Hazel Moon Cover Shot Magic...

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. My sister, Lori was the model for the cover then. 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 (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 I 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 I managed to keep busy, every photo shoot needs a gopher (although I prefer to think of myself as a panther) but 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 I are so close that even before she said anything I could sense when she need a shout of support and I 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, myself, Lori, and our editor and publisher from Heritage Press, Ric Bencriscutto, who came to the shoot to be there in case we needed his input.

When the shoot was over, we all sat down at Larry's conference table and went through the 300 shots one by one as I 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 & I had written over the last eight years, inspired by stories and experiences of friends and family, began to slowly become a reality. Soon Hazel Moon will be published and then Let the Marketing Begin! Above I'm holding a business card that directs someone to our 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!

After some tweaking, Larry enhanced the image for both the Lady Luna pull and the background, deepening the colors and textures in the shots, and after Lori asked for some changes, WE HAD OUR COVER!!

Congrats to the Team!!! 


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.”

The Medicare Minuet...

Today is the day before the Hazel Moon cover shot and my multi-talented, ever gifted sis and coauthor finished a successful run of Sex After 60, a musical comedy at the Memories Ballroom Dinner Theater in Port Washington, Wisconsin!

Lori has a Broadway Musicial Comedy quality voice, with those fun inflections and tonal extensions and stretches of her notes and lines, she won over the full house on more than one occasion! Lori's character, Babe, and the subject of the comedy, had the crowd of seniors in stitches all through the performance.

Just imagine a song titled, "Medicare Minuet" or "Ladies Only" . . . and then there was the "social trans" character, Chris! Yep, playing off the popular media figure, Bruce Jenner, now Caitlyn Jenner, in Sex After 60 Chris decided she needed to present herself (without actually going under the knife) as a he in order to take advantage of more socializing opportunities and, of course, the inevitable uncomfortable flirting scene, first with a neighbor lady who wanted Chris the guy, then the nursing home studs who were competing over Chris the lady, the well-heeled lady running her late husband's company!

And more Hazel Moon Magic...like Lori & I, twin sisters, the trans character, Chris, in the play was said to have had a "twin" sister to explain to people why the two looked so much alike! Also, Lori's character, Babe, in the play was the more traditional woman who was the kind to cook and host dinner parties, which is something Lori in real life is very good at, as I can attest to having been recently treated to a Salmon of Knowledge dinner lovingly prepared by Lori who has been "in training" getting ready for the cover shoot tomorrow!

Here's one more video from the show & tune in tomorrow for a post on the Hazel Moon Cover Shoot!!!!

The River is Everywhere...

Please read Siddhartha...the story encompasses Everything...as in...the River is Everywhere...

Siddhartha left home to become a holy man, but still not satisfied became a successful merchant in order to earn the charms of the beautiful Kamala, and did so by following the Way of the River. 

As an example, I'm an interior designer. Like Siddhartha, when I go to a client's home I don't begin pressuring them to spend their money, I get to know them first and try to build a relationship. When I have to travel for business, again like Siddhartha, I try to enjoy each moment during the trip with no particular agenda. Even during the business portion of the trip, I try to settle into the process of what's happening without worrying about sales and invoices.

 

Siddhartha gave up the riches of his status as a merchant to learn the skills of a boatman and to learn the Way of the River. 

In my book, Hazel Moon, my character, Luke Castle, became disillusioned with his life in the fast lane, looked at his best canine buddy, Sonny, and decided to follow the Way of the Wolf...by living close to nature and immersing himself in the many present moments that made up each day. Also, my character, Finn McCool, whose family was rich and powerful, gave up his role in the family business to follow his passion as an entertainer, a singer. (find excerpts below)

Whatever issues you're struggling with or facing in life, you'll find guidance in the wisdom of Siddhartha.

Hazel Moon Excerpts

Luke Castle



Chapter 5



MARLBORO GIRL


LUKE CASTLE INHALED deeply, sucking the last bit of the last pleasurable hit out of his Marlboro Red. His man’s-best-friend constant companion, Sonny, was howling like a werewolf at the full Hazel Moon as it momentarily broke free from a cloud.

“Some kind of crazy riot in the sky tonight,” Luke commented while fingering the end of his cigarette. Taking in the random mix of festival aromas; stale beer, pizza, cooking grease and all the rest, he added, “I guess we aren’t in Kansas anymore…so where the hell are we, Sonny?”
It had been a long, hot summer. They’d traveled to Baton Rouge, Paris in Texas, and the Quad Cities, all since becoming a part of a carnival moving from town to town.

