TV TIME: Lincoln Lawyer (Netflix)

 

I did not want to like this series. I loved the book series written by Michael Connelly. The novels center around a down and out but terrific defense attorney, Mickey Haller, who ran his business out of his car, which was a black Lincoln Continental. 

I loved the film with blonde haired, blue eyed Matthew McConaughey, who played Mickey Haller. 

So who’s this guy Manual Garcia Ruffle? Where did he come from? 

Well, guess what? I loved it. Not only Mickey Haller, but the whole cast is fantastic. They do a terrific job. And evidently, I’m not the only one. 

 

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INTERVIEW:Time Travel Author Dennis Higgins

Dennis Higgins

Chicago Area, Illinois

USA

Award-winning author, Dennis Higgins is a distant relative of Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier. He has traveled the world over, collecting story ideas. As a native of Chicago, Illinois, Dennis Higgins has a passion for things that are gone but not forgotten, a romance with the past. For him, time travel is the answer. If not for real, then in the pages of his books. He now lives in the Chicago suburbs with his lovely wife, and their Lhasa Poo dog, Dom Perignon.

 

Good morning, Dennis, and welcome to Vision and Verse, the site for art and authors and those who love them. Can you tell us a little about what you've written? 

First off, thanks for having me today. I have 12 published releases; however, I recently combined my trilogy into an omnibus. 

Pennies From Across the Veil, Parallel Roads (Lost on Route 66), the Time Pilgrim series: (Katya and Cyrus, Almost Yesterday, and Tomorrow's Borrowed Trouble), Steampunk Alice, The Old Scrapbook, The Writer’s Apprentice, Christmas Returns to Pottersville, Confessions of an Internet Scammer, Goes to Eleven, and The Automated Wife.

Wow, that's quite a list! What is your favorite genre to write? 

I write a lot of time travel, with a fondness for romance and a touch of the paranormal.

Favorite food. 

Pizza. (I live in the Chicago area. )

Tea or coffee? 

I need my coffee.

Pizza or ice cream? 

Yes, please, but really it’s Pizza.

That's right, you're from Chicago. 

Wine or beer? 

It depends. I love a good wine with a great meal. But I drink beer with my buddies. I never drink alone.

Where would you like to visit? 

I am 58% Irish. (I did 23andMe) I have been to England, but never to Ireland. I would like to experience it someday. 

Favorite musical artist.  

I have to say The Beatles. Although I like a lot of different types of music and artists. The Beatles have always been a part of my life. 

Do you listen to music when you write?Sometimes, yes.

What? 

I like to put on John Barry’s musical scores. He composed the music for some of my favorite films, including two time-travel movies, Somewhere in Time and Peggy Sue got Married. His music is melancholy, and sometimes that’s the mood I’m going for.

What makes you laugh? 

Literally anything from my buddies at work, funny Facebook memes, TV shows, and movies. I can also laugh at myself.

Favorite work of art or sculpture. 

Pietà by Michelangelo, especially when you know the history.

How old were you when you started writing? 

I wrote great book reports and stories in grade school, but I only started writing professionally as an adult in 2010. (You good people don’t need to know my age, LOL!)

Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards? Or just write? 

I just write. Sometimes where the story goes surprises me. I might have an idea of an ending, but I never know the exact end until it comes.

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

For many years, I had never experienced it. But afterward, I did, and I just wait it out. Writing comes from mood, and mood change, even for us men.

Describe your perfect evening. 

I’m not sure why I struggled with this question. There’s that writer’s block, I guess. I guess because these days I use evenings to rest. I get up at 3:00 am to do my writing and related work (such as doing this interview). Then I go do my day job. The perfect evening is a Friday night, sitting with my wife, eating a good Chicago style (thin crust) pizza, and knowing I can be at my writing for longer the next day.

Where do you get your inspiration?  

Books, movies, life itself. As my profile says, I have traveled a lot, and I tend to soak up and bring a piece of all those visited places with me when I leave. 

Who is your favorite author? 

Without a doubt, Richard Matheson, from his early Twilight Zones to the beautiful Somewhere in Time and What Dreams May Come. I am Facebook friends with his daughter, Ali.

Best book you ever read. 

I haven’t stopped talking about it. Somewhere in Time, originally titled, Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson.

Last book you read. 

A true story called, Two Truths and a Lie by Ellen McGarrahan. Very exciting.

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

Retire, which is nearing. But truthfully, I’ve always wanted to be a Broadway actor, preferably a musical. Sometimes I sing show tunes to myself. Lol!

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

I don’t have just one. My grandmother influenced my religion, my mother was an avid reader and gave me a love and respect for books, my dad was a hard worker who never missed going to the office. My wife is the kindest person I ever met. See? Too many.

Consider yourself blessed, Dennis. Some of the people I interview cannot come up with ONE!  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’ve been asked this before. My answer changes, but since the question has the word ONE capitalized, I will say today I’d like to sit and talk with George Harrison of The Beatles, just to ask him about the early days of being kids and plunged into instant and massive fame.

