SCHEDULE: May 25 - 29, 2020

Mon., May 25 - ART:

Lighthouse Photography

Tues., May 26 - BOOK REVIEW:

Seacrest by Aaron Paul Lazar

Wed., May 27 - INTERVIEW:

Author Sara Caudell

Thurs., May 28 - ENTERTAINMENT:

Mystery Road ACORN

Fri., May 29 - BOOK:

The Captain and the Ambassador 

by Carol Ann Kauffman

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BOOK: Red Sarah by Carol Ann Kauffman

Sarah is a beautiful redhead who works for a special agency that fixes broken timelines and rescues historically significant people who are in trouble. 

She has a special set of skills that allow her to 'tap' someone out of a dangerous situation. Her present assignment is to find and rescue a prince whose son eliminates hunger and disease on his island nation. 

“Save the Prince; save the King; and save the Reds. In doing so, Red Sarah may just save herself, who knows, but what might be the cost? Moving from modern day wisecrackery to a time of romance long ago, Carol Ann Kauffman’s tale is filled with majesty and bravery. This time travel story is a gift for all.” - Amazon Review 

“Sarah has one job and that is to rescue Crown Prince Lucas of Mist from captivity in a dungeon. Yet everything is not as it seems and will Sarah be able to stop an upcoming war? 
This was an interesting book about time travel and trying not to disrupt the time continuum. I liked Sarah and it was interesting on where her and Lucas ended up.” -Amazon Review  




Excerpt:

Chapter One

Look What I Found in the Dungeon

Sarah approached the lifeless figure huddled on the floor. The prisoner was shackled to the wall in the small, dark, damp cell. She reached down toward his throat to make sure he was still alive.

“No,” he growled as he pulled away from her.

“Shh,” whispered Sarah. “I come to help you, not to hurt you. But you must be quiet. I cannot be detected in here.”

“They will kill you… or worse,” he whispered, “for trying to help me. I am not some poor unfortunate soul. Do you have any idea who I am?”

“Yes, I do. You are Crown Prince Lucas of the Mist Kingdom in the highland of LaMere. Let me touch your neck.” 

He moved toward her as much as he could. 

She gently touched his bearded neck. “You are very warm, Prince Lucas. I fear you have the fever.”

“I am Prince Lucas, yes, but not the Crown Prince. My eldest brother Marcus is the Crown Prince and heir to the throne of the Mist Kingdom. I wield no power, here or in the highland. If you help me, I can do nothing for you in return. Leave this rotten stink hole at once. You only put yourself in extreme danger. There is nothing you can do for me.”

“Oh, really?” Sarah laughed as she put a small flask to his lips. He sipped, then swallowed and sighed.

“Ahh, good. Thank you,” he whispered. “What is that?”

“Herb and honey infused whiskey. It will induce a deep and heavy sleep. If you are chained to the wall in here, you may as well get some rest.” Sarah gave him more of the strong, sweet liquid. “Sleep now, Prince Lucas. I will return tomorrow night, when the guards are fast asleep. I will bring you bread and cheese. Is there something else you crave?”

“Freedom from these bloody chains. A bath. Warmth. Clothing. Sunshine. Strawberries.”

“Strawberries, I can do. And maybe something for the fever.”

“Why? Why do you chance danger to bring me real food and medicine?” Lucas eyed her warily.

“Because you need to regain your strength if I am to help you escape.”

“Escape?” squealed Lucas with a surprisingly hearty laugh for a man in his depleted condition. “Are you daft?”

“Shh,” whispered Sarah. “Be quiet.”

Lucas nodded.

“You have quite the sense of humor, lovely one,” whispered Lucas. “I am chained to the wall in a filthy dungeon in the miserable, hellish depths of Marlow Castle. There is no escape for me. And where would I go? I am too weak to even make it to the drawbridge, let alone up the rugged terrain of the mountainside. I am alone. My people have abandoned me. And, in case you did not notice, this cell is locked.”

