More Hazel Moon Door County Magic...

I've been writing my own books and publishing projects for other authors for over 20 years now. I have a personal tradition of finding a special place and time to celebrate the completion of a major project. The special place was Door County, Wisconsin, and the time, my annual pilgrimage to take in the spectacular fall colors that unfold in early October.

Not just Door County, though, my Mecca for writing, is the famous Leroy's Water Street Coffee in Ephraim in Door County. I do all of my writing in various coffee shops, usually near where I live, but on those special occasions that call for a premium blend location, if I can get to Ephraim, Leroy's is always my first choice.

After a 4-hour drive, when I arrived the writing gods were definitely stirred up. A storm front, more like a cyclone, was moving through the area and the sky was filled with raging, swirling winds and clouds made of fall leaves. Imagine a major snow storm only with leaves instead of huge snowflakes falling and filling the sky. When I got to Leroy's, thankfully they were open, and I found shelter from the storm. The only problem, the barista was planning to close in 30 minutes.

With no time to waste, I began finishing up the last edits to the Hazel Moon manuscript so that I could accomplish my pilgrimage goal, which I managed to accomplish, but then I remembered that a second editor had taken a studied look through the entire manuscript, had a proof copy of the book, and had found a number of areas and words and some grammar that needed attention. So, what's a determined and a touch OCD writer/publisher who needs to finish what he starts to do...what else, resort to bribery, I did!

After ordering a creamy, thick, rich chai latte, and made sure to tip the barista an amount she would take note of. Right before closing I went up to order another chai but this time told her about my 200-mile drive and how I always came to Leroy's to put the finishing touches on a book project. I gave her a business card promoting Hazel Moon and suggest she might be interested in reading it. When I could see she was interested, I pulled out a $20 and asked politely if she would mind staying open a little longer. IT WORKED!!

My next "bribe" involved a challenge asking her to put some latte art on my next coffee drink. Although not practiced in the art, she did make a valiant attempt and I tipped her again for the effort! An hour had passed, all the customers had gone, but I still hadn't completed my task to prepare the Hazel Moon manuscript for printing. While I was finishing up some chapter scene edits, I'd given the barista the proof copy of the book with the editor's edits which I needed to process before I could declare the manuscript DONE!

Desperate, I just came right out and asked if she had the time to assist me by reading the suggested edits so I could process them. The editor had an older copy of the book so I couldn't just open the page and find the paragraph, but what the barista did was to give the lead-in words, show me the edit, I used a "find" tool to get to the location, and within seconds often the edit was executed. There were times when what to do was more ambiguous and the barista, a college student, was more than capable of giving me a useful point of view. Some time later we'd gone through the entire manuscript and my mission was accomplished!!

I titled this blog post, More Hazel Moon Door County Magic, and for me the Magic involved the highly unlikely development that a coffee shop would stay open hours after they intended to close and that the barista and owner were of the frame of mind to honor the artistic intention of my project. But there was more Magic. The barista had a chance meeting with the owner a year or so ago. The Magic of Synchronicity drew them to the same place in Madison, Wisconsin, but their Connection was forged years earlier in the realm of astrology. The barista was born in the same year in the same month and nearly on the same exact day that the owner of Leroy's opened what has become an iconic cafe known around the world located in the scenic small town of Ephraim, Wisconsin in Door County.

 

The owner was desperate for a barista to help him keep the cafe open during the summer season and as fate would have it, the barista who was willing to set her plans aside and help me, was also touched by the owner's need and relocated to Door County for the tourist season. As far as I am concerned, walking into Leroy's is as close to stepping through the gates of heaven as human beings can come. I might also add that I consider what they both do, provide a cafe and provide the drinks as being among the most honorable professions imaginable.   

