Friday, May 30, 2014

The Story of DAPHNE the Duck






A Special Note from Maxine:

Dear Vision and Verse Readers,  
I am having a book signing at the Art on Park Gallery, 800 Park Avenue in Lake Park, Florida on Friday, May 30, 2014 from 6 to 8 pm.  If you are in the area, you are invited to attend.
Maxine




Welcome back to Vision and Verse, Maxine. Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?  
I think my mother was the most influential.  She was a wonderful person, very good, kind, and well liked - Both of my parents actually - they had good values and they were spiritual people.


If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?  
Sigmund Freud popped into my mind, maybe because I was a therapist professionally.  Though always a writer and painter, I had to earn a living.  But it would be neat to have a conversation with Albert Einstein as well.


Do you have any links for us to follow you and Daphne?

Links: 
http://www.amazon.com/SCHREIBERS-Apple-Doesnt-Fall-Tree/dp/1499115016/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1399047779&sr=1-10&keywords=the+schreibers 





Thursday, May 29, 2014

Interview with Author Harmony Lawson



Harmony Lawson
Grass Valley, California


Good morning, Harmony.  Welcome to Vision and Verse, the Place for Art and Authors.  We're thrilled to have you with us this morning.  Can you tell us what you've written?
I've written Apocalypse of Angels: Seeing Angels and my new young adult novel, My Mechanical Angel, has a release date of June 1st.


How exciting!  What is your favorite genre to write?
YA and New Adult


Favorite food.
It depends on my mood, Mexican, Italian, sometimes Chinese buffets. J I just like food.


Tea or coffee? 
Both actually.


Pizza or ice cream?
That’s a hard question


You can say both again.  I like pizza followed by ice cream. Where would you like to visit? 
Playa Del Carmen…when I go on my honeymoon. J

Favorite musical artist.  Do you listen to music when you write? 
I like Christina Perri…my play list can be found on Spotify under Candice Bledsaw


What makes you laugh? 
My fiancé and my son, my dogs…I laugh easily


Favorite work of art.
I like Thomas Kinkade paintings. Whatever is colorful and catches my eye.


We just did column on Thomas Kinkade yesterday!  I learned so much about him. Colorful.  So, how old were you when you started writing? 
I started writing seriously in 2009…so when I was 32 but I’ve been writing poems and such when I was about 16.


Describe your perfect evening. 
Dinner at a nice restaurant, a nice evening walk, drinks at a bar with live music. Good conversation is easy with my fiancé.


Where do you get your inspiration? 
Nature, angels, God, movies.


What do you do when you get a writer's block? 
I take a break, go for a walk, just take a day or two off.


Who is your favorite author? 
Stephanie Meyer


Best book you ever read. 
Twilight Saga. Couldn’t put them down. Took me two weeks to read them.


Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?
My fiancé. He offers so much support.


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 grandmother who is in Heaven. I miss her. And my other grandmother who lives a few states away. I haven’t seen her in a few years. Why? Because grandparents aren’t around forever.



What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer? 
Never give up, just keep writing what you love and know. Keep it simple and don’t over think.


What can you tell us about My Mechanical Angel?
Book Description or Synopsis: The small Wild West farming community of Whitcomb was afraid of Seraphton, the shining metropolis that lies along the horizon. Reverend Archibald preached that the city was forbidden, an abomination to the world, and evil demons lurk inside despite the celestial name. Emmaline had a feeling there was more to Seraphton than the Reverend let on. Emmaline Fortenbury had always felt out of place in Whitcomb and wondered if Seraphton was really like he said. He preached like he held a grudge. What were the secrets of Seraphton and how did it connect with Reverend Archibald?
Then a stranger comes to town and the meeting changes her life. Aleksander Galloway was feared by the townspeople, but she found him fascinating. She wanted more out of life for herself. She wanted the chance to explore the world, and he seemed to be the man to help her. He had silver metal wings and a mechanical eye. He was handsome in a way that wasn’t like the townspeople of Whitcomb. He was sophisticated, educated, and very interesting. How can their love grow when their two towns collide? Can their love bring everyone together for peace?

Do you have any links for us to follow you?
3.     http://www.amazon.com/dp/1938634012 (book page for Apocalypse of Angels)
4.     http://www.amazon.com/dp/1499176325 (book page for My Mechanical Angel)
5.     http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00AZCNXNE (author page)


Author Bio:
Harmony Lawson was born on a naval base in San Diego, California. Currently, she and her family live in Northern California in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Her education is in drawing, painting, and writing. When she read her first romance novel at age 16, she became a hopeless romantic. 
Harmony is fascinated by angels, and she incorporates research in angels, the Nephilim, and fallen angels into her fictional stories. Many of the descriptions in her books reflect actual documentation found in religious documents. 
While she has endured many hardships in life, she believes life will be better tomorrow. Life has its ups and downs, trials and tribulations, and Heaven and Hell. She believes the bad times are a test to prove a person's worth. Her books reflect on that concept. 

A little something extra about Harmony:
I write fantasy/romance for young adults...seems to be the voice that fits me the best. My first book "Apocalypse of Angels: Seeing Angels" was published January 2013 (It was published under a different name in 2009 through iUniverse-the company wasn't working for me)...and I'm told I'm doing well for a first time published author---but I'm still learning the industry. I'm currently halfway finished with the first draft my 3rd novel (8 novels planned all together: not all are in the series: and my ideas keep growing). I've also dabbled a little with children's fiction, I've written and illustrated 3 stories, they aren't published as of yet. I've been writing since I was 16 (poems mainly) and dabbling in art since I was 4. I started writing seriously when I was 20. Most of my experience is self taught but I have taken correspondence courses for writing children's fiction and I've taken several classes for art. My series was mentioned in the Sacramento Bee in May 2013 and I've been interviewed on our local radio station, KNCO.

