Bye for now, Richie Havens

Posted on April 23, 2013 by AlianaAlani

A few years ago when I was still living in Ireland, I was gifted the opportunity of listening to Richie Havens play in a concert in Cork City. In truth I had gone mostly to hear the warm-up act, a wonderful singer/songwriter by the name of Don Mescall who I had briefly gotten to know. Of course I had heard of Richie and like many growing up in North America had at one point or another seen the iconic documentary, Woodstock. But that’s as far as it had gotten.

I was unprepared for the sheer power and beauty of this man’s performance. For almost three hours, he wrapped us in the warmth of his heart and talent. He had more energy than you could possibly imagine and he took that energy and generously gave it to us so that by the end of that evening we were all inspired, delighted, and at moments, yes perhaps a bit blown away by the incredible power of word and image and song that he invoked. Later he sat in the lobby of the theatre and graciously signed CD after CD to a line of fans long and winding. His patience impressed.

I read online today in one of what will surely be many articles about the man that at some point he was quoted as saying, “I’m not in show business, I’m in the communications business”. I can acknowledge the truth of that. From my perspective and experience of his music, Richie Havens knew with each concert he gave (perhaps even with each song he wrote) that he had an opportunity to, for a brief moment, lift the spirits of those around him and open their hearts just a little more. I sense he recognized that in doing so each of us might become more inspired within to envision and create a more loving and beautiful world. For me, that was often the message within his songs and his life.

A day later I got to meet him again while visiting Don at his family’s home. Richie and the band dropped by. It was an easy effortless sitting around chatting on a sunny Cork day. The man exuded both gentleness, kindness, and a beautiful depth of spirit. I consider it an honour to have met him.

So here’s to you, Richie Havens – fly high and free, soar with the angels, sing with the heavens. We are all blessed to have had you with us. Your music lives on.

Namaste

The EBook of BETWEEN WORLDS is here

Posted on May 15, 2012 by AlianaAlani

Now you can get your very own copy!

It has been said that some stories have their own timing, a sense of place within the fabric and power of word when they choose to deliver themselves to our world. Such stories can drive authors crazy as we strive, usually vainly, to birth the tale before its inwardly designated moment.

BETWEEN WORLDS is one of those stories.

This, after many moons, is its first wave.

Set in present day Los Angeles California and in what has often been called The Garden of County Wicklow Ireland, BETWEEN WORLDS carves its tale along the pathways of time, casting us back through Ireland’s mystical mists into the sixth century and those precious moments before Glendalough became a renowned monastic city. It tells the tale of a woman who leaves her budding LA world behind to follow an invisible thread connected to the face of a man who has come to haunt her. Instinctively she feels Ireland carries the clues that will rid her of this vision and bring peace back to her world. The upper lake of Glendalough has other plans.

Called a historical romance by some, albeit with more than one twist, BETWEEN WORLDS is really a heart song to and for Ireland, and because everything is interlinked in our world, it naturally becomes a heart song for us all. Like all songs of the heart, it carries the potential for healing, and a key to love.

Be one of the first wave to read this EBook!

It’s a wonderful story whose time has come.

$9.95 CDN (plus applicable taxes)

You can order your copy(s) by leaving your contact details on the comment section below and we will get back to you. Payment is by PayPal. The EBook is available both in Kindle and main stream version (which can be downloaded onto Adobe Digitals Edition software and also thru ibook on your iphone). Each is also available in high or low res. Let us know which version you want.

If you want a taste of the tale before you buy, click on the Between Worlds – Sneak Preview page of this blog, scroll down, click on the pdf link below the book cover, and enjoy.

Word-of-mouth is a treasured thing when self publishing so do pass the word along to anyone who you feel would be interested. Truly it’s a story that deserves to be read.

I hope reading BETWEEN WORLDS will touch your heart. Writing it has definitely touched mine.

…book cover design by Tannice Goddard

Between Worlds – Sneak Preview!

Posted on February 2, 2012 by AlianaAlani

CHECK OUT THE NEW PAGE – Between Worlds – Sneak Preview

I’ve made it available especially for you.

When you get there, ponder the cover image (you’ll know its depth when you have read the whole tale), scroll down and click on the pdf link. It will take you into a Sneak Preview of the land and story of Between Worlds.

I hope it wets your appetite and encourages you to want to read more.

Enjoy!

Aliana

Between Worlds: Reflections

Posted on July 4, 2011 by AlianaAlani

In some ways, it feels like it was centuries ago when I started researching what was to become the book, Between Worlds. Like its heroine, I too was pulled over to The Green; that mystical, often magical, frequently haunting place known as Ireland. It is truly a land of layers, of stories, of polarities, and of love. Ireland is a door to the heart. After years walking its pathways, I’m convinced of that. But like any magnificent door, it requires a key, and finding the key to the heart of Ireland becomes a journey in itself.
There is a saying that some places make you pay your dues. For me, Ireland was one of them. Of course once you do, there is no end to what they might tell you. And once you do, they never quite let you go.

Birthing Between Worlds, finally, is for me a give-back. It is a story that so deeply wanted to be told that it yanked me clear across the Atlantic to follow its trail, plunked me at the edge of Glendalough, and demanded that I listen. Had I known the journey it would take me on, perhaps I would never have gone. But that’s the force of such things, isn’t it. To tempt and tantalize, envelop and immerse you to such a degree that you find yourself heading off a proverbial cliff with no idea of the outcome or even the steps along the way.

For me, it has been a story worth telling, something that has been hidden within the mists for far too long. Ultimately it is a story of the heart. After all, it’s from ancient Ireland. How could it not be?

And, it’s a self-published book searching for its audience. Perhaps you are one of those people meant to wander through its pages and be touched by the magic of its story.

Aliana Alani July 2011