Saturday, January 18, 2014

Author Interview with Riiva Williams

Riiva Williams

Tortola, British Virgin Islands

Welcome to Vision and Verse this morning, Riiva. It's a pleasure to have you with us. Tortola, BVI is a beautiful place. We had the pleasure of spending a few days there. Beautiful place. Lovely people. So, tell us,what have you written?

I have written Stone Poetry, Get Real, and Cruel Intentions.

What is your favorite genre to write?

Poetry

Favorite food.

Pumpkin Pie

Tea or coffee?

Coffee

Pizza or ice cream?

Ice Cream

Where would you like to visit?

I love and I am fascinated with Greece I would love to visit.

Favorite musical artist.

Favorite Artist is Melanie Fiona.

Do you listen to music when you write? What?

No I don’t listen to anything else I get side tracked.

What makes you laugh?

I love funny movies and the comedian Kevin Hart.

How old were you when you started writing?

I was 12.

Describe your perfect evening.

My perfect evening would be to sit on my porch with a nice glass of wine and watch the boats pass.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Usually from everyday situations that I know about.

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

When I get writer’s block on one project I usually start a new one.

Who is your favorite author?

My favorite author of all times is Nora Roberts

What was the best book you ever read?

Best book was Montana Sky by Nora Roberts

I really like that one, too. Nora Roberts is fantastic. Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?

The person that influenced me the most was my mom. She was a single parent for a while before she meet my step dad took great care of my sister and I always told me to shoot for my dreams.

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

It would be Oprah as she has a great business head I would like to know how she does it and balance her life all at once.

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

Editing your work is one of the key processes. Even if you cannot afford an editor have people look it over and make changes as you go.

Do you have any links for us?

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorriiva.williams

Facebook like Page: www.facebook.com/AuthorRiivaW

Twitter: www.twitter.com/AuthorRiivaW

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ms-Riiva-Williams/e/B00GED6DFS/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_4?qid=1388539121&sr=8-4

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/AuthorRiivaW

Authordb: http://www.authorsdb.com/authors-directory/6404-riiva-williams

Friday, January 17, 2014

Interview with Author Marie F. Crow

Marie F. Crow

South Carolina

Good morning, Marie. It is a pleasure to have you with us this morning. Can you tell us a little about what have you written?

I write the adult post-apocalyptic series, The Risen. Right now, it is sitting at four books in the first year of being released. (The Risen: Dawning, The Risen: Margaret, The Risen: Remnants, The Risen: Courage.)

I also have started a children’s series, Abigail and Her Pet Zombie, where I try to impart on children that being different isn’t such a bad thing.

What is your favorite genre to write?

I am a zombie fan-girl at heart. They have always been, and most likely always will be, my favorite “monsters”. Writing about the world of a ZA on one side of the desk while putting a cartoon spin on the same “monsters” on the other side has led to an interesting year.

Favorite food.

Cupcakes. Anyone who follows my ramblings know I have an Achilles’s heel for cupcakes.

Tea or coffee?

Tea but I will spoil myself sometimes after a really good review with a coffee house iced coffee. It’s the little things in life!

Pizza or ice cream?

Ice Cream. Since having a teenager I have quickly outgrown my love for pizza.

Where would you like to visit?

New Orleans. It has always been a place of mystery for me with such rich culture and with how the town dances on the darker side of life. Everything there seems more alive; even their ghosts.

Favorite musical artist.

I really don’t have one. My music switches with my mood and some days that can really stress out Pandora.

Do you listen to music when you write? What?

I do listen to music when I write. I prefer overtures or soundtracks to set the mood when writing for the pure musical aspect and not for the lyrics. For me, nothing will kill a scene faster than trying to plot gruesome murders when suddenly I break into song like an episode of Glee.

What makes you laugh?

My family. I am blessed with two daughters who are literally my sun and moon because of how different they are from the other. Some of the best times are when we just as sit as a family around the television and let the crazy roll. Add in a dash of my husband and the crazy may roll for a long time.

Where do you get your inspiration?

My inspirations for all of my work comes from the very basic question, “Is it real?”. I grew tired of the same plot lines where when everything goes wrong everyone became these perfect soldiers. People who had lived their whole lives in a basic nine-to-five were picking up any weapon, or even suddenly having the knowledge of how to craft weapons, and perfectly using them. That’s not “real”.

People were killing their neighbors, their families, their friends and it never even took a paragraph to explain the pain of doing such an act. That’s not “real”.

When I write, if it’s ZA or the upcoming young adult series, I always want the reader to feel the characters’ angst. I want my readers right there, stuck in the muck and horror of what is happening. After all, that’s the thrill of reading.

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

I cry, like a little girl. Actually no, I take a break and play around with scenes of another book. I have discovered that writer’s block is really the characters’ way of saying he or she doesn’t want their story told this way. If I just sit back and wait for the muse and the character to work it out, the words will start to flow again. All else fails, I play with my bass guitar while they hash it out.

