Friday, June 18, 2021

BOOK: June Green Leaves of Deceit by Carol Ann. Kauffman

 

Join Cat Collier is this serial mystery short story series, described as a cross between Nancy Drew and Mike Hammer.

Carter disappoints Cat in the worst possible way. She begins to doubt her worth. Can a new location bolster Cat’s self-confidence? Is she strong enough to let a new love in?

June Green Leaves of Deceit continues and adventures and misadventures of Mary Catherine Collier, known as Cat, as she opens a second online investigation office, away from Heaton Valley and the love and support she’s known there. Can she make it on her own? 


Amazon Buy Link:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DYFCFS

Here are some reviews:

Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2019
Verified Purchase
Cat Collier is one of my favorite female detectives! In this book, she opens an office in New York to try to expand her business, and prove to herself that she can make it on her own.
Hurt after Carter runs off, as he does when there are problems, she decides to open another office. The building she moves into is run down, and owned by a hermit who lives on the top floor. After getting his okay to update the office she and Spencer, the hermit, start building a loving relationship. I can't tell you more, you'll have to read it!
I highly recommend this book!!

Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2019
Verified Purchase
I just love these Cat Collier Mystery’s! Each time I find myself trying to figure out who did what and why? But this one has so many elements to it, that it’s kinda hard to but my finger on the killer. I have my suspicions and my why, but I’ll probably be wrong and shocked to find it all out. This one leaves you hanging and starving for the next book. If you like good clean down to earth mysteries, then I highly recommend this book.

Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2019
Verified Purchase

But, wait! Read an excerpt before you buy:


Chapter One
Gauze and Breeze


It was a perfect June morning in northeastern Ohio. The sun illuminated the periwinkle sky as a gentle breeze fluttered through the open window of my gorgeous office on the eighth floor of the beautiful Palazzo Castellano, a hotel situated in the center of downtown Heaton Valley. Perfect morning. Perfect office. Perfect little town.
So why was I so damn miserable? 
I have everything a girl could want. I’m living my dream. I have my own private online investigation business in a big, beautiful office that adjoins the office of a sweet, handsome lawyer who just happens to love me to pieces. I have a new car, gorgeous clothes, and a huge rock of an engagement ring so big I could use to put out an eye in a street fight. I have a wonderful circle of friends and family who love and support me in whatever I do. I am my own boss. Nobody tells me what to do. 
So then… why the misery?
I don’t know. Because I’m not the person I used to be, maybe. My motto has always been honesty is the best policy. But one lie led to two, then four, and they continued to grow at an alarming rate. I almost needed to carry around a notebook to write down my lies in order to keep them straight. But I was afraid I’d lose it, someone would find it, and discover my deceit.
I’m no longer the honest human being I thought I was. Lately, I lie to people on a daily basis. I lie to my mother. I told her I met Kayko in Los Angeles last year at the newspaper convention. I told her there was nothing serious going on between Kayko and my brother Dane. I told her Kayko would probably be going back to California soon. 
My wonderful fiancé whom I adore? Yes, I lie to him, too. Of course, you can come with me, Carter. And no, I’m not up to anything. And I nurture those lies and cuddle up to them and keep them warm. 
I am keeping the truth from my brother Dane about his new girlfriend, Kayko. He thinks she’s a little wounded bird. And he is dead-set on saving this orphaned waif. Little does he know, she not an orphan. She has family and a betrothed in China. She was part in a human trafficking ring, and not the abused part. She lived as a homeless person on the streets of Detroit. And her name is made up, like every other part of her life.
I lied to my client Jack Harlan. I know who the father of his girlfriend’s daughter is, and it’s not some dead Italian Art professor. Lystra’s father is very much alive and is an extremely dangerous and powerful criminal. And as far as keeping his fiancée Simone out of the loop? Well, guess what, she knows everything.
And I lied to Kayko. Sure, I can get you papers so you can stay in the country legally. Sure, I can keep you safe. Sure, I can hide you from international sex trade criminals.
I took a deep breathe. Stop it, Cat. Everybody tells a few untruths every now and then, don’t they? Maybe I was blowing this whole honesty crisis out of proportion. Maybe a walk in the park across the street would clear my head and help me feel better. I pulled on my jacket and put my wallet and keys in my pocket. 

