What has 107, 101, 2 and 24 to do with 2009?

Almost the end of 2009, and I am facing it with very mixed feelings. It has been a year when family issues, medical issues and work issues have overwhelmed the literature, radio and friendship aspects of the past 365 days.

From the very start of the year leading up to my major back surgery until today when my youngest son was back in hospital, there has hardly been a day go by when one of the family was not sick or at the dentist, doctors, doing physiotherapist or at the chiropractor.

So let's forget about that part, let’s look at the good aspects of 2009.

What has 107, 101, 2 and 24 to do with 2009?

"107" that is the total reviews my book "Across the Pond" has received at Amazon since it first came out. I am so totally overwhelmed with the words of support, encouragement and the fact that so many people have enjoyed the book. As many writer guest on my radio show have stated, receiving reviews or an email knowing that a reader has enjoyed your work, makes it all worthwhile!

“101” is the total number of “A Book and a Chat” radio shows I have presented this year. I have had so much fun doing the shows, learnt much and made some great friends. Over the year I’ve had guests from central Europe, Australia and England as well as Canada and the US. I’ve had calls from guests parked on the side of roads, half way up hillsides, in restaurants and in the middle of forests. I can honestly say through all the time, I have enjoyed myself and from the feedback and the requests for return visits so have the people so have my guests.

“2” is the number of top ten books for 2009 that “Across the Pond” has appeared on during December, I am so shocked. As anybody knows who has listened to me chatting on the radio either as a host or a guest, I don’t class myself as a writer, I am know literary genius, just a humble story teller.

Locations of top ten mentions:

http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_12/ten_best_arcs_of_2009.html

http://childrensandteensbookconnection.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/give-the-gift-of-reading-this-holiday-season

“24” is a number I’m not quite so proud of. It the meager number of chapters I have managed to write for the follow up to “Across the Pond” a book called “Across the Pond and Back Again”. This would be even less if it was not for the support, encouragement and almost bullying (I need it) I have received from a couple of readers whom I am now proud to call friends. Finally though I seem to be getting back into the stride of things and home to get the book written over the next few months.

My final blog of 2009 tomorrow I’ll be sharing with you all an event I will be running through January, that is my YA RADIO MONTH.

So check out tomorrows blog.

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

CHRISTMAS STORY - THE FINAL STAR (2006)

For those of you who have not been reading my Christmas Story's (normally on a Thursday) up to now, each year I write a special holiday story, and have done since 1999. I will share them each week until finally just before Christmas I will publish this seasons story.

Today's is from 2006, and includes a narrated version for those who like to listen rather than read.

THE FINAL STAR (2006)

She stopped what she was doing and took a step back, looking at her handy work. The tree sparkled with multi-colored lights reflecting on the numerous ornaments that dotted around the tree. It would do.

She had only decided to put the tree up at the last moment, for her this Christmas was an empty shell of what it had been in the past. Her only daughter was three thousand miles across a stormy ocean with her family. Sure she would get the phone call, or if she remembered how to get the thing to work, a web cam session on the computer. The computer was something her husband had bought them so they would be able to keep in contact with their daughter.

Last Christmas he had spent hours teaching her how to use the computer to enable them to see and talk to their daughter and their grandchildren. It was almost like he was showing her because he knew… he knew that the next Christmas, he would not be there to create the link.

Just four months previous, she had suddenly found herself alone. One morning he had simply just not woken up. She never imagined life without her husband, but over the last months it was something she'd had to deal with.

Now being Christmas it was even harder.

She wiped away a tear that had leaked from her eye, and took a final look at the tree.

There was only one thing missing, the final star.

Every Christmas, the star had always been the final item on the tree, placed there by the two of them, as if to underline that they were ready for Christmas. This year when she had unpacked the Christmas decorations, she'd found the star broken, like her heart.

She sat sipping her coffee, looking at the tree; it looked so empty without the star. Just like her life was without her husband.

Sitting on the table beside her sat a pile of cards. She just had not been able to open the festive greetings when so many had been addressed to Mr and Mrs Johnstone. Picking the first one from the pile, she opened it and read the words inside. It was too much. Tears she'd held back for months streamed down her face. She dropped the letter and buried her face in her hands.

Why had he been taken away from her? What did she have to celebrate this Christmas?

Leaving the pile of letters unopened, she made her way to a lonely bed to cry herself to sleep.

It seemed she had only just gone to sleep when loud knocking on the front door woke her up. She looked across at the clock through heavy red rimmed eyes. It was ten past ten, who would be calling at this time of the night. The knocking came again.

"Hold on, I'm coming." She shouted pulling her dressing gown round her as she descended the stairs to the front door. A small face was pressed up against the glass. Carol singers, this late at night???

She opened the door and was nearly bowled over as two young children jumped at her, wrapping their arms around her.

"Merry Christmas Grandma."
"Merry Christmas Mum" came the voice of her daughter Rosemary and her husband, as they moved into the light from the hallway.

"What…. How… Why didn't you tell me…?"

Words were lost as fresh tears spilled down her face as her daughter hugged her close.

"Mum, we sent a letter. In the Christmas card? "

She looked back at the pile of cards, still unopened on the table.

Still in a state of shock, she led the family into the living room.

While her husband took the cases and the children up to the bedrooms, Rosemary sat with her Mom.

"You did know we were coming didn't you Mom?"

"I did not get around… I could not…" tears once more. "Mom, we could not let you spend Christmas alone, or any other Christmas for that matter."

