A Glimpse Into Our Technological Future

 A Glimpse Into Our Technological Future, June 19, 2015

By 

Carol Ann Kauffman

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This review is from: The President is No More (Kindle Edition)

This sci-fi novella was a great read, a glimpse into our technological future, and a tiny peek into the mind of Olga Toprover. This is the second book I have read by Olga, and she does not disappoint. I highly recommend this tale of robotizing humans and humanizing robots in the pursuit of a better life for all.


Dear Gentle Readers,
This is the second book I've read by the delightful Olga Toprover, all although vastly different, it was equally entertaining. 
Seventeen Shades of Love was like sitting down to tea with a prima ballerina late in her life, as she reflected her past loves and lovers.
This one is more like espresso with an engineer, a no-nonsense, futuristic glimpse into hardware and human-ware, and the merging of the two, with a smattering of politics thrown into the mix.
I highly recommend this one, too!
Have a great day. 
Hugs,
Carol  

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The Art of Erica Hopper

The beautiful work of artist Erica Hopper first caught my eye on her Facebook Page.  She captures a uniquely human quality in her paintings without ever showing a face.  








She uses muted tones as well as bright red and blue and the basic human figures to convey illusive, beautiful imagery on the human condition.

This one is entitled "Italian Marbles."
I love the flashy, daring, red dress and its contrast to the figure's hunched over,
depressed shoulders.  I do not see the marbles.  Maybe she lost them!

 I love Second Thoughts.  I love the way Erica uses colors and the posture of the figure to convey the human being equivalent of Salvador Dali's "The Persistence of Memory." (The limp clock one.) 

You have to look closely at this one to see the red boots in Erica's new giclee on canvas "Red Boots Daughter."


Erica is represented by Blazing Editions.
www.blazing.com 

None of these images are mine.  I claim nothing but my thoughts this morning!  I found all my information on the internet.  The Piccadilly's Fine Art Galleries website has many beautiful Erica Hopper works of art for sale.  

Also, check out her Facebook Page!

https://www.facebook.com/ArtistEricaHopper

Seventeen Shades of Love by Olga Toprover

 An Absolutely Lovely Collection of Short Stories, June 17, 2015

By 

Carol Ann Kauffman

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This review is from: Seventeen Shades of Love (Paperback)

An absolutely lovely collection of short stories about life and love and affection. Some are sweet, some are bittersweet, and some are a little nutty. They are beautifully written with relatable characters, each a little gem of a story. I highly recommend this book.

Buy link:  http://www.amazon.com/Seventeen-Shades-Love-Olga-Toprover-ebook/dp/B00FOGP668/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1435151829&sr=1-1&keywords=Seventeen+Shades+of+Love

Dear Gentle Readers,

This little collection of stories about life and love and affection is eloquently written and a joy to read. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I think you will, too. Don't miss this one!

Hugs,
Carol

Pieces of Mel, A Poetry Collection by Melina Turner

Dear Gentle Readers,

This morning I have for you a lovely book.  It is a collection of poetry from Melina Turner.  From the beautiful cover and through the poems in the book, Melina Turner takes you on a trip to understand yourself through her beautiful, heartfelt poetry.  Each poem is the story of a life experience, and like the cover, each poem is a piece of the puzzle.

Most people tell me that are not poetry lovers.  Take a look at this one.  It just might make you change your mind.

I have included a few reviews from her Amazon.com page.   

Hugs,

Carol

Amazon Buy Link:  

http://www.amazon.com/Pieces-Mel-Poetry-Collection-Book-ebook/dp/B00PFQ61M0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1423354276&sr=1-1&keywords=Melina+Turner

out of 5 stars A Must Read! December 29, 2014

By shannan lee

Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

Pieces of Mel Poetry Collection One is an amazing book of poetry. As I read through each poem I felt as if I was getting a little piece of the author. These poems are not just words on paper; they are like their own little stories. I really enjoyed reading them and had about 40 favorites. I finally had to stop marking because they were quickly all becoming favorites, but I did finally choose six that really spoke to me. They are She Doesn’t Know He’s Gone, The Little Princess, Surrendering To The Flame, Darkening Nightmares, In Fates Ocean and I Am My Own Enemy.
I am so grateful that I was able to read this book and look forward to reading more work by this author. Mel Turner is an outstanding writing and I am just in love with her poetry. I highly recommend this poetry book to all lovers of poetry. You will not be disappointed.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Pieces of Mel by Melina Turner December 29, 2014

