Uvi Poznansky's Blog, page 261
November 6, 2012
A Wonderful World Where Words Are Like Music
I am so delighted to find this new 5-star review for my poetry book, Home:5.0 out of 5 starsStunning and Poetic, November 6, 2012By Michelle Bellon - See all my reviews5.0 out of 5 star(REAL NAME) Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Home (Kindle Edition)Not only does the author take the reader into a wonderful world where words are like music, ebbing and flowing with a rhythm that is captivating and beautiful, but she also gives life to her father's writings as she pays tribute by translating his work.
As a writer myself, I relish the moments when I find an author whose prose is so exquisite that it inspires my own creativity and drives me to strive to do better with my own expression.
Poznansky gives life and breath to emotion that every reader can feel in their core.
"Now I cry but not with tears;
After long, long years
Of holding it
Now I cry
Out of a burst of pain
And howl in darkness out of loneliness
Now I give my pain its full release..."
Reading this book is an experience that I highly recommend!
Interview at the Hottest Book Club on the Street
“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.”
I am thrilled that this excerpt and others, along with my interview appear in the Hottest Book Club on the Street--namely, the DJ GATSBY BOOK CLUB.
November 5, 2012
A Novel to be Savored
5.0 out of 5 stars A novel to be savored., November 5, 2012By Juliet Parnell - See all my reviewsAmazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Apart From Love (Kindle Edition)Liberally salted with buttery smooth prose and fascinating insights as to the mindset of a dysfunctional family, Uvi Pozansky's Apart From Love chronicles Ben, Anita and Lenny's struggle with their desires, hopes and dreams as they clash with decency, moral values, and tragic secrets unveiled. Pozansky vividly illustrates the cracks in the fragile relationship between these characters. So much so, I felt was inside their heads speaking and acting for them. Seldom has a book gripped my imagination as Apart From Love did.
This review has been posted on Amazon for my novel, Apart From Love.
November 4, 2012
Our Family Tree
Join me in celebration of the bonds we have with our parents, bonds that at times are stretched to the limit through life challenges, which I describe in my books: my novel Apart From Love and my poetry book Home. With this theme in mind I invite you to take part in fun-filled activities leading up to the Thanksgiving weekend.
To join, go here.
November 3, 2012
A fin, a flap, a froth of waves
A fin, a flap, a froth of wavesThe breaker rises, then it cavesThe boat will sink and so will INo one around to hear my cryFood flakes afloat, the flick of tailsI pray for wind to fill my sailsI pray that I may stay the courseAnd ride the wave, or maybe forceMy way deep down under the tide So I may flee, so I may hideIn Jaffa bay, or in TarshishAnd not be swallowed by a fish
This is a mixed-media painting with a few collaged pieces
which I finished off with acrylic paint.I cannot even tell you what it means to me, it is quite nonsensical, which I find freeing.Just because!
My Interview at Crystal Pixie Dust
Welcome Home! So starts my interview at Crystal Pixie Dust. Today we have the awesome Uvi Poznansky, author of Home and Apart From Love. Uvi is a very talented in several areas. Welcome Uvi, it's a pleasure to have you visiting and sharing your work...
Tell us a little about yourself.
I earned her B. A. in Architecture and Town Planning from the Technion in Haifa, Israel, and practiced with an innovative Architectural firm. Then I received a Fellowship grant and a Teaching Assistantship from the Architecture department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and earned her M.A. in Architecture. Then, taking a sharp turn in my education, I earned her M.S. degree in Computer Science from the University of Michigan. I worked as an architect, and later as a software engineer, software team leader, software manager and a software consultant (with an emphasis on software for medical instruments devices.) You can find my work online at uviart.com. It includes poetry in English and Hebrew, short stories, bronze and ceramic sculptures, oil and watercolor paintings, charcoal, pen and pencil drawings, mixed media and even animation.
This year I published a novel, Apart From Love, and a poetry book, Home.
How did you decide to enter the world of writing?
