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Author Jan Sikes has a #NewRelease

10/27/2022

57 Comments

 
Hello blog friends,

Today I'm hosting writer Jan Sikes as she celebrates her latest publication - Saddled Hearts. Jan shares a tidbit of the story below and offers a special incentive -- a scavenger hunt with a $25 Amazon Gift Card as First Prize and a free eBook for the second prize. 

​Please join me in welcoming Jan and wishing her all the best by offering a big shout-out:
​CONGRATULATIONS!
​
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​Thank you so much, Gwen, for opening your blog to me. I am thrilled to be here to talk about my newest book, Saddled Hearts!!

I love creating characters. It is one of the most exhilarating pieces to writing a story. My female character was barely introduced in Book 1, Ghostly Interference. There were no details shared about her in that book except that she had the gift of communicating with the deceased.
​
So, in Saddled Hearts, she is the female protagonist, and I had so much fun crafting her personality and sharing her gift.
​
Sage is thirty and a widow. Her husband, Jasper, passed away five years earlier, leaving her alone. She’d always known she had the gift of mediumship. But after Jasper died, she dedicated herself to learning how to fully utilize her gift. Here is how I pictured Sage to look. 


EXCERPT:

I loved writing the scene where Sage shares a little bit about the process she underwent to fully activate her gift:
​
After they placed their order, he leaned forward. “I have to tell you I’m still reeling from the session with you yesterday. You talked about things you couldn’t have known about. Things no one else knows but me. How does that even happen?”

She toyed with her napkin. “I always knew I was different. As a child, I would see and talk to people in my bedroom when no one was there but me. My folks didn’t know what to think. They shrugged it off as an overactive imagination.”

“I get the feeling something big happened to cause you to explore or perhaps expand your abilities.”

“My husband, Jasper, died five years ago in a horrific car accident.” She sighed and looked away. “It was after that I began to really explore my gift. I needed desperately to communicate with him.”

“I’m so sorry. That had to be hard.” Colt rested his elbows on the table. “Did you guys have any kids?”

“No. We thought we had plenty of time ahead to start a family.” She chewed her bottom lip. “I won’t lie. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through. Still is. But it started me down this path of helping others.”

“I can’t even visualize how someone does that. Is there some sort of school you go to?” He reached for his tea glass.

“They’re called mystery schools. I studied in South America, Ireland, Egypt, and Colorado. They teach you how to fine-tune your talents and use tools to enhance your abilities.”

“Tools?”

“Yes, like crystals and gemstones. Tarot cards play a big part in it, as well. Which reminds me—I intended to draw cards for you yesterday, but we never got to it.”

Colt leaned back against the multi-colored cushion. “You know, ever since I walked into the New Age Life Center yesterday, I’ve felt like I landed in a foreign country. All the stones and cards and books, then the session with you…I’m more than a little overwhelmed.”

She grinned. “I get that. Really, I do. It’s all so different from everyday life and yet all interconnected.”

BOOK BLURB:
 
Colt Layne owns the Layne Horse Sanctuary. He lives an idyllic life between caring for the animals and playing music with his band. That is, until a stranger appears with unreasonable demands. When someone murders the man, Colt is arrested. He’s been framed, but by whom and why? 

He needs to talk with his deceased grandfather. But that’s impossible. Or is it?

Sage Coventry is gifted with the ability to communicate with the deceased. Skeptical but desperate, when Colt consults with her, he gets more than messages from beyond the grave as she breezes into his heart with sweet patchouli fragrance and tempting lips he longs to kiss.
​
The race against time to clear his name and save the ranch launches them on a mission that brings shocking revelations.

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​BOOK TRAILER
 
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57 Comments

A Choka Poem for #TankaTuesday

10/25/2022

28 Comments

 
Hello blog friends, I've got a new poem to share. Writer/poet Anita Dawes selected the theme for this week, and it is: what you wish for. 
The poet master, Colleen Chesebro, often encourages budding poets to stretch and learn different poetic forms. With her urging in mind, I decided to write a choka poem. I had never heard of this form before today, so you are my test readers. 😊

Choka is a Japanese story-telling form of nine lines with this syllabic format: 5-7-7-5-7-5-7-7-7. There are a few variations of this form, but the one I've listed is the one I'm using.

My choka is a prayer and a story. I hope you like it.  
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I hope you have a wonderful week!  ❤️
28 Comments

Crafting realistic characters

10/19/2022

 
Hello dear blog friends.

​Today I'm at Story Empire discussing an unusual subject with author John Howell -- writing Different-Than-You Gender Characters. In our current woke environment, we tackle this complicated topic and invite discussion. Won't you stop by for a visit? You can do so here. 
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Have a great day! 

Remembering You

10/12/2022

45 Comments

 
Hello blog friends!

I hope your week is going well. In my part of the world, it's time for harvest. I share my crops of zucchini, tomatoes, and pumpkins with the local food bank because there are only so many veggies my hubby and I can eat. It's been a fun process, and now I'm planning for next year. 

As the temperatures fall, I become a bit nostalgic. Do you? My poem reflects that sentiment through a new form. This week Colleen Chesebro asks that we create a poem following the specific syllabic form of the Troiku. Writer Kerfe Roig selected this form and explains it on her site. Basically, it is a haiku from which the rest of the poem is created. Each line of the first poem begins the following poem. It's a little complicated, but I gave it a try. 

Have a wonderful week and enjoy the October change of seasons.  🍂🍁🍂
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45 Comments

A Ruby Red #TankaTuesday

10/5/2022

32 Comments

 
Hello, dear blog friends.

I've a poem to share in response to author Colleen Chesebro's poetry challenge.

This week she asks that we choose our own syllabic form and feature a specific color in our poem. She also suggests we consider the symbolism of the color. 

I've chosen ruby red, and through my Tanka, I've tried to capture the passion that is often associated with that color. I hope you enjoy it!

​We all need a little passion, right? ❤️
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Have a great week! 
32 Comments
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Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. ―Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning


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