Schedule for the Coming Week

Schedule for January 9 - 13, 2017

Mon., Jan. 9 - The Art of Italian Artist

                       Federico Andreotti

Tues., Jan. 10 - Waiting for Richard by Carol Ann Kauffman

                      A Novella in the Time After Time Series

Wed., Jan. 11 - The Art of Adair Payne

                      He Speaks for the Land

Thurs., Jan. 12 - Book Review

                      Pushing Up Daisies by M.C. Beaton

Fri., Jan. 13 - The Time After Time Series

                      by Carol Ann Kauffman

BLUE LAKE by Carol Ann Kauffman

Dear Gentle Readers,

A book changed my life. This book, Blue Lake, was the first book I wrote back in 2011. At first, I went the usual route, sending a query letter to the big traditional publishing company of my choice, then the next, and so on. I got the loveliest rejections letters. I even framed one that said she loved my work.

Each correspondence took weeks, sometimes months. I am not a young person. Time is precious. 

I retired to take care of my mom who fell and broke her hip and could not be rehabilitated. When she passed, I began to write full time.

The manuscripts were piling up. So I decided to go the route of publishing with Kindle Direct Press. It was a decision I have never regretted.

My Time After Time Series, beginning with Blue Lake, is exclusive to Amazon.com.

It's the story of lovers, Richard and Nicole, who find each other again and again in different lifetimes, at different times of their lives, and sometimes on a different planet. It is the story of a love that would not be denied.

Amazon Link: http://tinyurl.com/nt2ro9j

When widowed Nicole decided to step back into life in beautiful Albuquerque, New Mexico with Richard, a young handsome British actor who professed his undying love and devotion to her on a daily basis, she mistook his boundless enthusiasm for her as little more than youthful impetuousness. She had no idea where their relationship would take her physically or emotionally. She would find herself in many dazzling international locations, putting her own life on hold, simply to be with him. She had no concept how strong her commitment to him would grow and to what extent she would go to protect him and ensure his safety and wellbeing. And she certainly had no idea the depth of his devotion to her, an unlikely but undeniable love that would span continents and a decade of their lives, entwining them closer and closer, while his career, their families, and other relationships pulled them farther and farther apart. BLUE LAKE is a story of the power of love.
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, LORD OF BLAKELEY, and MACKALVEY HOUSE. They do not need to be read in order.

In the Shadow of Secrets, Murder Hides by DB Jones

Madison feels the constant presence of someone close, watching her every move. Is someone stalking her and why? Could someone from Madison’s past be seeking revenge because of a case she solved or is this totally unrelated?

As Madison and Josh try to unravel the puzzle behind the killer who hides in the shadows, they risk their future together. Someone wants one of them dead and the other to suffer. Madison can feel the looming shadow closer with each day, and he always seems to be one step ahead of her and Josh as they struggle to piece together the clues and evidence to reveal a profile of the murderer.  Will her hard work be in vain? Will she and Josh catch this psychopathic murderer before he turns the tables on them, making one of them his final victim?

Time is quickly ticking away, and Madison and Josh are running out of time. 

Teaser: 

Madison leaned against the wrought-iron railing of the fourth-floor balcony overlooking the Atlantic Ocean watching the morning light rising over the horizon. The beach was desolate at that hour, and all she could hear were the gentle waves washing ashore. 

She could barely make out the white crest of foam kissing the shoreline; then something caught her eye. Squinting to make out what it was, she stretched over the railing. It appeared that someone was lying on the beach, near the water’s edge, fully dressed. The waves came closer, but the figure didn’t move.

Madison took a sip of her coffee and glanced down toward the beach. “Josh, she hasn’t moved since the water started hitting her shoes.”

“Maddy quit looking for dead people. We’re on vacation.”

“You’re probably right, but would you humor me and take a look?”

“Okay.” He leaned over the railing. “What is that written the sand next to her?”

She moved closer to him, leaned over the railing and then looked back at him. “Josh, I don’t think she’s sleeping or hungover; I think she’s…”

“Maddy, don’t say it.”

