Category Archives: Book Clubs

Dresses from Mom

For her final birthday, we planned a unique performance. Mom designed a dress for me to wear, and had her wonderful seamstress make it. A dazzling green organza confection, it made me feel as if I was wearing jade sliced as thin as clouds—and then she gave me her jade jewels to go with it. I knew this would be the last dress she’d ever give me.
Posted in Art and Entertainment, authors and entertainment world, Family, family history and genealogy, head and heart connection, Heart and head connection in books, Integrating lifes purpose through art, Intuition, Life in Baby Boomer years for Women, Logical Thinking, Magical moments, Mara Purl, Mother, Nurturing the soul, parenting girls, Power of Universe, Uncategorized, Women authors | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

January Handsel

Handsel: a gift given at the beginning of something, especially a new year. Though it’s hard not to keep thinking to myself “this time last year, Mom was here,” what I try to do when these thoughts recur is shift from grief to celebration, from loss to gratitude, from past to present. This is a new year, a perfect opportunity for new beginnings. Perhaps I can let the universe help me move forward, instead of tackling the forward momentum all on my own. Read more
Posted in about issues of the heart, Connecting through books, Finding treasures of the heart in books, Head & Heart, Heart, Heart and head connection in books, ideas for books, inspiring through fiction novels, involvement in issues near and dear to heart, Love of Books, Mara Purl, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, mission and core purpose in life, Nurturing the soul, Opening up to New Worlds, parenting girls, self-growth, transformation through AHA moments, Women authors | Leave a comment

Indie Book Tour – Linn’s of Cambria, CA

Mara Purl concludes her Indie Book Tour by coming full circle back to Cambria, California, where the whole story began
Posted in about issues of the heart, Art and Entertainment, Authors, Book Clubs, Books, California, Cambria, Community, community and transformation, Connecting through books, Creativity, Finding treasures of the heart in books, Heart, Heart and head connection in books, ideas for books, involvement in issues near and dear to heart, Love of Books, Mara Purl, Marketing, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, Where the Heart Lives by Mara Purl, Women authors | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Indie Book Tour – Women’s Voices at Kepler’s Bookstore, Menlo Park, CA

Mara Purl, Victoria Zackheim, Pam Houston, Elizabeth Rosner, and Zoe Fitzgerald Carter read from their works at their first Women's Voices event at Kepler's Bookstore in Menlo Park near San Francisco, California.
Posted in about issues of the heart, Art and Entertainment, Authors, Book Clubs, Book Marketing, Books, Books for Baby Boomers, Bookstores - Independent, California, Community, Connecting through books, Creativity, Finding treasures of the heart in books, Head & Heart, Heart, Heart and head connection in books, Integrating lifes purpose through art, involvement in issues near and dear to heart, Love of Books, Mara Purl, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, mission and core purpose in life, Nurturing the soul, Opening up to New Worlds, synchronicity, When Whales Watch by Mara Purl, Where the Heart Lives by Mara Purl, Women authors | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Indie Book Tour – Coalesce Bookstore, Morro Bay, CA

Thanks for joining me on the 2012 MARA-thon! This includes a physical book tour through Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and California, and it includes a national blog tour. During the entire MARA-thon, please be sure to download your FREE prequel short story, When Whales Watch at www.MaraPurl.com/downloads. As of January 1, you’ll be able to find purchase links for all e-readers at https://marapurl.com/books/when-whales-watch.

This is posted from the road during my All-Indie-Bookstore book tour titled MAPPING THE JOURNEY OF YOUR HEART. Revisit the entire tour at any time by visiting www.MaraPurl.com/calendar where you’ll see event details, links to the bookstores, and soon, photo archives.… Read more

Posted in about issues of the heart, Art and Entertainment, Authors, Bellekeep Books, Book Clubs, Book Marketing, Books, Bookstores - Independent, California, Coastal regions, community and transformation, Connecting through books, Finding treasures of the heart in books, Heart, Integrating lifes purpose through art, Mara Purl, Mara Purl Romance novels, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, Novel series, relationships, Romance Novels by Mara Purl, Romantic fiction, Small Town Fiction, synchronicity, Transformation, When Whales Watch by Mara Purl, Where the Heart Lives by Mara Purl, Women and Romance Novels, Women's Fiction, womens literature, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blog Tour Visit #2 – Dad of Divas

