Meet Fiona Davis!
New York Times Best Selling Author is joining Artful Reads this month!
New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis will be joining our February Artful Reads discussion!! She is the author of eight best-selling historical fiction novels translated into 20 languages, They are all set in iconic New York City buildings, including The Stolen Queen, The Magnolia Palace, and The Lions of Fifth Avenue, which was a Good Morning America book club pick and an Artful Reads pick we read a couple of years ago and loved!
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In preparation for her virtual visit and based on her recommendation, we are reading two of Fiona's works. In January, we talked about The Magnolia Palace, and on February 11th at 4:30, we will be discussing her latest book, The Stolen Queen. We have teamed up with the Dunlap Public Library since 2020 to discuss "arty" reads of various genres. We meet virtually every month, the second Wednesday of the month. We would love to have you join us for our monthly discussions or just Fiona's visit!
You do not have to live in the Dunlap Library district to be a book club member: we actually have a couple of members who live on the East Coast! ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Please email mweyeneth@dunlaplibrary.org for a meeting invite. Please register at least one hour prior to the book club.
It All Started with a Burst of Color
Celeste Restrepo
Owner, Creative Soul-Create*Connect*Shop, LLC
September 5, 2018, I saw beautiful colors and swirls in my right field of vision as I turned on the light to start my day. As beautiful as it was, I knew something was wrong. I started a journey to discover what caused these ongoing “personal art shows”, and eventually it was determined that I had a brain tumor. (Don't let up when you know something isn't right with your health.) Two very good friends guided me to Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, MN. During this process, I questioned whether or not I would survive brain surgery and if so what the diagnosis would be.
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I was one of the lucky ones. I had a non-cancerous tumor. The experience of thinking maybe my time was up made me appreciate EVERY moment in my life - with my husband, my children, and the friends I cherish.
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Not a day goes by nor a special event that I don't offer up thanks for being here to experience it. Each milestone with my kids is sweeter. I feel compelled to make the most out of every moment in my life. I began to reevaluate my life and wanted to spend more time doing the things that fed my creative soul. I decided to focus on art and to empower others to discover and develop their own creative souls.
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My experience truly taught me the value of everyday moments. None of us knows how many moments we have left. I want everyone to be able to step away from the daily grind and appreciate as well as look to create the moments that matter.
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Creative Soul enables me to share the beauty of art, offer classes, and give you an experience that you can cherish with your friends and family. It is also important to me to use Creative Soul to support non-profit organizations that have made an impact on my life, and the lives of people that I care about. I'm proud that Creative Soul and its customers have done that since opening day and we currently support 16 non-profits.
We remember one of my creative inspirations: my aunt, Yvette Lurie of St. Amour France,
who created beauty and warmth. She was the biggest fan (from castles to concert stages)
and served as inspiration for my uncle, concert pianist Robert Lurie. She lost her battle with
COVID 12/26/20 L. 'amour véritable ne meurt jamais- Real love never dies.
