The Creative Spark with Uvi Poznansky discussion
This topic is about
Apart From Love
The Writing Process
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Uvi, Author, Poet and Artist
(last edited Aug 15, 2012 03:24PM)
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May 01, 2012 11:13PM
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message 2:
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Uvi, Author, Poet and Artist
(last edited May 02, 2012 11:53PM)
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To see the back cover, and to read more, click the link:
http://uviart.blogspot.com/2012/05/fa...
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His father Lenny on the other hand borrowed other aspects of my 'view of the world'. In particular, being a would-be-writer, he voices certain opinions about the process of writing, about the frustrations and the joy of weaving a story, opinions that he 'stole' from me.
So glad you came back here to talk to me!
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In your book, does your protagonist pretty much reflect your own view of the world and how ..."
So here is a short excerpt from a dialog between Ben and his father Lenny, where Lenny explains his thoughts about writing:
“What I wish to open up is not me, but my characters—all of whom are parts of who I am—giving her the opportunity to know them, to come live in their skin, to see, hear, touch everything they do. Just, be there, inside my head for a while, which I admit, may be rather uneasy at times. If—if she cared to listen, which I doubt, she would allow me to pull her inside—so deep, so close to the core, that it would be hard to escape, hard to wake up.”
“And what if she wouldn’t?”
“Then, who cares? She might as well drift off, which is what she does, lately. If the story were written about her—which maybe it is!—she would not even be present to realize it! But you—you, I hope, would be interested in it. You would not close the book on me. My writing, you see, is no longer an attempt at fiction. It has changed. It has become more akin to collecting.”
“Collecting what?”
“That which is here, in front of us. That which will not remain. You. Me. That which is said between us. Our voices. This moment.”
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“I cannot allow myself to weep. No, not now. So I wipe the corner of my eye. Now if you watch closely, right here, you can see that the tail is still crinkling. I gasp, and blow again. I blow and blow, and with a last-gasp effort I go on blowing until all is lost, until I don’t care anymore, I mean it, I don’t care but the tears, the tears come, they are starting to flow, and there is nothing, nothing more I can do—”
To read more, click the link
http://uviart.blogspot.com/2012/02/ov...
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Now when a say 'contemporary' fiction, I mean it in a somewhat broad way. Sometimes I take an old, well-known story, even a biblical one such as the story of Jacob and Esau, and retell it as if it is happening right here and now. Other times I take a family story and define its time not right now, but perhaps twenty, thirty years ago, because I like the 'aged' feel of things. This is the case with my recently published book, Apart From Love.
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Uvi, Author, Poet and Artist
(last edited May 08, 2012 09:39PM)
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Apart From Love is an intimate peek into the life of a uniquely strange family: Natasha, the accomplished pianist, has been stricken with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Her ex-husband Lenny has never told their son Ben, who left home ten years ago, about her situation. At the same time Lenny has been carrying on a love affair with a young redhead, who bears a striking physical resemblance to his wife, but unlike her, is uneducated, direct and unrefined. Being a survivor of child abuse at the hands of her mother's boyfriend, Anita is a resilient and vivacious young woman.
This is how things stand at this moment, the moment of Ben’s return to his childhood home, and to a contentious relationship with his father.
And so he finds himself standing there, on the threshold of where he grew up, feeling utterly awkward. He knocks, and a stranger opens the door. The first thing that comes to mind: what is she doing here? The second thing: she is young, much too young for his father. The third: her hair. Red.
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I'll let you know if i got your book
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To read more, click the link
http://uviart.blogspot.com/2012/06/ho...
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We talked not only about my book, Apart From Love, but also about creativity, which I described as a landscape, a zone surrounded by a wall. You can listen to my conversation with Rob here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cwbywsdm...
Great interview, Uvi--longer than the previous one! I have a silly question for you: I have noticed that in your blog, and sometimes here too, you offer quotes from your book. Aren't you afraid to 'give away' the story?
