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| "Reading Open A" copyright 2016 Kristin Fouquet
Some believe there is a correlation between the creation of great art and suffering. The artists in Kimberly Richardson’s novel Open A must succumb to sacrifice to embrace their passions and their art. The “Dark Gift” each of these eccentric characters possesses is a creative talent entwined with madness.
We view this Gothic dream through the eyes of Graydon Fayette, a master violinist who has an extraordinary relationship with his instrument. Graydon’s uncle is the luthier of his violin and a mysterious man who produces elusive wines from unusual ingredients. The Fayettes are an ancient Southern family who enjoy the privilege of a dark influence unbeknownst to normal society. While their relationships with one another do not adhere to the usual mores, they are civilized and polite in their formalities and rituals. When Graydon becomes enchanted with the beautiful, alluring Aerin, and subsequently her twin brother, he finds himself entrapped in a power struggle of creativity, desire, and control.
Richardson’s lush language describes in great detail the sensual settings of the feasts, the concerts, and the balls, which occur throughout the novel. She has created characters with heightened senses and insatiable sexual appetites, entities willing to exact the ultimate price to fulfill their decadent passions and fantasies. This story kept me engaged until the final note.
You can read the first chapter at Dark Oak Press.
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"Reading Karen Lillis" copyright 2014 Kristin Fouquet Perpetual Poetry: Words Inspiring Words a review of The Paul Simon Project by Karen Lillis I have a confession to make. I am not a poet. I write fiction and I believe writing poetry is a completely different process. I love reading good poetry, but I am in no way a poetry scholar. These are the reasons I usually do not review poetry chapbooks. The Paul Simon Project by Karen Lillis is only my second exception to this rule. Influenced by Simon’s words and music on the album Still Crazy After All These Years , Lillis duplicates the song titles for her poems in this collection. Some follow a similar path as the subject of the song; others venture in their own direction. The album’s title song inspires a poem which mimics the melancholy and sentimentality of the original. Yet, she pumps it up with a contemporary edginess and gender reversal. In “M...
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