Uvi Poznansky's Blog, page 203
May 30, 2014
I land with a shriek, which is swallowed at once by the clap of thunder
The princess lets me down through the window, lowering me one knot after another. The bed of roses is far beneath my feet, and it looks unreal and a bit eerie from here, because of the strange shadows cast every which way by torches passing through the garden, and by sudden flashes of lightning. I am hanging on for dear life, swaying in the wind between heaven and hell. Meanwhile, from the chamber above me, a knock is heard.The princess unties the ribbons left and right of the window to let the floral curtains fall shut. There is barely a slit between them, so I can no longer see her.
“What now?” she. asks, brazenly. To them she may sound as brave as ever—but I can hear the way her voice starts to falter.“Move away from the door,” says the officer. “I have my orders.”“Your orders?” she demands. “And what are they this time?”And he reports, “The king said, David is sick? If so, I will take care of him.”With a tone of relief, “Bless the Lord,” she mutters. “I don’t think you understand,” says the officer. “The king said, Bring David up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.”She lets out an unexpected wail, and with that I hear a big burst. The door must have been broken, and I know it because a shard from her mirror shoots out through the slit between the curtains.My hold on the robe is weakening by the second. I try to clutch at the knot overhead, to climb back and help her—but no, it is too late. I hear many more boots. Soldiers must be filing in already. By now they must be surrounding her.“She is indecent,” says the officer. “Put some clothes on her.”“Look,” says one of his soldiers. “Her sheets are soiled.”“And there, there’s David!” says another. “Oh boy, he looks like the devil himself, smiling there in her bed.”“Behold,” says the third. “It’s an icon, with a pillow of goat’s hair for its support.”
In a blink they will figure where I am. So I let go of the knot, close my eyes and fly through the air like a bat out of hell, with a single thought in my mind: I can never come back here. I am empty handed. And another thing: when I was a child, my mother would sit close to my sister Zeruriah and tell her fairytales, lovely old fairytales about a prince risking his life, climbing all the way up the tower to rescue a maiden in distress—but not once did I hear about her saving him, nor did I hear about him coming down to run away from her.This is no fairytale. I am no prince. Who knows how fast it will take Saul to strip me of my title, the Husband of a Princess, thus reducing me to someone far lower than low. A nobody. Who knows how fast it will take him to brand me a traitor. Alas, all is lost.I land with a shriek, which is swallowed at once by the clap of thunder. And I go, and flee, and escape.
David in Rise to Power
When Saul sends assassins to kill David, Michal helps him escape from her bedroom window. This story has fascinated artists throughout the ages. To illustrate the variety of viewpoints, here are the works of two of them. While Gustave Dore emphasizes drama, danger, and heroism, it is the possibility of love that Shagal chooses to focus on. His Michal stands there with open arms, while David floats out into a starry, moonlit sky.
Michal and David by Gustave Dore
Michal and David by Shagal
★ Love listening to stories? Get this book ★Rise to Power★ Ebook FREE★ Print ★ Audio ★
"A tale of madmen and kings, youth and old age, prison cells and freedom's ring..."
“What now?” she. asks, brazenly. To them she may sound as brave as ever—but I can hear the way her voice starts to falter.“Move away from the door,” says the officer. “I have my orders.”“Your orders?” she demands. “And what are they this time?”And he reports, “The king said, David is sick? If so, I will take care of him.”With a tone of relief, “Bless the Lord,” she mutters. “I don’t think you understand,” says the officer. “The king said, Bring David up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.”She lets out an unexpected wail, and with that I hear a big burst. The door must have been broken, and I know it because a shard from her mirror shoots out through the slit between the curtains.My hold on the robe is weakening by the second. I try to clutch at the knot overhead, to climb back and help her—but no, it is too late. I hear many more boots. Soldiers must be filing in already. By now they must be surrounding her.“She is indecent,” says the officer. “Put some clothes on her.”“Look,” says one of his soldiers. “Her sheets are soiled.”“And there, there’s David!” says another. “Oh boy, he looks like the devil himself, smiling there in her bed.”“Behold,” says the third. “It’s an icon, with a pillow of goat’s hair for its support.”