"I don't understand…."

"Mom… After Christmas, we'll start planning for you to come back and stay with us."

Further conversation was stopped by two children filled with the love of the excitement of the trip, the love of their grandmother and the joy of Christmas came running down the stairs.

"Grandma, Grandma" they both shouted. "We've brought you a special Christmas present. Dad says you can open it early."

Eager little hands thrust a package at her.
"But… I can't."

Rosemary put her hand on her mother's, as her husband came and stood behind the two children, eyes wide as saucers with excitement.

"Mom, please, the children bought this with their own money, it means a lot to them."

Slowly she opened the package. Under the wrappings of tissue paper, she carefully removed a bright shining star.

Rosemary took the star, and with help from her husband placed it on the top of the Christmas tree.

Hugging her grandchildren to her, she looked at the star glittering at the top of tree. The final star was in place. Now she could celebrate Christmas.


Click the microphone to hear the story narrated by the author


Barry



BARRY EVA (Storyheart)

Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
"Across the Pond"

Weird News - From Axolotl and Paper Batteries to Robbie Williams

I was thinking what to blog about tonight, one of the Christmas Stories or perhaps some attempt at a witty comment or even about how the new book is "not" going, when I realized I had not done a "Weird News" spot for a while. So here's a couple of items of interest... well perhaps to some of you.

This is an "Axolotl" (there's a good score in Scrabble for you) sometimes called "The amphibian that never grew up". The axolotl is a type of salamander that uniquely spends its whole life in its larval form. Its odd lifestyle, features and ability to regenerate body parts make it a popular animal kept in labs, schools and as pets.

But in the wild, the future is bleak for this "Peter Pan" of animals. Now a new survey work suggests that fewer than 1,200 Mexican axolotls remain in its last stronghold, the Xochimilco area of central Mexico.

Ex "Take That" and star performer Robbie Williams created quite a stir at the end of a recent appearance on an Australian radio show. The show host thought it was a joke when on the air Williams asked asked actress Ayda Field to be his "betrothed for the end of time". However Robbie's mother, Jan Williams told BBC Radio 5 live that her son had revealed his proposal plans to her "a week ago".

She said she was "really pleased" for the couple, adding: "I've always wanted a daughter-in-law.

Finally something that could make a huge change in the way we live, work and even drive.

A team of researchers at Stanford University have come up with a Battery made from paper.
Made from plain copier paper could make for future energy storage that is truly paper thin.

The work, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could lead to "paintable" energy storage.

Because of its structure of millions of tiny, interconnected fibers, paper is a good candidate to hold on to carbon nanotubes, providing a scaffold on which to build devices.

However, paper is also mechanically tough, and can be bent, curled or folded, more than the metal or plastic surfaces that are currently used or under development.

The paper acts to collect the electric charge from the reaction. Using paper in this way could reduce the weight of batteries, typically made with metal current collectors, by 20%.

The team's batteries are also capable of releasing their stored energy quickly. That is a valuable characteristic for applications that need quick bursts of energy, such as electric vehicles - although the team has no immediate plans to develop vehicle batteries.

Barry



BARRY EVA (Storyheart)

Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book

A Road Trip To Damascus and Beyond

Like an old Bing Crosby and Bob Hope movie I was off on the road to... well Corning NY, this last Saturday, which of course coincided with the first snow of the winter. While I did not meet Dorothy Lamour (am I sounding old) along the way, I did get to meet some great people who'd I previously spoken to only on my radio program "A Book and a Chat".

The idea of the trip was to go and share the performance Tine Field Howe's “Alysa of the Fields”. Tina received received a 2009 Artist Crossroads Grant from the ARTs Council of the Southern Finger Lakes to create an audio book of this her first book in the The Tellings of Xunar-kun Series. The second book of which "The TrailFolk of Xunar-kun” - has won First Place in The Written Art Awards, Science Fiction/Fantasy Category.

The performance of snippets from the audio book with many actors who took part in the recording was being held during the "SPARKLE FESTIVAL" at Corning, NY.

Thinking this would be a nice trip for the family to see the delights of the Sparkle festival as well as meeting Tina and the cast as well as signing a few copies of my own book "Across the Pond". We had planned for all of us to make the 600 mile round trip to Corning. However the night before the children went down with some sickness bug leaving me to make the trip on my own.
This meant many last minute changes in plans, booking a hotel etc.

You might not think 600 miles is a huge distance to drive in US terms, however the most I had done in one trip since having my back surgery was about 90 miles. Still I set off in my little car to drive over the Catskills and make my way to Corning. Some of the towns I passed through or near made me chuckle, I passed Damascus (did not have any visions on the road to Damascus), which was closely followed by Jerusalem. I did wonder at a town called "Deposit", did one purchase a wall or two there, then come back when you had enough money to buy the rest of the house?. The hotel I stayed in was near another wonderful named town of Horsehead, I was waiting for somebody to make me an offer I couldn't refuse.


As mentioned it of course started to snow, as I started to climb the mountains, still me and my little Kia battled on eventually getting to Corning late Saturday afternoon.

The evening was great fun, meeting the author and the cast, I even joined in an narrated a little of the story, and sold several books.
A couple of hours sleep and I was once more on the road at 4am, heading back to Connecticut. Why so early? I had a DJ show to perform at a Lions Club Senior Christmas Dinner at midday.... but that's another story.

Barry



BARRY EVA (Storyheart)

Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book

The Dirt on the Good and the Bad.

