Friday, May 29, 2015

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Dear Gentle Readers,

Sign up for my newsletter to get the latest information about my new releases, guest appearances, contests, and great giveaways!

Some of you have said you have tried but cannot respond here. We have had that problem in the past. I'm sorry. I wish I were tech-savvy enough to fix the problem, but I'm not and I admit it. You can sign up for the newsletter on my Facebook page:



Hugs,
Carol

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Interview with Author Kathy Opie



Kathy Scanlon Opie
Seattle WA




Good morning, Kathy, and welcome to Vision and Verse, the Place for Art and Authors. Can you tell us what you have written?  
A Little Red Wagon full of hope: Tips and inspiration from a loving caregiver and Tell Me A Story in Secret Histories and various articles in cancer newsletters plus blog articles in my blog a little something to chew on.


What is your favorite genre to write? 
Probably nonfiction


Favorite food. 
Cheese and anything Italian


Tea or coffee? 
Coffee


Pizza or ice cream? 
Pizza


Wine or beer? 
Wine


Where would you like to visit? 
Europe. My husband Paul and I met when we were young (our freshman year in college), got married a year out of college and had our three beautiful children right away. They travelled more than we did, by our choice, and I am now back in graduate school. I hope to travel once I have more time.


Favorite musical artist. 
REM, U2, and progressive rock. I went to school in the 80’s.  


Do you listen to music when you write?  
Not usually, I need to concentrate. 


When you do, what? 
Classical music


What makes you laugh? 
My two pugs Darby and Dublin wrestling with their toys or with our cat Twister, and our adult children interacting and teasing when they come home to visit.


Favorite work of art. 
Anything by Monet


How old were you when you started writing? 
Five


Describe your perfect evening. 
Hanging out with my hubbie or close friends just talking, laughing with nothing special to do or anywhere we have to go.


Where do you get your inspiration? 
Someone who has overcome something incredibly difficult or painful and still has hope or positive energy and continues to give without complaining.


What do you do when you get a writer's block? 
Go for a walk, listen to some upbeat music, or start baking something in the kitchen.


Who is your favorite author? 
I have several John Steinbeck, Leon Uris, Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Laura Ingalls Wilder


Best book you ever read. 
Trinity by Leon Uris


Last book you read. 
How Can I Help? Ram Dass & Paul Gorman


What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer? 
Therapist


Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why? 
My Dad, because he had incredible energy, drive, and continued to improve himself and give to others until the day he died.


If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why? 
Nelson Mandela. His story of forgiveness and overcoming insurmountable odds over decades of persecution inspired the world and brought nations together. Where almost anyone would have succumbed, he not only survived but he thrived, inspired, and led countless to freedom.


What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?
Love what you do and do what you love. Don’t compare yourself to others. You have a voice that needs to be heard. It is unique and special so let it shine, there is no story like yours so let the world hear it. On that note, do let your story percolate, edit and let it simmer a bit so the true flavor of you develops.


We went through a tough journey as our son fought for his life surviving bone cancer. My best friend was not as fortunate as she succumbed to breast cancer. What do you do when a loved one faces a life threatening illness? I learned a few things along the way as a caregiver, and I want to share that with the reader with poignant heart felt stories and take-away tips at the end of every chapter. I hope A Little Red Wagon full of hope can bring hope and compassion to those who find themselves on a similar path.


Do you have some links for us to follow you? 
My author page

Facebook page

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

A Dilemma for Daisy by Carol Ann Kauffman


Daisy Mazlo faces a dilemma. She’s met the man of her dreams in Cooper MacNeill, a gentleman in every sense of the word, tall, handsome, wealthy, witty, and very interested in her. But Daisy can’t accept his love, so she runs away, moving back to Oakville where she grew up to sort out her feelings. Will the small loving community of her past help her find herself? Will Cooper come after her? Will a letter be pivotal in resolving Daisy’s dilemma? 

Will love win out?


Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Kindle Edition
Daisy is warm-hearted and passionate, but she's nobody's fool. She's got a sense of humor, too! While she may be willing to risk everything for love, she's got a brain too, and she's not afraid to use it. I loved this story with its twists and turns and its satisfying end.
Buy link:
http://www.amazon.com/Dilemma-Daisy-Monday-Mystery-Society-ebook/dp/B00XZCK820/ref=la_B0076OMJY8_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1432224556&sr=1-10

Monday, May 25, 2015

57,000 Pageviews


Dear Gentle Readers,

Vision and Verse, the Place for Art and Authors, has surpassed the 57,000 pageview milestone.

To the artists and authors who share their work, who submit to our something silly questions, who give us insight into their creative processes, I thank you.

To the readers who stop by every day to see what we are doing, I thank you. If it weren't for you, the reader, I would be talking to myself. Oh, that happens, more than I care to admit.

Some exciting things are happening here this week. Our own Parker Kaufman shares a new art piece. I have an interview with Kathy Opie, author of A Little Red Wagon full of hope, about caregiving and childhood cancer. A Dilemma for Daisy, my contribution to The Monday Mystery Society, Book 4, will be featured this week also.

