Seasons of Passion Mystery Series by DB Jones

DB Jones

Roanoke, Virginia and Winter Park, Florida

Good morning, Dee, and welcome to Vision and Verse, the Place for Art and Authors.  Tell us what you've written.

        Book 1, Willow of the Endless Waters, The Journey Begins

        Book 2, Willow and the Rise of the Serpent

Work in progress: Book 3, Willow and the Gift, the Final Chapter, in the Willow of Endless Waters Trilogy. It is a young adult fantasy. 

I also write Mystery/Romance and am presently writing the final book in the Seasons of Passion Mystery Series: 

Completed: Book 1 Summer Heat 

                   Book 2, Nights of Autumn.

                   Book 3, Storms of Winter

I have read NIGHTS OF AUTUMN and I just loved it!  What is your favorite genre to write?

It depends on my mood. But presently, I love getting lost in the mystery and challenges of the story I’m creating. My mind is rushing along trying to keep up with my characters. This book, Storms of Winter, pulls some elements from my other two books in this series that will ultimately tie all three books together in a spectacular finish.

Favorite food?

Italian food is my comfort food. Even the Italian desserts!

I'm Italian. Come over anytime.  Italian comfort food is my specialty. Tea or coffee?

I’m a big coffee drinker, but there are times in the late afternoon I like to make a cup of tea in one of my grandmother’s porcelain tea cups and sit out by my Koi pond. I guess it’s more for the ambiance, but it’s so relaxing.

Pizza or ice cream?

Can’t I have both?                             

Oh, you are my kind of person.  Talenti has a Sea Salt Caramel Gelato that is to die for. Where would you like to visit?

I’m just a nester. I really enjoy staying home or visiting with family and friends, but I fantasize traveling to Tuscany or some Grecian island someday and looking over the sea as I write some spectacular mystery.

Favorite musical artist.

I don’t listen to much music, but when I do, I like it to be relaxation music. My late husband and I composed flute music for over 30 years, and I still enjoy listening to that type of music.

Do you listen to music when you write?  What?

When I write fantasy, I do listen to new age music or something that will stimulate my imagination into the worlds I’m creating.

Mostly flute music.

I bought a flute when I retired!  I am determined to take lessons...someday. What makes you laugh?

Sharing goofy things we’ve done in times gone by with friends and family.  

   

      

Favorite work of art or sculpture.

I love the art work and sculptures of my friends. I can walk through my home, and the pieces I love are all done by people I know personally, so it’s like revisiting them every time I admire a piece. 

When did you begin writing?

I never dreamed I would write. It wasn’t until I lost my mother and brother within 4 months of each other and the words they left with me, did I started writing. I wrote my first book in 2012 at age 67.  I’m working on books 5 and 6 now and already have another mystery series planned for 2015.

               

    

What is DB Jones' idea of the perfect evening?

Having an intimate dinner with close friends, a glass of wine and then early to bed with a good book.    

Where do you get your inspiration?

That’s a tough one. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and the story is running through my head, or I can be driving down the highway and see something like a sign or a unique house that triggers a story. It may even come from something I hear. 

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

The first time I had writer’s block, I panicked. I thought this is the end of my writing. Then I read something another writer said about his block, “Get up and do something totally different or just sit down and start writing on what-ever”. I’ve done both and often that will kick start my train of though and I’ll slid back into my story. I use a corkboard program and I will often pop onto it and write little sticky notes to formulate an idea and that too can redirect my train of thought back to my story.

Who is your favorite author?

Oh, My. You’ve put me on the spot. There are so many wonderful writers. Lately, I’ve been spending time reading books of friends I’ve made in the author world. 

Best book you ever read.

Although there have been so many great books written, I’d have to say I still love the old classics, but I’ve always been drawn to a good mystery. I know that didn’t answer the question, but I have no “best” book I’ve ever read. 

Last book you read.

Bentley Square by Carol Ann Kauffman

You know, I am just loving you more all the time!  What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer?

Now that I’ve dipped my toes into the waters of writing, I’m not sure there is anything else I’d rather do. I’m addicted, obsessed, and in love with the time I spend writing. Nothing else exists when I’m writing, but the story I’m following.

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

My late husband, Terrell was the biggest influence in my life. He encouraged me to do whatever my heart desired. When he became ill, I went back to school and got my degree in Occupational Therapy at age 50. Since I’m dyslexic, he created a formula for me to take my test and studied with me.   He encouragement me to believe in myself and supported any endeavor I pursued.

         

I am sorry for your loss.  He sounds like a wonderful man.  If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?

There are too many people I would love to talk to, but if I have to pick one, I think it would be Gandhi. I would love to know how to stay in that place of peace in spite of all the chaos that surrounds us. 

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

Just sit down and write and don’t worry about the “how to”. Just write your story. You’ll learn the rest later. Writing a book and getting it out to the reader is an ongoing marathon, a continuous learning curve. So don’t worry about any of that, just write your story!

LINKS:

The release date for Storms of Winter Book 3 in the Seasons of Passion Mystery Series is Dec.14, but is available NOW for Pre-Orders @ http://www.amazon.com/Storms-Winter-Seasons-Passion-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00O581002/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413044794&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Stroms+of+Winter+by+db+jones
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/dbjones
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7418167.D_B_Jones
Facebook: http://www. facebook.com/dbjones.author
Web site: http://www.dbjones-author.com/
Twitter: @dbjones72

Storms of Winter (Seasons of Passion Mystery Series Book 3)

www.amazon.com

My Recent Interview with Lacey Dearie

I was featured on Lacey Dearie's Tangled Web at http://www.laceydearie.com/ where Lacey and I talk about Sea Witch, mermaids, and A Dilemma for Daisy. Here it is. Thank you, Lacey. Had a great time. Hugs.

Lacey Dearie's Tangled Web

I'm not everyone's cup of tea. I'd rather be someone's shot of whisky anyway.

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Saturday, 6 June 2015

New Interview With Carol Ann Kauffman

It's interview time again!  I haven't done any interviews with other authors for a while and the nosey part of me was starting to miss that, so I've invited some fellow writers to join me on my blog in the next few weeks.  Some have been here before and I'm lucky enough that they didn't mind the interrogation last time and have come back but some are brand new and even I don't know anything about them.  Today I'm welcoming back the lovely Carol Ann Kauffman, author of the excellent Time After Time series who has just released a new sci-fi fantasy story, Sea Witch.  She was last here in my Tangled Web in 2014 (you can read that interview here) and today we're on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, mermaid hunting!

Carol, welcome back!  Why don't you tell us a bit about your new book?

Sea Witch is an interesting combination of many genres. It started out as a story of scientist, Laura Martin, and her work with alien sea creatures at Touchstone, a special facility in southern Florida. 

“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, leave now.”

Add government cover-ups, DNA manipulation, and love with a young, handsome hero to this sci-fi/fantasy tale, and it’s one unusual story.

It's a beautiful day for some mermaid spotting, isn't it?  Now, mermaids are obviously mythical creatures.  What would you say your favourite mythical creature is?

I’ve always had a feeling mermaids and mermen have a dark side we have yet to see portrayed in film, so I am afraid of them! I would have to say the Phoenix is my favourite mythical creature. She is a long-lived bird with beautiful plumage who regenerates from her own ashes and is reborn to live again. 

I read the blurb for your book... "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 on Scott as her possible mate in a plot for total domination of planet Earth."  That sounds like powerful stuff!  What gave you the idea?

I never know where my ideas come from. I start a story with a few characters who capture my interest and make detailed character profiles, for example in Sea Witch, I knew the characters of Laura, Scott, and Zara, the alien.

Then you wind them up, set them down, and record what happens. 

I think I just spotted a mermaid!  Oh, wait.  It's just a big sparkly fish.  Never mind.  OK, Zara from your book, Madison from Splash and Ariel from The Little Mermaid are in a fight.  Who wins?

Oh, Zara wins, hand down.  She is a mean one. Though intelligent and able to communicate well with our species, this is a creature bent on world domination.

How does this book differ from others you have written?

This one is more science fiction than my others. Belterra and Lord of Blakeley were classified as sci-fi because they took place on a planet other than Earth and there were alien races, but this one delves deeper into alien races and their interest in Earth as a possible home.

How long did this book take you to write, from start to finish?

Six months. The actual writing was about four months. Upon completion, I let it sit for a month and work on something else. Then I pulled it up and edited and re-edited before sending it out to my beta readers. One final round of editing was needed before publishing, first in kindle, and then in paperback. 

  

This is a sort of sci-fi, fantasy book, isn't it?  Do you enjoy dabbling in different genres?

Yes! I am sure I’ve confused my readers moving from paranormal love stories to alien sea creatures lurking in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico Florida coast. But my readers are always up for a roaster coaster ride with me. I tell them, “Come on! It’ll be fun.” Belterra was a post apocalyptic adventure on a primitive world. Lord of Blakeley introduced my readers to time traveling lovers and villains 

I absolutely love the cover for this book.  Who's responsible for that?

Isn’t it terrific? The cover is the work of my wonderful cover artist, Beth Maddox of Cover It Up Designs. She has done the covers of my novels, Echo of Heartbreak, The Baslicato, and Lord of Blakeley as well.

If you could be any sea creature, mythical or real, which one would you be? 

Real: A sea otter. Did you ever see them floating down stream holding hands? They are so cute!

Mythical: A mermaid, but not like Zara, more like Ariel or Madison.

What's coming next from you?  Are there any other books in the pipeline?

A Dilemma for Daisy, Book 4 in the Monday Murder Society series came out in May from Books To Go Now Publishers. This was a fascinating project. Five books written by five different authors from around the world wrote about the members of a book club (Monday Mystery Society) in a small Ohio town, where these members find more than their next favorite author. I had no idea how this was going to work. The same characters show up in each book, so we were writing around each other! But it worked out so well.

Have you read Echo of Heartbreak, A Recipe for Life? Well, the baby at the end of the book grows up and is the main character of MacKalvey House, the story of Michelle Valentina Rosemont, a young American photographer living in small town near London. It is presently with my beta readers and Beth is working on the cover now. I am projecting a July release. 

Did you read Madison’s Christmas? The sequel, Christmas at Star Lake, takes place the following year and picks up on the life of Madison Rand. We are expecting a November release for that one.

I have been sitting on a completed Charming Deception. A publisher of romance novels in Australia wanted to divide it into three short stories, and I resisted. I’m not sure what to do with it. The first chapter is available to read on visionandverse.blogspot.com.

  

You're a mermaid princess living at the bottom of the ocean with the perfect life down there and want for nothing.  What are the things you miss about human life?

The desert. I love the desert. I was enthralled by the Arizona desert the first time we drove through it. It’s like another planet compared to where I am in sunless, gray Ohio.

And crunchy food. Crisps. I don’t suppose things stay crunchy at the bottom of the sea. 

  

Will any of the characters from this book be appearing in other stories?

That depends on how well Sea Witch is received. There is a possibility that we could see Laura and Scott save the planet from another bout of alien domination.

If you want to check out this book or any of Carol's other books, you can contact her on any of the links below.

Buy Sea Witch here

Facebook

Her own website 

Vision and Verse 

Goodreads

Amazon

Twitter

http://www.laceydearie.com/

58,000 Pageview Milestone

Dear Gentle Readers,

Vision and Verse, the place for art and authors, has surpassed the 58,000 Pageview Milestone. I thank each and every one of you who stop in daily to see what's happening here. You are appreciated.

Hugs,

Carol

Interview with Author Nikida Bellezza

Good morning, Nikida Bellezza, and welcome to Vision and Verse, the Place for Art and Authors. We are thrilled to have you with us.  Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I am an Urban Fiction Writer, who has been writing since age 7. I began writing at the suggestion of a teacher who used the method to help me build my reading skills. Since that time I have grown a passion for the craft, and over the years have authored many unpublished books/journals. I did not officially become a published writer until 2014 when I published my book Sidechick Blues through amazon.com

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

I went to college to become a Clinical Psychologist, however I stopped going just shy of receiving my Bachelors degree. Since that time I've been writing and working in Customer Service.

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

I would have to say my parents. They gave me the freedom to decide my own path. They're main thing was that my siblings and I were happy and doing what made us happy.
                                                          

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

I would love to have a conversation with my dad who passed in 2010. However, I wouldn't choose him because as I've learned from my dreams of him, I wouldn't be able to let him go once the conversation was over, i'd try to keep talking forever. I suppose I'd choose a fictional character, one that I created. I would love that, lol.