Every so often some group or other reports that certain things are good for you, then a few days later another group replies that the same item is bad for you.

While it’s been noted for some time that a pint or two of beer per day is medically good for you, last week it was reported…

Drinking alcohol every day cuts the risk of heart disease in men by more than a third, a major study suggests.

The Spanish research involving more than 15,500 men and 26,000 women found large quantities of alcohol could be even more beneficial for men.

Female drinkers did not benefit to the same extent, the study in Heart found.

Experts are critical, warning heavy drinking can increase the risk of other diseases, with alcohol responsible for 1.8 million deaths globally per year.

The study was conducted in Spain, a country with relatively high rates of alcohol consumption and low rates of coronary heart disease.

The research involved men and women aged between 29 and 69, who were asked to document their lifetime drinking habits and followed for 10 years.

Crucially the research team claim to have eliminated the "sick abstainers" risk by differentiating between those who had never drunk and those whom ill-health had forced to quit. This has been used in the past to explain fewer heart-related deaths among drinkers on the basis that those who are unhealthy to start with are less likely to drink.

If that comment upset you, or has left you in a bad mood. Don’t worry because according to an Australian psychology expert, being in a bad mood could also be good for you.

In contrast to those annoying happy types, miserable people are better at decision-making and less gullible, his experiments showed.

While cheerfulness fosters creativity, gloominess breeds attentiveness and careful thinking, Professor Joe Forgas told Australian Science Magazine.

'Eeyore days'

The University of New South Wales researcher says a grumpy person can cope with more demanding situations than a happy one because of the way the brain "promotes information processing strategies".

He asked volunteers to watch different films and dwell on positive or negative events in their life, designed to put them in either a good or bad mood.

Next he asked them to take part in a series of tasks, including judging the truth of urban myths and providing eyewitness accounts of events.

Those in a bad mood outperformed those who were jolly - they made fewer mistakes and were better communicators.

Professor Forgas said: "Whereas positive mood seems to promote creativity, flexibility, co-operation and reliance on mental shortcuts, negative moods trigger more attentive, careful thinking, paying greater attention to the external world."

The study also found that sad people were better at stating their case through written arguments, which Forgas said showed that a "mildly negative mood may actually promote a more concrete, accommodative and ultimately more successful communication style".

His earlier work shows the weather has a similar impact on us - wet, dreary days sharpened memory, while bright sunny spells make people forgetful.


Finally something I’ve been saying for some time…

Dirt can be good for children, say scientists.Messy play should be encouraged, according to the hygiene hypothesis. Children should be allowed to get dirty, according to scientists who have found being too clean can impair the skin's ability to heal.

Normal bacteria living on the skin trigger a pathway that helps prevent inflammation when we get hurt, the US team discovered. The bugs dampen down overactive immune responses that can cause cuts and grazes to swell, they say.

Their work is published in the online edition of Nature Medicine Experts said the findings provided an explanation for the "hygiene hypothesis", which holds that exposure to germs during early childhood primes the body against allergies.

Many like myself believe our obsession with cleanliness is to blame for the recent boom in allergies in developed countries.


Barry



BARRY EVA (Storyheart)

Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
"Across the Pond"

Thirty Six Day's Until Christmas

Wondering what to get that "difficult" person in your life this holiday, I picked up a few ideas to help you with that special gift.

This cheery confection is like a delicious-looking go-kart. Coast down the road in style at a top speed of 7 m.p.h. in a Cupcake Car that comes in different-colored "flavors," as well as your choice of decorations like sprinkles and icing. And yes, it comes with a matching hat. Yours for just $25,000

New York City's Algonquin Hotel is an historic landmark with a long tradition of hosting the brightest minds in literature and the arts. For just a cool $200,000 you and a guest can rub elbows with the likes of Malcolm Gladwell, Nora Ephron and John Lithgow at an exclusive dinner party. Neiman Marcus will donate the proceeds to First Book, a charity that distributes reading material to children in need.

If you can fork out $7,500 you can take a VIP whiskey-making tour of Maker's Mark's classic distillery in Louisville to see how "perfection in amber" is made. Master Distiller Kevin Smith will guide you and a friend through the process step by step. End result: Two bottles of the stuff will be etched with your likeness and dipped in gold wax. Enjoy the amber goodness over a gourmet dinner hosted by Bill Samuels Jr., the top brass at Maker's Mark.

Or of course for something "really" special you can get a copy “Across the Pond” signed by yours truly "Storyheart" for a much reduced price of $15… Truly Priceless!


Barry



BARRY EVA (Storyheart)

Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
"Across the Pond"

I bid you $20. Do I hear $25? Who'll give me $30?

Last Friday I was invited to an event at a school about seventy miles away. The school had previously contacted me re donating one of my books "of which we've heard great things" as a fund raising for their school.

Being always willing to help with such donations for any charity or event I was only too pleased to send them a signed hard back copy of "Across the Pond". Following this and some further emails passing in the night, I was invited along to the event. Then I could actually sign it then and there for the person who had one the item in the auction.

The school was only about seventy miles away but traveling in the rush hour in what was left of hurricane Ike when it arrive in CT (mainly rain) was not the most pleasant of journeys.

When I arrived at the school there were about seventy items ranging from "power saws" and "golf lessons" to a "free pass for homework" and being "principal for a day" in the "silent auction". I am pleased to say my book managed to get at least three bids as well.

