Uvi Poznansky's Blog, page 202

The Writing Process (a blog tour)

I got tagged by Christopher Bynum on his blog The Black Writer to carry the torch by taking part in a blog tour, in which we discuss our writing process. Christopher is the talented author of several books: Love Won't Let Me Wait, Speaking As A Man: Poetry And Prose, and With Benefits.
What am I working on?I am in the last stretch of writing my next novel, titled A Peek at Bathsheba. This is the second volume in my new historical fiction series, The David Chronicles, told in the voice of King David. 
I know no better way to share a taste of my writing than to let you read an excerpt. Here goes:
“Come here,” I whisper to her. Instead she goes to the window. I find myself unable to say anything, so instead I make a note to myself, to write down these words, later: “The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon. You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride. You are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.”By the reflection I can read her. I see that she wipes the corner of her eye. Silk curtains start swishing. They sway, they billow wildly around her, blotting and redrawing the curves of her silhouette. I join her by the window and hold her, rocking her gently in my arms. Together, we look out at the last glimmer of the sun, sinking. Our touch is magical. It melts away the bitterness in her. I hum a sweet melody in her ear. She closes her eyes and so do I. There is no need for words, because both of us know, we both understand the hardship she has to go through in my court, and both of us know she has to go it alone. If I would try to put in a good word for her, it would miscarry. I mean, it would be construed as favoring her to others, which would put her in even greater isolation.I do not know if Bathsheba can find her way up from the bottom of the hierarchy down there, in the women’s quarters. It takes a special skill to survive, to persevere is spite of any and all obstacles. It takes grit. Trust me, I know all there is to know about it. That determination, graced by the joy of taking risks, allowed me to challenge men stronger than me, and rise to power in their place. And to this day, it helps me hold on to it. Does she have it in her? Can she take on women more established than her, such as my first wife, Michal, and my second wife, Abigail? Can she gain their support, and climb over their shoulders into her own power?Time will tell.
How does my release differ from others of its genre?I go through meticulous research, like every author worth his salt in the historical fiction genre, and collect every detail about the time and the setting. But then, I choose where to take my departure from the reference material. In this series, I chose to let the character speak in modern language. This is a design decision, meant to bring the reader into the realization that this is a universal story, happening here and now, rather than an old fairytale.
Being an artist, I find my inspiration also by artwork depicting the story. In each era, the artists did not shy away from staging David in garments that belongs to their time, and surrounding him with a contemporary scene. I take my cues from them. Here, for example, is a modern painting by Shaggal, depicting David and Bathsheba. Compare it to this excerpt from the book:And the one image that keeps coming back to me is our reflection in the glass, where our faces melded into one. My eye, her eye, and around us, the outline of a new, fluid identity. A portrait of our love, rippling there, across the surface of the wine. 
Why do I write what I do?I am drawn to characters of complexity. By writing them I hope to put a mirror to the torment we all go through, as we stand on a crossroad contemplating our choices. In this series the character, David, tells his story. How does he see himself, during this first phase of his life? With his hands stained with blood, can he find an inner balance between conflicting drives: his ambition for the crown, his determination to survive the conflict with Saul, and his longing for purity, for a touch of the divine, as expressed so lyrically in his psalms and music?
How does my writing process work?Since this novel is the sequel to my first volume, Rise to Power, the character of David already lives in me. I know him through and through, and the writing flows out of my pen in an amazingly fluent way. When I am away from my desk he goes on talking in my mind, and I cannot wait to get back and put his words on paper.
Here is another excerpt, this time from my book Home, where I share my writing process by attributing it to one of my characters:
He looks at the line. It is written in blue ink, pressed into the sheet of paper—vigorously here, faintly there—with his usual stroke, a stroke that drives through the spikes and valleys in the shapes of the letters at a steady slant. The line reaches the margin, where it is punctuated, unexpectedly, by a red stain. Blotting it is bound to leave fingerprints, and so Mr. Schriber  decides to leave it alone. He lifts the paper by its corner—and a drop bleeds down; he lays it down on the desk—and the stain goes on spreading. Going back to his writing, he applies too much pressure on the pen—and the pointed nib digs into the paper. Taking a deep breath, he tries to compose himself. The pen is his weapon. The simple act of pulling it over the soft, white surface has never failed to calm him down. Letter by letter, mark by mark, it will soon draw him into a different state of mind.
My tag picks are:Siggy Buckley Katheryn LaneRegina PucketAshley FontainneChristoph FischerDan GloverJan RomesVickie JohnstoneBathsheba Dailey

