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The Milford-Haven Novels, Novellas & Novelettes have now won more than 60 book awards!
Prequel Novella
Novelette
#1 Artist AdventureNovella
#2 Artist AdventureNovella
#3 Artist AdventureNovel One of the Pentalogy
Novel Two of the Pentalogy
Novel Three of the Pentalogy
Novel Four of the Pentalogy
Holiday Novelette
Holiday Novelette
Holiday Novelette
PEARLS OF WISDOM
Category Archives: California
A Season of Possibility
Over the course of this first December weekend, at an opulent gathering of friends, we went around the table answering the question, “what’s the significance of Christmas to you?” We all acknowledged the spiritual import of the holiday, and because this was an international gathering, there was acknowledgment from widely divergent religious paradigms.
But we came back around the table again to touch upon that which we could only identify as the “spirit” of this time of year. For some, this is a time to focus more intently upon family and close friends, to offer the gifts of time and food, to open our homes, be they large or small, to experience something cozy and comforting, something timeless needing to be captured at least to the extent of celebrating it.… Read more
Posted in about issues of the heart, Art and Entertainment, Baby Boomers, Books, California, Cambria, Coastal regions, Connecting through books, Creativity, life's purpose, Santa Barbara, Uncategorized, What the Heart Knows, Women authors, womens literature
Tagged Women's Fiction; Possibility; Santa
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When Women Gather
“Girls Night Out”—the phrase conjures images of everything from innocent fun to naughty pleasures. But the realities of what women do when they get together might be even more interesting.
Sometimes an evening with female colleagues is a rite of passage, a kind of test a woman can only pass by showing her authenticity. And sometimes a girlfriend-evening fulfills a basic need for time with those who share the same wiring.
Actually women have all kinds of ways of connecting. Sometimes the moments are brief—a quick lunch hour to catch up with a friend or get to know someone better. Other times it might be a special treat like afternoon tea—a chance to dress up and go someplace elegant, where the surroundings are inspiring enough to give us a fresh perspective.… Read more
Posted in about issues of the heart, Art and Entertainment, Artists, Author Mara Purl on Blog Tour, authors and entertainment world, Bellekeep Books by Mara Purl, Blogging, book marketing using websites enewsletters and blogs, Books, Books for Baby Boomers, Business, California, Cambria, careers, Community, community and transformation, Connecting through blogs, Connecting through books, Creativity, Current Event, current events, E-Books, energy, Family values, Fictitious town of Milford-Haven, Finding treasures of the heart in books, flow of life, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Gifts, head and heart connection, head and heart connection, Heart, Heart and head connection in books, inspiring through fiction novels, Intuition, involvement in issues near and dear to heart, joy, life's purpose, Logical Thinking, Love, Magical moments, Mara Purl, Mara Purl, Mara Purl, Mara Purl Romance novels, Mara Purl using new marketing methods for Books, Marketing, Milford Haven, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, mission and core purpose in life, Motivation and inspiration for Baby Boomer careers, musician-singer-songwriter, new methods of marketing books, Novel series, Novels for Romance Junkies, Nurturing the soul, Of Baby Boomer Women, of lives through books, Personal Essays, Power of the universe, power of the universe, power of the universe, Power of Universe, Publishing, Re-Build your Life, Reading Guide for What the Heart Knows, relationships, Romance novel readers, Romance Novels by Mara Purl, Romance Novels by Mara Purl, Romance Novels for romance junkies, Romantic fiction, romantic novel storylines, Science, self-growth, Skill sets, Small Town Fiction, sychronicity of life, synchronicity, synchronicity, Syncronicity between bloggers, Teas with author Mara Purl, Transformation, Travel, Uncategorized, Virtual Book Tours, What the Heart Knows, What the Heart Knows by Mara Purl, women and romance novels, Women and Romance Novels, Women authors, Women's Fiction, womens literature, Writing, writing romance novels
Tagged adventures of Mara Purl, adventures of Milford Haven novels, authenticity in women, author Mara Purl, basic needs of women, California coastal town Cambria, Cambria California town Mara Purls fiction novels are based upon, connection and confirmation of women, connection with women, continuing traditions of womens clubs, creative fundraising ideas for women, Enchanted Forest in Mara Purls novels, Fiction, fictitous names of towns for novel settings, fulfill need for womens time out, fundraising of womens clubs, Girls Night out, heart, identifying societal needs of women, intuition, intuition smart, Lake Forest Women's Club, Main Street shopping with Mara Purl, Mara Purl and weekend in Cambria California, perspectives from the head, perspectives of the heart, possibility and syncronicity of women, scholarship funds from womens clubs, special connections with new women friends, special connections with women, subscribe to Mara Purl's newsletter, The Milford-Haven Books, women and acceptance, women and belonging, women and friendship, women as energy sources, women as life-long friends, women at slumber parties, women being understood, women marshaling resources to get things done, women sharing basic needs, women united by a cause, women's fiction, women's gifts, women's intuition, womens get togethers, womens life purpose and core missions, womens rites of passage, writing, www.marapurl.com
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Serendipi-Tea
A few years ago, when I was first searching for the right kind of special event for readers of my Women’s Fiction novels, I chose Afternoon Tea as the perfect thing. “Tea” seemed to signify both elegance and comfort, a chance to connect with others while taking a break from hectic schedules. And though men sometimes attend, the event itself has a feminine quality, with great attention to detail and style.
