BOOK: Sea Witch by Carol Ann Kauffman

 

Dr. Laura Martin, Chief Extraterrestrial Life Scientist at The Touchstone Institute of Oceanographic Research, noticed troubling but subtle changes in the Atlantic Ocean. 

Before she could make sense of it all, her longtime assistant abruptly walked out. Laura hired young, handsome Scott Conner to be her personal assistant. 

Mayhem ensued, mainly because of Zara, the mermaid/siren/monster in the basement of the Touchstone Institute, who eyed Scott as her possible mate in a plot for total domination of planet Earth.

“The Touchstone Institute of Oceanographic Research is the most fantastic, exhilarating place on the planet to work. It is high energy, exciting, sometimes maddening, often frightening, heart pounding work. 

"It’s not a job. It’s a lifetime commitment. It gets in your blood. It grabs you by the throat and possesses you, body and soul. And it is work. 

"If you’re not prepared to work your ass off day in and day out, weekends, holidays, your birthday, and your mamma’s birthday, then leave now.”

Amazon Link: https://tinyurl.com/y7dkbt5q

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TV TIME: Bodies (Netflix)

 Bodies is an 8-part series that premiered on Netflix on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023.

This film is four stories in one. Each story revolves around a naked, dead body and the detectives who are working on the case. The detectives are all different. The years the body was found are all different. But the body is the same. 

This is a British police procedure with time loops from 1890, 1941, 2023, and the future. Four crimes. One dead body.

I found it to be a thrilling and well written series,  especially the present day and future stories. 

INTERVIEW: Fantasy Author Elizabeth Morris

 

Elizabeth Morris 

Texas

USA 

 

Good morning, Elizabeth and welcome to Vision and Verse. Can you tell us a little about what you've written? 

I have written two books that I have written for sale, and I am working on the third in the series. The first book is called Tiger’s Blood and the second book is called Rise of the Rebels. They are apart of my series which is Blood of the Beast. My third book that I am currently writing is called Return of the Ambush. 

 

What is your favorite genre to write? 

Fantasy, I’ve always loved mythical creatures and world building. I want to create a universe with my books. 

 

Favorite food. 

Seafood. I love Shrimp Crab and Lobster. My family does a clambake each year where they cook fresh clams and lobsters. 

 

Tea or coffee? 

Iced Tea. Snapple is my favorite. 

 

Pizza or ice cream? 

Pizza. I love mushrooms and olives on pizza. 

 

Wine or beer or soda or what? 

Lemonade is my all-time favorite drink. When I do drink, I’ll have something with vodka or rum. 

 

Where would you like to visit? 

Ireland and Scotland. I’m part Irish and Scottish and I would love to travel there someday. Also, Game of Thrones was filmed in Northern Ireland, and I want to see some of the sets. 

 

Favorite musical artist. 

Blackbear and Garrett Nash. I listen to them almost every day. 

 

Do you listen to music when you write?  What?

Sometimes I do, when I do, I just play my Pandora playlist. 

 

What makes you laugh? 

My boyfriend always makes me laugh with his jokes. Corny jokes are my favorite. 

 

How old were you when you started writing? 

13. I started writing short stories on Wattpad and Instagram then I had the idea for my book series and started writing that. 

 

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

I do have outlines for my books. I must have some sort of outline before I start writing.

 

 

Describe your perfect evening. 

My perfect evening would be me curled up watching tv or going on a walk outside. 

 

Where do you get your inspiration? 

Music, nature, adventures, walks, life in general, and people. 

 

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

I usually take some time and step away from my book and do other things like listen to music, do a puzzle or just have a conversation with someone. Sometimes writers block is an opportunity to take a step back and unwind. 

 

Who is your favorite author? 

George R. R. Martin. I loved reading ASOIAF and I strive to be a great writer like him. 

 

Best book you ever read. 

To Kill a Mockingbird was a fantastic book, one of my top five favorites. 

 

Last book you read. 

I am reading The Wandering Order: Autumn Light by CJ Hahne who is a friend of mine. I am trying to read more indie authors and I am enjoying his book so far. 

 

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

I probably would be a therapist. I like talking to people about their problems and coming up with possible solutions. 

 

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

My mother. She has such an influence on my life in a positive way and she always gives me the best advice. I love how nurturing and caring she is and she’s a great mother. 

