Grace Krispy of MotherLode, Book Reviews and Original Photography, reviews Van Gogh, Encore

Grace Krispy of MotherLode, Book Reviews and Original Photography has kindly posted a review of Van Gogh, Encore

Excerpts from Grace Krispy's review of Van Gogh, Encore:

What if... what if Vincent Van Gogh were alive today, in modern times? What if his life took a different turn, if he met someone he could love? What might be in store for him? Van Gogh is famous for his powerful works of art, and infamous for his mental health issues and resulting bizarre behavior. How would that play out in the context of today?

In this work of speculative fiction, John A. Karr portrays the last 18 months of Van Gogh's life in the United States, and presents possibilities of a different future for the troubled, but gifted, artist. Given a different setting and nationality (Van Gogh is Canadian in this book), and a blossoming love with a vivacious woman, Van Gogh gets another chance at life.

...

At nearly twice the size of the average ebook, this was a page-turner. Descriptive and eloquent, this book really allows you to feel what it might be like to be Van Gogh, to live inside his tormented mind as he attempts to make sense of contradictory stimuli. The author uses carefully selected words and phrasing to portray Van Gogh's thoughts in a way that really highlights his inner turmoil, as well as his artistic passion. The characters were nicely drawn, but the star of this story is really Vincent, whose character is well-established.

NASA JPL's Blue Sunset on Mars, and did Rhone see it?

Incredible footage from NASA's JPL of the Mars rover tracking a blue sunset on Mars.

Did my character Rhone observe such sunsets? Perhaps only when trekking through Purgatory would the landscape have been so featureless in Rhone's time. Up until his final explosive battle with a god (in an upcoming volume of The Marsii Saga), the landscape had generally been populated with forest and grassy plains and jungle, with a true atmosphere capable of supporting life. In essence, a brother-planet to Earth.

Great to have Van Gogh, Encore as the Kindleboards KB Book of the day.

The irony was inescapable. My favorite artist labored daily for ten years without commercial or personal success -- yet now the images he created sell for millions and are found worldwide.

There's even a Kindle cover of his Starry Night:http://www.amazon.com/GelaSkins-Kindle-2-Starry-Night/dp/B002A1RU5K

When I was considering writing a novel about Vincent van Gogh, my first inclination was to make it a purely Historical Fiction piece, where settings and characters would pay strict attention to history. But the overwhelming counter kept cropping up; so many people know at least a few things about Vincent, why not make him more accessible by having him occupy modern time and space?

So I did it.

And took another, far more speculative step by putting Vincent's historical fate into question. If he gained that which he desired for so long (in addition to some commercial success with his art) ... namely, a family ... would he be able to overcome mental challenges and the ultimate lure of self-destruction?

Modern Vincent is French-Canadian. Rides his Harley Davidson motorcycle -- it's economical and appeals to his sense of freedom -- to the North Carolina coast where he encounters a divorcee with a young son. Theo is an art dealer in Atlanta, Georgia. The rest is unveiled in the book.

Van Gogh, Encore

XERIA -- a space opera short story

XERIA

Ebook Description:

Xeria's home planet of Iegaké had nearly been purged of life by demons with greater technology and firepower. Their spaceships hold hostage not only the paltry number of survivors -- including her father -- but the entire solar system. If Xeria does not return from a neighboring planet with the Drayden Dust that allows demons to dream, Mizk will destroy the entire planet, and prey upon the next.

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/XERIA-short-story-ebook/dp/B004FV5BOU/
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/33017

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