After the silent auction came the real auction, I was amazed that such a small school had so many brilliant items for auction. These ranged from a week in a vacation home for ten (went for $1300)through items like "2 round trip tickets anywhere in US that United flies" (went for $550). In amongst all these there was one item I would have liked to have won, in fact it was the final item of the auction
"Zhu Zhu pets".

For those who do not know these are the "must have... can't get" items for this Christmas. rubbing my hands and counting what money I thought I might manage for this item, also thinking it was last item and people had already spent a fortune (to me anyway) on the other items I thought I had a chance to get this "Giant Hamster fun house and four pets" as a real treat for my children.

Was I wrong!!!!

The bidding went way pas the top end of my spending scale, in the end the item sold for $375. So it looks like an overnight queuing outside some of the stores for Black Friday is my only hope.

At the end of the day, no I did not sell any books, nor did I win any auction items.
But I had fun, I made contacts for possible future signings and I had a good time.


Barry



BARRY EVA (Storyheart)

Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
"Across the Pond"

Sunday Uk Blog - Poppies to Remember

While the US celebrates Veterans Day, around the world the day to remember those who gave up their lives for us is called "Remembrance Day". Canada like the US holds this day on November 11th. While in the UK the national day of remembrance for those killed in both world wars and later conflicts, on the second Sunday of November

Remembrance Sunday is observed by a two-minute silence at the time of the signature of the armistice with Germany that ended World War I: 11:00 am, 11 November 1918 (although since 1956 the day of commemoration has been the Sunday). There are ceremonies at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London, and elsewhere. The day was specifically dedicated by King George V, on 7 November 1919, to the observance of members of the armed forces who were killed during war. Since that time there has also been held a two minutes silence to remember those fallen hero's.

‘Poppies’, symbolic of the blood shed, are sold in aid of war invalids and their defendants.

So why the Poppy?

The ‘Flanders poppies’ have become a cymbal for those who died defending their country originally from the World War I, as per the famous poem by John McCrae.

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.

John McCrae, 1915.

McCrae was a Canadian who enlisted to help the allies in the war. He was made Medical Officer upon landing in Europe. During a lull in the battle with the nub of a pencil he scratched on a page from his dispatch book. The poem found its way into the pages of Punch magazine. By 1918 the poem was well known throughout the allied world.

I must admit, it came as a bit of a shock to find that the whole idea of using the poppy came from an American woman. Moina Michael and American,adopted the custom of wearing a red poppy in memory of the sacrifices of war and also as a symbol of keeping the faith.

A French women, Madam Guerin, visiting the United States, learned of the custom and took it one step further. When she returned to France she decided to hand make the red poppies and sell them to raise money for the benefit of the orphaned and destitute women and children in war torn areas of France. This tradition spread to Canada, The United States and Australia and is still followed today. The money collected from the sale of poppies goes to fund various veterans programs.


Barry



BARRY EVA (Storyheart)

Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
"Across the Pond"

THURSDAY STORY - CHRISTMAS PAST

CHRISTMAS PAST (2000)

The dinner plates had been washed by an array of sometimes willing helpers, soft snores and full stomachs meant it was rest time before the evening present giving and more food. Children had been bribed with promises of things to come and were sleeping, or trying to sleep. A young girl sat resting her head on the legs of her sleeping Grandfather. Too excited to sleep, filled with the joys of Christmas, eyes as bright as the lights that twinkled on the tree.

The Grandfather opened his eyes and gave the girl a wink, "You ok love?" he whispered She smiled at the old man, "Yes, Grandfather" she said "I just can't seem to rest" .

The old man patted his lap, "Come here sweetheart and I'll tell you a story" .

Quickly she climbed on her Grandfather lap and nestled into the old man's warm arms. She smiled up at him, "Grandfather, tell me a story of a Christmas when you were a boy" .

A slow smile spread across the old mans face, followed by a flash of pain that filled his eyes with tears for a brief moment. The child did not see the look just snuggled down further, ready to listen to the old mans story.

I must have been just around 8, not much older than you. It was a Christmas like you see on Christmas cards, snow was all around, and for some reason people seemed to be more full of the Christmas spirit than normal. I had been looking forward so much to Christmas. Every day I had rushed home from school and down to the toy shop at the end of the street. There in the front window was a magnificent toy fort full of shiny soldiers.

Each day I pressed my face against the window, checking it was still there, until I knew every soldier, as if they were my own personal friends. I had dragged my parents to the shop on any chance I could, making it no secret just what I wanted for Christmas this year. Each time I got the "Just wait and see." But I couldn't wait, each day I went and checked that the fort was still there, and each day it was. As Christmas grew nearer, I noticed a look of worry on my parent's faces, I did not really understand what was going on. I heard talk of wars and battles, and soldiers seemed to fill the streets. But the only ones I was interested in where in the shop window.

Then one day I ran as normal to the toy shop, but the window was empty, the fort had gone. I ran home with tears streaming down my face, why had this happened? What had I done wrong? I ran sobbing into the house, my Mother came rushing out of the kitchen at hearing me, hands covered with flower from the cake baking. She hugged me, to her as I told her between sobs of the disappearance of the fort. She hugged me again a smile playing round her lips.

I looked past her, and for the first time caught site of my Father. He was dressed in Khaki, a uniform, as a soldier. I did not understand, and he hugged me to him, and tried to explain he had to go away for a while. He laughed and told me he would be back in a week or two. But the look on my Mother's face made me for a moment think something different. Before she too came and hugged me, her face full of smiles.