For any writers out there, I wanted to give you a feel for the passion that often swirls around any creative writing project. For those who write for their own pleasure, there is no plan to make money from their writing. Even for professionals, money is seldom the primary driver behind the process. Most writing projects involve a team who work together applying their gifts to the process and in the process close relationships often form. As is the case with most art forms, only a lucky few generate a substantial income from their creative efforts, but I can tell you from experience that the collaborative process can be more rewarding than any back-end royalties.    

  

The Making of a Book Cover...

Just over two months ago the quest for the perfect Hazel Moon book cover began in earnest with a magical shoot during a full moon, on a beautiful, warm, summer night right on Lake Michigan. Author, Lori Minneti, was the model for the cover then as well. The mood was mesmerizing and Lori, an accomplished actress, slipped right into the Hazel Moon character, Lady Luna, and the photographer captured some transcendental images. Unfortunately, that session did not result in a book cover, so we had to look for and found another accomplished photographer to help us complete the challenging task.

As you can see, during this shoot Lori Minneti (Lady Luna) was standing with a white screen behind her. The cover concept was based on bringing composite elements together involving a background, an enhanced moon, and Lori's shot extracted with a Photoshop tool from behind the high-contrast background of a white screen. During the initial series of shots, Lady Luna felt "off" and was having difficulty getting "into character" but after her sister, Lisa, suggested she remember back to the shoot on the lake, under the full moon, Lori was able to tap into her acting skills and put on the Lady Luna mask to continue the shoot.

Among the technical elements was a lighting system triggered by Larry's camera using radio waves. Larry creatively adjusted the intensity and used filters to finally come up with a lighting mood that simulated Lori being back-lit with soft moonlight. Larry's (Zamba Creative Studios) experience became invaluable when like the great Leonard Bernstein conducting a soloist, Larry used just the right words of encouragement, inflections, and gestures to get the best that Lori had to offer to the camera. Bravo Maestro Larry! Above, after a series of shots, and after tending to every strand of hair out of place, and touching up Lori's makeup, Larry would stop to make sure Lori and I were happy about results up to that point.

Lori brought a number of beautiful gowns she knew would possibly work for the cover shot, again drawing on her experience with costumes and characters as an accomplished actress. Costume jewelry and shoe options were added to a parasol and fan to build up the interesting elements in the shot. Lady Luna posed hauntingly while standing under a lamppost in an early scene in Hazel Moon (see excerpt below) and that scene became the inspiration for the cover.

All the while sister and coauthor, Lisa Minneti, managed to keep busy, every photo shoot needs a gopher, someone had to hold the fan for Larry, find whatever items were lost, get whatever Lori needed during the shoot, and help her change costumes. Also, Lori and Lisa were so close that even before she said anything Lisa could sense when she need a shout of support and didn't hesitate to jump right in to backup Larry's constant comments of encouragement and direction. I only mention this because it was clear to me how much of a team effort any involved creative project is with each member of the team contributing their unique talents toward achieving something so much greater than themselves.

 

Above is the creative team behind Hazel Moon, Lisa & Lori, and myself, the publisher from Heritage Press, Ric Bencriscutto. I came to the shoot to be there in case they needed my input on any related issue that might have come up.

When the shoot was over, we all sat down at Larry's conference table and went through the 300 shots one by one as Lisa noted the photos by number that any one or all of us agreed had potential. Slowly that number was reduced to 10 which were starred, and then finally a single standout that Larry quickly put into a background so we could all agree that was going to be the cover. Above is a short video of our fantastic Lady Luna model in motion!

It's been about six magical months since our dream have a novel published based on chapters Lori & Lisa had written over the last eight years, inspired by stories and experiences of their friends and family, began to slowly become a reality. Soon Hazel Moon will be published and then Let the Marketing Begin! Above Lisa is holding a business card that directs someone to their blog. The stories in the blog are almost as wonderful to read as the magic in the book, so we're hoping to attract a loyal blog following as these blog posts continue to share the unfolding Real Magic in all of our daily lives!


Book Excerpt from Chapter 2  - Lady Luna under the Lampost

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.

Forcing 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 stick 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 19^th 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.”