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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: Family values
Step-Mothering is All Heart
One of my favorite roles in life is that of step-mother. Any more than one can plan or train for motherhood, one can’t schedule the unexpected eventually of becoming a step-parent. The job comes with its own prickly difficulties, but also with a series of gifts that continue to leave me, by turns, breathless and grateful. Read more
Posted in about issues of the heart, Art and Entertainment, Books for Baby Boomers, Domestic Violence, Family values, forgiveness, Head & Heart, head and heart connection, Heart, Heart and head connection in books, involvement in issues near and dear to heart, life's purpose, Live Your Best Life, Mara Purl, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, Personal Essays, relationships, self-growth, sychronicity of life, transformation through AHA moments
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Tagged family, Mother's Day, parenting, personal fulfillment, personal growth, step children relationships, step-daughter, step-mother, step-parenting
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God-Mothering from the Heart
Nothing could have been a greater honor than my friend's request that I be her baby's God-mother. We didn't know exactly what that might mean, as this special relationship would occur without religious affiliation. But since Erin and I refer to one another as spiritual sisters, it made perfect sense that I'd be involved in the spiritual life of her daughter. Read more
Posted in about issues of the heart, Books, Collaboration with other writers, E-Books, e-books by Mara Purl, Family values, Finding treasures of the heart in books, Head & Heart, life's purpose, Love of Books, Mara Purl, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, Personal Essays, self-growth, Women authors, Women's Fiction
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Tagged God-daughter, God-mother, God-parenting, heart lives, Mother's Day Gift, women's fiction
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A Year for Mom: February Shock
“A Year for Mom” are posts written the year of my mother’s illness and her passing. Some of the most heartfelt and extraordinary communications I've sent or received took place during this challenging year. This post shares the experience of Mara and her mother's Special Project. Read more
Posted in Family, Family values, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Gratitude, Head & Heart, head and heart connection, Heart, Mother
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Tagged Gratitude, heart, relationships
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A Year for Mom: January Foreshadows
“A Year for Mom” is a collection of posts written during 2013, the year of my mother’s final illness and of her passing. Some of the most heartfelt and extraordinary communications I’ve ever sent or received took place during this challenging year. I feel I learned so much that ultimately it was as much a year of gain as of loss. Many of my friends and readers have expressed a wish that I share my experiences. These personal moments are shared . . . from my heart.
My family all had a fabulous Whirl-Purl of a holiday season. I’m sure you’ve had years like this.… Read more
Posted in AHA Moments, Authenticity, Family, Family values, Gratitude, head and heart connection, Heart, Intuition, Live Your Best Life, Love, Mara Purl, Personal Essays, relationships, self-growth, Transformation, transformation through AHA moments
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Tagged mother and daughter conversations
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My Heart Goes Red for Women
Mara Purl gives Keynote Address at American Heart Association's annual Go Red for Women in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Posted in about issues of the heart, AHA - American Heart Association, AHA Moments, Art and Entertainment, community and transformation, Connecting through books, Days of Our Lives, Family values, Finding treasures of the heart in books, Head & Heart, head and heart connection, Heart, Heart and head connection in books, Integrating lifes purpose through art, involvement in issues near and dear to heart, Keynote Address, Mara Purl, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, mission and core purpose in life, Non-Profit Organizations, Public Speaking
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Tagged author Mara Purl, heart, Keynote Address, protagonist in What the Heart Knows, The Milford-Haven Books, transformative fiction, transforming lives through books
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Thanksgiving Fully Present
There are three things I love about Thanksgiving: the future, the past, and the present.
