool and warm hues. I create a variety of textures, using a loose, spontaneous brushstroke. This I achieve by applying puddles of pigments over Yupo paper, which (unlike traditional watercolor paper) is non-absorbent. I let these puddles drip in some places, and in other places, I lift and shape them into careful designs, using various tools. 
The font selected for the title depicts a regal, dynamically slanted, and rather grandiose handwriting style, just the way I imagine David’s penmanship in his private diary.  By contrast to the title, the font selected for the name of the trilogy—The David Chronicles—is a more formal one, and it is presented in capitals. This adheres to the font scheme for the cover of the first volume, Rise to Power.

At the top, the letters are bathed in golden light, which fades gradually towards the bottom. Down there, they are soaked in a blood red color, as befits this dramatic affair of love and war.
A Peek at Bathsheba is one volume out of a trilogy. Therefore I am designing the spines of all three covers to have a matching feel in terms of the image and font scheme. So when you place them on your bookshelf, one spine next to the other, all three volumes will visually belong together. Together they will grace the look of your library.
Detail from the cover of A Peek at Bathsheba
Cover of A Peek at Bathsheba

Coming soon... Stay tuned!★ Meanwhile, get Volume I of the trilogy ★Rise to Power★ Audio ★ Ebook ★ Print ★
"I am so enamored with the sensual style and delicious delivery
 that this review is a purely emotional response as I have just put it down. 
I feel like a devotee."

I marvel in her plan. It is so clever! So deceitful!

At that second it dawns on me—I understand, in its entirety, my mother’s plan; which nearly brings me to split my sides and roar with laughter—but at a single hint from her, I hold it in. No need for other people to hear us.Intoxicated, I marvel in her plan; and in my mind I shout: My God, this is so clever! So deceitful! This costume, I think, is so much fun! Designed for the pleasure, so to speak, of a blind man... Ha! What does he know! That damn blessing may yet be mine, after all.In my excitement I stumble across a thought, which is so outlandish that immediately, it makes me sober up. “What if he suspects something,” I ask, in a whisper. I hate to admit it, but it is not love for my father, nor respect for his age, that drive me to such hesitation. Rather, it is fear: The fear to be found out.She lowers her eyes, thinking intensely, searching for an answer.So I press on: “What if he touches me? He will guess, perhaps, that I am not the son I pretend to be; and so, instead of a blessing, I will end up, God forbid, being cursed!” What can she say, I wonder. True, my mother is close to me. We could always think alike. But for the life of me, I cannot understand her right now. She is the mother of twins, so in my mind, she should love us both, in fairly equal measures. In the years to come I would often wonder: Why would a woman do this, why would she pit one son against another? 
Yankle in A Favorite Son
Take a listen to my gifted narrator, David Kudler, reading the opening of this excerpt:

If your browser wouldn't play it, try this

This is how Yankle describes the plot, which his mother Becky (Rebecca) conceives to cheat both Esav, her other son, and her husband Isaac who is lying on his deathbed. Her plan is for Yankle to fool his blind father, and wear a costume, pretending to be his twin brother. When she tells Yankle, "On me your sin, my son," it is not love for him that drives her. 

This is the moment depicted in my sculpture of Rebecca: her hand gesture is meant to wave away his fears--but at the same time, it is only herself that she hugs. You can see nother view of this piece here.

★ Treat yourself to a gift! Get this book ★A Favorite Son★ Audio ★ Ebook ★ Print ★
"Her prose is beautiful; she paints intricate, emotionally resonant pictures with words"

One spine next to the other

My upcoming novel, A Peek at Bathsheba (Volume II of the trilogy The David Chronicles) comes at the heels of Rise to Power (Volume I.) Therefore I am designing the spines of all three covers to have a matching feel in terms of the image and font scheme. So when you place them on your bookshelf, one spine next to the other, all three volumes will visually belong together. 
My hope is that together, they will grace the look of your library.

★ Love listening to stories? Get this book ★Rise to Power★ Ebook ★ Print ★ Audio ★"A tale of madmen and kings, youth and old age, prison cells and freedom's ring..."
A Peek at Bathsheba
★ Coming soon! Stay tuned ★

My novel is #bestseller on Amazon!

My novel Apart From Love is #15 in free books on Amazon!Also it is #1 in Family Life fiction, and #2 in Literary Fiction! How cool is that! :)Get this book now--still free for a few more hours... Hint hint... 

Interview at Tassels of Intertwined Emotions

Here is my interview with author and poet Euponos Aus on her blog, Tassels of Intertwined Emotions:
MY CONVERSATION WITH UVI POZNANSKY

David decides to tell the true story of his early years

I am honored to get this review is from a reader who is not only a truck driver who has seen most of the continental US through her work, and who is a poet as well!  Cindy J. Smith is the author of Voices In My Head and other books. This is what she wrote about Rise to Power:

5.0 out of 5 stars David's story unabridged, June 18, 2014By Cynthia J. Smith - See all my reviewsVerified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Rise to Power (The David Chronicles Book 1) (Kindle Edition) Uvi has written a powerful story of King David from the bible, an "autobiography" of sorts. It starts with David being old and possibly mentally infirm. He decides to tell the true story of his early years.

I love the statement she makes about history being the story the victors want you to believe. It is so true of most historical facts.

Her story relates a version of David that I have always felt to be true. I never could figure out why he is revered as a pious man when his actions belied the description.

