Many thanks to everyone who participated in the 10 Fingers Photo Contest. We received  a wide-range of outstanding entries and they were judged anonymously. There were so many good choices that the judges awarded three winners instead of two! Interestingly and totally coincidentally, the three images that were selected represent love at different stages of life!

Please join me in congratulating Lida Larsen, Sheree Lynn Ross and Lisa Fraley for their heartwarming photos!  Each will receive an autographed copy of Ten Fingers Touching!

Click on a gallery image to view the photo full size!

I hope you enjoy viewing these photos which speak volumes about loving relationships ― lifetime love, young love and childhood love!

Following are comments that accompanied the first two photos and provide meaningful context:

Lida Larsen wrote, “My parents always held hands. This is right before my father died.”

Sheree Lynn Ross took this picture noting: “My great niece Paige and her fiancé, Matt. They became engaged Dec. 10.”

Together, these three images are poignant examples of the power of non-verbal communication and show how trust, reassurance and comfort flow from a simple gesture.

My book begins and ends with two original short poems about ten fingers touching because holding hands with someone you care about creates a sense of well-being and an emotional bond. In the case of lovers, Martak and Marianna, ten fingers touching leads to greater intimacy that completes an emotional circle giving Markak the power to conquer evil.

In Ten Fingers Touching, after the Princess disappears, the Kingdom is in chaos. Everyone, including Evil, searches for the missing child. Marianna, her governess, runs into a group of village children and asks them if they have seen the Princess. They all reply negatively. Then she shows them a miniature portrait of Princess Rosy. The children are shocked at seeing the face of a girl who comes to the village and plays with them.

Miniature portraiture evolved from the art of illuminated manuscripts and was popularized in 16th century France and England. The earliest portraits were painted in watercolor on stretched vellum, a form of parchment. The subjects centered on the court. Portraits served as personal mementoes bestowed on court favorites, such as the one given to Marianna by the King and Queen, but they were also used to provide introductions between a young man and lady of noble birth destined to be betrothed for political or economic reasons. The first Queen Elizabeth’s wealthier subjects wore her image as a sign of loyalty to the crown.

Miniature portrait of Princess Rosy

Portrait painting on ivory was adopted around 1700. Over the years, miniature portraits appeared in jewelry (e.g., lockets, brooches) and on snuff box covers that were available to the affluent middle class. Miniature portraits were cherished as intimate tokens of affection because they could be kissed or held close to a lover’s heart.

The art of miniature portraiture began to decline with the birth of photography in 1839. The new technology produced portraits that were quick, accessible to the general public, affordable and ensured an accurate likeness.

The portraits in Ten Fingers Touching were created through digital art combining the beauty of painterly images with the latest in computer technology.

Best wishes for a joyous holiday season!

Ten Fingers Touching, a story about true love, makes a special gift when given as a token of affection during the holidays. It can be ordered through Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, as well as from local Pittsburgh bookstores and gift shops. Click here for more information.

Monarch

In Ten Fingers Touching, Martak, the Master of the Forest has the ability to communicate with animals.

After rescuing his beloved, Marianna, Martak takes her to a secluded valley. He summons butterflies and swarms of the beautiful winged creatures magically appear. They nestle together forming a soft blanket as the lovers sleep beneath the stars. In the morning, the butterflies that had warmed and comforted Marianna during the night meld together into a magnificent shimmering gown. Upon awakening, she looks as radiant as a fiery opal.

Butterflies have always been important to me. They symbolize beauty, freedom and a touch of magic in the real world! Sadly, the monarch butterfly is at risk. The population has declined by an alarming rate of 90% over the past two decades.

The monarch’s annual migration goes from Canada to “wintering” in the mountain forests of Mexico. The long journey requires four generations of butterflies to complete one roundtrip.

During the breeding part of their migration, the only plant that the monarch caterpillar can eat is milkweed. In Mexico, tens of thousands of monarchs stay warm by clustering on trees.

Thousands of monarchs clustered on trees

Reasons for the monarch’s disappearance include: Loss of milkweed due to chemicals used in modern agriculture, climate change, land development, and deforestation from logging that destroys their natural habitat.

We can help save the monarch! To learn more about monarch conservation and butterfly gardens see monarchjointventure.org

From Les Très Riches Heures 15th c. French illuminated manuscript

Ten Fingers Touching takes place during the Middle Ages where life was hard under the feudal system. Nobles were granted land by the King in exchange for their loyalty and protection. Peasants worked for the lords, laboring in their fields. They were bound to the land, paid high rents and were beholden to the nobles who protected them. Peasants were also required to pay a tax in cash or in kind (e.g., seeds) to the church. They were poor, conditions were harsh and there were no laws to protect them.

Fast forward to the 19th century. Working conditions were dangerous, and the average laborer was underpaid and worked 10- 16 hours per day.  The eight-hour day was envisioned by Robert Owen, a Welsh-born social reformer who coined the  slogan: 8 hours labour, 8 hours recreation, 8 hours rest (1817).

One of the first companies to implement the 8-hour work day in the U.S. was the Ford Motor Company.  In 1914, Henry Ford cut the working day to 8 hours and also doubled the worker’s pay.  The auto company’s productivity, employee loyalty and profit margin soared.

We just celebrated Labor Day, a holiday that recognizes the social and economic achievements of American workers.  While proud of our unparalleled prosperity, let’s still be mindful of the inequalities in our workforce.

Women represent almost half the workers in the U.S., but they earn considerably less than men in almost every occupation. A woman makes 78 cents for every dollar earned by a man representing a 22 percent wage gap. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, “the poverty rate for working women would be cut in half if women were paid the same as comparable men.”

As a tribute to Cecil, the magnificent lion who was senselessly killed in Zimbabwe by a hunter who lured him out of a wildlife preserve, I wanted to say a few words about The Lion King.  Both a magical animated film and my favorite musical,  The Lion King was released by Walt Disney Pictures in 1994 and the musical debuted in 1997.  As reported by Playbill, “it is the top-earning title in box-office history for both stage productions and films, according to the Associated Press.”

The Lion King is the story of Simba, a young lion who is tricked by his wicked uncle into believing he is responsible for his father’s death.  In shame, Simba flees the Pride Lands but later returns to defeat his uncle and become king.

As children, we are all taught that the lion is the king of the jungle, a fierce, majestic creature to be revered and respected.  There is a lion in Ten Fingers Touching and at the end of the story he proudly carries Marianna on his back to the harbor.

The extensive outrage over the brutal death of Cecil is understandable.  Pictured is a tribute portrait of him by Aaron Blaise, one of the animators of The Lion King.