Author Archives: Dana Taylor

Sep 14 2011

Hope for the Holidays

holidaymedium

Raise your spirits with these stories of hope, family, and a touch of the angelic.

E-Book available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords

 

 

SHINY GREEN SHOES

 1935 was a hard year on old Route 66. The unlikely friendship between a young, black girl and an aging white actress brings hope to a town down on its luck.

 

REFINER’S FIRE

Nestled in her beautiful home in the San Diego hills, Dina Stein is determined to celebrate Hanukkah even without her ungrateful daughter. Getting caught in a natural disaster isn’t on her agenda.

PATTY’S ANGELS

1960, Los Angeles. Downtown LA and the suburbs are only minutes, yet worlds, apart. A little girl brings people together, with the help of her celestial best friends.

Sep 3 2011

Go on a Rampage of Appreciation

Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires A couple of weeks ago I was in the doldrums, caught in the grips of “stinkin’ thinkin’, as Zig Ziglar used to say. Getting nowhere fast and seeing my glass half-empty. I recalled the words of another guru, Wayne Dyer–“Change your thinking, change your life.” So, I trolled the Kindle spiritual books page and happened upon  Ask and It Shall Be Given: Learning to Manifest by Esther & Jerry Hicks. Originally published in 2004, I’d heard the CD version, but never read the book.

It is channeled material via a group of souls called Abraham, which elicits a scary boogey-man reaction from many people. Or as my husband calls it, “a lot of bu**%t.” However, living a Supernal Life makes such things no big deal whatsoever. It’s the information that is important. Is it worth considering?

Ask and It Shall Be Given has influenced the thinking and lexicon of the past decade. The Law of Attraction has become an industry in itself. Rhonda Byrne turned soundbites into The Secret, which is still a New Age top seller. Phrases like The Art of Allowing, Vibrational Set-Point,   and Overwhelment created a whole Abrahamic vocabulary to illustrate the Law of Attraction. Simplified it means, the thoughts you project out bring in the events of your life. Or, we all create our own reality.

Yeah, yeah, yeah you say. But, if you take the time to read the book, you’ll see yourself reflected. At least, I did. It has given me some tools to transform my stinkin’ thinkin’ into a Rampage of Appreciation. And, guess what? Better things have been coming my way. I received two calls “out of the blue” this week to improve  situations  that seemed dismal. Positive reviews have popped up about my books. Coincidence? I think not.

Globally, it seems to me there is epidemic “stinkin’ thinkin.” The stock market plunges on fear. The more everyone fears, the more it plunges. Companies don’t hire because they are afraid of the future. People are paralyzed in their fear. If you want to break out of that pack you might consider turning off your TV and turning the pages of Ask and It Shall Be Given. 

The subtitle of  is Learning to Manifest Your Desires. My Supernal friend, Sue, had an interesting realization about the subject. Listen in her own words on the latest pod cast at Supernal Friends on the Hello from Heaven Radio page. We named the episode “Sue’s Manifesting Epiphany.” She also talks about her increasing talent of clairaudience. Pretting interesting stuff!

Have a great Labor Day Weekend–

Dana

Aug 22 2011

Is there such a thing as “distance healing”?

Supernal Living Part III

One of my Supernal Friends, Paula, was healed of an “incurable” disease in 2005 (See Supernal Friends Page) and has gone on to learn and practice energy healing for others. In the past few months word-of-mouth referrals have kept her phone ringing. She rarely meets clients in person. She sends healing energy. A man called her, asked questions and paid for a session. She hung up the phone and did a healing session for him. A couple days later he called to apologize. The appointment had been a “setup.” He didn’t believe in distance healing and wanted to prove it to his girlfriend. Much to his surprise, his condition improved and he thought he owed Paula an apology.

 You can’t really blame the guy. The truth is energy healing is hard enough to buy when a practitioner is in the same room running hands near the physical body. But long distance? How can that be? That’s where multi-dimensional thinking comes in. Quantum physics identifies working in realms that are “non-local.” Electrons take a “quantum leap” from one place to another without actually moving through space. I can only conjecture, but distance healing really is no distance at all. The energy worker simply taps into a “non-local” dimension and is able to connect. It’s possible to train the mind to tap into information streaming in unseen dimensions and transmit healing energy.