Two days later my Father went away, before he left he took me to one side.

"Son" he said "I have had a word with Santa Claus, and I think your Christmas will be just fine" .

The next days leading up to Christmas I could hardly sleep. The Christmas Eve came and I did not want to miss a thing, and I could not sleep just as you my Granddaughter. My Mother came and read to me a letter from my Father, and hugged me until my eyes though in the end closed and I slept. I woke in the morning And there it was at the foot of my bed, the Fort, with all the soldiers I knew so well, looking even better than it had done in the shop.

The Grandfather looked down, at the now sleeping girl on his lap. He sighed, glad he did not have to go on with the story. How would a young child like he had been understand about a black bordered telegram he had found his sobbing Mother holding. When he went to tell her about his present. I could not explain to her what it felt like to know his Father would not be coming home.

The Fort had remained untouched and un-played with in his room, until his Mother finally gave it to a friend. He had cried for a week, and that Christmas never happened as far as he was concerned.

He looked again at his sleeping Granddaughter, and gave her a hug. Thank goodness such a thing would never happen again in her lifetime he thought.

She stirred and looked up at him with half closed eyes. "I love you Grandfather" she said.

And an old man cried.


Barry



BARRY EVA (Storyheart)

Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
"Across the Pond"

THURSDAY STORY - CHRISTMAS MAGIC (1999)

Throughout my "short romance story" writing days I always wrote a special story for Christmas.

Over the next eight Thursdays, yes eight Thursdays to Christmas... I will share some of these stories with you.




CHRISTMAS MAGIC (1999)

She looked once again out of the window, surely it would snow, and it had to snow! It would not be Christmas without snow. Her Mother had told her earlier that day that there were snow clouds over head. But still there was no snow. She turned from the window, and looked at the room. Christmas decorations were in place, but somehow there was no sparkle, no Christmas spirit, it was as if the whole room was sad. As sad as was her Mother she thought.

At that moment her Mother came in the room, she tried to raise a smile to her daughter, but the sadness behind her eyes showed through instead.

"Still no snow Rachel?" she said, trying hard to smile.

Something she had not been able to do since that day 6 months ago, when she had received a letter saying her husband had been lost while exploring some small backwater of the Amazon or some such place. He was always off somewhere or other on his geographical surveys. But that had been the last she had heard, all these months now here was Christmas, and just her and her daughter.

"No Mummy." replied her daughter, wanting to cry out at the sadness, and hurt she sensed in her Mother’s voice. Though Rachel was only 7, she had tried so hard to make this Christmas better, but she could never make up for the sadness of being just the two of them.

"Rachel dear" said her Mother "Can you go down to the store, and try and get some holly so we can decorate the front door?"

Rachel gave her Mother a hug and put on her coat and headed for the store. She looked again at the skies, "Please let it snow" she whispered,
"Anything to make this a special Christmas."

She entered the store; it was like entering another world, a fairy tale world of Christmas. The whole place was full of sparkling lights and glittering tinsel. Happiness filled the air. She sighed, thinking of the sadness in her own home. A smiling face toped by a red Christmas style hat greeted her. It was Mr Reggus, the owner of the store.

Rachel thought he must be related to Santa himself, so much did his smiling red face and bushy white beard, remind her on dear old Santa.

"Well little Lady," he always called her little Lady "What can I do for you?"

She smiled; Mr Reggus always made her smile.

"Mr Reggus, my mother would like some holly to decorate our front door please." She always tried to be polite.

Mr Reggus smiled "Certainly little Lady."

He went out the back of the shop, and soon came back with several sprigs of holly, which he carefully wrapped in paper, so she would not hurt herself. As he went to hand her the parcel, he stopped. "Hmmm you've got the holly, but what about the mistletoe?" Rachel gave Mr Reggus a quizzical look.

"What is mistletoe?" she asked.

Mr. Reggus laughed, and told her all about the special power of Mistletoe and how there was magic in it that opened to anybody who kissed underneath it. He winked and produced a sprig, which he added to the parcel of holly.

She ran back to her waiting mother, she looked up as she went into the home, still no snow.

Her mother took the package of Holly and started to make her decorations for the door. Suddenly she started, coming across the mistletoe.
"What is this?" she asked her daughter.

"Mr. Reggus gave it to me." her daughter replied "He said it was Christmas magic."

Her mother turned away not wanting her daughter to see the tears in her eyes, if only she thought and let go a little sob. Her daughter went on, "Please Mummy, Mr. Reggus said we had to hang it above the door."

Her mother tried to smile and wiped away the tears. "Of course dear, we will put it above the door right now". She lifted her daughter and helped her pin the mistletoe above the door, the kissed her daughter under it. "There sweetheart, a magical Christmas to you."

The rest of the day seemed to fly by and soon it was time for her to go to bed.

Christmas morn dawned and she woke to find a Christmas stocking on her bed, full of toys and goodies. She rushed into her mother's room to show her what Santa had left her, but her Mother was not there, the bed was crumpled, but no sight of her Mother could she find.

Rachel went back to her room, got dressed and went downstairs, the lights were on and under the Christmas tree were a whole heap of presents. She wanted to open them, but was too worried about her Mother. It was Christmas, and she should be here to share it with her. She opened the door, and there under the mistletoe was her Mother, but not just her Mother, there was a stranger, a man, and he was kissing her mother. She stopped and her Mother turned, hearing her daughter behind her. A smile lit her face, something Rachel had not seen for a long time.