“So then… how did I get in here?” Sarah smiled.

The prince looked around in confusion.

“Now, close your eyes.”

Lucas closed his eyes.

Sarah disappeared.

The next night, Sarah appeared in the locked cell once again. “Is there anyone in here who is hungry for real food?” she whispered to the sleepy prince.

“Ahh, there you are!” He smiled at her. “When I awoke refreshed from my deep and restful sleep, I was not sure if you were real or simply a lovely vision of my imagination.”

“I assure you, I am real. Here,” she handed him a small cloth pouch with berries and pieces of bread and cheese and a flask of water. 

“I am most grateful,” said Lucas, “although I do not know why you do this.” Lucas lifted the cloth pouch to his nose and inhaled. “Smells wonderful.” He picked a strawberry from the pouch and ate it. “This is the best thing I have tasted since...since…”

 Amazon Link:

 https://tinyurl.com/y7zcmuq4

OR

Sign up below in the comments 

for a chance to win

 a free kindle version of 

RED SARAH!

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ENTERTAINMENT: Murder in Suburbia

Dear Gentle Readers,
I just love these two female detectives in Murder in Suburbia. They're great characters played by two exceptionally good actresses. The plots are well written with plenty of suspense and twists and turns. It is presently on ACORN TV.
Stay positive,
Carol



Links:
Wikipedia
IMDb

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INTERVIEW: Scottish Author Maggie Reid

Maggie Reid
Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland,
Where young J.M. Barrie first found the inspiration
for Peter Pan

Welcome to Vision and Verse, the site for art and authors. Can you tell us a little about what you've written?

I have written "Dear Noah, the World", available on amazon paperback and kindle, the story of a young abandoned woman who loses custody of her son but against the odds fights to win him back.It's a story of powerful faith, un likely friendships, the the pain of being judged a failure. 

                                               

"Fearless Frangipan Circus Pie " the story of young Emile who wishes to escape her mundane life in the sleepy Irish town she lives in for excitement . She meets a young gypsy boy and runs away with a circus family with tragic consequences. 

"Michaelmas Angel", the story of Tilda who is sent to help alcoholic Rob regain control of his shambolic life. The story of a beautiful Earth Angel. 

"Serpent Girl Skye" and "The Sinister World of Zac Spyro" are also on Amazon . 

My  Children's book was nominated for The Peoples' Book Prize, London.  

What is your favorite genre to write?

I write Fiction, Literary Fiction, and Children's Fiction. 

Favorite food.

My favourite food...well it has to be home made pasta and crème brulee.  I  also love a good Patisserie!

Tea or coffee?

Coffee!  I love my coffee, but I am very particular. It has to be great tasting coffee!

Where would you like to visit?

I would like to visit Iceland. 

Favorite musical artist. 

My favourite Musical Artist is tricky as there are so many musicians that inspire me.  I do like the contemporary Composer : Alexis  FFrench (bluebird). I like Ludovico Einaudi also.  I like Laura Pergolizzi as a Singer/Songwriter, and Sia.

Do you listen to music when you write?

I listen to music when I write as I find it brings calm, and allows me to imagine the characters as if they are on screen . 

What makes you laugh?

Little things makes me happy: good home-made bread. I love focaccia bread or a lovely sandwich, stacked with cheeses and pickles.  I also love a hand written card or note, because it shows you have taken the time to make a person feel valued .  

Favorite work of art or sculpture.

An artist/sculptor that I find inspiring is Odani  Motohiko   He has a beautiful use of shape and understanding of space, and visually you can see the complexity of the structures he creates. Simplicity with originality is difficult to create but Odani Motohiko does so.

How old were you when you started writing?

I  started writing very young, at around five years old. I would draw little sketches in small scrapbooks   I would've never, ever imagined I would grow up to write novels . It would be unimaginable!

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

I  have a "planning" notebook for key phrases, ideas for Character names, places and where I may see the story develop.  I use "vision boards "also. 

Describe your perfect evening.

