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“Find the good and praise it.”
Hello again and happy Halloween!
I hope you’ve had a wonderful week so far!
Personally, I’ve always loved Halloween, so you’ll see that theme throughout this newsletter. And if you have any fun Halloween pics or news to share, I’d love to see them! Just reply to this email.
If you’re a longtime subscriber to this newsletter, you might recall that I shared some of the origins of Halloween last year, in an October 2023 issue of Positive Vibes. In case you missed that issue, here it is again, from the archives:
Also in this issue, you’ll find a new excerpt from my upcoming novel, The View from the Cliffs, which will be ready next month! See more on that below.
Best wishes for a safe and happy Halloween,
Yasmine
For New Subscribers
Here are some links to prior issues you may have missed—some of the best ones 😉 :
Why Positive Vibes? (How this newsletter got its start)
A Very Good Year (Contains many of the highlights of the journey for Walk through Fire: The Train Disaster that Changed America in the year of its release, 2023)
May the Road Rise Up to Meet You (St. Patrick’s Day 2024, with an excerpt from my upcoming novel, The View from the Cliffs)
You can find all the archived issues of Positive Vibes here. (Scroll down on that page after clicking on the link.)
What I’m Feeling Good About
My novel, The View from the Cliffs, is coming right along in its preparations, and is on track for the Kickstarter launch next month! The Kickstarter will be the best way to pre-order the book, obtain autographed copies, and sign up for special webinars and online events. Everyone who participates in the Kickstarter will also get built-in discounts on nearly every item and reward. So, stay tuned and be sure to check your email for notification from me and from Kickstarter the week of Nov. 11!
If you haven’t already signed up for the Kickstarter notification—where I’ll also be offering webinar tickets for “Irish Legends & Lore” and “Around the World with the View from the Cliffs,” as well as tickets for at least one Storytelling Masterclass with me—you can do so here, on the pre-launch page (you have to register for Kickstarter, but that takes about two minutes): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/yasmineali/the-view-from-the-cliffs-a-novel/
And, I’m delighted to share with you another excerpt from the book! This is from Chapter Twenty, and the time and location in which this scene takes place are February 1999, in Nashville, Tennessee:
The next time she ran into Gabriel, it was at the Second Story Café in Davis-Kidd Booksellers. He was sitting at a table in the airy indoor patio, mid-day sunlight streaming down upon him from the skylights. The crisp, starched collar of his white Oxford shirt folded neatly over the black wool sweater he was wearing, and Ranya reflected again on how his clothes always seemed to fit him perfectly.
One bite of a red velvet cake remained on the plate in front of him, and behind him, a box of feathered ferns and waxy-green peace lilies lent a lushness that was unexpected for the time of year. As she took another step in his direction, he lowered the book he was reading and made eye contact with her.
She hadn’t seen much of Gabriel in the past few months; it was almost as if he had been trying to avoid her. Thus she was surprised at the broadness of his smile and the bright welcome in his eyes as he gestured to the seat across from him, inviting her to join him.
“How are you these days, Ranya? Incredibly busy as ever?”
She smiled at him. “Not too busy for the occasional trip to the bookstore,” she said. “Nor are you, I see,” she added, glancing at the slim paperback book on the table between them.
He picked up the book and handed it to her. “A great play, well worth your time. Quick as you are, Ranya, you’ll easily finish it this afternoon.”
She read the cover aloud. “The Field, by John B. Keane.”
“Yeah,” said Gabriel, “a very Irish story. Full of memorable characters. One in particular—Bull McCabe.” He chuckled and shook his head. “You don’t wanna get on the wrong side of the likes of him.”
Ranya looked at him for a moment, the book still in her hand, then ventured to ask, “Do you ever miss it? Ireland, I mean? I imagine you must.”
He looked away from her then and sighed heavily. When he met her gaze again, Ranya thought his eyes were the bluest she had ever seen. The color of the Nashville sky on a cloudless summer day. Why had she never noticed that before?
Still holding her gaze, he answered, “Every single day.”
“How do you do it, then?”
