BOOK: Charming Deception by Carol Ann Kauffman

Dear Gentle Readers,
Sometimes a single moment can suggest a storyline.  While on our second honeymoon in Clearwater Beach Sand Key, I woke up in the middle of the night disoriented. Jet lag. Introduction to mint mojitos. Who knows?  But that single moment led to the book, Charming Deception. I wrote the first three chapters on my iPhone, because I promised my husband this wouldn't be a working vacation and left my laptop at home.



Book Description:
Samantha wakes up to a perfect life, with a handsome, attentive husband she doesn't remember. She has it all: a luxury vehicle, designer clothes, beautiful jewelry, and a condo on the beach. But this isn't the life she remembers. As time go by, Samantha discovers she is the object of an elaborate deception, one large enough to include, other worlds, body doubles, time travel, world-hopping, and a galaxy guardian as cold as ice. Is her charming husband in on this deception?

Reviews:

"This story is completely different from all the other books I have read by Carol Ann Kauffman. You get to see another side of her creative mind and I love it. She had me guessing all throught the book. She filled it with mystery, suspence, romance and paranormal. Her style is the same as her other work, maybe even better.
Open door ways can be wonderful and yet confussing to some. But to go throught a door way and wake up not knowing who you are or where you are can be unusal. Sam doesent remember parts of her life. Her husband is telling her that she hit her head and has memory loss. But she doesn't know who he is either. Jaxs is madly in love with his wife and would do anything for her, even switch places with Jackson Blake.
As the two of them resume their life together in Florida, Sam finds herself falling in love with her husband all over again. But is he really her husband? Then one day trouble happens and she is pulled into a cloud with hands all over her. She has no idea what is going on. But she ends up at a castle and remembers her father and everybody there, but how? Jackson ends up there too and wants to taker her home. The king is mean and loves to torture people. He goes after a tracker who found Samantha thinking that he killed his real daughter. So how many Samantha's are there? And is there more then one Jackson Blake?
As the story goes on, you find yourself trying to figure out why there are clones and who made them. Why would someone want more than one person that looks the same? Well the guardian has his reasons. Can this all be worked out? Or is someone going to die? Will all be disappointed in the end? You will have to read it to find out."

                                                                                                                          -Val R.

"This is a wonderfully twisted soap opera for the brain.  Samantha has me worried and Jakson, sweet as he appears to be, creeps me out.  Love the imagery.  I feel like I'm right there with these characters.  Them OMG... out of the blue, kidnapped, encoding, decoding.  Uh, just who is this Samantha Blake?  This was like driving carefree down a one-way street and suddenly making an abrupt left turn - where there is no road!  AWESOME!!!"        

                                                                                                                                         - Preston K.

"Samantha wakes up naked in a strange bed. It's dark outside and there's a man snoring beside her she has no recollection of. Not only does she not remember how she got there. She can't even remember her name.

The author takes you on a journey involving all the elements necessary to keep you glued to the pages until the very end. You walk beside Samantha as she unravels the truth in this romantic and suspenseful story.

I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good mystery that you can lose yourself in."

                                                                                                                                                   -Tam T

Amazon Buy Link:
https://www.amazon.com/CHARMING-DECEPTION-Carol-Ann-Kauffman-ebook/dp/B01N2Q7HOT/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

INTERVIEW: Meet Fantasy Author C.L. Schneider

Cynthia L Schneider

Hudson Valley Region

Upstate New York

USA

Good morning, Cynthia, and welcome to Vision and Verse, the site for art and books, and the people who love them. Can you tell us a little about what you've written?

I currently have one complete trilogy published, as well as three books in my new series, and a short story in the 3rd issue of Kyanite Press.

 

The Crown of Stones Trilogy is an adult, dark, epic fantasy saga that tells the story of Ian Troy: a man born with an addiction to magic. The Nite Fire Series, an action-packed, urban fantasy mystery, features shapeshifters, dragons, and parallel worlds. The first three books are out now. My short story, Heists & Headstones, is a fun, co-written fantasy about a thief and an assassin, in the vein of “Spy vs Spy.”