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I know you have read Apart From Love; thank you for watching out for me, so I don't give its essence away... Very thoughtful of you. To someone who hasn't read the book, I would only say this:
If you can strings my quotes together, in an order that makes up a story--do not buy the book!
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If you like the cover art, this is where to vote: http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/33...
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To read more, click the link
http://uviart.blogspot.com/2012/06/am...
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Once Goodreads announces the three lucky winners, I will post my congratulations to them right here.
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No wonder, then, that she titled the interview Art, Love and Writing.
To read more, click the link
http://katheryn-lane.blogspot.com/201...
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To read more, click the link
http://uviart.blogspot.com/2012/06/an...
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http://www.amazon.com/Apart-From-Love...
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Friday, July 13 and Saturday, July 14, 2012 are the free promotion days (via KDP Select) for my book, Apart From Love.
During the event, get the Kindle ebook for free right here: http://www.amazon.com/Apart-From-Love...
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Ahead of the Free promotion on Amazon, July 13-14, 2012
On Friday the thirteenth I'll be free, but be forewarned
Don't you come near me, or else you'd be scorned--
Unless you delight in contemporary fiction
And enjoy reading a book with detailed scene depiction
If you let me pull you in, deep inside
Until you find yourself there, in my characters' mind
I'll make you burn in hell, ablaze in desire,
I'll let you swirl like smoke, ever higher and higher
I'll bring you down here: Santa Monica, Venice Beach
For a father-son meeting, with a blame and a breach
You'll hear Lenny, Natasha, Anita and Ben
And be tortured by guilt, again and again
Find a path to forgiveness, find a way to come clean
Find the words to explain what exactly you mean
Turn page after page, then fall to your knee
'Cause Apart From Love, no feeling is free
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One of the three links has disappeared, I've asked Goodreads about it, didn't get and answer yet... The other two are OK, please vote:
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/12...
and
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/33...
I will answer the two publication questions in a couple of hours, have to run out in a bit...
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The cover, as you know, was designed by me. Also, the interior design was done by me. By this I mean, the size and font of chapter headers, and of the first letter in the chapter, the indentation of the first paragraph vs. the following paragraphs, in short, every aspect of the interior of the book, so it flows in a manner that is transparent and pleasurable.
I handled all aspects of the publishing with Lightning Source, a printing house and POD provider.
The conversion to an ebook on all platforms (Kindle, Nook and iPad) was also done singlehandedly. I often post advice to writers and publishers on issues relating to publishing and the conversion process. I was very happy for this footnote in a review of the book on Amazon, written by Oleg Medvedkov, saying this:
"One more thing of note - this is by far the BEST formatted and arranged Kindle book I've ever seen. If you've seen better or even approaching this level of quality, do let me know, I'd like to see it for myself."
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Glad you're going to download it Friday!
message 33:
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Uvi, Author, Poet and Artist
(last edited Jul 11, 2012 09:24AM)
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Will see if this date turns out lucky... The ebook edition will be free on Amazon, on Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th.
http://www.amazon.com/Apart-From-Love...
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Stop this hammering, why would you dare
To set up a challenge, to write your own fate
Be still and accept, perhaps it's too late
Unlucky the number, unlucky the day
Friday the thirteenth, come what may
Set yourself free, Apart From Love
Change whatever was decreed from above
Sing out a ballad of passion and hate
Sing it out as you drown, and ignore that date
Someone may notice, may listen out there
So quicken the pounding, sing out with a flair
The flood is abating, release the dove
Pray to find yourself a part of love
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message 36:
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Uvi, Author, Poet and Artist
(last edited Oct 04, 2012 07:26AM)
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The doctors, they point out the overall loss of brain tissue, the enlargement of the ventricles, the abnormal clusters between nerve cells, some of which are already dying, shrouded eerily by a net of frayed, twisted strands. They tell her about the shriveling of the cortex, which controls brain functions such as remembering and planning.
