Christmas at Star Lake by Carol Ann Kauffman

Christmas at Star Lake

Madison Rand Book 2

by Carol Ann Kauffman

Madison Rand runs Rand Solutions, an unusual and very helpful agency in the beautiful town of Silver Maple, New York. The police inform her that her highly qualified, specialized employees are targeted by a professional killer and being picked off, one by one. To save their lives, Madison closes down her business, sends them all away, and retreats to a friend’s cabin at Star Lake to figure out who is after them and why. 

Danger follows her to the cabin in the woods at Star Lake, where an old ghost from her past reappears on Christmas Eve, hellbent on revenge, and the madman tracks her through the underground caves at the lake. 

Shots are fired. A body drops to the ground. Is it Kyle Miller, the love of her life, who followed her to the cabin to propose on Christmas Eve? 

The air is thick with treachery and deceit. The body count is rising and old friendships are put to the test. But Madison Rand believes in miracles, especially at Christmas time.

Amazon. Buy Link: http://tinyurl.com/ncizhl9


Dear Gentle Readers,
Christmas at Star Lake is the second book in the Madison Rand Trilogy. The first one, Madison's Christmas, should really be read first to understand the relationships between the characters. The final installment in the series in due out in November. 
Hugs,
Carol

Schedule for May 7 - 11, 2018

  

Schedule
Mon., May 7 - Christmas at Star Lake
A Mystery Set at Christmastime
Tues., May 8 - The Watercolors of Chinese 
Artist Z.L. Feng
Wed., May 9 - Interview with Author
Prakaash Vir Sharma
Thurs., May 10 - Moving from Darkness into the Light
by Texas Collage Artist Parker Kaufman  
Fri., May 11 - Mother’s Day Special
Echo of Heartbreak, A Recipe for Life
By Carol Ann Kauffman 

American Glassmaster Dale Chihuly

Dear Gentle Readers,
When we were in Las Vegas, we were lucky enough to view the unusual and breathtaking glass sculpture of one very talented Dale Chihuly at the Bellagio.  Beautiful as a description just doesn't come close.  Once you have seen one of his creations, you are forever changed as to what you think is beautiful and what you believe is possible.  You can recognize one of his pieces wherever you seen it.  I believe Dale Chihuly invented the American Art category of "glass sculpture."

 My mother had a collection of depression glass, so we were aware at a young age the beauty and fragility of colored glass. But Dale Chihuly's work is jaw-dropping.  His pieces are no little footed candy dishes!

Dale Chihuly was born in Tacoma, Washington on September 20, 1941. Reports indicate Dale was not a stellar student. and after graduating Woodrow Wilson High School in 1959, he bounced around a few different colleges, but nothing ignited his fire, so he quit college and went to Florence to study art.
(Lucky for us!!!)

  

 He began glassblowing in 1965 and found his true calling, becoming an internationally recognized glass sculptor.  He worked at the Murano Glass Factory near Venice.  We toured the facility, as that was something I always wanted to do. (Tour, not blow)

Dale's largest permanent collection can be viewed at the Oklahoma city Museum of Art, and visiting it is also on my bucket list.
        

His work and reputation are more prominent in the West.  I was thrilled to see some of his work in Colorado the last time we were there, similar to these beautiful flower pods to the right, with vibrant opalescent two and three-toned contrasting colors.

During a visit to England in 1976, Dale was in a very serious auto accident, leaving him with no sight in his left eye and the loss of depth perception.  (That's why he wears an eye patch.)  He once said this disability caused him to move on to working on projects of a much larger scale.  

Many of Dale's prominent pieces were chandeliers.  His initial pieces, around 1992, were modest and lovely, but soon they blossomed into beautiful flowers, and breasts, and snakes, and  all kinds of wild glass creations one wouldn't expect on a chandelier, and it was fabulous.

 In the 1970s, Dale did a series of glass paintings based on Native American designs, aptly titles his Navajo Blanket series.

The documentary, Chihuly Over Venice, was a truly spectacular event, coordinating glass and color and water and timing.  

None of these photos are mine.  I claim nothing here.  Nothing is mine, except the memories.  I looked him up on Wikipedia and Facebook.  I simply wanted to share my limited knowledge of this fabulous glass artist/glass master so my readers would associate the name, Dale Chihuly with these magnificent glass creations.



Links to learn more about him:
www.chihuly.com/  
www.ocmoa.com
He is on Facebook and Wikipedia.

Watching Amy by Dale Britton

Watching Amy 

Who or What is So Interested in Her?

by Dale Britton

Amy is a sixteen-year-old girl who starts to notice that something strange is happening. People are staring at her. It could be anyone- friends, family, strangers, even animals. They just freeze in place and start watching her, and they don't even seem to notice that they're doing it. And then, when she's caught in an explosion at her father's research lab, things really get nuts. Amy and her friends need to figure out the mystery of what's happening to her before it's too late, because something big is going on. And the more they learn, the more obvious it becomes that it might not just be Amy who's in danger. It might be the entire world.

My Review:

5 Stars

Watching Amy: Who or What is So Interested in Amy? by Dale Britton was a real surprise of a read. ‘Somebody’s watching me’, or ‘looking at me funny’ is a pretty common teenage complaint. But in this story, Amy is indeed being watched. The problem is so much more than teenage angst or insecurity. This was a suspenseful tale with a surprise ending. Britton has a knack for writing teen dialogue. His characters feel real and make you care about them. They faced daily normal situations and planet-shaking dilemmas with the same lovable, open, true-hearted reactions. I highly recommend Watching Amy to sci-fi fans everywhere.

Amazon Buy Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Watching-Amy-Who-What-interested-ebook/dp/B075FW5DF5/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Lavender Mist of May by Carol Ann Kauffman

Join the further adventures and misadventures of Cat Collier, a woman who opens her own private investigation business in her small hometown on her journey from being a small town obituary writer to big city detective .

In this fifth installment of the short story mystery series, Cat works to find a missing Chinese girl who came to the United States on a work/study program and disappeared into thin air. An informant takes a big risk. Nola is put in danger. A child's parentage comes into question. A member of the Palazzo Castellano family is put in danger and someone evil comes after another.

Think of these serial Cat Collier short stories as a TV mini-series. Each episode builds upon the previous ones. You CAN pick up the story wherever you jump in, but to see the connection between the characters and how they became part of the Palazzo Castellano family, you really need to start with January Black Ice. 

I call them short stories, but they are each about 15,000 words. The stories revolve around Mary Catherine Collier, nickname Cat, who is happy writing obituaries in the basement of the daily newspaper of Heaton Valley, Ohio. Until the paper closes.

Madison's Christmas by Carol Ann Kauffman

Christmas is Madison’s favorite holiday, but this year is different. She has to face it alone, without her father and her best friend/boyfriend Bob, amid the problems of running her own high-stakes business and dealing with family issues.

Can the spirit of Christmas lift a heavy heart?

This is the first book in the Madison Rank trio of Christmas books. Christmas at Star Lake is the second, and is not your average Christmas story. It's more of a murder mystery set at Christmastime.

The third and final Madison Rand story is due out in November. And there's a wedding in somebody's future. Tentative title is Silver Maple Christmas Wedding. All three are Books To Go Now books, and available on Amazon.com (or will be!)

Schedule for April 30 - May 4, 2018

Schedule

Mon., April 30 - Madison's  Christmas

by Carol Ann Kauffman

Tues., May 1 - The Beautiful Art of
Texas Artist Rene Wiley

Wed., May 2 - Lavender Mist of May
by Carol Ann Kauffman

Thurs.,  May 3 - BOOK REVIEW: 
Watching Amy by Dale Britton

Fri., May 4 -  American Glassmaster
Dale Chihuly

FREE Today! Bentley Square by Carol Ann Kauffman

Strangers meet on the train. She, a beautiful, wealthy businesswoman. He, a down on his luck office manager. They have nothing in common. And yet, they are drawn to each other with an undeniable hypnotic magnetism. This is the story of Rebecca Robbins, daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the country and Mark Ramsay, a man shrouded in dark mystery and hiding in the shadows from death squads amid international intrigue.

FREE Today at http://tinyurl.com/laudaku

Book Review: How to Breed Sheep, Geese and English Eccentrics by Valerie Poore

When Maisie Peterson leaves university in 1977 without a job to go to, she decides to help her mother save her large and impractical country property in the wilds of rural Dorset by trying her hand at self-sufficiency. Ma is just a tad eccentric, though, and Maisie has no clue about farming. Her efforts are thwarted at quite a few turns by a flock of willful sheep, a dotty aunt, a charming but ineffective boyfriend and a swarthy, but highly desirably agricultural auctioneer. Emily, the ewe, runs rings round her while Ma drifts in and out of the scene in an ancient wedding dress, causing havoc in Maisie's attempts to sort out her personal as well as her agricultural problems.

Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Breed-Sheep-Geese-English-Eccentrics-ebook/dp/B00DX7OVH0/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524747614&sr=1-3&keywords=Valerie+poore&dpID=51DbrBWk06L&preST=_SY445_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Interview with YA Author S. T. Sanchez

S. T. Sanchez

Dallas, Texas

Good morning, Sarah, and welcome to Vision and Verse, the place for Art and Authors.What have you written?

Sunwalker is my debut novel.  It is the first in a YA vampire trilogy.  

Lilly is a sunwalker—a vampire born from human parents, able to walk in the daylight. She lives life as human, hiding her true identity from all those around her. One evening, she comes to the rescue of her best friend, Lex, as a vampire is about to make a meal out of her. Lilly is drawn to him, despite her desire to loathe him for almost murdering Lex, as he is the first of her kind she has ever met. As the vampire, Tread, begins to open Lilly's eyes to a world she has never known, Lilly must decide where she belongs. After she is betrayed by the person she loves most, Lilly is forced to submerge herself entirely in the vampire world, only to discover that Tread has a secret so shocking it could destroy them all.

The Portal Keeper, the first book in the keeper chronicles, is set to come out in December.  

A mysterious portal, which opens at dawn and closes again at dusk, is located deep in the woods and kept secret from the vast majority of the people who inhabit the kingdom of Rastella. Only a few are aware of its existence and fewer understand the confusing prophecy that accompanies it.

Now, Ajax Maxwell, who is approaching his 14^th birthday and has been in training for the past 2 years, is preparing to fulfill his family’s legacy by becoming the next keeper.

But Ajax is afraid. He’s worried that he won’t live up to the expectations placed upon him and will let down his family, like his brother Axel did when he took over from their father and then promptly disappeared.

When the prince of Rastella comes to visit for the first time, accompanied by Ajax’s childhood friend Nivara, it doesn’t take long for things to go wrong. In an accident, the prince falls into the portal and Ajax knows that it’s up to him to go and get him back.

With the knowledge that nobody who has entered it has ever returned, Ajax and Nivara go through the portal to try to save the prince. But what Ajax finds inside, and what he discovers about the prophecy, will test him to his limits.

Nightwalker, book 2 of the Sunwalker trilogy is set to come out in spring of 2018.

What is your favorite genre to write?

I love to write Fantasy.  Anything is possible, your imagination is your only limitation.

Favorite food.

I love trying new foods.  I love Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Indian, Tai.  But probably my most favorite meal is Thanksgiving.  I love turkey and all the trimmings, and I will sometimes make it up three times a year.

Tea or coffee?

I am not a tea or coffee drinker.  But I love hot chocolate.

Pizza or ice cream?

Both!  I love all pizza. I love all kinds of ice cream as long as it doesn’t have nuts. 

Wine or beer?

I don’t drink alcohol.

Where would you like to visit?

I’d love to visit Italy and Spain. 

Favorite musical artist.  

I love U2 and Bon Jovi.  

Do you listen to music when you write?  What?

Music is definitely a must when writing.  Lately it’s been Imagine Dragons, Bruno Mars, and Ed Sheeran.

What makes you laugh?

Teresa Brown.  She is one of my crazy friends.  We laugh a lot.  My kids said that we think we are funny.  I guess they don’t think so.

Favorite work of art or sculpture.

I’m not big into art.  But I have a talented Aunt who paints, Val Paul, and I love her paintings of Italy. You can check her work out at 

 https://www.etsy.com/shop/ValeriePaulArt

How old were you when you started writing?

I really didn’t start writing until college, unless I had a specific assignment. My first book Grounded is locked away never to be seen.  I have grown a lot in my writing since then.

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

I jump right in if I have an idea.  If I can knock out a couple of chapters and I feel like the story is going somewhere, then I make an outline and start making notes.  It may be a little backwards but it’s what works for me.

Describe your perfect evening.

I have pretty simple tastes.  A night at home, with a good movie, takeout, and something chocolate for desert with my husband and kids, is about as perfect as it gets.

Where do you get your inspiration?

I just have a lot of ideas.  Sometimes tv shows, books or movies, leave me wondering about unanswered questions and that sparks an idea.

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

I take a break, do something I enjoy and then come back to it and try again.

Who is your favorite author?

I really like Brandon Mull.  He is a great fantasy author. I read him out loud to my kids.  We have loved all his series.

Best book you ever read.

Too many choices.  I did really like the Count of Monte Cristo. 

Last book you read.

Besides final edits for the portal keeper...I haven’t finished yet but I am in the middle of Dracula.

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

I would just enjoy being a mother.  I love my kids and it is such a gift to get to be their mom.  They are growing up too fast, so I would focus more on that.  They love getting to hear my stories first, so they are a big inspiration for me to keep writing.

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

Probably my mom.  There is no one who believes in me more. 

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

Probably Jean Valjean.  He is the main character in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables.  His journey is just fascinating.  He is the kind of character that you wish you would encounter more in real life. 

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

Just keep trying, work hard, don’t get discouraged, and don’t be afraid to rewrite.

Do you have some links for us to follow you?

blog http://authorstsanchez.blogspot.com/

facebook https://www.facebook.com/authors.t.sanchez/

goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16847543.S_T_Sanchez

amazon  myBook.to/sunwalkertrilogy