Forgive me ma, now at last I am allowed to cry

Written by my father
Translated by me

Somewhere at night a string sings outAll's dark, silent, filled with doubtI'm alone, and you?Out there, in the cold, a string sings out
Forgive me ma, that under your wingA poet grew, only to sing Forgive me ma, I knew no way but runI was a defiant son!
In your life I sang you no songs, but now I miss—Forgive me ma, that I wiped off your kissWhich you gave me, thinking I were asleep...Now, after you're gone, I confess and I weep
I loved no one like you!After you were gone, I knewI had travelled to a place so alien, so coldHow bitter it had felt, to you I never told.
How you waited to receive a word from me, a letter,How I missed you! Only now I know betterNo longer am I ashamed to say, to try:Forgive me ma, now at last I am allowed to cry.

This is a watercolor painting--the largest I have painted--of my father. Measuring 40" x 30", this is called 'Silence of the Bard. Why a Bard? Because even though my father never played a musical instrument he composed beautiful images using the music of words. This is why the impression of the strings extends out into the landscape, which becomes a melodically conceived universe. 
And, why Silence? because he never shared his last body of work with anyone. It is not been read by others, until now, until I published this book in his tribute: Home.
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Looking for a #FathersDay #gift? Check this out

Show your love on Father's DayPrepare your gift without delay!Give a hug, and give a storyFor this day is full of glory 

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Home
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Paper Peacock

If you have been following my posts, you might have noticed that I have a feel, a deep appreciation for paper: its texture, pliability, and all the ways it allows you to use it, from writing to painting, from crumpling to origami and paper engineering. Here is a project I did together with Jess--the loveliest little girl you'll ever meet... Together, we googled images of peacocks online. She preferred the tail feathers to be hanging down behind, rather than spread out, so that was the way this paper peacock came into being.  

On another day, we created wings for Jess, and a rose-shaped wand, the top of which can be seen down there, at bottom center of this image. The contemplative bird seems to ponder the meaning of the designs on the wings--but whether it came to any conclusions, it is hard to know.

If you haven't seen my other paper projects, click here for my Plucked Porcupine.

I'm blessed for the pleasure, blessed for the agony...

Poem by my fatherTranslated by me
 I'm blessed for the pleasure, blessed for the agonyBlessed for the fear, the pain of it allIn which I was steeped, in this realityAnd granted the chance to endure or to fall 
I'm blessed for the hardship, and blessed for the hurtBlessed for the crevices, obstacles and allIn the heart of the storm, my journey I chartTo leap over the inferno, and turn back to recall
I'm blessed to have lived, in honor and courageBlessed I could take a deep plunge, then soarBlessed for the vinegar, and blessed for the honeyBlessed to be counted with the few at the foreThat somehow did reach their big destiny.
Listen to Kathy Bell Denton, the voice artist for Home, read this poem:

If your browser wouldn't play it, try this 


A detail from the my oil painting, which is used for the cover of Home
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Inside David

A perceptive and well thought-out review of Rise to Power:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inside David, June 4, 2014By Sharon "Sharon" (Santa Monica, CA) - See all my reviewsVerified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Rise to Power (The David Chronicles Book 1) (Kindle Edition) Uvi Poznansky gets inside the head and under the skin of the Biblical David in RISE TO POWER (The David Chronicles Book 1). While well- researched and relying on the well-known details of the Biblical story this book enters imaginatively into the thoughts and feelings of David, presenting in his own words the complex character in a new and engaging way. Traditionalists might object to the character as he emerges in all his ambitiousness, venality, ruthlessness - and yet tender sensitivity. This is a human portrait of an exceptional man in exceptional circumstances, and whether the reader is religious in an orthodox way or not he can relate to the humanity of this fascinating man as Poznansky had portrayed him. The story is rich in sensual description that reflects the writer's artistic talents (she is a painter, a sculptor, a poet - as well as a fiction writer); for me the most interesting use of language comes in the witty and sometimes anachronistic "modernization" of the narrative that draws the contemporary reader into the head of David himself. He becomes someone we think we can understand and relate to (I am trying to avoid that hated word "relatable") and, in his rich humanity, he reaches across the ages and teaches us something about ourselves.

