Claudine's balcony garden, Paris

Dear Readers

I wish you a good day and night, always.

Thank you, Mr. Roald Dahl, for having written ESIO TROT (  esiotrot is “tortoise” spelled backward)

Thank you, screenwriters Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer, for the movie ROALD DAHL’S ESIO TROT

When depression robs my creative energy to write, I look for “happy movies” to lift me which then inspires me to write about the themes in the movie which then leads me to resume working on my own projects.

Yesterday (June 3), the names (“tags”) of these two actors helped me find the movie ROALD DAHL’S ESIO TROT

Judi Dench (as Mrs. Silver) and Dustin Hoffman (as Mr. Hoppy) and James Corden (as Narrator)

Soundtrack includes Louis Armstrong’s singing “A Kiss To Build A Dream On” composed by Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby and Oscar Hammerstein II.

https://genius.com/Louis-armstrong-a-kiss-to-build-a-dream-on-lyrics

This is a movie I want to watch again and again… it’s like re-living a joyful day.

In the movie… Narrator tells us:

“Mr. Hoppy, the hero of our story, lived in a nice flat in an apartment block in London. There are three things you should know about Mr. Hoppy.  He’s kind, he’s shy, and, most importantly, he’s not that guy in the hat.”

(Mr. Hoppy is the man holding the elevator door for  Mr. Mavrokoukoudopolous the old man with the hat and cane. By the way, since the setting is London. Elevator is called a “lift”)

At the fourth viewing of this movie … I see just how wonderfully the story is crafted.

At  two minutes into the movie – first foreshadowing of Mr. Hoppy’s door which is crucial for the “climax” scene.

He turns on his CD player – Louis Armstrong’s singing “A Kiss To Build A Dream On”

Mr. Hoppy reaches into his satchel and places into his fruit bowl – one apple, one orange, one banana.  He opens his refrigerator, we see one tomato.

Narrator tells us “It’s [This story is] going to be full of passion, surprises… as indeed is our Mr. Hoppy.”

As the volume of the musical instrumental increases, we see Mr. Hoppy affectionately tending to his balcony-garden; his irrigation system drips water onto the colorful plants.

Narrator says:

“The truth is, there were two loves in Mr. Hoppy’s life. One was his flowers. The other was his secret love that he kept all to himself. Like so many secrets, it was the most important thing of all about him. Because Mr. Hoppy was in love… with the girl downstairs.”

(“the girl” is the vibrant Mrs. Silver, a widow,, probably in her seventies. Mrs. Silver’s balcony is on the floor below Mr. Hoppy’s.  We hear her at around four minutes and thirty-three seconds into the movie when she says “Good morning, Mr. Hoppy.”  Then we see her.    Her main love is her tortoise named Alfie.)

By the end of the first five minutes, I am pulled into the story world.

By the end of the first seven minutes, I am completely hooked with these two characters.

At 13:36 when Mr. Hoppy has the courage to say something personal to Mrs. Silver, he can’t see from his balcony that Mrs. Silver (in her wide-brimmed straw hat) has just inserted earbuds and couldn’t possibly hear him.

At 28:57 we see the second foreshadowing with Mr. Hoppy’s door.

At 54:38 we see the third foreshadowing with that door.

LAUGHING LIFTS DEPRESSION

In the scene where Mr. Hoppy is approaching the lift in the lobby with THE gadget, Mrs. Silver (wearing happy colors) is coming out of the lift. She tells him that she’s going to a dance marathon to raise money for charity and that they need sponsors. Mr. Hoppy says he would like to be a sponsor, would donate a pound. When Mrs. Silver reminds him that this is for charity, he says:
“A pound a minute”

(I laughed out loud; laughing shifts energy, lifts depression. So does smiling for one’s self.  For me, laughing is a stronger elixir.)

I learned these British phrases:

“very good news”  -  In the lift (elevator), Mrs. Silver says:  “What a quiet lift. It’s very good news.”

