Thankful

What am I thankful for?  I have been seeing so many comments in different places and from different people expressing the numerous things they are thankful for.  Some have even asked that I join in and daily post what I am thankful for as they are doing on their facebook pages.  I have no objection to that, but have felt an unnerving quiet as of late.  A strange feeling, almost of sadness or quiet acceptance enveloped me for some time now. 

I am not giving up in the struggle to go on in life, although I will admit that I have felt unwell for so very long now.  I have some days that are better than others but every day is such a challenge.  I understand depression, as I have felt the devastating oppression a person can feel when lost in that state.  I know what it is to feel so lost and alone.  That was not what it was this time.

Each and every person has their own beliefs and faiths.  Believing in my heart that there is a God, and I am never truly alone, has helped to bring me safely through in this life and given me the strength to go on.  I am thankful to the depths of my soul.

If it is not depression.  There is still the question of what this odd almost paralyzing malaise might be.  There are so many things that I want to write and even more that I want to do.  Every day things in home and life seem more than what I can accomplish.  The feeling is not one of distress or anguish but quiet....very quiet.

A friend and relative of ours was facing her last days as the cancer she had fought for so long had finally won, and it was only a matter of time.  I remember when they told her she had cancer... and they told me I had cancer.  She held my hand as I told her we would not give up.  It is never over until it is time, and it is done, and we could make every day special.  She was a little tiny woman in size but in heart and attitude she was awesome.  Time passed and we continued to try to keep heart and see each day as a blessing.  When it became apparent the cancer was winning and the days were numbered, I held her hand in mine and she smiled.  She was weak, but there were no words needed.  Two old women who had faced so much in their lives and together shared a bond needed no words.  When she or I would say "so tired.." we knew that others would never fully understand those simple words unless they too had felt that kind of tired.

She passed from this life to the next and this is what I made for her.....

When the strife and trials of this life are over and it is time to go on beyond,,,, beyond the aches of the body and pain of the soul, to a place ....beyond the comprehension of what we know of this world to the beauty ahead, the peace and
tranquility, the answers to the problems we ponder in this life ..... beyond the anger or hurt to love so pure and sweet that it is, and surrounds, and becomes a part of us as we with it. A place where loved ones wait to join us and welcome us home.


I will admit that I am tired.  I am still trying, but I am so very tired.  She is ever in my heart and mind this day as they lay her to rest.

When I look at the title of this blog it says Thankful.  I am thankful, but not for one thing.  There are so many things I am thankful for it would be hard to find words to tell all about them.  I am thankful for those in my life and the love and heart we share.  I am thankful for all of those through all the years sharing friendship, encouragement and support.  I am ever so thankful for all of those friends who are with me now in heart if not in person and inspire me so much. 

I am thankful for the love of my family.  That is not one that I can explain in only a paragraph or even a page.  That is a subject that fills my heart.

I am also thankful for the many friends I have met here on line.  That may sound strange and I have had so many people make comments such as "They are not real friends, they are only internet friends."

I have to smile as I think....  To me a real friend is someone who cares about you.  They may be far away or maybe you have never met in person, but they know you and care about you.  You might have people who smile to your face but behind your back, what they say might almost bring you to tears if you thought they were really your friends.  You might have people that when ever they need something they love you dearly but when you need something they are busy.  You also might have those who care about you no matter what and never forget you.  You have a friend.

I am thankful for all of those thought all the years have and are my friend.  I am thankful for all of those with me and around me now who are my friends.  I am thankful too for those dear friends I have never met and may never meet in person but they are my friends.

I want to mention Twitter. @LindaJNance I did not know what to think about twitter but decided to give it a try.  I have met some of the nicest people there.  I thank you one and all for all of the help in retweeting the things I have shared even when I was unable to be there and return the favor.  I want to thank all of those who did not forget me.  I not only noticed all that you do and thank you but it touches me so much.  Someone cares.

