BOOK: The Blue Cove Mysteries by Iona Morrison

Dear Gentle Readers,

Today I want to share with you an outstanding series written by Iona Morrison. Young Jessie Reynolds moved to a new town and immediately becomes embroiled in the murder investigation of a local pastor, partly because of the really cute sheriff.

I say partly, because there are 'forces' at work.

INTERVIEW with Epic Fantasy Author Rival Gates

Rival Gates

 Omaha, NE USA

 Good Morning, Rival, and welcome to Vision and Verse, the site authors.What have you written? 

"Quest for the Red Sapphire" "Sapphire Crucible" and soon to come, "Mandrean Revenge."

What is your favorite genre to write? 

Epic Fantasy

Favorite food. 

Lasagna

Tea or coffee?

 Tea

Pizza or ice cream?

 Pizza

Wine or beer?

Beer

Where would you like to visit? 

Rome

Oh, Rival, go and go soon. Rome is fantastic. They call it the Eternal City for a good reason. See the 

Vatican Museum. Eat at one of the local eateries. Stroll around the city in the late afternoon. Visit the Colliseum. Favorite musical artist.  Do you listen to 

music when you write?  What? 

My favorite band is Genesis. I need complete silence when I write.

What makes you laugh? 

People who don't think writing is work.

Favorite work of art or sculpture. 

Any painting by Thomas Kinkade.

How old were you when you started writing? 

13

Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards? Or just write? 

I do an outline first in bullet point. Then I write the novel. This way I don't miss important points or get writer's block.

Describe your perfect evening. 

Me, my wife and the dogs.

Where do you get your inspiration?

History

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

When it happens, I read what I just wrote and continue the thought.

Who is your favorite author? 

C.S. Lewis

Best book you ever read. 

"The Return of the King" J.R.R. Tolkien

Last book you read. 

"Scattered Shells" by Francene Staley.

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

Furniture salesman.

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

My mother was my biggest influence. She listened to me ramble about one book after another and always encouraged me.

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

I would sit down with Napoleon and find out how he came up with so many brilliant battleplans.

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

You are going to face rejection. That's part of the business. You just have to keep trying until the right fit comes along.

Do you have some links for us to follow you?

Web Site: http://www.rivalgates.co

Blog: http://www.rivalgates.com/blog

         http://rivalgates.tumblr.com/

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1qqrjiB

Twitter: RivalGates1

Purchase “Quest for the Red Sapphire”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1npYd0S

Purchase “The Sapphire Crucible”

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1lGfOVN

Purchase “Mandrean Revenge”

Book Trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZL_knO95Tk

FILM PICK: "Loving Vincent"

Dear Gentle Readers,

If you haven't heard of the movie Loving Vincent, I want to encourage you to seek it out on video or wherever you stream your entertainment.

We'd read about this motion picture animation about the final days of Vincent Van Gogh, where each cell in the animation is an oil painting. We followed it's progress closely as it was seven years in the making. We were so excited to see it on the big screen, all 65,000 frames. But this world's first fully painted feature film never made it to a theater anywhere near us. So I bought it on Amazon for my husband's birthday.

It is absolutely wonderful. The casting is exceptional. Eleanor Tomlinson (Demelza on Poldark), Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn, Hanna, Lady Bird), and Douglas Booth to name a few. Even Aidan Turner (Ross Poldark) shows up as the Boatman. The artwork is breathtaking. And the music! 

It is the story of a letter Vincent Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo before he died The story, the cast, the music, and the wonderful paintings lift this feature film to a must-see masterpiece.

The postmaster in the little French village where Vincent was staying before his death mailed this letter twice, and twice it was returned. So the postmaster sent his son to personally deliver the letter to Theo.  

Top customer reviews:

5.0 out of 5 starsFlatly Astonishing

Format: DVD

“Loving Vincent” takes an enormous step forward in motion picture entertainment, and does it by essentially taking a major 

technological step backward.Dramatically, the picture is sound enough: The year is 1891, one year after the death by suicide of 

artist Vincent Van Gogh. A postman and former acquaintance of the Dutch painter is in possession of his last letter to his devoted

 brother Theo—previous attempts to deliver the document have failed.