The first person I approached with this idea was my mother. A brilliant hostess, she grasped the concept instantly and offered her own home for a series of three events that I named Hospitali-Teas.… Read more
Posted in about issues of the heart, Art and Entertainment, Author Mara Purl on Blog Tour, Bellekeep Books, Bellekeep Books by Mara Purl, Book Clubs, Book Marketing, Books, Business, California, careers, Community, Connecting through books, Creativity, Current Event, e-books by Mara Purl, Escapism through romance novels, Family values, Finding treasures of the heart in books, flow of life, Gifts, head and heart connection, head and heart connection, Heart, Heart and head connection in books, history, Innovative marketing, Innovative marketing, inspiring through fiction novels, Integrating lifes purpose through art, Intuition, involvement in issues near and dear to heart, Journaling, life's purpose, Love of Books, Magical moments, Mara Purl, Mara Purl Romance novels, Mara Purl using new marketing methods for Books, Marketing, Milford Haven, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, mission and core purpose in life, Music, new methods of marketing books, Novel series, Novels for Romance Junkies, Nurturing the soul, of lives through books, Possibili-Teas in Colorado and New York, Publishing, Re-Build your Life, relationships, Romance novel readers, Romance Novels by Mara Purl, Romance Novels for romance junkies, Romantic fiction, romantic novel storylines, Santa Barbara, self-growth, Small Presses, Small Town Fiction, Soap Opera Fiction, sychronicity of life, synchronicity, Teas with author Mara Purl, Transformation, transformation through AHA moments, Travel, Uncategorized, What the Heart Knows, What the Heart Knows by Mara Purl, women and romance novels, Women and Romance Novels, Women authors, Women's Fiction, womens literature, Writing, writing romance novels
Tagged author Mara Purl, Barnes & Noble, books for Birthdays, careers as tea sommeliers, create occasions with tea, create space for tea and conversation, create space for womens fiction and discussion, Dianemarie and Doug Collins, Earl Grey tea, Fiction, good brithday gift What the Heart Knows by Mara Purl, Jeffrey Hattrick "The Tea Guy", Jeffrey's Tea, listening to her heart through tea and conversation, Mara Purl on scones and tea, Mara Purl's Creativi-Teas, Mara Purl's Generosi-Teas, Mara Purl's Possibil-Teas, Mara Purl's Socie-Tea, Mara Purl's Teas for readers, mother and daughter conversations, pianist Jeffrey at Ritz Carlton Tea Lobby, possibility, relationships, Ritz-Carlton and High Tea, Serendipi-Tea with author Mara Purl, Tea Lobby at Ritz Carlton, tea menus, team sommeliers, The Milford-Haven Books, transforming lives through books, Uni-Tea with Unity Shoppe non-profit, Unity Shoppe in Santa Barbara California, women's fiction, women's fiction novels, womens fiction novelist Mara Purl and Hospitali-Teas, www.marapurl.com
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Synergy, Schedules, and Supporting Others
It was a spectacular California early October Autumn day on the Central Coast: blue sky painted with whisps of cloud, sparkling water tracing the carved coastline, and just enough of a bite in the air to break out a jacket. Actually, this was a dress-up day, so the jacket was a pale silk leopard print, the skirt was leather and the shoes were high heels. Why the fancy duds? Today was High Tea in Santa Barbara, something I’d been looking forward to, something we’d planned for months.
