Modern Day Haiku

There are those who write

There are those who understand

There are those who read.

Do you hear the wind?

Take a moment to listen.

It’s a lovely sound.

  

Can you imagine?

Her book is a bestseller!

Hard to imagine.

Do you read eBooks?

What books do you like reading?

Well good books of course.

Look me in the eye.

Please put down your mobile phone,

Can we have a chat?

Happy Valentine's Day!

I send you a kiss.

One memorable kiss

That you can feel in your heart.

No spittle,

No germs,

No embarrassing breath—

No

Lipstick stains,

Jealously,

Fighting,

Slamming doors,

Or drama of any kind.

 

Just the faint whisper

Of heated air

Passing your cheek-

Lingering long enough

To mingle in your scent.

My gift between

Consenting adults.

One solitary kiss

That doesn’t lead to more.

No lusting,

Nothing sexy....

Like a misplaced hair

Tickling your face

Or a soft tissue

Wiping a tear.

One solitary kiss.

My little present

For you to accept-

To remember when

The calendar pages

Fall like autumn leaves-

To unveil when times are hard-

To savor when you’re alone.

I send you a kiss.

Did you get it?

Never Say Never!

I said never again...but maybe I was kidding. Maybe I just can’t say no to Arlee but every year when the A to Z Challenge comes up—I sign up like some sort of drug-induced sheep. Or maybe more like a sow before she’s recycled into breakfast bacon, because I’m totally committed and looking forward to a month of hyper-fast blogging.

The theme I've chosen is HOME and I don’t mean home improvement and recipes, although it would be fun trying to put some meat on these intangible bones. In other words, I’d love to give you something concrete you could use but most of the posts will be about that feeling of home. I’ll be blogging about the smells, laughter and love that make a house a home—simple and pure—just random thoughts and poems from my heart.  Hope to see you every week, but in April, I hope you can visit me every day! (Also, if you have a blog don't forget to sign up and tell me your theme.)

Meanwhile, in case you missed my post about the Super Bowl on Linked-in, here’s a link: It's just a reminder to NEVER give up!Super

A Valentine Offer!

Do you feel romance in the air? Is cupid following you around trying to get you to commit to a relationship for a change? Are candy ads blinding you with guilt? Are dreamy lingerie ads making you lose your focus? Is your spouse filling your in-basket with catalogs or advertisements for jewelry? Are you getting hot under the collar and uncomfortable thinking about the upcoming pressure of...

  VALENTINE’S DAY?

FEAR NO MORE!!

I’m riding to the rescue with my pen!

That’s right, your friend Eve Gaal, the hostess of Intangible Hearts and owner of Desert Rocks Creative Writing, will fashion a short letter, poem, wedding vow or proposal for you and email it directly to you by the 10^th of February. You’ll still have four days to copy it into a Hallmark card and even time to send it through the mail!

As the published author of romantic, funny, inspirational and even slightly naughty poems, it came to my attention that I could help everyone with this difficult holiday.

My romantic poems & stories have appeared in:

"Goose River Anthology"
"My Funny Valentine"
"Kidnapped Writer"
"Front Page Kiss"
“Poets in Motion”

“The Way the Light Slants”
Open Doors-Fractured Fairy Tales-"Mirror, Mirror"
"PnP Authors Short Stories and Poems"
and my novel, "Penniless Hearts.(These are all available on Amazon by clicking here:

Click

In other words, this will not be a rushed, superficial little poem as in: ‘Roses are red, violets are blue, take me to bed you crazy old fool.’ No, this poem will have a personal touch that resonates with the receiver, perhaps even bringing tears to their eyes. All you have to do is write me a short email giving me a few facts. For example: How long have you been in love? What color eyes? Why is it hard being apart? Do you want me to write with a serious, humorous, sensuous or spiritual tone? Love is complicated and your input and those facts will help create a wonderful poem for your beloved.

Normally, as I’m a busy freelance writer, I charge $100 for short poems of approximately 100 words.

You however, are in dire need of my supreme services and you are also following my blog, so therefore your short poem will be less than half price!

$100/ Now: $39.99

Longer poems will be extra but not much more! Once I begin writing about love, it’s hard to stop and I enjoy doing it. Also, I will not charge extra for revisions and intend on making you so thrilled with this special, meaningful gift that you’ll want more poems in the future! Let me help you during these heartfelt times and write to me today at evegaal@gmail(dot)com. (Payable through Paypal and hurry because the calendar is moving quickly to your special day. Offer expires 2/12/15)

Two Poetry Anthologies to Lighten Your Day!

  

Magical angels, leftover holiday pixies and supreme luck

 helped conspire to put a few of my poems into two amazing anthologies this month!

The first one:

 The Way the Light Slants

My poem Mourning is a somber reflection about wood and Perfect is about that serene country setting on a swing that might have taken a few minutes, hours, maybe even days to appear flawless.