Facebook has been amazing.  It has given me a place to share so many things and meet so many wonderful people.  I have the fan page and also the writer's group page where we can share things helping one another not only about the projects we are working on but interesting facts that might help others along the way with what they are working on.  https://www.facebook.com/LindaNanceFanPage

Linkedin, Google+ and so many other places are fantastic with so many interesting people.  I wish I could do more in all of them.

There is also this blog.  I titled it More Than Just A Story In A Book.  When I first started this I had no idea what I was doing.  I was fairly new to the internet and had never blogged before.  I had the book I had published Life Goes On out and decided to create a blog.  I knew that I want to share many other books I have written and will write but also more than that.  I wanted to be able to share me behind the books.  I wanted to share some of what was in the books not just the words or story of the book.  I was not sure exactly what I wanted, but I wanted to be able to have a way to reach out that was real and was me.  The books are my dream come true but I am more than the books that I write.  I am more than a woman that writes. 

As I have had this desire to be able to reach out beyond the pages of the books or the limits of my surroundings and have a voice that would never die, I have tried many things.  I got a message from a woman who had bought my children's book for her daughter.  This is what she wrote on Amazon  http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R34Z87307PN334/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1461044812&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=266239&store=books

She read the book to her daughter and liked it so well, they shared it with her teacher and she in turn read it to the whole class.  For so many years I have used this little story to reach out to others in many different ways depending on the person, age and or need.  Every line in it can be used in more than one way.  Just as what we see and live in life may often have different or more meaning as we get older or see more the little story has the ability to be more than just the words on a page or story in a book.  That is what I had hoped but when I heard from her I had to smile and feel as if it was a dream come true.  It was not that she bought the book.  Of course I would love to sell a million of every one of my books but it was that the book had conveyed meaning and interest to her and her daughter... and her teacher.... and the class.   She had talked to the school and mentioned to me that she and they understand that I do get tired but would love if I could write a letter to the class of children.  I can hardly wait.  Who knows what all those little ones will do in their lives or write or create.  I am just so excited.  I will write again and share all of this as it progresses. 

Well, I am again tired and going to close for now.  I will say that I am Thankful.  I am thankful for each and every day and for what ever I am able to do in those days.  I am thankful for more things than words could tell, but I am going to continue to try to share some of the wonderful things and people that make me smile.  I hope each and everyone of you has a wonderful day.

I want to take the time to say, "until we meet again" to Aunt Georgia.   It is not good bye but until we meet again.  I hope you will remember with the kindest thoughts and prayers those who feel the loss of her with us here in this life.

Silver Moon

When you look for a good book to read there are so many to choose from.  Silver Moon is a book that has so much more than a good story well told.  It leaves no emotion untouched as the drama of the story escalates with the suspense, romance and action of the characters involved and their lives.  The realistic portrayal of the rodeo life's style leaves the reader feeling as if they were there... not only seeing, hearing, smelling and feeling the events, but they gather a better understanding from and inside point of view of the Old West Culture and the sport of Rodeo.  There are many books written including such things, but this story reveals details and subtle things not just found in a simple research of the subject.  A love of that way of life and knowing real people can inspire a writer to develop fictional characters and a story that comes to life.

Jetta described it like this..."The American Cowboy is a real life hero whose memory has crossed generations.  His courage and patriotism has been kept alive through music and the written word, and rodeo.  The horses, those Stetsons and Boots, the competition to tame the wild beast are all captivating and perhaps a bit hypnotic.  There is an intensity and vibrant life you can feel in rodeo and the people there."

When you think about what a hero really is there are many things that come to mind but Jetta has an interesting way to think about it.  "A hero is someone who takes the appropriate action at the appropriate time regardless of personal risks.  Sometimes that hero saves others, or saves the situation, sometimes the hero saves themselves"  As you read Silver Moon you can see that thought as you can in real life viewing characters that apply these attributes.  Jessica Warnick is one character that is complex but has depth and heart.  She has to find the courage to do what she feels is right even if it breaks her heart to take a stand.  I will not tell you what her choices are or what she finds the courage to do.  I will tell you that you will want to know these characters as the people they become in this story.  You will love them, hate them, become angry with them for some of their choices and actions but all of that is what makes this more than a simple story and more of a tale to be remembered.  You will find things you love and things you hate but you will not find a lack of emotions including some humor.