There was an interesting twist in this plotline, however. The charity we’d been working with supports families to prevent homelessness and welfare dependency, especially in a tough economy.… Read more
Posted in about issues of the heart, Art and Entertainment, Audio Drama, Author Mara Purl on Blog Tour, authors and entertainment world, Authors on Talk Shows, Bellekeep Books, Bellekeep Books by Mara Purl, Book Clubs, Books, Business, California, Coastal regions, Community, community and transformation, Connecting through blogs, Connecting through books, Creativity, Current Event, current events, Domestic Violence, Domestic Violence Solutions Tea, economic recovery, Escapism through romance novels, familial history, Family values, forgiveness, head and heart connection, head and heart connection, Heart, Heart and head connection in books, history, inspiring through fiction novels, Integrating lifes purpose through art, Intuition, involvement in issues near and dear to heart, Journalism, Love, Mara Purl, Mara Purl, Mara Purl Romance novels, Milford Haven, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, mission and core purpose in life, Newsletters, Novels for Romance Junkies, Nurturing the soul, of lives through books, Opening up to New Worlds, Personal Essays, plot and structure, Power of Universe, Publishing, Re-Build your Life, relationships, Romance Novels by Mara Purl, Romance Novels by Mara Purl, Romantic fiction, Science, self-growth, Small Town Fiction, sychronicity of life, synchronicity, synchronicity, Transformation, Uncategorized, What the Heart Knows, women and romance novels, Women and Romance Novels, Women authors, Women's Fiction, womens literature, Writing
Tagged anger leading to death in domestic violence, assaults and suicides due to domestic violence, autumn on the central coast of California, breaking away from domestic violence, charities working in communities, charity supporting families to prevent homelessness and welfare dependency, desparate for jobs leads to abuse, domestic violence solutions, Domestic Violence Solutions Tea in February and Mara Purl, Erin Gray on board of National Coaition Against Domestic Violence, families drowning in debt, freedom and fresh starts in life, Haven House in Los Angeles, healing domestic violence, High Tea in Santa Barbara, insolvency due to economy, leading and following with your heart, light transform dark, Mara Purl and domestic violence charity teas, mara purl newsletter, Mara Purl on National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, negatives and prints from cameras, negatives in collective consciousness, non-profits for domestic violence, oldest shelter for battered women in the United States, opening cameras and exposing film, perpetrators producing scarey movies, public service awards for domestic violence awareness, Santa Barbara District Attorney as keynote speaker on abuse and violence, scope of infinite love, shame and fear of victims of domestic violence, shift in public awareness of domestic violence issues, shifting blame from victim to healing anger in domestic violence cases, speeches written by Erin Gray and Mara Purl to Congress on domestic violence, storylines in Mara Purls novels about domestic violence issues, supporting others and following heart, synergy and transformation of lives, tough financial times leading to abusive behavior, transforming a human heart through love, twist in plotline, Unity Shoppe, using heart as a guide, victims and perpetrators in domestic violence, what the heart knows by mara purl, Wisdom of what the heart knows
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Blog Tour Visit #22: Original Impulse
A sip of rich, dark java from a Mellor press while sitting at a tiny table in a café overlooking the Seine. That sounds like a perfect ritual in the life of an artist. I certainly found it to be so when I spent a month in Paris performing at the renowned Theatre Chatelet a few years ago. Cities like Paris, Kyoto and Santa Fe, filled to overflowing with artistic expression, inspire with virtually every sight, sound, taste and aroma to indulge our creative impulses. California’s Central Coast happens to inspire me and I spend lots of time there writing What the Heart Knows and all my Milford-Haven Novels.… Read more
Posted in Art and Entertainment, Artists, Author Mara Purl on Blog Tour, authors and entertainment world, Authors and Publishers Services, Bellekeep Books, Bellekeep Books by Mara Purl, Blog tour of author Mara Purl, Blog Tours, book marketing using websites enewsletters and blogs, Books, Business, California, Cambria, careers, Cities with Artistic Expression, Connecting through blogs, Connecting through books, Creativity, Current Event, e-books by Mara Purl, energy, Fictitious town of Milford-Haven, flow of life, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, head and heart connection, head and heart connection, Heart, Heart and head connection in books, heart of an artist, ideas for books, Innovative marketing, Innovative marketing, inspiring through fiction novels, Integrating lifes purpose through art, Intuition, Japan, joy, Kyoto, life's purpose, Love of Books, Mara Purl, Mara Purl Romance novels, Mara Purl