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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: Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
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
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Tagged Christmas, family, Marionettes, puppet theatre, Puppets, Theatre
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Irritating Characters – Nemesis “Mrs. Lime” Debuts
Comic relief . . . dramatic tension . . . extreme contrast . . . she serves all those purposes. She had me laughing, then my editor laughed out loud, and soon my readers decided she was a “contrarian favorite”. See what you think of “Mrs. Lime.”
Posted in about issues of the heart, AHA Moments, Artists, Author Mara Purl on Blog Tour, Authors, Bellekeep Books, Book covers by artist Mary Helsaple, book covers painted by artists, Book Marketing, Books, California, Cambria, Central Coast, Coastal regions, Connecting through books, E-Books, e-books by Mara Purl, Environment, Fictitious town of Milford-Haven, Finding treasures of the heart in books, flow of life, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, head and heart connection, Heart and head connection in books, heart of an artist, inspiring through fiction novels, Integrating lifes purpose through art, Magical moments, Mara Purl, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, mission and core purpose in life, Nurturing the soul, Painting, power of the universe, Power of Universe, Small Town Fiction, When Hummers Dream by Mara Purl, When Hummers Dream e-book, Wildlife, Women's Fiction
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Tagged Calfornia, Central Coast, Hummingbirds, Milford Haven, wildlife
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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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Milford-Haven U.S.A. Celebrates its 20th Anniversary!
Mara Purl and her sister Linda Purl host a gathering for cast, crew and supporters of Mara's original radio drama, Milford-Haven USA which became the first American radio serial ever broadcast by the BBC, where it had 4.5 million listeners.
Posted in Art and Entertainment, Audio Drama, California, Cambria, Creativity, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Gifts, Intuition, Mara Purl, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, mission and core purpose in life, Nurturing the soul, San Francisco, synchronicity
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Tagged author Mara Purl, BBC Radio, Linda Purl, radio drama Milford-Haven, sychronicity, Verne Nobles, www.marapurl.com
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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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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
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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 #18: Essential Garden
Most of the year I spend a fair amount of time on airplanes. I come well-equipped with a set of Bose headphones to tune out the noise of the world and enter a writer-world where I can hear what my characters are saying today. I adore these special times: views out the window to surpass those from the castles of Europe; precious hours when phones can’t ring; and someone even brings me cold water and hot coffee.
So now you know the secret of my introspective side, the side that gets a pretty big volume of writing done day by day.… Read more
Posted in air travel, Art and Entertainment, Artists, 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, Book Marketing, book marketing using websites enewsletters and blogs, Books, Business, careers, Collaboration with other writers, Connecting through blogs, Connecting through books, Creativity, Current Event, current events, E-Books, energy, 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, history, Innovative marketing, Innovative marketing, inspiring through fiction novels, Integrating lifes purpose through art, Intuition, joy, Left and right side thinking, Life in Baby Boomer years for Women, life's purpose, Logical Thinking, Love of Books, Magical moments, Mara Purl, Mara Purl, Mara Purl, 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, new methods of marketing books, Nurturing the soul, of lives through books, physical and emotional process of creating art, Power of the universe, power of the universe, power of the universe, Publishing, Re-Build your Life, relationships, Romance Novels by Mara Purl, Romantic fiction, romantic novel storylines, Science, self-growth, Skill sets, Small Town Fiction, sychronicity of life, synchronicity, synchronicity, Transformation, transformation through AHA moments, Travel, Uncategorized, Virtual Book Tours, Virtual Book Tours, What the Heart Knows, women and romance novels, Women and Romance Novels, Women's Fiction, womens literature, Writing, writing romance novels
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Tagged 000 feet, author Mara Purl, Bose headphones, Castles of Europe, changes of The Milford Haven Books, connecting, eco-system with interconnecting gardens, Essential Garden blog, extroverted side of performer Mara Purl, food and writing at 30, head and heart connection, healthy food to sustain us, introspective side of writer Mara Purl, intuition, life as a garden, life in metaphors, like-travelers in life, Linda Naylor realtor, listening to our hearts, Narrative writing, possibility, pursuing passions, support and living lives of possibility, sustainable organic gardening and cooking, synergy, The Milford-Haven Books, transforming lives through books, What the Heart Knows, where is where ever you are, women's fiction, women's fiction novels, writers world, writing, www.marapurl.com
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Blog Tour Visit #14: A Latte and Some Words
Certain things just go together: spaghetti and tomato sauce; summer and cricket song; December and pine-scented candles. Lattes and words are like that. For we writer-types, one often leads to the other. That’s how it was this Sunday, being a guest on A Latte and Some Words.
I’ve been known to seek out cafes—during their off hours preferably—and create a mini-office, a bubble where time doesn’t pass at the usual pace, the rest of my to-do list is missing, and a space opens that I can fill with my creative surge. These days, I grab my netbook and head to the nearest Starbucks, where the latte is superb, the atmosphere designed for the likes of anyone needing a personal bubble in a public space all of which encourages the Muse to pull up a chair at my table.… Read more
Posted in Art and Entertainment, Artists, Author Mara Purl on Blog Tour, authors and entertainment world, Baby Boomers and Empty Nest Women, Bellekeep Books, Bellekeep Books by Mara Purl, Blog tour of author Mara Purl, Blog Tours, Book Marketing, book marketing using websites enewsletters and blogs, Books, Business, careers, Collaboration with other writers, Colorado, Connecting through blogs, Connecting through books, Cover art for books, Creativity, Current Event, current events, E-Books, e-books by Mara Purl, Family values, 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, history, ideas for books, Innovative marketing, Innovative marketing, inspiring through fiction novels, Intuition, Journaling, Journalism, 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, Milford Haven, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, mission and core purpose in life, new methods of marketing books, Nurturing the soul, of lives through books, Opening up to New Worlds, physical and emotional process of creating art, 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, Transformation, Uncategorized, Virtual Book Tours, Virtual Book Tours, What the Heart Knows, When Hummers Dream e-book, women and romance novels, Women and Romance Novels, Women authors, Women's Fiction, womens literature, Writing, writing romance novels
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Tagged A Latte and Some Words, author Mara Purl, cafes and writing, coffee fanatics, fiction writers networking, hope in the Bible, journalism, Julie Pollett author and blogger, leading characters journeys, listening to your heart, netbook, personal connections between authors and bloggers, raising boys, relationships, researching for fictional writing, spiritual paths in Christian writing, Starbucks, sychronicity, synchronicity, synergy between bloggers and fiction writing authors, The Milford-Haven Books, things that go together, transforming lives through books, USA Today, What the Heart Knows, women's fiction, women's fiction novels, womens fiction, writing, writing and lattes, www.marapurl.com
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