Amazon Buy Link:
 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N00TXE2 

The Art of Romanian Visual Artist Viktor Schramm

Viktor Schramm was a Romanian visual artist who was born in 1865. Several works by the artist have been sold at auction, including 'A Young Beauty Wearing a Silk Dress in an Interior' sold at Jackson's 'World Treasures: Important Russian, Asian,       European & American Works' in 2012 for $8,400. 

Auction Results

Works at auction, latest auction results, sales and prices of Viktor Schramm from auction houses worldwide.

Selected Events

Exhibitions, openings, art fairs, auctions and other events for Viktor Schramm around the world.

Dear Gentle Readers,
I cannot find too much about this wonderful artist. None of this is mine. I claim nothing here. My information is from Wikipedia and the photos of his works are from MutualArt.com. My only intention here is to put his name and work out there for the rest of us to enjoy.

Hugs,
Carol

FREE Today! January Black Ice by Carol Ann Kauffman

Dear Gentle Readers,

January Black Ice, the first Cat Collier Mystery in the Winter Series is free today at http://tinyurl.com/zmv3jeq

Mary Catherine Collier is called to the penthouse apartment of the city’s very rich, most influential lawyer, Detrick Bittmor. He has a very personal assignment for her. It involves a mysterious young man who sits on a park bench every day at noon and stares up at Bittmor’s top floor apartment.

Mary Catherine, or Cat, as she’s better known, has a soft spot for this lawyer with a nasty reputation. There’s something about this old man she likes, and even finds charming. 

Detrick Bittmor thinks the young man on the park bench resembles a younger version of himself. He thinks this young man could be his son from an affair he had many years ago with a beautiful New Year lawyer. This man could be his only heir. 

And old man Bittmor isn’t getting any younger.

Pick up this mystery short story today! February White Lies and March Blues, the second and third stories round out the Winter Collection. April Yellow Moon is scheduled for release January 15, 2017.

Give yourself a good day. Don't wait for somebody else to do it.
Hugs,
Carol

The Art of American Painter Jim Gray

 Jim Gray.  Ever heard of him?  No?  Well, you should have.  I was first drawn to the art of Jim Gray by his ship paintings.  I've always loved the ocean and lighthouses, so that love naturally evolved to include sailing ships, though the only sailing ships I have ever been aboard, besides our little eight-foot Sunflower, were anchored firmly and securely in the harbor.




Jim Gray is a special kind of artist.  He is first and foremost an American adventurer, who records his experiences, not with the camera or a tape recorder, but with the canvas.  For over fifty years, he has allowed us to join him on  his adventures through his paintings.

Jim's first job was not the typical grocery store stocker or  newspaper delivery boy, but an illustrator for a loan company.  His good-natured humorous drawings drew in the customers.






During the Korean War, Jim was an electronics instructor and later a technical illustrator in the Air Force.  Afterward he moved back to Mobile, Alabama, where he worked at an illustrator for an ad agency.  In 1962, he and two partners opened their own ad agency.

In 1966, Jim and his family visited the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee and it was a life changing experience.  He moved to Tennessee, leaving behind a very successful business, allowing his creative spirit to explore and paint the beautiful countryside surrounding the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.




In 1968, Jim was featured in National Geographic, and the writer from NG was taken with Jim's enthusiasm and immense talent.  This article led to nationwide coverage in other magazines like American Artist and Southern Living.









When Carl Sagan was picking photos to be included on CD for the Voyager I and II missions, he chose one of Jim in his studio, painting a scene from the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

I claim no rights to anything here.  None of this is my own.  The list to the right is where I got my information on the talented Mr. Jim Gray, and I am including it for those who want to know more about him and view more of his works. 

Schedule for Jan.2 -6, 2017

Hi, Everybody! Happy New Year! Here is this week's schedule:

     Mon., Jan. 2 - The Art of American Painter Jim Gray
     Tues., Jan. 3 - FREE Today 
               January Black Ice by Carol Ann Kauffman 
     Wed., Jan. 4 - The Art of Romanian Visual Artist
               Viktor Schramm
     Thur., Jan. 5 - In the Shadow of Secrets, Murder Hides
                by DB Jones
      Fri.,  Jan. 6 -  Blue Lake by Carol Ann Kauffman