This book is well written and I believe the series will be a great accomplishment.

The inside story of A Peek at Bathsheba

Against the backdrop of raging wars within the land and without, David is growing into the mantle of leadership. Between his anointment as a tribal king and his anointment as the king of all of Israel, he uses wisdom and cunning, and his own understanding of the forces of history, aiming for high ideals: uniting the nation and bringing about healing and peace. 
But then, having reached his peak, David falters. He makes a serious error that threatens to undo his political success, and cost him not only the adoration of his people—but also the sense of being sustained by a divine force. That error is most torrid tale of passion ever told: his deliciously forbidden love for Bathsheba, and his attempt to cover up the ensuing scandal by sending her husband—who serves him faithfully in his army—to his death.
This is volume II of the trilogy The David Chronicles, told candidly by the king himself. David uses modern language, indicating that this is no fairytale. Rather, it is a story that happens here and now, calling for reflection. Listen to his voice as he undergoes a profound change, realizing the magnitude of his sin, and the curse looming over his entire future.
Detail from the cover
Coming soon... Stay tuned!★ Meanwhile, get Volume I of the trilogy ★Rise to Power★ Audio ★ Ebook ★ Print ★
"I am so enamored with the sensual style and delicious delivery
 that this review is a purely emotional response as I have just put it down. 
I feel like a devotee."

Loved Uvi's book!

Just found a short and sweet review by the author of Psychic Perception, Daily Meditations, and other books, Candy O'Donnell. Candy earned a Bachelor's degree in History and Culture in 2010, so I am thrilled that this is what she wrote about my historical fiction novel, Rise to Power:


5.0 out of 5 stars Loved Uvi's book!, June 18, 2014By Candy O'Donnell (California) - See all my reviewsVerified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Rise to Power (The David Chronicles Book 1) (Kindle Edition) If you are in the market for great writing and a great story, pick up Uvi's book and check it out. The cover is amazing, but her cover always are and her writing... is incredible. Thanks, Uvi for a great read!

#Free #download: Apart From Love

★ Love reading? Download this book now ★And while you get it, check out its audio edition, too! Apart From Love Free 06/19-06/20
Secrets, passion, betrayal...Written with passionate conviction, this story is being recorded by two of its characters: Ben, a twenty-seven years old student, and Anita, a plain-spoken, spunky, uneducated redhead, freshly married to Lenny, his aging father. Behind his back, Ben and Anita find themselves increasingly drawn to each other. They take turns using an old tape recorder to express their most intimate thoughts, not realizing at first that their voices are being captured by him.

Meanwhile, Lenny is trying to keep a secret from both of them: his ex-wife, Ben's mother, a talented pianist, has been stricken with early-onset alzheimer. Taking care of her gradually weighs him down. What emerges in these characters is a struggle, a desperate, daring struggle to find a path out of conflicts, out of isolation, from guilt to forgiveness. 

These tapes hold the secret of the story. As one of the characters concludes, "I wish I could be more confident of its veracity and completeness. I wish I could do more. This, I suppose, is the nature of the quest for truth--even if it is truth in fiction."

Where does the title, Apart From Love, come from?
The word Love is used sparingly in the novel, which makes it ever more precious. The title comes from a phrase used three times in the story:

After a while I whispered, like, "Just say something to me. Anything." And I thought, Any other word apart from Love, 'cause that word is diluted, and no one knows what it really means, anyway.
Anita

Why, why can't you say nothing? Say any word--but that one, 'cause you don't really mean it. Nobody does. Say anything, apart from Love.
Anita

For my own sake I should have been much more careful. Now--even in her absence--I find myself in her hands, which feels strange to me. I am surrounded--and at the same time, isolated. I am alone. I am apart from Love.
Ben

King David's story - As You've Never heard It Before

I am thrilled to find this new review, written by Catherine Cavendish, the author of Touched by Darkness, Cold Sparks, and other books. This is what she wrote about my novel, Rise to Power:

5.0 out of 5 stars King David's story - As You've Never heard It Before, June 18, 2014By Catherine Cavendish - See all my reviewsThis review is from: Rise to Power (The David Chronicles Book 1) (Kindle Edition) 'Rise To Power' is the first in a series of books charting the life and times of Kind David. Yes, the Biblical King David. But if you think this is going to be a religious, pious retelling of the story, you would be mistaken. This is the book's power, and what makes it so accessible to any reader, irrespective of their religion - or lack of it.

The subject himself is well aware of the sycophantic scribblings of the official historians of his day. In this account, he attempts to set the record straight, and present himself, with all his failings, to the reader's scrutiny.

In this first volume of his memoirs, we see the young, ambitious, ruthless David who will stop at virtually nothing to achieve his dreams of power and greatness. He will see King Saul off his throne - but will stop short of killing him, or of publicly condoning anyone else for doing so. He takes any woman he desires, even the married ones, and, as for Goliath...

David knows all about creating a popular public image. He knows how to attract support, and when he needs to resist his natural urge to seize power. He's in it for the long game, and his understanding of what makes humans 'tick' is impressive. The author has presented King David as a seriously flawed character, but a fascinating one - perhaps because of that.

An exciting read. I was hooked from the beginning. Others have mentioned the slightly controversial use of modern idiomatic language which maybe shouldn't have worked but, for me, it did. And it added a new dimension to this work. I look forward to part two and thoroughly recommend 'Rise To Power'