In Rise to Power, author Uvi Poznansky does exactly that

Just discovered a lovely review for my novel, Rise to Power:

5.0 out of 5 stars In Rise to Power (The David Chronicles), author Uvi Poznansky does exactly that.,June 3, 2014By Amazon Customer "lokhos" (USA) - See all my reviewsVerified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Rise to Power (The David Chronicles) (Kindle Edition) "There are limits to power. When afflicted by an unexplained illness, even a king can be placed in quarantine," says David, our narrator, in the prologue to this story. Yes, THAT David, of Old Testament fame. Now he speaks to us through Uvi Poznansky's prose.

With nearly his next breath, David asks, "Why write another psalm? Who would read it? Who would take it to heart?" You'll read it; you'll take it to heart, once you start this book, a glorious but troubling journey into an ancient mind and a riven heart, impossible to put down.

In previous works, Uvi Poznansky has shown us her well-tuned ear, her lyrical bent. Now she's harnessed these to a chariot worthy of a hero. Rise to Power is a grand accomplishment, the like of which is very rare.

For a trip into a noble mind, buy this book and let it whirl you away. You'll be glad you did.

Murder by 4

Murder by 4 is mystery lovers' blog run by four passionate writers. I  am deeply honored that one of them, a prolific author of twenty-some books, Aaron Paul Lazar, invited me to share my thoughts about the writing process. Here is the beginning of my thread of thoughts:


In any task you undertake, you often hear the advice: start at the beginning, continue down the middle, and finish at the end. Writing is no different. Problem is, as you advance diligently down that path, you may find–to your surprise–that you are getting better, more proficient at your craft. Suddenly the opening of this chapter sounds so much catchier than the previous one; and the ending more powerful. You must constantly re-evaluate and rework previous chapters. So in my opinion, the process of writing is cyclical. By the time I completed the last chapter of my... 
To read the entire post, click here: Insights from Author Uvi Poznansky - The Writing Process

How much nagging can a man take from his wives?

“Tell us the truth,” she demands. “Are you having an affair? Tongues are wagging all over town, about those two new girls next door, Abital and Eglah.”So what choice do I have but to swear, “In heaven’s name, what are you suggesting?”“I’m not suggesting,” says she. “I’m just saying.”“I would never betray my wives!” “Wouldn't you, dear?”I clap my hand over my heart, most earnestly, and in an offended tone I say, “Of course not! Which is why I’ve already proposed to both of them.”“I see,” says Maacha. Abigail giggles. “I can just imagine, my lord, what words you used.”“Yeah,” says Ahinoam, and with a hint of mockery in her tone she quotes the line I once whispered in her ear, and in the ear of any other girl I knew, “Your eyes behind your veil are doves. Your hair is like a flock of goats, descending from the hills of Gilead.”Taking a cue from her, Abigail goes on to quote my next line, “Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon. Your mouth is lovely. Your temples behind your veil are like the halves of a pomegranate.”And Maacha says, “I don’t really care for all that agricultural talk. A purple veil is what I want. Give it to me and then, who cares? You can describe me as any kind of fruit you wish.” “None of you women understand me!” I cry. “All this pressure is for no better reason than getting a dab of indigo dye, which I assure you, I’ll use for one purpose, and one only: to make this place the pinnacle of elegance, so that anyone who visits here will know, at a single glance, that I am not merely a tribal king—but one headed for imperial power.”
How long, Lord, how long? How much nagging can a man take from his wives? I throw my hands up, and with an indignant air I fling the door, leaving a royal slam behind me.
David in my upcoming novel, A Peek at Bathsheba, which is the sequel to Rise to Power
In my charcoal drawing, you can find two women in the construction of this man
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"A tale of madmen and kings, youth and old age, prison cells and freedom's ring..."

A Favorite Son is #1 Bestseller in paid books in Biblical Fiction!

Need I say more? Today, A Favorite Son is #1 in biblical fiction!