A-R International: J. F. Kaufmann

J. F. Kaufmann
Authors-Readers Internaional

Not unlike my characters, I lead a double life: by day I’m an employee in a public library, mother of two teenage boys, a friend, a colleague, and the Queen of my kitchen. When the moon arises, however, I shift into my other self and, as Queen of the Night, reign in the magical world of Langaer.

As long as I can remember, my life has been centered around books, reading and writing. I studied linguistics and literature; I worked as a magazine and newspaper editor, literary fiction editor and teacher. For the last eighteen years I’ve been working for Calgary Public Library, in different capacities, surrounded by books and people who love to read.

Currently, J. F. Kaufmann works for the Calgary Public Library as a reference assistant and cataloguer, helping readers discover great books and creating book lists of recommended reads.

She is the author of two novels of the Red Cliffs Chronicles series:
The Two-Blood Legacy and Guardian of the Realm.

Kaufmann has also published Once Upon a Night, a novella in two stories. Kaufmann writes about love gone wrong, love done right, and the barriers people put up between. Each story is short, spicy and romantic. The characters are sympathetic; the stories believable.

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I was first introduced to J. F. Kaufmann by another CPL librarian who had suggested she call me for a consult on her writing. We didn’t meet until years later, at the library, of course, and Kaufmann has been extremely supportive since then of my own books and writing. When I returned to Calgary to give a talk at the library, she (under her actual name of Jasna Tosic) facilitated and was part of a discussion about publishing and getting published, along with Calgary author Randy McCharles and me. The 12-Step Programme to Successful Self-Publication – Talk and panel discussion at CPL

We’ve remained in contact over the years and have continued to read and promote each other’s books. Over this past winter, Kaufmann began painting and posting her artwork on Facebook. I loved what she was creating, so imagine my surprise when she sent me this piece she had completed that she said was inspired by my novel, Island in the Clouds! And that’s the name she gave this piece. I LOVE IT! I’m thinking … Book Cover Art! I’d better get writing. (There’s more infomation on Jasna Tosic’s artwork below.)

“Island in the Clouds”

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The Two-Blood Legacy: The Red Cliffs Chronicles Book 1

The Two-Blood Legacy is a contemporary fantasy novel about a young wizardess unaware of her legacy and a wolf-man reluctant to take over his responsibility — until their paths cross. Between them and the future is an ancient alliance to honour, a brutal enemy to outwit, a war to win, and the question neither of them knew the answer to: did destiny bring them together only to separate them for eternity?

The Two-Blood Legacy is available for pre-order on Amazon and Draft2Digital, and it will be launched on June 30^th. The Guardian of the Realm will follow within a week.

What J.F. Kaufmann is working on now: This year in March, I published Best Friends and Other Lovers, a novel-sized collection of three contemporary love stories, connected through their characters. I’m currently working on the next Red Cliffs novel, but I also want to continue to explore shorter literary forms.

About acrylic pouring by Jasna Tosic

I started with acrylic pouring about a year ago, trying to find a compromise between my need to express myself through colours and shapes, and my lack of talent for drawing. I soon realized that this technique is perfect for me – fun, fulfilling and forgiving. Although there is so much to learn about acrylic pouring, it really doesn’t require any previous drawing or painting knowledge, just a sense of colours and a feel for composition.

The results are often delightfully unexpected, and inspiration sometimes works in reverse. You make a painting and then you realize that it reminds you of a novel you’ve read (such as “Island in the Clouds”), or of a dream, a memory, a feeling.

Acrylic pouring is an abstract fluid painting technique based on specific gravity of each color (gravity is the ratio of the density of the pigment to the density of water.) Depending on the method, the liquified paints are layered in a cup, poured over a painting surface (such as canvased, wood panels or ceramic tiles) and distributed by moving and tilting until the desired composition is created.

Layering and mixing paints of different gravity produce different effects. The heavier paints interact with the lighter ones as they sink through them, creating unique and beautiful images.

I do commissions and, occasionally, sell a piece. This summer, I plan to have an a “yard art sale” to sell some of my 150+ piece collection (and make room for more paintings!)

For more information about J. F. Kaufmann, her books, writing and painting, please see her website.

J. F. Kaufmann has previously been a guest on Reading Recommendations in Oct. 2015.