Litha: Summer Solstice
Audio: Novel excerpt & Humor essay * Urban Fantasy Art-in-Motion * Books & Music
2024 Edition No. 2
Publisher’s Note by Debbie Abbott
We’re back for our second quarterly issue of the year and I can safely say that the Dharma ‘creative tribe’ is enjoying our new publishing schedule. With two of us overseeing the process of high-school graduation and college preparation (Colleen with her youngest child, and me with my oldest grandson) … the demands of life and limited time have taken temporary control and priority over our soul desires for writing stories. As die-hard scribes, however, we’re all excited to once again share some humor, some angels, some wellness, some fantasy, some recommended reading, and our Dharma Direction summer playlist with you all … for free.
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Behind the Green Door: listen to Debbie Abbott read an excerpt from THE ANGELS’ GAUNTLET, her auto-fiction, contemporary fantasy novel. This chapter, entitled “Seeing Stars” recounts a true story of celebrity serendipity in the 1970s, with an angel named Hope as the narrator.
Best Medicine: listen to Colleen Markley read her timely and humorous essay, “Summer Solstice, Sunshine, and Stories”—chock full of wishes and advice for all the young adults heading off to college for the first time.
Story Art-in-Motion: mesmerizing video of watercolor artist Read Gallo painting to the words of LJ Longo reading her fantasy romance, “Contrarian in the City.”
The Reading Dingy: the books we love, are currently reading, or are stacking up in our TBR pile.
The Litha video playlist on The Muse-Sick YouTube channel: songs from the Saturday Night Fever movie soundtrack along with other summertime selections from the 70s.
Behind The Green Door …
An essay on Celebrity Serendipity - the second in a four-series installment.
“Seeing Stars”
~ Novel excerpt by Debbie Abbott
[Story audio file is located after the author’s intro below.]
In keeping with my theme this year to share some of the ‘celebrity encounters’ I’ve had that have left indelible impressions on my life, the piece I’ll be reading in this Summer Solstice edition is an excerpt from my debut novel: THE ANGELS’ GAUNTLET, set in 1970s Dallas, Texas … where I grew up.
The big question my story asks is: What if angels—both Light and Dark—are guiding Volunteer souls through earthly gauntlet lessons designed to help humans achieve their soul-purpose? Their Dharma.
Based around the events and people who shaped my life—but written in the genre of contemporary fantasy—I’ve kept most of the names the same except for mine (until an editor tells me to change the rest of them). So, rather than my childhood name of ‘Debbie Dooney’ … the main character is named Melodee Mooney. (Which means, my family name was also changed.)
All of the human stuff in my story is absolutely true as I experienced it, and everything happened exactly as it’s told. The angel details are where I’ve used my imagination, my beliefs, and my angel experiences to craft a ‘what if’ scenario. After much meditation and request for angelic guidance, I chose Archeia Hope as my novel’s narrator.
If you’re curious about the difference between Archeia and Archangels, click here: “Arch and Archeia” to read my essay from Dharma Direction’s 2022 Gemini issue that delves into the duality—the yin and yang—of the angels.
Spoiler alert: The celebrity in this issue’s story is John Travolta, who has been through some controversial times since my 1976 ‘encounter’ with him. But back in the days of disco, the Bee Gees, and Saturday Night Fever … all we knew was Wow! He was the hot new young hunk on every teen magazine cover, coming to life in each weekly television episode of the sit-com Welcome Back, Kotter. The term sweathogs took on a whole new meaning, and grease was cool again.
I hope you enjoy listening to my story ~ Debbie
“Seeing Stars” - novel excerpt from THE ANGELS’ GAUNTLET
I also invite you to listen to the Dharma Direction Litha Playlist on our Muse-Sick YouTube channel, featuring some of my favorite songs from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack along with some of the best summer songs from Grease … both were hit movies in the late ‘70s that featured John Travolta in the starring role.
And as always, remember the Dharma Direction motto: Go With the Flow ~
BIG News!
Debbie’s first published poem, “Bad Mother”—about the guilt poured upon single mothers by society, by their parents, and by their own children—is included in the newly released (June 28, 2024), all-women poets’ anthology, Of Our Own Accord, available now on Amazon (paperback published by Flying Ketchup Press).
… voices of over sixty poets who share their underrepresented experiences of women’s embodied poetry. Their candid and profound poems shed light, widen awareness, and create space for those who identify as female. ~ Amazon
Debbie Abbott is a former managing editor for an upscale food and lifestyle print magazine in Scottsdale, Arizona. She now spends time working on her poetry, debut novel, and sharing anecdotes and life lessons as Dharma Direction’s publisher, editor, and contributor. She also volunteers as the Online Community Director for the WFWA (Women’s Fiction Writers Association).
Debbie’s novel-in-progress, THE ANGELS’ GAUNTLET, is inspired by her own life with the additional fantasy element of angelic influence over the life of her Volunteer soul … which is determined to keep a 3,000-year-old promise of hope to the angels.
Connect with Debbie on Facebook or visit Debbie on Instagram.
Best Medicine …
~ Colleen Markley reads her timely and humorous essay about the various ways parents try to prepare their ‘adult-ling’ children for college.
“Summer Solstice, Sunshine and Stories”
For a flip-side look at the humorous side of life, check out Colleen as a train wreck during the darkest and longest months surrounding the winter solstice. Here’s a sneak peek pic from her essay, “Winter Crankies - Hello Jersey,” published in her “Yes, It Really Happened” blog (February 2015).
Colleen Markley is a novelist, freelance writer, and memoir instructor, named the June 2021 winner of the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop Humor Writer of the Month. She was awarded the Nickie’s Prize for humor for her essay “Unflappably Calm, Occasionally Furious, Ready and Willing to Hide the Bodies,” published in Sisters! Bonded by Love and Laughter. Her novel-in-progress, LILITH LAND, is a story about the end of the world where only the women survive. (It’s a novel, not an action plan.)
Check out Colleen’s Substack to catch up on her publishing accolades and recent bylines.
Find her at www.ColleenMarkley.com or sign up here for her newsletter and updates. Visit Colleen on Instagram or Facebook. See her reviews and what she’s reading on Goodreads.
Story Art-In-Motion …
~ LJ Longo reads her short Fantasy Romance about witch lights, goblin poetry, and the advantages of vocal scrying messages … as artist Read Gallo brings the scene to life with watercolors.
“Contrarian in the City of Joy”
L.J. Longo is an award-winning Romance author, a queer geek, and feminist writing a medley of dark romance (which can be found through Evernight Publishing), magical realism, weird sci-fi/fantasy, and very implausible creative non-fiction. She recently received Third Place recognition for her submission to the Writer’s Digest Annual Short Story Fiction Contest with her entry titled, "To Harvest Lavender." Coming Soon: LJs queer fiction, “The Stranded Sky Castle” will be featured in the Alpha Male anthologies from Evernight Publishing.
Connect to L.J. on Facebook, L.J.'s Twitter page, or L.J. on Instagram.
The Reading Dingy …
New releases to add to your to-be-read pile!
Check out all of these recommended reads on Goodreads.
The Litha Playlist ft. John Travolta
Get your groove on with the hottest disco hits of the 1970s from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack along with chart-topping select singles. Watch or just listen to our curated mix on The Muse-Sick YouTube channel - Dharma Direction Litha Playlist
See y’all in September for Dharma Direction’s next seasonal edition: Mabon/Autumn Equinox.
Many blessings to everyone,
~ Debbie Abbott, publisher/editor
#gowiththeflow