Sunday, August 30, 2015

Feeling the Hidden Hazel Moon...




As you know from the previous post, November... I mean author Lisa Minneti (I get confused sometimes) found herself acting out a scene from her story when she slipped down a slope and hurt herself on a partially buried lamppost, the post also connecting to the story through a key Lady Luna scene. Later that day, the Eve of the Hazel Moon festivities continued to unfold at the Lily Lake Resort in Walworth County in Wisconsin. What we did not see all night because of persistent cloud cover was the above Hazel Harvest Super Moon.



Author, Lori Minneti, along with her partner, Dave, an Elvis impersonator, entertained the resort/restaurant crowd to the delight of everyone who attended. Dave is so authentic, he appears to be channeling the spirit of Elvis. Lori's perfect pitch voice is delivered professionally, but her true gift is how she sells the song using her considerable acting skills and engages the crowd, often bringing individuals out onto the dance floor or dancing to Dave's singing like a '60s Go-Go Girl...the same can be said for Dave's gift for engaging the crowd...before, during, and after the show.




Here's Lori as Marilyn Monroe.




And as Ann Margret.






As charming and as entertaining as Lori & Dave's show was, the Hazel Moon had something more in mind. As Lori & Lisa's publisher, I couldn't let the actual night of the official Hazel Moon, around which the book was centered, pass without presenting them each with the first proof of their book, Hazel Moon. They had no idea I might have printed any copies because we were all waiting to have Lori on the cover, so it was a complete surprise!





Without pushing the book on anyone, people began to notice and within minutes folks were asking where they could buy the book. The next thing we knew, one of the ladies there walked up to Lisa and said she was part of a book club and definitely intended to have her group read Hazel Moon when it was her month to host the club. Let me add that this book club specialized in supporting local writers, which I found admirable and I suspected was rare as well.





Several times during the night people mentioned how even though the Hazel Moon wasn't visible because of the cloud cover, they all felt the magic of the moon's influence. For example, the book club person had played an especially energetic set earlier that day and gave the upcoming full moon the credit! 

The entire night was both magical and unexpected. Author Lisa Minneti above joined in adding to the night's entertainment by playing her harmonica, an instrument featured heavily in Hazel Moon.



I'll finish this post by reporting that I distinctly got the impression the Hazel Moon project had taken on a life of its own...it was like the book wanted to find an audience so it could share the story and messages embedded in the tale and was using the authors, the publisher, and anyone else in the immediate vicinity to accomplish that cosmic goal. 

I couldn't help but feel it was just more Hazel Moon Magic...



And...the Hazel Harvest Super Moon finally came out the next day, which was what motivated me to put this post together!
 
 

A postscript ending the actual night of the Hazel Moon, Saturday, arriving home after a long drive through fog and mist, just before pulling up to my driveway, two beautiful deer loped in front of my car, looked at me, and continued on. I'd never before in all the years living there, have had that happen...




Saturday, August 29, 2015

More Hazel Moon Magic Mischief...



 

I just got this email from one of the Hazel Moon authors, Lisa Minneti:

This morning a very "November" thing happened! I was walking my dog Jake and a black dog followed us and was playful and then when we were on a slope Jake bolted, I let go of his leash, and landed on my side and cried out in pain! I either bruised or maybe cracked a rib, but the weird thing is when I was on my side I came face-to-face with a black lamppost lying on the ground, uprooted...it was crazy. Both dogs came to my rescue and soon the owner of the black dog arrive on the scene!!

 
 
I knew the Hazel Moon Magic Mischief Machine would have another surprise for us today, of all days...the rising of the 2015 Hazel Moon and a Supermoon at that!!! Just two days ago, the story's Camaro turns up parked right outside of the cafe where I was meeting with author, Lisa Minneti, to go over our final edits. Now today, a scene happens to Lisa right out of our book when November, walking on a slope, slips on something she wasn't expecting underfoot and hurts herself badly...OMG!!!!

Here's the scene:


SONNY ARRIVED FIRST on the scene and quickly began administering first aid. Hunched down on all fours, he was doing what came naturally, licking November’s wound, her clothes stained with bright-red fresh blood, quickly turning a deep maroon as it hit the air and ran down her leg.

What do you do when someone upsets you? Flip them off, if you’re Italian you might give them the chin flick, but if you’re Angela Gonzales you’ll let out a she-devil scream, which is exactly what she did.

Taking a shortcut on their way back from the checking out the carnival rides, it all happened so fast. It could have been foul play as the freaky carny burnouts were capable of anything, but in fact November took a nasty accidental spill on the slick grass and moss-covered rocks leading to the injury. Seeing the blood, Angela’s shriek of terror traveled to the turrets of the Tampax Stage, pressed on to the Carburetor Stage, before echoing back to the scene of the crime.
 
And the lamppost Lisa mentioned seeing, that caused her fall, another key scene in Hazel Moon is where Lady Luna first appears, standing like a statue under a lamppost in the rain holding an umbrella. 

Here's that scene:


A CAPRICIOUS WIND from the ominous storm slammed the heavy door behind them as the girls scampered back to the Camaro, each holding a black umbrella embroidered with the funeral parlor’s name and logo.

