Crimson Clouds

Robert is at a crossroads. Just retired from a brilliant career as a UN manager in humanitarian aid, he could work as a high-level consultant or pursue his childhood dream of becoming an artist. He chooses the latter to the dismay of his wife Kay. Twenty years his junior, she is a lover of Contemporary Art, deeply involved in her work as the owner of a trendy art gallery in New York. She is horrified by his academic paintings. They fight over Art - he’s square, she’s cool - but more separates them than diverging views on Art. A secret Kay has never revealed weighs on their marriage and threatens to break it apart…
This is the second edition, fully revised and with new material, of “A Hook in the Sky” (published in 2012). In contrast to the first edition that reflected only Robert’s point of view, we now have Kay with all her emotions and opinions. As a result, the book resonates with the complexities and wistfulness of mature passion and is focused on romance the second time around. The title was changed to reflect this new dimension.
Editorial Reviews:
Highlights from Writer’s Digest, Reader's Favorite, and Goodreads (comments concern the first edition, “A Hook in the Sky”):
From the Judge, Writer’s Digest Self-Published e-Book Awards:
-“This book shows an impressive knowledge of art and art history, as well as technique…it gives a sense of place and time to the story… I really enjoyed the descriptions of the cities and the art.”
From Reader’s Favorite:
-"it's unpredictable, which adds extra interest to this well written and entertaining book...it hooks the reader's attention from the very start" (Stephanie Dagg )
-"a deeply thoughtful story of one man's life and how he comes to peace with his mission in life... it conveys a message that will last in the readers' minds long after the story is finished” (Alice D.)
From Goodreads Boomer Lit Group when it was selected Book of the Month (January 2013):
-“no dearth of twists and turns in this book; toward the end these are completely unexpected. You find yourself holding your breath, quite literally!” (Jo VonBargen);
-“beautifully original and yet heartbreaking. The story is a study in the futility of chasing happiness through selfishness” (Lisa Deckert);
-"it bounces between worldly cynicism and humanitarian values, between greed and self-denial, between lust and love” (Stephen Woodfin);
-“I can't remember a better job of getting inside the male psyche than Claude has done here” (Lee Holz);
- “Claude has captured the human conditions of weakness and cowardice” (Lillian Wade);
- “a great job of describing the surroundings in a way that allows the reader to see and feel what it is that the characters are seeing and feeling… By the time Robert moved to Italy, I saw him as a martyr” (June McCullough)