Uvi’s Comments (group member since Apr 09, 2012)

Uvi’s comments from the The Creative Spark with Uvi Poznansky group.

The old year passes

The old year passes, time is swift
Now it's time to give a gift
Tis the season to be jolly
Curl in bed and no more folly
I have a story that must be told
With me in bed you won't be cold:

♥ Home ♥ http://tinyurl.com/Home-ebook
♥ Twisted ♥ http://tinyurl.com/Twisted-ebook
♥ Rise to Power ♥ http://tinyurl.com/risepower-e
♥ A Favorite Son ♥ http://tinyurl.com/fvort-e
♥ Apart From Love ♥ http://tinyurl.com/aprtl-e

Lovely new review for Apart From Love by Read-Along-with-Sue:

★★★★ Nice, December 8, 2013
By read-along-with-Sue - See all my reviews

I was gifted this book by the author in exchange for my honest review.

At first I found the start hard going. It certainly isn't one of those books you can pick up and immediantly get into.
That doesn't mean it didn't take my interest, it did. That is why I carried on with it.

As the story unfolded there was a lovely love affair going well on.

I think the one thing I take from this book is that dreaded disease Alzheimer's. My husbands Father is afflicted with this and I could relate to lots in this book on so many levels.

The blurb doesn't do the book justice, its a superbly written piece of art.

Would I recommend it? Oh yes.

Just released! Here is the book description:

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?



Rise to Power

The door will swing and open wide
Take off your coat and come inside
No more trembling, no more chill
Here is my paper and my quill
This is the time for story telling
Kisses, hugs, and lavish giving.
Let there be joy, love, delight,
Warmth and sparkling light!



Bring the gift of books to your loved ones
Better yet, get them for yourself
★ A Favorite Son ★ Apart From Love ★ Twisted ★ Home ★

I remember: a gentler sound
The forest rustling in the rain
Leaves were swirling all around
I heard soft footsteps up the lane

To read more, and see my animation, click the link
Now I Am Paper

I am grateful to Author Roy Murry for inviting me for a second interview on his blog, a place well known for his book reviews and author interviews. This time, his questions focused on my book, A Favorite Son. I loved the question, How did you come up with the story? To which I replied:


I have long been fascinated with the story of Jacob and Esav. To me, it captures several layers of emotions which we all go through in our families: a rivalry between brothers, the way a mother’s love, unevenly divided, can spur them to action, to crime, even; and how in time, even in the absence of regret, a punishment eventually ripens...

To read the interview in full click here:
Interview with Uvi Poznansky

A crimson glow is coming from below, as if an enormous sun is buried here, deep under the coals upon which I am crouching. If not for the eery glow, this is the valley cradling my village.
A perfect copy of the land of Uz.
If I squint hard, aiming my gaze faraway to the foot of that volcano, I think I can spot the familiar outlines of houses. They belong to the rich among us. Between them I look for an interval. There must lie the village square. And I know, without really seeing it, that falling to pieces on the other side—where the poor folk live—is our shack. The place where we lived, Job and I, in such misery during the last year.
Imagining it, even for a second, frays my nerves.

Job's Wife in Twisted




Looking for something special for your stocking?
★★★★★
"In her potent style, Uvi Poznansky weaves mythology with modernity"
Get Twisted
★ Audiobook ★ Ebook ★ Print ★

Winter comes with frosty nights,
Winter comes with snowball fights
Time to find a quiet place
Hold my books in your embrace

It's warm now, take off your glove
Stay Home and read Apart From Love
Get it for you and for your friend
A holiday gift, to give, to send

My books are here, no need to wait,
Night will come, it will be great.



My oil painting, titled Paperband



A Favorite Son
★ Audiobook ★ Ebook ★ Print ★

Home
★ Audiobook ★ Ebook ★ Print ★

Apart From Love
★ Audiobook ★ Ebook ★ Print ★

Twisted
★ Audiobook ★ Ebook ★ Print ★

Yay! A first Audible review of Apart From Love (the audiobook edition):

Overall ★★★★★
Performance ★★★★★
Story ★★★★★

"The characters truly come to life"
If you could sum up Apart from Love in three words, what would they be?
Full of Surprises

What did you like best about this story?
I had already read Apart From Love before listening to the audio version and I had previously found myself amazed by the author's brilliant story telling when I read it. With the audio book, it may have seemed clearer that they were recording themselves but it is hard to say since I had read the book already. Anita and Ben jumped out at you with their quirky personalities shining through their voices.