Just then I heard the sound of stiletto heels clicking on the tile floor, slowly, deliberately, almost seductively, into Carter’s adjoining office. He likes to keep the door between our two offices open in case I get into trouble. He believes private investigation tends to draw out the most unsavory of characters and he worries about my safety. I peeked around the corner.
The most gorgeous girl I ever saw in my life was standing in Carter’s office. A beautiful face framed with long, flowing, shiny brown curls gazed at Carter. Her hands on her hips, feet apart, her tiny gauzy dress blowing slightly in the breeze. Skin, hair, figure, nails, outfit - all perfect.
“Hello, Lover,” the beautiful creature purred.
“Yvette!” called Carter.
Yvette. Of course, my finance’s ex-girlfriend had to be the most beautiful girl in the world.
“What are you doing here?” Carter said in shock.
“I miss you, Rick,” she cooed as she walked runway-style around his desk. 
I hid around the corner, plastering myself to the wall, trying to calm myself. I peeked around slowly.
She pulled open his bottom desk drawer.
“What are you want?” Carter asked.
“Isn’t it obvious? I want… you. I want you back.”
Yvette put her foot up on the bottom drawer. The sun streaming through the window left nothing to the imagination. Little Miss Yvette, the beautiful underwear model, wasn’t wearing any.
“Yvette, I’m engaged to a …
She reached over and grasped his hand. She placed his hand gently on her uppermost inner thigh, then slid it up.
Carter moaned. 
I knew that particular moan. I knew it very well. I held my stomach. I thought I was going to puke. I needed to get out of the office. I couldn’t bear to stand here and listen to her… to them… I slipped off my shoes and quietly made for my office door.
Once in the hallway, I ran to the elevator at break-neck speed. I went up to our penthouse apartment. I just made it into the bathroom. Crying and puking. Heaving and sobbing.
I knew it! I just knew the someday he’d want his old life back. Big Manhattan lawyer with his underwear model Barbie Doll of a girlfriend. Why would he be satisfied with this boring, little hick-town existence? With me? Why was I surprised? I knew it was coming. More sobs, more heaves. 
I threw some clothes in a suitcase and found some shoes. I placed my big, beautiful, heart-shaped diamond engagement ring in the center of the dining room table. I ran. 
Where could I go? I let my friend Marcy Winegard stay at my old shoebox of an apartment while she looks for a place. She and boyfriend Carl Hayden called it quits and she needed a place. I could stay with my sister. I know she would take me, but she was at work and I need to get out of here right now. Where could I go?

“Mom?” I cried.
“What is it, Cat? What’s wrong?”
“Carter…” I blubbered. “And Yvette.”
My normally nasty, caustic, supercritical mother wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close to her. She stroked my hair.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, honey. He was really something special. You two were so happy. So, he packed up and went back to New York and the underwear model girlfriend, huh?”
“No. She came to his office. In this flimsy, little see-through dress. I was just leaving. I saw…” I cried some more. “I saw her seduce him. He didn’t try to stop her. He didn’t push her away. He didn’t say stop. He… he moaned.” More tears and sobs.
“Men! They’re horrible, disgusting creatures. Sex maniacs, all of them. They have no self-respect or self-control.”
“Not Daddy.”
      “No, not your father. And not your brother. But all the rest of them."






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Thursday, June 17, 2021

ENTERTAINMENT: To the Lake (Netflix)




One of the lead characters in this Russian virus-to-zombie series is the talented Kirill Karo, who I first saw in Better Than Us. He was fantastic. Later I found the series Sniffer, starring the versatile Kirill, which I also loved.

This series will have you on the edge of your seat.
 




 












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Wednesday, June 16, 2021

INTERVIEW: Canadian Inspirational Author Wendy Russell-Sheppard


 Wendy Russell-Sheppard
Gilmour, Ontario
Canada

 


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

 

Award-winning CNF “Twinkle, Twinkle” in Tales2Inspire-The Opal Collection, 2019

 

“Storied: Chronicles by the Circle of Six” available summer, 2021 (self-published with 5 other writers during Covid. Our group is known as “The Circle of Six”)               


 

 


What is your favorite genre to write? 

CNF with aspirations to write personal essays and opinion pieces.

 

Favorite food. 

Too numerous to mention. Anything with sugar.

 

Tea or coffee? 

Tea


 



Pizza or ice cream? 
Ice cream

 

Wine or beer or soda or what? 

No booze—high on life 😊 

Water, “Mommy Martini”—club soda with maraschino cherries on ice.


Where would you like to visit? 

Greek Islands

 

Favorite musical artist. 

B.B. King

 

Do you listen to music when you write?  

Yes 


What? 

Blues channels online



What makes you laugh?

Rubber chickens and life in general


 

This is an art AND author blog, so I am obligated to ask: Favorite work of art or sculpture. 

Albert Gyorgy’s sculpture “Melancholy” at Lake Geneva, Switzerland

 


How old were you when you started writing? 

