Sunday, April 30, 2017

Schedule for May 1 - 5, 2017


Schedule for May 1-5, 2017

Mon., May 1 - Sea Witch by Carol Ann Kauffman
An Excerpt
Tues., May 2 - VOGUE:
 The Fabulous Art of Helen Dryden
Wed., May 3 - Sea Witch by Carol Ann Kauffman
Reviews and Overview
Thurs., May 4 - The Artist Leonid Afremov
Fri., May 5 - Colloaborations: 
Through the Darkness, Stories of HOPE

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Willow of Endless Waters by D.B. Jones









Top Customer Reviews

on March 21, 2017
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase







Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Time After Time Updates


Dear Gentle Readers,

My Time After Time novels have been updated. The storylines have not changed.  Guidelines in publishing have changed in the past seven years. The two spaces at the end of a sentence in now considered a waste of space in the online world. That was probably the easiest fix.



The Baslicato had a few issues with technology labels. Because it was set in the 1960's, terms like one-hour photo and GPS seemed out of place.  Changing the term to darkroom cleared the confusion in that instance, but GPS, which came into public focus with the Russian sputnik, was not available to the general public in autos.




Reformatting and re-editing my earliest novels was a little scary. So many authors say they are embarrassed by their earliest attempts in the writing world. Formatting flaws were evident and begged for correction, but I was happy with the storylines.



Spaces mysteriously appeared in my early books that were not in my manuscript. Even a bracket showed up out of nowhere. Why, I don't know!  



The Time After Time series follows a pair of reincarnated lovers through their many lifetimes together, in different time periods, in different places, at different stages of their lives. Everything changes, but love remains. 



Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Danny McBride's Red Hat Ladies




Dear Gentle Readers,

While perusing Art blogs, I saw some wonderful paintings of women in red hats. They were strikingly beautiful. I thought they would make a great post for Vision and Verse.

Danny McBride's paintings of red hatted women are not them. But they are interesting and pensive and I thought maybe you'd like them while I keep looking for the ones that originally caught my eye.




I knew of Danny McBride as a musician and song writer. I was surprised to find this is the same Danny McBride, starting another phase of his life as a painter.


Good for you, Danny. Life in the music industry can be detrimental to one's health. We are happy to hear of your move to the visual arts. Finding your red hat ladies was an accident, but a happy one. 


I claim nothing here as my own.  All information on Danny McBride's new career as an artist in available online.

Monday, April 24, 2017

Waiting for Richard by Carol Ann Kauffman -Excerpt

Waiting for Richard
Excerpt



Location:  Sterling, Ohio

“Run!” said Rita, fear catching in her voice.
“Are you kidding me?” replied Skye.  “I’m too damn old to run!  Want me to have a heart attack?  Fall and break a hip?  If some slimy son of a bitch wants a piece of me that bad, let him come!  He’ll be damn sorry.”
“We gotta get out of here.  I’m scared,” Rita whispered.  Skye pulled out her cell phone and tapped 9-1-1.
“Yes, we’re in the underground parking garage of the Sterling City Center and we’re being chased by a madman with a knife, and my friend here is scared and I’m too damn old to run.  Yes.  Skye McKenna.  Sixty-six.  Well, I’m glad you agree that’s too old to run.”
“Help is on the way, Rita.  Calm down.”
“Skye, you don’t know he has a knife!”
“You’re absolutely right!  He could have a gun.  Shall I call her back and correct myself?”  Sirens were blaring in the distance.
“Isn’t this illegal?  This is at least a misdemeanor, if not a felony.  Skye!  We could end up in jail!”
“Would you rather be murdered in the underground parking garage?”
“No”
“Then, cry and sniffle, look weak and helpless, and let me handle Sterling’s Finest.  Damn!  If I knew there was a chance we were going to die on the way to the car, I would’ve had dessert.  They make this wonderful strawberry and mascarpone cream cheese torte in there that is pure heaven on a plate.” 
A police car pulled up the aisle.  Skye and Rita were shouting and waving.
“We’re here!  We’re here.  Did you see him?  He ran that way,” Skye pointed.  One officer, the shorter, younger one, took off on foot in the direction of Skye’s pointing finger.  The taller, older one stayed with them and tried to calm them down.  He walked them to their car and let them sit to rest.
“It’s okay, ladies, you’re safe now.  Can you give me a description of this madman with the knife? Height, weight, clothing?”  Rita cried and sniffled, shaking her head no.
“About six feet tall, brown hair, brown eyes, stubbly face, jeans, light green tee-shirt with some band name on it, navy pea coat, old black tennis shoes.  No jewelry.  No visible tattoo.  Not a bad looking guy.”
“Weight?”
“I’m no judge of weight.  Far be it from me to attach a number to the human frame.  I know I certainly don’t like it when they do it to me.  Not fat, not too skinny, but a slim build.  Just right.”
“Age?”
“Thirties, I’m guessing here.
“The knife?”
“Chef’s knife.  Silver handle, scalloped grip.  You can’t buy those individually, you have to buy the whole set.  They come with a wooden butcher’s block.”
“Did he brandish the knife at you?”
“Of course, he did!  Do you think we would’ve called for help if he were just a prep chef taking his chef’s knife out for a midnight stroll in the underground parking garage?  He threatened us.”
“What did he say?”
“He said, ‘Die, bitches!’’” 
The other officer came back, shaking his head.
“Couldn’t find him.  I heard running and panting, though.  There was definitely someone out there who didn’t want to stop and talk to the police.  He got away.”
“Were you in the restaurant?” asked Tall Officer.  Skye and Rita nodded.  “Did he follow you out?”  They looked at each other.
“We don’t know.  We ate too much.  We were just about rolling out of there.  We weren’t paying any attention,” said Skye.  “Officer, we’re really tired.  This has been a harrowing experience.  We want to go home.  If we remember anything else, we’ll call you, okay?”  He took their names and contact numbers and said he’d be in touch. 
“Lock your doors.  Go straight home, Ladies.”  He patted the hood of Skye’s car and let them go.  Skye drove away.
“God, Skye, I was scared to death!  How can you be so calm?”
“This isn’t calmness.  It’s boredom.”
“How can you be bored when we’re being followed by a menacing slasher in a dark underground parking garage at night with a big knife?”
“Did you ever think he might’ve just been some poor shlub walking to his car?  Maybe he had a business dinner, or some other meeting.  Or maybe he works at Sterling City Center.  And, Rita, we didn’t see a weapon, remember?   Just because he was in the parking garage at the same time as we were doesn’t mean he was after us or dangerous or a public menace.  
“No, no, Skye.  He was!  He was looking at me funny.  And where did you ever come up with that description?  That was nothing like him.”