In a blink they will figure where I am. So I let go of the knot, close my eyes and fly through the air like a bat out of hell, with a single thought in my mind: I can never come back here. I am empty handed. And another thing: when I was a child, my mother would sit close to my sister Zeruriah and tell her fairytales, lovely old fairytales about a prince risking his life, climbing all the way up the tower to rescue a maiden in distress—but not once did I hear about her saving him, nor did I hear about him coming down to run away from her.This is no fairytale. I am no prince. Who knows how fast it will take Saul to strip me of my title, the Husband of a Princess, thus reducing me to someone far lower than low. A nobody. Who knows how fast it will take him to brand me a traitor. Alas, all is lost.I land with a shriek, which is swallowed at once by the clap of thunder. And I go, and flee, and escape.
David in Rise to Power
When Saul sends assassins to kill David, Michal helps him escape from her bedroom window. This story has fascinated artists throughout the ages. To illustrate the variety of viewpoints, here are the works of two of them. While Gustave Dore emphasizes drama, danger, and heroism, it is the possibility of love that Shagal chooses to focus on. His Michal stands there with open arms, while David floats out into a starry, moonlit sky.
Michal and David by Gustave Dore
Michal and David by Shagal★ Love listening to stories? Get this book ★Rise to Power★ Ebook FREE★ Print ★ Audio ★
"A tale of madmen and kings, youth and old age, prison cells and freedom's ring..."
This is the moment when the truth comes to me, clear and naked
In my novel Apart From Love, Ben refuses, for the longest time, to give up on his mother, who has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. But in the later part of the novel he is finally facing the moment of truth:
And this, this is the moment when the truth comes to me, clear and naked in its full ugliness, and I cannot deny it, cannot ignore the horrific meaning of what she who used to be my mother does next:Sensing a presence next to her, she stirs back, as if by instinct, and for a split second smacks her lips. He may think this is a sign, perhaps of gratitude. I can see the sudden relief, the surprise in his smile. His eyes start closing, as if in anticipation of a kiss. And then, then she opens her mouth, like some animal—a lizard comes to mind—hungry for its prey. She stays there, seemingly lazy, utterly motionless, jaws dropped, chin hanging, waiting for her feed. Waiting, waiting, waiting for more. Waiting without a word. Waiting with a need that can no longer find its satisfaction, the need of a body, an empty shell of a body whose mind has finally left it. Waiting, because mom will never be able to give.At once I let go of the double doors so they swing, and come to a close. And I turn, and I run, run out of that place as fast as I can, so as not feel her eyes, looking at me without taking me in. I am still running. I have to, because I find myself held still in that moment, when the truth has come to me, damn it. Who can be so brazen as to deny it, and who wants to take a second look.
In this charcoal sketch you can see how I study the features of the face at the moment of shock, when in a flash, you are facing that which you would not face before. A moment of truth can be a personal one, which you experience in private, or a communal one. Which is why I used this sketch also in my large oil painting, Earthquake.
★ Love reading? Get this book★Apart From Love★ Audio ★ Ebook ★ Print ★ "A feast for the armchair psychologist. Reveals insights that can touch and frighten each of us"
And this, this is the moment when the truth comes to me, clear and naked in its full ugliness, and I cannot deny it, cannot ignore the horrific meaning of what she who used to be my mother does next:Sensing a presence next to her, she stirs back, as if by instinct, and for a split second smacks her lips. He may think this is a sign, perhaps of gratitude. I can see the sudden relief, the surprise in his smile. His eyes start closing, as if in anticipation of a kiss. And then, then she opens her mouth, like some animal—a lizard comes to mind—hungry for its prey. She stays there, seemingly lazy, utterly motionless, jaws dropped, chin hanging, waiting for her feed. Waiting, waiting, waiting for more. Waiting without a word. Waiting with a need that can no longer find its satisfaction, the need of a body, an empty shell of a body whose mind has finally left it. Waiting, because mom will never be able to give.At once I let go of the double doors so they swing, and come to a close. And I turn, and I run, run out of that place as fast as I can, so as not feel her eyes, looking at me without taking me in. I am still running. I have to, because I find myself held still in that moment, when the truth has come to me, damn it. Who can be so brazen as to deny it, and who wants to take a second look.
In this charcoal sketch you can see how I study the features of the face at the moment of shock, when in a flash, you are facing that which you would not face before. A moment of truth can be a personal one, which you experience in private, or a communal one. Which is why I used this sketch also in my large oil painting, Earthquake.
