Friday, November 24, 2017

The Baslicato by Carol Ann Kauffman


When Dr. Brook Wilson agreed to take on celebrity Italian race car driver Jason Maxwell, known as"The Baslicato," as her patient, little did she realize their relationship would turn her calm, pleasant, well-ordered life upside down, sending her off on dangerous adventures in southern Italy and northern Ohio. As she prepares him for his big race, she must deal with his demented wife while driving her boyfriend, Dr, Garrett MacEgan into acts of criminal desperation in a attempt to hold on to her.
When tall, handsome British actor Richard MacKenzie wakes up in the hospital after an accident, he discovers he's a short Italian race car driver named Jason Maxwell, known as THE BASLICATO.


Amazon Buy Link: http://tinyurl.com/kd8ymgm

Dear Gentle Readers,
The Basilicato is special to me because my wonderful father was born in Basilicata Province in Italy, so to me he was the original Baslicato. 
This is a fun story, but you need to suspend your current belief system and temporarily believe that a man can wake up in another man's body.
Hugs,
Carol

Thursday, November 23, 2017

Happy Thanksgiving



Dear Gentle Readers,

We are Vision and Verse wish you a Happy Thanksgiving Day.
May you eat too much, laugh too much, enjoy the company of those you love. For those who find themselves alone, may you enjoy the day and be filled with peace and gratitude. There is something to be said for a nice, quiet day.m

In my life, I've spent the day cooking from early in the morning, surrounded by my big, loud, Italian family. I've spent the day alone, curled up with a hot cup of tea, a Hungryman turkey TV 
dinner, and a good book. I've spent the day with my kind and gentle husband, cooking vegan stuff. But whatever the circumstance, it is a day to focus on being grateful for what we have, not obsessing over what we don't.

Some wise person said happiness is not having what you want. It's wanting what you have. May you want exactly what you have.

Hugs,
Carol

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Interview with Author Shari Sakurai





Shari Sakurai
Barnham, West Sussex
United Kingdom


Good morning, Shari, and welcome to Vision and Verse, the Place for Art and Authors. What have you written?
I published my first novel, Demon's Blood, in 2014. Demon's Blood is a vampire novel set in the fictional city of Norfield in England. The protagonists are Japanse vampire Kokawa Yaku and his English lover Thane Bremen. After they were discovered by vampire hunters, they were forced to flee their Tokyo home and relocated to Norfield. However, both are battling their own inner demons. Thane is tormented by nightmares of what happened in Tokyo, but he is unaware that there are more to those events than Taku has let on to him. As a consequence of that night, Taku is battling against something much darker that could ultimately not only him, but all of the kind.

Perfect World is the first novel in a series of the same name. It is a science fiction novel set in twenty-second century England. The series'protaganist is a genetically engineered twenty-five year old superhero Eric Rawlins. Eric works for the London Security Agency (L.S.A.) which is also the organization that created him. The L.S.A. has given Eric the perfect life with his superhero abilities, longevity, celebrity status, and a beautiful girlfriend, but in reality they control him and use his popularity with the public to their advantage.

Adam is a companion novel to my Perfect World series focusing on Adam Larimore's past and the events that led to Perfect World. It also ties in some of the unanswered questions from Perfect World #1 as well as setting in motion events for later in the series.

What is your favorite genre to write?
My favorite genres are paranormal, science 
fiction, and fantasy. I have yet to complete a fantasy novel, 
but I do not have one in the works at the moment.

Favorite food.
Pizza and chips, my ultimate comfort food. :D

Tea or coffee?
Neither. i do not drink hot drinks apart from hot chocolate.

Pizza or ice cream?
Pizza!

Wine or beer?
Neither. I prefer cocktails. 

Where would you like to visit?
I went to Japan a couple of years ago but I stayed mostly in the Tokyo area so I'd love to return and see more of the country. I would also love to visit New York one day.

Favorite musical artist.  Do you listen to music when you write?  What?
My favorite band is a Japanese group called L'Arc~en~Ciel. I always listen to music when I write, usually rock or metal.


