FIVE FAST FACTS ABOUT BALLET! DID YOU KNOW....

As a child, I loved the ballet. It was the first dance I studied. I switched to modern dance when my family moved from NYC to the suburbs since ballet wasn't offered in my new town. But I never lost my passion for ballet. I have seen many performances of classic ballets, like Swan Lake at Lincoln Center. 

I'm surprised it's taken me this long to write about a dancer. But I have in LOVE'S LAST CHANCE.
Today I'm sharing a few fast facts about ballet you might not know.

1) Ballet began in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th and 16th centuries. 

2) The word "ballet" comes from the French, but can be traced back to its original source, the Italian, "ballare", meaning to dance.

3) Ballet developed as a performance-focused art form in France during the reign of Louis XIV, who was passionate about dance.

4) The ballerina became the most popular dance performer in Europe in the first half of the 19th century, gradually turning the spotlight away from the male dancer.

 5) Michel  Fokine choreographed Sheherazade and Cleopatra. He also reworked Petrouchka and The Firebird. One of his most famous works was The Dying Swan, performed by Anna Pavlova. Beyond her talents as a ballerina, Pavlova had the theatrical gifts to fulfill Fokine's vision of ballet as drama. Legend has it that Pavlova identified so much with the swan role that she requested her swan costume from her deathbed.
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  A bit about the book

Dorrie Rodgers left three men behind in New York when she moved to L.A. to dance the lead in a movie. Engagement to a powerful producer made her life complete. But an accident ended both her career and her impending marriage.

After three years of struggling along teaching yoga, Dorrie is hired to choreograph a movie. Wanting to share her joy at this fabulous chance to resurrect her career, she is determined to end her single status.  

Questioning her decision to leave each of three men in New York, Dorrie returns to the Big Apple for one more day with each. Was she hasty in her decisions to leave them behind? Will one of these men make her change her mind? Will her return to the past bring the love she is seeking or will loneliness propel her back into the arms of the one man who broke her heart? 

Read an excerpt from Chapter One HERE

            Buy the book HERE

A Taste of Summer at Lake Huntington

Come with me to Lake Huntington. 

 This is the lake.

It's where I hide out all summer and write. Except for this summer as I was attending conferences. 

 This is our humble cabin. I write on the deck when it's not raining.

 Here are some of the sights that bring me peace and enable me to focus on my inner voices and their stories.

Lake Huntington is the inspiration for Pine Grove, the small town that is the setting for a number of my books.

 This is the Delaware River, a beautiful but treacherous body of water.

This is the charming one-lane bridge crossing the Delaware. It takes you from New York state to Pennsylvania in a matter of seconds.





Thanks for taking this little trip with me. If you want to learn more about my books, go to my website.
 





 

TUESDAY TALES - WORD PROMPT "WAVE"

 Hi and welcome to my Tuesday Tales story. This is a continuation of my work-in-progress, THE BIG LIE:

            With her stepmother’s death, Dale had no way to confirm her suspicions about the lie. Then she remembered Anna used to confide in her best friend, Jonesy, the administrative secretary at Kensington State. 

After washing her face and reapplying makeup, she headed over to the university. One o’clock. Lunchtime. She sat down on a bench outside the building where the sixty-ish lady worked and waited. Within ten minutes she was rewarded for her patience when she saw Jonesy strolling toward the main entrance.

Dale whistled and waved. Jonesy returned the wave.

“How you getting’ along, honey?” The older woman asked, plopping her generous butt on the bench next to Dale.

“Been better. I need to talk to you. To get the truth about something. Can you stay for a minute?”

“Sure.” Jonesy’s friendly expression turned to one of worry and unease. “Shoot.”

“About Cliff’s marriage…”
Jonesy’s brow knitted. “I told her not to do it. I did. We argued about it several times. But she went ahead anyway.”
Dale felt dizzy. Her throat closed up, stopping her breath. Jonesy took her hand.
“Are you all right? You’re mighty pale.”
The younger woman shook her head. When the tears started to flow, Jonesy gathered her into her arms. Within a few minutes, Dale had recovered her speech.

“She lied. She lied about his marriage, didn’t she?”
Jonesy looked away. “Wondered if you’d figure it out. Now…it’s too late.”
The confirmation of her worst fear was like a heavyweight punching her in the stomach. Again she couldn’t breathe. What might have been. Oh my God. What might have been.  

RETURN TO TUESDAY TALES
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