TV TIME: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (Max)

 

Oh, I know what you're thinking... we do not need another Godzilla or King Kong movie. It has been done and done and done.

But wait! This one was really good. A little girl and her adoptive mother are a new element in this story. 

The little girl can sense the presence of King Kong. And the woman who adopted her is a Godzilla, Skull Island expert.

The very human mother-daughter element elevates this movie from just another monster movie to something with heart. 

  

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INTERVIEW: Fiction and Christian Author Tammy Lash

Tammy Lash

Munising, Michigan

USA

Good morning, Tammy, and welcome to Vision and Verse. What have you written? 

White Wolf and the Ash Princess, Letters from the Dragon’s Son, Eagle Eyes, and my current work in progress is Something Old in the Snow.

What is your favorite genre to write? 

Fiction and Christian Family

Favorite food.

 Pizza

Tea or coffee? 

Coffee!

Pizza or ice cream?

Pizza

Wine or beer or soda or what?

LaCroix 

Where would you like to visit? 

Isle Royale (an Island in Lake Superior)

Favorite musical artist. 

Wolves at the Gate

Do you listen to music when you write? 

Yes. 

What? 

High Energy, lyrically rich, and emotional music such as Wolves at the Gate, Tommee Profitt, NF, Demon Hunter, Future of Forestry, Micah Ariss, and Red.

                                                         

What makes you laugh?

My two little grandsons. They are both the most adorable little things!

Favorite work of art or sculpture. 

Claude Monet, The Magpie 

How old were you when you started writing? 

I was in my forties and sat in on my son’s homeschool writing course, One Year Adventure Novel, and I wrote White Wolf and the Ash Princess, but I have told stories for as long as I can remember and learned everything I know of the art of storytelling from my mom.

Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards? 

Or just write? 

I plan a theme to explore and develop a lesson to teach and wrap my writing around flawed characters who need my help to grow. The beginning and end is decided but the middle of the book is shaped chapter by chapter. 

Describe your perfect evening. 

A thunderstorm (or blizzard), my favorite jammies and slippers, a cup of coffee, a movie, my family, and our two kitties.

Where do you get your inspiration? 

From nature (Lake Superior and the Hiawatha), people watching, and listening to music.

What do you do when you get a writer's block? 

I walk away with the understanding the blockage could be the Lord asking me to get away from the computer to live a little more life to add to the story.

Who is your favorite author? 

It’s a tie between C.S. Lewis and Lois Lowry.

Best book you ever read. 

Mrs. Mike/ Benedict and Nancy Freedman

Last book you read. 

Hunt for the Skinwalker

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

I am always dreaming of different small businesses I’d like to start. The one my family teases me the most about is my fictional potato truck, Superior Spuds.

Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why? 

Jesus, my Lord and Savior who has delivered and healed me from a difficult childhood/past. I am very grateful for the life he gave me that shaped me into the person I am today. My husband and Mom would be the next two people who have influenced me the most.

If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why? 

I would love to sit with Avery (Letters from the Dragon’s Son) and discuss redemption and forgiveness and why it was so hard for him to accept it.

What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer? 

Develop a habit and write at least 15 minutes a day. Achieving a word or a sentence a day should never be considered a failed writing session, any word at all is a forward step. “Going forward, no matter how small the step, is how you do it.” Avery Gudwyne. 

Do you have some links for us to follow you?

Facebook- https://facebook.com/tammylashauthor/ Instagram-

http://instagram.com/tamlash5

Blog-

http://tammylash.wordpress.com

   

 Amazon-

● Eagle Eyes- https://amzn.to/3eopZwQ ●

● Eagle Eyes: Descendants of White Wolf: Lash, Tammy: 9780692043691

● White Wolf and the Ash Princess- https://amzn.to/3jTkNSM ●

● White Wolf and the Ash Princess: Lash, Tammy L.: 9781940155661

● Letters from the Dragon’s Son

https://amzn.to/2TNcNIz

Author Bio-

Tammy lives in Michigan's Upper Peninsula near the shores of Lake Superior with her husband and three adult children and their spouses. Currently, Tammy is working on her third novel in her White Wolf series exploring and creating the terrifying tale of the lost legend of Gete-aya-ii (Something Old), the Father of the Wendigo.

