Friday, July 2, 2021

BOOK: The Baslicato by Carol Ann Kauffman


 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 Link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0087GA6VC










VISION AND VERSE DISCLAIMER

Note:

Vision and Verse does not store any personal information like email addresses, home addresses, etc. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.

Thursday, July 1, 2021

ENTERTAINMENT: Cursed (Netflix)


 A new spin on the story of Excalibur, Cursed tells the tale of Nimue, a peasant Fey girl who wields the Sword of Power in it’s pre-Arthur days. 















VISION AND VERSE DISCLAIMER

Note:

Vision and Verse does not store any personal information like email addresses, home addresses, etc. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

INTERVIEW: Canadian Sweet Romance Author Elle Rush


Elle Rush 
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Canada
 

 

Good morning, Elle, and welcome to Vision and Verse. What have you written?
I’ve dabbled in romantic suspense, but my primary focus is sweet contemporary romance. I have three active series: Holiday Beach celebrates love all through the year with holiday-themed romances, North Pole Unlimited is a long series of Christmas romance novellas, and Hopewell Millionaires is a small-town romance series about a group of friends at their high-school reunion who win a $50,000,000 lottery jackpot. 

 


What is your favorite genre to write?

Definitely sweet romance. I love the flirting and fun and banter of a happy couple falling in love. (Although I wouldn’t mind trying a historical romance set in the Great Depression or WWII, or a mystery.)

 

 


Favorite food.

That’s a tough one. Probably pizza. However, I am a huge gardener, and I eat like a queen in August when all I have to do is go outside and fill a basket. So, can I say pizza all year round and homegrown vegetables in the summer?





Tea or coffee?

All the tea! I’m a tea snob and have a shelf full of loose teas.

 

 

Pizza or ice cream?

Pizza (but it was a difficult choice.)

 

 

Wine or beer or soda or what?

Alcohol rarely. Mostly tea, water, and juice or Crystal Light. 

 

 

 


Where would you like to visit?

I was lucky enough to visit the UK for the first time in 2019. I’d like to go back and see more of Scotland (3 days wasn’t enough.) Also on the list is New Zealand and Paris. 

 

 



Favorite musical artist.   

Glenn Miller (the big band conductor). Also the Eagles, Taylor 

Swift, and Daughtry. 

 

 

Do you listen to music when you write?  What?

Always. I have several Christmas playlist that I use to get in the mood (I write a lot of Christmas romances.) I also have lots of cassette tapes, DVDs, and playlists from the 80s and 90s. I can’t listen to podcasts when I write, though – I stop writing and listen to the people speaking.

 

 

What makes you laugh?

Terrible sci-fi movies (I’m a huge Sharknado fan.) Dad jokes. Good banter in romance novels (I’m a huge fan of Shelly Laurenston for that reason.)

 

 

Favorite work of art or sculpture.

I didn’t used to be interested in art, but in the last four or five years, I’ve recently started going to exhibits at the WAG (Winnipeg Art Gallery). We’ve seen Monet, Norman Rockwell, Van Gogh, and Picasso. Rodin’s sculptures were my favourite.

 

 

How old were you when you started writing?

10. My first “best-seller” was a self-illustrated book in the school library when I was in fifth grade.

 

 

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

Outlines and cards always. I need to know the major events in the book before I start writing.

 


 

At a Jane Austen event

Who is your favorite author?

Come on, you know an author can’t have just one! Jane Austen is my favourite author of classics. Shelly Laurenston for romance (she writes paranormal romance). Matthew Reilly for action-adventure fiction.

 


 

Last book you read.

Christmas with the Ops Room Girls by Vicki Beeby (book 2 of a WWII series set in England. I’m anxiously awaiting the third book of the trilogy.)

 

 

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

I’d be working in finance at a bank or investment company.

 

 

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

My earliest memories are my mother taking me to the library and my dad bringing home bags of books for me that he bought at yard sales. If that didn’t sent me on this path of being an author, nothing did.