What is your favorite genre to write?

Fantasy. The possibilities are endless!

Tea or coffee?

Coffee

Pizza or ice cream?

Both!

Wine or beer?

Wine

Where would you like to visit?

There are so many beautiful places in the world. Ireland has always been high on my list, and we just booked a trip there for later this summer. I can’t wait! Scotland, Prague, and New Zealand are all on my radar, too. We went to Iceland last summer, and it was the most amazing trip ever. The landscape was unique and gorgeous. I’d go back in a heartbeat!

Favorite musical artist.  Do you listen to music when you write?  What?

I love music, but I don’t really have a favorite. I have lots of favorites. Lol. I gravitate toward alternative or hard rock. 12 Stones is a band that’s recently caught my attention. Sometimes I listen to music before I write, but not during. I get too distracted. I start singing along, and there goes my word count!

What makes you laugh?

My kids 😊 As far as TV, movies, or books go, I love narky characters and witty banter.

This is an Art & Author website, so I am obliged to ask: Favorite work of art or sculpture.

I would have to say Vincent van Goh’s The Starry Night and Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. Her expression intrigues me. It looks like she’s about to speak, and every time I see it, I can’t help wondering what she has to say.

How old were you when you started writing?

I started writing poetry and short stories in elementary and middle school. I was 16 when I wrote my first full-length novel on an old typewriter my dad bought me. That was when my dream was born of one day being a published author. Life got in the way after that, so it took a while to make it come true. But I never stopped writing – or dreaming.

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

I do a little of both. I always start out on paper, in a notebook, with a rough outline. It’s mostly snippets of scenes and dialogue. Then I head to the computer and expand on my thoughts. I don’t write linear when I’m drafting. I write the scenes that are most vivid in my head, regardless of order. Once I have enough of those down, I start marrying them together, and the story begins to take shape. At that point, I construct a deeper outline, chapter by chapter. Of course, sometimes my characters don’t listen, and the outline goes out the window!

Describe your perfect evening.

Hmmm. That’s a tossup between strolling on the beach with my husband and a glass of wine, and curling up alone in front of the fire with Netflix—and a glass of wine 😊

Where do you get your inspiration?

Where the original spark comes from, I can’t really say. Inspiration can come from so many places; nature, music, a question, a casual phrase spoken by a stranger. But 99% of the time, my inspiration for a story comes from the creation of the main character. So, I guess you could say I don’t get story ideas so much as I do character ideas. Once the notion of one takes root in my brain, I get to know them. I imagine what type of world they live in. What are their abilities, their strengths and weaknesses, hopes, friends, family, dreams, fears? I create a past, present, and future for them. I decide how they would react to adversity, betrayal, victory, and catastrophe, and the plot evolves from there. I don’t see it as “a story” I’m writing. I see it as “their” story.    

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

I’m lucky that writers block rarely bothers me. More often, I suffer from the opposite: I have too many ideas. That can make it difficult sometimes to choose which path is best for the story. I work through either situation the same way, though. If I’m stuck on writing a particular scene, I’ll skip to something that happens later on in the story. If I can get out the scenes rolling around in my head, whatever was bothering me usually works itself out.

Sometimes, I’ll take a walk, or a drive, or a shower. Any place where I don’t have access to a pen and paper is usually where my head clears! Other times, I’ll put on a movie as background, and just play around with different scenes until the lightbulb goes off.

Who is your favorite author?

I would have to go with C.J. Cherryh. She is certainly my favorite fantasy author. I’ve read nearly every title she’s written. I learned so much about character development from her books.

Best book you ever read.

That’s hard to answer. I don’t have nearly as much time to read since I published. But I’ve been a voracious reader my whole life and have had many favorites. I can tell give you one book that had a great impact on my life: The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley. My brother gave me the book in high school. It was my first traditional epic fantasy, and I fell in love. I devoured it. Then I read it again. That book narrowed my focus, and from that moment on, I knew fantasy was the genre I wanted to write.

Last book you read.