★ Love reading? Get this book★Apart From Love★ Audio ★ Ebook ★ Print ★ "A feast for the armchair psychologist. Reveals insights that can touch and frighten each of us"
May 29, 2014
#Kindle #Countdown #Deal: Love reading? Get A FAVORITE SON!
You know you want it, A Favorite SonTime is ticking, time to run!
Love reading? Get A FAVORITE SON !
Book Description:
This story is a present-day twist on the biblical story of Jacob and his mother Rebecca plotting together against the elderly father Isaac, who is lying on his deathbed, in order to get their hands on the inheritance, and on the power in the family. This is no old fairy tale. Its power is here and now, in each one of us.
Listening to Yankle telling his take on events, we understand the bitter rivalry between him and his brother. We become intimately engaged with every detail of the plot, and every shade of emotion in these flawed, yet fascinating characters. He yearns to become his father’s favorite son, seeing only one way open to him, to get that which he wants: deceit
“What if my father would touch me,” asks Yankle. In planning his deception, it is not love for his father, nor respect for his age that drives his hesitation—rather, it is the fear to be found out.
And so—covering his arm with the hide of a kid, pretending to be that which he is not—he is now ready for the last moment he is going to have with his father.
Friday May 30 1:00am PST
Price discounted to $0.99 for 36 hours
Saturday May 31 1:00pm PST
Promotional price increases to $1.99 for 36 hours
Monday June 2 1:00am PST
Promotional price increases to $2.99 for 36 hours
Tuesday June 3 1:00pm PST
Promotional price increases to $3.99 for 36 hours
Thursday June 5 1:00am PST
Price returns to original list price of $4.99
Love reading? Get A FAVORITE SON !
Book Description:
This story is a present-day twist on the biblical story of Jacob and his mother Rebecca plotting together against the elderly father Isaac, who is lying on his deathbed, in order to get their hands on the inheritance, and on the power in the family. This is no old fairy tale. Its power is here and now, in each one of us.
Listening to Yankle telling his take on events, we understand the bitter rivalry between him and his brother. We become intimately engaged with every detail of the plot, and every shade of emotion in these flawed, yet fascinating characters. He yearns to become his father’s favorite son, seeing only one way open to him, to get that which he wants: deceit
“What if my father would touch me,” asks Yankle. In planning his deception, it is not love for his father, nor respect for his age that drives his hesitation—rather, it is the fear to be found out.
And so—covering his arm with the hide of a kid, pretending to be that which he is not—he is now ready for the last moment he is going to have with his father.
Friday May 30 1:00am PST
Price discounted to $0.99 for 36 hoursSaturday May 31 1:00pm PST
Promotional price increases to $1.99 for 36 hoursMonday June 2 1:00am PST
Promotional price increases to $2.99 for 36 hoursTuesday June 3 1:00pm PST
Promotional price increases to $3.99 for 36 hoursThursday June 5 1:00am PST
Price returns to original list price of $4.99
Great Portrayal
So happy to discover this short and sweet review for Rise to Power:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Portrayal, May 29, 2014By CMCastro - See all my reviewsVerified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Rise to Power (The David Chronicles) (Kindle Edition)
This is a powerful portrayal of a royal man of God who deals with the world in his way while struggling with the Law and his emotions. Excellent read.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Portrayal, May 29, 2014By CMCastro - See all my reviewsVerified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Rise to Power (The David Chronicles) (Kindle Edition)
This is a powerful portrayal of a royal man of God who deals with the world in his way while struggling with the Law and his emotions. Excellent read.
#Free #download: Rise to Power
Love reading? Download this book now Rise to Power
Here is the story of David as you have never heard it before: from the king himself, telling the unofficial version, the one he never allowed his court scribes to recount. In his mind, history is written to praise the victorious—but at the last stretch of his illustrious life, he feels an irresistible urge to tell the truth. In the first volume, Rise to Power, David gives you a fascinating account of his early years, culminating with a tribal coronation. Rooted in ancient lore, his is a surprisingly modern memoir.
In an era of cruelty, when destroying the enemy is deemed a sacred directive, the slayer of Goliath finds a way to become larger than life. His search for a path to power leads him in ways that are, at times, scandalous. Notorious for his contradictions, David is seen by others as a gifted court entertainer, a successful captain in Saul’s army, a cunning fugitive, a traitor leading a gang of felons, and a ruthless raider of neighboring towns who leaves no witnesses behind.
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?