Slamming the shifter into first and about to speed off, November froze after seeing a vision from another era—a woman draped in a long, black cloak covered in elegant scalloped beading and silk buttons, holding a frilly parasol and perched under a lit lamppost. She pulled the shifter out of gear and abruptly jumped out, handing Angela her drink.

Oblivious to the rain, she ran to the light under the lamppost and the mysterious woman standing there.

“Luna!”

“Moonlight Star…I know I’m late, but you know it’s my nature to be naughty.”

November stood there in awe…Luna’s voice as sweet and intoxicating as a Champagne truffle. She added a polished curtsy, worthy of a member of a 19th Century French Court. An amber glow danced around her olive skin and coffee-with-cream eyes. Turning her head to the left, Luna held her chin with two forefingers, striking a fetching pose, the glow from the lamppost casting her in a cocoon of light.

“Where have you been?” November petitioned, her heart now a useless lump in her throat.

“There will be plenty of time to chuckle over my amorous misadventures…tonight is all about you and your destiny…after all, this is the Eve of the Hazel Moon.”


In a few hours I'll be going to a Hazel Moon festival where author Lori Minneti will be singing, entertaining a crowd gathered to celebrate the full rising of the 2015 Hazel Moon. I can only imagine what Magic might happen under those feisty moonbeams!! 


Friday, August 28, 2015

Washington Park Media Library...





What could possibly account for all the remarkable guided incidents of Synchronicity that seem to be swarming around not only my Hazel Moon project, but as one of the main themes of Hazel Moon point out, Magic is there for anyone to grab hold of...but you do have to Believe in Something...as author Lisa Minneti recently said to me.


We were meeting at my Starbucks office to both finish up the remaining edits for the release of her book and to go over her notes for the beginning of the sequel, Hawthorn Moon. We were only hours away from the rising of the 2015 Hazel Moon, a supermoon that only comes around once each 14 months. The stage was set for more Hazel Moon Magic when I walked up to the Starbucks entrance and parked right in front was a midnight purple Camaro. Now, in the book set in 1984 November's car is a classic '69 midnight purple Camaro!



I find it fascinating to note that whatever this unseen force is, it is not perfect. I didn't see a '69 Camaro, but rather a newer model, and yet I've been going to this Starbucks for years and never saw this car before. But, the Universe of Magical Possibilities was not done. Look at the license plate. The tag, also rare not to have numbers, was LILO...and our authors names are Lisa & Lori...LILO!!! Now ask yourself, what are the odds seeing a license plate like this at any time, but consider it is only hours away from a full Hazel Moon and only a few hours away from the printing of the first book!!




I mentioned in an earlier blog that Lisa and I had been reading the same book, Siddharthha by Hermann Hesse. She happened to show me her copy and on the inside cover was the imprint of Washington Park Media Center...and I went to Washington Park High years before Lisa acquired the used book...Connections!


The rock picture is a piece of tourmaline...featured in the book. In an early scene, November stopped at her apartment to pick up a dress for Angela for the music festival they were going to. Worried about needing protection from dangerous spirits, November picked out a piece of tourmaline for the magic color it had in it. The actual rock above was given to me by author Lisa Minneti who just happened to bring three samples and let me pick out the one that was meant for me. I picked out the one above!! Life imitating Art imitating Life...


And, again, if all that weren't enough, a young Tony Robbins came into the cafe and first Lisa, then I noticed him and his gift for reaching out to people. I invited him to ask Lisa some questions about the book to give her some experience with an author interview. Besides asking excellent questions, when the subject of the magic mentioned throughout the book and all the magic surrounding the publication of the book came up, he actually referenced The Law of Attraction as providing some basis for understanding what was happening. The more we were focused on the book and the story and the characters the more we Attracted Connections related to the story.


Another remarkable day in the life of the publication of Hazel Moon!





Sunday, August 23, 2015

When Your Story Talks to You...





The author of Wicked, Gregory McGuire, was recently interviewed on NPR discussing his new book, Egg & Spoon, set in Russia. He talked about one of the characters, Baba Yaga, a Russian witch in a real Russian fairytale who lives in an old house perched up on chicken legs. While writing the book he wandered into an antique store and it was as if his story was speaking to him! There was a replica of a house on chicken legs, something he'd never seen before, which he promptly purchased to honor the magic surround the telling of his story. Here's a link to the Gregory McGuire interview: http://wuwm.com/post/egg-and-spoon-gregory-maguire-re-imagines-pre-revolutionary-russia  


The Marlboro box above is a pic of the actual empty box that I found while riding my bike around my neighborhood on the morning before going to a soiree hosted by my authors, Lisa & Lori Minneti, which was originally planned as a book-release event before we ran into difficulties completing the cover. 

I'd ridden this route hundreds of times over many years and never came across an empty cigarette box, much less a Marlboro box. On the way back home I found another Marlboro box, so I had two. In Hazel Moon there are two Marlboro Girls promoting Marlboro cigarettes at the Hazel Moon Music Festival. In real life, Lori  & Lisa had been Marlboro Girls!