Looking around the grounds, he could see all the empty TJ Swan bottles and Pabst Blue Ribbon cans strewn around like bits of confetti after a parade, all sparkling in the bright moonlight. The carnival midway of rides, sideshows, and other vendors was located near the swampy end of this low-rent section of the festival grounds was the old glue factory—once the king of its manufacturing kind, but now only useful, only coming back to life on this one night, on the Eve of the Hazel Moon.

Many who attended the festival avoided the ruins of the old factory’s carcass, but not all—different smokes for different folks.

A laidback fellow like Luke Castle, proprietor of his Lizard Shack attraction, could relax even here, his Dresden Dolls made-up eyes eager to get on with the Midwestern morning as he scratched his companion’s furry head.

Upon arriving in a new town, these free-spirited gypsies, but also carnival entrepreneurs, always conducted a ritual scavenger hunt which this morning turned up a corn snake, some tree frogs, and a red scorpion skink. They were all added to the slithering posse that was Luke’s Lizard Shack critter collection where for a single George Washington you could not only see them up close, but even pet and hold a few of them.

Sonny chomped down the rest of Luke’s discarded dinner of German spicy pork sausages. Luke grinned at him, remembering his good fortune to also spot and dig out a rare mandrake plant root which he put on display as part of his collection because of its remarkable appearance, looking like a human body.

Luke was only hours away from the three-year anniversary of his soul-searching quest to discover his true destiny. After hooking up with Sonny, it all became crystal clear—a dog’s life of leisure was the life for him, which was when he joined the carnival.

Looking at Luke Castle would remind you of an isolated, tropical, white-sand beach—the kind you discover by accident when you’ve lost your way on a remote island’s coastal road.

You know how couples who grow old together seem to end up looking alike, the same could be said of Luke and loyal sidekick, Sonny, a yellow lab. Look at them and you’d see two striking creatures with sandy blonde hair, both as fit as Olympic swimmers, and who carry themselves with a confident air of nonchalance yet polished poise. Their attitude—if you like me, great…if you don’t, I don’t give a rat’s ass.

A brisk wind blew Luke’s long bangs over to one side as a young voice broke through the thick early-evening mist that had developed during the past hour.

“Hey…you’re Mr. Luke, right?” queried a cute, strawberry-faced girl of about eighteen, while walking up to him wearing a choker and giving off a sunburned rosy glow.

Over her neck was a strap and connected to the strap a cigarette display case. She was on the clock and supposed to give out samples.

“Can I interest you in a free pack of Marlboro Reds? Oops, I was first supposed to ask if you’re a smoker…but then who isn’t these days, well, at least they told me you were.”

This slick, young, gorgeous All-American vixen was the perfect choice to be a Marlboro Girl—as irresistible as a preppie cheerleader who always wins at strip poker.
Even Sonny wasn’t immune to her charms, glanced her way for a long moment, before returning to his even more enticing rawhide bone.

“Hey there…,” Luke said, leaning against the hanging flannel camouflage blankets that made up the walls of his Lizard Shack. “Weren’t you by this way before? Wouldn’t want you to get into any trouble…I’m sure your bossman wants you to spread those samples around. And, your pitch needs a mantra…a catchy saying…you know like, Marlboro smokers would rather fight than switch!”
 
“Whoa, mister…you’re looking out for me—I like it, and this is my first time here…what’s with the nasty odor though, but I also smell something kinda delicious.”
“The delicious is coming from Mrs. Komeni’s falafel stand over by that abandoned building, just past the swamp. About Mrs. Komeni…she must care, and this is no lie, every hour, as regular as Old Faithful, I can smell that she dumps out the old coffee and brews a new batch—you just don’t see that kind of honesty much in the world.”

Luke finger-combed his Robert-Redford rusty-blonde hair, looked at Sonny and admitted, “Unfortunately, the nasty is my deal…my boa constrictor is just not herself today and is crapping all over everything. Now, are you sure you weren’t by here about a half hour ago?”
Luke took a fresh sample pack out of his blue T-shirt pocket while another was in the back pocket of his faded, worn Wrangler jeans.

“No…it must have been Vanessa…she’s the one who told me about you, which is why I came over. Come on now, you should remember her, she’s Black, you know, African American, and I’m just me, a mutt I guess,” she tried to explain, blushing as her round face twisted into the shape of a Bavarian pretzel.