She calls herself “a silly sausage”

“a good old knees-up” means “to dance”

The little boy’s mother says to her son: “I’m doing dinner.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In the children’s book, Mrs. Silver never finds out about Mr. Hoppy’s using deception to win her affections; in the movie, her finding out that he used trickery serves as the climax of the story.

In the children’s book, there is no Mr. Pringle;  in the movie, this character serves as archetypes Herald and Trickster and is the person who creates complications for protagonist Mr. Hoppy.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3205394/

Directed by Dearbhla Walsh

Writing Credits:

Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer

Based on the novel by Roald Dahl

Stars (in order of appearance in the movie)

• James Corden
• Salo Gardner
• Dustin Hoffman
• Richard Cordery
• Judi Dench

• Awards
  • 1 win & 1 nomination

In the movie, Mrs. Silver tells Mr. Hoppy and Mr. Springer that her favorite book is THE RAILWAY CHILDREN, children’s book written by E. (Edith) Nesbit

Sasa's vibrant garden 2024.05.22 photo by Jade

Thank you for reading my blog post: “Roald Dahl’s story ESIO TROT, Judi Dench, Dustin Hoffman, Balcony Garden, Love, Kindness Themes…Lift Depression”

Wishing you all the happiness that a vibrant garden would bring.

Sincerely,

 Teresa Jade LeYung

My short short movies of Paris 2024
https://m.youtube.com/@teresajadeleyung/videos

Love Made Of Heart ®

I (Teresa Jade LeYung) wish everyone, wherever you are -  peace, safety, kindness, light, love, joy.

In the San Francisco Bay area, we have had heavy rain and wild winds.

During illness last week, I listened to the reading of THE LITTLE PRINCE (LE PETIT PRINCE by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) three times. Thank you, dear Elisa Sasa Southard https://sasasouthard.com/, for having introduced me to this remarkable fable years ago. Took me long enough to enjoy this book!  Now I see why you love this story.

THE LITTLE PRINCE by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry narrated by Kenneth Branagh

At around 1 hour, 19 minutes and 50 seconds into the story …

Fox tells the Little Prince: “Here’s my secret.  It’s quite simple. One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.”

The Little Prince repeated the Fox’s words in order to remember.-”Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.”

Fox says: “It’s the time you spend on your rose that makes your rose so important.”

The Little Prince repeated  in order to remember. “It’s the time I spend on my rose…”

Fox says: “You become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed. You’re responsible for your rose …. “

Thank you, YouTube channel user Read Aloud Books https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvERNl6csog  1:45:45

Thank you, YouTube channel user Christopher Williams  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APG1upS8LDw  1:45:45

About Antoine de Saint-Exupéry https://www.britannica.com/biography/Antoine-de-Saint-Exupery

I wish to include in this blog post names of  other beloved authors of children’s books and books for young readers:

Maria Kawah Leung  https://mariakawah.com/ Mia and Happy Dog are the two main characters in LITTLE HEROES OF BAY STREET: And How They Stay Strong In An Unhappy Home

Frances Kakugawa  https://franceskakugawa.wordpress.com/  Wordsworth is the main character in Frances’s wonderful series.

Edward C. Hartshorn  https://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-Sandy-River-Edward-Hartshorn/dp/1953198007/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=  Scot and Clayton are the two main characters in GHOSTS OF THE BIG SANDY RIVER.

T.E. Watson  https://www.tewatsononline.com/  Paper and Wind are the two main characters in A PLACE TO BE.

Robert D. San Souci  https://www.kqed.org/news/10389946/mourning-childrens-book-author-robert-d-san-souci  and  https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Author-Robert-San-Souci-screenwriter-for-6022631.php

E.B. White (Elwyn Brooks White) https://www.britannica.com/biography/E-B-White

Beatrix Potter   https://beatrixpottersociety.org.uk/

Thank you for reading my blog post “The Little Prince, Little Heroes of Bay Street, Wordsworth the Poet, Scot and Clayton, Paper and Wind – Main Characters in Books”

Teresa Jade LeYung - photo by Nan and MEK

I wish everyone, wherever you are -  peace, safety, kindness, light, love, joy.

