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

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

Aniruddha wrote: "Uvi wrote: "Today was a good day for me! Fifty eight readers bought the ebook edition copies of Apart From Love: it shows up in the book best seller's rank:
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,862 Paid in..."

Awesome it is! Thank you so much Aniruddha

Today was a good day for me! Fifty eight readers bought the ebook edition copies of Apart From Love: it shows up in the book best seller's rank:
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,862 Paid in Kindle Store
Also, it shows up in the author's rank:



A big hug to all of you who downloaded it today! My characters, Ben and Anita, are giving you a little nod...

M.C.V. Egan is the author of a love story and a mystery book titled The Bridge of Deaths. The story came about through a lifelong obsession to solve the MYSTERY of her maternal grandfather's death in faraway Denmark. In it, fictional characters travel through the world of past life regressions and information acquired from psychics as well as Archives and historical sources to solve “One of those mysteries that never get solved”. So I feel truly honored to connect with her. She has just posted an interview with me, and I found her questions particularly insightful.

Once a character is fully developed do you set them free or do they still dance around your mind?

My characters do not wait for me to set them free—they take the liberty to do it themselves! So yes, the dance around in my mind till I have no other recourse but write down what they say. I chase them with my pen, and the only way to slow them down is to throw an obstacle in their way, and see how they find a way around it, through it, or over it, which makes for delightful twists and turns in the plot.

Was there any research involved in your work?

Absolutely! Research is a great tool for anchoring fiction in reality, or in that which is familiar to you, by using details that give your story a ring of truth. Here—from the story I Am What I Am (included in Twisted)—is the voice of the ghost of Job’s Wife, recalling her first moments in the grave. She quotes her husband’s words (which, doing a bit of research, you can find in the biblical story):

“Job stayed with me awhile. Again and again he mumbled, in his inexplicable, pious manner, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I depart.’ Men! Always thinking of themselves! All the while there I was, flat on my back, in need of some attention, and some clothes, too!"

Do you need visual media to describe people or places? (Some authors use pics. out of magazines)

Funny you should ask! Being an artist, a poet and an author, my creativity takes me in many directions. I write with my brush, and paint with my pen.

At times I find myself listening to the voice of a sculpture I created, and writing down her story—which is what happened in the story I, Woman (included in Twisted.) Here is how it opened, described in the voice of a clay sculpture looking at the artist creating her:

“I stand here before you, not knowing my name.
The light in this place is so blinding, so intense, that as far back as I can remember, it has forced me to close my eyes. Now this is about to change. Coming out of a brilliant haze, here is her footfall. Here she is: my Creator. I am clay in her hands. Let her do with me as she pleases; for what am I to do?

Now listen, listen to that sound: the air is vibrating around her. I can feel her breast, it is heaving. I can hear her breathing in, breathing out… Yes, she is coming closer. Is she about to blow life into me? My skin starts shivering. Here, now, is her touch—

She puts a mark on me, pressing the sharp end of a chisel until it stings, it pierces me right here, under my eyelid. I shriek! I cry—but somehow no one can hear me. If I were not reduced to tears, I would pay more attention to this nagging sense, the sense of astonishment in me. Why, why can’t I be heard? Have I lost the ability to make a sound? Then I wonder, did I ever have it? And even in this crinkling, crushing silence, can’t she sense my pain?

It is not until later, when she pulls out the blade, that I become afflicted—for the first time in my life—with vision. To you, vision may be a gift, but I think it a burden. Emerging from the glow that has so far pervaded my existence, I open my eyes.”

What projects are you working on now?

Through a process of creative collaboration, two of my books are now being produces as audiobooks! It is an amazing feeling, to have your characters not only spring out of your mind, but have versatile and resounding voices. As you know, both poetry and song—anything with meter and rhyme—are easily remembered through listening and reciting. And long before we could read and write, we passed our sagas on through story telling. This is where I am right now! What can I tell you but this: I live in a charmed world!