"Rachel darling," she held out her hand "come here, there is somebody I want you to meet." She took her daughter to a smiling man who only moments before had been kissing her Mother.

"Rachel darling" smiled her Mother "This is your father, he has come home." She sobbed this time in happiness.

Rachel's eyes lit up as she recognized the man, it really was her father, he had come home, gently he picked her up hugging her to him, and as he did so, soft showers of snow fell from his hair onto her face. These melted with the tears of happiness that fell from Rachel's eyes.

And so as in all good stories, it has come to a happy ending, and the magic that was Christmas really did happen.


Barry



BARRY EVA (Storyheart)

Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
"Across the Pond"

Remember, remember the fifth of November

Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason, why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.


While in the USA fireworks are a big part of July 4th celebrations, across the pond in England, tomorrow November 5th the skies will be filled with aerial explosions.

Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated in Britain annually on November 5th. The event is accompanied by firework displays, the lighting of bonfires and the ceremonial effigy-burning of one Guy Fawkes. T
Well I remember when i was young, kids used to make a effigy of Guy Fawkes and stand outside subway and train stations asking "Penny for the Guy". Collecting the odd bit of change to help raise money for their fireworks.

Of course some of these effigy's for burning are a little bit more series than those we used to make. Such as this one from the Lewis parade.


In 1605, thirteen young men planned to blow up
the Houses of Parliament. Among them was
Guy Fawkes, Britain's most notorious traitor.

After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, English Catholics who had been persecuted under her rule had hoped that her successor, James I, would be more tolerant of their religion. James I had, after all, had a Catholic mother. Unfortunately, James did not turn out to be more tolerant than Elizabeth and a number of young men, 13 to be exact, decided that violent action was the answer.

A small group took shape, under the leadership of Robert Catesby. Catesby felt that violent action was warranted. Indeed, the thing to do was to blow up the Houses of Parliament. In doing so, they would kill the King, maybe even the Prince of Wales, and the Members of Parliament who were making life difficult for the Catholics. Today these conspirators would be known as extremists, or terrorists.

To carry out their plan, the conspirators got hold of 36 barrels of gunpowder - and stored them in a cellar, just under the House of Lords.

But as the group worked on the plot, it became clear that innocent people would be hurt or killed in the attack, including some people who even fought for more rights for Catholics. Some of the plotters started having second thoughts. One of the group members even sent an anonymous letter warning his friend, Lord Monteagle, to stay away from the Parliament on November 5th. Was the letter real?

The warning letter reached the King, and the King's forces made plans to stop the conspirators.

Guy Fawkes, who was in the cellar of the parliament with the 36 barrels of gunpowder when the authorities stormed it in the early hours of November 5th, was caught, tortured and executed.

It's unclear if the conspirators would ever have been able to pull off their plan to blow up the Parliament even if they had not been betrayed. Some have suggested that the gunpowder itself was so old as to be useless. Since Guy Fawkes and the other conspirators got caught before trying to ignite the powder, we'll never know for certain.

Even for the period which was notoriously unstable, the Gunpowder Plot struck a very profound chord for the people of England. In fact, even today, the reigning monarch only enters the Parliament once a year, on what is called "the State Opening of Parliament". Prior to the Opening, and according to custom, the Yeomen of the Guard search the cellars of the Palace of Westminster. Nowadays, the Queen and Parliament still observe this tradition.

On the very night that the Gunpowder Plot was foiled, on November 5th, 1605, bonfires were set alight to celebrate the safety of the King. Since then, November 5th has become known as Bonfire Night. The event is commemorated every year with fireworks and burning effigies of Guy Fawkes on a bonfire.

Some of the English have been known to wonder, in a tongue in cheek kind of way, whether they are celebrating Fawkes' execution or honoring his attempt to do away with the government.


Today, one of the ceremonies which accompanies the opening of a new session of Parliament is a traditional searching of the basement by the Yeoman of the Guard. It has been said that for superstitious reasons, no State Opening of Parliament has or ever will be held again on November 5th. This, however, is a fallacy since on at least one occasion (in 1957), Parliament did indeed open on November 5th. The actual cellar employed for the storage of the gunpowder in 1605 by the conspirators was damaged by fire in 1834 and totally destroyed during the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster in the Nineteenth Century.



Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason, why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.


Guy Fawkes Night is not solely a British celebration. The tradition was also established in the British colonies by the early American settlers and actively pursued in the New England States under the name of "Pope Day" as late as the Eighteenth Century. Today, the celebration of Guy Fawkes and his failed plot remains a tradition in such places as Newfoundland (Canada) and some areas of New Zealand, in addition to the British Isles.

Where I was living before moving over to America, (Sussex) Bonfire festivities on the 5th are a major inter town event. With each local town production it's bonfire night the main center being in the town of Lewes. where huge parades pass through the town before ehading for the sites of the various groups "bonfires".

Lewes Bonfire Night

The town's most important annual event is Lewes Bonfire Night, this event not only marks the date of the uncovering of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605, but also commemorates the memory of the seventeen Protestant martyrs.

The current celebrations take the form of a series of torchlit processions through the town. The event is organized by the local bonfire societies, under the auspices of the Lewes Bonfire Council. Lewes itself currently has seven bonfire societies (Nevill Juveniles is a children's society and holds its celebrations a week or two before 5th November; Southover, which disbanded in 1985, reformed in 2005) and a number of nearby towns have their own bonfire societies. The other five local bonfire societies from the town (Cliffe, Borough, Commercial Square, South Street and Waterloo) each proceed on their own route accompanied by a number of other societies from the neighboring towns.


