Lisa's "Other Life"...

Lori Minneti here...what do they say, turnabout is fair play...well, today's post is about my amazing sister, Lisa Minneti! Yes, Lisa is a wonderful writer, painting beautiful scenes with the letters and words she picks out from the colorful palette in her fertile mine, but during her day job, as a designer with Peabody Interiors, she dips into that same color palette to color the interior world her clients live in. As you can see by looking over some of her design projects in her portfolio, Lisa is a gifted and talented force in her field!

Lisa's work was recently showcased in the current issue of M Magazine.

As you can see from this example, her grasp of how to harmonize colors and textures is exceptional! Find below the excerpt  from the M Magazine article as written by Rick Romano.

Delafield home blends his and her tastes

 

BY RICK ROMANO  |  PHOTOGRAPHY BY DOUG EDMUNDS

Glam meets mancave in a 6,500-square-foot contemporary home nestled in the wooded wonder of Delafield’s Kettle Moraine State Forest. 

The updated domicile came together from 2011 to 2014 in a collaboration between Lisa Minneti, an interior designer with Peabody’s Interiors, and longtime partners Christine and Rob. The couple turned to Minneti to help them update their bucolic retreat with modern touches.

“They wanted to put their own stamp on it,” Minneti says. “They liked the contemporary bones, but they needed to feel like it was their energy.”

Energy abounds in this multilevel home with a rich blend of color and texture. Minneti incorporated an array of gray, black and plum magenta, fuchsia, terra cotta and orange woven through sparkly, industrial lighting and painted and stained wood.

It all works for a home with five bedrooms, six and a half baths, and formal and informal spaces, from disparate parts like the sleek, tall, window-dominated sitting area with zebra fabric chairs, pearl-tone painted floor and black-brown-gray woodwork to the living room’s inviting charcoal gray sectional and orange and fuchsia pillows framed by a stone fireplace and terra-cotta-painted walls.

The centerpiece for Christine is the kitchen, with its sleek, modern cabinetry, local craftsman-made countertop and muted tones — a place where her Italian heritage cooking provides plenty of color and texture.

“I love to cook,” Christine says. “It’s a favorite place where guests gather.”

The entire home, she says, is a larger-than-life favorite for her, Rob and their 85-pound Doberman. She says the home sports more space than they need, but they cherish their current environment, which meets their need for an edgy retreat that both complements and plays against nature’s soft serenity.

Lady Luna as Apple Annie...

So, my amazing sister, the entertainment chameleon, changed her spots, in this case her costume, makeup, and wig, and emerged like a butterfly from a chrysalis, as another in a long list of characters Lori brings to life through her acting, Apple Annie!

 

Apple Annie is the very effective marketing creation of the Apple Holler franchise. She magically appears during the fall apple harvest season and like a fairy tale character comes to life to greet visitors oozing her boundless charm and good nature while extending a warm welcome to everyone, and every bit as wholesome as the apples being appreciated by the patrons. Apple Annie is supposed to represent an old fashioned girl from the South.

My little sis (I'm older by a few minutes) never ceases to amaze and impress me with her many theatrical and creative gifts! In a few days we'll be back in front of photography Wizard of Oz, Larry Zamba, to shoot an author picture to use on the back of our book and for promotional materials.

Go Lori...Go Lady Luna...Go Marilyn Monroe...Go Ann Margret...Go June Carter...Go Apple Annie!!!    

Lady Luna as June Carter...

Our book was officially released for purchase online on Monday, October 19, after my sister Lori approved the cover! The interior had been completed for about a week and many of our friends had been told to wait until they saw Lori on the cover before ordering. Sure enough, one of our best and closest friends did exactly that and was the first to order a copy!! So, I guess that means we are officially published authors who have actually sold a copy of their book!! And, for those of you who read their books with a Kindle or Nook, Hazel Moon is now available as an eBook!

Well, my amazing sister, Lori, is much more than an author...during another busy professional day in her life, today, after driving to Madison to host a television show, Builders Showcase, the Madison edition, she motored back to Milwaukee in the rain to perform as June Carter in a Johnny Cash tribute band at the American Legion Post 449 in Brookfield, Wisconsin!

If you follow our blog, you know that Lori is a master, or should I say Mistress at impersonating iconic singers from the past, complete with appropriate dress and wigs, including Marilyn Monroe, Ann Margret and Nancy Sinatra while pairing up with her man, David Kirby, a successful and very authentic Elvis impersonator. A dedicated professional entertainer with considerable skills to offer, she embraced with enthusiasm a chance to expand her musical horizons by teaming up with the Johnny Cash impersonator. In the pic above Lori is singing, "These Boots are Made for Walking."