Tammy enjoys hiking, kayaking, beach wandering,”hunting” for birch bark, and spotting migizis.

She is the author of White Wolf and the Ash Princess, Letters from the Dragon's Son, and the short story Eagle Eyes from the Descendants of White Wolf series.

BOOK REVIEW: Welcome Home to Murder by Cindy Kline

Welcome Home to Murder, Book One of the Molly McGuire Mysteries by Cindy Kline was an outstanding fast-paced cozy mystery that will draw you in and keep you guessing right up until it’s surprising, satisfying conclusion. 

Cindy Kline had a comfortable, easy style of writing. It’s like a mini-vacation. I am off to find Molly McGuire, Book Two.

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ART: Antique Thimbles

 

Thimbles. 

I never gave them a thought. 

That is, before I  spent some time with an elderly neighbor lady from my old neighborhood who was recuperating from surgery and we spent the afternoon looking at her thimble collection. 

First, I needed my glasses to see be able to focus on the intricate designs and scrollwork. Some had small colored crystals in a border design around the bottom.

One was made of carnival glass and had some hand etching. Some were silver. Some were brass. She had a story to go with each one of them.

Glass Thimble 

         

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SCHEDULE: November 18-22, 2024

 Mon., November 18 - ART:

Antique Thimbles

Tues., November 19 - BOOK REVIEW:

Welcome Home to Murder

by Cindy Kline

Wed., November 20 - INTERVIEW:

Fiction and Christian Author

Tammy Lash

Thurs., November 21 - TV TIME:

Godzilla & King Kong:

The New Empire

(Max)

Fri., November 22 - BOOK:

MacKalvey House

A Time After Time Novel

by Carol Ann Kauffman

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BOOK: A Dilemma for Daisy, The Monday Mystery Society 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?

Excerpt:

 

Chapter One

The Date

Oakville

“Want to go watch the soccer game with me on Friday after school?” asked Jeanne Bartell, the guidance counselor at Oak Grove, Oakville’s Middle School. “My cousin’s playing and I promised him I’d go.”

“No, thanks,” said Daisy. Her lustrous brown curls bounced as the girls walked the trail in beautiful Riverside Park after school.”

“Are you sure? Watching Oakville’s best-looking guys beat the crap out of each other on the soccer field is a great release after a long week at work.”

“I’m sure it’s very cathartic, but no thanks.”

“Got other plans? Got a date maybe?”

“No, Bailey hates being left alone on Friday evenings. There’s nothing for him to watch on Animal Planet. Saturday and Sunday dog TV is much better. Honestly, Jeannie,” continued Daisy, “only date I’ve had since I’ve been back in Oakville was with my grandmother’s insurance agent.”

“I don’t think that counts.”

“Well, I think it might,” Daisy said with a hint of excitement in her big blue eyes. “Matt picked me up at my house, and he paid for dinner.”

“Matt? Matt Corcoran? Corky? Really?” Jeanne eyed her friend with a silly grin. “He’s a hunk.”

“We went to Manzano’s Italian Restaurant. We sat in the lounge near the fireplace under those big, beautiful paintings of the Italian countryside. Yes, he bought me dinner, we talked and laughed a lot, and had a good time. But no, it wasn’t romantic. It was financial.”

“I’ve known him since kindergarten and I’ve never known Corky to do that,” Jeanne said. “He usually conducts business meetings in his office. Wow, Daisy! I think it might have been a romantic overture.”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “But I told him straight up I wasn’t interested in anything more than my job, my house, and my dog right now, and he was very understanding. We did have a few meetings in his big, beautiful office first to deal with Gram’s life insurance and to work out all the details of my homeowner’s insurance policy. Then we went to dinner to get everything signed and sealed. Homeownership is a big responsibility. ”

“Tell me about it.” Jeanne laughed.