Second grade: How I Spent my Summer Vacation”; sixth grade: my first ghost story; 2017: memoir pieces; 2021 Facebook group Use Your Words with a writers-helping-writers focus


 

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

I start with meticulous research on a universal theme, take copious notes, then ease out of my head into the emotional heart of a personal experience that illustrates my theme.

 


Describe your perfect evening. 

Doing the “kitchen dance” with family members as we get supper ready, chatting over our meal about the day’s events and family memories, sharing outdoor time watching “the nature channel” (one night a two-hour lightning storm) or TV sports/Netflix time, planning for tomorrow, then settling in with the cat and my honey for a peaceful night.




Where do you get your inspiration? 

Personal experiences and social issues (mental illness, addictions, inequity, travel, relationships)


 

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

Listen to the NASCAR satellite radio channel while I walk, prune trees, explore the woods, talk to the red squirrels, go to the local waterfall and just listen, sit on the dock at sunset

 


Who is your favorite author? 

Too many to list; Margaret Atwood, Barbara Kingsolver

 


Best book you ever read. 

“The Poisonwood Bible”; 

Most recently “Indians on Vacation” by Thomas King




Last book you read. 
“The Memoir Project” by Marion Roach Smith 

 


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

English tutor

 


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

Both my grandmothers who were pioneers in many ways, and way ahead of their time

 


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

Heathcliff from “Wuthering Heights”. Tell me about your time away. What the hell, dude, you had other options. Why did you choose this?



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

Be clear about your writing goals, start small, take courses, find a supportive group of writers with different levels and types of expertise, embrace the reality that “you don’t know what you don’t know”, learn to accept critique, get help, support other writers, realize the length of the circuitous writing process and just role with it.

 


***I intend to write a piece about writing as a group which will include a lot of information and advice for anyone considering this anthology approach. Will be ready in the fall of 2021.

 

Do you have some links for us to follow you?

 www.circleofsixwriters.ca


and Facebook Group “Use Your Words”





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Tuesday, June 15, 2021

BOOK REVIEW: The Murder at Sissingham Hall by Clara Benson




 I enjoy British country manor murder mysteries set in the 1920s and The Murder at Sissingham Hall by Clara Benson was an excellent one. Charles Knox returns to England from Africa, where he made his fortune. His best friends brings him to a party where the host dies. Oh, and the host’s wife is Charles’ ex-fiancé. Well written in 1920s style, an American woman sleuth emerges to prove it was murder, and leads the way to discover the murderer. Nice, easy read, with great characters and the beautiful English countryside. 


















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Sunday, June 13, 2021

Schedule: June 14 - 18, 2021



 Mon., June 14 - ART:
Atomic Heron
by Parker Kaufman
Tues., June 15 - BOOK REVIEW:
Murder in the Manor
Murder at Sissingham Hall
by ClaraBarton
Wed., June 16 - INTERVIEW:
Canadian Inspirational Author
Wendy Russell-Sheppard
Thurs., June 17 - ENTERTAINMENT:
To The Lake
(Netflix)
Fri., June 18 - BOOK:
June Green Leaves of Deceit
A Cat Collier Mystery
by Carol Ann Kauffman









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Friday, June 11, 2021

BOOK: Dark Return by Carol Ann Kauffman


 

Dark Return is the much-requested sequel to my bestselling sci-fi/fantasy romantic adventure set in post apocalyptic times.

Dark Return, the sequel to Belterra, Time After Time, and takes place about ten years afterwards.

When Belterra was populated long ago by a select group of humans sent here by the ancients in the hope of saving the human race, the indigenous race of bat-like creatures called the Batrach were forced into the ocean and underground sea caves by a giant force field.

The force field has now weakened. The Batrach have emerged from their watery prison and they want their planet back.


Excerpt:

“Neeka,” called Lira at her door. “I hate to wake you when you get so little sleep as it is, but you are needed.”

“What is it, Lira?” she asked, putting on her robe.

“Your father. He is ill. I can do nothing with him. Will you come and see what you can do?”

“Of course. I’ll be right there. Call Ana and Fen.”

“They are already with him.”

Neeka dressed quickly and made her way to her father’s bedchamber. She opened the door to find a very ashy gray looking Lord Mica. She edged toward the bed.

“Father, I hear you aren’t feeling so well. What exactly is bothering you?” she asked, noticing his breathing was shallow and rapid. His coloring was off, greyish, pale. She touched his hand and head. No fever, that was good.

“I am sick.”

“Yes, we got that part. Sick from…?”

