Penniless Hearts – #GuestBlogger Eve Gaal

April 18-2018- Thanks Cynthia for having me on your blog.

The unique thing about Penniless Hearts is that it’s hard to categorize my book’s genre as a typical romance, adventure or mystery. I’ve been told it’s humorous. Though funny in parts, it’s not slapstick funny all the way through. Some reviews call it screw-ball comedy. Some call it a beach read. I think of it as a fictional tapestry of good versus evil. Short vignettes interspersed with mild doses of pain, coming together with an emotional climax. I honestly planned the plot holes because I wanted the reader to infer my meaning, without bogging them down with too many boring details. No one ever told me the book was dull. Of course, I think it’s unique, but will you? Our publisher knows how to keep our group interesting and diverse. I’ve read several books by Creativia authors and find them fascinating. So many interesting characters!

Twists

Like everything truly enjoyable, there must be a twist. Like chocolate-twisted brioche, the more twists the better. Penniless Hearts is filled with short, seemingly unconnected chapters. Nowadays some readers have OCD or fashionably diminutive attention spans. Not you, of course. There’s also the rampant problem called limited time. Both conditions are spreading like wildfire.

One of my favorite humor writers says:

The greatest sin for a writer is to be boring- Carl Hiaasen

Even reading the book reviews can be entertaining—well they are to me anyway. The main theme is about a journey. Penny, my main character is going to Hawaii. That’s when trouble begins. In our modern, interconnected, wireless world, if you don’t charge your cell phone and lose your ATM card, strange things can keep you separated from those you love. Do you enjoy adventures that take you on a vacation somewhere?

Love

But Penny’s not sure about love. In fact, in the beginning of the book she’s pretty much relegated love to her fantasies. And like many cynical, would be lovers, true love is a make-believe creation that rides around on a white stallion and looks impossible to find.

Fortunately, in my personal life, I met a Prince from my imagination in the early nineties. No white stallion–just a beat up old, red truck and some pre-teen kids. We were married in Hawaii and it was dreamy enough to call us back to the islands for our first anniversary where the luster of our honeymoon looked different. Those cracks in the veneer of hospitality gave me a glimpse into what would someday help with the setting of Penniless Hearts. And though our love blossomed, and my daily newspaper position kept me busy, there were dramatic issues involving our stepchildren. Horrific issues. That kept me awake at night, while also providing fodder for my novel.

A Real Heroine

Finally, I left the paper and moved from Murrieta to the desert town of La Quinta, where I had time to write. Maybe I could inspire others to find true love? I had four reasons to write Penniless Hearts: First, I wanted my siblings to find spouses and thought that perhaps a sister’s words could prove there is hope at the end of the dating tunnel. Second, I wanted to indirectly thank the graphic artists who had worked hard to please me in the newspaper business. I also wanted to bring awareness to the endangered sea turtles of Hawaii. Lastly, I needed a main female character who could overcome, overachieve and triumph when facing the unthinkable. A true heroine.

Bestselling author Marilyn Collier said this about my character Penny:

“This is a wild escape fiction for someone that wants to laugh, root for or want to shake the heroine.”

Research

Those two trips to the islands, the internet, used books, old maps and travel articles rounded out my research. After watching hours of videotaped volcanic eruptions and online helicopter flights, all I needed was the tranquility of the desert to write Penniless Hearts. The added benefit is that after watching all those videos I can fly a helicopter and dodge flowing lava at a moments notice. Yeah sure, I’m kidding.

If you read Penniless Hearts and enjoy it, please write me a note or post a review to tell me all about it.

Bestselling author Norma Beishir wrote:

“Penniless Hearts is one of the best novels I’ve read in a very long time.”

New & Fresh

We have returned to the area we lived in before we moved to the arid desert. I live in a semi-rural place called Wildomar. It’s interesting to find out historic Wildomar has been around for a very long time. While I live in a commuter-styled, suburban home, there are bucolic ranch homes with horses nearby. Unlike the desert where we had to drive five miles for a loaf of bread, we can walk less than a mile for everything. We can even drive a short distance to a dairy for fresh milk! Plus, the climate is perfect.

Anyway, I have almost finished writing the romantic sequel to Penniless Hearts. It’s called Penniless Souls and I’m still polishing it up. It’s a tad darker, and though I can’t say the subject is light and lively, Penny gets caught up in all sorts of adventure and heartache, but this time in Vegas, instead of Hawaii. The only thing keeping her sane, is the thought that life is a game of chance. But is it?

Watch for Penniless Souls soon.

~Eve Gaal~

I really enjoyed visiting. Thanks again for this opportunity. Please stop by my blog if you have a chance at http://evegaal.blogspot.com

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