Who is your favorite author?

Stephen King. I fell in love with his earlier books over how he could take something so simple and every day and then twist it into the worse case of a nightmare. So simple. So perfect. So tragic.

Best book you ever read.

I’m still reading so I’m still looking.

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

Anne Boleyn. If history is correct she was a gem, dared to become Queen and fell as a victim. She became one of the most hated only to become one of England’s most remembered Queens. She pushed her life beyond the measure of what anyone could expect of a woman with her head held high when so many were doing their best to bring her low. I imagine a conversation with her would not only fill the hours with amazing stories but also soul-touching encouragement.

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

Find your armor and wear it like a second skin. Find a purpose for writing which you can cling to when the demons of doubt rest upon your shoulder because they will and they wear as many skins as a mood ring has colors.

Mine is my family. Every time one of those demons finds me I remember my “why” and battle forth, pushing against the tide looking to drown me. If you can build yourself around your why, grasp it like armor to your heart, there is nothing in life you can’t do.

Oh, and a new motorcycle but that doesn’t have the same crowd-rising sound as family.

Do you have some links for us to follow you?

Here are some links for Marie F Crow:

Website http://mariefcrow.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarieFCrow.Author

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarieFCrow

Amazon Kindle Links:

The Risen: Dawning http://amzn.com/B00CTARFZC

The Risen: Margaret http://amzn.com/B00D3B9CLG

The Risen: Remnants http://amzn.com/B00FCH5Q96

The Risen: Courage http://amzn.com/B00HG1LCJY

Abigail and Her Pet Zombie http://amzn.com/B00FNQTYKI

Abigail and Her Pet Zombie: Zoo Day http://amzn.com/B00HAQW6MW

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

WHAT'S UP WEDNESDAY JANUARY 15, 2014

Every now and again my beautiful beagle Lily, likes to help me with my posts. Today she has selected a few of her favorite quotes about art and artists. Enjoy!!

"The artist is the antenna of the race." ---Ezra Pound.

"The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery."
---Francis Bacon.

"The function of ART is to disturb. Science reassures."
---George Braque.

"What a society deems important is enshrined in its art."
---Harry Broudy.

"I do not literally paint that table, but the emotion it produces upon me." ---Henri Matisse.

"Art should reveal the unknown, to those who lack the experience of seeing it." ---James Quick-to-See-Smith.

"Art is the Queen of all sciences communicating knowledge to all the generations of the world." ---Leonardo da Vinci.

"Art is everywhere, except it has to pass through a creative mind." ---Louise Nevelson.

"Art is a lie that helps us to realize the truth." ---Pablo Picasso.

"Painting is just another way of keeping a diary."
---Pablo Picasso.

"I often think the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day." ---Vincent Van Gogh.

"Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul."
---Wassily Kandinsky.

"There is no must in art because art is free."
---Wassily Kandinsky.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Waiting for Richard

4.0 out of 5 stars A Joy to Read! December 22, 2013

By pagedabbler21

Format:Kindle Edition

Waiting for Richard, by Carol Ann Kaufman, is a short novella added to the Time After Time series. Reading this novella first has made me want to read every one of the books in the series.

Skye is happily retired and working on a series of children's books. She is happy, but the one thing that bothers her is this image she has in her mind of the man of her dreams. Considering herself too old to even consider looking for him, she keeps herself absorbed in her children's books. An unexpected trip to Australia and a meeting with an elephant expert makes her realize that you never know who's going to enter your life and grab your love.

There is also many other twists and turns going on in these 65 pages including a shooting, a runaway brother and other craziness that makes this novella a must read. Take it as an entry into the world of all the Time after Time series, because once you read this you're going to want to read all of them.

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Waiting for Richard (Time After Time) [Kindle Edition]

Carol Ann Kauffman (Author), Carol Ann Kauffman (Photographer)

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Length: 65 pages (estimated)

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Carol Ann Kauffman is the author of twenty-some books to date, from short stories to full-length novels. Her novels, classified as romantic action adventures with a sci-fi/ fantasy twist, and mysteries. They're about life, love, loss, and lunacy. She is a retired teacher from a local school district in Ohio, where she taught for thirty-five years. She has worked as a printer, managed a department store office, worked as an insurance agent, and worked in the hardware and automotive departments of a large store. She was a Red Cross volunteer. Carol loves to travel; her favorite places being Italy, Aruba, and the American Southwest, which show up in her novels quite a bit. She loves to play Bridge and to garden. She grows African violets and orchids. Carol loves dachshunds and trains. She is the author of the Time After Time series, which follows a pair of lovers through their many lifetimes together, and the Cat Collier Mysteries, as well as holiday short stories with Books To Go Now Publishers. Connect with Carol on Twitter at @Cay47. Visit her website at carolannkauffman.weebly.com