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

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

Rui wrote: "Nice :)"

Thank you, Rui!

Apart From Love is now in production to become an audiobook. So, in the design of the cover image for it, I start with an attractive underlying image (in this case, my oil painting called Untangled.) Then, for the text: I select the color black, and type the title. Before I commit it to the paper, I make it 'fuzzy'--by applying a 'blur' function. This way I get a 'soft' shadow. Then I select a gold color, type the title, and position it above the shadow I have created. This time I do not blur it, so the edges of each glyph are sharply defined. Then I repeat the process with the author name.

There is a relationship between the title and the author name. The title is more pronounced, both because of its larger font size, and because its color is a brighter gold against the background color. It glitters... In addition, the gap between the title and its shadow is larger than the author name and its shadow, as if it floats closer to us. You can almost brush your finger behind the title, in that gap.

Hello Rui, glad to see you here, welcome! By all means, tell me more about your literary work, and how you sense the improvement.

Rui wrote: "I think the writing process as something very personal and unexpected. For example the feelings to write the poem I posted here "were born" in a night with my friends....

Regards"

Thank you Rui! Indeed, poetry is very personal and unexpected, which makes for a fresh expression. You are welcome to express yourself here anytime, and post brief poems of your own.

Angela wrote: "Like it? Are you serious? This, Uvi, is just amazing. wow! too many things to quote here, this is outstanding."

So glad, Angela, that you enjoyed it. Many people don't get it, but this truly reflects the relationship between me and the characters in clay, and also how hard it is to leave them out there in the foundry... The end, in particular, is symbolic of death and rebirth (in an odd way, this connects to the animation of Now I Am Paper, which is also a story of death and rebirth.)

Renee Pierce Williams is the author of the five-star rated, GCBA-nominated book, Buck the Good Doog. Born and raised in Georgia, she began her seventeen-year career at Aflac, where she held positions in both the Marketing and Legal Documentation divisions of the company. I simply love her review of my novel, Apart From Love:


★★★★★ Love, Lies and Betrayal... Anything "Apart From Love", February 22, 2013
By Renee Pierce Williams - See all my reviews
This review is from: Apart From Love (Paperback)
"Apart From Love" is the debut novel by the multi-talented Uvi Poznansky, a writer, poet, painter, sculptor, architect, software engineer, and teacher.

This book is a compelling story about an aging, aspiring writer named Lenny Kaminsky, his very talented ex-wife Natasha, who is in a nursing home with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, his new wife Anita, who is much younger than he and comes from the "school of hard knocks," and his estranged twenty-seven year old son, Ben.

Poznansky gives just enough detail as to not overwrite her characters but paints a very vivid picture of each one in your imagination. She allows the pertinent characters to tell their own account of this modern-day love triangle which keeps the reader totally engaged.

"Apart from Love" is so well written and relevant to the world we live in today... I feel an adapted screenplay may be on the horizon for this debut novelist.

Ah! I'll do better than that--here is a short story I wrote from the point of view of the female in this sculpture. Since it is such a strange story, I am fairly sure you might like it:

http://www.uviart.com/fwoman.html

Christian Ashley is an author of Historical Romance, Paranormal Fiction, and Erotic Fantasy. You may have seen some of her books: Rose of Gwynedd, In Daddy's Arms, and Dignity. I appreciate a story for its contrasts, which explains precisely why I enjoy her mixed-genre work. I am thrilled that she posted a ★★★★★ review for my ebook, A Favorite Son.

Here is what she wrote:

★★★★★ A Captivating Tale, February 21, 2013
By Christian Ashley (Los Angeles, CA)
Amazon Verified Purchase

I love how the author, Uvi Poznansky, can convincingly tell a story from a first person perspective, literally fold time, and simultaneously convey the emotions of all of the other characters as well. The way that Jacob tells his story is captivating, and I read it through from the beginning to the end. Jacob is also quite humorous as he often pulled something in from the present day to bring forth a chuckle. The "Yankle in the Box" actually made me laugh aloud. Bravo, Uvi! A Favorite Son, like Apart from Love, is brilliant!

