Skip to main content

A New World of Hope - Prt. 1

Podcast – A New World of Hope . . .

"Books are filled with ideas, and it's ideas that shape our lives."

Sometimes, a book captures your imagination, motivates you to act, and fulfills a desire hidden deep within your soul.

Let me introduce you to an author and his most recent novel that I just finished reading. But before I do, allow me to set the stage for how unforeseen pivotal moments can unexpectedly touch your life for the better.

In hindsight, one of those moments was an invitation to join a local writer's group after my early retirement from GIA in 2014. It was during that experience I met and came to know Don Hanley, Ph.D.

A former Catholic Priest who left the ministry to marry. Don earned a doctorate in psychology and has worked as a psychotherapist, graduate school professor, and counseling supervisor. His writings include professional articles and booklets, three novels, and he is currently working on a fourth. Don lives in northern San Diego County.

During my more than three years attending this writer's group, Don Hanley shared chapters of books he was working on in our group. Our very informal group's job was to listen to each other's writings and provide honest, constructive feedback to help improve the prose.

I witnessed Don receive scrap pages with scribbled notes that our group submitted to him. In turn, this feedback helped him transform his drafts into printed books. At the time, I didn't think much of it. Then, my life got busy, and I could not attend these group meetings.

However, I only partially lost touch with Don Hanley. Every Christmas, he would rewrite the lyrics to a familiar tune he would sing; we would video record that song and publish it to YouTube for his out-of-state family and friends as his special holiday gift.

Well, COVID disrupted everyone's life. And during our COVID lockdown, I lost touch with Dr. Don, as I called him. Then, about two weeks ago, I received a call from Don wishing me a Happy Birthday and an invitation to lunch.

"Absolutely! Funny, I've been thinking about you. I tried calling a few times, left a message on your voicemail, and was wondering if you were okay?"

So, we met for lunch. To my surprise, Don had just finished another novel, A New World of Hope. He signed a copy as a gift, asked me to read it, and got back to him with a review.

Here's my review posted on Amazon:

Don Hanley unquestionably struck gold with his latest novel, A New World of Hope. I challenge you to get this book, read it, then share it with others. It's about what's possible in your future.

This "Back to the Future" story of a history professor from 2141 who goes back in time and captures the hearts and imagination of a (2018) world filled with nay-sayers, political knuckleheads, and misdirected folks. You will not be able to put this book down. I promise!

The characters are people you know, would love to know, or have known at one time. The story exposes situations that will surprise and delight you. And quite frankly, knowing Don as I do, a quiet, peaceful man at times, he will astonish you!

Please don't take my word for it; find out for yourself. Get the book A New World of Hope, and pass it on. You will find it on Amazon.com. Congratulations, Dr. Don Hanley.

My listening friends, I can't say enough about how this novel moved me. If you're a Kindle reader, you can download it right now for a great price.

Yes, books are filled with ideas that shape our lives and inspire our world to change. Be proactive in that change. Check out Don Hanley's book, A New World of Hope. 

If you haven't heard, this podcast is now available on Amazon Music! Just say, "Alexa play - On the Fly podcast by Patrick Ball. Also, if you would like to be a guest on my podcast or have a question, email patrickball2011@gmail.com.

I'm Patrick Ball; thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.

Podcast - Part 2

Comments

Most Popular of All Time

Beyond Facts-The Deep Dive

✨ In this episode, Beyond Facts: Reimagining School–in the Age of AI . . .   This week's podcast is a bit different; it's another example of how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can offer tools to creatively enhance your analytical presentation of information. We took this week's blog and copied it into Gemini with the question, “If a story is to work, it must, on some level, create an illusion of escape and also achieve a goal simultaneously. Does this apply to my blog post that follows?” What's created is not just an analysis of the writing, but an AI-generated discussion produced “On the Fly” - Enjoy! Did you know that the word "school" comes from the ancient Greek word scholÄ“ , which originally meant "leisure"? Not a rigid schedule or droning lectures filled with "facts," but free time for thinking and conversation. To the Greeks, learning happened best when life slowed down—when you had room to reflect, to ask questions, and to wrestle ...

A Heart Full of Thanks

Oh, the thanks I could think, and the thanks I could say! For the wonderful people who brightened my day. The first one is Lori, my wife, sweet and true, Who knows just the thing and knows just what to do. She whipped up a feast with a smile and a sigh, With corn on the cob and a steak cooked “On the Fly!” My neighbor, Steve, with a mischievous gleam, Said, “No fence work today! No work, it would seem! You’ll paint with some water, some colors so bright, And sign your new painting with all of your might!" I laughed and I said, “But I don’t know that skill! I’ll slap on some paint and see what sticks still!” Then there’s my friends on the Facebook machine, The best group of readers that ever was seen! They read all my blogs and they hear my podcasts, They send all their cheer that's built to last! And Billy and Linda. A Snoopy card in the mail. A wonderful surprise that was sure to prevail! From very good friends, a delightful new tale ! But the thanks didn't stop, no, not...

The Summer Surprise

In this special episode, The Summer Surprise . . .   Well, howdy there! It's me, Huck Finn, and lemme tell ya, somethin' special happened just the other day. We called it "The Summer Surprise.” Phew-wee! That ol' post box, it coughed up somethin' good! Wasn't no bills, nor them pesky ads, and thankfully, no regular ol' rocks neither. Nope, this here was a letter, folded up neat as a pin, looked a bit like one o' them school lockers, just sittin' there waitin' to be opened. It was from young Sierra, a mighty fine friend, and she'd gone and made some pure, honest-to-goodness artwork with her own two hands. My fingers they was all thumbs, just itching to see what kind of wild wonder she'd whipped up this time. I unfolded that paper, careful-like, you know, and bless my bare feet, there it was! A picture of a whole gymnasium and a mini-soccer field, all done up in colors that just popped. She'd used crayons and pencils, and you could tel...

A Pirate's Ponderings

In this episode, A Pirate's Ponderings: Turning 69 with a Classic . . . When was the last time you were so compelled by a quest that you had your bags packed and your boots on before the first rooster crowed? For me, this summer has been exactly that, a journey where the world outside faded away and the one inside my head roared to life. I felt like that young cabin boy in training, with the vast ocean of a great story stretching out before me. My hand was on the wheel, navigating every swell, riding the waves, and eager to see what lay just beyond the horizon. This wasn't a journey across lands, but a flight of imagination that has been an exciting ride. My adventure took off on the deck of the Hispaniola as I became lost on Treasure Island . My imagination soared, and I could almost taste the salt spray and feel the ship's timbers groan as we sailed toward our destiny. Below deck, in the narrow, shadowy depths, I could smell the hearty meals Long John Silver and Jim Haw...