So the postman charges his skeptical and indifferent son with personally delivering the letter to Theo. And as the son attempts

 to locate Van Gogh’s brother, he begins to suspect that the artist’s death was not a suicide at all, but the result of a murder. In the

 process of learning the truth, the son develops an appreciation of Van Gogh, his art, and his short life.

That’s the plot of the picture, which is involving enough in itself to sustain the viewer’s interest for its 91-minute running time.

But the big news is that “Loving Vincent” is an animated picture—the very first in motion picture history to be composed entirely of oil paintings, a logistical feat even Disney has never attempted.

Directed by the husband and wife team of Dorota Kobieta and Hugh Welchman, each of the movie’s 65,000 individual frames is 

rendered in oil-on-canvas, produced using Van Gogh’s technique, and painstakingly created over four years by some 115 artists

 selected from over 5000 applicants.

To augment the impact of the picture, the filmmakers chose to use classically-trained artists rather than traditional animators.

 And each painting created for the picture was individually photographed in succession, to create the illusion of movement.

The results are flatly astonishing. After a moment or two for the viewer to acclimate himself to the static nature of the animation—

the brushstrokes on the individual paintings change from frame to frame, giving even stillness the appearance of constant movement

—the overall effect is of witnessing the works of Van Gogh come miraculously to life in all their exuberance and vibrancy, to both 

tell a story and lead the viewer on an unforgettable journey into art history…and art itself.

“Loving Vincent” accomplishes in its 91 minutes what some art history appreciation courses cannot manage over a period of weeks,

 months, or even years—an intimate familiarity with the creative process, and the emotional investment which is sometimes required

 to create the world’s great art.

This movie is a real treat. Watch for it.

5.0 out of 5 starsIncredible film worth the years of waiting for its release.

Format: Blu-ray|Verified Purchase

**NO spoilers in this review** just my opinions of the art and quality of content.

Absolutely unique and incredible film!! They truly captured Van Gogh as a person-not only through the story they told-but with

 the artwork they told it with. I'm so glad I purchased this because it is one of those films that I will be watching over and over. 

There's so much to take in.

I've been following this film and the creators for years, so I was extremely excited for it to finally get released. The artwork was 

mesmerizing. I had to watch it twice in a row because I would get caught up in the animation and not pay attention to what was 

going on! Just knowing that every single frame of this film was hand painted is mind-blowing (12 frames/second). I have such

 great.

5.0 out of 5 starsGround breaking film offers a fresh look at both Van Gogh's paintings and his death

Format: DVD|Verified Purchase

"Loving Vincent" offers the public an alternative version of Van Gogh's death and a unique look at his art as scenic environments. 

This visually stunning and ground breaking film will cause viewers to take a closer look at both the man and his paintings.

Unlike most animations in which the background is textured and the figures are painted in flat paint cells, this animation paints 

the figures and faces in Van Gogh's expressionist style making each cell a true painting. Not every frame works but the number 

of iconic paintings that are animated in the film is thrilling to see.

The murder mystery plot is also engaging, offering an alternative explanation for Vincent's death than suicide which is commonly

accepted. I have been convinced that Van Gogh was killed after I read Naifeh and Smiths' book "Van Gogh,The Life." The film 

plot incorporates this information presenting these ideas to a broader audience " Van Gogh's Ear" by Bernadette Murphy.

 after production began, is not incorporated in the film. Murphy's book offers expanded research on his ear cutting incident and 

Van Gogh's mental state the year before his death. Together this film and these books offer a deeper picture of Van Gogh's life 

and work.

Schedule for July 23 - 27, 2018

Schedule

Tues., July 24 - FILM PICK: "Loving Vincent" -

The Groundbreaking Motion Picture about Vincent Van Gogh

Wed., July 25 - INTERVIEW with 

Epic Fantasy Author Rival Gates 

Thurs., July 26 - BOOK

The Blue Cove Mysteries by Iona Morrison