BLUE LAKE by Carol Ann Kauffman

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.  Another adventure, WAIT FOR ME in coming out soon.

5.0 out of 5 starsAnother Amazingly Wonderful Story by Carol Ann Kauffman Have tissues to read this one!

ByValerie Robersonon August 17, 2016

Format: Kindle Edition

WOW! What a very powerful Love story! There is a roller coaster of emotions in this story and it will suck your emontions in with it. Have tissues for a lot of it handy. Carol write" I want YOU.....Sometime with..... You. Alone. Just you and me Richard and Nicole, like we use to be. Imiss it. I miss....Us!" I can relate to how Nicole feels here. I feel that same way and have said those words to my husband, my Soul Mate. lately.
Love is Complicated! But for Richard and Nicole, it's more, it's electric pulsing through their veines together every time they touch. Richard is in London and Nicole is in New Mexico. They want to spend their lives together, there is a huge age difference and one of them feels like the other deserves more from life. You follow their ups and downs over the years. You see how much and connected they really are. They are always there for each other in time of need. They are up front to boy friends/girl friends, that they are in love and will always go to the other in time of need. There can not be a real relationship with anybody, but themselves.
Their love story is beautiful! Their love story is full of hurt! Their love story is patient, kindness, caring and nurturing. Their love story keeps them apart until one reaches out for the others affection. Their love story is every couples dream. Some people have that rare chance to find their Soul Mate and live very happy with them for their adult life. Like me.

The Art of Eyvind Earle

Eyvind Earle.  

Not a household name.  And yet, when you see his work, you'll realize you do know this artist.  He worked with Walt Disney to develop that stylized artwork we associate with Disney. 

Once again, I found this artist while perusing on the internet while I was supposed to be doing something else.  But it drew me back, again and again. It reminded me of the Disney movies of my youth; Snow White, Bambi, and Cinderella.


This is from his Artist Page:

Eyvind Earle's Biography 

Born in New York in 1916, Eyvind Earle began his prolific career at the age of ten when his father, Ferdinand Earle, gave him a challenging choice: read 50 pages of a book or paint a picture every day. Earle choose both. From the time of his first one-man showing in France when he was 14, Earle's fame had grown steadily. At the age of 21, Earle bicycled across country from Hollywood to New York, paying his way by painting 42 watercolors. In 1937, he opened at the Charles Morgan Galleries, his first of many one-man shows in New York.Two years later at his third consecutive showing at the gallery, the response to his work was so positive that the exhibition sold out and the Metropolitan Museum of Art purchased one of his paintings for their permanent collection.



His earliest work was strictly realistic, but after having studied the work of masters such as Van Gogh, Cezanne, Rockwell, Kent, and Georgia O'Keefe, Eyvind Earle by the age of 21, came into his own unique style characterized by a simplicity, directness and surety of handling.



In 1951 Earle joined Walt Disney studios as an assistant background painter. Earle intrigued Disney in 1953 when he

created the look of Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, an animated short that won an Academy Award and a Cannes Film Festival Award. Disney kept the artist busy for the rest of decade, painting the settings for such stories as Peter Pan, For Whom the Bulls Toll, Working for Peanuts, Pigs is Pigs, Paul Bunyan, and Lady and the Tramp.


Earle was responsible for the styling, background and colors for the highly acclaimed movie Sleeping Beauty and gave the movie its magical, medieval look. He also painted the dioramas for Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.



Earle's work was also seen on television. One of his
animated creations was an 18-minute version of the story of the Nativity that he did in 1963 for Tennessee Ernie Ford's Special The Story of Christmas. A Daily Variety reviewer said Earle's sequence should be preserved and played back for years on end. The show was digitally re-mastered in 1997.


Earle's career has encompassed many different fields. In addition to book illustrating, the artist had also designed a number of covers for magazine publications and had produced and created several animated commercials and specials for television.




In 1998, at its Annie Awards show in Glendale, the International Animated Film Society gave Earle its Windsor McCay Award for lifetime achievement. In the 1940s, Earle adapted his creative landscapes to Christmas cards, painting more than 800 designs that have sold more than 300 million copies through American Artist Group.

After about 15 years creating animated art, Earle returned to painting full time in 1966 and kept working until the end of his life. In addition to his watercolors, oils, sculptures, drawings and scratchboards, in 1974 he began making limited edition serigraphs.

Eyvind Earle had a totally original perception 

of landscape. He successfully synthesizes seemingly incongruent aspects into a singularly distinctive style: a style, which is at once mysterious, primitive, disciplined, moody and nostalgic. He captures the grandeur of simplicity of the American countryside, and represents these glimpses of the American scene with a direct lyric ardor.

His landscapes are remarkable for their suggestion of distances, landmasses and weather moods. For 70 years, Earle wrote in 1996, I've painted paintings, and I'm constantly and everlastingly overwhelmed at the stupendous infinity of Nature. Wherever I turn and look, there I see creation. Art is creating...Art is the search for truth.