“All right…let me think,” Luke replied, posting a puzzled look in her direction.

“Okay, if you didn’t notice she was Black, did you get that she looks like the supermodel, Iman? Vanessa is the kind of perfect girl who follows the rules. She was dressed the way she was supposed to be, wearing black chino shorts. Can you see that I have a skort on? Now, do you remember?”
 
With that, the Marlboro Girl did a choreographed series of spins worthy of the lead in Flash Dance, then, dropped into the full splits before repeating the routine. Now she had both Luke’s and Sonny’s full attention!
 
“See, shorts in the back, but from the front they appear to be a miniskirt!”

“Oh yeah…that’s right, the other girl had shorts on…and now that I give it a second thought, she was damned gorgeous…which must be why you girls got the Marlboro gig.”

Luke lit up a cigarette while moving over a few paces to sit on the tailgate of his ’69 Ford truck fitted with a travel camper, still in pretty good shape for its age, before continuing their conversation.


Finn McCool Excerpt

from Chapter 2

THUNDERSTRUCK



NOVEMBER WAS NO longer in a tizzy to get to the festival. With her favorite band playing in the background, the calming scent of the wafting incense, a misty stillness settled into her soul.

“There’s a melancholy magic about it, don’t you think? I found it in a thrift store. Here, like this…you open the clasps and drape it on like a coat.”

Her voice had settled into a calm cadence as if she were entering a trance.

“Then you can tighten the clasps to conform to your body. Would you like to try it on?”
“Ah…rain check on that lame idea…but how about a drink?”

Angela’s request brought November back to the future, sparking the possibility of the fantastic which sent her heart racing once again as she remembered the festival was in progress.
Over to the frig...ice cubes, Rhine wine, with a twist, and the girls downed the drinks.

“Adventure waits for no man…or woman. Let’s go!” November declared, toasting her glass to the creepy dark sky evident through the window.

“Wait, what am I going to wear?” Angela pleaded.

“Oh…go to my wardrobe and pick out the sixth item…a black, long-sleeved bustier dress and don’t forget the velvet booties that go with it.”

“You mean…I know that dress, Finn gave it to you. It’s from Paris, right? Isn’t that dress sacred to you? What’s the matter, you and rich boy not hitting it off these days?”

Finn McCool Cardinal, son of the wealthy Mr. Arturo Cardinal of Cuban cigar family business fame who also owned the mall Merry Go Round store, was the MGR manger who managed to woo November into a brief tryst.

“Look, that’s over and done with…get the dress, put it on, and let’s get going—we’re on a mission!”

As Angela changed, November was now deep in thought, her eyes dark, her brow furrowed, as Mr. G’s words of warning began pulsing with the rhythm of her pounding heart.
Worried, she couldn’t help but wonder…where’s Luna when I need her?

TO CALM HER FEARS, November needed to bring some extra protection with her and not have to rely solely on whatever powers Angela had, but where was it and what was it again? Searching the bookcases, past stacks of old concert ticket stubs, over bottles of specimens, past a mound of zippers, finally she saw the snapshot of the Grand Canyon and remembered the name.

She grabbed the jar of Tourmaline, taking in the spectrum of colors from its surface; jet black, sapphire blue, and deep violet, while forgetting for the moment Luna’s warning that some of Tourmaline’s colors can have unexpected, even dangerous properties.

Touching a corner of the stone inside the wide-mouthed jar, she chanted reverently, “Let the fates decide,” as a surge of energy snapped between them like a strong static carpet shock.

Striking a long, wooden match to light the antique ivory funeral candle, November passed the cerulean stone over and over the flame, anointed it first with water, then, performed the final purification with kosher sea salt, and all while chanting.

May air blow away negativity,
Fire burn away the dross,
Water bring tides of calm,
And air hold me steadfast.

Within moments November, poised in the Lotus position, was in a trance staring at the blue glowing stone.

“Hey…why are you sitting on the floor like a little monkey? For real…don’t you even want to see how I look?”

That snapped November back to the present and the nearly overwhelming awareness that they were missing the action at the festival.

“You are wearing the hell out of that dress. I’ll go downstairs and borrow some umbrellas while you make us some drinks for the road. Meet me by the side door,” she managed to get out, timed perfectly with a crackling thunder bolt that shook the room causing the chandelier to start swinging like a carnival ride.

Ivy Moon Celestial Magic...