“Sick from war, sick from death. Sick from looking into the face of the certain demise of our entire species. Sick from my inability to rectify this situation. My heart aches. My people look to me for leadership and guidance; they expect me to figure out a way to save us. I am the Warrior Lord, but I’m no good at this war stuff. We have lived in peace all of my life. I am no strategist. I can hold my own against any human adversary, but not these reptilian monsters. I am, my daughter, a blatant failure.”

“Ana, Fen, come here,” Neeka asked. “Help me.” She put her hand on his chest. Ana and Fen did the same. They closed their eyes and breathed deeply, sending their vibrations into his body. Soon Lord Mica was breathing easier and his coloring had returned to normal.

“May I speak with my father alone please?” Ana, Fen, and Lira left the room.

“Ashamed of me, Neeka?”

She sat down across from him and stared at him. This war had certainly aged him. 

“Of course not. You are the Lord of the Warrior Clan, a man of healing and finesse. You know the ways of natural healing, of crystals, and light therapy. You know the natural cycles of the sun and the moon. You know the paths of the stars in the sky. You can predict the weather. And you can sense danger by sniffing the air. You know how to communicate with the plants and animals of our kingdom. You can handle any human problem that comes our way.”

“However, the problem facing us right now is non-human and I cannot understand or communicated with these damn bat creatures.”

“What does Lord Jamit say?”

“He’s praying. He’s cloistered himself away in prayer. He’s been praying for three days now.”

“How about Lord Milo?”

“Ineffective little punk. He never was leadership material. He takes orders well, but there’s not an original thought anywhere in his head. And Braedon? He’s the only one among us all who is a true leader and a strong fighter. He’s out there on the front line from dawn to dusk, doing battle with these beasts day in and day out. When I do see him, he looks so tired, so exhausted. Your husband needs rest. And maybe some loving attention from his wife. Your man needs time to replenish himself. Where is he?”

“He wasn’t home when I got back from the hospital. I really don’t know where he is.”

“Well, I do, daughter. He’s out there. If he’s not fighting, he’s carrying back the wounded before they can be eaten. He cannot go on like this. Insist that your husband rest. Take him by his ear and put him to bed.”

“Yes, Father, I will, just as soon as I find him. Now, back to you. Let’s see if I have this right. You’re having premonitions of impending doom.”

“Yes”

“You feel there is no way out of this.”

“Yes”

“You feel as our leader you have let whatever’s left of the human race down.”

“Yes”

“You feel we’re all going to end up dead.”

“Yes,” he shouted.

“And you’re making yourself sick over this.”

“Yes,” he whispered.

“Oh, Father, you are anything but a disappointment, to any of us. Yes, we have our problems. I, too, have had nightmares and premonitions that these beasts are gaining strength and have the definite edge over us in this fight. But, I know you’re going to find a way to pull us out of this. And you are not alone. You have your wonderful sons, the love boys, Lars and Omer and Vin and Emil by my stepmother, Lady Tela. You have your own personal fire-breathing dragon, my daughter, your granddaughter, Ana. You have Fen, My I’m-not-sure-what, but I know I’ve loved that young man since I first laid eyes on him as a sickly, lost, orphan child in Northford, and he grows more mature and intelligent and wise with every single passing day. You have Lira, the third woman you’ve bowled over with your kind, gentle, and loving ways. She is the absolute epitome of patience and devotion to you. And you have Braedon, my fantastic War Lord husband, and me, your wild, impetuous daughter. You aren’t carrying this burden by yourself.”

There was a knock at the door.

“I brought you some tea, My Lord,” Lira came in with a tray. “It will calm your nerves.” She poured and handed him the cup. He drank it down quickly. Lira stroked his head and smiled at him.

“Rest now, Father. Things will look better when you awaken.”

He nodded.

“Sleep, now, My Lord,” said Lira.

“I can’t sleep. I wish I could sleep, but I can’t, I’m so…”

“Of course you can, My Darling," said Lira. "I drugged your tea."








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Thursday, June 10, 2021

ENTERTAINMENT: Invisible City (Netflix)







This Brazilian series based on Brazilian mythology was a bit of a slow starter. What kept me watching was the stunningly beautiful jungle scene cinematography. Once the pace picks up, you barely have a minute to look away. Murder. Creatures. Caught between two worlds.  
Today vs. Yesterday. Good series, don't miss it. 
 
 

















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Wednesday, June 9, 2021

BOOK: Pennies From Across the Veil by Dennis Higgins


 The Seemingly paranormal phenomena recorded in this book 
are entirely based on actual events.


Pennies From Across the Veil is a love story… about death.