Barry



BARRY EVA (Storyheart)

Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
"Across the Pond"

STORYHEART SUNDAY UK BLOG - Halloween Goes Full Circle

When I went back to England a few weeks ago, it was interesting to see the increase that "Halloween" has encroached on the British public. There has always been a festival at this time of year, which I will blog about next week, Halloween however has only recently entered the British way of life.

This is actually quite funny seeing how the the festival actually started in the UK in the first place.

Halloween has its roots in Samhain (pronounced sow-in), an ancient harvest festival held at the end of the Celtic year. The festival marked the end of summer and the beginning of the dark wintertime. It was believed the spirits of the dead returned on this eve to damage crops and play tricks on the living. It was also believed that the Celtic priests, or Druids, were able to make predictions about the future, which they did during large bonfire celebrations where they wore animal skins and sacrificed crops and animals to the spirits.

The Romans, were the first people to change this event, they brought with them the Britain their own Feralia, the day to "honor the dead" in late October, as well as another holiday to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. It is possible that this Roman influence is the reason apples are given out and bobbed for on Halloween.

By around AD 800, the Christian festival "All Hallows" replaced Samhain and became "All Hallows Eve," and eventually shortened to "Hallowe'en."

The celebrators of Samhain wore animal skins at their bonfire celebrations many often dressed as saints or angels. Later on men in Scotland would impersonate the dead on the day, explaining the ghoulish tradition we still observe.

During the mid 1800's, Irish and English immigrants flooded the United States and brought Halloween with them. From these immigrants we received the Halloween traditions we recognize today, however skewed they are now. For instance, the first "trick-or-treaters" were far from today's smiling children with commercialized costumes. They lived in Medieval England, and practiced "souling," in which poor people would beg for sweet breads, in return for praying for the families' souls. Later, the immigrants who brought Halloween to America would develop their own version of trick-or-treating, but it didn't become popular here until the 1930s.

HALLOWEEN FACTS:

Halloween is the second highest spending holiday after Christmas.

Harry Houdini died on Halloween

The first jack-o-lanterns were carved out of turnips

A quarter of all candy sold annually is for Halloween night.

About 21% of pet owners dress up their pets for Halloween

The original Halloween was so strapped for money the he prop department had to use the cheapest thing they could find, which turned out to be a spray-painted William Shatner mask. The film was made on a budget of $320,000 in about three weeks and grossed more than $65,000,000



Barry



BARRY EVA (Storyheart)

Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
"Across the Pond"

"Across the Pond" News

It's been a while since I passed on any news about my book, perhaps you thought there hasn't been any?

REVIEWS:

My total on Amazon is now numbering "103"

Since the last time I wrote about reaching the magic "100" I have received a five star and two four star reviews. Here are a few snippets of what the reviews say...

"...a cute love story. Highly recommended for teens."

"Ahhh, young love! This book reminded me of what it was like to fall in love. The young characters were so sweet, I wanted to meet them. This is an easy read and definitely worth your time."

"This is a great read for tweens and teens - and the rest of us who still love YA fiction. There is romance, adventure, misunderstandings and even a big bully you can watch get his comeuppance! Fred comes from England and stays with Brit and her family in America while his parents go to Australia. While he's there, he and Brit fall in love.

Brit and Fred are funny and endearing. I admit it took me a few pages to really get into the story, but when I did, I couldn't stop reading! It's also fun to watch Fred work out all the differences between the languages of the two countries. All in all, Across the Pond is an enchanting story of first love."

RADIO NEWS:

While my own "Book and Chat" radio shows are going from strength to strength I have appeared as a guest recently on these shows.

Literary Pizzazz

Red River Writers

Author Buzz

BOOK SALES:

I managed to sell over twenty copies of my book in the couple of days I was at the Big E, not a huge amount, but more than I expected. I am also working with Barnes and Noble and Borders to have copies on the shelves, though you can already order it for them, it now being distributed by Ingrams.

An E-Book PDF file of the book is now available check out the book web site for more details

http://across-t-pond.com

I have also been asked to a couple of events to talk or be on authors panels.

So that's some of the latest news I thought I would share with you.

Barry



BARRY EVA (Storyheart)

Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
"Across the Pond"

Storyheart Sunday UK Blog - Beanz Meanz Heinz

One of the things I have really missed since being in the US, is a "Real English Breakfast". Of course once in England one of the locations I headed for was one where I could purchase a real "English Breakfast".


My English Breakfast

Americans seems to find it "interesting" to have bake beans for breakfast, but then this is a country that has "puffed up cakes" or muffins for their morning meal.

In England we are taught that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, after sleeping and not eaten for many hours. This being the case we have a "Full English Breakfast" which sees you though the day until your evening meal... except of course for a snack and a couple of beers at lunch time.

Baked Beans are part of the staple diet of people in the UK. Be it with a fry up breakfast, a "Bangers and Mash" lunch or on toast for tea. The old UK TV advert states...
"A million housewives every day, pick up a tin of beans and say..Beanz Meanz Heinz."


And basically that is what is does. While most of the supermarkets have their own brand of Baked Beans, Heinz is still the number one. For those colonials who do not know the difference, Heinz beans are closest to the Vegetarian beans in the US.