When you create a piece of art, and especially when the process takes several months, an intimate relationship develops between you and the clay. So much so that the piece starts having a voice. This is what happened with this piece, my bronze sculpture (half life-size) called From Dust. The poem I wrote--which can be read as a duet between the two characters--comes directly from their lips.



Here is the first verse. He said:

From dust you gather me
I beg you on my knee
Look away—imagine me,
The way I used to be
Now shadows spread upon me
Stain by stain
I shiver. Touch me, heal me
Make me whole again

(to read the entire poem, click http://uviart.com/fcanwe.html )

Today I would like to introduce the narrator behind the voice of my character, Ben. I first heard his voice narrating a wonderful book titled The Man and His God, which I had read and reviewed on Amazon. Listening to his voice, you feel like cuddling in bed with the book, or perhaps with the character he plays. Which is why I thought that his name was misspelled: David Kudler. So I was pleasantly surprised when he approached me and offered his audition for Apart From Love.



And then, when I heard his voice, I knew I found the right voice. David is lyrical, intelligent, literate, and a real voice actor, capable of multiple accents and ages for the characters. So in my novel, he will become not only Ben (at the age of twenty-seven and at the age of twelve) but also his father Lenny, the bumbling lawyer, Mr. Bliss, and aunt Hadassa as well!

David has been a voice and stage actor (AEA, SAG-AFTRA), a writer, and a book editor for over twenty years. Since 1999, he has been in charge of publications for the Joseph Campbell Foundation. Based on this experience, he added the titles of ebook designer and audio producer to his shingle. As a narrator, he has a warm, versatile voice, and a great ear for character and dialect. He loves bringing multiple characters to life at the same time. Here is what he says about himself:

"Though I'd done plenty of voice-over work, it wasn't until I was creating an ebook of my own children's story The Seven Gods of Luck and was producing a read-aloud track that it occurred to me: I've got all of the skills and facilities to create professional, high-quality audiobooks."

So in designing the cover for the audiobook, I have already added his name in the bottom right corner of the image. I chose the color of the font to be very similar to the hot red fabric in the background behind it--just a little bit brighter, so as to separate from it in a subtle way.

Thank you Angela! You can even hear the title, with thematic background music, in this link...

Just finished reading Second Chance Grill:

Contrary to common wisdom I often judge a book by its cover, or at least admit to being drawn to it because of the cover image. Here, the checkered black-and-white tile floor, the shiny metal barstools is so familiar, that the figure seated in the restaurant on one of them, casually holding an American flag, can be anyone of us--an impression that is strengthened by the fact that the face is cropped out. This figure is you, it is me, and so is the story--its universal appeal is a direct result of the well fleshed out characters, and the details that are so specific to the small Ohio town where it takes place.

Here, for example, the author sketches the local scenery in words: "Swatches of pink light brushed the newly plowed fields. Up ahead a farmer on a tractor kicked up dust as he tilled the brown earth." The description is brief--just a quick sketch--before going back to the heroine of the story, Mary: "She drove past with her thoughts wending back to Blossom."

Blossom Perini, the precious girl Mary cannot help but becoming attached to, has Leukemia, which affects the wellbeing of her father, Anthony. Given Mary's background in medicine, as well as her compassionate nature, the interaction between the three of them creates an endearing, warmhearted story, illuminated by a touch of romance.

At its core, this is about second chances, the fact that happily, things happen not according to plan, thus allowing Mary--whose last name, cleverly enough, is Chance--the opportunity to explore new, exciting twists and turns in her life.

The language is masterfully weaved by Christine Nolfi, in both dialog and exposition. Here, for example, is how she introduces Anthony, who thought a lot about dying: "She supposed it was natural given all the pain, blood tests, and hospital visits they endured. Going through it, years of it, had changed him. It put lines on his forehead and doubt in his eyes." With this you immediately see and feel for the character, his past and his present.

Five stars.

