Friday, March 15, 2024

BOOK: A Dllemma for Daisy, The Monday Mystery Society by Carol Ann Kauffman

 




Daisy Mazlo faces a dilemma. She’s met the man of her dreams in Cooper MacNeill, a gentleman in every sense of the word: tall, dark, handsome, wealthy, kind, witty, lovable, and very interested her. 

But Daisy can’t accept his love, so she runs away, moving back to Oakville where she grew up to sort out her feelings. Will the small loving community of her past help her find herself? Will Cooper come after her? Will a letter be pivotal in resolving Daisy’s dilemma? 

Will love win out? Can love win?






A Dilemma for Daisy is part of the Monday Mystery Society series, published by Books To Go Now.


The Monday Mystery Society attracts ten diverse individuals, all attractive in their unique ways—and all of them single. 

Five stories of love in a small town.

A Mystery for Marissa - Alison Jean Ash

When young bookstore owner Rob starts a new reading group, The Monday Mystery Society attracts ten diverse individuals, all attractive in their unique ways—and all of them single. How many of them will still be single by the group’s closing party? Rob has found the woman of his dreams, but Marissa stiffens up at the hint that he might ask her out. Thinking fast, the young bookstore owner invents a mystery reading group, just for the chance to spend some time with the gorgeous nurse. The big mystery on his mind is how far he’ll have to go to get her attention: does he need to show up wounded in her ER? Welcome to Oakville, where people still know their neighbors, friendships last a lifetime—and gossip is a force of nature.


The Right Kiss - Giuletta M. Spudich
Janie is a confident, professional editor in her thirties … when she’s not around men. The opposite sex sends her into frazzled and tongue-tied states of being. She prefers the company of her best friend Sharon Hall, or no company at all, and is largely alone. 
When she joins the Monday Mystery Society book club, she hopes to make connections with other Oakville residents through literature, especially Victorian mysteries. Little does she know that at the book club, there is a tendency to find love in unexpected places … 
Will she let go of her cool personality and let love in? Or will she run from the sudden affection of two different men and disappear into her favorite stories, alone and lonely? 


A Singular Romance - JW Stacks
A neo-Victorian romance of fine mysteries, upset stomachs, and torrential downpours. 
Julia can't handle people. Lara can't handle Julia. Neither of the two know how to deal with the feelings they bring out in each other. When a shared love of Victorian mysteries bring these two mismatched girls together, can the matchmaking track record of the Monday Mystery Society remain unbroken in the face of overwhelming odds? 


A Dilemma for Daisy - Carol Ann Kauffman
Daisy Mazlo faces a dilemma. She’s met the man of her dreams in Cooper MacNeill, a gentleman in every sense of the word, tall, handsome, wealthy, witty, and very interested in her. But Daisy can’t accept his love, so she runs away, moving back to Oakville where she grew up to sort out her feelings. Will the small loving community of her past help her find herself? Will Cooper come after her? Will a letter be pivotal in resolving Daisy’s dilemma? 
Will love win out?


Protest of Love - Samna Ghani
Mary Gardner is a successful career-oriented woman with a passion for work and books. She is part of The Monday Mystery Society at Acorns, the local bookstore in Oakville. Her life is perfect, in her opinion, till she meets Stefan. Things start going downhill as he infiltrates her work, her life and her heart. 

Stefan Larsson, a dashing European attorney fighting for the rights of the weak and downtrodden. He threatens everything Mary has worked so hard to achieve. He is smart but aggressive; passionate but dominating. He’s out to get Mary but the question is: will he remain unscathed?


This Books To Go Now project was so much fun to write! Head writer on this project was the wonderfully talented and good human being, Alison Jean Ash. The concept was simple. People join a book club. Relationships begin.

This anthology followed a timetable. Each mystery book club selection  was given a date. We were all writing our stories at about the same time. We followed each other's storylines in a specific sequence. 

Alison went first with A Mystery for Marisa. The characters in all five books are the same. However, each book dwells on a specific relationship forming between two specific characters featured in that particular book. 

Most of the characters are introduced in the first book and play a small role throughout the series, so we had to work together to keep each character's personality and actions consistent throughout the five-book series.