May 28, 2014
A Very Inspiring Blogger Award
It feels so rewarding! My blog, which is centered around themes of creativity in art and writing, has been in existence for only two years, with traffic sky-rocketting to over 13,000 visits last month--and now it has been tapped by fellow author and blogger Catherine Cavendish for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award.
Catherine writes mainly paranormal horror fiction. She lives with a longsuffering husband and mildly eccentric tortoiseshell cat in North Wales. Their home is in a building dating back to the mid 18th century which is haunted by a friendly ghost, who announces her presence by footsteps, switching lights on and strange phenomena involving the washing machine and the TV. When not slaving over a hot computer, she enjoys wandering around Neolithic stone circles and visiting old haunted houses.
Seven things about me:
In high-school I wrote a research project about the Israeli poet Uri Zvi Grinberg, who was politically out-of-fashion at the time. As a result, I received a failing grade for this project. The failing grade could have been corrected by taking an exam, which I refused to do, on principle. This meant never finishing my matriculation requirements for completing high-school requirements.I earned my B.A. in Architecture and Town Planning from the Technion in Haifa, Israel, my M.A. in Architecture from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy NY, and my M.S. degree in Computer Science from the University of Michigan.Since I never learned the proper technique for breast-stroke, I taught myself to swim using my own 'technique', swimming underwater for three strokes and coming up for a breath on the fourth. Looks a bit unconventional (which means, funny) but is gets me up and down the pool with the rest of the swimmers...I do things the Indie way, designing my own book covers (using my own art) formatting the text for print, and converting it to ebook format, all single-handedly.My career spanned several professions—first as an architect, and later as a software engineer, software team leader, software manager and a software consultant, with an emphasis on user interface for medical instruments devices. The longest stretch of work was my eight years for Philips Ultrasound, developing a high-end ultrasound machine that never made it to market, because the company went out of business. This experience gave me the fine detail for the scene in my novel, Apart From Love, where Anita's womb is being scanned.I travelled to China, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil.During this year, I published the first volume of The David Chronicles, titled Rise to Power. I am working furiously on the second volume, titled A Peek At Bathsheba, and I'm elated at the flow of it! I'm writing as fast as I can, trying to keep up with my character, David.
My choice of inspiring blogs you will want to check out:
Julia Gousseva Christian AshleyKim ScottLibby Fischer HellmanMCV EganStacy JubaBarbara SilkstoneCharity ParkersonRegina PuckettJames DiBenedettoCarmen DeSousa Donna FassanoKatheryn LaneBrenda Kearns
The Rules:
Display the award logo on your blog. Link back to the person who nominated you. State 7 things about yourself. Nominate 15 bloggers for this award and link to them. Notify those bloggers of the nomination and the award’s requirements
May 27, 2014
We CAN see the world through the eyes of each of the characters
Lovely review for my novel, Apart From Love:
5.0 out of 5 stars Complex and relevant, May 27, 2014By mrs. lit - See all my reviewsVerified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Apart From Love (Kindle Edition)
Well written and engaging throughout, this novel does, as so many have indicated, reveal the multiple truths behind a dysfunctional family. The truth of many dysfunctional families is that everyone just does the best he/she can. The result is often a disaster; but we can forgive each other when we see the truth through others' eyes. This book does a great job of revealing the layers of dysfunction because we CAN see the world through the eyes of each of the complicated, struggling characters this author draws so perfectly.
5.0 out of 5 stars Complex and relevant, May 27, 2014By mrs. lit - See all my reviewsVerified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Apart From Love (Kindle Edition)
Well written and engaging throughout, this novel does, as so many have indicated, reveal the multiple truths behind a dysfunctional family. The truth of many dysfunctional families is that everyone just does the best he/she can. The result is often a disaster; but we can forgive each other when we see the truth through others' eyes. This book does a great job of revealing the layers of dysfunction because we CAN see the world through the eyes of each of the complicated, struggling characters this author draws so perfectly.
May 26, 2014
#kindle #countdown #deal: Get Twisted!
Leave the light on, and listen, harkMy tale is gripping, it is dark
Love a dark tale? Get Twisted!
Book Description
In this unique collection, Uvi Poznansky brings together diverse tales, laden with shades of mystery and the macabre. There are four of them: I Am What I Am; I, Woman; The Hollow; and The One Who Never Leaves. Here, you will come into a dark, strange world, a hyper-reality where nearly everything is firmly rooted in the familiar—except for some quirky detail that twists the yarn, and takes it for a spin in an unexpected direction.