My earlier works—Apart From Love (narrated by David Kudler and Heather Jane Hogan) and A Favorite Son (narrated by David Kudler) have been highly praised, which spurs me onward and upward: so now, Home, my poetry book, will come out later this summer as an audiobook, narrated by the talented film actress Kathy Bell Denton. At the same time Twisted, my collection of dark tales, will also come out as an audiobook, narrated by the gifted voice actress Heather Jane Hogan.

You can find this interview here

Aniruddha wrote: "Uvi wrote: "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 T..."

Thank you so much Aniruddha! This time I'm going over to the dark side... lol

Of the books I published last year, there is one book I rarely talk about, even though putting it together was a labor of love. It is a collection of my father's poetry, in the original Hebrew, available only in print. Why don't I mention it? Because I find it hard to target these exotic readers: Hebrew speaking people who are also poetry lovers. But somehow, even with no promotion, it has started to be on the move. Three paperback editions have sold last week alone, which I attribute to one thing: word of mouth.

My father's poetry, which he wrote in the last two decades of his life and never shared with anyone, resonates deeply with me. It comes from a place of pain, but in addition he would add a touch of humor or sarcasm. If you belong to the exotic few, please take a look at the book. It is beautiful and the writing is exquisite.



Inspired by poetry? And, can you read Hebrew?
Get this book:
Ropes, Separation, Tear (Hebrew edition)

Wish to read it in English?
Get this book:
Home

Indies unlimited just posted a Sneak Peak of Apart From Love. Check it out here.

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.



Just out! Unveil it here:
Twisted

Print edition and audiobook coming soon

Oh what a lovely review of Apart From Love! Many thanks to the reader, whose nome de plume is Astarte:

★★★★★ stars THERE IS NOTHING APART FROM LOVE, June 8, 2013
By Astarte - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase
This review is from: Apart From Love (Kindle Edition)

Many grateful thanks for "Apart From Love": The characters are still inhabiting me. It gives me hope that by revealing our secrets, we who are radically different from each other may understand and be understood; come to embrace and be embraced. A difficult story, from a heart as big as the world. I plan to read all her other books. Hers is a unique voice, very deep and much needed.

Cover reveal for Twisted

In the next few weeks I am going to roll out my new book, Twisted, in three editions: kindle, print, and audiobook. Let me give you a sneak peak of the cover, which--as always--is inspired by my art:

Koyel wrote: "Hi Uvi,
This is fabulous writing and a vivid portrait of your rich imagination. I really liked it.Thanks for sharing.
kind regards,
Koyel"

Hi Koyel, totally my pleasure! The kindle edition of Twisted just came out, I'm so excited!

A few months ago, a pile of bones captured my fascination. Scattered across my desk, they were ashen, rather small, and of fanciful shapes. I was unable to identify the animals whose remains these were, nor could I name their skeletal parts. Which left me free to mine—out of these crumbling, fragile relics—an entirely new presence. Coming to life on brown paper with with a few stokes of white, red, and brown pencils, there she was: my Bone Princess.

Set upon a patch of scorching desert sand, she casts a one-eyed look at you, which masks how vulnerable she really is. Her soft flesh is shielded—and in places, nearly crushed—by her armor of bones. She is damaged: no arms, no legs, yet she accepts her pain with pride, and with regal grace. Inside and out, she carries a sense of morbidity.

As all creations, she became an independent spirit. As such, she made me wonder what had happened to her. I imagined her turning to me, with the elegant, elongated lines of her neck, to tell me her story. This was how my novella, the first story in my upcoming collection—I Am What I Am—came to be.

Twisted.

Aniruddha wrote: "And the base of this drawing is English letter 'y'"

Yes! the diagonal lines of the Y are what makes the drawing dynamic. And it really helps to base the design on a familiar, simple shape. Just lovely!

Something Special, a Gift for Father's Day

At the end of the cab ride to Sunrise home, the silence is finally broken when my father glances at me, and his face softens, and he says, “Anita is right. I have been tearing her, inside. I need to separate what is real and what is not.”
And I say, “This here between us, this is real. And the loneliness, too.”
In return he says, “I am so sorry, Ben. I do not know what came over me tonight. I guess I was not prepared for you. Forgive me.”