Excerpt:
“Who’s there?” I say trying to keep my voice calm.
No answer.
“If someone’s there, you’d better let me know,” I call out in a warning tone. I almost sound like Ma for a minute. I can’t help but smile at the thought. “I’ll go get my Pa’s gun!”
Still there is no answer. Maybe it is all in my head, and it is just the wind of the storm blowing things around. I turn to leave, but I’m stopped by an unknown voice that sends a shiver up my spine.
“Good evening, miss, and please don’t get your Pa’s gun,” his voice is soft and calming. I am not afraid of this voice. I grab a pitchfork just in case. I’m not dumb. A girl needs to be cautious. I turn around to see where the voice was coming from.
“You just come out of the darkness, and we shall see.” My voice wavers a little bit, but I hold the pitchfork and try to keep it steady. I don’t want him to see me shaking. I’m not sure if I’m shaking from fear or from being chilled. He is a stranger, after all. I’m not used to having strangers around.
He steps out of the shadows and into the light of the lantern. His dark features are beautiful and instantly has me enthralled, and I know where he comes from. His skin is pale and seems to glow in the lantern light. The light is casting strange shadows on his face. He definitely isn’t from anywhere around here. I’ve been raised to believe the inhabitants of Seraphton are devils, but this tall gentleman looks anything but normal. His dark brown hair is styled in a short spiky way. He is wearing a blue shirt, a shiny black vest with black pants with silver zippers all over, and black leather boots. He looks quite soaked from the rain. One glance from his dark eyes makes my heart do a flip-flop. There is something different about his eyes. And his silver metal wings on his back certainly interest me. How intriguing. I wonder if the wings are attached to his back. Who is this man?
Is this a coincidence or what? Here I am tossing and turning about Seraphton all night, and now one of its inhabitants is standing in front of me. Is this fate?

He steps closer, and I hold the pitchfork tightly. He stops and holds up his hands. “It’s ok, Miss. I’m not going to hurt you. I just crashed into your field, and with the strength of the storm, I had to seek shelter. My name is Aleksander Galloway.”

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Thomas Kinkade, Painter of Light




  

    America's most commercially successful artist, Thomas Kinkade was born on January 19, 1958 in Sacramento, California, and grew up in the small town of Placerville. He married Nanette Wiley in 1982 and had four daughters. He died on April 6, 2012 at the age of 54 in Monte Sereno, California.






    Called the Painter of Light, Thomas Kinkade's paintings glowed with brilliant highlights and saturated pastels, and were a huge  commercial success but his work was dismissed by critics and the fine-art world as "mall art" or "chocolate box art", saying they were kitschy and without substance. 





However, he was embraced by the general public, who loved his American scene paintings with beautiful idyllic gardens, cottages, lighthouses, and rambling streams.  One out of every twenty American homes has at least one Kinkade print, primarily because of the success of his personal appearances on the QVC home shopping network.  Seeing him with his artwork, explaining scenes, and pointing out interesting details in his beautifully composed renderings was very impressive. He also had a complete line of journals, calendars, puzzles, and greeting cards, thanks to Hallmark!
       
    

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

An Interview with Author Tom Golabek



  Tom Golabek
The Villages, Florida, US






Good morning, Tom, and welcome to Vision and Verse, the Place for Art and Authors! Tell us what have you written? 
Maddog 1 The Beginning;
Maddog 2 Maddog is Back;  
Maddog 3True Justice;  
Maddog 4 The Monet;  
I’ve also written over 60 articles in magazines, journals, and periodicals, some of which include POKER PLAYER; FULL TILT; VIET-NOW; STARS AND STRIPES; THE NATIONAL AMVET;  THE VETERAN JOURNAL;  AMERICAN VETERAN NEWS;  VFW;  NAM-VET;  DRUG TOPICS;  SKYDIVING; and POLICE TIMES.




Wow!  You have been a busy boy.  What is your favorite genre to write?  
Tough detective mysteries.


Favorite food. 
Italian


Tea or coffee?
Coffee


Pizza or ice cream? 
Both!


Oh, my kind of guy.Where would you like to visit? 
You ay be surprised at this, but my favorite place to visit in the world is Atlantic City, NJ.  Next would be Vegas, then Miami.


I love Vegas and Miami, but have never been to Atlantic City. I'll have to add that to my list.   
Favorite musical artist. Do you listen to music when you write? What?
I usually listen to classic rock.  My favorites run the gamut from The Beatles to Zeppelin to Tom Jones to Mathis.  As far as music playing while I write, I’d say its about 50/50.


What makes you laugh?  
Howard Stern.  I love his show. 


How old were you when you started writing?  
Twenty-one


Describe your perfect evening.   
Lasagna, cold beer, a good movie, and a good woman.


Where do you get your inspiration?
 I hate to make it sound so trivial, but it just flows out of my head when I sit down to write or when I’m laying quietly in bed before dozing off.

  
Who is your favorite author? 
James Randi


Best book you ever read.  
Flim Flam


Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most
and why?  
James Randi.  In short, he focused me on becoming a critical thinker. 



If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?   
There are several people from different walks of life, but my first thought was Jimi Hendrix.  I would love to follow him around for a week.



What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?  
Sit down at the computer and start writing.