Artistic Crafts & Gifts Article

On Top of the World News — Artistic Crafts & Gifts By Chris Kilbride

The Artistic Crafts and Gifts group’s Tuesday Crafts Show is now on summer hiatus — but our On Top of the World resident crafters featured on ArtisticCrafts.org are still open for business daily! 

For a great summer binge read, we are featuring Ivan Obolensky, our local author of the award-winning Eye of the Moon series (Book 1, Eye of the Moon, Book 2, Shadow of the Son, and Book 3, Dark of the Earth), published by the family business, Smith-Obolensky Media.

Mary Jo Smith-Obolensky, the CEO of both Smith-Obolensky Media and its parent company (the translations boutique Dynamic Doingness, Inc.), draws from forty years of executive experience across a variety of industries to publish media in English and Latin American Spanish. Under her guidance, six products were launched across the world within eight years, in multiple formats and through many platforms. Two more book launches are expected this year.

Joanna, her daughter, has worked twenty-five years in the publishing industry in different roles to support the team as the Executive Assistant. Ivan hailed from a background of thirty years in management, sales, and finance when he met Mary Jo, and he started writing professionally shortly after they married. Recognizing his storytelling talent, she encouraged him to write nonfiction articles on the social sciences as part of her campaign to promote literacy and curiosity.

Ivan later took a short fiction course where he developed the main characters of the Eye of the Moon series, Percy and Johnny. Inspired to put these characters in the fictional world of Rhinebeck (deeply influenced by his own upbringing as the grandson of Alice Astor and Prince Serge Obolensky, and the family lore he was regaled with in his youth), Ivan crafted an exquisite universe that readers from sixteen to ninety have come to love. Reviews say they are enchanted by the rich character development, the world of Rhinebeck, the weaving of intrigue and dialogue, and the range of genres. Many said it got them reading again and others discovered the joy of reading.

The family looks forward to returning to the Artistic Crafts and Gifts Show to meet a variety of people, fellow crafters, and avid readers in that warm environment. Ivan also enjoys guest speaking at book clubs and student groups to connect more with this wonderful community.

Our artisticcrafts.org/authors page will get you in touch with Ivan and Smith-Obolensky Media directly by email or phone to arrange a local delivery or pickup within On Top of the World. Ivan will sign the book(s) and personalize for you (or as a gift) with a bag and a bookmark included. The series is also available via request through the Marion County Public Library system and/or the Libby app, including the audiobook of Eye of the Moon.

‍All On Top of the World resident crafters are welcome to sell virtually on our website through our Join page, and inquire about a table for our return on October 6 in the Recreation Center Ballroom. 

Author’s Q&A

In his words

“The tale begins when I was a teenager. My father and I would meet from time to time for lunch, usually at the St. Regis Hotel in New York. One afternoon, he talked about his mother, Alice Astor, and how she had been reading a particular Egyptian Book of the Dead the night she had died. Her death had been so unusual and mysterious that he even had her New York townhouse exorcised. My grandfather had also mentioned in his autobiography, One Man in His Time, that Alice had become deeply involved with mystics and dark forces. After she divorced her fourth husband, she found herself utterly alone. What happened after, my grandfather didn’t say, but he hinted that her death was unexpected, unnecessary, and well before her time.

The story stuck with me, but what ultimately aroused my curiosity was an article in a 1997 issue of W Magazine, entitled, ‘Black Mischief’, with the subheading: ‘While researching Secret Muses, her acclaimed biography of Sir Fredrick Ashton, Julie Kavanagh unearthed the bizarre story of his patron Alice Astor. An influential heiress whose friends included Gore Vidal and Truman Capote, her last years were marked by a fascination with the occult. Did it also play a part in her death?’ The article concluded that she was likely murdered. I thought that was improbable, but the possibility was intriguing. My fiction series Eye of the Moon was the result.”

Explore the world behind the Eye of the Moon series with more of Ivan’s stories, thoughts on the occult, and family histories on his blog.

Start Your Journey

In his words

“The tale begins when I was a teenager. My father and I would meet from time to time for lunch, usually at the St. Regis Hotel in New York. One afternoon, he talked about his mother, Alice Astor, and how she had been reading a particular Egyptian Book of the Dead the night she had died. Her death had been so unusual and mysterious that he even had her New York townhouse exorcised. My grandfather had also mentioned in his autobiography, One Man in His Time, that Alice had become deeply involved with mystics and dark forces. After she divorced her fourth husband, she found herself utterly alone. What happened after, my grandfather didn’t say, but he hinted that her death was unexpected, unnecessary, and well before her time.

The story stuck with me, but what ultimately aroused my curiosity was an article in a 1997 issue of W Magazine, entitled, ‘Black Mischief’, with the subheading: ‘While researching Secret Muses, her acclaimed biography of Sir Fredrick Ashton, Julie Kavanagh unearthed the bizarre story of his patron Alice Astor. An influential heiress whose friends included Gore Vidal and Truman Capote, her last years were marked by a fascination with the occult. Did it also play a part in her death?’ The article concluded that she was likely murdered. I thought that was improbable, but the possibility was intriguing. My fiction series Eye of the Moon was the result.”