“My name is Helen Valentina, and I am a writer who loves to explore why we do the things we do and how our characters are formed by our beliefs and actions. This blog will mainly showcase my poetry, but will also promote my longer works – such as novels.
The theme of Elemental Writing I am using is an attempt to identify the key element of any piece of work – for instance, poetry or prose that mainly reflects emotional ideas would be ‘water’, whereas ego, action, and passion ideas might be best identified as ‘fire’ and so on.
This partly reflects a separate interest of mine, the tarot deck, and its elucidation of life in terms of the elements depicted in the Minor Arcana (Cups= Water/emotions, Swords= Air/intellect, Pentacles = Earth/the material, and Wands= Fire/passion, action and ego.) when considered against the journey of the soul’s development through the Major Arcana.
But this isn’t a New Age blog, it’s just a theme to organise my work, so don’t feel you have to get out incense and meditation tapes to spend any time here. 🙂
Now my words.
Helen writes passionate and compelling poetry and stories. Her work always leaves me thinking about what she wrote. I have images to consider that Helen has conjured with her words. She is a true artist whose medium is the written word.
Here is a short poem written by Helen
Weep for Us
In this hour
As our foolishness descends
And of our friends
Are only foes
We scarce can comprehend our woes
Then close your wings
Around these sacred things
And weep for us
In this year
When sanity gave way to fear
And all comes clear
This wretched fate
We only understand too late
Please close your wings
And from the seat of heaven sing
And weep for us
Official poster of the 1st Cannes Film Festival illustrated by Leblanc
This week marks the 74th anniversary of the first Cannes Film Festival. We all want to go, I’m sure so let’s pile into the Olds and head back there. Do not forget the list, so we all can avoid a time continuum tear. All set. Let’s go.
James’ 1956 Oldsmobile from Eternal Road – The final stop
10 If you go, do not take that plastic water bottle with you. If you do, at best, everyone will be looking at movie stars and not see you. At worst, someone will observe your bottle and want one. (The problem is, Marion, the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle was not invented until 1973. Now a person is yelling at you, demanding you tell them where you got the bottle. Oh-oh, A crowd and the gendarmes are headed your way.)
9 If you go, do not ask Tiny, the WWF champ, if he knows any movie stars. If you do, at best, he is pals with Lon Chaney. At worst, he does not know one. (This simple question, Markell, has caused Tiny to regress from his last group session on self-esteem. Tiny will assume everyone knows stars, and he is the only one who doesn’t. Prepare yourself for Tiny’s new wrestle hold called “The Pretzel.”)
8 If you go, do not ask directions to Palais des Festivals. If you do, at best, no one will know. At worst, you will ask a member of the planning committee. (Since the Palais des Festivals which is the home of the festival, was not built until 1952, you are now outed as either a spy or an alien, Marley. I think spy might be a better choice since there is no war going on, so you won’t be shot.)
7 If you go, do not ask which movie got the Palme d’Or this year. If you do, at best you’ll get strange looks. At worst, you’ll ask a member of the provincial government of France. (It just so happens, Marlow, that the member was in several meetings where the idea of a new award was tossed around. The current prize is Grand Prix du Festival. You now need to explain yourself. Quickly)
6 If you go, do not try to speak French. If you do, at best, no one will laugh. At worst, your American accent will cause most to walk away. (You have to realize, Marmion, not everyone appreciates you trying to speak the local language. In fact, here comes a representative of Berlitz Language Schools at the request of the locals.)
5 If you go, do not give your opinion about any of the films. If you do, at best, people will think you are a jurist. At worst, you may be overheard by a legitimate jurist. ( Now you are in it, Marque. These folks do not take impersonating a jurist lightly. Since there were only 18 jurists in total and the American was Iris Barry of MOMA, you didn’t stand a chance. Nice try with that wig.)
4 If you go, do not try to place bets that Lost Weekend by Billy Wilder will win an award. If you do, at best, no one will take the bet. At worst, even though the festival is being held in the Casino of Cannes, betting is not sanctioned. (It looks like the local gendarmes and French historian Georges Huisman acting as the Jury President want to speak to you. By the way, Marque you would have won all the bets. Too bad you can’t collect now that you are sitting in the hoosegow.)
3 If you go, do not argue with Italian director Roberto Rossellini about a better ending to his film Open City. If you do, at best, Roberto will think you are nuts. At worst, Roberto will take offense to your comments. (That glove slap to the face, Marsden means you two will be going outside for a duel. I hope you know how to use a sword or a cap lock pistol. Oh my. Well, maybe you can sneak off a Google them.)
2 If you go, do not say anything wrong about the Escargot served at the award banquet. If you do, at best, those around you may not like them either. At worst, your opinion will be overheard by the Chef. (You have to wonder, Marshal, how that person became such a renowned chef and yet be so thin-skinned. In any case, that butcher knife looks really sharp, and it may be time to test your 100 yard dash speed time.)
1 If you go, do not kid Alfred Hitchcock about the fact that his film Notorious’ three reels were shown in reverse order. If you do, at best, he’ll be preoccupied trying to find out who the projectionist was. At worst, since he’s not known as the most patient man, he will not appreciate your humor. (Alfred Hitchcock was once accused of saying, “Actors are cattle.” He violently denied the accusation, Martell, and corrected the accuser. “I never said Actors are cattle,” he argued. “What I said was actors should be treated like cattle.” So now he has a cattle prod, and you should be leaving.)
I’m with Charles Yallowitz at his blog Legends of Windemere. Come on over there is another new excerpt from Eternal Road – The final stop. Here is the link.