MARA-thon Blog Tour Visit #2 - Mara blogs back to Chris Lewis of Dad of Divas.
Posted in Author Mara Purl on Blog Tour, Blog tour of author Mara Purl, Book Reviews, Connecting through books, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, parenting girls, Publishing, Romance novel readers, Romance Novels by Mara Purl, Romantic fiction, womens literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Indie Book Tour – Tattered Cover, Denver, Colorado

Author Mara Purl launches her latest novel "Where the Heart Lives" at Tattered Cover in Highlands Ranch, Colorado and enjoys the synchronicity of surprise visitors
Posted in about issues of the heart, Art and Entertainment, Baby Boomers, Book Clubs, Book Marketing, Books, Connecting through books, Finding treasures of the heart in books, Heart, Heart and head connection in books, Love of Books, Mara Purl, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, synchronicity, women and romance novels, Women authors, womens literature | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Whales’ Tales by the Dock of the Bay

Whale TailWriting is tough. It takes hours, weeks, months, years of solitude and focus. It requires “killing your darlings”—a writer-term for throwing out your favorite passages. It means wrestling with characters, struggling with storylines and remembering why the heck you’re putting yourself through all this torment in the first place. Then there are days when writing is just plain fun. For me, this often occurs when I get do a research field trip. I’m not entirely stupid about this—I choose favorite locations where my story just happens to take place. So I got to spend today in Morro Bay, one of the most delightful spots along California’s gorgeous Central Coast.… Read more

Posted in about issues of the heart, AHA Moments, Art and Entertainment, Authors, Authors on Talk Shows, Book Clubs, Book Marketing, Books, California, Coastal regions, community and transformation, Connecting through books, e-books by Mara Purl, eco-location, Ecology, Environment, Finding treasures of the heart in books, Heart, Heart and head connection in books, Journalism, Love of Books, Magical moments, Mara Purl, Marine Mammals, Marketing, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, Music, Novel series, Nurturing the soul, Opening up to New Worlds, Personal Essays, saving whales, Small Town Fiction, Soap Opera Fiction, Songwriters, Sperm whales, synchronicity, Whales, When Whales Watch by Mara Purl, Wildlife, Women authors, Women's Fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Serial Novels are the Dickens

A world-wide celebration is under way to celebrate the two-hundredth anniversary of an important February birthday—that of one of the great authors of the English language. It seems to be a bit of a mania with exhibits from the Morgan Library & Museum in New York, to an elaborate puppet show festival in Colorado; from multiple offerings in London to Dickens World in Kent, England. Through the decades, Dickens has found his way onto the stage in more productions than can be counted, and onto the silver screen in 320 films, to date.

My own introduction to Charles Dickens came early, and was so woven into the fabric of my childhood that I can’t imagine my life without the presence of his characters with their failures and triumphs.… Read more

Posted in about issues of the heart, Art and Entertainment, Book Clubs, Books, California, e-books by Mara Purl, Heart, Louis L'amour, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Uni-Tea of Head and Heart

Every journey has its especially sparkling moments, and for my Winter Western States Book Tour, this was it. Elegance and style, generosity and community, connections with old friends and new—a unifying experience for all. The setting—a historic home in the mountain canyons of Santa Barbara; the time—Valentine’s weekend; the opportunity—helping others.

I had the privilege of working with a superb charity in co-creating a fund-raiser/ friend-raiser author tea. This is truly my favorite kind of event because of its synergy—which makes it a win-win-win: for the charity, for the guests, and for the author. In this case, there’s a fourth winner: the community of Santa Barbara, which benefits so directly from the services this charity provides.… Read more

Posted in about issues of the heart, Art and Entertainment, Bellekeep Books, Book Clubs, Book Marketing, Books, California, Connecting through books, energy, familial history, Finding treasures of the heart in books, Heart, Integrating lifes purpose through art, joy, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, Novel series, Nurturing the soul, Romance Novels by Mara Purl, Santa Barbara, synchronicity, Uncategorized, What the Heart Knows, What the Heart Knows by Mara Purl | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment