The Wedding Switch by Sharon Kleve

Book Description:

Abby Blackwell runs a successful wedding planning business. She’s delighted when Derrick, her boyfriend of only a few short months proposes. Abby immediately accepts and dreams of the perfect wedding at the Rose Chalet. But, when Derrick with no explanation, pressures her to get married as soon as possible, she has to wonder why and drags her feet. 

Derrick Coltrane’s future rests on portraying a settled, respectable and married man. All he needs is a wife—now—and Abby fits the bill. She’s successful, smart, gorgeous, and would make the perfect corporate wife. He just needs to convince her to tie-the-knot by the end of the month to close the most important deal of his career. 

Hunter Price knows he’s made the biggest mistake of his life. Derrick, a friend from school, hires him to pretend he’s getting married, in an attempt to trick Abby into planning her own whirlwind wedding. Abby is selfless, sweet, tastes like sunshine, and belongs to someone else—and he just kissed her. 

Two grooms-to-be—one bride-to-be and one bridesmaid. Which couple will walk down the aisle to happily ever after? 

Buy Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Four-Weddings-Fiasco-Wedding-Novella-ebook/dp/B014E93YKK/

Quite the Catch by Scott Berger

Gabriela Concepción’s world turns upside down when a local cartel, demanding her brother return their money, blows up her father’s tourist fishing boat off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia, killing her father and brother. She survives only because vacationing doctor Royce Haddon pulls her into his boat and takes her to a nearby hospital. Her injuries and beauty keep him by her side overnight, and when he realizes Gabriela has amnesia, he knows his vacation plans have changed. 
  
Frightened by her lack of memory, Gabriela sees the handsome stranger as the only safe port in a suddenly scary world. Together, she and Royce walk about Cartagena, trying simultaneously to jog her memory and avoid the cartel. When they try reuniting Gabriela with her mother, the cartel meet them at the family home, a struggle ensues. Gabriela shoots and kills two cartel thugs, solving one problem and creating another. 
  
Now wanted by the cartel and the police, Gabriela and Royce retreat to a hotel room. Realizing the stolen cartel money is the key. To their survival, and maybe, if they’re lucky, their future.

Buy Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Quite-Catch-Scott-Berger-ebook/dp/B015GN2BXE/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442583360&sr=1-1&keywords=scott+berger 

CHARMING DECEPTION, Episode One - Confusion

CHARMING DECEPTION

by Carol Ann Kauffman

Copyright 2013

Episode One   Confusion

    Okay, where the hell am I?  She opened her eyes and didn't recognize her 
dimly lit surroundings.  She looked out the window.

It was still dark outside, very cloudy, not a star in the sky.  She was lying in bed.  Naked.  And judging from the smell of the lavender scent on the perfectly ironed, high thread-count sheets and pillowcases, she was either in a very high-end luxury hotel or in one of Martha Stewart's guest rooms.  A snore interrupted her thoughts.  She glanced over at the noisy lump lying beside her.  Nope.  Didn't recognize him.

    There's a very strong possibility, she said to herself, that I've been teleported back to the free-loving sixties.  She got up to go to the bathroom.  A glint of gold caught her eye from the ring finger of her left hand.  I'm married?  Oh, shit!  When did THIS happen?  This isn't the sixties!  This must be Vegas, Baby!  She crept quietly into the bathroom, closed the door, and snapped on the light.  Definitely a hotel.  Antiseptic.  Martha Stewart's guest bathroom would have scented candles and a sense of style, hospitality, and luxury.  And not so much white.  White walls, white floor, white towels, white shower curtain.  A rather bizarre-looking attachment on the faucet, and another one on the showerhead.  She looked in the mirror.

    Yikes!  Well, I give that bony lump sleeping beside me credit for marrying me when I look so bad!  Good Grief!  HE must be a total loser!  She examined her dull, spotty complexion, wild Einstein hair, and the bags under her eyes.  She rehearsed her speech to Bony Lump.

    "Hey! Bozo! Whatever happened between us, it was just some bizarre mistake.  Gather your things and get the hell out of here!  I'll contact my lawyer to annul this fiasco as soon as I get home.  Now go!"  Then she would point to the door for dramatic effect.

    As soon as I get home.  Home?  Where was home?  She couldn't remember.  She looked back at her reflection in the mirror.  She couldn't remember where she lived, or how she got here. She couldn't remember where she worked, or what she drove. 