I never decided to enter the world of writing--rather, the world of writing has enveloped me from childhood. Before I even know how to hold a pen, my father (who was a published author, a poet and an artist) would ask me to collaborate with him and help him rhyme his poems. He would also read world poetry to me in several languages, none of which I knew, and translate these poems for me on the fly. Which allowed me to appreciate the music of the words, and the emotional impact this music has upon my soul.
To read more click this here link.
October 31, 2012
Careful--It's Steaming Hot
I am so grateful that a long excerpt from my novel, Apart From Love--nearly a full chapter--comes to a boil today, in the caldron of FrontRowLit. Are you curious? Would you like to taste it? Here, take a sip, but careful--it's steaming hot!
October 28, 2012
Amazon Categories: How Best to Use Them
My earlier article,
When you upload your book into KDP, you may choose up to two categories. You can also update your categories by going to your Bookshelf, clicking your book title, then Add Categories in a section called Target Your Book to Customers. When you do this, you are in fact choosing a browsing path for readers, which consists of a hierarchy of sub-categories. Thus, your book is available for readers to discover under each of the parts of that hierarchy. So by carefully choosing your category, and then refining the selection by use of sub-categories, you make it much more likely that a reader will find your book, since the pool of books is smaller with each step down the path.
For example, in the case of my most recent book, Home, here are the browsing-paths I chose:
Look for Similar Items by Category
Books > Literature & Fiction > Anthologies & Literary Collections > GeneralBooks > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > AnthologiesKindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Genre Fiction > AnthologiesKindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Poetry
The first two (which start with 'Books') come from the paperback publishing, the last two (which start with 'Kindle Store') come from the Kindle publishing.
You should choose a browsing path that ends up with a small number of books at the end of the path. Why? Because then, your book will compete for attention with a smaller pool of books. For example, suppose I would choose a more generic path, such as Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction. Then, the book would compete with nearly 560,000 books. By being specific, it competes with 34,000 books in Poetry, or with 12,000 in the category of Poetry > Anthologies.
Some Indie authors take this strategy to a ridiculously narrow level. They figure that they can find a category that has a small pool of books and list it as their books category--even if the book does not really belong there!
I have seen fiction books listed in Health, Fitness and Dieting, in Advice & How-to, in Drama, in Travel.... Even if the pool of books in one of these subcategory is small, it does not serve your book any purpose to be mis-categorized. Your fiction may well be 'dramatic'--but that does not make it 'Drama'. The plot may take place in Rome or Paris, but that does not make it a travel book. One drawback to listing your book in the wrong subcategory is that you risk getting low scores on customer reviews, because a reader expecting 'drama' (as in Shakespeare or Arthur Miller) may not be forgiving when she gets a book that is clearly not drama. Therefore, I advise you to click the subcategory and view the books listed at the top of this list. Then judge for yourself if your book truly belongs there.
When you upload your book into KDP, you may choose up to two categories. You can also update your categories by going to your Bookshelf, clicking your book title, then Add Categories in a section called Target Your Book to Customers. When you do this, you are in fact choosing a browsing path for readers, which consists of a hierarchy of sub-categories. Thus, your book is available for readers to discover under each of the parts of that hierarchy. So by carefully choosing your category, and then refining the selection by use of sub-categories, you make it much more likely that a reader will find your book, since the pool of books is smaller with each step down the path.
For example, in the case of my most recent book, Home, here are the browsing-paths I chose:
Look for Similar Items by Category
Books > Literature & Fiction > Anthologies & Literary Collections > GeneralBooks > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > AnthologiesKindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Genre Fiction > AnthologiesKindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Poetry
The first two (which start with 'Books') come from the paperback publishing, the last two (which start with 'Kindle Store') come from the Kindle publishing.
You should choose a browsing path that ends up with a small number of books at the end of the path. Why? Because then, your book will compete for attention with a smaller pool of books. For example, suppose I would choose a more generic path, such as Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction. Then, the book would compete with nearly 560,000 books. By being specific, it competes with 34,000 books in Poetry, or with 12,000 in the category of Poetry > Anthologies.
Some Indie authors take this strategy to a ridiculously narrow level. They figure that they can find a category that has a small pool of books and list it as their books category--even if the book does not really belong there!