Drum roll please...:
Here is my announcement of the day:
A second one of my books is going into audio production! Here is a detail of the cover:



And here is the title:

http://uviart.blogspot.com/2013/02/dr...

Cameron Datzker, a veteran of sports talk radio for over 20 years, asked me to come on his show, Sports and Life on LA Talk Radio, for the third time! My segment starts after 15 first minutes. I had a special surprise--the original voice audition for Anita's role, for the audiobook production of my novel, Apart From Love

http://uviart.blogspot.com/2013/02/ra...

Angela wrote: "WHAT?"

Love your ink Angela! I think you should rename it What If, cause that is the main question here, and the impetus for any creator to fly from a detail in reality into the air of imagination...

Rich wrote: "Thanks for the invitation, Uvi. I blog, write prose and poetry and use photography for as a creative outlet."

Hi Rich, great to hear your voice here! Loved your book, Closed Doors, a Trilogy. You are more than welcome to talk about the creative process, how you bring various aspects of your experience--from technical writing, photography and poetry--into the crafting of your literary work.

So today I would like to introduce the narrator behind the voice of my character, Anita. By now we are beginning to lay out our plan for the dual-narration of Apart From Love. In this process we join our imagination and our creative forces, which is quite different from writing a novel, which takes place entirely in the author's mind.

To find her I listened to numerous auditions of talented narrators and actors. But when I heard her voice, I knew instantly that I need not look any further. What set Heather Jane Hogan apart was not only her sultry voice, not only Anita's Southern twang, and not only the heartfelt interpretation of the text, but most of all, this: she did not play Anita--she WAS Anita.

So in designing the cover for the audiobook, I have already added her name in the bottom left corner of the image. Graphically, there is the 'busy factor' consideration: taken together, the book title, author name and the names of the narrators add up to a lot of text, but I wanted to avoid cluttering the image.

This is why I chose the color of the font to be very similar to the cool turquoise background behind it--just a little bit brighter, so as to separate from it in a subtle way. You will also notice that the shadow cast down from the letters is soft and fuzzy, no hard edges, which helps separate the letters from the background over which they are floating.



Here are a few quotes of what Heather says about herself:

"I work as a Voiceover. In case you’re not sure what that is, Webster’s definition of a voiceover is, “the voice of an offscreen narrator, announcer, or the like.” For me, it was an easy transition from stage and film acting to voice. I love telling a good story, so voiceover has been a great fit for me."

"In 1999, I went skydiving. I’ll never forget it. It wasn’t what I expected. I thought it would be exhilarating; that I would land and shout something like, “WOO HOO!!”… but… at least for me, it was more of an overwhelming experience. Afterwards, I just wanted to sit and contemplate my belly button."

"In 2003 and 2004 I won the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), hosted by http://www.nanowrimo.org. They host a challenge every year during the month of November for you to write a novel. It doesn’t have to be good, no one reads it for proof (the contest is honor-based) – but you have to write 50,000 words in one month (the definition of a novel). It’s a great and challenging exercise, even if you’re not a writer."

"I sing in the car. Loudly. I’m that woman you see on the highway, belting out tunes as if she were on stage somewhere and blissfully unconcerned that other people on the highway can see me."
"I love roller coasters. The more twisty-turny-upside-down-back-and-forth-hair-raising, the better."

Two Amazon reviews for my ebook A Favorite Son coming in on the same day! Now that's a first... Brilliant? Compelling? You Decide!

★★★★★ Brilliant., February 14, 2013
By Wendy Scott (New Zealand)

This review is from: A Favorite Son (Kindle Edition)
I loved the descrptive writing, so flavourful it was almost as if I was inhaling and tasting the story. The story flowed well and the narrative voice rang true. Just wondeful!

★★★★★ Compelling., February 14, 2013
By Sara Alexi - The Greek Village Series

As the reviewer above says this is a modern retelling of the Bible story of Esau and Jacob and the rivalry between brothers and it does translate well into a modern context. Beside all stories have been written before, good against evil, a right of passage etc. What made me read on was the way it had been written, direct and compelling.

