Category Archives: musician-singer-songwriter

Untangling Our Strings

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

Doobie Brothers Next Gen

Everybody is there for one reason, a joy we share. It’s an overwhelming feeling of being accepted and included. That’s one of the best reasons to go to a concert and listen to live music.
Posted in about issues of the heart, Artists, Authors, Creativity, Doobie Brothers, familial history, Mara Purl, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, musician-singer-songwriter, Nurturing the soul, voice performance | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Whose Mystery: Our Characters’ or Ours?

“Who done it?” Why do we get so caught up in solving mysteries? I have several readers—whose names I shall not divulge—who regularly e-mail me demanding to know who killed Chris, and whether she’s really dead, and when the crime will be solved! And I thought I was the only one who couldn’t sleep at night wondering about the characters of Milford-Haven!

My accomplished friend Margaret Coel  has equally marvelous stories about the obsessive nature of readers and how involved they become with her characters. At our event last weekend, she recounted some of the “helpful suggestions” she receives regarding her two protagonists, and how their life-dilemmas might be solved.… Read more

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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

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Blog Tour Visit #9: Entertainment Examiner

A lot is offered these days in the way of entertainment: a plethora of films, television shows, podcasts and, of course, books. How are we to wade our way through the ocean of offerings to discover something really good?

Mike Parker answers this question on a daily basis for his 7 million followers as Entertainment Editor for Entertainment Examiner. I’m his blog guest today, so that means I made the cut. Whew! An honor! It turns out he liked When Hummers Dream. Timely, too, because we found out today my new e-book has just slipped into the best-seller ranks for Amazon free e-books.… Read more

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Blog Tour Visit #8: Art Biz Blog

“Art for art’s sake” is a phrase that derives from the nineteenth century French expression “L’art pour l’art”—meaning that the intrinsic value of art is the art itself, separate from any utilitarian function. Wikipedia goes on to explain a connection to “inner-directed” or “self-motivated” individuals.

Artists—and I use the term both specifically to mean those who create fine art with their hands, as well as those who practice and live by other art forms such as acting or composing or writing—most certainly have to be self-directed. For one thing, no one in their right mind would recommend the life of an artist to anyone who could happily do something else.… Read more

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Launching the Blog Tour Boat

For authors, a book tour comes with the territory when a new book is released. Authors often fly from city to city in an exhausting tour-de-force, appearing on local talk shows, speaking to reporters, signing their new book at bookstores, and maybe visiting a few book clubs along the way. Traditional tours like this aren’t done as often as they used to be, what with budget constraints and new methods of marketing. Still—unless we’re also speakers—we authors don’t get out much! So we won’t be denied our fun. I’m looking forward to the wonderful in-person tour stops I’ll be doing next fall.… Read more

Posted in Acting, Authors on Talk Shows, Bellekeep Books, Blog Tours, Books, careers, Collaboration with other writers, Connecting through books, Creativity, Current Event, history, Innovative marketing, Innovative marketing, Love of Books, Mara Purl, Mara Purl using new marketing methods for Books, Marketing, Milford Haven, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, musician-singer-songwriter, new methods of marketing books, News reporting, Publishing, relationships, Romantic fiction, screenwriting and acting, Small Presses, Transformation, Travel, Uncategorized, Virtual Book Tours, Virtual Book Tours, Women's Fiction, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Father Love

Men who wear their hearts on their sleeves are stronger than they may appear.
Posted in Acting, Associated Press, Audio Drama, Books, careers, Connecting through books, Creativity, current events, Heart, inspiring through fiction novels, Integrating lifes purpose through art, Japan, Journalism, Love, Magical moments, Mara Purl, Men wearing hearts on sleeves, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, musician-singer-songwriter, of lives through books, Personal Essays, Publishing, relationships, screenwriting and acting, self-growth, Small Town Fiction, Soap Opera Fiction, synchronicity, Transformation, Travel, Uncategorized, What the Heart Knows, Women's Fiction, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Suitcase Whisperer

Lessons to a frequent traveler from her suitcase.
Posted in AHA Moments, Books, careers, Creativity, flow of life, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Heart, inspiring through fiction novels, Integrating lifes purpose through art, Intuition, life's purpose, Magical moments, Mara Purl, Metaphors, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, mission and core purpose in life, musician-singer-songwriter, Novel series, Nurturing the soul, Opening up to New Worlds, Personal Essays, Power of the universe, Publishing, Re-Build your Life, relationships, self-growth, synchronicity, Transformation, transformation through AHA moments, Travel, Uncategorized, Women's Fiction, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Manhattan Anticipation

New York City has become an icon in our culture, and around the globe. It sometimes seems to loom so large in our minds that the real thing couldn’t possibly measure up. 

But the moment your plane angles in for a landing and you glimpse the island of Manhattan, you realize you were wrong, New York will always exceed your expectations. 

This was my city for the first few years after college. Ten minutes after receiving my diploma, the truck carrying my few worldly possessions headed south from Bennington to The City. I couldn’t imagine moving anywhere else. 

I bought used furniture and wheeled it up Third Avenue on a dolly.… Read more

Posted in Acting, Book Expo America, Books, careers, Collaboration with other writers, Connecting through books, Current Event, Journalism, Love of Books, Mara Purl, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, musician-singer-songwriter, New York City and Manhattan, Personal Essays, Publishing, screenwriting and acting, The Financial Times of London, Travel, Uncategorized, Women's Fiction, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment