The Storytelling Fairies...Like Peanuts!

 

 

Well...the storytelling fairies are at it again...this time within a few hours of editing a scene about a Hawthorn Moon character, Loyalty, who loved to skate and who is devoted to her mother, I opened the paper and saw the Peanuts cartoon above.

If you followed my blog, you know that these rare coincidences, which appear guided and directly connected to the story being told, seem to be presented to the team telling the story as a way to encourage them, pat them on the back...as in Keep up the Good Work!

The editing of author Lisa Minneti's first draft of the Hawthorn Moon manuscript is proceeding at a good pace and her new novel, the sequel to Hazel Moon, should be out early in 2022.

Here is the scene from Chapter 8 of Hawthorn Moon dealing with skating.

 

CHAPTER 8   SINGAPORE SLING

Pulling up to the park where she always roller-blade danced with her taxicab-yellow skates and biker shorts, I sighed. The sky was so ripe, like the color of Georgia peaches at their peak. I felt out of sorts…why was I hanging around this virtual stranger, letting him kiss me, and being so whatever about it. I need to get my people around me. I never ever wanted to be some fake pass-around, living at the bidding of others.

Paused for a moment at the park, I said, “When she skates, it’s just like a glimpse of heaven,” waving to get her attention.

Loyalty was the babe of the family, but had this grandmother way about her—this common sense quality and sometimes it seemed that her mom, Khloe Tree, was the child and Loyalty was in charge of the household.

I gave Gutter a look. He was surprising in a good way sometimes, but he was an asshole no doubt—but not really one of those really bad fucked-up assholes. I was actually the one feeling fucked-up.

Why had I gotten sweet Marcus’ little sister involved in all this drama? Oh, yeah, to save me—I guess it really was all about me. Mr. Gutter doesn’t know it, but this is going to be the fastest video take of all time.

“Miss November!” said Loyalty who had come over to the car.

I tried to give her an affectionate smile, but under the circumstances could only muster a toothless smirk. Thank god for Gutter, he got out of the car and as a gesture of respect opened the back door for her.

Giggling in that cute teenage way, as she took off her skates, my mind drifted, weighed down with the feeling of being so responsible for everything going down. Gutter had put on a Christmas Rap CD and Loyalty was singing quietly to the tunes as Gutter droned on filling the air with big words like proletarian chic while suggesting a fashion look for the video.

I felt like I’d created this big burgundy water balloon, it was right overhead, and was about to burst leaving us all totally wet and unquestionably uncomfortable.

 

 

Here we go again...another wild Synchronicity ride from the "Storytelling Fairies"...

Nearly finished editing the manuscript for A Judas Kiss For Justice, I'd gotten to a story involving a lawyer who had become famous for handling the Lee Marvin Palimony Case.

Now, I haven't seen a Lee Marvin film in decades, but within 24 hours of editing this scene, just by chance I watched a film, The Professionals, staring Lee Marvin.

What are the odds...

THE LEE MARVIN PALIMONY CASE

 

 

As a founding member of NAPPS (National Association of Professional Process Servers) I began getting legal documents to serve from law offices from many different states. One was the Law Office of Marvin Mitchelson in Los Angeles, California. an attorney to stake out a body shop on the outskirts of Lake Zurich, Illinois.

Mr. Mitchelson had become noted for being he first attorney to argue the merits of a Palimony Case which later became famous in legal circles and known widely as The Lee Marvin Palimony Case.

Lee Marvin was a well known and established movie actor at the time. That said, the one sent to my office was another palimony case that had been filed in California with the respondent being a guy who owned 32 maternity stores in and around the country.

I served the papers on the person named and found at the address they gave me, sent the law office my Affidavit of Service along with my invoice. In about three weeks I received a check, another copy of the same documents I’d already served, along with a letter explaining that they had made a mistake and sent me to the wrong address, and would I serve the papers again, this time to the right person at the new address.

I did, with no problem whatsoever, I sent them another invoice and again sent a check. Now, in my world, attorney Marvin Mitchelson is a legal rock star and I seriously thought of not cashing the check and instead framed it and hung the check from the Law Office of Marvin Mitchelson in my office.

An attorney friend saw the check and suggested cashing it after making a photocopy and hanging that on my wall.

I followed his advice, but I wish I hadn’t—somehow I lost the photocopy and now all I have is a memory.

Some things…many things are worth much more than money.

Marvin Mitchelson had reached the pinnacle of his/our profession as a famous palimony lawyer and his firm conducted business all over the world—with offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Paris.

 

 

 

 

 

The picture above is the apartment house where the gruesome murder of Holly Staker took place on August 17, 1992. The author of the book I'm currently editing, Ron Kranig, began working the case shortly after the murder when the woman who lived in the apartment, the person who'd hired Holly, an 11-year-old girl, to babysit her two children, contacted Mr. Kranig, asking for his help to investigate the crime.

During a 20-year odyssey in search of justice for Holly, Mr. Kranig managed to free the wrongfully convicted Juan Rivera, but Holly's killer was never identified. Ron Kranig, however, had not given up, moved to Florida, and continued hoping that someday there would be justice in the Holly Staker case.

As another sign from the "Storytelling Fairies" to keep the project going, for the first time I recently looked at Ron's Florida home address and found...Holly Hill, Florida!

Seeing that remarkable Synchronicity, not "Holy" as might be expected, but Holly, I knew Ron Kranig was a...man of destiny... 

Mayo Clinic Minute: Music Fortifies Brain Pathways

 

 

Well, it's happened again, the "Storytelling Fairies" patted me on the back today with another complimentary Synchronicity coincidence.

Within hours of posting a proposal to NPR's This American Life, suggesting a radio story about the Mayo Clinic and how as a result of their polio treatment back in the '50's at least one patient, the author I am now working with on A Judas Kiss For Justice, Ron Kranig, insists that only after his months at the Mayo Clinic did a near perfect photographic memory develop for anything he saw, read, or heard. 

My story proposal was that This American Life should find out if there were other polio patients who developed the same or other enhanced abilities. In Ron's case, he also believed that he grew about four inches taller than his father or brother.

So, within hours of that pitch I open the newspaper and find this article:

https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-minute-music-on-the-brain/

Mayo Clinic Minute: suggesting that music has the power to fortify brain pathways.

Now, you have to understand that for the first time in my life I sent a proposal to This American Life dealing with the Mayo Clinic and that within a few hours I see an article in the paper directly connected to that Mayo Clinic post. 

That was all I needed to feel the Storytelling Fairies sweet pat on my back encouraging me to

                                                ...Keep Telling Your Story!!!

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eOOz39iA_Y&list=PLaW84zjbaYZLLeYpcZkxulRohrZ7zDdEG&index=2

In this episode, Confession of Guilt, I'm shaking my head...as I've mentioned before in posts the "Storytelling Fairies" enjoy toying with me during writing projects...tantalizing me with impossibly rare Synchronicity coincidences that tell me they are watching and approve of the story I'm currently telling!

 

I haven't seen these Rumpole episodes for 30 years, but I recently saw this one...a person of color was collared for a crime he didn't commit and railroaded into a coerced confession by the detective who arrested him.

 

Why is this such a remarkable coincidence, in my current project In Development, A Judas Kiss For Justice, in the Holly Staker Murder case a young man of color, also feeble minded, was arrested without evidence for the gruesome murder of a young girl, Holly Staker. They grilled him for hours until he signed a coerced confession, which was the prosecution's only evidence used to convict him three times before the Northwestern University-Center for Wrongful Convictions exonerated Juan Rivera, who later earned a 20 million dollar settlement. This case was the primary reason for the author, Ron Kranig, to write his memoir, in hopes of finally finding Justice for Holly Staker whose killer, 20 years later, is still unidentified. 

Our Dying Suns

 

 

It's been awhile, I wasn't sure Heritage Press would come upon a new project worth mentioning on this blog, but one day, quietly editing a different project at a cafe, I looked up and there was the author of Our Dying Suns, Abigail Lea. The working cover above was something I put together to give Abi a sense of what was possible. I used it to produce a proof of her draft manuscript as well and gave it to her when she was conveniently living in my area. Abi has since relocated to L.A. where she is pursuing a career as an accomplished actress.

 

 

The Storytelling Muses are very determined, and when they like a story they will not hesitate to help the storyteller find the people/resources needed to find an audience. That fateful day, Abigail was pitching essential oils to a group of mostly women. That caught my ear as I, too, used them, in particular Oregano Oil, as a immune system health promoting supplement. Long story short, I mentioned that fact to Abi after her meeting and soon learned she'd written the first draft of a YA fantasy novel. 

 

Looking at Abi, I was convinced she had what it took to not only write a compelling tale, but had the charisma and presence to mesmerize a large, loyal readership fan base. She agreed to send me the rough manuscript, I got to work doing my editing thing, and as I write this post we are stage two of polishing the story in preparation for a Christmas publication launch.

 

More to come... 

Hazel Moon Book Launch Party!

Last night the authors of Hazel Moon put on a very successful, one-of-a-kind book launch party complete with entertainment...singing, dancing, and acting as the multi-talented authors pulled out all the creative stops.

Be sure and take a look at the Hazel Moon blog for more information, pics, and videos.

http://hazelmoonlisaloriminneti.blogspot.com/2015/12/our-book-launch-party.html

As their publisher, this was also a hallmark of my publishing career. Having nurtured close to 20 promising project over a 20-year period, I've learned just how rare it is for any publishing project to sell more than a few copies.

 

Writing the book is the easy part. Today, even seeing your manuscript in print or as an eBook on Kindle, is only modestly challenging given today's online publishing digital platforms. Yes, the really hard part is finding an audience.

On that magical day last spring when I had the synchronous good fortune to run into author Lisa Minneti, I just knew she and her sister had what it took to find that audience. Nine months later, last night they proved that my faith in them was not misplaced.

Interesting though, if last night marked the end of Hazel Moon, it would have all been worth it. 

It is so so true...some things just aren't about money...