He smiled at her. “Well, having good friends helps a lot. So thank you for that. And otherwise,” he added, seeming to search for an explanation within himself, “I dunno—you just put your head down and keep going, I s’pose.” He shrugged. “There haven’t been that many opportunities for neurologists in Ireland over the past couple of decades—that’s why I came here in the first place—so I’m grateful for the opportunity that I do have here in America. And if things should one day change back home, well … who knows?”
Then he grinned. In her mind, Ranya had labeled this special expression of his as “Gabriel’s grin,” and she found that it always lifted her heart when he favored her with it. Still grinning, he pointed at the book she was holding. “And reading lots of good Irish books by good Irish writers doesn’t hurt,” he said.
“In that case, I should give you back your book,” she said, standing up.
Gabriel moved swiftly to his feet to stand with her. “Oh, no, Ranya, that’s your book now. You keep it.”
Her mouth opened, but no words came out. Gabriel didn’t leave room for silence this time, and hurried to explain, “I’ve already paid for it. If you hate it, then by all means feel free to return it.”
He smiled at her then in a way that radiated warmth despite the chill on the patio. “But something tells me you won’t,” he said, tilting his head to one side. “Hate is not in your nature, is it, Ranya?”
What You’re Feeling Good About
A recent issue of Positive Vibes, “Remembering Jimmy Buffett,” got a lot of great feedback. I wanted to share one quote from a Positive Vibes member who was going through a rough patch in her life, and wrote the following:
Your Positive Vibes newsletter helped me even more this morning.
I have a Timex watch. Time to get it out.
Breathe in, breathe out and move on.
Thank you for all you do for everyone!
I also recently got a Timex watch (a T80, which is a throwback to the ‘80s digital watch):
You might remember the Timex slogan, “Takes a licking and keeps on ticking.” If you are familiar with the slogan, then you understood the last line of my book, Walk through Fire: The Train Disaster that Changed America.
And here is the man, Frank Craver, whom that book’s last line is about—with the Timex watch he was wearing when the Waverly train explosion blew him out of his shoes on February 24, 1978. Indeed, both the watch and the man are still ticking:
(This section is where I’ll be featuring good news, tips, and bits of wisdom from readers—so please reply to this email and share some with me! It can be anything, big or small. Whatever you’re feeling good about.)
Keeping on the Sunny Side
As you know, I enjoy reading about positive living and longevity, and found this article to be intriguing:
This was particularly notable: “When it comes to lifestyle, researchers have found several commonalities among those living in these [longest-lived] areas. One prominent trait is how they manage stress.
“‘We’ve found that centenarians focus on their lives and the lives of the people they love, instead of problems beyond their control,’ said Meyers, a longevity expert.”
Sounds like Positive Vibes to me! 😉
More Good News
25 Halloween traditions …
And more fun Halloween activities:
And then there’s the annual Todd County Hay Bale Trail in southern Kentucky:
And speaking of longevity …
Pawsitive Vibes
Feeny, my Great Pyrenees/Siberian Husky mix, says, “Happy Halloween!”
Ori, my Maine Coon, says, “Whatever.”
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Got a pet pic you’d like to share? Please feel free to reply to this email!
Riddle Me This
Unscramble the following October word:
dlonurac
Answer at the bottom of this newsletter. (And for those of you who have one of my 2024 Book Lovers calendars, look at the image for October for a hint!)
For Your Playlist
Here’s the link if you’re on Spotify.
And for a really good, spooky story in the form of a country/folk song—by one of the masters of the genre:
Here’s the link if you’re on Spotify.
Last Word
Anyone could see that the wind was a special wind this night, and the darkness took on a special feel because it was All Hallows' Eve.
Tell a Friend!
Know anyone who could use more positivity in their lives and would enjoy this newsletter? Send them the link to subscribe for free: https://yasmine-ali-author.beehiiv.com/subscribe
Fan Mail Address
How to get a signed bookplate sticker: see the intro to this post.
Answer to the riddle: cauldron.
(You’ll be able to pre-order my 2025 Book Lovers Calendar when the Kickstarter launches next month!)
