Recent Publications

Yikes, September is almost over and I wanted to do a little promotion for some wonderful publications.

This month’s The Rusty Nail magazine published one of my poems about online writing forums. Those of you who know me well have probably read it, but if you’re interested in reading my poem and some other amazing literary works of art, click here and get the lovely September issue. (There is a small charge for the online issue and I have the nice glossy magazine sitting on my coffee table.)

                  Get your print copy here:

My story, Kidnapped Writer also came out at the beginning of this month and it is available on Kindle and Nook by clicking here: (The price of $2.99 was set by the publisher.)

                Read it today. I'd love a review!

Lastly, those of you who are married might enjoy reading my post about balancing life and technology on  Beverly Willett’s blog. The Coalition for Divorce Reform. There is no charge for this. I’d love to hear your comments and so would Beverly.

Thanks for visiting!!
Click Here:Coalition for Divorce Reform

Book Marketing

I belong to several writers’ groups online and also one that meets in a library once a month. Most of the time, there’s a closer feeling between online members and I personally love and appreciate their support. I read their blogs and sometimes I buy their books. When I can, I try to tweet and twitter comments or share interesting news about the success or cover reveals taking place. My stories have received a few wonderful Amazon reviews and I’m eternally grateful. Someday when my manuscript becomes an actual novel, I hope many of you will help me by purchasing it and writing a review. Sometimes I’m writing reviews and sometimes I’m polishing my future book. As the words flow between the readers and the writers it creates a sort of entity, I think of as the mass market. The only way to differentiate ourselves is to point out the unique qualities and to promote each other the best that we can. One review, a higher rating, an extra “like” or another “Share,” might make a difference. We are the marketing staff for each other. While on our writing and reading journey, we can select the remarkable moments and make sure they are heard around the world.

Call your friends and tell them  about the book you  just finished reading.
 Recommendations are valuable bits of information!

Here's a poem I wrote about this:

Transcendental Marketing

By Eve Gaal

There’s a commercial value to words I select.

Fresh seasons and fading fads--

The emotional core of meaning--

Late summer’s melting virgins.

The actual height and size of font,

The weight of pages in my hand--

Evoke raked leaves in the fall.

Why one term over another?

Easing into my white page,

Like a snow blanketed tulip bulb.

Pushing my molecules and atoms up--

Into that metaphysical sense of connectedness.

Words becoming us while still a part of me.

More like mulch in the spring.

My words are part of you.

A Question for Readers and Writers

Changing Lanes

I recently watched a ten year old movie that had great characters: The alcoholic father with the estranged family and the workaholic, nasty young attorney who had everything handed to him on a Tiffany platter. It was a well-written movie and I was craving more information about these two somewhat regular guys who met by accident on the New Jersey turnpike. The alcoholic dad attended A.A. meetings and dreamt about buying a house for his family in order to keep everyone together. The only problem was he also dreamt about Champagne and bourbon on the rocks, to the point that he walked into a bar on a tough day and called for intervention immediately after ordering the drink. The other character started noticing his own character flaws, his strange cranky behavior, his infidelity and almost ran into a church at the precise moment his conscience started playing with his ego.

Mesmerized, I enjoyed the relatively successful conclusion. Of course, it made me think of the characters in my manuscript.

Are they interesting? Do they have depth and dimension enough to be called characters or are they simply elements who shift around between pages?

Would readers want to know more about them and do I explain enough about their feelings and desires? I certainly don't want to bore anyone. 

Readers: Are regular people with normal, every-day lives considered boring? What is regular? What is normal? The two men in the movie are well-defined characters and as the movie progressed, they became better men and better characters. They changed lanes, thus the title of the movie. 

You've all probably seen this and I'm just way behind the times, but if you haven't, it's worth a look.

Writers: I know I make my characters change lanes, but is that enough? 

Why eReaders Will Save The Planet

Maybe I'm wacky, but I’ve been giving some thought to this whole eBook revolution, based on some seriously sick-minded thoughts about a book I haven’t even read and don’t plan on reading. The book I’m talking about has to do with the color gray, but my creative mind is bumfuzzled over the weirdest thing. Basically, I’ve come to the conclusion that eReaders might actually save our planet.

I was thinking about that author. The one making all that money and I started thinking that e-books are less messy and not as incriminating when someone is fooling around. If I had written something like that, I’d be revolted thinking of some lonely person rubbing a book up against their private parts, or tearing out pages in a heated frenzy only to tickle their lover’s behind. At first, this would make me pause and feel embarrassed but after the first or second million, it wouldn’t really matter. Let them roll up the entire book and stick it where they please. Paper however, is made out of trees and maybe I’d start to think that if I’m making millions there must be millions of trees getting chopped down just so frustrations can be turned into fun. Oh, you naughty print book! Wait until I turn you over and donate your rippling pages to a library!

 (Sorry, I don't mean to be vulgar and I have no reason to be jealous because my manuscript will definitely attract a different and much, much smaller audience.)

Which is why e-books are so neat--and clean…delete after every encounter—every messy rendezvous. You can probably wipe it clean with a damp cloth! While riding home on the subway—there’s no erotic looking cover photo shamefully flashing around the cabin--sticking out of your tote bag. Anonymous bliss and complete satisfaction all at the touch of an Amazon button—like a one night stand--isn't it wonderful?

I'm Convinced E.J. Stands for Exciting and Jaw-Dropping

My blogger friend E.J. Wesley sent me an advanced copy of his amazing novelette called Blood Fugue and I have to say the imagery, the descriptions and the suspense are still reverberating from my head to my heart. Usually I shy away from terror, horror or anything this exciting because I’m scared of going on blood pressure meds. (One reason I’m out here in the California desert.) Though hectic city-life and newspaper deadlines are in my past, once I started this story about a girl with a purple Mohawk, I couldn’t stop. Great dialogue pulled me in and pretty soon, I was following her memories right out into the West Texan countryside. Obviously, I wanted to know what would happen, where she was going and why. Out I went into the cover of darkness where a mystery awaits the reader and satisfyingly sets into motion the beginning of what is sure to be the first book in a series.

The author is a cool guy who nailed this piece written from a young girl’s point of view. Slightly surprised at this twist, he instantly drew my attention and the creative writing took over making me smile. “…mental scrapbook,” and “nerd landfill,” were two of my favorites along with this sentence. “Alone snuck up on you like stubble growing on your legs in the night.” Isn’t that great? Fabulous writing and interesting characters make this a story that works in various genres aimed at anyone looking for a vein throbbing read. If I were handing out stars, I’d have to say this story gets five but deserves fifty.

For more about E.J. follow his blog at: E.J.Wesley and Blood Fugue