 

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

Tyrion Lannister from the ASOIAF series. I love his wits and intelligence and I think we would have an interesting conversation. 

 

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

Keep writing. Even if it’s 20 words or 2,000, just keep writing. It doesn’t have to be good but if you write then you’ll feel great. 

 

Do you have some links for us to follow you?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.morris.1401/

 

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lizlovestowrite

 

Tiger’s Blood: https://books2read.com/u/49lR7d

Rise of the Rebels: https://books2read.com/u/mKRRBB

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.

BOOK REVIEW: The Manhattan Red Ribbon Killer by Owen Parr

 The Manhattan Red Ribbon Killer was the third of the Detective Joey Mancuso books by Owen Parr that I’ve read, and although different, it was just as terrific as Books 1 and 2. This one is more about the chase and outwitting the killer than a who done it. And this time, for Joey Mancuso, it is personal!

The Art of PIET MONDRIAN

Dear Gentle Readers,

   This morning I would like to introduce you to a Dutch painter known for color blocking.  PIET ( Pieter Cornelis) MONDRIAN was born on March 7, 1872 in Amersfoort, Netherlands. He was an important part of an art movement called the DeStijl Art Movement.  His clean use of line and grid shape, along with the use of primary color blocks, is still modern and refreshing today.

Mondrian was one of my favorite artists in school.  A Mondrian jumps out at you from among the muted oils and shadowy figures of the master painters and it had a distinct energy urban about it.


This particular Mondrian painting entitled Broadway Boogie Woogie reminded me of the video game PACMAN, and the countless hours at the video arcade trying to beat my own score.  I know, some times I am such a child!









Piet Mondrian termed his art Neoplasticism, which is a white background with black grid lines and three primary colors. His peers called his work the closest thing imaginable to pictorial harmony.
He  said his work was a study in the positive and negative. He claimed the positive and negative broke up the oneness of the object, that oneness was the cause of all unhappiness, and that the union of positive and negative was...wait for it, wait for it...HAPPINESS!  Now, who doesn't want happiness?

Looking at these two photos, Young Piet (above) and Old Piet, (to the right) he doesn't look like a man suffering from happiness overload, does he?  Or, is this a sign of the times; I am taking your photo, don't smile!
                                                                                 
                                                                                                   
It is said that his New York City Studio was spotless white, more like a laboratory than an art studio.  The only color were rectangular matboards in eye-popping primary colors, and he would rearrange them from time to time to make them look more cheerful.


Piet Mondrian looked more like a school teacher than am artist.  He died in New York City on February1, 1944, but his influence has been felt for centuries afterward.

                                                                                                     
                                                                                             

 Famous Piet Mondrian Quotes:

 "The emotion of beauty is always obscured by the appearance of the object.  Therefore, the object must be eliminated from the picture."

"To approach the spiritual in art, one will make as little use as possible of reality, because reality is opposed to the spiritual."

"I don't want pictures, I want to find things out."

With the development of the Minimalist Movement of the late 1960's, Mondrian's work came to the forefront in all sorts of unexpected places, like Yves. Saint Laurent's Clockblock clothing line and the cover of the rock band White Stripes 2000 album, De Stijl, as well as using his name for three "Mondrian" hotels in New York, Los Angeles, and Paris.

Using Mondrian examples in there classroom helped those students who felt they had little art talent to be able to create  beautiful works of art that they were proud of, as well as giving them some confidence in their own abilities.

If I have whet your appetite to know about this strange and wonderful Dutch painter, may I suggest:

Mondrian by Jose Maria Faerna

Piet Mondrian: 1872-194;  Structures in pace by Susanne Deicher

Mondrian by Hans L.C. Jaffe

Mondrian by John Milner

Mondrian, The Path to Abstraction by Hans Janssen



Resources for this articles:                                   

Piet Mondrian. wikipedia

artchive.com

theartstory.org

Mondrian  Trust, The Official Site.

SCHEDULE: October 30- November 3, 2023

 Mon., October 30 - ART:

The Art of Piet Mondrian

Tues., October 31 - BOOK REVIEW:

Manhattan Red Ribbon Killer

by Owen Parr

Wed., November 1 - INTERVIEW:

Fantasy Author

Elizabeth Morris

Thurs., November 2 - TV TIME:

Bodies

(Netflix)

Fri., November 3 - BOOK:

Sea Witch

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.