 

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

Practice! Write short stories, write a novel, write a poem, write a non-fiction piece about something you are passionate about. Try all different forms until you find your strength and build from there.

 

Do you have some links for us to follow you?

http://www.ellerush.com/newsletter

https://twitter.com/elle_rush

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/elle-rush

https://www.amazon.com/Elle-Rush/e/B00KUCB1O2%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share



 

My newest releases are in my Holiday Beach series. 

 

In SHAMROCKS AND SURPRISES (out now), “Lucky” Lucy Callahan can fix anything, which is why her boss sent her to the Dew Drop Inn. The neglected hotel sounds like the perfect challenge for a woman who likes to bring things to their full potential. It’s a shame that the cute bar owner who asked her out doesn’t seem to appreciate her efforts.

Roy Wagner’s family feud with the business next door is older than he is. He’d happily see the hotel go up in flames—he’d even supply the marshmallows. He liked Lucy before he knew she worked for the enemy. Now he has no idea what to do about her, but he’s sure the relentlessly helpful, happy woman is up to no good. 

Rebuilding a hotel is no easy task, especially when she has to make the old inn fit into Holiday Beach’s unique tourist-friendly setting, but Lucy hasn’t failed yet. If she can get Roy to come around, maybe she can convince him that the changes she’s bringing could be a very good thing for his hometown…and their own future.

https://www.ellerush.com/shamrocks-and-surprises

And up for preorder in October is PUMPKINS AND PROMISES, with more romance, laughs, and a corn maze that may or may not be haunted.







VISION AND VERSE DISCLAIMER

Note:

Vision and Verse does not store any personal information like email addresses, home addresses, etc. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.


 

 

 


Tuesday, June 29, 2021

BOOK REVIEW: Die Every Day For the Rest of Your Life by Gordon Bickerstaff



A woman is murdered in a Glasgow city hotel room. Police have everything they need to charge a suspect. Caught at the scene, he confessed, and he's filled with guilt and remorse. With undeniable evidence; the police expect him to plead guilty.
Rumours suggest the man will plead not guilty and tell his story. If he faces trial, the truth will cause international outrage and the government will fall.
Faceless mandarins in corridors of power are determined he will remain silent.
Lambeth Group agent, Zoe Tampsin, is ordered to make him plead guilty. What she discovers will crush her soul and place her next in line to be murdered.
Who is pulling the strings? What secrets are they hiding?



My Review:
Die Every Day for the Rest of Your Life by Gordon Bickerstaff was a roller-coaster ride of twists and turns, an excellent suspense thriller with great characters. Main character Zoe is all you could want and more. The the bad guys are... extremely bad. This is the first I’ve read in this series and my this author, but it won’t be the last. Bickerstaff plunks you right in the middle of the action: a barroom fight, the betrayals, and the Secret Service coverups. Tight plot, well written. Needs to be a movie.

Buckle Up for a Great Roller-Coaster Action Ride!


Amazon Buy Link:






VISION AND VERSE DISCLAIMER

Note:

Vision and Verse does not store any personal information like email addresses, home addresses, etc. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.

Sunday, June 27, 2021

SCHEDULE: June 28 -July 2, 2021

Aruba, Marriott Stellaris       Photo by Carol Ann Kauffman


 Mon., June 28 - ART:
Folk Artist
Eric Dowdle
Tues., June 29 - BOOK REVIEW:
Die Every Day for the Rest of Your Life
by Gordon Bickerstaff
Wed., June 30 - INTERVIEW:
Author Elle Rush
Thurs., July 1 - ENTERTAINMENT:
Cursed
(Netflix)
Fri., July 2 - BOOK:
The Baslicato
 by Carol Ann Kauffman 





VISION AND VERSE DISCLAIMER

Note:

Vision and Verse does not store any personal information like email addresses, home addresses, etc. We do not give any information to third parties. And cookies? We eat cookies.