Shifting Identities. It’s the 3rd book in the Criminal Elements series, a fun urban fantasy by indie authors Cris and Clare Meyers.

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

I honestly have no idea. I love what I do so much. For a time, when I was young, I wanted to work in special effects movie makeup. I still find it interesting. But this was always what I wanted to do. Since I was sixteen, my dream was to hold my own book in my hands. Everything else was just filler.

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

My children. Technically, that’s two people, not one – sorry! But having children changed my life in more ways than I could have ever imagined.

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

My dad. He passed away before I published my first book. I would give anything to be able to sit down and read it to him.

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

Be fearless in your writing and with your writing. Don’t be afraid to share your work and get feedback. Believe me, I know it isn’t easy putting yourself out there. For years, I kept my writing to myself. I was terrified to show anyone the worlds and characters I’d created. They were such a part of me. But once I took that leap, everything changed. My confidence grew. I had a sounding board, someone in my corner who enjoyed listening to me brainstorm, who would offer praise and criticism that was both thoughtful and honest. It lessened the fear and inspired me to not just write more, but to write better. 

Do you have some links for us to follow you?

Website  www.clschneiderauthor.com

Twitter  https://twitter.com/cl_schneider

Facebook   https://www.facebook.com/CLS.Author

Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/clschneiderauthor/

Goodreads  https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomCLSchneider

Amazon Author Page   http://author.to/CLSchneiderAmazonPg

BookBub Profile Page https://www.bookbub.com/authors/c-l-schneider

Subscribe to newsletter http://www.clschneiderauthor.com/subs

Join My Street Team  http://bit.ly/2wyEO8ySIGNUP

Nite Fire Book #! Trailer   https://youtu.be/C041ClBpihI

Crown off Stones Trilogy Book Trailer    http://bit.ly/COSTrailer

ART: A Look at Italian Artist Guido Borelli

Guido Borelli was born into an artistic family. He was born in 1952 in Northern Italy. His family encouraged his interest in the arts and recognized his ability at an early age.                                                                                                                                                                    

 The paintings of Guido Borelli show the heart and soul of Italy. He uses color and shadow to evoke feelings, maybe the feeling you had the first time you walked down the cobblestone streets of Venice.

Guido's interpretations of these gorgeous Italian sites shows more then the scenery. They show his love for Italy and it's perennial beauty. It shows his big heart and deep soul.

These gorgeous paintings of Venice, the Lake regions of Lago Maggiore and Lake Como areas remind me of my stays in the area and bring back so many warm and magical memories of beautiful Italy.

 Venice at night is very different from Venice by day. Guido's paintings of the city at different times of day capture the personality of the city. If you have never been to Venice, take my advice: GO! 

A NOTE FROM CAROL: Artist & Author Interviews

 Dear Gentle Readers,

I am contemplating some changes here at Vision and Verse. I know how much you all love the Artist & Author Interview Sessions, usually on Wednesday. Unfortunately, I am having some difficulty finding artists and authors willing to take the time out of their busy and demanding schedules to interview with us. And I completely understand. Writing a novel is a wonderful experience. You learn a lot about your surroundings and yourself. You develop a set of skills you never even knew you needed!

However, the marketing part of the job can be long, hard, and fruitless. It's exhausting. And it can leave the author with no time, energy, or desire to continue writing. I suppose it's the same way with artists.

If you know an author or an artist who needs a little bit of free publicity and is willing to take the time to interview with us, please email me their name and email address. If I cannot find willing participants, the Wednesday Interview segment of our schedule will have to be eliminated.

Hugs,
Carol
visionandverse@gmail.com

SCHEDULE: June 24 - 28, 2019

Schedule

Mon., June 24 - A NOTE FROM CAROL:
Author/Artist Interviews

Tues., June 25 - ART: A Look at Italian Artist
Guido Borelli

Wed., June 26 - INTERVIEW: Meet Fantasy Author
C.L. Schneider

Thurs., June 27 - ART: The Southwest Art of
Stephen Morath

Fri., June 28 - BOOK: Charming Deception 
by Carol Ann Kauffman