I think as a child I probably loved Thanksgiving because of the future—it meant Christmas was coming soon! It was also a holiday I anticipated with great joy because it meant we’d go visit Grandma Dorothy. She married my step-grandfather late in life—but just in time for my sister and me to adore her. The house she shared with “Daddy Bob” was a classic New England cottage in Waterbury, Connecticut. Cape-Cod-Blue with white trim, it stood erect despite the steep street that seemed to slice under it.… Read more
Posted in about issues of the heart, Author Mara Purl on Blog Tour, authors and entertainment world, Bellekeep Books, Bellekeep Books by Mara Purl, Blog tour of author Mara Purl, Blog Tours, Blogging, Books, Business, careers, Community, community and transformation, Connecting through blogs, Connecting through books, Creativity, Current Event, familial history, family history and genealogy, Family values, Finding treasures of the heart in books, flow of life, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Gratitude, head and heart connection, head and heart connection, Heart, Heart and head connection in books, heart of an artist, history, Integrating lifes purpose through art, involvement in issues near and dear to heart, joy, life's purpose, Magical moments, Mara Purl, Marketing, Milford Haven, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, mission and core purpose in life, Nurturing the soul, of lives through books, Opening up to New Worlds, Personal Essays, physical and emotional process of creating art, Power of the universe, power of the universe, Publishing, Re-Build your Life, relationships, romantic novel storylines, self-growth, Small Town Fiction, sychronicity of life, Transformation, Travel, Uncategorized, Virtual Book Tours, What the Heart Knows, women and romance novels, Women and Romance Novels, Women authors, Women's Fiction, womens literature, Writing, writing romance novels
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Tagged Advance Reader Copies of What the Heart Knows, author Mara Purl, children, children and stories, children dressing for Thanksgiving, classic New England cottages, Creativity, deep reflection, food in shelters, grandparents, Gratitude, gratitude lists, heart, imagine, inspiring day of the year, joy and thanksgiving, living being fully present, Mara Purl thanks readers, multi-culturalism, native hosts of Thanksgiving, relationships, serving others, sheer gratitude, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving of the past, three things about future past present, tradition and country, uniting heart and head, Waterbury Connecticut, What the Heart Knows, working hard, www.marapurl.com
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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
Posted in about issues of the heart, Art and Entertainment, Artists, Author Mara Purl on Blog Tour, authors and entertainment world, Authors and Publishers Services, Authors on Talk Shows, Baby Boomers, Bellekeep Books by Mara Purl, Blog tour of author Mara Purl, Blog Tours, Book Marketing, book marketing using websites enewsletters and blogs, Books for Baby Boomers, Business, careers, Collaboration with other writers, Community, Connecting through blogs, Connecting through books, Creativity, Current Event, Domestic Violence, E-Books, Editors, energy, Escapism through romance novels, family history and genealogy, Family values, Finding treasures of the heart in books, flow of life, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, forgiveness, Gifts, head and heart connection, head and heart connection, Heart, Heart and head connection in books, heart of an artist, history, ideas for books, Innovative marketing, inspiring through fiction novels, Integrating lifes purpose through art, Intuition, involvement in issues near and dear to heart, Lady Killers, life's purpose, Love, Love of Books, Mara Purl, Mara Purl, Mara Purl, Mara Purl Romance novels, Mara Purl using new marketing methods for Books, Marketing, Metaphors, Milford Haven, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, mission and core purpose in life, Motivation and inspiration for Baby Boomer careers, musician-singer-songwriter, Mystery Writers, Mystery Writers, Novel series, Novels for Romance Junkies, Nurturing the soul, Of Baby Boomer Women, of lives through books, Personal Essays, physical and emotional process of creating art, plot and structure, Political history, Power of the universe, power of the universe, power of the universe, Power of Universe, Publishing, Re-Build your Life, 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 Presses, Small Town Fiction, Soap Opera Fiction, sychronicity of life, synchronicity, synchronicity, Syncronicity between bloggers, Transformation, 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
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Tagged adventures to Milford Haven novels, art unlocking deep mysteries, audience at Mara Purl and Margaret Coel book event, author Mara Purl, characters in Mara Purls novels, characters in Milford Haven novels, characters in novels, crime in Mara Purls fiction novels, delayed ambitions, Father John O'Malley character in Margaret Coel books, fictional characters, giving selves to art, gold character, instinct and intuition, Key elements to a mystery novel, keys to art, Lady Killers, Life dilemnas in novels, listening to head, listening to heart, manuscripts from the heart, Mara Purl and Margaret Coel specialize in mystery writing, Mara Purl shares spotlight with Margaret Coel, Mara Purls fiction novels, Mara Purls womens fiction, Margaret Coel, Margaret Coels character Arapahoe lawyer Vicki Holden, Margaret Coels Wind River Mysteries, metaphors of mystery, mystery as literary device, obsessive nature of readers, Prologue of What the Heart Knows, readers involved with characters in books, refining novels and editorial, research into history place and human nature for novels, rough drafts of novels, scars of childhood in characters, The Milford-Haven Books, twarted dreams in novels, two protagonists in novels, What the Heart Knows, When Smart Characters do stupid things, Who Done it in Mara Purl's novels, women who specialize in mystery, women writers who specialize in mystery writing, women's fiction, womens fiction, working through issues in characters, writer Margaret Coel, writers that author Mara Purl admires, writing, www.marapurl.com
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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
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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
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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
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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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