using new marketing methods for Books, Marketing, Milford Haven, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, mission and core purpose in life, Motivation and inspiration for Baby Boomer careers, new methods of marketing books, Nurturing the soul, Opening up to New Worlds, Original Impulse, Paris, physical and emotional process of creating art, Publishing, Re-Build your Life, relationships, Romance novel readers, Romance Novels by Mara Purl, Romance Novels by Mara Purl, Romantic fiction, Santa Fe, Science, self-growth, Skill sets, Small Presses, sychronicity of life, synchronicity, synchronicity, Syncronicity between bloggers, Transformation, Travel, Uncategorized, Virtual Book Tours, What the Heart Knows, women and romance novels, Women and Romance Novels, Women authors, womens literature, writing romance novels
Tagged author Mara Purl, California coast, California's Central coast, Cambria California, changes of The Milford Haven Books, Chasing Silvia Beach, cities with artistic expression Kyoto, coach for writers and artists, Create Your Writers Life, creative impulses, creativity coach Cynthia Morris, creativity within, Fiction, fictional towns in Milford Haven, flow of creativity, growth as writer and storyteller through blogging, head and heart, heart, impulse to create, journeys to locations for art flow, life long practice of creativity, mara purl newsletter, Narrative writing, original impulse, originality in creating, relationships, ritual in life of an artist, Santa Fe and Paris, settings and location in ficiton, sharing visions through blogging, ten keys to creativity, The Milford-Haven Books, Theatre Chatelet, What the Heart Knows, women's fiction, women's fiction novels, womens fiction, writing, www.marapurl.com
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Blog Tour Visit #21: Unsinkable Western History
I like to think of myself as unsinkable. That’s probably a good thing, given my affinity for water. An ocean-lover at age three along the Connecticut coast, I became a competitive swimmer at my school in Tokyo (where I grew up), and always knew I’d live along the California coast someday. It sure came in handy to think of myself as “unsinkable” when I crewed on a Greenpeace voyage to save whales. And I’d say it’s been an even more useful quality during the heaving storms of a career in the entertainment business.
We can’t think of the word “unsinkable” without thinking of Margaret “Molly” Brown.… Read more
Posted in Acting, American West, Art and Entertainment, Author Mara Purl on Blog Tour, authors and entertainment world, Authors and Publishers Services, Bellekeep Books, Bellekeep Books by Mara Purl, Blog tour of author Mara Purl, Blog Tours, book marketing using websites enewsletters and blogs, Books, Business, California, careers, Collaboration with other writers, Colorado, Connecting through blogs, Connecting through books, Current Event, current events, family history and genealogy, head and heart connection, head and heart connection, Heart, Heart and head connection in books, history, Innovative marketing, Innovative marketing, inspiring through fiction novels, Love of Books, Mara Purl, Mara Purl, Mara Purl, Mara Purl Romance novels, Mara Purl using new marketing methods for Books, Marketing, Milford Haven, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, new methods of marketing books, of lives through books, Opening up to New Worlds, Power of Universe, Publishing, Re-Build your Life, relationships, Romance novel readers, Romance Novels by Mara Purl, Romance Novels by Mara Purl, Romantic fiction, Science, screenwriting and acting, self-growth, sychronicity of life, synchronicity, synchronicity, Syncronicity between bloggers, Transformation, Travel, Uncategorized, Virtual Book Tours, Virtual Book Tours, Western Fiction, What the Heart Knows, women and romance novels, Women and Romance Novels, Women authors, Women's Fiction, womens literature, Writing, writing romance novels
Tagged affinity for water, author Mara Purl, blogs about the American West, California as West, cell phones as fact of life, cellular devices as primary means of communication, changes of The Milford Haven Books, culture and lifestyle on Rocky Mountain West, Filter Press, great books, Greenpeace International, Greenpeach Voyage of Mara Purl, head and heart women, heart, Journalistic writing skills, Joyce Lohse, Joyce Lohse author of seven award winning books, Lohse Works, Mara Purl on California coast, Mara Purl on Jimmy Choo shoes, Margaret "Molly Brown", mutual support of writers, Old and New West, save the whales, storms of entertainment careers, synergy, The Milford-Haven Books, Titanic disaster, unknown territory and pioneering lifestyle of the West, unsinkable Western history, Unsinkable: The Molly Brown Story, Western history, Women Writing the West, women's fiction, women's fiction novels, www.marapurl.com
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A Hummer Hovers Near Your E-Reader
Hummingbirds are pure magic. Part helicopter, part jewel, they fly across thousands of miles from their winter homes to become an integral part of our summer. Their trilling songs and aerial ballets are a spice as sweet as the nectar they sip.