In Silver Moon, the rodeo is a bond of four characters all looking for change in their lives and the hope of much money to be made.  Each of the four have different objectives and find life does not always follow the best made plans.  Every person has their own dreams in life.  Some dream to be free from a relationship they are in while others dream to hold on to one.  She dream for change in the opportunity to prove themselves and others want to change the direction of their lives while they still have time.  None of them is prepared or foresees all involved in the changes that will come.  This fast paced and interesting book involves the reader with the characters during their physical and emotional challenges, personal triumphs and losses.  Bonded together by a business venture of the Rodeo, the four people dream and hope they will be able to make the changes they so desire, never dreaming that all things have consequences including what makes dreams come true or become a nightmare. 

Instead of telling you the story in the book I will tell you not to miss the special event July 19th, 20 and 21st.  For these three days Silver Moon is celebrating and offering it free sharing the intense and riveting novel to all.        http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Moon-ebook/dp/B006IYF3JK/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_t_4

See and learn more about the author here and many others sites.  Jetta is a member of the NEA Writer's Group and is inspirational, supportive, informative and a delight to all who know her.  She share many links and other things of interest on her pages and the group page of     https://www.facebook.com/LindaNanceNEAWriters 

facebook page is   https://www.facebook.com/JettaStone

        and      https://www.facebook.com/Stone2.J

That Ain't No Bull   Blog   http://jettastone1.blogspot.com/

    jettastone1(Twitter)

Amazon Author Central Page     http://www.amazon.com/Jetta-Stone/e/B005UNPFU2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

The Tangled Web reviewed by Linda Nance

The Tangled Web takes the reader on a journey.  As I read the Tangled Web, I could see and feel and hear the island.  This was not written by the uninformed.  Aspects of more than just the island are done in detail and accuracy.  It uses a realistic sense of scenes and people.  The writer found a way to create characters and places or scenes, that could by words on a page, allow me as a reader to enjoy intensity of the scenes and seas, islands, beauty, lush complexities and even the unforgiving nature there with so much more that lies just below the surface of the sea as well as the heart of man.

The characters involved are developed and written prompting the reader to get to know them and discover their many qualities and depths, as well as secretes so much more than the obvious.  It is not a simple story played out to quickly scan through and move on.  This is a novel of depth that allows you to know people instead of viewing characters.  You begin to feel the warm moist tropical air hearing the rhythmic ocean calling you to know and read more. 

I have mentioned the island so much, perhaps because after reading The Tangled Web I would so love to see such beauty and a sincerity of some of it's people.  When the story skips around the globe in locations and scenes, it is realistic in vividly accurate details.  I can go to lands far and away and know people of many and varied characteristics as I hold this story in the palm of my hand.  You begin to know these people.  You see these places.  You are caught in the Tangled Web of it all and can not put it down or forget until you know......

You feel the heat of the tropics but also the realistic reactions of the people, life, drama, tension, passion, and more.

It may be a Tangled Web but with people who hope to find a way and make it better than before.  The warm moist heat of the tropics may fuel the imagination but the heat of passion will ignite as those looking for depth and meaning, and answers hope to part the tangled web and find truth revealed.  They can pray there will be a way to build and find understanding.

The Tangled Web carries the reader far and away with every page leaving the reader wanting more.  That brings me to think about what is to come.  I feel as if I have come to know this author. I feel with all of my heart and soul she is my friend.  She is a very real and heart felt person of not only depth of character but also talent and inspiration.  She has such a depth of character with in herself allowing her to see beyond the surface and be able to translate life's lessons into written text than not only allows you to see and know, but also feel the story.  I say feel because it is more than anticipation to view the next event in the story.  It is to feel the fear, frustration, dread, betrayal, secrets, confusion and more.  There is a passion to life, integrity, truth, people, friends and those we might love.  In a story of such depth how much more is there to discover?