By J Michael Harper

Format:Kindle Edition

There is no question in my mind why Melina Turner is an award winning writer. Pieces of Mel is an exquisitely written book of poetry. While reading this work I marveled at the way the author would put together the verses. I found that many of the poems were written in a way that you could interpret more than one meaning, but every and all meanings ran very deep into the imagination. I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to read some of the better abstract poetry. I refer to it as abstract because of the way the author uses the words she chooses. In no way is that a knock on her work at all. Trust me, once you read this book, you will have a deeper insight into the mind of a writer. Enjoy your reading experience.. I highly recommend this book.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great! December 29, 2014

By Hayley Guertin

Format:Kindle Edition

Pieces Of Mel was a very interesting book on a variety of poems written by author Melina Turner throughout the years. Many of the poems reflected events that Melina had lived through, and a vast majority brought tears to my eyes. Some even made me cry. Melina has her way of writing the poems that make the meanings different for each poem even if they were similar in writing. The poems were very heartfelt and I can tell that the author really put her heart into them. They were extremely well written. The book itself was well put together. I like that for they were organized by year in the most part. All in all, I really loved this book, and I can't wait to see what Melina has in store for us next. I give this 5 out of 5 stars, no doubt!

Interview with Author J.C. McKenzie

Interview with Author J.C. McKenzie

             J.C. McKenzie

We just moved from Vancouver, B.C. Canada to rural southern Saskatchewan.

Good morning, J.C., and welcome to Vision and Verse, the place for Art and Authors.  We're happy to have you here with us this morning.  Can you tell us what you've written?

Published:

-       Shift Happens (A Carus Novel, Book 1), released March 27^th, 2014

-       Beast Coast (A Carus Novel, Book 2), release date: tba

-       The Shucker’s Booktique, release date: October 15^th, 2014

-       The Sands of Time, released in 2010

Unpublished:

-       A Carus Novel, Book 3 (still in edit mode)

-       A Carus Novel, Book 4 (unfinished)

   What is your favorite genre to write?

   Urban Fantasy                                       

   Favorite food: 

   Greek

   

   Tea or coffee? 

   Coffee

   Pizza or ice cream? 

   Ice Cream

   Where would you like to visit? 

   Scotland

   Me, too!  We should get a bunch of writers together, fly over, and storm the castle - peacefully, with good intentions.  Do you listen to music when you write?  

   No                                        

   What makes you laugh? 

   I laugh at pretty much anything, except 

   wipeouts where people actually get hurt

   or when the “joke” is making fun of someone. 

   I definitely laugh at myself! I can be 

   a real idiot sometimes!

   

   How old were you when you started writing? 

   Seven

   Where do you get your inspiration? 

   My own twisted mind

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

   Drink coffee and eat chocolate.

   Who is your favorite author?  

Answering this question is the emotional equivalent of stabbing myself with a fork! How could I possibly choose? There’s so many great authors. I could pick one that cemented my love for reading in grade seven (Nancy Drew FTW!) Or the authors that opened my mind to the unknown (O.R. Melling – The Chronicles of Faerie), new worlds (Robert Jordan) or dark elements (Anne Rice – the Witching Hour). Or I could regale you with my all-time Urban Fantasy loves like Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson Series) or Kim Harrison (The Hollows Series).

 Best book you ever read. 

      This is also a hard question to answer. One of the books that really stood out to me aside from the ones I mentioned above is Mermaid’s Song, by Alida von Gores.

      Last book you read. 

       I can’t remember! I’d been so long. I just started Dead Man’s Rules, by Rebecca Grace, and next on my list is The Mountain’s Shadow, by Cecilia Dominic.

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

       I’m a high school Science and Biology teacher by day, writer by night. 

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

Keep writing! I get better with each book and find it gets easier and more fluid as time goes on. Also, find someone to read your work who will provide constructive feedback. You don’t want someone who will rip it apart and shatter your writing soul, but you also don’t want someone who tells you everything you write is daffodils and rainbows.

That is excellent advice.  My best beta reader was an older man who only liked nonfiction.  He was in the area for a while and bored, so I talked him into reading my romance novel, and he was terrific. 

  

Do you any links for us to follow you?

Website: http://www.jcmckenzie.ca

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/jcmckenzie

Blogger: http://jcmckenzie.blogspot.ca/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/JCMcKenzie

Twitter: http://twitter.com/JC_McKenzie

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/j.c.mckenzie.author