The Heinz company markets their product in the UK under the name "Heinz Beanz" (before July 2008 as "Heinz Baked Beans"), in reference to a 1960s advertisement campaign which used the slogan "Beanz Meanz Heinz".

There are substantial differences between the Heinz baked beans sold in the UK and the nearest equivalent US product (Heinz Premium Vegetarian Beans). The US beans contain brown sugar where the British beans do not, and the US product contains 14g of sugar per tin compared to 7g for the British version (equating to 140 vs 90 calories). The US beans have a mushier texture and are darker in color than their UK counterpart. For several years, the UK Heinz Baked Beans have been available in the US, either in different sized cans than those sold in the UK or in a 385 gram can (the same can as the 415 gram can in the UK) with an "export" label with American English spelling and the word "baked" dropped from the title on the label. These are sold in many US specialty stores.

In New England baked beans usually are sweetened with maple syrup, and are traditionally cooked with salt pork in a beanpot in a brick oven for a full day.

In southern states along the eastern seaboard of the US, the beans become tangier usually due to the addition of yellow mustard. Ground beef also becomes common alongside bacon in these beans. They take on a flavor similar to Cowboy Beans, a similar popular dish.

In Poland, with addition of bacon these are known as Breton Beans (fasolka po bretońsku).

Many unusual dishes are made with baked beans including the baked bean sandwich. These are slices of bread topped with beans and other additions, such as melted cheese.

In 2002 the British Dietetic Association allowed manufacturers of canned baked beans to advertise the product as contributing to the recommended daily consumption of five-six vegetables per person. This concession was criticized by heart specialists who pointed to the high levels of sugar and salt in the product. Some manufacturers produce a "healthy option" version of the product with lower levels of sugar and salt.

BE WARNED....Baked beans are known on occasion to cause a considerable increase in flatulence following consumption. (Don't we know it)

Their low price (The supermarket own brand or discount beans can cost as little and 30cents) and wide availability has led to baked beans becoming a staple food in the United Kingdom, especially popular among students and those on a tight budget.

Barry



BARRY EVA (Storyheart)

Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
"Across the Pond"

My Trip Across the Pond

So I’m back from my trip across the pond, as promised this will be a blog about my travels.

The journey to JFK airport in NY was not without issue and I arrived just about ten minutes before the gate was due to be opened to board the plane. Once again I was surprised about how the security checks when leaving the US have relaxed since my departures a couple of years ago.

As normal I flew Virgin Airways, I can’t recommend them enough from service to food, from entertainment to flights always they seem one step ahead of other airlines. There was as normal a choice of about 50 films to check out during the flight as well as TV, radio and music shows.

The flight which normally takes around 7hrs was quicker this time as we hit the jet stream with a tail wind of about 150mph which reduced the flight time to around six hours, only issue was we had a few bumps along the way.

Unfortunately about a hour from reaching England a passenger was taken sick, and with the flight crew looking after them and the reduction in flight time, we never got around to purchasing “duty free”. No biggy for me, but a pain for the family members who had asked me to pick up cigarettes for them on the flight.

Once through UK customs I picked up my rental car, a diesel powered Peugeot, which was doing about 52 mpg throughout my trip. That was a good thing with petrol (gas) costing about $7.5 a gallon.

I traveled about half way to my destination and stopped to catch some sleep before heading out to meet my youngest sister and her family.





After a good night’s sleep I carried on the rest of my journey to East Sussex, stopped just outside Hailsham for some real English breakfast.




The rest of the day was getting ready for the shopping, a new Tesco’s (The number one supermarket chain in England)supermarket had opened in the town. One nice thing they have done is keep in line with the town. Hailsham has a history of rope making, so they incorporated this into the fence that surrounds the car park finishing in a statue of a man hauling in the ropes.



In the store as normal I just walked around wishing such a store was available in the USA. There is so much more variety, the prices generally for food are much cheaper than in the US. I wanted another 3 suitcases to bring home half the stuff I wanted to buy. Loaded up with fresh supplies to bring back to the US, I then completed the shopping trip.


The rest of the day was spent getting ready for my eldest sons wedding, taking dresses to where the bride was staying.



I made sure I stopped and snapped a couple of pictures on such a mild autumn day, with the sea as smooth as a babies bum.



Later that Friday night I went out with a couple of old friends and shared a few beers with them.


Saturday morning was sorting out the reception tables, cake etc. As for the wedding itself? All went well, and everybody enjoyed themselves.




The next day after stopping off for another breakfast, followed by a look around a “car boot sale”… Car boot sales are a mainly British form of market in which private individuals come together to sell household and garden goods. The term refers to the selling of items from a car's boot (U.K.) (or trunk in the U.S.). Although a small proportion of sellers are professional traders selling new goods or seconds, the goods on sale are often used but no longer wanted personal possessions. Car boot sales are a way of focusing a large group of people in one place to recycle still useful but unwanted domestic items that previously would have been thrown away. Car boot sales generally take place within the summer months, however a growing trend of indoor boot sales and all year hard-standing outdoor boot sales are now appearing in some parts of the UK.

The rest of Sunday and Monday I spent with my parents, before heading back to the USA.

I had a good time, enjoyed myself, ate and drank well, had many laughs, met most of my family, even sold six "Across the Pond" books by me "Storyheart".


ENGLAND






The music is "ENGLAND" by Ralph McTell, perhaps more well known for his song "Streets of London" it is to me though a song that means so much. The pictures are of England, my own location and some sites that others would know.




BARRY EVA (Storyheart)

Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
"Across the Pond"