Hello, readers and fellow-writers… – February 1, 2007

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Welcome. My name is Donna Carrick, and I am the author of 2 mystery novels published in 2006: The Noon God and Gold And Fishes. Both books are currently available through Amazon.com.
Since this is my first-ever journey into the Land of Blog, it seems appropriate to tell you a bit about my purpose. Like most people living in the new millennium, I struggle to maintain various roles on a daily basis. First and foremost, I’m very fortunate to be married to the love of my life. Together Alex and I are raising three terrific kids, ranging in age from 4 to 22. Life is a blast in the Carrick household, between full time jobs, Mandarin classes, clarinet lessons, our dog Daisy and Dora the Cat.

Thank goodness ‘writing’ is a compulsion; otherwise I might never find the time!

Like every scribe since the first blob of ink splashed onto a page, my mission is to explore new ideas, express thoughts and concerns, engage the reader in stories that I hope will touch him or her on a personal level, and record something of value about the place and time we live in. I also intend to use this blog as a forum for exchanging notions with fellow-artists. Whenever I encounter a writer/painter/dancer/musician/etc. whose work I admire, I’ll tell you about it.

Above all, my purpose is to celebrate the written word in all of its crazy glory. If I can be true to the concept of pure expression, then I will feel that I’ve accomplished something worthwhile. That quest may take me down some strange roads, especially as I explore the connections that exist between literature, painting, music and the many other forms that art assumes.

I hope to use this forum to answer questions that may come my way. So if you have any, feel free to fire them off through the contact form on my Web page. I’d also be happy to hear about any specific topics related to fiction or art that you’d like to share.

Today’s Book: The Killing Art, by Jonathan Santlofer

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Santlofer does it again, with this chilling third instalment to his Death Artist series. In The Killing Art, protagonist Kate McKinnon must re-invent herself in the glamorous art world of New York City. But just as she begins to take comfort in her new existence, she is drawn back to her past as an NYPD Detective and finds herself on the trail of a serial killer.
The thing that I find most fascinating and satisfying about Santlofer’s work is the way he incorporates his inside knowledge of the art world into every page. His use of his own paintings as clues is both unique and brilliantly enticing. Before embarking on his career as an author, Santlofer was already a well-known painter. His symbiotic merging of the two art forms creates a product that is addictive to say the least.
-Donna Carrick, February 1, 2007

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) — The Noon God, January 5, 2007

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The Noon GodA dark novel of coming to terms with secrets and accepting the heavy mantle of responsibility.
The Noon God is a dark novel about struggling to survive in the shadow of greatness – or presumed greatness. When Desdemona Fortune’s father is found murdered inside the offices of the faculty of Art, she knows of a great many people who held a potentially lethal grudge against him – and as she struggles to cope with the fallout of a household poisoned by addiction and narcissism, Desdemona must accept that the father she loved inflicted terrible pain on those closest to him.

Now thrust into the role of head of the formerly illustrious family, she must protect her surviving sister from the reach of a seeming immortal at any cost. A dark novel of coming to terms with secrets and accepting the heavy mantle of responsibility, The Noon God fascinates the reader with the brilliance of its stark choices and the hidden depths of its shadows.