All the poems in The Way the Light Slants evoke the picture on the cover of the book. Talk about a picture pulling you into the story and so many different ways of looking at the same thing. This is truly a miraculous compilation of feelings and I’m thrilled to be a small part of it. If you’d like to order a copy click here: Click

The second anthology is titled

Poets in Motion

The publisher sent me a proof of this book before it went to print and I have to say it’s so full of emotion; I had to grab a tissue. This book contains several of my poems including one I wrote on New Year’s Day about our surprise snowfall. Inspirational, heartfelt poems fill this wonderful volume from the Pnp Author’s Group where members voted on the best poem and the winner was David East. If you like creativity and a unique perspective, you’ll love Poets in Motion. Order it by going here:Click

By the way, don't you think these romantic poetry anthologies would make great gifts for Valentine's Day? 

Frozen Sisters Wish You a Happy New Year!

Three blogging buddies inspired me to write this post. Plus, I just finished reading Jack London’s book White Fang.What a marvelous book--White Fang moved from the snow in the North to California where he wasn't used to being warm.(See previous post for my review) My rescued dogs Pinky and Fiona moved with us from the California desert and though we only  moved one hour away, they are both wondering what happened.

Anyway, if you like dogs you'll love these blogs:

The first one: Two Fur-Peeps and A Writer-is a blog about author Shelly Arkon and her two adorable pups, Sir Poops A-lot and Hairball. It’s a wonderful, happy blog.

Fiona catching rays
outside and trying to sleep!

The second one: Two Little Square Black Dogs is where you can visit Hamish and Watson in the Sonoran desert.

Lastly, there’s the informative and funny, Pets and other Critters also about dogs, birds and turtles.

(I don't know how to add audio to blogs and someday I'll figure it out. Until then you'll have to use your imagination.)

 Here's a story about
 Christmas Eve Morning

“Mommy, Pinky ate all my kibble.” Fiona looked at me, tilted her little head and blinked.

“Yes, I know,” I replied. “I’ll give you a snack later. Her whiskers sparkled under the Christmas lights and though she had been a naughty little Chihuahua all year long, she still deserved to eat.

Pinky ran up wagging her tail. “I heard you complaining, you little snitch. What do you expect after crapping on the sofa, you moron?”

Fiona yawned.

“Mommy, let me explain,” Pinky said while wagging her tail. “I’m bigger, I need more food and she’s stupid.” Pinky put her paws on my lap and stared at me with her doe-like eyes.

“How about you go into the garage while I give Fiona some more food?” I tried to pick up Pinky who immediately snapped at my fingers. “I thought Fiona was the naughty one? What’s with you wanting to bite me?”

Daddy put down the newspaper and looked across the room. “Are you okay? If she hurts you then she’s going back to that same rescue facility she came from."

He stood up and put Pinky on a leash and pulled her into the garage while I refilled Fiona’s bowl. 

When I sat down to drink my coffee I watched Fiona staring at the garage door. “Is she in solitary confinement?”

“No,” I mumbled. “She’ll be back soon.” (This is where you play the song, "Love is an Open Door" from the Frozen soundtrack.)

Fiona kept staring at the garage door and wouldn't eat. She looked sad and missed her sister. After I finished my coffee, I stood up and let Pinky back into the house. Minutes later Pinky finished off the food in Fiona’s bowl. 

“Thanks mommy,” she said after scarfing it down.

Fiona yawned. 

Music:

(Let it go... Let it go....)

New Year's Eve we had a freak storm over our house which dumped several inches of snow all over everything. It's just not melting fast enough for Pinky and Fiona. Here they are checking out their first snow. 

Music:Do you Want to Build a Snowman?

 Yes, even Fiona wants to wish you a bright and sunny

 New Year and all of us hope your dreams come true!

