BOOK: August Red Dawn, A Cat Collier Mystery, by Carol Ann Kauffman

 

In August Red Dawn, the eighth book in the Cat Collier Mystery Short Story series, girl sleuth-turned-private investigator Mary Catherine Collier Paxton, known as Cat, reflects on her life as the roles of wife and mother are added to her life.

 
A new case involving a bowling trophy have her examining old family feelings and experiencing some terrifying new ones.

 
As her family responsibilities grow, satisfaction with the constant travel and big city excitement dwindles. Cat hungers for her old small town Ohio life once more.

Can she go back? 

Can she get her husband Spencer to leave New York City for Heaton Valley, Ohio?

Amazon Link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B094GKQT8G

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TVTIME: Dark Winds, Season 2 (AMC, AMC+)

 

I loved Season 1 of AMC's gripping Native American police procedural mystery series Dark Winds with the immensely talented Zahn McClarnon. 

The first season of the series, set in the Navajo Reservation, was hard to describe. It was spiritual with dark undertones. It was beautiful and scary. It had characters who immediately drew you in. And plenty of bad guys.

Even though this season began with a bang, it  seems to be a bit more playful and upbeat so far, but there are still enough bad guys and intense situations to keep you on the edge of your seat.

I highly recommend this series based on the Tony Hillerman novels on AMC and AMC+.  The whole cast 

does a fantastic job, but Zahn McClarnon owns the building.

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INTERVIEW: Paranormal Horror-Thriller Author Michael B. Schwartz

 

Michael B. Schwartz

Hamilton, Ohio 

USA

 

 

Good morning, Michael. It's a pleasure to welcome a fellow Ohio author to Vision and Verse this morning. Can you tell us a little about what you've written? 

The Dreamkiller, Forbidden Realms, The Dream Crusades (published trilogy)

What is your favorite genre to write? 

Horror/thriller, supernatural (I love the paranormal)

Favorite food.

Fried Chicken 

Tea or coffee?

Coffee all day.

Tea only at night.

Pizza or ice cream?

Pizza

Wine or beer or soda or what?

Soda

Where would you like to visit? 

Ireland (it's in my trilogy)

Favorite musical artist.

Two Steps From Hell 

 

Do you listen to music when you write? 

Mostly 

What? 

I make soundtracks to a lot of my books/stories so I'll listen to whatever playlist I created.

What makes you laugh? 

Family, friends, and 80s comedy movies

Favorite work of art or sculpture. 

Starry Night by Van Gogh

How old were you when you started writing? 

15

Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards? 

Or just write? 

I've only outlined two novels (Forbidden Realms and my current WIP The Rose of Yesteryear). I usually let my characters tell me what to write. 

Describe your perfect evening. 

Good writing or a good cheesy 80s movie (can you tell I love the 80s?)

Personally, I think cheesy gets a bad rap. 

Maybe we should call it warm and gooey. 

Where do you get your inspiration? 

My inspiration comes from the desire to share my stories with the world.

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

Refocus - tinker around with another WIP

Who is your favorite author?

Several - Stephen King, Clive Barker, EA Poe, Mary Shelly, and even Jan Austen

Best book you ever read.
Probably Where the Red Fern Grows

Last book you read. 

Honestly, The Dreamkiller

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

I always wanted to be an archeologist.

Oh, I can see it now, watch out Indiana Jones. Here comes Ohio Schwartz Do-dee-do-dee! Do-dee-do.

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

Marnie Roether, my 10^th grade English teacher who read the very first version of The Dreamkiller and urged me to continue.

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 mother - no explanation needed - my family misses her.

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

Never stop. Always believe in yourself. Dreamers live forever.

Do you have some like for us to follow you?

https://a.co/d/9KwUYDE

The Dreamkiller: Book One of the Great War Saga: Schwartz, Michael B.: 9781609104078: Amazon.com: Books The Dreamkiller: Book One of the Great War Saga [Schwartz, Michael B.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Dreamkiller: Book One of the Great War Saga a.co

https://www.facebook.com/schwarmb

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BOOK REVIEW: One Magick Yule by Teresa Keefer

The heat index is close to 100 degrees today in the beautiful, unpredictable, manic depressive Midwest. 

So, I thought it would be a great day for a snowy, Christmas book.

One Magic Yule was a wonderful little holiday gem of a story. Taylor is an author who prefers to live in an isolated Kentucky cabin. She is also a witch who dabbles in herbs and kinetic energy, talks to animals, and understands their responses. 

A mysterious stranger moves into the abandoned farmhouse across the field. What happens next is nothing short of magic. Teresa Keefer has a talent for weaving great characters and great locations together into a lovely holiday tale. I highly recommend.

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ART: Mark Messersmith at The Butler

I love love love the work of Mark Messersmith! It defies category. It’s organic. It’s fantasy. It’s romantic. It’s scientific drawings with brilliant jewel colors plus plenty of sparkle. It’s like John James Audubon meets Dolly Parton and exciting things happen. It’s a look into the past and at the same time a look towards the future. It’s an experience both universal and personal. It combines sculpture, chip carving, bas relief, bright colors, and glitter. What more is there?

But the main reason I love Mark Messersmith’s work is when you stand in front of it, it reaches out and grabs you and pulls you inside, into this magical world of the lush tropical beauty of Florida’s vast and diverse flora and fauna. 

Once inside, there is so much that catches your eye and competes for your attention. Birds. Butterflies. Leaves. Trees. Fish. Sunlight streaming off tree bark. A snake. 

You are thrilled! But also slightly scared. It is a happy place with a dreamy, almost fantasy-like aura. Yet it speaks to the ever-shrinking habit these beautiful plants and creatures share and a fear for their tomorrow. 

These gorgeous masterpieces defy time of year or time of day. They defy era. And every time you look at it, you see something new and exquisite.

Big, big kudos to Butler Institute of American Art, the gem of Mahoning County in Youngstown, Ohio. This was the most beautiful of all the Mark Messersmith exhibits I have ever seen. It was truly breathtaking. Other museums displayed the large, multi-media masterpieces on white or beige walls. But the Butler showed them against an almost jewel-like green. Organic. Nature-inspired. Allowing one to immerse themselves in these gorgeous garden paradise jungle rooms. 

This exhibit runs through September 24, 2023. In my opinion it is a must see.

 

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