What makes you laugh?
Anything, really. LOL I have a great sense of humor and always prefer to find a lighter side to life wherever I can.

Favorite work of art or sculpture.
I love Japanese wood-block prints, especially works by Hokusai.

How old were you when you started writing?
I was six years old when I started. Our class at school wrote about the teacher's pet rat and I enjoyed writing my chapter so much that I've been writing ever since.



Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards? Or just write?
I just write. I very rarely plan out a novel. Sometimes I keep notes or sentences I want to incorporate on my phone, but that's about it really.

Describe your perfect evening.
I love the cinema so for me it's going to my local cinema and watching a film.

Where do you get your inspiration?
My love for Japan has greatly influenced much of my work. Also just have inspiration come to me out of the blue when I least expect it. Lately I have been walking around my local park and planning out ideas for future works in my head.

What do you do when you get a writer's block?
I always write at least two books at a time so when I get writer's block with one, I can switch to the other until it passes.

Who is your favorite author?
James Clemens. His Banned and the Banished series is amazing!

Best book you ever read.
That's a difficult one. I'd say Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. It's an incredible story, and the sentiments and message running throughout the novel is just so powerful/ It's a book that stays with you for a long time after you've finished it.

I loved Cloud Atlas! I never met anyone else who read it. Last book you read.
The Jakkattu Vector by P.K. Tyler.      

What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer?
I really don't know. I can't imagine doing anything else. I do enjoy graphic design though, so perhaps I would have gone into that.

What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?
When you start writing your first novel take your time and enjoy the process. Don't put yourself under stress to et it finished in a certain timeframe. Writing should always be fun and something that you enjoy doing.




Monday, November 20, 2017

I Need Christmas by Carol Ann Kauffman


After a depressing year of sadness, loneliness, and self-doubt, successful civil engineer and former All-American basketball star Elizabeth (Betsy) Curry returns home to Oakville, Ohio, for the Christmas holidays a depressed and broken women. Reeling from her bitter divorce from the handsome, charming, but morally decrepate Tommy DeMalio, her college sweetheart and first big love, who left her after two years of what she thought was a good marriage for a stripper he met at an office bachelor party for her co-worker, Betsy feels lost and empty. Not exactly anticipating the happy holiday with her family and their multitude of joyful Christmas customs and long-time storybook-like traditions, she knows she needs them in order to heal. 
Once comfortable at home and feeling somewhat better about herself, Tommy shows up and claims he wants a reconciliation, throwing her back into the self-destructive cycle of doubt, hostility, and suspision she is trying so hard to escape.
She discovers her father has set her up with his protégé at work, the tall, handsome, athletic red-haired Patrick, who, try as hard as she can, she can’t find a single thing she doesn’t like about him.
So, what’s the problem? Betsy feels it’s too soon for her to love again. How can she love anyone again when she doesn’t like herself or what she’s become since the break-up. Also, she fears she will hurt the sweet, gentle Patrick.
Will the love, joy, and goodwill of the holiday season coupled with the many long-time holiday customs and Curry family traditions help Betsy to find herself again? Will she be strong enough to lift herself out of her self-induced prison so that she can take another chance on love ? 


Dear Gentle Readers,
This story, I Need Christmas, is part of the Oakville Family Christmas series. It was so much fun to write! I have been part of anthologies before, but they were always sequential in order, like the Monday Mystery Society series, where the second book took place after the first book, and so on. But this series of Christmas stories all took place in the same two week period before Christmas. Each book focuses on an individual member of the Curry family. I hope you enjoy reading this tale of Christmas homecoming.
Hugs,
Carol 

Amazon Buy Link: http://tinyurl.com/name

Sunday, November 19, 2017

Schedule for November 20 -24, 2017



Schedule
Mon., Nov. 20 - I Need Christmas
by Carol Ann Kauffman
Tues., Nov. 21 - The Art of
Hilary Eddy
Wed., Nov. 22 - Interview with Author
Shari Sakurai
Thurs., Nov. 23 - Happy Thanksgiving!
From Vision and Verse to You
Fri., Nov. 24 - The Baslicato
by Carol Ann Kauffman