Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Nancy Kilpatrick Writer: Get to know Graphic Artist andPhotographer ISTVAN...

Nancy Kilpatrick Writer: Get to know Graphic Artist and
Photographer ISTVAN...
: Get to know Graphic Artist and Photographer ISTVAN KADAR... Istvan Kadar NK - You work with images. Did that interest in v...

Get to know Graphic Artist and

Photographer ISTVAN KADAR...

Istvan Kadar


NK - You work with images. Did that interest in visual art come about in childhood, or later?

IK - It started in my childhood. My parents told me that I liked to draw and paint rather than playing with others in the kindergarten.

When I finished high school, I knew I wanted to be a professional in the art field. For a while, I was torn between acting and going along the path of visual art, but very soon I realized I'd feel more comfortable working behind the curtain, so I went to college for graphic design. I am a self-taught photographer.

NK - What led you to this work professionally?

IK - After I finished my studies I got a job as a graphic designer at Icon Magazine where I worked with images and I fell in love with that process. Later I held the post of Art Director at notable advertising agencies, both in Budapest, Hungary and in Toronto, Canada. Now, though, I focus more on my own art, and I work as a freelance graphic designer from home.

NK - You have a large body of work and I know your images sell on the Getty sites. Getty site

IK - I love traveling and that's a huge part of why I started to take travel photos and sell them on Getty. It's almost like a dream job: go see the world and meanwhile you take photos and make a living from that. But unfortunately, I'm not employed as a travel photographer. I pay my own travel expenses, and while there is an income, I can't make a living from only selling travel photos. Stock photography pays about 15%-20% of the price charged for a photo. Still, if you want to sell, I think it's worth it to work with the big agencies. Large companies and corporations search for stock photos because they can browse millions of images on the major sites. That, by the way, brings up an interesting question: why wouldn't someone just Google my name and buy my photos much cheaper from my website: Istvan Kadar Design

NK - You've won the National Geographic first prize in the Nature Category, and the Hungarian Press Photo Award. Clearly, there are some photos that are closer to your heart, like your amazing images from Transylvania, where you were born. 

IK - Taking photos where I grew up is always close to my heart. The great memories and nostalgia give them a special value.

NK - You designed the fabulous covers for my new series and I know you've done covers for several other writers' books. Can you say something about the process of doing a book cover?

IK - Designing book covers is my favorite graphic design work. It involves combining photography, illustration, and typography. I've always admired writers because I am not that great with words, so it's a terrific feeling to create visual art for another artist. I love creating something that's in the writer's mind and bringing it to life as an image.

NK - How can people contact you to see or buy your photos, or to hire you for graphic artwork?

IK - Anyone can reach me on my contact page here: Istvan Kadar contact


Photoshoot in Pamukkale, Turkey

Buffalo Farmer, Guilin, China

Cormorant Fisher, Li River, China


Lambs, Transylvania, Romania

Bran Castle, Transylvania

Art Photo

The Toad Prince

Book Covers

Cover Designs by Istvan Kadar







Wednesday, March 20, 2019


Get to know writer & software genius RICK CHIANTARETTO... 

Rick Chiantaretto


NK - You're a writer of fiction and also a software genius. It's unusual to be both a word and a visual artist. How do those two careers get along within the same human being?

RC – I’ve always joked that my day isn’t complete until I’ve exercised both halves of my brain. My day job is incredibly logical—I’m a software engineer who develops large-scale commerce solutions for some of the world’s leading retailers. It’s all about problem-solving and solution architecting. But I also need an inspiring, creative outlet. I used writing as an escape from the worlds of math and science pretty early on in my schooling. I didn’t fall in love with writing until my senior year in high school, where I had an incredible A.P. English teacher.

I feel like graphic design and website work help unite my two interests. I get to be logical on the back end, but with the caveat that the finished project has to be a visual delight, polished, and user-friendly.

NK - What do you love most about graphic design, and what do you love most about fiction writing?

RC – I’ll be honest here: I think these two loves feed into two sides of my ego. I love being the source of information and the person people ask for when they need a problem solved. I like being the expert and the recognition that comes with that. At the same time, I also love entertaining people and am a story-teller at heart.

NK - You recently moved from Costa Rica back to the U.S. How has that move affected your work and your writing?