What about David Kudler and Heather Jane Hogan ’s performance did you like?
The show of emotion was wonderful for both Kudler and Hogan.

Who was the most memorable character of Apart from Love and why?
Ben and Anita are the most memorable characters in this complex story.



Get ★★★★★ APART FROM LOVE
♥ Audio ♥ http://tinyurl.com/aprtl-a
♥ Print ♥ http://tinyurl.com/aprtl-p
♥ Ebook ♥ http://tinyurl.com/aprtl-e

Yay! A first review for Home (the audiobook edition):

"Elegant and Elegiac"
If you could sum up Home in three words, what would they be?
Elegant and Elegiac

What other book might you compare Home to and why?
No comparison.

Have you listened to any of Kathy Bell Denton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I've not heard Kathy Bell Denton's other performances.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Elegant and Elegiac

Any additional comments?

In a day and age when much of the music in poetry has died, you can now hear the voices of father and daughter singing their harmonious duet in Home. Uvi Poznansky takes you with her through that tunnel of memory into her father’s lost world, into his river of poetic dreams, a narrative that flows with the voice of longing, lament, and loneliness, on to the day his immortal soul stands by his grave in “I Plucked a Wildflower.” Transcending all past yearning, Zeev Kachel sings no funeral dirge for himself, but a magical song of release



Get ★★★★★ HOME:
♥ Audio ♥ http://tinyurl.com/Home-audible
♥ Print ♥ http://tinyurl.com/Home-print
♥ Ebook ♥ http://tinyurl.com/Home-ebook

What a great gift I got tonight, a second review of Twisted (audiobook) titled: “Enjoy the darker twist, but without the gore."

Would you listen to Twisted again? Why?
Yes. It was thought provoking and at times achingly beautiful.

What other book might you compare Twisted to and why?
Perhaps to some of HP Lovecraft's light works, or Washington Irving's folk tales. Poznansky's works feature some little twist that turns the tale just slightly sideways, giving the reader a new way of looking at it. Lovecraft and Irving also do the same in many of their works.

Have you listened to any of Heather Jane Hogan’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
This was my first time enjoying Heather Hogan's narration.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Uvi Poznansky takes the reader through the odd, the dark, the twisted with intelligence and artful form.

Any additional comments?
I am hard put to say which was my favorite. I Am What I Am drew me in right away with the mystery of who this dead woman was. Not being familiar with Christian tales, I nevertheless enjoyed the rock and hard place Job’s wife found herself between. She did a lot of sighing, but if I were her, I would probably do so too….or cuss. I, Woman was sensual and full of creativity, just as I imagine sculpting with clay would be. Even though this was short, the main character grew over the space of the tale, at first thinking little of her clay companion, then coming to appreciate any communication with him, and finally, afraid of what lay before her, missing his constant presence. Perhaps this was my favorite.

The Hollow went by a little too quickly for me, leaving a rather ghostly impression on me. Perhaps it was meant to do so as the woman was in free fall. The book ended with an unlooked for surprise in the last story, The One Who Never Leaves. It is all told from a cat’s perspective, tamed, trapped in domesticity. Being the servant to several cats, I completely connected with this story, recognizing that predatory glint in my cat’s eyes, as captured by the disgruntled feline of this story.

In short, this is an excellent collection of short tales. Each was unique, standing on it’s own merits. I also loved that each was told through female eyes, allowing one more layer of connection.

The Narration: Heather Jane Hogan provided clear, distinct voices, and even went extra lengths to give Satan in the first tale an unearthly tone. My only minor criticism was that the pacing was slow; however this may have been by request of the author.

♥ Audio ♥
♥ Ebook ♥
♥ Print ♥

Black Friday Sale!
Only $0.99

Get it quick, get it now
Enjoy the read, and I will vow:
Here's a story with a twist
And no regrets for what you could've missed!

★ Twisted  ★  Apart From Love ★  A F avorite Son ★

What a great gift I got tonight, from an audiobook reviewer running a wonderful blog, A Dab of Darkness, to celebrate the dark side... Here is her wonderful review of Twisted! It starts with, "Through a collection of 4 short stories, Uvi Poznansky takes the reader through the odd, the dark, the twisted with intelligence and artful form..." Check it out:

Twisted by Uvi Poznansky

Happy Thanksgiving
from me to you!