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

My advice would be to try to tell the story. Be a good storyteller. Don’t worry about construction, grammar, or style. That comes later. Get the story down on (proverbial) paper.

Do you have some links for us to follow you?

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/Dennis-Higgins-Author-162823450485698/

Website:

http://www.timepilgrims.com/

http://www.timepilgrims.com/time-pilgrims-home.html

Blog:

http://www.timepilgrims.com/blog

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Dennis-Higgins/e/B00BAE6LSK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5759879.Dennis_Higgins

Instagram

Dennis Higgins (@dennis.higgins) • Instagram photos and videos

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BOOK REVIEW: Eye of the Moon by Ivan Obolensky

 

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ART: Brazilian Artist Eduardo Lima Da Cruz

 

References:

Facebook

Art Cavern

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SCHEDULE: June 8-12, 2026

Monday, June 8 - ART:

Brazilian Artist 

Eduardo Lima DaCruz

Tuesday, June 9 - BOOK REVIEW:

Eye of the Moon

by Ivan Obolensky

Wednesday, June 10 - INTERVIEW:

Time Travel Author

Dennis Higgins

Thursday, June 11 - TV TIME:

Lincoln Lawyer

(Netflix)

Friday, June 12 - BOOK:

Shop at Maxamillion’s

by Carol Ann Kauffman

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BOOK: Talus by Carol Ann Kauffman

 

When peaceful planet Korbus was under attack from a vicious alien species, Prince Talus was sent to Earth for protection. Hidden in a run-down apartment building in a big Midwestern city, Talus is ill-equipped to deal with a normal life, let alone life on the run in the slums of Earth. And worse yet, he's trapped in a poor middle-aged man's body. A random, senseless murder leaves Talus alone in a strange and dangerous world with no one to trust. Will Talus survive?

Talus was a fun book to write. It started out on Kindle Vella, Amazon’s episodic reading program, where the author publishes one episode at a time.

Talus is available only on Amazon in kindle, paperback, and Vella format. Vella lets you read the first ten episodes free!

This is the paperback cover. Talus is categorized as science fiction for obvious reasons, but it also delves into relationships, person to person, and person to animal.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Talus-Carol-Ann-Kauffman-ebook/dp/B0C162HKBQ?ref_=ast_author_dp

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TV TIME: Doc (Fox)

 

This is a medical drama with a twist. The most outstanding doctor on staff was involved in an auto accident and although she can remember all of her medical training, she lost all memory of the last eight years of her personal life. Not little things. BIG things. Like the fact that she and her husband, a doctor at the same hospital, are divorced and he is remarried, her son died, and she’s estranged from her daughter. She was not such a nice person before the accident and she doesn’t remember all the people who don’t like her. 

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Interview with Literary Author E.A. Monroe

E.A. Monroe 

Norman, Oklahoma

Cover of "Fortune's Hostage"

Good morning, Elizabeth.  Welcome to Vision and Verse.  I love your Facebook Author Page.  It is very beautiful.  SO tell us, what have your written?
Written in Omen, Book 1 in the Voice of the Wind: Shadows of Time and Fortune’s Hostage, Book 2 in the series.  I’m working on the edits for Cursed in Love, Book 3 in the Voice of the Wind series. I’m also almost finished writing a novel that’s set in Oklahoma City in 1931. It’s about two orphan sisters (ages 11 and 5) who have run away from an orphanage and have joined up with a gang other kids who are living on the streets. I’ve had a blast writing it as the story was inspired by a childhood incident and a dream that I had years later.

What is your favorite genre to write?
I don’t write in any particular genre, so I just categorize my writing as literary fiction, but it usually incorporates a little from every genre.

And what is your favorite food?
Desserts! No, I like any kind of fruits — watermelon, cantaloupe, apples, pears. Mexican and Chicken.

Where would you like to visit?
The Pacific or Atlantic Oceans. I would love to visit the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, Scotland and Ireland.

Favorite musical artist?
Sting is my favorite musical artist. I also like Florence and the Machine. When writing, listening to music is often too distracting, especially if there are lyrics. My mind starts wandering off on story ideas. I love listening to various movie scores or classical composers like Gustav Mahler when I write — anything that doesn’t have lyrics. My husband plays guitar and other music instruments, so when he’s in his music room working on composing a song I listen to his guitar music.

What makes you laugh?
Anything might tickle my funny bone — old I Love Lucy and Andy Griffith episodes. Anything off the wall. My son enjoys doing impersonations and “voices.” The antics of my dog and cat. Steve Martin, the comedian, once pulled a joke on me and told me I was bananas.