This is the reality you will see through the eyes of a ghost of a woman, trying to reclaim her name by appealing to the devil; the eyes of a clay figure of a woman, about to be fired in the kiln, longing for her Creator; the eyes of a woman in the midst of a free fall, about to become a ghost; and the eyes of a feline creature with cracked fangs, trying in vain to resign herself, by hook and by crook, to being locked. These characters explore their identity, and challenge their fate.
Inspired by her art, by quotes from literature and the bible, and by the author’s professional career, these tales come from different times and places. Yet all of them share one thing in common: an unusual mind, one that is twisted. So prepare yourself: keep the lights on.
Tuesday May 27 1:00am PST
Price discounted to $0.99 for 24 hours
Wednesday May 28 1:00am PST
Promotional price increases to $1.99 for 24 hours
Thursday May 29 1:00am PST
Promotional price increases to $2.99 for 24 hours
Friday May 30 1:00am PST
Promotional price increases to $3.99 for 24 hours
Saturday May 31 1:00am PST
Price returns to original list price of $4.99
(This countdown deal is available in the US. It starts 2 days later in the UK)
Love a dark tale? Get Twisted!
Book Description
In this unique collection, Uvi Poznansky brings together diverse tales, laden with shades of mystery and the macabre. There are four of them: I Am What I Am; I, Woman; The Hollow; and The One Who Never Leaves. Here, you will come into a dark, strange world, a hyper-reality where nearly everything is firmly rooted in the familiar—except for some quirky detail that twists the yarn, and takes it for a spin in an unexpected direction.
This is the reality you will see through the eyes of a ghost of a woman, trying to reclaim her name by appealing to the devil; the eyes of a clay figure of a woman, about to be fired in the kiln, longing for her Creator; the eyes of a woman in the midst of a free fall, about to become a ghost; and the eyes of a feline creature with cracked fangs, trying in vain to resign herself, by hook and by crook, to being locked. These characters explore their identity, and challenge their fate.
Inspired by her art, by quotes from literature and the bible, and by the author’s professional career, these tales come from different times and places. Yet all of them share one thing in common: an unusual mind, one that is twisted. So prepare yourself: keep the lights on.
Tuesday May 27 1:00am PST
Price discounted to $0.99 for 24 hoursWednesday May 28 1:00am PST
Promotional price increases to $1.99 for 24 hoursThursday May 29 1:00am PST
Promotional price increases to $2.99 for 24 hoursFriday May 30 1:00am PST
Promotional price increases to $3.99 for 24 hoursSaturday May 31 1:00am PST
Price returns to original list price of $4.99(This countdown deal is available in the US. It starts 2 days later in the UK)
Very moving!
New review for Home:
5.0 out of 5 stars Very moving!, May 26, 2014By Thiarnain "Thiarnain" (FL) - See all my reviewsVerified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Home (Audible Audio Edition)
I had admired Uvi Poznansky's exquisite art work and poems on Facebook for a while until I yesterday read her book "Home"- yes in one sitting; I couldn't put it down.
Both her poems and her prose are spellbinding manifestations of deep emotions and the essence of life. The poems of her father, Z. Kachel impressed and touched me equally. Astonishingly, they had never been published before. Though some were written decades ago, they still possess the same enduring quality when he talks about suffering, life, loss and death. Though stylistically different, both poets remind me of the works of Nelly Sachs and Paul Celan.
I will read the book again and choose my favorites. Highly recommended. I would have loved to see a couple of Uvi's drawings interspersed.
5.0 out of 5 stars Very moving!, May 26, 2014By Thiarnain "Thiarnain" (FL) - See all my reviewsVerified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Home (Audible Audio Edition)
I had admired Uvi Poznansky's exquisite art work and poems on Facebook for a while until I yesterday read her book "Home"- yes in one sitting; I couldn't put it down.Both her poems and her prose are spellbinding manifestations of deep emotions and the essence of life. The poems of her father, Z. Kachel impressed and touched me equally. Astonishingly, they had never been published before. Though some were written decades ago, they still possess the same enduring quality when he talks about suffering, life, loss and death. Though stylistically different, both poets remind me of the works of Nelly Sachs and Paul Celan.
I will read the book again and choose my favorites. Highly recommended. I would have loved to see a couple of Uvi's drawings interspersed.