 This is not anything new. The old word for it is “prayer.” Last week a boy, Dale Ostrander, was sucked out into the ocean off the shore of Long Beach, WA. He went under the water before the horrified eyes of his church youth group. They fell to their knees on the sand and prayed as the rescue workers recovered the “lifeless” body. People at the scene say he didn’t take a breathe for at least fifteen minutes. Once at the hospital, a faint pulse was found and Dale made a “miraculous” recovery. You can read the story and see pictures here. His parents are convinced the power of prayer is responsible for the saving of their son. I agree. The immediate tapping into the “Ever-Flowing Streams,” as I’ve dubbed them, and perhaps calling forth unseen helpers (angels? Holy Spirit?) seems as likely an explanation as any.

Ever-Flowing Streams devotes a section to the meeting of science and spirituality. Learn to tap into “non-local” healing energy through Supernal Living.

Aug 20 2011

Discover an Indie Gem–FREE Nov 14- 15th

The Road to GrafenwöhrThings are achangin’ across the globe in almost every sector and nowhere is that more evident than the publishing industry. The rise of digital publishing has given birth to the Indie Author. No more query letters and slush piles hoping to be plucked from obscurity by a Big Publisher. Nowadays anyone with a PC and the Internet can upload a book into cyberspace and instantly become a Published Author. Of course, not all Indie Authors are created equal. Too many lack the skill of good storytelling—or even good punctuation! However, there are a few writers that are finally getting the opportunity to tell their stories in unique ways with truly exceptional talent.  One of those authors is Edward C. Patterson.

I came across him at the Kindle Boards in the nascent days of Indie publishing. He was one of the trailblazers, forging ahead where no one had gone. He was helpful to the newbies and a leader of the pack. It took me a year to actually read one of his stories. Why? It was the gay thing. I mistakenly thought he was writing about gays for gays. I’m not in that demographic, so I kept passing him by. Then, one December day I was tired of the same old, same old and decided to give Mr. Patterson a looksee. And, wow, I was so wrong. Patterson is a gifted writer whose stories transcend demographic groups or petty prejudice. Yes, there are some gay characters and themes, but an understanding and unveiling of the human condition is at the core of his writing. His descriptions, turns of phrase and characterizations inspire my admiration. Reading Patterson reminded me of the time I read Stephen King’s classic The Dead Zone  and understood why he had become the King of fiction. Talent, pure talent.

Patterson is still largely a secret to the general reading public, although last I heard he had sold over 12,000 books since blazing the Indie trail.  Another great thing about digital publishing is the books are going to be available Forever, or until the Internet collapses. Hopefully, terrific writers like Mr. Patterson will find a growing audience who appreciate excellent storytelling. Below is my review for the book I recently read, The Road to Grafenwohr.

When I’m in the mood for fine writing, interesting characters, unexpected turns, I scan the long list of books by Edward C. Patterson. My third outing with Mr. Patterson was “The Road to Grafenwohr” and once again I was deeply impressed by the storytelling talent of this man. “Road” is a fascinating mix of reality and fantasy woven together with writing that can turn lyrical or gritty with the twist of a phrase. Quincy Summerson is a green recruit ordered to the German/Czech border during the height of the Cold War. An obvious facial birthmark always set him apart in his Brooklyn beginnings; in Germany it marks him as a mythic hero. Patterson paints his manuscript first with dabs of mystic moments, mixed with solid realities of military life. By the end of the piece, the mystical has overtaken the mundane to a classic conflict of good vs. evil. All the while the reader grows more involved with the cadre of characters surrounding Summerson. At the core of every Patterson book are characters to care about. He is one of the best authors to emerge from the Indie Author movement. Discover his gems and enjoy the work of a very gifted writer.

 

Aug 19 2011

Trafficked: The Diary of a Sex Slave

Trafficked: The Diary of a Sex SlaveOne of my increasing joys of being an Indie Author is connecting with other Indies around the world. This year I’ve met the charming and ebullient Sibel Hodge, who generally writes chick-lit romances and mysteries. Sibel has a dual British/Turkish Cypriot nationality, which makes her very interesting, indeed. She departed from her usual fare to raise awareness of the terrible sex-slave industry. She sent me a copy Trafficked: The Diary of a Sex-Slave and this is my official review:

Sibel Hodge paints a vivid picture of a woman caught up in a global travesty of our time: Sex-Slave Trafficking. Using the Diary format to tell Elena’s story of betrayal, helplessness, and degradation, Hodge sheds light on an industry that preys on thousands of young women every day. Using a novelist’s skill, we come to care for Elena quickly. Women readers can easily relate to Elena and how she feels caught in the trap of prostitution. The piece is gritty, but not gruesome. I read it in one sitting. It left me feeling like I wanted to DO SOMETHING, which I imagine was the reason Sibel diverted from her usual chick-lit fare to tackle a serious subject. Hopefully, the pen truly is mightier than the sword, and “Diary” will help raise awareness and action against one of the most shameful cruelties of modern times. Change begins with resolve. I admire Sibel Hodge for devoting her time and talent to keep this issue in the spotlight.