Next, walking up to the home where the party was being held, I found a 20-dollar bill on the ground (see the actual bill above). In all my years I've never found a $20 bill before. In the book, character Cash Reynolds pulls a wad of big bills out of his pocket while buying clothes for his girlfriend, Cola, at the Merry-Go-Round where November and Angela work. So, the $20 bill had a direct connection to Cash!



While at the party I met Jake, Lisa's dog, who was the inspiration for Sonny in the book, and the people who had volunteered to play the other main characters in some promotional videos the authors are planning to produce including, Mrs. Casimir, the fortune teller, and November. I also had a chance to speak at length with their Armenian friend who took the time to explain the disturbing back story behind the Armenian Holocaust which took place in the early 1900s.

All in all, it was another magical night enhanced to surreal levels by all the Magic swirling around Hazel Moon's publication! And the actual Hazel Moon will be rising in all its full-moon glory only a few days from now...I can only imagine what might happen on that night!


 


Here are some pics of a few of the many who attended Lisa & Jeff's Summer Soiree!

 
 
 
 
 

Friday, August 21, 2015

And More Hazel Moon "Connections" . . .




I've been posting incidents which seem to be connected to my current Hazel Moon publishing project, connections which appear to be guided as if they had a purpose, or simply to provide evidence that our project has already reached out into the Universe of Possibilities and is now on some kind of unseen network.

The above photograph was taken by Tom Rolfson and it happens to be one of Hazel Moon's authors, Lori Minneti, as Nancy Sinatra, a persona she uses while entertaining as a singer! Lori will soon be gracing the new cover of Hazel Moon, also photographed by Tom, posing as one of the book's central characters, Lady Luna. 

Lady Luna is an eternal being, a shapeshifter who comes and goes throughout the story acting as November's part fairy godmother part guardian angel. So, in real life, Lori Minneti is an actress, author, model, singer, and television personality all rolled into one...one might say a entertainment shapeshifter!!



This photo is Lori as Marilyn Monroe, another persona she uses while entertaining as a singer.


In another remarkable connection, Lisa Minneti recently let me know that she has an old copy of a book we've both been reading, Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, a used copy that originally came from the Racine Park High School library (as stamped on the inside cover)...and that was the high school I attended!!

Whatever word you may use, Magic is all around us!


 

Friday, August 14, 2015

And...More Hazel Moon Magic...



Hazel Moon authors, Lisa & Lori Minneti, among many other professional activities, promote a quality fragrance together, usually at our local mall. They sent me a Hazel Moon Magic account of a couple who'd been married for over 50 years and who were apparently still in love as the man bought his wife a bottle that cost over $100! He told them something of their backstory...he asked his wife to marry him the first time they met under a tree, and, acting in the moment, fashioned a ring out of a twig from that tree while she was in the mood to say "Yes"...just as if they were acting under the spell of the Hazel Moon and were standing under a sacred Hazel Nut Tree!! In their book, November and Angela stood under a tree during a ceremony to become Hazel Moon Blood Sisters, and, November used a twig from the tree for the ceremony! More Hazel Moon Magic indeed!




I was going about my business the other day when I came across two otters who reminded me right away of a scene in Hazel Moon when November told Luke that he reminded her of a playful otter!




Later that day I walked right by an old funeral home with an apartment upstairs and an ivory awning over the side entrance to the apartment. Hazel Moon opens with a scene where November and Angela ran to the side door of November's apartment over a funeral home and take shelter from the rain under the ivory awning!! More Hazel Moon magic...




Friday, August 7, 2015

More Hazel Moon Project Magic...



Among the things I love most about working in the publishing field are the constant surprises that come up as a project is being shaped. When a manuscript is being prepared for publication, understandably the editor, publisher, and authors are focused on the story and so when things happen in the real world outside of the fictional world of the story, but that seem to be directly connected to that world, it's hard not to notice them. I'll pose the question again...do they represent mere coincidence, or, is it possible that the Magic of Synchronicity has somehow connected the two worlds. I'll let you be the judge.



Last Wednesday I was working on a book trailer for Hazel Moon when I looked out the Starbucks window to see a traveler with his dog. I won't call him homeless because he was moving from town to town, carrying his "home" all his belongings, in a large backpack. He had a dog with him that he rescued while passing through Chicago. Instead of feeling sorry for him, I felt envy. He was free and completely at peace with the world. All the affection he needed was coming from his trusty four-legged companion. I'd never seen anything like this pair before. From the story of Hazel Moon, this man and his dog pointed directly to the carny proprietor of the Lizard Shack, Luke Castle and his dog, Sonny!




Okay...not impressed...well the very next day I went to the State Fair and what did I come across, the fair's version of Luke's Lizard Shack, complete with a large snake, which was also featured in the story scene dealing with Luke meeting November for the first time! 






But there was more...the Hazel Moon Music Festival attracted a carnival complete with rides and a midway. One of the rides mentioned in the book was the Zipper. Yep, there was a Zipper ride at the fair!




  
What can I say...the authors who penned Hazel Moon have made me a believer in the Magic that's all around us...if we only open our eyes in faith!