Charles Yallowitz was born and raised on Long Island, NY, but he has spent most of his life wandering his own imagination in a blissful haze. Occasionally, he would return from this world for the necessities such as food, showers, and Saturday morning cartoons. One day he returned from his imagination and decided he would share his stories with the world. After spending many years fiddling with his thoughts and notebooks, he decided that it was time to follow his dream of being a fantasy author. So, locked within the house with only pizza and seltzer to sustain him, Charles brings you tales from the world of Windemere. He looks forward to sharing all of his stories with you and drawing you into a world of magic.
I thought we would cruise around and check the deer. We have our faithful bus companion, and it is loaded with brunch and bubbly.Photo by unsplash
Hop aboard, and let’s see what we can find.
Our first sighting is of a mama deer all by herself. I hope everything is okay in the deer household.
Here are a couple of this year’s fawns. Their camouflage spots are beginning to fade.
A young buck wondering what this yellow thing is doing here.
A middle-aged buck having a stroll.
Then there is grandpa. I wonder if we could get him to turn and show us his rack. “Hey, Grandpa.”
Wow. All the previous photos were taken by The Producer. She actually called to the buck, and he stopped and turned. I guess he couldn’t resist a pretty woman.
A whole family taking advantage of the rain refreshed grass. This is the only picture I took on this trip.
This is an Axis deer who escaped from an exotic ranch nearby. Originally from southern India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, the axis deer was introduced to Molokai, Hawaii in the 1860s, Maui years after that, and Texas in 1932, intended as a game animal. Some escaped the ranches like this one. There are over 6000 roaming free in Texas. Photo by the Producer.
I hope you enjoyed our little safari. Feel free to refill those containers with bubbly but remember no drinking and driving. Have a safe and healthy week.
Concentration is needed when it is Stream of Consciousness Saturday. You will see what I mean when Linda Hill explains this week’s prompt. Here is Linda now.
“Thanks, John. Okay, you get the bonus points.Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “-tion.” Find a word that ends with “tion.” Bonus points if you start your post with it. Have fun!”
Goodbye, Linda, and thanks for the prompt. Well, now, you can see why I started the post with the word “concentration.” Let’s hear it for the one step closer to the Bentley convertible. I can almost see it.
“What? I’m just asking if Lucy wants to play.” “It just looked like you were going to pounce on her.” “Who me? Pounce on this water buffalo? Not a chance.”
I am over at Story Empire today. I’m talking about a review link to your book on Amazon. Here is the link. (speaking of links)
Friday is here, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out a good reason to be overjoyed at the prospect. For those working, of course, it is a good thing to take a couple of days off. So I guess I’ll celebrate for you. 🎶 toot 🎶 (love that party horn.)
Not much going on around here. Yes, I’m still touring and am grateful for all the support. The last stop will be on the 30th, so there is a little way to go. A quick reminder that the price of Eternal Road will go up mid-October. It will go from 99¢ to $2.99. As I have said before, the price will never go below 99¢.
We have to keep Hurricane Sally victims in mind today. There is no such thing as an inconsequential Hurricane. Think of the last time you dropped some water on the floor. A Hurricane drops so much more water that usually everything on the main floor of homes is destroyed. Also, without power and A/C, the mold starts to grow immediately. These folks have a tough road ahead.
Today’s JohnKu talks about facing tough times. I hope you all have a beautiful weekend.
I’m with Jill Weatherholt at her lovely blog. I really like her description of her mission. “Writing Stories of Love, Faith, and Happy Endings While Enjoying the Journey.” I am there with another excerpt from Eternal Road- The Final Stop. Come on over. Here is the link
By day, Jill Weatherholt works for the City of Charlotte. At night, and on the weekend, she writes contemporary stories about love, faith, and forgiveness for Harlequin Love Inspired.
Raised in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., she now resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, but her heart belongs to Virginia.
She holds a degree in Psychology from George Mason University and Paralegal Studies Certification from Duke University.
She shares her life with her real-life hero and number one supporter. Their relationship grew on the golf course, and now they have one in their backyard.
Jill believes in enjoying every moment of this journey because God has everything under control.
Joan Hall likes to create character-driven fiction with strong, determined female leads and enigmatic male characters. She has always enjoyed reading a good mystery or suspense story, so it’s only natural that’s her favorite writing genre. She’s also a romantic at heart. When she’s not writing, Joan likes to take nature walks, observe the night skies, explore old cemeteries, and visit America’s National Parks and historical sites. She also likes ghost walks and learning about local folklore. She and her husband live in Texas.
Here are the covers from her Driscoll Lake series.
Her Legends of Madeira Series Book One, Cold Dark Night, will be available in 2020
I’m with Jan Sikes at her blog, Writing, and Music. Jan is hosting me with another excerpt from Eternal Road – The final stop. Come on over. I think there was a problem with the other link so here is a new one. Thanks for your patience.
Jan Sikes openly admits that she never set out in life to be an author. But she had a story to tell. Not just any story, but a true story that rivals any fiction creation. You simply can’t make this stuff up. It all happened. She chose to tell the story through fictitious characters, and they bring the intricately woven tale to life in an entertaining way.
She released a series of music CDs to accompany the four biographical fiction books and then published a book of poetry and art to bring the story full circle.
And now that the story is told, this author can’t find a way to put down the pen. She continues to write fiction and has published nine short stories with a series of paranormal romance novels waiting in the wings. She is a member of Authors Marketing Guild, The Writer’s League of Texas, the RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB (RRBC), the RAVE WRITER’S INT’L SOCIETY OF AUTHOR (RWISA), sits on the RWISA Executive Council, and hosts a monthly RAVE WAVES blog talk radio show, ASPIRE TO INSPIRE.