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

Just do it, but also take heed to this... writing is the EASY part! There is so much more to the craft, and your best bet is to learn every facet of it, if its what you want to do. From the moment you start creating to the moment you get your first review, learn everything that happens in between and then some!

Links:

Link to my amazon books: 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Nikida+Bellezza&rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3ANikida+Bellezza

My website:

www.AuthorNikidaBellezza.com

The Art of Caroline Ashwood

Dear Gentle Readers,

This gorgeous painting, called Summer Peony is a 48" x 48" deep-textured acrylic by Caroline Ashwood, done in bright color washes and glazes with metallic highlights.

The following is from Caroline's website at http://carolineashwood.co.uk/  Please check it out.

"I work as a full time artist from a yorkshire art studio (Soar Works) where I get physical with the paint and canvas. My work is visceral and spontaneous. When I paint, I rely entirely on my instincts. Using my hands to work the paint washes around the surface, I continually move the artwork back and forth to keep the colours flowing. Eventually I reach a point where I allow the paint to take the control so that I can revel in the prospect of the paint surprising me yet again

Through my work, I am constantly exploring the relationship between colour, light and form. Even though it was drilled into me in my earliest formal art studies that drawing and draughtsmanship are of critical importance to serious artistic endeavour, it was only when I ventured away from literal points of reference that I began to discover the visceral impact to be enjoyed in the luminance, shapes and hues of glorious nature."

The Houston Writer Guild Short Story Mystery Contest

Call for Submissions

Short Story Mystery Contest

The Houston Writers Guild is proud to launch its own internal publishing company, the HWG Press.  We will be able to produce our own books to promote the Guild and its author members.

Heading this endeavor is our newly appointed HWG Press Director, Elizabeth Ann Domino.  Along with a team of volunteers and interns, Elizabeth will be in charge of publications for the Guild.

Short Story Mystery Contest:

The Contest is open for submission from April 25 through June 30 to both members and nonmembers. We are looking for original unpublished mystery short stories; stand-alone adaptations from a longer manuscript are welcome.

Fees:

• Entry fee: $25 HWG members / $30 non-members (US funds paid through PayPal or by check to HWG, P.O. Box 42255, Houston, TX 77242)
• Multiple entries: $15 for subsequent entries. Authors may submit up to 3 short stories for consideration in the contest.

Formatting:

·       Each entry may not exceed 5,000 words in length and be submitted as a word document with the following guidelines:

·       One inch margins, double spaced, Times New Roman font size 12 pt.

·       In the header: Title of story

·       File name should be: Title of Story

·       Author’s name must not appear in the submission

·       A cover page in its own separate file should be sent in word with the following:

·       Title of Story

·       Author’s Name

·       Author’s Contact information – mailing address, phone number, email

·       Indicate if this is an original short story or an adaptation from a full manuscript

·       Send these two documents to: HWGPress@gmail.com by midnight June 30^st and indicate if you are mailing in your entry fee or wish to be sent a PayPal invoice.

Prizes:

·       First Prize = $

·       Second Prize = $

·       Third Prize = $

·       Top 10 stories will receive a standard anthology publication contract and appear in the new Guild anthology Dive Into Mystery.

First Review for A Dilemma for Daisy

Dear Gentle Readers,

A Dilemma for Daisy has it's first review.

 

5.0 out of 5 stars Love found, and lost, and found again?Or maybe not.... May 22, 2015

By Alison Loris

Format:Kindle Edition

"Daisy is warm-hearted and passionate, but she's nobody's fool. She's got a sense of humor, too! While she may be willing to risk everything for love, she's got a brain too, and she's not afraid to use it. I loved this story with its twists and turns and its satisfying end."

Thank you, Alison Loris, for the wonderful review. When I was first asked to contribute a story to the Monday Murder Society series, I had no idea how five people spread across the planet were going to simultaneously write a story about the ten numbers of a  Victorian mystery book club set in a small Ohio town down by the river and have it be cohesive  Most of the characters would be in every book, so we would at some point be writing each other's characters. But it was a fantastic experience. First of all, these were wonderful people to work with, each talented and patient and creative. A Dilemma for Daisy is Book Four in the series of five books. You don'r need to start with Book One, but it sets the tone for the series and deals with how the lonely bookstore owner came up with the idea of the Monday Mystery Society. And it is a delightful read. Give it a try.

Hugs,

Carol