A perfect evening would be a very chilled dinner and watching a movie or Theatre show. 

Where do you get your inspiration?

I find inspiration from my two children. I also find stories where others may not see it. I observe people , when I sit quietly with a cup of coffee (without a pen).  I am often working on a book by "watching ".

Who is your favorite author?

C. S. Lewis  is my favourite writer.  Intelligent. Insightful and showed humility. His work transcends time.

  

Best book you ever read.

One of my favourite books is "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". 

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

If I had not written books, then I would be an Actor or Musician .  In fact I studied to be an Actor and have a Degree in Drama  from The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. I did think of training in Music as a Singer also.

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

Well, my family, my children, my beloved Grandmother have all inspired me to be true to myself and work hard.

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

My writing advice for any writer is this: I only began writing seriously aged forty. Writing is about drawing on your life experience, and who you have met. Pick up a pen and have belief that you can succeed. Rejection is part of being an Artist - embrace it! This is your journey. Writing a book is an amazing journey, and it allows you to see the world with a different perspective.  

Do you have some links for us to follow you?
I would love you to join my Facebook Page Maggie Reid (Scottish author).
https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=maggie%20reid%20(scottish%20author)&epa

Amazon:https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1500537055/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i3

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BOOK REVIEW: The Innocents, Book One by C.A. Asbrey

Pinkerton Detective Abigail MacKay is a master of disguises—and of new crime-solving technology! But she’ll have to move fast to stay a step ahead of Nat Quinn and Jake Conroy. 

Nat and Jake are the ringleaders of The Innocents, a western gang that specializes in holding up trains carrying payrolls—and Nat is pretty savvy when it comes to using the new sciences of 1868 in committing his crimes.

Charismatic Nat and handsome Jake are on the run, and they’ve always gotten away before—before Abi. But when Abi is caught by another band of outlaws during the chase, there’s no other choice for Nat and Jake but to save her life. Abi owes them, and she agrees to help them bring in the murderer of a family friend. 

The web of criminal activity grows more entangled with each passing day, but Nat, Jake, and Abi are united in their efforts to find the murderer. Once that happens, all bets are off, and Abi will be turning Nat and Jake over to the law. But can she do it? She finds herself falling for Nat, but is that growing attraction real? Or is he just using her to learn more about the Pinkertons’ methods? Abi always gets her man—but she may have met her match in her “best enemies”—THE INNOCENTS.


The Innocents by C. A. Asbrey was the first in a series following Abigail McKay, a feisty, intelligent woman Pinkerton detective working in the American West in 1868. In this first book, Abi is investigating train robbers called the Innocents. The characters of Abigail and the Innocents are superbly crafted. The intricate plot has many, many twists and turns, showcasing Abigail’s ability to investigate clues and discover the truth. I highly recommend this wonderful western mystery.

Amazon Buy Link:
https://www.amazon.com/Innocents-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B07BMHFXSJ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Innocents+by+C.A.+Asbrey&qid=1589555574&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

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ART: Art in Nature - African Violets

   

I love African Violets! Some people think the are mumsie-looking, but my mother liked neither plants or pets, so we never had pretty little things growing in our house.

Links:
Wikipedia
The African Violet Society

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SCHEDULE: May 18 -22, 2020

Mon., May 18 - ART: Art in Nature

The Beauty of African Violets

Tues., May 19 - BOOK REVIEW:

The Innocents by C.A. Asbrey

Wed., May 20 - INTERVIEW:

Scottish Author Maggie Reid

Thurs., May 21 - ENTERTAINMENT:
Murder in Suburbia, ACORN
Fri., May 22 - BOOK:
Red Sarah by Carol Ann Kauffman

Note:

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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 in a strange bed with 
a loud snorer beside me. Jet lag. Eating out of the vending 
machine in the airport. 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, so left my laptop at home.

The cover is a photo I took of the stairs from our hotel down 
to the beach at the the beautiful Sand Key Resort a little past 
sunset.

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?