Stop babysitting big bird, and get a little something for yourself this holiday:

A Favorite Son
★ Audiobook ★ Ebook ★ Print ★

Home
★ Audiobook ★ Ebook ★ Print ★

Apart From Love
★ Audiobook ★ Ebook ★ Print ★

Twisted
★ Audiobook ★ Ebook ★ Print ★

Drooling over the thought of big bird and all the trimmings? Stop it! Here is what I'm thankful for: a one-of-a kind review by Dolores Ayotte, the author of several self help books:

Book Reviews ~ Apart From Love

The title of this review for A Favorite Son says it all:

★★★★★ Got this for my 88 yr old home bound mothers Kindel., November 24, 2013 Got this for my 88 yr old home bound mothers Kindel., November 24, 2013
By Mary Watkins
Amazon Verified Purchase

Bought this book for my 88 year old mother who is home bound. Downloaded it to her Kindle. She loves reading and loves history, mystery, Sy-Fy, love stories (Amish type, not porn type!). She loves these books

I am grateful to go back. No longer am I stuck here, in a place of doubt. 
No longer am I inflicted with sensing shadows. Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. All my sorrows are about to melt away. In this inferno, nothing will be left behind me but an empty shell. I fly into the brilliance. I am ablaze. I am in bliss. For where I am going I shall be reborn. 

The voice of a clay model for bronze casting, in Twisted



Babysitting the bird for Thanksgiving? Why not treat yourself to a gift:
★★★★★
"You don't actually be twisted to enjoy these stories, but it helps a lot..."
★ Audiobook ★ Ebook ★ Print ★

“Isaac my dear, you know well enough how grateful I am—”
“Becky my dear,” he says, with a note of disdain. “What I know is this: Anyone else in my position would have at his disposal at least two or three legally registered wives, not to mention a respectably large harem, full of concubines—”
Being a practical woman, she decides to ignore that. “Fine, then,” she says. “So now, dear: How about giving me some means of transportation? The rich women, I hear, those in the cities along the coast, in Ashdod and also in Ashkelon, they have started to buy new automobiles. And I, I live here in the desert but still, Isaac, I come from nobility, you know, from one of the richest families in the land.”
“What kind of transportation?”
“A camel, for instance,” she says. “Two humps, or more, as well as a driver or two, or more; and four leather saddles, the soft kind, of course. It would be but a small token, a token of prestige—”
“For goodness sake,” he groans. “It’s a camel you’re talking about—not a Rolls Royce!”
“I see,” she says. “You don’t love me anymore.”
For the first time in the conversation, his voice softens. “Don’t cry, Becky,” he pleads. “I love you. I will always love you—”

I imagine she must be smiling through the tears. “In that case,” she says, “I will always take such good care of you.”

Rebecca and Isaac, in A Favorite Son



★★★★★
Gift for the holidays: treat yourself to it!
"I can't praise the writing enough; the author has an incredible voice"
A Favorite Son
Audiobook ★ Ebook ★ Print ★

Giving thanks...

I'm blessed for the pleasure, blessed for the agony
Blessed for the fear, the pain of it all
In which I was steeped, in this reality
And granted the chance to endure or to fall

Listen to this poem in its entirety, here.

He says, “My God, you are in heat. Now how does that happen, in your condition? Cool off already, in front of the boy! What do you expect of me? You wanted to get married, so now we’re married. Mazel Tov! What more do you want?”
“I want you to look at me,” she says, thrusting her chest out in front of her. “You haven’t been here for two weeks, since the wedding. And now that you’re here, you ain’t really here. Am I even wanted here? I’m a woman. I need to feel desired, and I need to be held by a man.”
At this point I feel obliged to peep in, for the third time, “I am not a boy.”
And she wipes her brow. “My God,” says Anita, as she turns away from my father. “I’m so hot. Don’t you wait too long.” And with a harsh motion, she flings the knife on the cutting board, right there between us.
It gives a sharp sound, which startles my father. His mouth is mirrored in the surface of the blade, and suddenly it becomes clear to me that the oven is not the only one fuming—so is he.
He raises his eye to her, and jealousy escapes. He glares at me, and a warning shoots out. What does he want from me? There is nothing I can do. He hates me for staring at her and he hates me for trying not to stare.

Ben in Apart From Love



Going home for Thanksgiving? Give a book!
★★★★★ Apart From Love
"A feast for the armchair psychologist.
Reveals insights that can touch and frighten each of us"
★ Audiobook ★ Ebook ★ Print ★