“It seems my grandmother knew Corky pretty well. She mentioned how much she liked him. She said he was ‘an honest, caring, good-hearted young man.’ He’s a really nice guy. He’s knowledgeable and very professional―and kind of sweet, maybe.”

“I think it was a real date, and you sound interested. I thought you weren’t ready yet.”

“I’m not―interested or ready.”

“But Matt Corcoran is such a terrific guy! He’s smart, good looking, and athletic. He’s got a great sense of humor and runs a successful business here in town. All those muscles and great blond hair. And he’s so cute.”

“If you like him so much, then you go out with him. I’ll put in a good word for you,” Daisy said.

“Believe me, I’ve tried, along with half the town.” Jeanne sighed. “Tall, plain, and skinny just isn’t his type. He likes them pretty and perky and bosomy. Hint, hint. But if you’re not ready to move on from whatever happened in Chicago, you’re not ready. I get it. What was his name?”

“Cooper. How did you know?”

“Everybody in town knows something happened to you in Chicago and you’ve sworn off dating.”

“I may never be ready to move on,” Daisy said. “And that’s okay. I’ve been on my own for a while and I’m fine by myself. I have a great job, a beautiful home with wonderful family memories, and I have Bailey, my wonderful shelter dog. And it’s good to be back in Oakville.

“But what I am ready for is book club, Monday Night Murder Club, the Monday Mysterians, the ‘Monday is Murder in More Ways than One’ Group,” she said, on a dramatic roll.

“The Monday Mystery Society,” Jeanne pronounced it distinctly.

“That sounds so chic. I’ve never belonged to a book club like this one in my life, with so many members and such a diverse makeup. In Chicago three or four people showed up, all women, all lonely women, looking for love and cookies. This book club is entertaining before you even open the book. I can’t wait for Monday!”

“Are you ever going to tell me what happened in Chicago?” Jeanne asked as they walked back to the car. “With Cooper, I mean. Daisy, if you’ve been attacked…”

“No, no, nothing like that. He was always the perfect gentleman. He…he misrepresented himself to me.” Daisy sighed, her usual upbeat demeanor vanishing. “He made me believe he was something he wasn’t.”

“Nobody’s perfect. Of all the rotten things men do these days, that’s not so bad. Maybe he just wanted to make a good impression on you.”

“Yes, that is bad.”

“But, Daisy, did you love him?”

“Love him?” Daisy whispered. “I don’t want to talk about it right now, okay counselor? Let’s go home.”

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TV TIME: Time Trap (Netflix)

 A group of students go looking for their lost college professor who went missing while searching the caves for his lost parents.

This started out like one of those “students go on an archaeological dig with their professor” movies that have curses and mummies. But it veered in a total different direction. It is a science fiction action adventure.

The critics did not care for this one. Of course, they want all these movies to be Oscar-worthy masterpieces. I liked it. It was a pleasant evening’s diversion with Ave men and space men and family members. And a dog. 

 

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BOOK REVIEW: The Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana Trigiani

 

Adriana Trigiani does not disappoint. 

And The Supreme Macaroni Company is not about pasta. 

It’s about love and family and shoes. 

If you have any Italian heritage in you at all, you will enjoy Trigiani’s tales of wild, wacky Italian family relationships and life, love, excellence, and stubbornness. And food. 

The Supreme Macaroni Company will make you laugh and make you cry. 

Brava, Adriana. 

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ART: The Beauty of Goldfish

 I love goldfish. I have them in the pond. They are beautiful creatures. And smart! I go out there and shake the fish food container. I yell “Oh, Fishies!” and they all come swimming toward me.

Goldfish get there color from the fish food. Many of our older goldfish are white. It is not their color that makes them beautiful.