Darlene Sabella, former host of The Darlene Sabella Talk Show on KVRH Radio, is hosting a "show" of a different sort at noon Sunday, August 10 at Bongo Billy's Salida Cafe on West Sackett Ave.

    Sabella will be signing copies of her book, "Flying Dreams," published by Mothers House Publishing in Colorado Springs. The book sells for $10.95 and can also be ordered online at www.flyingdreams-book.com

    Although "Flying Dreams" is written for ages 6 to 12, if you enjoy fantasy, you'll enjoy this one, no matter what your age. It brings out the sense of youthful adventure in anyone. Jerry, the main character, actually looks forward to going to bed, which is unusual for a kid, but there's a reason. when he's asleep he dreams of flying and his dreams take him up, up and away, over his little village and on to mysterious places.

    During one of his flying dreams he hears a cry for help and enlists the aid of his sisters to help him solve the mystery. The ensuing adventure takes the trio through a land of giant poppies, a blue denim doe, talking flowers, a beautiful white owl and a raven who share secrets with him.

    Their journey to an ancient magical tree concludes with an important message for mankind and the waking world.

    After leaving Salida in 2002 Sabella moved to Palm Springs, California to be closer to her children and while there, went back to college.

    "I took every class in English I could find and loved it," she said.

    After suffering a serious heat stroke, she was advised to leave California and stay out of the sun, so it was back to Colorado again.

    She now lives in Colorado Springs.

        "I never wanted to write," she said. "To begin with, I was a bad speller, but in the summer of 1993 I went to Sedona, Arizona for a week of meditation and on the way home I remember telling a friend I heard a voice telling me to write a book about saving our planet. That winter I began taking notes and had papers all over the house. About three months later a friend came to visit and suggested putting all those notes in my new computer, and viola! I saw it!

    "The book is about trees. In Africa, they call trees standing people and trees are part of why I moved to Colorado. When you drive down a street here,  you see the trees lined up on both sides. They develop a canopy effect and it seems they are reaching out to each other. All this passion for trees came into full bloom when I went on a hike to Grand Lakes, Colorado. Everything I wrote about in "Flying Dreams" is real except for the fantasy part."

    The Arbor Day Foundation has expressed an interested in the book and requested a copy. 

    Now disabled, Sabella spends most of her time writing and playing with her pets.

    "I was so excited when I saw my book for the first time about three weeks ago," she said. "The publisher had it for 2 1/2 years and I had it in my computer since 1993. Now my publisher is asking when will the next book be ready! I have about 14 in my computer waiting for me to get back to them."

    She's hoping her Salida friends will turn out Sunday to say hello and see her first book.