Eyvind Earle passed away on July 20, 2000 at the age of 84. During his lifetime he created many paintings, sculptures, scratchboards, watercolors and drawings that have not been publicly seen or exhibited.

Eyvind Earle Publishing LLC, under the specific instruction of the late Eyvind Earle, will continue the legacy of the artist, promoting and introducing new serigraphs and books through galleries worldwide. These posthumous limited edition serigraphs will be printed from the oil paintings created by Eyvind Earle that are in the collection of Joan Earle and others.

I clam nothing here, except my desire to share the work of this magic man, Eyvind Earle, with you. All information was found online.

Sources:

Interview with Author Julie Seedorf

Julie Seedorf

Minnesota, USA

Good morning, Julie, and welcome to Vision and Verse, the Place for Art and  Authors. Can you tell us a little about what you've written?

I write Cozy Mysteries with quirky characters in a unusual community. They are somewhat a satire on old age and the rules and regulations we live with in real life. They are meant to make people laugh, take them away from reality and are a little fluffy. I also write children’s books with a twist on bringing together the generations of oldsters and youngsters. Who were we before our wrinkles took over our face. I also write a weekly column for area newspapers called Something About Nothing. Under all the nothings we talk about every day there is something underneath longing to come out.

My Fuchsia Minnesota Mysteries published by Cozy Cat Press and  kindle versions are on sale for $.99 each from July 22 to the 29 at

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K7Q4A20/ref=series_rw_dp_sw 

There are five books in this series. The titles are:

 Granny Hooks A Crook

 Granny Skewers A Scoundrel

 Granny Snows A Sneak

 Granny Forks A Fugitive

 Granny Pins A Pilferer

Brilliant Minnesota Cozy Mystery Series:

 The Penderghast Puzzle Protectors

 Soon to be released, The Discombobulated Decipherers

The Granny Is In Trouble Series for children and the young at heart adults:

 Whatchamacallit? Thingamajig?

 Snicklefritz

Just Released Kids picture book and young-at-heart adults:

 Two Little Girls

Favorite food. 

Donuts

Tea or coffee? 

Coffee

Pizza or ice cream? 

Pizza

Wine or beer? 

Wine

Where would you like to visit? 

Hawaii

Favorite musical artist. 

Queen, I like individual artists but don’t have a favorite.

Do you listen to music when you write? 

It depends on the day.

What? 

It depends on my mood. Piano and soft music or 50’s and 60’s music.

What makes you laugh? 

My grandchildren they teach me to keep playing.

Favorite work of art or sculpture.

Anything my grandchildren create.

How old were you when you started writing? 

A teenager but didn’t try and get published until 62.

Describe your perfect evening. 

I love to have glass of wine, good friends and conversation.

Where do you get your inspiration? 

I have a wacky thought process so I get my inspiration from almost anything. I don’t the world as other people do so I can turn the ordinary into something weird.

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

I bring out the watercolor paints or read or find another creative activity.

Who is your favorite author? Catherine Coulter.

Best book you ever read. 

I think the first book that made a difference in the way I see the world was Freedom Summer that came out in the late 60’s. It was about white college students going to Mississipi during the race riots. I am not sure who wrote it. There are various books out there by that title. I still have the paperback somewhere in my memory boxes.

Last book you read. 

I am reading Point Blank by Catherine Coulter.

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

I would become a watercolor artist but in my former life I was a computer technician and a business owner of a computer business.

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

My Pastor's daughter. I marvel at her faith and she makes me believe I can do anything.

If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?

It would be my dad and his mother my Grandma Edith. My grandma died when I was 6 and it was an uncanny twerk of fate that my covers and the granny on my covers look exactly like her down to the nose, glasses, hair style and clothes. I had nothing to do with choosing the graphic so it was her watching over me. I call it a God thing. And my dad died when I was twenty so I didn’t know him as an adult. I would love to know what he thought and felt about life.

What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer? Keep writing and don’t give up your dream. Be able to take constructive criticism so you grow as a writer. Also do not try and write like someone you admire. Be true to your own writing style.

Do you have any links for us to follow you?

Website: http://julieseedorf.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/julie.seedorf.author

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/julieseedorf

Instagram: Julie_seedorf

Newpaper Column Blog: http://sprinklednotes.com

My books can be found on Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and independent bookstores.

Links:

http://julieseedorf.com

http://sprinklednotes.com

http://www.facebook.com/julie.seedorf.author

http://www.cozycatpress

The Dreamy, Ethereal Art of Evgeny Lushpin

The Dreamy, Ethereal Art of 

Evgeny Lushpin

The paintings of Evgeny Lushpin have an ethereal, dreamlike quality that draws the eye of the viewer into the beauty of his photo-like art work.  At first, you think it’s a photo; a really, really great photo, with perfect lighting and balance of hues and tone resonance, a perfect picture of a familiar famous city or landmark scene.  