Above is a video of her performance.

And another...

I'm so happy for my sister that she can add author of Hazel Moon to her growing successful resume of professional activities in the arts. Our book signings will be sure to please as I know that Lori intends to jazz them up with song, dance, and stage-type performances of scenes from our book! Watch for our book launch party date announcement on our Events page! 

Hazel Moon Cover Shot Magic...

Just over two months ago the quest for the perfect Hazel Moon book cover began in earnest with a magical shoot during a full moon, on a beautiful, warm, summer night right on Lake Michigan. My sister, Lori was the model for the cover then. The mood was mesmerizing and Lori, an accomplished actress, slipped right into the Hazel Moon character, Lady Luna, and the photographer captured some transcendental images. Unfortunately, that session did not result in a book cover, so we had to look for and found another accomplished photographer to help us complete the challenging task.

As you can see, during this shoot Lori (Lady Luna) was standing with a white screen behind her. The cover concept was based on bringing composite elements together involving a background, an enhanced moon, and Lori's shot extracted with a Photoshop tool from behind the high-contrast background of a white screen. During the initial series of shots, Lady Luna felt "off" and was having difficulty getting "into character" but after I suggested she remember back to the shoot on the lake, under the full moon, Lori was able to tap into her acting skills and put on the Lady Luna mask to continue the shoot.

Among the technical elements was a lighting system triggered by Larry's camera using radio waves. Larry creatively adjusted the intensity and used filters to finally come up with a lighting mood that simulated Lori being back-lit with soft moonlight. Larry's (Zamba Creative Studios) experience became invaluable when like the great Leonard Bernstein conducting a soloist, Larry used just the right words of encouragement, inflections, and gestures to get the best that Lori had to offer to the camera. Bravo Maestro Larry! Above, after a series of shots, and after tending to every strand of hair out of place, and touching up Lori's makeup, Larry would stop to make sure Lori and I were happy about results up to that point.

Lori brought a number of beautiful gowns she knew would possibly work for the cover shot, again drawing on her experience with costumes and characters as an accomplished actress. Costume jewelry and shoe options were added to a parasol and fan to build up the interesting elements in the shot. Lady Luna posed hauntingly while standing under a lamppost in an early scene in Hazel Moon (see excerpt below) and that scene became the inspiration for the cover.

All the while I managed to keep busy, every photo shoot needs a gopher (although I prefer to think of myself as a panther) but someone had to hold the fan for Larry, find whatever items were lost, get whatever Lori needed during the shoot, and help her change costumes. Also, Lori and I are so close that even before she said anything I could sense when she need a shout of support and I didn't hesitate to jump right in to backup Larry's constant comments of encouragement and direction. I only mention this because it was clear to me how much of a team effort any involved creative project is with each member of the team contributing their unique talents toward achieving something so much greater than themselves.

 

Above is the creative team behind Hazel Moon, myself, Lori, and our editor and publisher from Heritage Press, Ric Bencriscutto, who came to the shoot to be there in case we needed his input.

When the shoot was over, we all sat down at Larry's conference table and went through the 300 shots one by one as I noted the photos by number that any one or all of us agreed had potential. Slowly that number was reduced to 10 which were starred, and then finally a single standout that Larry quickly put into a background so we could all agree that was going to be the cover. Above is a short video of our fantastic Lady Luna model in motion!

It's been about six magical months since our dream have a novel published based on chapters Lori & I had written over the last eight years, inspired by stories and experiences of friends and family, began to slowly become a reality. Soon Hazel Moon will be published and then Let the Marketing Begin! Above I'm holding a business card that directs someone to our blog. The stories in the blog are almost as wonderful to read as the magic in the book, so we're hoping to attract a loyal blog following as these blog posts continue to share the unfolding Real Magic in all of our daily lives!

After some tweaking, Larry enhanced the image for both the Lady Luna pull and the background, deepening the colors and textures in the shots, and after Lori asked for some changes, WE HAD OUR COVER!!

Congrats to the Team!!! 


Book Excerpt from Chapter 2  - Lady Luna under the Lampost

A CAPRICIOUS WIND from the ominous storm slammed the heavy door behind them as the girls scampered back to the Camaro, each holding a black umbrella embroidered with the funeral parlor’s name and logo.