“That cutie pie?  Oh, he’s the man in my head!  He’s always there, smiling at me.  That one walking in the garage?  I’m not sure that he was after us, or after anybody.” 

Amazon Link:

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Schedule for April 24-28, 2017



Schedule for April 24-28, 2017

Mon., Apr. 24 - Excerpt from Waiting for Richard 
by Carol Ann Kauffman
Tues., Apr. 25 - Danny McBride's Red Hat Ladies,
Yes, Danny, the Musician McBride
Wed., Apr. 26 - Time After Time Novel Updates
by Carol Ann Kauffman 
Thurs., Apr. 27 - Willow of Endless Waters 
by DB Jones
Fri., Apr. 28 - Albrecht Durer, German Painter, 
Engraver, and Mathematician

Friday, April 21, 2017

FREE Today! Lord of Blakeley by Carol Ann Kauffman


Lord of Blakeley
by Carol Ann Kauffman

FREE Today!


The series, TIME AFTER TIME, follows a pair of quintessential lovers, Richard and Nicole, through their lives together, in different places, in different times, with different names and faces and sometimes even on other planets. This follows the alternative theory that the relationships we forge in this lifetime, both the good and the bad, are continued into the future, and are rooted deeply in our past. Whatever we do, whomever we love, and the good and evil deeds we do today follow us into the future. Unsettled issues will present themselves again and again, until they are ultimately resolved. Those people who have had a profound effect on us in this lifetime will find us again in the future. And although everything changes, love remains.
Books in the TIME AFTER TIME series are: BLUE LAKE, BELTERRA,
The BASLICATO, BENTLEY SQUARE, WAITING FOR RICHARD, and LORD OF BLAKELEY. They do not need to be read in order.
Lord of Blakeley is the story of Andrew of Blakeley, a simple farm boy who lives on a primitive future planet. He is chosen by the lovely Lady Aleese to be her mate and rises to become the most powerful man on the planet. But a jealous man with access to mobile transport devices wreaks havoc on the young couple’s happiness, separating them, her on an alien rock planet and he, aboard a slave ship, and then dumping them in present-day Chicago. One day Aleese vanishes into thin air and Andrew is arrested for her murder and must stand trial. It is a story of devotion and jealousy, of loss and lunacy. And, in true Time After Time fashion, a story of love.

Reviews:
on July 18, 2016
it was a fast reading enjoyable book
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on September 9, 2015
I don't usually read books like this one but I am glad I read it. this book is about two people who love each other now matter what happens to them. It is about two people who are from different planets and one is from a princess and the other one is a farm boy. He had loved her from afar for a very long time. Finally they meet and she picks him from all the other men. She falls in love with him and he tells her he has loved her for a long time. This book is would you need to read and you can see that love in the same in any universal. I recommend this book to any one who loves to read a different kind of love story.
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on August 26, 2015
Well written!!! I enjoyed the time travel with romance. You will never know maybe the future will be like that.
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on September 19, 2014
Lord of Blakeley is a passionate love story that takes the reader on a journey to several dimensions, planets, and styles of behavior...
Lord Andrew and Lady Aleese share an unbreakable bond of love that is tested repeatedly. This couple will face anything to be together, including surviving difficult circumstances on other planets.
Andrew is a humble and honest man. His gentle nature is put to the test after his wife is kidnapped repeatedly by an enemy from another land. Enduring and surviving intense suffering during their separations, Andrew and Aleese both realize that they need to change the way they play this dreadful game. With the help of family and friends, Andrew and Aleese defeat the people and issues that threaten to ruin their marriage.
I especially enjoyed the sassy and slightly stubborn personality of Lady Aleese. Lord Andrew was a perfect mate for her. I am looking forward to reading another book by Carol Ann Kauffman. Her writing style was very enjoyable.
Danice Akiyoshi
Author of Connected Hearts
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on August 24, 2014
Carol Ann Kauffman captures a character and draws you in to her story with every word. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Its articulate matter and humor, with the ability to make me want to join in the fun. I would recommend this clean book to anyone.
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on August 9, 2014
"Everything Changes but Love Remains the same."