Within hours of scheduling the Hazel Moon final cover shot, and minor manuscript revision decisions all but completed, the Hazel Moon gods seemed to smile their celestial approval that the book was almost ready to be released to the world as a rare Supermoon Total Lunar Eclipse took place last night!

According to Celtic Lore, last night was an Ivy Moon, but the rare occurrence of a super full moon followed by a total lunar eclipse last happened...and yes, more Hazel Moon Gods' Magic...in the early 1980s...and the early 1980s was the setting for Hazel Moon!

I was stunned by the size of the supermoon when I saw it last night, but I must have been one of the few people in America who didn't have a clue that an eclipse was about to take place. My J-Dog, my man Jeff, the science guy, hinted that I should keep a keen eye on the sky as I drove home from my mall maven gig hawking fragrances with my sis, Lori yesterday, but I was clueless until it began happening!!

After Lori and I drove to Detroit to take in the Echo and the Bunnymen concert, my phone died and I took my time replacing it. I liked having that digital umbilical cord cut. It was more like living in the '70s or '80s...times when people actually talked to each other and life was slower-paced. I'd just replaced my phone before the eclipse, but I'd still been avoiding digital media, and didn't set back up emails on my phone, so that probably explains why the eclipse was such a surprise...and being surprised can be a good thing!!

Loving Lardo Book-Signing Magic...

Another night of storytelling magic unfolded today, this time during a book signing hosted by author Wendy Olsen (left in above pic), who was completing a 20-stop book tour that took her to several countries and a number of cities. An intimate group of fans and friends turned out at the historic Astor Hotel as Wendy shared readings from her book, stories of her extraordinary life, but especially her 20 years living in Italy.

One of the most impressive Magical Moments occurred when Wendy shared that the hospital ward where she gave birth to her son, was the same ward where Ernest Hemingway was treated as a wounded soldier. Not such a big deal, you might be thinking, until you learned that Wendy was inspired to layer quote after notable Hemingway quote in her book, almost as if the long-dead author took the opportunity to expand his audience of readers beyond those who'd read his books!

I was actually there to, yes, support Wendy, she's a friend of Lori's, but also to see what the whole book-signing gig thing was like. About two weeks ago a contact of Lori's offered her the chance to have a book signing at the Astor as well, so I wanted to see the venue we'd be in, too. When I arrived, Wendy had just begun her book-signing opening monologue, passionately sharing stories of her life in Italy. At first I found myself wondering if I had anywhere near that same level of passion to share with others, then it happened...the band began playing.

After a sharing an Italian buffet meal, we were all sitting around a large table, talking, when Wendy noticed my fascination with the musicians. She went over and invited them to join us! When the discussion shifted to music, musicians, and concerts, I came alive and found my Passion! It's not easy for me to let go and share, but I'm slowly coming out of my shell and learning to accept myself and recognize some of my eccentricities as gifts! When the band began playing again, we all moved to be near them and the next thing you knew, many of us were dancing!

Before ending this post, I have to say something about the band. These were two journeyman musicians, full-time professionals whose gifts were evident. The singer has a beautiful, versatile voice and also played the guitar well. The violin player had excellent technique and mixed in classical sounds with covers of a wide range of other artist's music. What I found remarkable was how the nature of the craft of their art had continued to evolve over the years into these new, rich expressions of innovative sounds. They weren't splattering paint on canvas, but they were true artists nevertheless! And, the whole artist thing is seldom about money. When they began playing, the room they were in was practically empty, but play they did, performing to high standards, an effort only a true calling could bring forth.

My spirit was free, I'd found my speaker's voice, I was dancing, the glass of Chianti went down slow & easy, and all was Right and Magical with my World!  





  

Hazel Moon Magic at Peabody's...

This evening the company I work for, Peabody Interiors, hosted an LGBT fundraiser. After working the day shift, our Peabody's team stayed for the shindig. We were supposed to show people around and put in plugs for Peabody's, in general grease the socializing wheels, but enthusiasm and interaction spontaneously exploded as soon as a good number of LGBT benefactors showed up! (Karen Valentine above & below with Lisa)

Among those attending were members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an organization of gay men who dress in nun drag and provide meaningful service to the LGBT communities where they have chapters. As the spokesperson, Karen Gotzler, for the Milwaukee LGBT chapter informed the group, the need is great as LGBT members of the community still suffer discrimination and hardship at unacceptable rates.