Sincerely,

Teresa Jade LeYung

Story Theme Consultant / Photo Historian / Author / Public Library and Public School Advocate

http://www.OurBeautifulBrains.com goes to Teresa’s Blog

Writing Coach Teresa Jade LeYung says: “I love helping writers identify the themes in their manuscripts to hook readers, and, build and fortify their platforms before and after publication. Reach out, not stress out.”

Love Made Of Heart ®

USA Federal government offering 4 COVID home test kits (2 boxes) for winter prep
https://www.covid.gov/tests or https://special.usps.com/testkits

Master teacher and practitioner of Chi Nei Tsang GILLES MARIN’s blog post: “Detoxifying from Vaccines with Herbs, Fruits and Vegetables”

https://www.chineitsang.com/post/detoxifying-from-vaccines-with-herbs-fruits-and-vegetables

2022 October 1, California;  October 3, 22:22

I, Teresa Jade LeYung (formerly Teresa LeYung Ryan), celebrate the 20th anniversary of my mother-daughter novel LOVE MADE OF HEART.

This is just the first of a series of Thank You as I continue celebrating LOVE MADE OF HEART and the kindhearted souls (teachers, librarians, booksellers, media folks, community leaders, friends and colleagues, mentors, readers and more readers) who have helped me speak up about:

– honoring courageous immigrants 

– inspiring adult children of mentally ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas

– helping survivors of family violence find their own voices

– speaking from the heart

What does “love made of heart” mean?

In the Chinese written language … the word “heart” is inside the words “grace,” “forgiveness,” “perseverance,” “compassion.”

The word “heart” is inside the word “love”…   one of the themes in my mother-daughter novel.

I shall dedicate the entire month of October to thank everyone who has helped me delivered my first novel into the world and all the readers. Many people have helped me but have never broadcast their kindness; I don’t know who they are; I thank everyone from my heart.

then Teresa LeYung Ryan, co-presenter with Elisa Sasa Southard and Kathi Kamen Goldmark at San Francisco Writers Conference - photo by Cheri Eplin 2004

Love Made of Heart: a Daughter, a Mother, a Journey Through Mental Illness
http://www.lovemadeofheart.com/Love-Made-of-Heart-a-Daughter,-a-Mother,-a-Journey-Through-Mental-Illness.html

I begin my thanks to:

My mother and all family members, and, the characters (Ruby Lin, Vivien Lin, Mrs. Nussbaum, Dr. Thatcher) who inspired my story.

The teachers who taught the 10-week course “Writing Children’s Literature” where I met critique group members Evelyn Miche, Cat (before she moved to Maine), Theresa Stephenson, Olga Malyj (who joined us for a few months).

To Kim McMillon who believed in me … way back when, long before I started writing. Dr. Kim McMillon, poet, activist, with over twenty years of experience producing theatre, is now an author and Black Arts Movement historian.

Everyone who orchestrated the 1997 Jack London Writers’ Conference, members at the California Writers Club and the Women’s National Book Association.

Everyone at East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) where I had a full-time job at headquarters; to my boss at the time – Robert Doyle – who said “yes” to my request for a 6-week leave-of-absence to complete one last rewrite of my manuscript.

Susan Canale (at EBRPD), Luisa Adams (author), Martha Alderson (author) for reading my last rewrite and giving criticism and praise.

Everyone at Regional Parks Botanic Garden when I got a transfer to a part-time position, especially my boss Steve Edward, Ph.D.

To my then spouse Lyle Ryan for supporting my decision to take a part-time position.