Forcing the shifter into first and about to speed off, November froze after seeing a vision from another era—a woman draped in a long, black cloak covered in elegant scalloped beading and silk buttons, holding a frilly parasol and perched under a lit lamppost. She pulled the stick out of gear and abruptly jumped out, handing Angela her drink.

Oblivious to the rain, she ran to the light under the lamppost and the mysterious woman standing there.

“Luna!”

“Moonlight Star…I know I’m late, but you know it’s my nature to be naughty.”

November stood there in awe…Luna’s voice as sweet and intoxicating as a Champagne truffle. She added a polished curtsy, worthy of a member of a 19^th Century French Court. An amber glow danced around her olive skin and coffee-with-cream eyes. Turning her head to the left, Luna held her chin with two forefingers, striking a fetching pose, the glow from the lamppost casting her in a cocoon of light.

“Where have you been?” November petitioned, her heart now a useless lump in her throat.

“There will be plenty of time to chuckle over my amorous misadventures…tonight is all about you and your destiny…after all, this is the Eve of the Hazel Moon.”

The Medicare Minuet...

Today is the day before the Hazel Moon cover shot and my multi-talented, ever gifted sis and coauthor finished a successful run of Sex After 60, a musical comedy at the Memories Ballroom Dinner Theater in Port Washington, Wisconsin!

Lori has a Broadway Musicial Comedy quality voice, with those fun inflections and tonal extensions and stretches of her notes and lines, she won over the full house on more than one occasion! Lori's character, Babe, and the subject of the comedy, had the crowd of seniors in stitches all through the performance.

Just imagine a song titled, "Medicare Minuet" or "Ladies Only" . . . and then there was the "social trans" character, Chris! Yep, playing off the popular media figure, Bruce Jenner, now Caitlyn Jenner, in Sex After 60 Chris decided she needed to present herself (without actually going under the knife) as a he in order to take advantage of more socializing opportunities and, of course, the inevitable uncomfortable flirting scene, first with a neighbor lady who wanted Chris the guy, then the nursing home studs who were competing over Chris the lady, the well-heeled lady running her late husband's company!

And more Hazel Moon Magic...like Lori & I, twin sisters, the trans character, Chris, in the play was said to have had a "twin" sister to explain to people why the two looked so much alike! Also, Lori's character, Babe, in the play was the more traditional woman who was the kind to cook and host dinner parties, which is something Lori in real life is very good at, as I can attest to having been recently treated to a Salmon of Knowledge dinner lovingly prepared by Lori who has been "in training" getting ready for the cover shoot tomorrow!

Here's one more video from the show & tune in tomorrow for a post on the Hazel Moon Cover Shoot!!!!

The River is Everywhere...

Please read Siddhartha...the story encompasses Everything...as in...the River is Everywhere...

Siddhartha left home to become a holy man, but still not satisfied became a successful merchant in order to earn the charms of the beautiful Kamala, and did so by following the Way of the River. 

As an example, I'm an interior designer. Like Siddhartha, when I go to a client's home I don't begin pressuring them to spend their money, I get to know them first and try to build a relationship. When I have to travel for business, again like Siddhartha, I try to enjoy each moment during the trip with no particular agenda. Even during the business portion of the trip, I try to settle into the process of what's happening without worrying about sales and invoices.

 

Siddhartha gave up the riches of his status as a merchant to learn the skills of a boatman and to learn the Way of the River. 

In my book, Hazel Moon, my character, Luke Castle, became disillusioned with his life in the fast lane, looked at his best canine buddy, Sonny, and decided to follow the Way of the Wolf...by living close to nature and immersing himself in the many present moments that made up each day. Also, my character, Finn McCool, whose family was rich and powerful, gave up his role in the family business to follow his passion as an entertainer, a singer. (find excerpts below)

Whatever issues you're struggling with or facing in life, you'll find guidance in the wisdom of Siddhartha.

Hazel Moon Excerpts

Luke Castle



Chapter 5



MARLBORO GIRL


LUKE CASTLE INHALED deeply, sucking the last bit of the last pleasurable hit out of his Marlboro Red. His man’s-best-friend constant companion, Sonny, was howling like a werewolf at the full Hazel Moon as it momentarily broke free from a cloud.