 

On display were the paintings of Ramon Pablo Vidali and among his collection were a group of now iconic canvases depicting artistic renderings of members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

The first item of Hazel Moon Magic involved the fact that the head of Peabody's found out about our book and offered to host a book signing soiree on the same lush level as the LGBT affair! While walking around, one of the first people I met just happened to be a twin and an interior designer--JUST LIKE ME! We shared stories about the magic of having a twin...how close we were to our twin sisters, and yet how different we can be. Then, I ran into several former colleagues who, upon hearing about our book, volunteered their considerable gifts to the cause of finding a wide audience for Hazel Moon! 

Then, for those of you who've read the book or read this blog and our publisher's blog, remember how November had an apartment above a funeral parlor...well, I met one of the attendees and learned he had an apartment over a funeral parlor and he invited me to come there to take a look!

Another attendee was wearing some sparkly jewelry and while we talked I learned she collects rainbow jewelry and her favorite color pattern is the sequence of colors in a rainbow! In Hazel Moon rainbows are a recurring element that comes up again and again!

I met the drummer of the two-piece band that entertained during the evening, Mrs. Fun. She was delighted to see me, said how Lori and I had been fans of hers for so long, and hearing of our book, was so enthusiastic about supporting us at our upcoming book launch party!!



All in all, it was another magical night of many memorable Hazel Moon Connections!!

Crying Happy Tears...

After a few hours rest in a motel, Lori and I hit the Interstate for the road trip home. Lori was driving, her spirit lit up with the joy we'd experienced during the concert. I kept bursting out in tears, but Happy Tears as I was also overwhelmed with feelings that like our book, Hazel Moon, transcended the moment to bring all our past and the present live concert experiences together in an overwhelming flood of emotion.

The Hazel Moon gods played another trick on me, as a way to take me back to the '80s, the setting for the story--my phone died, not just the battery, but for some reason it just wouldn't work anymore. I was back in a time when I was no longer instantly connected to the rest of the world through a smart cell phone. I tried to use a pay phone, but it didn't work. Many times I've taken pictures and others have tried to take pics of me, they often turn out fuzzy, as if to say, You Can't Preserve the Present Moment...

In between the "happy tears" I'd been reading Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, and as I read the last few pages, I began feeling like Siddhartha. He lost his connection to the world when he walked away from his position of wealth and privilege as a successful businessman...I was experiencing that same feeling of isolation without my phone. Without a phone, I was forced to Live in the Moment, and to be Present in that moment. 

I have all of Hermann Hesse's books and like the lyrics in my story, Hazel Moon, they provide a lifelong lifeline to so much wisdom and truth. My sister and I didn't set out to tell a similar story as Siddhartha but I'm sure the themes and principles in Siddhartha have influenced my writing. For example, in the Chapter Govinda:


"When someone is seeking, said Siddhartha, "it happens quite easily that they only see the thing that they are seeking; that they are unable to find anything else, unable to absorb anything else, because they are only thinking of the thing they are seeking."

He goes on to describe the "better way" to be open to Finding instead of Seeking.

When reading this I realized how natural it is for me to try and live in the present moment and not color any experience with any particular expectation. I had the same reaction to the Bunnymen concert. Though we were all set up to meet the band members, after waiting nearly an hour, it just didn't happen. Our story character, November, isn't there yet, she still gets terribly disappointed when her expectations aren't met, but she's growing in that direction!!

In the Om Chapter...

"Yes, I am going into the woods: I am going into the unity of all things," said Vasudeva, radiant."

When Lori and I sent our character, Lyudmila, "into the woods" in Hazel Moon, it was the only place where she felt free, felt one with the natural world...and in Hawthorn Moon, the sequel, we have November hugging a tree!! Our Lady Luna character is well established as preferring old things and wanting to sleep outdoors. (See excerpt below)

A page earlier in Siddhartha...the story speaks metaphorically of the many voices of the river...

"And all of them taken together become the music of life. When Siddhartha listened to all the voices he did not listen only to the sorrow." Hmmm...the Music of Life...
 

And so, Hermann Hesse used The River as a metaphor for life...and now I can see that we used The Concert in the same way...a source of inspiration and enlightenment as we experience life's trials, triumphs, and tribulations...

Regardless of how a story is told...the Truth is the Truth and the Universe has a way of inspiring writers to package important principles inside different kinds of tales!

From Chapter 11 in Hazel Moon

STILL WARM, YET WITH a hint of an autumn chill, Lyudmila sprinted as her heart raced—was she there yet?