Thank you for your patience during the previous weeks while I was on jury duty panel and at the hospital with my husband. Hubby is better and home and back to normal and I was excused for who knows why, either the constant fidgeting (I can't sit still and the chairs ROCKED) or it might have been when I rolled my eyes at the lawyer,but I am thankful to be dismissed.

Have a great week.
Hugs,
Carol








Friday, May 22, 2015

Sea Witch by Carol Ann Kauffman



Dr. Laura Martin, Chief Extraterrestrial Life Scientist at The Touchstone Institute of Oceanographic Research, noticed troubling but subtle changes in the Atlantic Ocean. Before she could make sense of it all, her longtime assistant abruptly walked out. Laura hired young, handsome Scott Conner to be her personal assistant. Mayhem ensued, mainly because of Zara, the mermaid/siren/monster in the basement of the Touchstone Institute, who eyed on Scott as her possible mate in a plot for total domination of planet Earth. 

“The Touchstone Institute of Oceanographic Research is the most fantastic, exhilarating place on the planet to work. It is high energy, exciting, sometimes maddening, often frightening, heart pounding work. It’s not a job. It’s a lifetime commitment. It gets in your blood. It grabs you by the throat and possesses you, body and soul. And it is work. If you’re not prepared to work your ass off day in and day out, weekends, holidays, your birthday, and your mamma’s birthday, leave now.” 

Now available on Amazon.com at 
http://www.amazon.com/Sea-Witch-Carol-Ann-Kauffman-ebook/dp/B00XK6DUNA/ref=la_B0076OMJY8_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1431698184&sr=1-4

Thursday, May 21, 2015

A Little Red Wagon full of hope by Kathy Opie



"When a loved one faces a serious illness what do you do? Whether you are the immediate caregiver, family member, friend or neighbor there are many ways to help. You can make a meal, walk the family pet, help with household chores, or offer to sit and listen. When attending to the many need's of a loved one, the caregiver's needs often can become overlooked. Feelings of isolation, sadness, and anger can result and are natural. A Little Red Wagon Full Of Hope can provide those with loved ones facing serious illness some insight and help as I share my journey with our son’s bone cancer diagnosis and treatment at age 13, my best friend’s battle and loss to breast cancer, and others' care stories. Each chapter include heartfelt poignant stories and at the end of each one, take-away tips. From such topics as pet therapy, what to bring to the hospital, getting out into the community, food for the soul, it's okay to cry, and caring for the caregiver, my goal is to provide loving support and hope to those facing a challenging road- from someone who has been there and understands. Part of the profits of this book will go to cancer research and help for caregivers."         -Kathy Opie

Available on Amzon.com at
http://www.amazon.com/Little-Red-Wagon-Full-Hope-ebook/product-reviews/B00XFOB2M8/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

The Fabulous Dot-Artwork of Elspeth McLean





Look at what this woman does with stones and paint!

These gorgeous painted stones are by Elspeth McLean, an Australian artist born in Gooseberry Hill, a small suburb in western Australia. She showed her artistic tendencies at a very early age.







She moved to the East Coast of Australia at the age of nineteen to follow her dream of becoming  a full time artist.


Elspeth now lives in Canada.







Elspeth creates breathtaking masterpieces of tiny, colorful dots in beautiful patterns on round ocean stones.  Each one is more beautiful than the next. 
Follow Elspeth McLean on Facebook by visiting her beautiful page at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elspeth-McLean-artist-/113764415348201?fref=ts

None of these photos are mine. I got them online or at website.  Her work is available for sale at 
etsy. com

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Payton's Pursuit by Joanne Jaytainie



Payton Winters is thrust into the position of CEO of The Winters Corporation after the sudden death of her parents. Confronted with the knowledge she was born with special abilities, she finds herself in the dilemma of being a grounding force to people who possess psychic powers. She has unwillingly become the mental anchor to the one man she wants no part of, Collin McBain. While on a routine mission, Collin is drugged, tortured, and injected with wolf DNA. Now believed dead, he is secretly assigned to the Winters Campus.




Faced with the reality that her life is based on half-truths, Payton is on a pursuit to uncover her mother's scientific research. She desperately needs to understand why she and her two sisters were genetically altered before birth. Payton's path to discovery is littered with danger as she finds herself embroiled in a world of secrets, lies, kidnapping, and murder. She struggles to understand the events of the past in order to cope with her future. Will Payton's pursuit for the truth be her last?



Buy Links: 





Joanne was born and raised in Sherburne, New York, a quaint village surrounded by dairy farms and rolling hills. From the moment she could read she wanted to explore the world. During her college years she slowly crept across the country, stopping along the way in Oklahoma, California, and finally Washington State, which she now proudly calls home. She lives with her husband and Dobermans, in their home located on the Kitsap Peninsula with a panoramic view of the Olympic Mountains.

Joanne writes paranormal, romantic suspense, and contemporary romance. She loves writing about the twists and turns of her character’s lives along with the trouble they find themselves involved in. She enjoys a wide variety of books including paranormal, suspense, thriller, and of course romance.

Joanne is a member of Romance Writers of America, and past President of Peninsula Romance Writers, which was Debbie Macomber’s home chapter.





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