    Hmmm. did Bony Lump drug me?  Did he drug me, take advantage of me, and then, MARRY me?  No, no, why would he do that?  That makes absolutely no sense.  She wiggled the gold ring with a very decent-sized brilliant cut diamond in the center.  Weighty.  Expensive.  Good fit.  And… slightly familiar.  She thought it was very beautiful.  Oh, look, a tan line!  Now, how can that be?  This has to be a dream.  She snapped off the light and crept silently back into bed and sighed.  The sooner I go back to sleep, the sooner I’ll wake up, and this bad dream will be over.  Bony Lump rolled over and pulled her to him gently, hugging her, patting her shoulder.

    "It was just a nightmare, Love.  I'm right here.  You're safe," he whispered sweetly in a sleepy voice.  "Go back to sleep.  I’ll protect you.  Always."  He kissed her head gently.  He had a wonderful voice.  British accent.  Kind.  Reassuring.  Gentle. Very touching.  And so she did.  She fell asleep in his arms, with her hand on his chest.

THE SPORE by American Metal Sculptor Christopher Weed

This gorgeous, eye-catching powder-coated steel beauty is the work of the very talented American sculptor, Christopher Weed.  His work is very well-known in the American West, with pieces on display in Denver and throughout Colorado.  I had the privilege of viewing this spectacular piece in person at the Museum of Art in Colorado Springs, Colorado this spring.  This giant purple orb draws you to it, bringing to mind some fascinating scientific object... or maybe a squishy toy... or a kidney stone... or an alien spacecraft from Doctor Who, all at the same time.  Once you see a "Weed" in person, you never forget it.

   

Interview with Author Scott Berger

Scott Berger

Toronto, Canada

Good morning, Scott, and welcome to Vision and Verse, the Place for Art and Authors. It is a pleasure having you with us this morning. Tell us, what have you written? 

Quite The Catch in 2015 and a short story called Return of the Mahikan in a 2012 anthology Love, Loss and Other Oddities.

What is your favorite genre to write? 

Romantic suspense

Favorite food. 

Seafood!

Tea or coffee? 

Coffee

Pizza or ice cream? 

Pizza

Wine or beer? 

Wine AND beer.

Where would you like to visit? 

Machu Picchu in Peru

Favorite musical artist.

Jimmy Buffett 

I hear you. I have a flamingo in my yard. Do you listen to music when you write? 

Generally no. Too distracting.

What makes you laugh? 

British humor, Groucho Marx, and Mel Brooks movies

Favorite work of art or sculpture. 

Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright

I love Fallingwater. It is gorgeous in every season. How old were you when you started writing? 

44. No, really. 44.

Describe your perfect evening. 

Warm summer night on a beach with my wife and a full glass of red wine.

Where do you get your inspiration? 

Real life, especially the weird things.

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

Go to the beach and watch the tide roll in, or short of that, I put on beach music.

Who is your favorite author? 

Connie Wood and Sidney Sheldon.

Best book you ever read. 

Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat. Would be incredible fiction if it weren’t actually true.

Last book you read. 

Couldn’t tell you. Between being an architect by day and a writer by night, there’s not a lot of time for reading.

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

Being an architect pays my bills. For now. With any luck, writing will soon become a passion AND a career.

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

My wife for her never ending love, patience and 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? 

Jimmy Buffett. I’d love to pick his brain about his creative process.

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

Listen to your heart. Take in every bit of advice you can, but trust your gut. If it feels right, do it. If not, don’t. Simple as that.

Thank you, Scott, for being with us this morning and allowing us a glimpse of the REAL Scott Berger. We at Vision and Verse wish you the best of luck in all your writing endeavors.

Dear Readers,

Scott will be back on Thursday to share more about his new book, Quite the Catch. If you simply cannot wait, here is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/Quite-Catch-Scott-Berger-ebook/dp/B015GN2BXE/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442583360&sr=1-1&keywords=scott+berger

Exciting Week Ahead!

Dear Gentle Readers,

I have an exciting week planed for you on Vision and Verse. First on Monday, Canadian author Scott Berger stops by for our ONE HUNDREDTH INTERVIEW! I feel like I should give him a prize, or release balloons from the office ceiling, or something. What? What! 

On Tuesday, we revisit Christopher Weed's metal sculpture THE SPORE. I first saw Christopher's work in a museum in Colorado. It is truly exceptional.

On Wednesday, you'll get to read the first episode of my novel CHARMING DECEPTION. It's the story of a young woman with amnesia, clones, inter dimensional portals, and soul-sucking aliens, the ones from outer space. A lovely woman from a big publishing house in Australia wanted me to divide this book into three shorter stories. I didn't know what to do, so I withdrew it while I thought about it. That was two years ago. I'm still thinking.

On Thursday, Scott Berger is back with a cover reveal and book description for his new book QUITE THE CATCH.

And rounding up the week on Friday, we participate in a Blog Hop for THE WEDDING SWITCH by Sharon Kleve.

Hope to see you here!
Hugs,
Carol