Read the Tangled Web and decide for yourself.  It is more than just a story in a book.  It is a work of fiction that makes it come to life.


Joan Lane or JP Lane is one of our writers group here online.  It is wonderful getting to know one another even if it is near and far.  We may have a distance in miles but not in heart and we are only a click away.  Joan has some wonderful blogs and other things of interest you might love to share.  Taking the time to join her and see so many things of interest will be a pleasure....

Visit J.P. Lane at www.jp-lane.com

Follow her on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/jpLANEauthor

Joan P. Lane  on FaceBook   https://www.facebook.com/joanp.lane

Author JP Lane    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-JP-Lane/206996489420044?ref=notif&notif_t=fbpage_fan_invite 

http://www.amazon.com/J.P.-Lane/e/B0080RI8BS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/2504441-there-s-an-element-of-truth-to-every-fictional-tale 

Review by Deb Hockenberry Life Goes On

Life Goes On

TITLE: Life Goes On
AUTHOR: Linda Nance
PUBLISHER: Createspace (October 5, 2000)
FORMAT: Paperback, Kindle
PAGES: 256
PRICE: $12.99 – Paperback, $4.95 – Kindle
ISBN – 10: 1453780130
ISBN – 13: 9781453780138


John and Becky had a wonderful life until one day disaster struck. John was laid off at the factory and they all had to move into a rundown apartment building in a very bad neighborhood. Unknown to their children, John and Becky have received an eviction notice to vacate the apartment in ten days.

Their two oldest children were caught up in the neighborhoods activities. Bobby was learning the tricks of the trade of running drugs with the gang he considered his family. The oldest daughter, teenaged Donna, was caught up in the wrong type of crowd constantly partying, doing drugs and drinking. The youngest child, Stacy, was still a good kid but was beginning to following in her older sibling’s footsteps.

It looks like all hope is gone for the family. Ah, but John has a plan. He secretly contacts a relative for help. The relative is more than helpful and offers John more than he could ever hope for.

Neither John nor Becky wanted runaway kids on their hands. They love their children too much and knew the life their kids would be running too. But John and his relative have a plan already in motion to prevent that.

I have to admit that at first I didn’t like Life Goes On since there’s so much attitude and disrespect from the kids. Although this is very realistic, it doesn’t make a relaxing read for me. So, I started it over and was pleasantly surprised after I read on just why Linda Nance started the book the way she did. Soon, I couldn’t put Life Goes On down.

I highly recommend action packed story for both adults and young adults. Life Goes On is a story about what real families can do in the toughest times. Even if the families are separated by states!

You can learn more about Linda Nance by visiting her blog at: http://linda-nance.blogspot.com. You can also find out about Linda at her Amazon Page at: http://www.amazon.com/Linda-Nance.

To purchase this page turner just go to Amazon.com, Amazon.com (the Kindle store), Amazon.ca, or Amazon.co.uk. You can also buy Life Goes On directly from the publisher at http://www.createspace.com/3478911

JOURNEY HOME REVIEW BY FRAN LEWIS

Lara, Allen, Donald and Kate are great characters to begin your own detective series. Fran
Journey Home
Author: Linda Nance

Reading a will should involve informing the parties stated in the will what they have inherited. However, that is not always the case. Often times there are hidden surprises that family members are not aware of, people added to the will who are not relatives and have been given a bequest and stipulations that must be met before receiving your inheritance. At times it might even require delaying reading and executing the will until certain requirements are met.

Lara Stanley’s life is about to drastically change. Divorcing an abusive man, a mother who abandoned her at an early age and a father who was murdered, Lara went to live with her Uncle and Aunt, which proved to be wonderful. But, she needed more. Upon hearing of her uncle’s death she was summoned to come back to her hometown for what she assumed was the reading of the will. But, Lara was going to learn that there was much more to her uncle’s will and her bequest as she embarks on her journey home.