To literary super agent Stacey Glick (now VP at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC) who said that my manuscript LOVE MADE OF HEART was the gem she had rescued from the slush pile.

To acquisition editor/director John Scognamiglio, president Steven Zacharius, publisher Laurie Perkin, art director Louis Malcangi, and everyone at Kensington Publishing Corp. in New York

To artist Linda Christensen for giving me a lovely author-photo.

To my sister (author Maria Kawah Leung) and all my friends who gave me courage to NOT hide behind the book.

To everyone who has “pitched” me to folks at their favorite libraries, book stores, groups, clubs, organizations, radio, TV, online programs … so that I could deliver the messages the themes in my book Love Made of Heart.

Thank you, Maria, for making Love Made of Heart birdhouse wind-chime.

Thank you, Claire Lomax, for handcrafting bookmarks that had my book cover and book spine on them.

Thank you, artist Chandra Garsson, for painting your rendition of the book cover onto my bookcase – one of my most cherished treasures. (attention-grabbing book cover that Louis Malcangi at Kensington Publishing Corp in New York had created)

Thank you, dear California Writers Club fellow-member, for gifting me your gorgeous Chinese robe which I have worn to many book events.

Thank you to all California Writers’ Club members!

Thank you to all Women’s National Book Association members!

Thank you, Elisa Sasa Southard, for teaching me how to create talking-points and talking-taglines, attention-grabbing press releases, memorable bios, and, how to have fun in the crazy world of book promoting!

More thanks to Elisa Sasa Southard, Margie Yee Webb, Luisa Adams, Martha Alderson, Angie Choi, Linda Joy Myers, Mary E. Knippel, Lynn Scott, and all the other talented and kindhearted authors who have co-presented with me since 2000.

Thank you, everyone, for reading and also buying Love Made of Heart for your friends, and, inviting your friends to my events, and for going to my events more than once.

Thank you, everyone, for writing reviews.

Thank you to the teachers / educators, including Professors Victor Turks, Miriam Queen, Patricia Costello, Dan Haytin, Sheryl Fairchild and their delightful students.

Thank you to each reader!

Publisher’s description of LOVE MADE OF HEART

The Chinese word for ‘love’ is made up of many brush strokes. In the center of the word ‘love’ is the word ‘heart.’ Love is made of heart…” Twenty-seven-year-old Ruby Lin has what many women envy: a beautiful apartment in one of San Francisco’s best neighborhoods, a busy social life, and a coveted position as manager of special events for the tony St. Mark Hotel. But it’s Ruby’s personal life that’s become unmanageable ever since the day her mother’s emotional breakdown forced Ruby to hospitalize her, shaming the family. Now, Ruby is caught in the crossroads between two vastly different cultures–one in which she is the American girl, raised on kitschy television shows and black-and-white movies, and one in which she is known only as Daughter, the eldest, fulfiller of responsibilities. In putting together the pieces of her mother’s life, Ruby finds herself exploring the wounds of her own past. Starting with a forbidden locked tin box and the yellowing photograph inside, Ruby embarks on a startling journey of self-discovery that takes her through a family history rife with violence, betrayal and loss that reaches back through generations, from China to America, and finally to the secret pain of a mother’s sacrifice. Like the Chinese calligraphy that adorns her walls, Ruby comes to see that “life is not a straight road, ” but a language drawn with many brush strokes, where every misunderstanding must yield to the simple message of the heart. Filled with warmth and wisdom, this luminous debut novel heralds the arrival of an exciting new voice in fiction as it explores the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, the choices that divide us, and the love that brings us home.

The above is book jacket text written by author Libba Bray for Kensington Publishing Corp. New York for my novel LOVE MADE OF HEART

In my blog posts of October 1, 2013 and November 29, 2013, I said:

“Thank you to authors Frank Baldwin, Carol Schaefer, Lydia Kwa, and Gus Lee for writing lovely advance praise for my book cover. I am so grateful!”