We hope you enjoy The Monday Mystery Society books.


Amazon Link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YOGMA2M/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p3_i0








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Thursday, March 14, 2024

TV TIME: Stonados (Tubi)


 

Okay, before you roll your eyes….

This was surprisingly good. It starts off with a really big wind picks up Plymouth Rock in Virginia and hurls it at Boston via giant uncontrollable wind spout. 

Sebastian Spence and Paul Johansson made me believe in the dangers of a stonado! It was action packed with kids in distress and beautiful Boston getting pummeled. 

Soooo much better than all the Sharknado films. 









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Wednesday, March 13, 2024

INTEVIEW: Dark Fantasy Author Tim Goff

 Tim Goff profile image

Tim Goff
Kenai, Alaska
USA
 

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

Thus far, that be eight novels, four or five novellas, another half dozen novelettes, and maybe thirty short stories.

The published novels are all from the ‘Empire’ series.


Empire: Country

Empire: Capital

Empire: Estate

Empire: Metropolis

Empire: Spiral


The next ‘Empire’ novel, ‘Empire: Judgment’ is slated for release in April.

 

 

 

What is your favorite genre to write?      

Mostly I write Dark Fantasy.

 


Favorite food.

Steak. Medium rare.

 


Tea or coffee?

Never really got into the whole coffee thing. Same with tea.

 

 

Pizza or ice cream?

I basically lived off pizza for a couple years in my younger days (worked at a pizza joint.) And I’ve always liked ice cream. Anymore, not so much of either. Gotta watch the waistline.


 

Wine or beer or soda or what?

Never was much into wine or beer. Drank way too much soda as a kid. These days…fruit juice.


 

Favorite musical artist. 

So many. Does ‘big hair bands from the 80’s’ count? 

 

Yes. Do you listen to music when you write?  What?

I prefer silence when writing. Helps me focus.


 

What makes you laugh?

Cat videos. 


 

This is an art and author website, so I obligated to ask: 

Favorite work of art or sculpture.

Tough one. 

Do pulp covers from the 70’s and 80’s count as ‘art?’

 

 

Yes. How old were you when you started writing?

Think I was like ten when I made my first effort. 


 

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

 

Used to be I’d just take an idea and start tapping away – and thirty or forty or fifty pages later I’d tap myself into a corner more often than not. 

Anymore, the idea itself isn’t enough. Barring the odd experimental piece, I don’t start a tale without solid ideas of the beginning, middle and end. For longer works – over say, 15,000 words – I’ll put together a 3-4 page outline, with each chapter getting a few short phrases. That gets combined with a character list, with each character getting a few words describing their position.

 

 

Describe your perfect evening.

Participating in something that would make me laugh.

 


Where do you get your inspiration?

Anywhere and everywhere – books I’ve read (take an idea and twist it around) pictures, movies, news stories, walks in the woods, memories of time past, and attempts to extrapolate the future. Sometimes I’ll ask myself ‘suppose ‘X’ was actually possible’ and go from there.

 


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

In my experience, when the writing mojo up and leaves, it means the tale has taken a turn for the boring. Sometimes slow sections are needed to set up the next part of the story, likewise, sometimes you need to explain what is going on.

 

What I have done in the past is to look for ways to jazz up the slow patches. At times, I took an old cooking timer, set it for an hour, and forced myself to do nothing but write until the bell rang. 

 

 

Who is your favorite author?

I read Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ over and over again in my younger days.

 

 

Best book you ever read.                              

Again, that would be ‘Lord of the Rings.’

 

 

Last book you read.

I am currently reading ‘The Thirteenth Hour.’ I find the premise intriguing.

 

 

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

Not really making a living as a writer (I am ‘semi-retired.’) In the past I have done everything from carpentry to driving a passenger van. Most recently, I was USPS contractor.

 

 

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

That would be my Dad. We did not see eye to eye (he was never into reading) but he did teach me about everything from automotive mechanics to building a house (yes, I’ve done that a couple times).



 


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

Don’t expect to get rich. Don’t give up on the first draft, even it is horrible. You can fix that later. Write a little every day.

 

 











Do you have some links for us to follow you?