Listen to Ben's voice here

Aniruddha wrote: "Amazing artwork, Uvi. You are a master on this. My apologies, am yet to start reading "Apart From Love""

Thank you so much Aniruddha. No prob, you'll get to it when the time is right, for you...

A little sketch by Rembrandt--showing the master and his students observing a model, who is posing for them onstage--inspired me to create a variation on the theme. I used the same grouping of figures. But here, in my watercolor, the studio turned into a cave, and the art students--to a primitive mob. Which brings out a primal urge in them.



In this painting the woman turns her head away: she has no voice. But in my novel, Apart From Love, Anita talks loud and clear. Here is what she says:

In my defense I have this to say: When men notice me, when the lusty glint appears in their eyes, which betrays how, in their heads, they’re stripping me naked—it’s me they accuse of being indecent.
Problem is, men notice me all the time.

To hear these words in Anita's voice, click here

Listen to the whole story:
Apart From Love

Aniruddha wrote: "Very honestly, I am not an artist at all. But, at times, I do have the urge of quenching the thirst of splashing colors on paper.

It was day before, that I saw couple of A4 size papers lying on th..."

Mad Man's Artwork indeed, Anirrudha! What I love about this is that the paper and pencil presented themselves to you with an undeniable urge, which allowed you to touch base with your innermost emotions. And the painting itself is beautifully raw and dynamic, and therefore--moving!

Now that two of my books have come out in audiobook edition, is this the time to rest on my laurels? The answer--you guessed it!--is this: absolutely not!

So what I am working on now?

First of all, my poetry and prose book Home is about to enter production, so I am listening to auditions, enjoying both the voices and the interpretations of the writing.

And second, a new book will soon be coming out... I will announce its name and unveil the cover next week. Stay tuned!

Treat yourself to a gift!
Download the highly praised audiobooks
★ A Favorite Son ★ Apart From Love ★

Aniruddha wrote: "Sad to know, your project didn't come real at that time. Hope, it will, now. "

You're so right, Aniruddha. And this failure of a project to come to fruition is something I experienced many times. For example, I worked for Philips Ultrasound, designing software for ultrasound machines--and Philips dismantled this 'daughter company', so the product never made it to market. Which is why what I do right now--the success of this project depends on two things: my energy to reach out, to let you know about my work, and--more importantly--your good will to spread the word.

Lori wrote: "Thank you, Uvi! I am a great admirer of your variety of talents and art forms! I will gladly share samples and reviews when time allows! Thank you again, my friend. :)"

Totally my pleasure, Lori!

A chance is not something that is given. It is something you take

My very first 'real' job was at T.O.A.M., a small architectural firm in Haifa, Israel. The work done in this firm was not part of the architectural mainstream. On the drawing board were the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Institute, which "dabbles it feet in the water" (as architect Ram Karmi described it.) Also, Beit Halohem (The Fighter's Home) which exhibits "impressive virtuosity in geometric combinations" (as architect Abba Elhanani wrote of it.)

At the beginning of my four years at the firm—a period which coincided with my studies at the Technion—I was thrilled at the opportunity to learn. But after a while I started to feel uneasy with the limited responsibility I was given, designing various details, such as staircases, railings, and small spaces in Beit HaLochem.



I went to my boss, the notoriously famous architect David Yanai, who at the time had exposed a corruption scandal in the construction of the project. The public fight which ensued meant that Beit Halochem was already doomed to remain on paper. I was young, and oblivious to this. All I wanted was to take a greater role in the design. I told him, "I want to be given a chance."

He replied—I will never forget it—"A chance is not something that is given. It is something you take."

Either way, I came out of that meeting with the chance I wanted: My new responsibility was to design the entire landscape around Beit Halochem, which was to be built on the side of the Carmel mountain, overlooking a breathtaking view of Haifa Bay.



In later years, when I came to visit the site, I saw the skeletal remains of the building, rusting there among the rocks on the steep slope, which is overgrown with thorny, wild weeds. Still, I see in my minds eye is papers upon papers of my landscape design, still rustling there, waiting. And all I can hear are those words, "A chance is not something that is given. It is something you take."