“Special thanks to Martha Alderson, Luisa Adams, Susan Canale, Elisa Sasa Southard, Margie Yee Webb, Kim McMillon, Vicki Weiland !”

“I thank powerhouse Stacey Glick (VP at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management) who found insightful acquisition editor John Scognamiglio (at Kensington Publishing Corp. New York) who guided my mother-daughter novel Love Made of Heart to the Sales Team, good-energy publisher Laurie Perkin, president Steven Zacharius, Debbie Tobias was Sales Director, Lou Malcangi was art director, by the way . . . booksellers do judge a book by its cover, Libba Bray, who is now a New York Times bestselling author of young adult books, for book jacket copy, Jacquie Edwards for copy editing, marketing team, production team, Jessica in Sales, Michelle who was Webmaster,and EVERYONE at Kensington and their associates, especially Nancy Suib & Anne Shulenberger, and Kensington Publishing Corp.’s superstars Lydia Kwa, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, Mary B. Morrison, Mary Monroe, Carl Weber . . .

If not for these people, I would not have had the opportunity to experience the publishing industry from the author’s perspective . . .  which then gave me the credentials to talk about “who” really is the most qualified person to build the author’s platform and fanbase.

Author’s Note to Reader on the last page of LOVE MADE OF HEART

Thank you for letting me share Ruby Lin’s story with you.  Many readers have asked me what the characters in the novel have done for me.  My answer is this: I’ve learned that behind every face is a compelling story.

Please remember me as a writer who says YES! to compassion for mental illness and NO! to domestic violence and child abuse.

Who is Mrs. Nussbaum?  She lives in all our hearts.  Just as we have the “child within,” we also have the “wise elder within.”  May you always embrace your compelling story and allow your Mrs. Nussbaum to embrace you.

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan (now Teresa Jade LeYung)

Happy 48th anniversary to Kensington Publishing Corp in New York!

https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/pages/about/ says:

“2022 marks Kensington Publishing Corp’s 48th year in business, and it is one of the last remaining independent U.S. publisher of hardcover, trade and mass market paperback books. From the time our very first book (Appointment in Dallas by Hugh McDonald), became a bestseller, Kensington has been known as an astute and determined David-vs.-Goliath publisher of titles in the full spectrum of categories, from fiction and romance to health and nonfiction. In addition to the close to 500 new books, the company releases through its diverse imprints per year, it has a backlist of more than 5,000 titles. Kensington is considered a leader and innovator in such areas of publishing as African-American, cozy mysteries, westerns, and of course, romance.”

Author and Writing Coach Teresa Jade LeYung--photo by author Lynn Scott

Love Made of Heart:

– a 2002 nominee of the Asian American Literary Awards

– recommended by the California School Library Association and the California Reading Association

– used in Women in Psychology, First-Year Composition college course, Advanced Composition English-as-a-Second-Language classes

– read by students at Stanford University, U.C. Berkeley, San Francisco State University, City College of San Francisco, City College of Sacramento, Lowell High School, and many other wonderful institutions

– archived at the San Francisco History Center

– available at public libraries

This is just the first of a series of Thank You as I continue celebrating LOVE MADE OF HEART and the kindhearted souls (teachers, librarians, booksellers, media folks, readers and more readers) who have helped me speak up about:

NO to domestic violence and child abuse!

YES to kindness and compassion with mental illness!

YES to speaking from the heart!

I wish everyone wellness, kindness, happiness!

Sincerely,

Teresa_Jade_LeYung__photo_by_Nan_and_MEK_2019

Teresa Jade LeYung

Story Theme Consultant / Photo Historian / Author / Public Library and Public School Advocate

http://www.OurBeautifulBrains.com goes to Teresa’s Blog

Writing Coach Teresa Jade LeYung says: “I love helping writers identify the themes in their manuscripts to hook readers, and, build and fortify their platforms before and after publication. Reach out, not stress out.”

Love Made Of Heart ®