And so begins the romance of Andrew and Aleese, Lord and Lady of Blakely. What I enjoyed most about the story was the fantasy of love at first sight. Andrew sees and worships her from afar, never knowing that although he cannot speak to her, Aleese's soul has responded to his from a distance. Aleese has a dream vision that she'll love a man from the backward province of Blakelely and will know him by his voice. She meets him and realizes this is the man she dreamt of.

Even with such a smooth beginning, we are reminded of an evil person who seeks to break up their union. They go through many trials over the course of the book, but through it all, their love is strong. Although this is science fiction, in many ways it reads like an historical as far as dialogue and societal norms.

If you love a good romance, this is a book for you!
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on March 8, 2014
Lord of Blakeley is a story about an alien race from a technologically advanced but “primitive in other ways” planet. The planet is at war and the two main characters must endure beatings, go on rescue missions and travel through time and space.

The genre?

Romance, of course!

It follows Andrew, a simple farm boy and Lady Aleese as they marry, to much protest by high end society. There is a jealous man with a thing for kidnapping who will stop at nothing to separate the two. Throughout the course of the book, the characters are taken and dumped in different societies to keep them apart; including barbaric planets, slave ships and modern day Chicago. Before I talk about Lord of Blakely, let me tell you a bit about the Time After Time series.

I came across this series by Carol Ann Kauffman and thought it had a pretty interesting concept. It follows two people who are undoubtedly soulmates through their different lives together but the interesting part is that each book is set in a different place and time, under different circumstances and you could nearly call them different genres. Although the books technically have an order, they do not necessarily follow on from one another so they don’t need to be read from first to last. I think Lord of Blakely is number 4 or so but I picked it because I thought it sounded cool.

Now despite the crazy story, this book is romantic. Although I’m not experienced in the genre, I don’t imagine that it would be easy to make everything sound so highly dramatic and magical without sounding over the top but the author manages it well. The characters do a lot of growing and changing just throughout this one book but the way it is done, you can believe it. Even the way the characters speak is so intense and yet, it sounds natural. The two are soulmates and you feel it. For me, that’s the best thing about this book.

A lot happens throughout the plot of this book to the poor couple that can’t seem to get any time together without someone coming along and ruining it. I think I would have liked to see things slow down a little more in between events to get used to the pair in their strange new environments. Also, I did get a little confused about the timing of what was happening at the beginning of the book – I think it might help if you consider “chapter one” to be a prologue instead. Other than that though, there’s a lot going on and it certainly doesn’t get boring.

The writing is very easy to read but there are a few grammatical issues and typos. They aren’t common enough to be a huge problem but you come across them every now and then. The author also neglects to use tags (he said, she said) sometimes and it can get confusing. A few times, I had to go back and count to work out who was saying what. Although it’s not bad by any means, the writing is the one thing that, if improved, could improve this book a lot.

I really like the concept of the Time After Time series and think it’s a really cool way to get to write different stories and explore different settings. At the same time, it all fits in together and follows the one theme. I’d definitly like to read more of the books to see how similar or different the characters are (remember they are the same characters reincarnated) and luckily the books are so diverse that you can just pick the one that sounds most interesting to you. Like I said before, I don’t often read romance but a book about alien wars and time travel that just so happens to be one, well that got my attention. The other books in the series are so diverse that I’m sure most people could find one that appeals to them. If you do happen to be a big a fan of romance, minus the smut, I’d recommend reading all of them
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on September 6, 2013
Lord of Blakeley is Carol ann Kauffman's latest book in the Time after Time series, and it's just as wonderful as all the rest! This series keeps getting better and better!

No, these books are not "romance novels" There's no naked men, with nice abs, or page after page of sex scenes, these books weave tales of true romance, of love that is stronger then time. They embrace that love really means and don't cheapen it!

This story has all the wonderful elements of fantasy and sci-fi that Carol weaves into her classic love story. The character meet on their futuristic planet and fall in love dispite their classes, and then are horrible seperated by a jealous man. They each go through their own struggles, and fight for their love. It's heartbreaking and wonderful, and draws you in and keeps you reading. You need to know what happens in this cycle of the Time After Time series because you won't regret it!