As an actress, Mara Purl played recurring character, nurse Darla Cook on Days of Our Lives. Now Purl launches the national campaign of the Milford-Haven Novels in hardcover in New York City at the Book Expo America. She will be signing Advance Reader’s Copies (ARCs) on May 25, 2011 at Book Expo America (BEA) both in the Autographing Hall and also in the Midpoint Trade booth.
(Los Angeles, CA – May 9, 2011) – Mara Purl is not the first soap-actress-turned-author, but she’s one of the most successful ones. Creating a rich saga full of lively characters that are as real today as when she first conceived them. Purl began writing the Milford-Haven story shortly after performing on Days of Our Lives as the recurring character nurse Darla Cook. The early editions of the Milford-Haven Novels have collectively won fifteen prestigious book awards. And, the national launch of the series in hardcover fulfills a dream of Purl’s.
“The Milford-Haven story began as an original radio drama that I created,” Purl explains. “It jumped the Pond and was the first true American hit on BBC Radio with 4.5 million listeners in the U.K. In the States, it won the Finalist Award for Best Radio Drama, the New York Festivals.”
The stories follow the lives of the main characters, each a complete storyline, but their stories also intertwine as the Milford-Haven Novel series progresses.
“According to my readers, my characters are “real” people with vivid hopes, dreams and dilemmas. I’ve found that women identify with them powerfully. The series is contemporary, yet because it’s set in the 90s, it offers the perspective of timeless themes,” Purl explains. “Each book stands on its own, as a new story, but also builds as an overall saga. Each time you pick up a Milford-Haven Novel, you’ll feel like you’re visiting with old friends.”
Mara Purl launches her book, What the Heart Knows, in September 2011 with a Hardcover Edition published by BelleKeep Books in association with Midpoint Trade Books.
Appearances for Mara Purl include New York City’s Book Expo America. She will be available for media interviews and book signing for attendees. She begins her national campaign by signing Advance Reader’s Copies (ARCs) on Wednesday, May 25, 2011, at Book Expo America (BEA) in New York City, both in the Autographing Hall at high noon, and also in the Midpoint Trade booth, #2439 at 2:30 p.m. the same day.
HD Video and high resolution images are available. Watch Mara Purl in her interview from the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books here.
The Milford-Haven Novels are also being published as audio books performed by the author. The first won the Silver Ben Franklin Award for audio. The second won the Gold USA BookNews Award for audio.
About the Author Mara Purl:
- Mara Purl was a performer on-camera and on-stage, with her regular character on Days Of Our Lives having been her starting point for soap opera.
- Purl began her writing career as a journalist for the Associated Press, Rolling Stone, The Financial Times of London, Working Woman Magazine, and The Christian Science Monitor. A prolific fiction author, she also has written a play and several non-fiction books including Act Right: A Manual for the On-Camera Actor with actress Erin Gray.
- Other Awards include: for radio, the New York Festivals Award; for her play Mary Shelley: In Her Own Words, the Peak Award; and for public service, Woman of the Year 2002 by the Los Angeles County Commission for Women.
- Mara Purl is also an accomplished musician. Her instrument is the koto and she recorded and has played on the international stage with many noteworthy musicians including the works Sumahama recorded with Mike Love and the Beach Boys, Pathless Path recorded with Charles Lloyd, Koto Keys with Marilyn Harris, and Teiji Ito’s Watermill recorded with Grammy-winning musician Steve Gorn.
- The hit song “Jet Laggin” she co-wrote with Marilyn Harris is in current release on the new CD Orphans.
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Media Contact for Mara Purl:
Dianemarie (DM) Collins
DM Productions, LLC
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623.825.9122 Ext. 2