And that is the moment when in a flash, mom can see clearly, in all shades of gray blooming there, on that image, how it happens, how her past and her future are slowly, irreversibly being wiped away—until she is a woman, forgotten."
http://www.amazon.com/Apart-Love-Uvi-...
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Funny you should mention my voice, because just this week one of m readers wrote to me that a strange thing happened as she read Apart From Love: she said that she started hearing my voice telling her the story! So I asked her if she could 'hear' my voice throughout the story, or only through certain characters. That made her think; finally she came to the conclusion that it happened especially through Ben's voice.
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Less than three hours to midnight; the ebook edition of Apart From Love is still free until then!
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#88 Free in Kindle Store
#6 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Contemporary Fiction
Being a completely unknown author coming out of obscurity, these numbers are utterly amazing to me. But beyond the fireworks' display of numbers, stands the simple fact that now, you are holding my book in your hands. This, in a sense, is a handshake; a touch between me and you.
I truly hope that you will be drawn to the characters and become engaged with the story. If so, please help me spread the word: let your friends know about the book. Also, please consider creating your own review of it on Amazon. Apart From Love relies entirely on your word of mouth! You have the power to bring this book to the attention of a larger audience.
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Tonight she posted an excerpt of Apart From Love. I have to admit, this one it is a particular favorite of mine, please check it out.
http://dragonmyfeet.wordpress.com/201...
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"I really warmed to Anita as a character. She tried to make sense of what to her was an alien world. She truly loves Lenny and wants to fit in with his world. She has common sense and an understanding of people which Ben seems to lack. I found Ben an annoying character and frequently wanted to shake him and tell him to pull himself together even though I could understand where he was coming from. Anita was at least trying to make something of her life, but Ben wasn't even trying - or that's how it came over to me.
I did enjoy this book and thought it made both sad and amusing reading and I laughed and cried while I was reading it. I thought the passages about Natasha and her illness were very well done. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to read something a little bit different from the normal run of fiction."
To read this review in full (among others) click the link
http://www.amazon.com/Apart-From-Love...
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http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/23...
Happily voted for "Apart From Love" on the listopia "Indie Books Better than 50 Shades of Gray."
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To read more, click the link
http://uviart.blogspot.com/2012/07/py...
message 47:
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Uvi, Author, Poet and Artist
(last edited Aug 12, 2012 07:15PM)
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This is the place where he put pen to paper...
But clung to the wall, the shelves are now bare
All that remains of his words is but vapor
All you can spot is but a dent in his chair
He used to sit here, here he would stare
Years come, years go, the clock keeping score,
He would scribble his notes, crumple them in despair
Waiting for his savior, but locking that door
That door sealed him off, away from all danger
Except from the depth of the danger within
No one could intrude here, except for the stranger
That carried him off to a place, with a spin—
The poet, who had mourned the loss of his mother
Was then, somehow, reduced to a child
He would crouch at the threshold, and call, call, call her
Knock, knock, knock at that door, no more stifled, but wild
This is the place where he put pen to paper...
With a spin the door opened, creaking on a hinge
Locked in embrace, perhaps at last he can feel her
No need to cry now, can't feel that twinge
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Thank you so much, dear Marcia!
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The lamp swings like a pendulum, pictures sway on their nails
Then slip down the walls, leaving scratched trails
Amidst the quake, the grief, the confusion and scare
Slowly ascending is my father's armchair
And beyond all these outlines of what I see there
Beyond the sofa, the knickknacks, the old furniture
Light pours in, and it paints something new
It reveals, it unveils at this moment a clue
The clue to a presence only he could once see
A presence he longed for, because only she
Could call him back home, and envelop him so
Touching-not-touching, her hands all aglow
These pages, upon which he'll never scribble a line
Are floating from the shadows, into the shine
Only she can now read the blanks, she and no other
He's ascending into the hands of his muse, his mother.
The Creative Spark with Uvi Poznansky
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