Recent Book Reviews and Recommendations

Kevin Turner is a reporter on the run from...Yikes! Zombies. As if the world isn't weird enough, this author creatively invents a horrific setting full of human ‘shells’ that/who(?) follow him to the Gerald Ford school where his wife works and a church where he intends to find solace, only to end up at the police station where Detective Lawrence wants to know what’s going on. The flashbacks and memories kind of tangle with the action but the characterizations and descriptions are great. Fast paced and graphic, it’s not the stuff I normally read but someone recommended it and I’m glad to have read it. For some strange reason my favorite part had to do with a giant burrito. Perhaps recalling my own days at a newspaper when I had to hurry in to a store for lunch, grab a burrito and eat it in my car before deadline. Something about deadlines does sound zombie-ish and the terror of missing a deadline is worse than any growling hunger. Anyway, that part made me chuckle and sympathize with Kevin. I liked this book but it seriously gave me nightmares.
						17 used & new from $2.84
Perhaps I’m late in the game having finally read  JackLondon’s storyWhite Fang and yet I feel that now that I’m older I appreciate the hardship this combination wolf /dog endured. White Fang’s trials are interpreted with eloquent, yet graphic detail. The miraculous transformation is almost mortifying for the proud son of a she-wolf. Lured into many bloody battles, the story winds from Northern tundra, to forest, camp, river, cabin and finally a stately home in California.... London’s instincts and soulful accounts of feelings, dreams and travel from White Fang’s perspective made me reflect on my own rescue dogs and how they must have felt when they faced commonplace situations and obstacles in their lives. If you are a dog lover, then you owe it to yourself to read this book!
						10 used & new from $7.40
Eula May is in big trouble and every chapter will make you want to find out how she’s going to get out of that trouble. Just when you think,  you've solved the crime in your head there’s another twist to the story and pretty soon, you feel like you’re playing Clue and losing,  all while having a great time. This is Amy Fremgen’s first novel and I have to say it’s well written and hilarious. If you enjoy the classic who-done-it, interspersed with a lot of humor, you’ll love this book just like I did. I recommend it highly!!
The story starts out with the characters literally being  tossed together during a California earthquake, while riding in an elevator. After they're rescued,  the story gets pretty steamy and they come face to face  with some major issues involving trust. Once I got past what I personally thought sounded juvenile--things like `popped my cherry' and `boy toy'--I tried to understand the writer's focus about psychology and how important therapy can be to people who have suffered abuse. It's a good message--but back to the story:  Will Tristan go back to his prostitutes? Will Joanne run into Michael's arms while at the conference and forget about Tristan and his insecurity? Read Love Shakes and find out!
This book surprised me with tons of resources, links and fabulous advice for teaching children not only how to learn but to have fun while learning. At first, I thought it was going to be about home schooling but instead it was a plethora of parties, games  and hot chocolate, crafted to be less about the classroom and more about the family. The author takes a monthly look at all the possibilities that might intertwine with the lessons taught at school and  embellishes the teacher’s groundwork with deeper questions and fun projects that even the parent’s will enjoy. It’s about how to keep children engaged, entertained and interested in reading, learning and spending time with others. If you know a parent who worries about video games and mobile apps taking control of their child, then you need to get them this book right now!
She’s a crime reporter turned consultant. She lives in a seaside condominium and dresses in khaki pants when her boyfriend’s out of town. Of course, when he’s around she’s wearing something sheer but not for long.  After all, he’s a very busy, good-looking photographer who can skip out in a heartbeat. Thank God, he’s in love. Meanwhile, Marcy is the coolest chick in literature—kind of a female and very perceptive, Clint Eastwood. Billington writes this character as if he knows women inside and out--not just any woman--  but the tough and beautiful kind that get things done. If you enjoy exciting stories with  mounting suspense then you’ll love Corpus Delectable. Reminded me of those puzzles where you connect all the dots.  There’s a lot going on and a lot of dots but Marcy plans on stringing everything together so she can figure things out. When her friend,  a restaurateur by the name of Paul, goes to jail for a crime he couldn't possibly have committed, Marcy becomes ‘Dirty Harry in a dress.’ Well almost.  She’s asking a lot of questions and getting  deeper and deeper into a dangerous situation.  Will she figure out what happened? Will she live through this ordeal? Billington pulls you into this mystery until you’re worried sick about Marcy. I loved the author’s smooth and easy writing style and dragged  it out as long as I could,  but alas, the book ended and now I know what happened and since you don’t, I recommend you order your copy today!
Have you ever started a great book and thought, “I’m not sure I’m going to like this?” Maybe it was the use of the first person or the fact that it seemed too familiar. Was I scared? The author begins the tension slowly with detailed  descriptions of the main character’s daily routine, her friends and her volunteer work. Very cleverly, her book pulled me right back into high school,reminding me of my own volunteer work and my own rotten boyfriends. In other words, I connected with Miss Williby’s character. Furthermore, my wonderful husband swears he saw me in his dreams, as a young man and knew he had to find me!  Miss Williby’s writing is so believable that I could feel the emotion and her pain. Every time I came to the word “I,” it made me worry. No, it’s not me but could it...no, don’t worry...yet still...wow.  Perhaps that’s how I define great writing. It became apparent that I LOVED this book and looked forward to reading more.  The more I loved the book, the more I hated the boyfriends. I’m still mystified about Jack and perplexed about Jim/ Chris. Truth is I still don’t trust Chris but Tessina did—big time—in fact, those are some embarrassingly juicy love scenes. Meanwhile, it looks like there are sequels that will hopefully answer some of the lingering questions about her parents and the biological tampering.  When the end rolls around you’ll be out of breath! What will Tessina do next? Will love survive?
(These reviews can also be found on Amazon where  you can purchase any of these wonderful books!)