So here is a new review of Apart From Love posted on Goodreads. I thought it elaborated on the story and what it meant to the reader in an elaborate way:

"I wasn't totally sure what to make of this book because there were parts that I both loved and hated. I felt that the concept behind the novel as very unique and you could clearly tell that there was something much more than your average story here within the pages. for me it felt like there was something personal, whether it be from the authors own experience or from something else altogether. The story itself was well introduced and written, with the four main characters clearly identified as individuals with a different story that linked into one. I felt that the characters were defined in a good manner that allowed you to connect and relate to them, which meant that the story was much more readable and understandable. Although we do not get to see the story from all perspectives of the characters, we still get that feeling from each of them, that they are all fearing, feeling and seeing different things, and that was enough to create an experiance of you being there with them within the pages. It is evident from the title that the novel is about the concept of love, and being anything apart from love, and although it is cliche and perhaps obvious, it works well for the concept of the novel, especially when explained later on in the book.

I really enjoyed the way in which the characters personality was represented in such a way that you could hear them within your head. It showed that love is not about what we are taught or brought up within, but that it can be a mixture of fates and turns and that its often just a complication of the times and the mannerisms. The author has touched on the topic of adultry here within the novel, but she has also gone into the reasons as to why it occured and I think by the end of it you understand that it happened due to fear and isolation. The man was losing the woman that he loved and he wanted to be with someone who would not forget him and who would need him around. Unfortuantely for him, his son also happened to fall in love with the same person.

I think for me the book identified the factor that we often fall in love with those who make us feel more useful but that sometimes we can find ourselves challenging the reasons they give us for love. For me it represented strongly that love is a constant battle of change and willingness, and that we have to overcome these obsticles before they become an elephant in the room. The triangle represented in the book was well produced with words and you really did get a clear understanding and knowledge of what was happening and how. you never felt like you were out of place within the novel, or that the book was drifting off because it always seemed to stay on track. I do feel a little let down by the ending and I do think that there were loose ending within the book that were never clarified or cleared up. But other than that it was well written and it was an ok novel to read.

Its not the best novel that I have read, but for what it was, it was different. it wasn't perfect and was far from what I would consider award winning must read again, stay on the memory. it was more of a heres a book to make you really think about complications in love and life, enjoy. the author does have talent and I look forward to reading more of her published novels, for she clearly knows to how to engage the readers interest."

The review can be found here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I am thrilled that my new ebook, A Favorite Son, has just received a five-star review from top Amazon reviewer and author Sheila Deeth. She has just released her novel, Divide by Zero. With a Masters in mathematics from Cambridge University, England, she is a reviewer for Amazon, Goodreads, Gather and other reading sites. This is what she says:


★★★★★ Bringing the familiar to unfamiliar life, February 13, 2013
By S. Deeth "Sheila Deeth" (OR, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase

Dysfunctional families aren't reserved just for the modern day, and this story retells what must be one of the most classic cases in history. The fact that it's Biblical history just adds to the mystique.

It's the gentle twists of difference that bring this tale of Jacob and Esau to life and give it power. Yankle, the younger son, grows up resenting his bigger, stronger, marginally older brother. Parental favorites wound. Meanwhile the beloved mother appears as a foreigner, carried away from home and family (and riches) to live in a tent with her past safely hidden in a box. She doesn't wear a burka. Her shoes are painfully inappropriate. She doesn't belong, and neither does her son.

Author Uvi Poznansky adds a sense of immediacy to the tale as Yankle looks back on his past with a curious mix of modern and ancient perspectives. There's a pleasing humor as he muses over religions born from his home or complains of "no bus ticket to be found; and... a plane ticket was out of the question." There's all the delight of the familiar when Jacob's ladder appears, and all the joy of the new as hints and details sneak quietly into the tale. Simultaneously bringing past and present to life, the author gives this Bible story a powerful modern-day relevance behind its haunting antiquity, with every detail inspiring further thought and contemplation. A masterful retelling.