How old were you when you started writing?
When I was 10 and in Mrs. Esther Steele’s 5th grade, she saw the spaced out daydreamer and harnessed me to reality by assigning me as our “class reporter.” I scribbled the “news,” Mrs. Steele edited and graded, and then I rewrote my little class news article. After school my mom would drive me over to Molly Week’s house. Molly was a reporter for the Mangum Star newspaper in Mangum, OK. Molly always paid me with a stick of Wrigley’s Spearmint Gum. The “news” I wrote appeared in Friday’s newspaper. So it was fun getting to read something I wrote in the newspaper.

Where do you get your inspiration?
For me, writing starts way before scribbling words on the pages of a notebook — writing starts in imagination, pretending and natural curiosity — or dreams. My earliest memories began in imagination. I try to catch the images — the mirages, movement, all the sensory stuff into words on paper. And, very clumsily, too. Other times, it’s standing in front of the kitchen sink, washing dishes, staring out the window and letting my mind roam. Ideas sprout from conversations and sometimes an odd article I’ve read.

What do you do when you get a writer's block?
I goof off. But that doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about the characters, observing their little scenarios, eavesdropping on their conversations. Detailed scenes flash through my thoughts. I just let the cauldron bubble and simmer. I read a lot. Sew. Look at photos. Photos are great inspiration.

Who is your favorite author?
I have too many favorite authors from since I first began reading. My favorite author is usually the author I’m reading at the moment, but I guess my all-time favorite contemporary writer is Diana Gabaldon.

I love her, too!  Best book you ever read.
Do I have to pick just one?
No
Okay then, the books that stick most in my mind are Steinbeck’s East of Eden, Gabaldon’s Outlander, and of course, J.R.R. Tolkien’s stories.

Who is the one person who has influence your personal life the most and why? 
I can’t say there’s any one person who has influenced my personal life the most. Too many people have influenced me. Some positive; some negative — my mom (conscience) and dad (high-strung). I had a lot of unusual early childhood experiences that pretty much shaped my feelings and thoughts. My dad was a small town physician, a jovial social person that everyone loved, but at home we kids toed the line for fear of the paddle on our behinds. He used to take me on house calls to meet his elderly, bed-ridden patients. I was all eyes and ears. My mom was always the moral compass. To keep me busy when she had a toddler and infant to take care of and the house, plus my dad and me, she sat me at the kitchen table, plunked down a Sears & Roebuck catalog in front of me along with an empty coffee tin, and gave me a pair of my dad’s surgical scissors. I was probably about 4. I spent hours cutting out stuff — mostly people — and filled up the coffee tin with paper doll stories. I more or less coerced my younger sister into playing paper dolls with me and we made up week-long story lines. Our favorite was when the maid and butler kidnapped the family and held them hostage. Oh, that was one big soap opera!

If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?
My Grandma, Dora Timmons, my mom’s mom. She was probably the wisest person I knew, always surprising me with her many superstitions and accurate weather lore — pioneers who farmed probably all shared a sensibility with the earth and nature. She didn’t have any teeth (I was fascinated when she ate) and she raised six kids out in far Southwestern Oklahoma in Greer County on a cotton and wheat farm. They had no indoor plumbing and no indoor facilities, not even an outhouse. Their drinking water came from a cistern. As a young kid, I could not tell you how many times I worried about getting pecked on the butt when I was outside taking care of business. I spent a lot of time on the farm with her and grandpa. There are a lot of memories in that old farmhouse, gathered around a pot-bellied stove, and many of them have found their way into my writings.

What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?
Observe everything and everyone in your environment; carefully observe your own thoughts, your actions, and whatever catches your attention and imagination. Write, write and rewrite millions of words. Read everything, study how the words and sentences ebb and flow, their rhythms. If your writing “sings” to you, maybe you’ve found your voice. Kick your ego to the curb and never stop learning. Be strong.

Another cover to share with us?

Do you have any links to share with us?
You can find more about my writing here:

Author FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/EA-Monroe/459769297421748

Personal FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.monroe.391

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Monroe/e/B008KACMBC/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Twitter: ElizabethMonr16@Twitter.com

Blog: http://eamonroe.wordpress.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7142000.Elizabeth_Monroe

Also, this website/publisher features my books:  http://www.quillerworks.com

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BOOKS: The Cat Collier Mystery Series by Carol Ann Kauffman

 

 

January Black Ice is a romantic mystery. A strong-willed, sharp-minded woman, Mary Catherine Collier, is a journalist and obituary writer for a local newspaper. When the city’s rich and most influential lawyer, Detrick Bittmor, summons her to his penthouse apartment, she can’t say no. 

Cat, as she’s better known, has a soft spot for the old lawyer with a nasty reputation. There’s something about this man she finds charming. Detrick entrusts her with a puzzling personal matter; he wants to find out who the mysterious young man is who sits on a park bench every day at noon and stares up at his apartment windows. The man resembles a young version of himself, and Detrick suspects that he could be his son from an affair he had many years ago. He wants to find out the truth because this man could be his only heir. 

Somewhat reluctantly, Cat takes on the challenge. She befriends the young man, but will it be love at first sight or will she stumble upon a secret that could put both their lives in danger?

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