"Music is the shorthand of emotion." "Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart." "Music happens to be an artform that transcends language." "I see music as fluid architecture." ~ Joni Mitchell The power of music to give rise to emotion is the reason I love incorporating it into my audiobooks. It enhances the drama and provides atmosphere for what the characters are experiencing. In JOURNEYS I have integrated A LOT of music. Each chapter has its di

"If you look at the history of authoritarianism, they always first go for art. They go after art and education because those are the sectors that affect how people feel, how they think. We're the storytellers. We can control the narrative to a large extent. So, we come under attack right away. . . I think that the fact that we're attacked, it's proof that it matters. . . But the fact is, artists model courage. Courage is contagious. Also, comics, in particular ridicule and hu

"Maybe that is you, Frankie. Perhaps it is through your astute observation and your art that you can help create change.” I gaze into the water, watching the moonlight playfully reflect on the surface as a small motorboat slowly passes in front of us. I know she has a point, but I can feel myself starting to become discouraged as my self-doubt creeps in. How could I possibly make a difference? ~HIGH WATER by Patty Flores Reinhart It rained all day yesterday. And while I sinc

Today we finished recording our final guest narrator, who brought the world of Flamenco in Granada, Spain to life in 1770. And once again, we were all excited over how much the music added to the story. This chapter has some of my favorite music, which was inspired by my 2019 trip to Spain when I became obsessed with Flamenco. I spent almost a full year researching the origins of that captivating art form. As I've said before, music has added so much to this audiobook and rea

Tulip Tree "What a miracle it is that the earth we're rapidly destroying still produces beauty despite it all." ~JOURNEYS by Patty Flores Reinhart

"I felt fortunate to have migrated into the U.S. during a window of time when the country still embodied the ideals represented by the Statue of Liberty, welcoming the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. But perhaps that was only the ideal and never the reality. Certainly, during this horror show that is the current Presidential administration, my adopted country often feels unrecognizable. I entered this country legally, and with my Green Card I

I LUV it!!!

"We need artists to reflect our humanity and goodness back to us, especially during difficult times. . . While science may be the thing that gets us out of a difficult situation, art will be what helps us through the situation because art is to the community what thoughts are to the individual. Art provides the community a forum where we reflect on who we are, where we hope to go our strengths, our failures. Through art as our mirror, we decide what our values are and then we

Much has been said over the topic of who was the true author of the works of William Shakespeare, with some rumors blatantly accusing Shakespeare of out right stealing someone else's work and taking credit for it. Whatever. None of that has ever mattered to me because what’s important to me is that the work exists. And Sir Ian McKellen's delivery of a lesser known Shakespearean monologue on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is a testament to why Shakespeare is so enduring an

It’s been a rough couple of days. Normally I carefully curate the amount of news I take in each day - just enough to stay informed, but not so much that I want to abscond to some off-the-grid utopia on a mountain top ( à la Lost Horizon) where I won’t have to deal with this crazy world anymore. ( Especially since the Mother Ship refused to allow me aboard back in October when I was in Sedona.) But the past two days I have not been able to muscle through the way I normally d

So great to be working and collaborating with fellow KitKat Girl, Kristin, on My Fair Lady . Not only is she one of the most well-trained, technically skilled, and beautiful dancers I have ever had the privilege to share a stage with, but she is also a beautiful person on the inside . (We had soooo much fun!) This My Fair Lady production is lucky to have her as their Dance Cap'n. And I didn't realize until I saw this picture that we were being photo-bombed by our very own

I describe myself as "highly efficient and organized with a keen attention to details." That is precisely why I am THRILLED to be participating in The Pear Theatre's production of My Fair Lady as assistant choreographer. I have also dubbed myself as the unofficial, official historical advisor. The Director, Choreographer, and Music Director all have big fish to fry and while, for the majority of the rehearsal period, they are looking at the "big picture," I have the time and

It's been almost eleven years since a friend of mine passed away after a return cancer diagnosis. She was only 59 years old. When she was near the end, she told her two daughters and husband to look for her whenever they encountered a hummingbird. Shortly after her passing, a hummingbird appeared just outside the sliding glass door leading out to the backyard of their house. In the weeks after her passing, I also experienced several encounters with hummingbirds showing up in

Isn't my bicycle cute? I love the wicker basket. (Perfect for carrying a baguette, cheese, and a bottle of wine, as I cruise through the French countryside in my straw hat and cute sundress, after visiting the farmers market. That’s always my fantasy.) I love the retro color. It has a wide cushy seat for my delicate booty. And it even has a little briiing-briiing bell to alert pedestrians when I am about to pass them. I have not been on my bike in a long time. It's probably

Back in March of 2017 I attended my mother-in-law's book club in San Diego along with my sister-in-law. About six months earlier, while we were on vacation in Maui, my sister-in-law was reading a novel she thoroughly enjoyed and handed it down to me when she was finished. The novel was A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner. For the remainder of that vacation I COULD NOT PUT THAT BOOK DOWN. So, getting to meet the author at that book club meeting was super exciting and I felt

I was listening to a podcast today with a guest who is a very popular and successful narrator of audiobooks. She described how she created her own audiobook recording company, inspired by the inequity in this business of not allowing narrators to receive royalties for their work. Authors and publishing companies receive compensation, so why not narrators. It is acting, after all. Like any other kind of acting, it requires TALENT and TIME. She went on to say that her goal is t

I am a logophile, lexophile, linguaphile, logomaniac, a word nerd . I love witty banter and clever dialogue. I just finished reading People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry. While Emily Henry's novels are light, frothy, and some might even say - somewhat saccharine literary Rom-coms, the reason I enjoy her books is because she is really good at is writing fun dialogue. It demonstrates that her characters are smart. I love smart people. It's fun to converse with them becau

". . . The world is unjust and the mighty crush the powerless. It has been the same struggle since the beginning of time. You must choose your side. You either defend the powerful or you defend the helpless. There is no in-between. That is why you must continue to fight, so that one day, the oppressed will win, and they will create a just world where life will be good, where no one will be cast aside. It is the only thing that matters in life." ~JOURNEYS by Patty Flores Reinh

I LUV audiobooks. I listen to them all the time. I run to them, walk to them, wash dishes to them, clean house to them. . . You get the point. Anywaaaay, this is the one I’m listening to right now: Today I was listening to this, and literally guffawed on my afternoon walk around the creek trail. Luckily, no one was nearby when this occurred. Cuz last time this happened was when I was listening to Billy Crystal’s memoir. If I had been drinking water, I would have done a spit t

I still use an actual calendar to write things down. However, I'm not a complete troglodyte - I do also input things on my phone with alarms/reminders, but it helps me to see what I have going on each day/week on a physical calendar. (Besides, it gives my guys an easy idea for Christmas gifts to get me a calendar themed with New York City, Paris, African safari landscapes, or old-fashion travel posters photos for hanging in my kitchen and office.) In any case, today I was abl