More fairy than flesh and blood, the world she preferred was the land of the hedgerow, the toadstool, the tall oak, the squirrel and acorn—not that of cold brick and mortar.

Her whole body tingling, she'd reached the edge of the woodlands and was welcomed with an embrace by a ten-foot sunflower. Her true friends lived there...the robin, the rabbit, the gopher and toad. The hazy night had a dreamlike quality, the kind that only came in summer.

"Hello there, old warty tree," Lyudmila said, greeting her favorite bur oak, boasting an almost animated trunk girthed like a hoop skirt.

"And...how do you do, my little pass-arounds," she greeted, as they replied by sending back twinkles and sparkles of reflected moonlight.

Lyudmila was admiring all the shoots and suckers, the flitting and flirting, all the procreating going on everywhere. At night it was a dark world except for the fireflies and moonbeams revealing the woodland's magical primary color—sepia, the deep reds and browns mixing with pungent earthy smells, ripe and gamey.

In the woods, all of God's creatures lived in harmony as the all-knowing moon watched and waited. Turning her head, Lyudmila saw an arrogant owl wink at her as a nearby handsome hare chewed down stalks of tall grass one after the other. Suddenly the hare leapt away and the owl flew off as their sacred space was being invaded by a trio of marauders.

Galloping through the brambles, the dogs, Great Danes, the favorites of Sister Archibald who'd trained them. They'd howl or grovel at her whim, and loyally fall asleep at her feet each evening. But at midnight the tricksters would use their teeth to open a series of doors until they, too, escaped the stifling confines of the dreary orphanage.

They were all from the same litter, but chose their own magic colors to show off to the world—one the shade of rich, organic mud, the next the hue of a thick cup of Turkish coffee, and the striking third was a black-and-white mix.

Lyudmila was delighted to see them.

"Finally...my entourage has arrived...my Moon Dogs, welcome henchmen...to another night of freedom!"

In celebration, while once again Lyudmila's hair morphed into tight curls, together they let loose an awe-inspiring extended howl, entertaining the other forest creatures with harmonies worthy of a canine barbershop quartet.

The yowls of delight instead of pain, over for the moment, it was time to play.

As they frolicked, jumped, and scampered, the quartet fell into an unruly row of hazel trees with low-hanging branches and began feasting on the nuts and chewing the canary-green leaves as if they were succulent watercress. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, Lyudmila became sullen.

"Oh...my Moon Dogs...though you will always be my first loves, sometimes I long for a boy like me, but someone like you stout, handsome, trustworthy fellows...oh...will such a rhapsody of romance ever find me?"

Despondent, Lyudmila tore herself away from the Great Danes and began running full force through the acres of hazel hedges. She made sure to push her face into the rough branches, to feel how real they were, to connect to Mother Earth, wanting the very spirit of the planet to invade her lonely soul.

Now down on the ground, Lyudmila was slithering like a snake in the grass, her eyes alert and bright with starlight, yet cloaked in the darkness of disappointment and regret. Darting upright, she snapped off two identical hazel twigs.

Grasping the twigs with her right hand, she searched her night frock for the treasure she'd stolen, lifted in stealth like a Covent Garden pickpocket from Sister Cox's green gingham hatbox.

LYUDMILA HELD A SILK taffeta ribbon which glistened in the moonlight—a robust hue of Pompeii Red. The magical color seemed to echo with sympathy for an unusual and painful infection near the base of her little finger.

The girls were worked hard at the orphanage, Lyudmila toiling in the laundry, her hands rough and sore from the hot iron. A scab had formed over the wound as round as a cherry. She took the twigs, crossing them dead center, then, looped the ribbon around creating a cross.

Holding the talisman up to absorb the energy of the Hazel Moon, she began to repeat a chant softly in her mind.

The night raven blue black

The night the Rhineland

The wind beckons

The world is there for the taking

Is all possible no more?

"Oh Hazel Moon...my wise friend, did you forget about me...help me...please."

WAITING PATIENTLY FOR an answer to her request, Lyudmila soon began seeing visions of a chamber door and grimaced at the painful pitch of the creaky riser, then, she began hearing words of warning coming from the grotesque doorknocker...Only trust the outdoors, not brick and mortar.

Springing up like an alley cat about to pounce on a mouse, she fell backwards, holding firmly to the talisman. Raising it up once again, "Oh, Hazel Yellow Moon, please, I beg you, do not let me down this time!"

As a sign that her petition was received, her wound had completely healed.