“Some kind of crazy riot in the sky tonight,” Luke commented while fingering the end of his cigarette. Taking in the random mix of festival aromas; stale beer, pizza, cooking grease and all the rest, he added, “I guess we aren’t in Kansas anymore…so where the hell are we, Sonny?”
It had been a long, hot summer. They’d traveled to Baton Rouge, Paris in Texas, and the Quad Cities, all since becoming a part of a carnival moving from town to town.

Looking around the grounds, he could see all the empty TJ Swan bottles and Pabst Blue Ribbon cans strewn around like bits of confetti after a parade, all sparkling in the bright moonlight. The carnival midway of rides, sideshows, and other vendors was located near the swampy end of this low-rent section of the festival grounds was the old glue factory—once the king of its manufacturing kind, but now only useful, only coming back to life on this one night, on the Eve of the Hazel Moon.

Many who attended the festival avoided the ruins of the old factory’s carcass, but not all—different smokes for different folks.

A laidback fellow like Luke Castle, proprietor of his Lizard Shack attraction, could relax even here, his Dresden Dolls made-up eyes eager to get on with the Midwestern morning as he scratched his companion’s furry head.

Upon arriving in a new town, these free-spirited gypsies, but also carnival entrepreneurs, always conducted a ritual scavenger hunt which this morning turned up a corn snake, some tree frogs, and a red scorpion skink. They were all added to the slithering posse that was Luke’s Lizard Shack critter collection where for a single George Washington you could not only see them up close, but even pet and hold a few of them.

Sonny chomped down the rest of Luke’s discarded dinner of German spicy pork sausages. Luke grinned at him, remembering his good fortune to also spot and dig out a rare mandrake plant root which he put on display as part of his collection because of its remarkable appearance, looking like a human body.

Luke was only hours away from the three-year anniversary of his soul-searching quest to discover his true destiny. After hooking up with Sonny, it all became crystal clear—a dog’s life of leisure was the life for him, which was when he joined the carnival.

Looking at Luke Castle would remind you of an isolated, tropical, white-sand beach—the kind you discover by accident when you’ve lost your way on a remote island’s coastal road.

You know how couples who grow old together seem to end up looking alike, the same could be said of Luke and loyal sidekick, Sonny, a yellow lab. Look at them and you’d see two striking creatures with sandy blonde hair, both as fit as Olympic swimmers, and who carry themselves with a confident air of nonchalance yet polished poise. Their attitude—if you like me, great…if you don’t, I don’t give a rat’s ass.

A brisk wind blew Luke’s long bangs over to one side as a young voice broke through the thick early-evening mist that had developed during the past hour.

“Hey…you’re Mr. Luke, right?” queried a cute, strawberry-faced girl of about eighteen, while walking up to him wearing a choker and giving off a sunburned rosy glow.

Over her neck was a strap and connected to the strap a cigarette display case. She was on the clock and supposed to give out samples.

“Can I interest you in a free pack of Marlboro Reds? Oops, I was first supposed to ask if you’re a smoker…but then who isn’t these days, well, at least they told me you were.”

This slick, young, gorgeous All-American vixen was the perfect choice to be a Marlboro Girl—as irresistible as a preppie cheerleader who always wins at strip poker.
Even Sonny wasn’t immune to her charms, glanced her way for a long moment, before returning to his even more enticing rawhide bone.

“Hey there…,” Luke said, leaning against the hanging flannel camouflage blankets that made up the walls of his Lizard Shack. “Weren’t you by this way before? Wouldn’t want you to get into any trouble…I’m sure your bossman wants you to spread those samples around. And, your pitch needs a mantra…a catchy saying…you know like, Marlboro smokers would rather fight than switch!”
 
“Whoa, mister…you’re looking out for me—I like it, and this is my first time here…what’s with the nasty odor though, but I also smell something kinda delicious.”
“The delicious is coming from Mrs. Komeni’s falafel stand over by that abandoned building, just past the swamp. About Mrs. Komeni…she must care, and this is no lie, every hour, as regular as Old Faithful, I can smell that she dumps out the old coffee and brews a new batch—you just don’t see that kind of honesty much in the world.”

Luke finger-combed his Robert-Redford rusty-blonde hair, looked at Sonny and admitted, “Unfortunately, the nasty is my deal…my boa constrictor is just not herself today and is crapping all over everything. Now, are you sure you weren’t by here about a half hour ago?”
Luke took a fresh sample pack out of his blue T-shirt pocket while another was in the back pocket of his faded, worn Wrangler jeans.

“No…it must have been Vanessa…she’s the one who told me about you, which is why I came over. Come on now, you should remember her, she’s Black, you know, African American, and I’m just me, a mutt I guess,” she tried to explain, blushing as her round face twisted into the shape of a Bavarian pretzel.