Change begins with awareness and then the decision that enough is enough. Hopefully, communities and countries will begin to decide that treating their girls as sexual commodities is not acceptable.

Aug 12 2011

Never Forget

aint-lovegrandmedium

I was living in Oklahoma City in 1995 and felt the bomb shake my house that killed 168 people and wounded countless others. I remember the collective grief. The feeling is echoed this summer. It seems fitting to post this scene that was inspired by that moment in history.

Excerpt from

“Ain’t Love Grand?”

 

The set-up: The Healer and the Lawyer. Persephone Jones has a new neighbor in Peeler, Oklahoma—high dollar lawyer, Jason Brooks. This is a more serious scene featuring Jason as the guest speaker for a fund raiser for the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial

 

“It’s my privilege to bring you one of the unsung heroes of that fateful April morning, when all of our lives were changed forever. You haven’t heard his story before. He didn’t take a photo opportunity, but he was there working tirelessly until we forced him to go home two days later. I had to twist his arm to get him to come here this evening.” His attention veered in our direction. “Ladies and Gentlemen, will you welcome Oklahoma’s own, Jason Brooks.”

My mouth dropped open. Jason had never said a word about any personal involvement with the bombing. Come to think of it, he never bragged or appeared on the ego trip associated with successful lawyers.

He issued a low grunt, wiped his mouth with his napkin, rose, and made his way to the front of the room. The audience applauded politely, as he took his place behind the podium. He stood quietly before the crowd, taking their measure as the applause died down.

Though his expression appeared impassive, his hands gripped the podium, betraying pent-up tension. “Paul’s correct in telling you I am here reluctantly. I know most of you think I’m a publicity hound, always ready to give a statement when the cameras are rolling. It’s true that I’m not shy about putting my face in the forefront when there’s an issue I consider worth taking a stand for. But tonight is different. The experience of the bombing…the sights, smells, and memories are forever imprinted in my mind and soul.”

Grim lines drew around his mouth. “I was there, one of the first on the scene, two blocks away from the Murrah Building when the blast went off, knocking me off my feet. The glass in the high-rise windows around me shattered and rained down on the sidewalks as I crouched into a ball, feeling particles of debris bounce off my back. My memories after that moment are as fragmented as the building itself…”

His voice filled the room with his remembrances of the blood, smoke, fear, and valor brought forth following the terrorist attack on the American heartland. We revisited the day again through his eyes. How he carried dead toddlers out of what was left of the day care center…calmed hysterical people searching in vain for loved ones…helped organize a triage center. He’d stared helplessly at the fragmented, blackened mass of concrete, glass and twisted steel that had so recently been an orderly structure of offices, reception areas, and snack rooms. Everyday people were working to support their families and fulfill their place in the world when a misguided, angry young man wiped them off the face of the earth forever.

Jason didn’t want to remember, but he couldn’t let us forget. Supporting the Memorial was necessary, but would never be enough for the families left behind. However, it was all we could do and must do to sanctify a place where evil had momentarily overtaken goodness. The Memorial honored the dead and encouraged the living.

The audience was pulled into his word pictures and overcome with the tide of memory. Most of the women had tears in their eyes, while the men held their faces in tight masks of restraint. Jason fought for emotional control and cleared his throat on numerous occasions to keep going. His eyes found mine again and again as he related the painful details of our collective days in hell.

“It won’t bring any of them back, but we can’t let the victims be forgotten in the mists of time. The Memorial not only honors the 168 people who died that day, but the hundreds who survived. We are all survivors of the bombing. You all remember where you were that day, what you were doing when you heard about it. Many of you felt the impact of the blast and knew something terrible had occurred. It’s a Memorial for all of us in the city, in the state and in the country. The Museum teaches about the impact of violence. I didn’t want to participate in a tragedy, but we must all participate in changing the patterns of violence. Good night and God bless you all.”

He walked through the room as people leapt to their feet in emotional applause. Men patted his back; women wiped their eyes. He never took his gaze off me. I stood up slowly, meeting his penetrating, soul stripping stare with tear-filled eyes. He grabbed my hand.

“Let’s get out of here.” I nodded, gathered up my purse and we exited into the cool of the gardens, the crowd still applauding as we stole into the night.

Available at

http://amzn.to/R0gZgQ Amazon US

http://amzn.to/SSBn2z Amazon UK