An Audio Book Is Born

 It's so interesting how the Universe works. One day,  a few months ago out of the blue, an Englishwoman calls me on the phone and tells me she was given my name by a mutual friend. She has been told that my daughter is a babysitter supreme (which is true) and she needs one. It turns out she has just moved to the area, is also a writer and as we speak and connect, we find we have more in common than one could believe. And to top it all off, she has moved in right across the street. 

My new friend is Alison Larkin, author of the bestselling novel, The English American. She is a wonderful actress and she narrates audiobooks! She demonstrates her array of crazy voices and characters and I begin to formulate an idea. Why doesn't she narrate The Adventures of Charlie and Moon, a wonderful children's book that I published? And it just so happens, she has a tiny window of opportunity to do it - right now!  We find a wonderful studio, Off The Beaten Track, right here in the Berkshires. We work for hours, but we have a blast. As I sit with the engineer in the studio directing it, we laugh so hard we can barely see. And the end result is fantastic! It will be out soon! I'll keep you posted as we get closer to our pub date! You can listen to Alison at her website:

www.alisonlarkin.com

Rug Pulled Out from Under

Has the rug ever been pulled out from under you?

It simply has to be one of the worst feelings ever. Especially when it is pulled out by a supposed true friend. You are thrown off your feet. Crash landing in a painful position on the ground.  The wind knocked right out of you. Cut to the quick.

If I ever did that to anyone, I am sorry. If I was ever that callous, forgive me. If I am ever so insensitive, I deserve what I get.

Today will pass and these feelings will too. The bruise will heal with time. But is the friendship doomed? Is forgiveness possible?

Advice would be welcome.

The Power of Vision

Just the other day I was talking to my friend about my vision of what I want in my life. We discussed what this meant, and how having an attitude of gratitude and excited anticipation is the key to getting what one wants. One thing I know for sure is that in order to accomplish my goals and allow my dreams to come true, I need to keep my eye on the prize and not muddy my vision with "reality."

And this week some amazing things have happened. Mainly they involve my participation in the book The Adventures of Charlie & Moon, by Martin Meader. This book is very near and dear to my heart. I edited the book for a whole year on Skype with Martin, who lives in Australia. We worked for hours everyday and we spent much of that time laughing. And then my publishing company had the privilege of publishing it. The book was a finalist in ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Award. It is a wonderful and hilarious book for kids and folks like me, with severe cases of arrested development. My friend, Alison Larkin, the best selling author of The English American, and comedienne extraordinaire began taping an audio version of the book last week. I am producing this audiobook and Alison and I are having more fun doing this than we could have ever imagined. The sound engineer and I laughed so hard we cried. Alison's voices are extraordinary. Hilarious!

Martin and my great friend Irena Mihova, are co-producing the film version of the book.  Jim Henson's Creature Shop, that's right, the Muppet folks, are creating the creatures for the film and we were invited to their Christmas party. I hung out with Big Bird and Elmo, Grover and Oscar, as well as some of the cool humans who create these iconic puppets.

And then to top it all off, this week, the beautiful fair trade chain of stores, Ten Thousand Villages, informed me that their Colorado shop holds a multicultural book club and my book, Weeping Under This Same Moon was chosen to be their January selection.

So, as I keep my vision strong, amazing things are happening. Yes, of course pay your bills on time, take out the trash, feed the cat, but pay no attention to that "reality" behind the curtain when it comes to making your dreams come true. That's my philosphy anyway.

A Country Christmas Fair

Yesterday I spent the day selling and signing books at a country Christmas fair in Sheffield, MA.  The day started off rather slowly but business picked up later and I met some fascinating people. I often wonder what will happen in the course of a day like this. Who I will meet and what our connection will be. Yesterday I happened to have a table next to my wonderful old friends Maria and Paul. They have a unique business called Asia Luna selling beautiful handcrafted soaps, body scrubs, lip balms, candles and aroma therapy mists. Maria has started doing House Parties. I might host one. http://www.asialuna.com/
This is truly a grassroots business. They create all their products together at home and both Maria and Paul are artists and the packaging of their beautiful products attests to that. Silly gnomes handcrafted by yours truly.

Sweet music

I just came back from the most gorgeous concert. As I sat there enraptured by the sweet music, I made a promise to myself. Here it is. I swear that in my next life I am going to come back as a musician. Playing some instrument, any instrument for that matter, but playing it really really well. I want to play Bach on the violin or Mozart on the flute or the piano. I want to play the cello like Yo Yo Ma. I want to sing like Ella. But it ain't gonna happen in this lifetime. So I'm thinking if I have anything to say about it, if I must come back for another go, if I haven't completed what I need to  learn here on planet earth physical plane, I am going to make damn sure I study music next time. Promise. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRixaQ4hpEI

My morning coffee

My perculator broke a few weeks ago. What to do? Can you start your day without a coffee? I used to be able to. Tea is healthy but my coffee is my vice. It's my only vice these days. And I LOVE it! OK, I am addicted. I admit it. I am a coffeeholic.

The BEST TIME

Last Thursday I sat in the audience of Monument Mountain High School and watched two actors portray my two protagonists from my novel Weeping Under This Same Moon. It was an incredibly moving experience. I had never seen my characters come to life before and it was amazing. I am seriously thinking about creating a play now. What a thrill to watch your creations come to life!
Thank you MMRHS!