I have seen fiction books listed in Health, Fitness and Dieting, in Advice & How-to, in Drama, in Travel.... Even if the pool of books in one of these subcategory is small, it does not serve your book any purpose to be mis-categorized. Your fiction may well be 'dramatic'--but that does not make it 'Drama'. The plot may take place in Rome or Paris, but that does not make it a travel book. One drawback to listing your book in the wrong subcategory is that you risk getting low scores on customer reviews, because a reader expecting 'drama' (as in Shakespeare or Arthur Miller) may not be forgiving when she gets a book that is clearly not drama. Therefore, I advise you to click the subcategory and view the books listed at the top of this list. Then judge for yourself if your book truly belongs there.
October 25, 2012
A Flowchart for Putting the Pedal to the Metal
A while ago I posted A Flow Chart for Surviving the Breakfast Blues; this time it is a flowchart for putting the pedal to the metal.
I was inspired by observing the manner in which my loved one negotiates the traffic on the road as he drives:
StartCar in front? If Yes, Pass it. Then go back to step 2.If No, drive as fast as humanly possible.Reached your destination? If Yes, Stop.If No, ask yourself, Need directions?Regardless of the answer--Yes or No--charge ahead saying, Directions? What Directions? And go to step 2.
I was inspired by observing the manner in which my loved one negotiates the traffic on the road as he drives:
StartCar in front? If Yes, Pass it. Then go back to step 2.If No, drive as fast as humanly possible.Reached your destination? If Yes, Stop.If No, ask yourself, Need directions?Regardless of the answer--Yes or No--charge ahead saying, Directions? What Directions? And go to step 2.
October 24, 2012
Life of an Author: How Would You Deal with a Bully
This reads a bit like a case of one kid bullying another around the playground, while the principal is watching. Intriguing? Perhaps. Sad, for sure.
As part of my reaching out to readers I post on a thread in Promotions Go Here, which belongs to a group called Constant Reader on Goodreads (a social network for reading books.) In the last few days a group member calling herself Sara (with no public profile to her name) decided to do her best to shut me off. After she had written that my 'annoying posts and excerpts' are 'not working' to make her read the book, I replied that I'm glad she came in, read my posts, and made an educated decision that the book was not for her. I truly meant it.
At the heels of this exchange Sue, another group member, came in to say that she 'skips quickly by' (apparently she, too, can't stand what I say.)
In reply to which I stated that Apart From Love is not for everyone, and went on to quote several of my reviewers who had defined what kind of readers it is meant for.
This brought about two quick, offensive spurts from Sara with a derogative tone, where the unusual expression 'damn exceptional' is uttered. She demanded that I leave the playground:
Which forced me to call the principal (Ruth is a moderators of this group.)
Who decided to support the bully and have the victim expelled.
Not so fast!
I asked Ruth to remove the offensive posts. They are still on that thread. And I'll keep you posted.... Let me know what you think.
Note: the font in the images of these messages may be too small to read, but you can click the image of each message to enlarge it.
As part of my reaching out to readers I post on a thread in Promotions Go Here, which belongs to a group called Constant Reader on Goodreads (a social network for reading books.) In the last few days a group member calling herself Sara (with no public profile to her name) decided to do her best to shut me off. After she had written that my 'annoying posts and excerpts' are 'not working' to make her read the book, I replied that I'm glad she came in, read my posts, and made an educated decision that the book was not for her. I truly meant it.
At the heels of this exchange Sue, another group member, came in to say that she 'skips quickly by' (apparently she, too, can't stand what I say.)
In reply to which I stated that Apart From Love is not for everyone, and went on to quote several of my reviewers who had defined what kind of readers it is meant for.
This brought about two quick, offensive spurts from Sara with a derogative tone, where the unusual expression 'damn exceptional' is uttered. She demanded that I leave the playground:
Which forced me to call the principal (Ruth is a moderators of this group.)
Who decided to support the bully and have the victim expelled.
Not so fast!
I asked Ruth to remove the offensive posts. They are still on that thread. And I'll keep you posted.... Let me know what you think. Note: the font in the images of these messages may be too small to read, but you can click the image of each message to enlarge it.