“All right…let me think,” Luke replied, posting a puzzled look in her direction.

“Okay, if you didn’t notice she was Black, did you get that she looks like the supermodel, Iman? Vanessa is the kind of perfect girl who follows the rules. She was dressed the way she was supposed to be, wearing black chino shorts. Can you see that I have a skort on? Now, do you remember?”
 
With that, the Marlboro Girl did a choreographed series of spins worthy of the lead in Flash Dance, then, dropped into the full splits before repeating the routine. Now she had both Luke’s and Sonny’s full attention!
 
“See, shorts in the back, but from the front they appear to be a miniskirt!”

“Oh yeah…that’s right, the other girl had shorts on…and now that I give it a second thought, she was damned gorgeous…which must be why you girls got the Marlboro gig.”

Luke lit up a cigarette while moving over a few paces to sit on the tailgate of his ’69 Ford truck fitted with a travel camper, still in pretty good shape for its age, before continuing their conversation.


Finn McCool Excerpt

from Chapter 2

THUNDERSTRUCK



NOVEMBER WAS NO longer in a tizzy to get to the festival. With her favorite band playing in the background, the calming scent of the wafting incense, a misty stillness settled into her soul.

“There’s a melancholy magic about it, don’t you think? I found it in a thrift store. Here, like this…you open the clasps and drape it on like a coat.”

Her voice had settled into a calm cadence as if she were entering a trance.

“Then you can tighten the clasps to conform to your body. Would you like to try it on?”
“Ah…rain check on that lame idea…but how about a drink?”

Angela’s request brought November back to the future, sparking the possibility of the fantastic which sent her heart racing once again as she remembered the festival was in progress.
Over to the frig...ice cubes, Rhine wine, with a twist, and the girls downed the drinks.

“Adventure waits for no man…or woman. Let’s go!” November declared, toasting her glass to the creepy dark sky evident through the window.

“Wait, what am I going to wear?” Angela pleaded.

“Oh…go to my wardrobe and pick out the sixth item…a black, long-sleeved bustier dress and don’t forget the velvet booties that go with it.”

“You mean…I know that dress, Finn gave it to you. It’s from Paris, right? Isn’t that dress sacred to you? What’s the matter, you and rich boy not hitting it off these days?”

Finn McCool Cardinal, son of the wealthy Mr. Arturo Cardinal of Cuban cigar family business fame who also owned the mall Merry Go Round store, was the MGR manger who managed to woo November into a brief tryst.

“Look, that’s over and done with…get the dress, put it on, and let’s get going—we’re on a mission!”

As Angela changed, November was now deep in thought, her eyes dark, her brow furrowed, as Mr. G’s words of warning began pulsing with the rhythm of her pounding heart.
Worried, she couldn’t help but wonder…where’s Luna when I need her?

TO CALM HER FEARS, November needed to bring some extra protection with her and not have to rely solely on whatever powers Angela had, but where was it and what was it again? Searching the bookcases, past stacks of old concert ticket stubs, over bottles of specimens, past a mound of zippers, finally she saw the snapshot of the Grand Canyon and remembered the name.

She grabbed the jar of Tourmaline, taking in the spectrum of colors from its surface; jet black, sapphire blue, and deep violet, while forgetting for the moment Luna’s warning that some of Tourmaline’s colors can have unexpected, even dangerous properties.

Touching a corner of the stone inside the wide-mouthed jar, she chanted reverently, “Let the fates decide,” as a surge of energy snapped between them like a strong static carpet shock.

Striking a long, wooden match to light the antique ivory funeral candle, November passed the cerulean stone over and over the flame, anointed it first with water, then, performed the final purification with kosher sea salt, and all while chanting.

May air blow away negativity,
Fire burn away the dross,
Water bring tides of calm,
And air hold me steadfast.

Within moments November, poised in the Lotus position, was in a trance staring at the blue glowing stone.

“Hey…why are you sitting on the floor like a little monkey? For real…don’t you even want to see how I look?”

That snapped November back to the present and the nearly overwhelming awareness that they were missing the action at the festival.

“You are wearing the hell out of that dress. I’ll go downstairs and borrow some umbrellas while you make us some drinks for the road. Meet me by the side door,” she managed to get out, timed perfectly with a crackling thunder bolt that shook the room causing the chandelier to start swinging like a carnival ride.