BOOK REVIEW: Seaside Daisy by Sherri Hansen

ENTERTAINMENT: The Witcher

I came across this series by accident. I never played the video game. I never heard of the book. And I wasn’t a fan of Henry Cavill’s Superman. That said, I was completely taken with this Netflix series. 

Henry Cavill plays the part of Geralt Rivia. 

INTERVIEW: Texas Collage Artist Parker Kaufman

      Parker Kaufman

Houston, TX

At what age did you know you wanted to be an artist?

    From a very early age, say seven or eight.  There was something magical that happened when I put a pencil to paper and started creating a world as only I could see it.

What medium do you prefer to work in?

    I love the media I'm currently working in, card stock.  I like the fact that it's a less exacting material than say acrylics or pastels.

Favorite food.

    You promised me there would be no difficult questions here! LOL  I like a variety of foods; simple, flavorful, healthy.  If I had to pick one, I'd say edamame...I can eat it like candy.

Favorite color.

    Artists LOVE all colors.  I'd have to say blue is my favorite.

Where would you like to visit?

    Paris, France

Favorite musical artist.

    Lady Gaga, David Bowie, Linkin Park, Neil Young, Big Head Todd & the Monsters.

At what age did you started making art?

    I've made art since I was a child and throughout most of my life.  In the traditional sense, I began seriously in my early forties.

Where do you get your inspiration?

    Everything inspires me.  The world is full of things that give me ideas...music...poetry, books I've read, everyday scenery.  Most of it comes from an overactive mind.  There is no off-switch to my brain.  It's a constant traffic jam in there.

What do you do when you get artist's block?

    I simply walk away from whatever project I'm involved in and enjoy some of my favorite activities...window shopping, walking the dog, cooking, or harassing friends (wink, wink).

 Who is your favorite artist?

    So many...Dali, Matisse, Seurat, Picasso...I could go on forever.

What is your favorite piece of sculpture?

    All of Erte's stunning works.

What is your favorite painting?

    Renoir's "Place de La Trinite."

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

    Without a doubt, my maternal grandmother.  She taught me compassion, grace, and appreciation for what I was given.  She never held me to her expectations, but rather encouraged me to have high expectations for myself and use my talents to surpass them.  She always said that kindness was one of the keys to a successful life.

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 first thought was so say Oprah, but in all honesty I'd have to say my great-uncle, Harold Staley.  Uncle "Bub" as we called him, was the greatest influence with regard to me and art.  He was a physically challenged artist who created the most amazing works, some of which hung in the Buttler Museum of American Art in Youngstown, OH and in the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.  He gave me a John Gnagy art kit for Christmas when I was nine years old.  He opened up the world of art for me, passing on his love for the craft.  I cherished the times he would talk with me about his art, and to sit with him now, after all I've learned, would be awesome.

What advice would you yo give someone who aspired to be an artist?

    Chase your aspirations and don't give up until you've tackled them.  Pay no attention to the nay sayers and those who put requirements on what is and is not art.  Follow your instincts, jump in with both feet, and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE...create what YOU like, make art for YOURSELF, not for the masses.  The moment you try to create to please others is the moment the joy and passion all start to fade

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to be with us this morning, Parker. Come back anytime. You are always welcome.

Hugs,

Carol

BOOK: Charming Deception

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, suspense, 

romance and paranormal. Her style is the same as her other 

work, maybe even better.Open door ways can be wonderful 

and yet confusing to some. But to go through 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.  Sam 

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." - Tammy T.

                                                                                                                                                  

SCHEDULE: Jan. 6-10, 2020

Mon., Jan. 6 - BOOK: 

Charming Deception

by Carol Ann Kauffman

Tues., Jan. 7 - ART:

Artist Joy Laforme

Wed., Jan, 8 - INTERVIEW:

Texas Collage Artist

Parker Kaufman

Thurs., Jan. 9 - ENTERTAINMENT:

The Witcher on Netflix

Fri., Jan. 10 - BOOK REVIEW:

Seaside Daisy by Sherrie Hansen