But upon further examination, one sees it is a painting, a beautiful painting with a golden light emanating from a 

perfectly composed piece.  He not only transport you to that perfect place, but to that perfect time.  One cannot view a Lushpin and not be touched, in my opinion.  I wonder if this is how this amazing Russian painter actually sees the world!

Evgeny Lushpin, a celebrated contemporary artist, was born in a small town outside of Moscow in November of 1966 and was educated in the finest schools in Russia, following the traditional techniques of the Russian Realism School of Art.  

Nothing here is mine. Here are my sources.

Resources:

A Dilemma for Daisy, A Monday Mystery Society Selection

Daisy Mazlo faces a dilemma. She’s met the man of her dreams in Cooper MacNeill, a gentleman in every sense of the word, tall, handsome, wealthy, witty, and very interested in her. But Daisy can’t accept his love, so she runs away, moving back to Oakville where she grew up to sort out her feelings. Will the small loving community of her past help her find herself? Will Cooper come after her? Will a letter be pivotal in resolving Daisy’s dilemma? 

Will love win out?

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars love found, and lost, and found again? Or maybe not.... May 22, 2015

By Alison Loris

Format:Kindle Edition

Daisy is warm-hearted and passionate, but she's nobody's fool. She's got a sense of humor, too! While she may be willing to risk everything for love, she's got a brain too, and she's not afraid to use it. I loved this story with its twists and turns and its satisfying end.

Top customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsOne Guy you think you are in Love, One guy you know you are in Love, which love will win out?

ByValerie Roberson

Format: Paperback

I really enjoyed this book by Carol Ann Kauffman. Romance at it's finest! It is hard enough to find the right person for you out there, but two?
Daisy is a city girl, Chicago, working hard and living her life. Talking to her friend about the perfect man, they both giggle. Daisy walked out onto the street to be greeted by a muggar. Daisy took him down swinging. All of a sudden a man helps her out and he is that perfect man they were talking about. They fell in love with each other on the spot.
Cooper is a person short of being a gangster. He does not kill people, just take them for all they are worth for his clients. For some reason, that doesn't bother Daisy at first, but when his life is in danger and she over hears man talking about the real Cooper and what he does, she leaves.
Daisy is now back in the town she first lived in and has a good job, nice house and is very happy, sort of. One of the town men try's to be friends with her just as she gets bad news from Chicago. What Daisy doesn't know, is that she is being spied on.
It all comes down to where she has to decide between the city guy or the country guy? Which one does she pick? Which one would you pick?

Excerpt:

As large group of loud, agitated men in business suits were being seated at the table behind her, Daisy heard Cooper’s name mentioned. She listened.

“Yes, I’m sure I saw that slippery con man, Cooper MacNeill, walk in here while I was waiting in the lobby. But I don’t see him anywhere in here,” one man said. “I’m going to look for him.”

“That miserable weasel should be behind bars instead of having dinner in Chicago’s newest and most
exclusive restaurant,” another agreed. “You go look for him. I’ll call the police right now. Let’s nail this criminal.”

She glanced back as the man tapped some numbers into his phone.

“That scam artist manipulated us into making that ridiculous gold-digging oozy Melinda, a very rich woman and made us all look like fools. You know he was sleeping with her. He sleeps with all his so-called clients.”

“He conned our company out of six million dollars. He needs to do some serious jail time.”
“I’d like some private time alone with him before I turn him over to the authorities,” said another.
Daisy pulled out her phone and hit redial to get Cooper’s number.
“Run,” she whispered when he answered. “They’ve called the police. Run. They’re looking for you right now. Go!”

“I hate to leave you in there with no way home.”
“Just go. I’ll be okay. I’ll call a cab.”
“No. That’ll stick you with the bill. Luca’s is expensive.”
“I have a credit card on me. I’m okay. Go. Please.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. 
She turned off her phone and put it away.
Daisy poured herself another glass of wine and continued to listen to the loud, angry conversation behind her, detailing Cooper’s line of work and his reputation as a con-man, a scammer, and a grifter. 

She ate the appetizer. She drank her wine. She ate her dinner. Then she drank his wine. She had the waiter box up Cooper’s dinner to take home. She finished up what was left in the wine bottle. She called a cab.

It was a night to remember, all right. 

Buy link:
http://www.amazon.com/Dilemma-Daisy-Monday-Mystery-Society-ebook/dp/B00XZCK820/ref=la_B0076OMJY8_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1432224556&sr=1-10

Schedule for July 24 - 28, 2017

Schedule for July 24 - 28, 2017

Mon., July 24 - A Dilemma for Daisy, 

Monday Mystery Society Selection

Tues., July 25 - The Dreamy, Ethereal Art of 

Evgeny Lushpin

Wed., July 26 - Interview with Author

Julie Seedorf

Thurs., July 27 - The Artwork of 

Eyvind Earle

Fri., July 28 - BLUE LAKE, Time After Time,

by Carol Ann Kauffman