RC – I thought I would be extremely creative in Costa Rica. We had this amazing opportunity to experience life in a foreign country and I thought it would inspire me to move toward a slower way of life. It was a dream come true but ended up being a challenge for me creatively. I’m still not sure I understand why, but I’m glad to be back in the USA. I’m sure all of the Costa Rica experiences will become inspiration over the course of my life (in fact, some of their urban legends are just itching to be written), but while I was there I found myself preoccupied with my day job. I think maybe my creativity was zapped by things like finding creative ways to get internet to my house (true story)!

NK - You're busy. If you have any spare time, what do you do with it?

RC - I've often been accused of having done more in my life than the average person my age, but if I were completely honest I'd have to tell you my secret: I'm really 392. I enjoy the occasional Bloody Mary, although a Bloody Kathy or Susan will suffice. Mostly, I just try to keep a low profile so people don't figure out who I REALLY am.

NK - Lastly, can you mention a few projects where people can see your design work and read your fiction?

RC – Of course! Thanks for the opportunity! In the fiction world, I’m most proud of my Crossing Death trilogy (I’m working on the last book, Death of the Soul, now). Death of the Body (book 1) and Death of the Spirit (book 2) are available on Amazon. This is the series that finally made me feel like I can call myself an author, and the feedback I’ve gotten on them blows my mind. I also have short stories published in Nevermore! and a twisted fairy tale anthology titled Twice Upon a Time.

I wrote my first novel while still in high school. It was a YA vampire tale, Façade of Shadows. The first professional to ever write a blurb for it was YOU, Nancy! I don’t think you realize how exciting that was for a high school kid to have his work taken seriously by someone he looked up to for so long. I’m glad we’ve kept in touch.

My latest graphics/engineering project is my new website, tarotfellow.com. This website marks the first time I’ve brought my creative vision, engineering skills, personality (it’s a little kitschy, just like me), spirituality (there’s a whole ‘nother interview in there), and writing together into one project. Hopefully, it’s going to be a huge, ongoing part of my life (and it’s probably not in a state today where I should even be talking about it, but I’m excited for the potential). I also designed my website: ricktheauthor.com 
And these: 
www.streamline.rocks
psychicronalafae.com
nancykilpatrick.com 


Rick's Latest Novels








Rick's Short Stories




Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Nancy Kilpatrick Writer: Get to know writer CARO SOLES...Caro SolesNK - ...

Nancy Kilpatrick Writer: Get to know writer CARO SOLES...

Caro Soles
NK - ...
: Get to know writer CARO SOLES... Caro Soles NK - When did you start writing, and why writing instead of, say, singing? CS - Actuall...
Get to know writer CARO SOLES...

Caro Soles

NK - When did you start writing, and why writing instead of, say, singing?

CS - Actually, I did start with singing first, but writing soon took over. I wrote as a child, lurid tales of daring do, long story ballads which all ended badly, and even an opera. Very short. It was called Sigismundo in the Tower. No idea what he was doing up there, but he did sing. Briefly. I even managed to win my school’s Essay Competition with a short story. Never been done before, or probably since!

NK - You've written in many genres: SF, mystery, fantasy, horror and more. A lot of writers, the majority,  stick to one or two genres.  Why not you?

CS - I don’t read just one genre so I don’t see why I should stick to writing just one, either. Writing is about exploring the inner and outer landscape for me and sometimes I like to make up that landscape. My last two books have been mysteries, one in New York City in 1916, one in Toronto in 1985. The one I am working on now is sf and the book coming out next year is literary fiction. It’s all about the story and how it is best told.

NK - You have what today might be deemed a 'space opera', a series of hermaphroditic dancing aliens from the planet Merculian. Where did this wild idea come from?

CS - The first novel I ever wrote was a Star Trek novel, or at least I thought it was. I have the rejection letter framed on my office wall. My main character (and my big mistake) was my own invention, an emotional hermaphrodite from Merculian who had joined the Enterprise after his graduation from Star Fleet Academy. He was everything the military ship was not and this intrigued me. I kept thinking about the idea and eventually, the Merculian sagas were born. There is a strong gay element in the books and originally they were marketed as gay SF. Three will be republished this year and the new one will appear when it is ready. All have dance in the title, since dance features prominently in the stories.

NK - What are you working on atm and when can we expect to read it?

CS - At the moment I am working on the fourth novel set in the world of the Merculians, but this time it is a murder mystery. Who killed the young dancer from a powerful family who was favored to win a prestigious dance competition? It is interesting to think about how a pleasure-loving peaceful society copes with sudden violent death and how their police force operates. This may take a while, though I hope to have it ready to go late this year. And then there is the fifth…lurking in my notebooks so far.


Caro`s latest Mysteries






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Caro's latest Sci Fi