As Lara’s journey begins when she meets some wonderful people in her hometown. But, not everyone is glad that she has returned. Strange hang-ups on her phone, an uneasy feeling that someone was following and watching her plus unwanted visitors to her uncle’s home, including the deputy sheriff whom she had a strange encounter with are just a small part of what happens. But, there is much more.

“A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his estate and provides for the transfer of his property at death. For the devolution of property not disposed of by will, see inheritance and intestacy,” as defined in the dictionary. Sounds almost cut and dry. People are named to receive property, money or other types of inheritances; they are sent a copy beforehand and when the will is out of probate, receive their rightful inheritance. But, what happens when a stranger is added? What happens when one of the stipulations of the will is that you reside in your uncle’s home for nine months or lose the house and it goes to this stranger? Even more unsettling is the will cannot be opened or read until the nine months are up. Why? Only our author and this reviewer are privy to this information and everyone else will have to read the book to find out the answers.

The deputy sheriff is bent on unnerving not only the people in the town but Lara too. What happens next and the events that follow will unnerve the reader and reinforce why security systems, caller ID’s and other safety measures are necessary when living alone.

Allen Coleman came into Lara’s life just at the right time. Although he appears out of nowhere and is the stranger named in her uncle’s will he becomes more than that to her. Along with Allen there are many others who help create their own protection team in order to uncover what really happened to her uncle, aunt, his worker and many others.

Strange events occur that would make someone think they were losing their mind. Small things out of place, doors unlocked after you locked them, lights that are on and other little things most people would ignore signal Lara that someone is stalking her but why? As she gets closer to Allen and Donald she reveals many other unsettling events. What would you say to someone who thinks that a deceased relative seems to be communicating with him or her? What would you say if they told you they could smell their cologne or cigar? You would think they were crazy. Lara, Donald and Allen share these thoughts and experiences and what they realize will astound the reader.

As the story evolves and the author brings in more characters we meet Johnny, a private investigator, Dennis a body guard and Marla Lara’s best friend who all play an important role in helping to find out who is behind what might be the murder of her relatives, one special friend to Lara, and many more. Hindering them every step of the way is the deputy sheriff and a man named Paul who has been watching Lara, stalking her and verbally abuses her and many others. Together he and the deputy sheriff along with two other people form a deadly combination. What is behind their madness and what are they hiding? You won’t believe what is really happening in this quiet town of closely knit people right in plain sight, but with blind eyes. As the dragnet widens, the truth about our deputy unfolds, his actions are frightening and those that suffer will never be the same even if they survive.

When the past becomes your present and what you think you have lost comes back for revenge, you won’t believe the end result nor why. Told in the third person narrative, feeling the frustration, pain and anguish after losing her only family, afraid for her survival Lara’s voice and plight are clearly heard as author Linda Nance leads the reader the rest of the way on Lara’s final steps in her journey home.

Who was trying to kill Lara? Who believed she would inherit a fortune after the will was finally read? Who wanted her out of the way for their own personal gain? Who felt they were unstoppable and had just cause for the acts that were committed? Let’s hope no one ever personally finds this out.

Many people feel the spirit of those deceased enveloping them and trying to communicate with the living. Allen, Donald and Lara have experienced this phenomenon. As Allen and Donald explore the fishing dock to find out what happened to Paul and why he is missing, Allen receives a message that would change the direction and the course of events. Hearing the author’s voice as she recounts the events as they happen, the characters errors, flaws and mistakes author Linda Nance awakens the reader’s understanding of what greed, hate, revenge and deceit really mean.

An ending that you will not see coming and friendships that will remain forever, Linda Nance gives new meaning to love, friendship, justice and one woman’s hope for her final journey to a real home. Who is behind all of the events from the past and the present you will not believe? A storyline that leaves room for a sequel with characters that are unforgettable and unique, Journey Home is definitely one of my top ten picks for 2010. Just what was in the will that caused the chain events? ........I will never divulge that to anyone.

Fran Lewis: reviewer

JOURNEY HOME is available at CreateSpace   https://www.createspace.com/3506777 , Amazon and many other on-line outlets.