 

Amazon links to the books -

 

Empire: Country - Empire: Country - Kindle edition by Goff, Tim. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

 

Empire: Capital - Amazon.com: Empire: Capital eBook : Goff, Tim: Books

 

Empire: Estate - Amazon.com: Empire: Estate eBook : Goff, Tim: Books

 

Empire: Metropolis - Amazon.com: Empire: Metropolis eBook : Goff, Tim: Books

 

Facebook - (3) Eldritch Spheres | Facebook

 

Amazon Author Page - Amazon Author

 

 








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Tuesday, March 12, 2024

BOOK REVIEW: A Book to Kill For by Harper Lin


 


This was a delightful cozy about a nerdy bookstore employee and her adventures after the untimely death of the bookstore owner. I loved the characters. They were solid, believable, and natural. The plot had some good twists and turns. A Book to Kill For by Harper Lin was like a mini-vacation. 






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Monday, March 11, 2024

ART: The Stunning Artwork of Dutch Artist Suzan Drummen

 





This gorgeous circular artwork is like giant floor jewelry.  I have never seen anything like the work of Dutch artist Suzan Drummen.





Suzan Drummen is a visual arts teacher in the Netherlands.  Some have called her work psychedelic.  The beads, stones, mirrors, etc. are placed loosely on the floor, making them ethereal and very vulnerable to destruction. 



 Side-view of Suzan's work look like giant sundaes with cherries on the top.  The must be viewed from above to get the full effect.



Directly from the Website by:www.moniquewijbrands.nl
From this website you can view many multidisciplinary works in the media of painting, photography, installation and public art. The works are a playful investigation of space, illusion, optical effects and other visual phenomena as part of a broad exploration of visual perception and the limits of beauty. There is an ongoing inquiry into the limits of seduction and repulsion.


The installations for example, are made from crystal, chrome-plated metal, precious stones, mirrors and optical glass. From a distance they appear clear and orderly, yet upon closer inspection, the eyes become disoriented by the many details and visual stimuli. That moment, of being able to take it all in or not, is explored, time and time again. The visual perception is challenged, requisitioned and intensified.

This website features a selection of the work, in chronological order, with the most recent work at the top. 

Thanks to: family, friends, fellow artists, exhibition curators, art advisors, clients, commissioners, architects and those involved in the production and realisation of the works. 

Suzan Drummen

1990 – Present (23 years) Amsterdam
"As an artist I make multidisciplinary works in the media of painting, photography,installation, and public art.  The works are a playful investigation of the space, illusion, optical effects, and other phenomena as a part of a broad exploration of visual perception and the limits of beauty.  There is an ongoing inquiry into the limits of seduction and repulsion.

The installations for example, are made from crystal, chrome-plated metal, precious stones, mirrors and optical glass. From a distance they appear clear and orderly, yet upon closer inspection, the eyes become disoriented by the many details and visual stimuli. That moment, of being able to take it all in or not is explored, time and time again. The visual perception is challenged, requisitioned and intensified.

Developing my own visual work is the main thing I do, but many other activities such as teaching, being member of art committees and initiate new art projects are so interwoven that I can hardly make a distinction between my activities. It is a great a stream of actions, meetings and findings that fertilize each other immensely."




Dutch Artist Suzan Drummen uses a very special canvas for her work.  She uses the floor!  She uses crystals, chromed metals, precious stones, mirrors, and faceted optical lens to make large scale murals using complex circular patterns, reminding me of Tibetian sand painting... or, maybe, the ancient circular written language of Gallifrey.di








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a of painting, photography, installation and public art. The works are a playful investigation of space, illusion, optical effects and other visual 

Sunday, March 10, 2024

SCHEDULE: March 11-15, 2024


 
Mon., March 11 - ART:
The Stunning Artwork of
Suzan Drummen, Dutch Artist
Tues., March 12 - BOOK REVIEW:
A Book to Kill For
by Harper Lin
Wed., March 13 - INTERVIEW:
Dark Fantasy Author
Tim Goff
Thurs., March 14 - TV TIME:
Stonados
(Tubi)
Fri.. March 15 - BOOK:
A Dilemma for Daisy
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.