As far as I’m concerned, E-Readers are pure magic too. Now, instead of attempting to lug four books per flight, I carry one slim volume which inexplicably contains scores of titles, with no meaningful limit to how many volumes I can download.
Magic converges with magic for me today, as my first E-Book flies off the pages. When Hummers Dream is a short story that immediately precedes book one of my novel series, What the Heart Knows.… Read more
Posted in Author Mara Purl on Blog Tour, Bellekeep Books, Bellekeep Books by Mara Purl, Blog tour of author Mara Purl, Blog Tours, Book covers by artist Mary Helsaple, book covers painted by artists, Books, Business, Cambria, Connecting through books, Creativity, Current Event, current events, E-Books, e-books by Mara Purl, Escapism through romance novels, Fictitious town of Milford-Haven, flow of life, head and heart connection, head and heart connection, Heart, inspiring through fiction novels, Integrating lifes purpose through art, Intuition, Love, Magical moments, Mara Purl, Mara Purl, Mara Purl, Mara Purl Romance novels, Mara Purl using new marketing methods for Books, Marketing, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, mission and core purpose in life, new methods of marketing books, Novel series, Novels for Romance Junkies, Of Baby Boomer Women, of lives through books, Painting, Publishing, Re-Build your Life, Romance novel readers, Romance Novels by Mara Purl, Romance Novels by Mara Purl, Romance Novels for romance junkies, Romantic fiction, romantic novel storylines, self-growth, Small Presses, Small Town Fiction, Transformation, transformation through AHA moments, Travel, Uncategorized, Using watercolor images for book covers, Virtual Book Tours, Virtual Book Tours, What the Heart Knows, When Hummers Dream by Mara Purl, When Hummers Dream e-book, Women and Romance Novels, Women's Fiction, Writing
Tagged artist-protagonist in Mara Purls fiction, author Mara Purl, Cambria California, changes of The Milford Haven Books, e-readers, Fiction, fiction writing by Mara Purl, Hummingbirds, Mara Purl on non-fiction, Mary Helsaple, transformative fiction, When Hummers Dream e-book., When Hummers Dream on Amazon Kindle, When Hummers Dream on Barnes and Noble Nook, women's fiction, women's fiction novels, writing, www.marapurl.com
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June Gloom and Magical Moments
For those of us who live in California coastal regions, this time of year is known as June Gloom. While other parts of the country are enjoying the first blush of summer with its dreamy warmth and slower pace, we often awaken to a heavy marine layer that keeps the landscape wrapped in a blanket for the first few hours of the day.
It’s not nearly as “gloomy” as it sounds. After all, “sunny California” gets plenty of bright days. This may sound perverse—maybe it’s my Celtic roots—but I sometimes reach a point of finding the succession of unchangingly sunny days oppressive, and begin to long for rain.… Read more
Posted in Books, California, careers, Coastal regions, Creativity, flow of life, Heart, ideas for books, inspiring through fiction novels, Integrating lifes purpose through art, Journaling, joy, life's purpose, Magical moments, Mara Purl, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, mission and core purpose in life, Novel series, Nurturing the soul, of lives through books, Personal Essays, Power of the universe, power of the universe, Publishing, Re-Build your Life, Romantic fiction, self-growth, sychronicity of life, Transformation, Travel, Uncategorized, Women's Fiction, Writing
Tagged Advance Reader Copies of What the Heart Knows, author Mara Purl, changes of The Milford Haven Books, creating openings through ideas, finding contemplation and inspiring ideas for books, ideas for books, mara purl newsletter, Narrative writing, novel series by Mara Purl, transformative fiction, transforming lives through books, true purpose in life, value of an hour, What the Heart Knows, women's fiction novels, writing, writing about authentic selves, www.marapurl.com
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