Amazon Buy Link http://tinyurl.com/jhl4tnm

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.

https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/artists/frances-macdonald-macnair

: Deidre and Laney Rob a Train

Links:
Wikipedia
NETFLIX subscription information

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INTERVIEW: Young Adult Author J.S. Frankel

J.S. Frankel

Osaka, Japan

...but I was born in Toronto, Canada, a looong time ago. J

Good morning, J. S. Welcome to Vision and Verse, the site for art and authors. Can you tell us a little about what you've written? 

I’ve written over thirty novels, mostly in the Young Adult Genre. Some of my best known works are the Catnip serial, The Undernet (a mystery thriller) and its sequel, Ether, Outcasts, and novel, The Auctioneer.
 
The Smalls
The Associate
The Sindicate
The Keymasters of Telemma
Apocalyptia (at my publisher's...I'll give the link at the end).

Catnip series
Master Fantastic

The Titans of Ardana

What is your favorite genre to write?

I love writing in the Young Adult genre. It has a freshness and an immediacy to it that other genres don’t have as much, IMO. 

Favorite food.

Anything Italian, preferably pizza, although I love fresh sushi.

Tea or coffee? 

Do I have to choose? Okay…coffee!

Pizza or ice cream? 

PIZZA!

Wine or beer or soda? 

Soda is fine. I don’t drink, anymore.

You and me both, brother. Where would you like to visit?

I’d love to go back to Spain with my family. I went to Spain on my honeymoon, and loved it.

Favorite musical artist.  Do you listen to music when you write? 

I don’t have a favorite now, although I’ve always loved Petula Clark. (I guess that dates me a little). As for when I write, no music. I need silence.

What makes you laugh?

A cleverly written comedy, either in book or film form. 

Favorite work of art or sculpture. 

Art…wow. Of all the artists out there, I favor the Renaissance painters. Sculpture: The Kiss.

I like The Kiss, too, but my favorite is The Thinker, because I've spent more time thinking. How old were you when you started writing? 

I didn’t start writing until I was forty-eight. I’ll be fifty-seven very soon.

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

I do a basic plan on paper of what will happen in each chapter, and then let my mind go wild.

Describe your perfect evening. 

Seriously, spending it with my family. I’m not a party person and never was.

Where do you get your inspiration? 

From everywhere, really. The Internet, movies, cartoons, throwaway lines people say…everywhere.

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

I’ve never had it. I have, though, had times when I simply couldn’t think, and that’s a sign of a tired mind. If I’m too tired, I take a day off and recharge. Otherwise, I write!

Who is your favorite author? 

Robert McCammon.

Best book you ever read. 

Many, but I’ll go with Gone South, by McCammon.

Last book you read. 

The Forest, by Julia Blake. It’s excellent.

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

Teach ESL (English as a Second Language). In fact, that IS my living! J

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

My wife. She has supported me in whatever I’ve done.

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

Good question! Outside of my parents, I’d have to say Genghis Khan. Not so much that I admired him, but he rose from nothing to rule a huge part of the world at that time in history. I’d like to know what drove him to do what he did.

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

The same advice that someone older and far wiser gave to me when I first started. It’s this. Love what you do, and do it for love, not for money. Write that which inspires you, elates you, deflates you. Create characters that live and breathe, and when they can get up and walk off the page, then that’s good writing.

Do you some links for us to follow you?

Links: http://www.devinedestinies.com/js-frankel/

https://www.amazon.com/J.S.-Frankel/e/B004XUUTB8/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1546038915&sr=8-1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JS-Frankel-AUTHOR-1458667077729037/?eid=ARAbmLG_B3O72dYLOiHMwlSeM4wOXLEvsj03mQ_cTxhIg2IqHbOcD1XcNnsgO2v8Mz9AZzK8FZ4vtVkN

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JessSFrankel

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/J-S-Frankel/e/B004XUUTB8/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Apocalyptia at my publisher's site: https://www.devinedestinies.com/978-1-4874-2646-0-apocalyptia/

   

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