Category Archives: Opening up to New Worlds

Gift Books Across the Sea

February 20, 2020 by Mara Purl
There’s a person, now, whose love of books inspired me, and who I’ve been able to encourage in turn with a simple gesture. She had collected books to enjoy and to share. Who knows, now, how far and wide her own sharing will reach? I know I touched her heart, and she touched mine.
Posted in about issues of the heart, Art and Entertainment, Author Mara Purl on Book Tour, Authors, Book Marketing, Books, community and transformation, Connecting through books, Creativity, Cruising, Finding treasures of the heart in books, Gifts, Head & Heart, Heart, Heart and head connection in books, involvement in issues near and dear to heart, Live Your Best Life, Love of Books, Magical moments, Mara Purl, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, Nurturing the soul, Opening up to New Worlds, power of the universe, sychronicity of life, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Untangling Our Strings

December 31, 2019 by Mara Purl
Maybe there’s a knot of resentment that we could untangle with a bit of patience and forgiveness. Perhaps there’s an interlocking loop of mistaken communications that could be smoothed with a phone call or a note. Or it could be that a few moments of stillness—a walk in the woods, down a street, or along a beach—would allow us to relax the tension on those strings and let them disentangle and unfurl like strands of kelp in a gentle tide.
Posted in Acting, Art and Entertainment, Audio Drama, authors and entertainment world, Creativity, Family, family history and genealogy, Family values, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, head and heart connection, Heart and head connection in books, heart of an artist, Integrating lifes purpose through art, life's purpose, Mara Purl, mission and core purpose in life, musician-singer-songwriter, Opening up to New Worlds, screenwriting and acting, Uncategorized, voice performance | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Authors & Legacies

September 21, 2019 by Mara Purl
These authors, and their works, shall not be forgotten. The written and published word is being burnished anew, illuminated with a fresh light from the powerful Colorado sun.
Posted in Art and Entertainment, Authenticity, Authors, Book Marketing, Books, Creativity, history, inspiring through fiction novels, Louis L'amour, Love of Books, Mara Purl, Men's fiction, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, Non-Profit Organizations, Nurturing the soul, Opening up to New Worlds, Publishing, Western Fiction, Women's Fiction, Writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Short Shorter Shortest Fiction

June 10, 2018 by Mara Purl
New trends in fiction include novellas, novelettes, short stories and flash fiction. This intro points to a comprehensive guest post All About Shorter Fiction.
Posted in Author Mara Purl on Blog Tour, Authors, Authors and Publishers Services, Blog Tours, Books, Connecting through books, E-Books, e-books by Mara Purl, Editing manuscripts for good writing, Louis L'amour, Love of Books, Mara Purl, Mara Purl, Mara Purl using new marketing methods for Books, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, new methods of marketing books, Novel series, Opening up to New Worlds, When Hummers Dream e-book, When Otters Play by Mara Purl, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cozumel – European Legacy in the Caribbean

January 26, 2018 by Mara Purl
Since I write about a small, coastal town that draws tourists both with its picturesque beauty, and it's local arts and crafts, I always find it fascinating to find parallels in other locations. So Cozumel deserves a closer look. At least we scratched the surface of that beautiful island off the Yucatan, and we look forward to returning to those sparkling waters for further adventures.
Posted in Authors and Publishers Services, Bellekeep Books, Book Marketing, Connecting through books, Creativity, Cruising, ideas for books, Live Your Best Life, Mara Purl, Marketing, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, Ocean Elements, Opening up to New Worlds, Small Town Fiction, Travel, Women authors, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

January Handsel

January 3, 2014 by Mara Purl
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 – Women’s Voices at Kepler’s Bookstore, Menlo Park, CA

November 9, 2012 by Mara Purl
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 – The Book Loft, Solvang, CA

November 5, 2012 by Mara Purl
Mara Purl & Sandy Nathan wowed their followers again with a great discussion and book signing at Solvang's indie bookstore The Book Loft.
Posted in about issues of the heart, Art and Entertainment, Authors, Bookstores - Independent, California, community and transformation, Connecting through books, Finding treasures of the heart in books, Head & Heart, Heart and head connection in books, Left and right side thinking, Love of Books, Mara Purl, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, Opening up to New Worlds, When Whales Watch by Mara Purl, Where the Heart Lives by Mara Purl, Women's Fiction | Leave a comment

Joys of the Central Coast Writers’ Conference

September 24, 2012 by Mara Purl
Annual Central Coast Writers' Conference in San Luis Obispo offers great courses by well-known authors like Mara Purl to college students and professionals writers at all levels.
Posted in Art and Entertainment, Authors, Authors and Publishers Services, Book Editing, Book Marketing, Books, California, Collaboration with other writers, Connecting through books, Creativity, Giving Seminars, Integrating lifes purpose through art, Love of Books, Mara Purl, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, Opening up to New Worlds, Public Speaking, self-growth, Women authors, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Whales’ Tales by the Dock of the Bay

September 21, 2012 by Mara Purl

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