Karl Himmel tells the story to an unknown presence of how he met, fell in love, and married the woman of his dreams, Jenny Engels. But at the time of the telling, Karl and Jenny find themselves on different sides of the veil—the separation we call death. But not even death can stop true love. Powerful signs come to those from loved ones who have passed. They can be found any and everywhere; we just need to look for them. The most significant for Karl and Jenny was the finding of numerous wheat-back pennies. However, could there have been many others, and did these signs have a deeper meaning?

 

Of all the books I have written, none are as important to me as Pennies From Across the Veil. Its influence comes from every person I ever knew, loved, and who happened to die. With each and every person I ever knew who passed from this world to the next came signs, dreams, and occurrences, especially right afterward. Then I discovered it happened to other people as well. Sometimes the similarity of the events was striking. There were often common themes, such as butterflies, feathers, late-night phone calls, and yes, pennies. I was deeply moved to take all these experiences and combine them into one romantic love story about death. This is not a ghost story but a story of love, passion, and survival. 

 

Link: Pennies From Across the Veil - Kindle edition by Higgins, Dennis. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ AmazonSmile.

 

Award-winning author Dennis Higgins is a distant relative of Davy Crockett, King of the wild frontier. He has traveled the world over, collecting story ideas. As a native of Chicago, Illinois, Dennis Higgins has a passion for things that are gone but not forgotten, a romance with the past. For him, time travel is the answer. If not for real, then in the pages of his books.

 

He now lives in the Chicago suburbs with his lovely wife and their Lhasa Poo dog, Dom Perignon.

 

Among his influences are Richard Matheson, Jack Finny, Dean Koontz, Joan Wester Anderson, Peter S. Beagle, and Audrey Niffenegger.

 

Author of Pennies From Across the Veil, Parallel Roads (Lost on Route 66), the Time Pilgrim series: (Katya and Cyrus, Almost Yesterday, and Tomorrow's Borrowed Trouble), Steampunk Alice, The Old Scrapbook, The Writer’s Apprentice, Christmas Returns to Pottersville, Confessions of an Internet Scammer, Goes to Eleven, and The Automated Wife.

 

Current work in process: Steampunk Lacey (Sequel to Steampunk Alice)

 

 

 

5.0 out of 5 stars Wish I could give it 10 Stars!

Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2016

Incredibly beautiful. This book is a soul toucher. It drew me in from the beginning and wouldn't let go. Poignant and sweet, it will take you from happiness to anguish and back in a heartbeat, and you will never be the same. Pennies From Across the Veil is an affirmation of love and also reaffirms that nothing and no one who is loved is ever truly lost. Awesome Read!

 

 

5.0 out of 5 stars Get your Kleenex ready

Verified Purchase

Pennies from across the Veil is a great story, and I recommend it highly.
One of the sweetest love stories I’ve read in a long time, but this one is different in so many ways.
I was confused a little at first, because we’re being told a story through the eyes of the main character- who is obviously not alone.
All in due time, you’ll figure it out just as you are flung deeper and deeper into the lives and minds of Karl and Jenny.
The signs, symbols, and truths are melded together perfectly to allow the reader to accept the depth of what they’re reading.
The characters are real and I enjoyed getting know them all.

 

5.0 out of 5 stars A penny for your thoughts

Verified Purchase

I have read love stories. I have read ghost stories. Now I have read a present, afterlife love story.

Dennis, you engaged my heart and my eyes in a beautiful mystery of life and death. I believe and yet you have helped expand my own thoughts of after. This story had me lose sleep and some productivity. ... which -to me- is the best recommendation for a book!



Amazon Link:








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Tuesday, June 8, 2021

BOOK REVIEW: The Body in the Marsh by Nick Louth




I’ve read 71 books this year and The Body in the Marsh, DC Craig Gillard Crime Thriller Book 1 by Nick Louth, was the best I've read in a long time. It had me reading far into the night as the intricate plot twisted and turned through a most memorable murder mystery. This book had it all, from warm and fuzzy to stomach-turning, well developed normal characters doing their job, a far amount of forensics, and good, solid writing. I highly recommend this book.







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Sunday, June 6, 2021

SCHEDULE: June 7 -11, 2021


 
Mon., June 7 - ART: 
Wook Sculptor 
Jeffrey Michael Samudosky
Tues., June 8 - BOOK REVIEW: 
The Body in the Marsh
by Nick Louth
Wed., June 9 - BOOK:
Penniesw From Across the Veil
by Dennis Higgins
Thurs., June 10 - ENTERTAINMENT:
Invisible City
(Netflix)
Fri., June 11 - BOOK:
Dark Return
by Carol Ann Kauffman







VISIONANDVERSEDISCLAIMER:

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.