Joy Neal Kidney's Blog, page 22

Review of “What Leora Never Knew” in “Lightning Strikes!” publication of the P-38 National Association

Lightning Strikes! is a publication of the P-38 National Association. Co-editor Steve Blake’s welcome review of What Leora Never Knew is in the latest issue:

This book, written by a P-38 National Association member, is a follow-up to Joy Neal Kidney’s previous book, Leora’s Letters, which was reviewed in the July 2021 issue of Lightning Strikes. The Leora of both titles was Joy’s grandmother, the matriarch of the extended Wilson family of central Iowa. The author is her family’s–and a regional–historian who has also published two other books on both subjects, which likewise include Leora in their titles.

The previous book discussed the effects World War II had on the large Wilson family, and to a lesser extent on the communities in which they lived. Leora Wilson had seven children–five sons and two daughters. Her sons all served in the war, two with the US Navy and three as USAAF pilots. Tragically, all three of her aviator sons were killed while flying US Army aircraft–one as the pilot of a North American B-25 Mitchell bomber that was shot down into the sea off the coast of northern New Guinea by antiaircraft fire and another who was killed in a crash while flying a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk on a training flight in Texas. The third, Second Lieutenant Daniel S. Wilson, was a P-38 pilot with the 37th Fighter Squadron of the 15th Air Force’s 14th Fighter Group in Italy. He went missing over Austria on February 19, 1945.

Leora Wilson died in 1987, as her granddaughter Joy was still engaged in her continuing research into what exactly happened to her three uncles in World War II, and to their remains. (This reviewer, a World War II aviation historian, was very impressed with the author’s determined and exhaustive research.)

While the fate of Flight Officer Claiborne J. “Junior” Wilson, the P-40 pilot, was well known, that of the other two sons and uncles were not known, until well after the end of the war. There were some unofficial reports that Second Lieutenant Dale R. Wilson–the B-25 [co]pilot–had been taken prisoner, giving the family what turned out to be a false hope. That was never confirmed, but if they were true he was likely executed by the Japanese, as were so many captured USAAF pilots and aircrewmen. Dale’s exact fate was never revealed and his remains never recovered. He was eventually declared officially deceased.

The family initially also hoped that Danny Wilson had survived as a prisoner of war, since he had simply disappeared during his attempt to photograph the damage his squadron had done to the train it just bombed and strafed. Although his squadron mates did see that his left engine was smoking, he actual fate was unwitnessed by any of them. His relatives’ hope that he would turn up as a POW after VE Day was sadly not realized. It was eventually learned that while flying very low to take the photographs, his P-38 had hit a tree and then a pole and crashed, killing its pilot. Lt. Wilson was given a proper burial by a nearby Austrian community and his remains were later located by a Graves Registration team and reinterred at the Lorraine American Cemetery in France, where they continue to rest.

Besides being a sober reminder of the lasting effects of war on families and communities, the book is also an example of how those family members cope with unimaginable loss and grief, while commemorating the sacrificed of their brave young sons, brothers, and uncles.

—–

Steve Blake

Lightning Strikes!, Vol. 37, No. 1, March 2024, published by the P-38 National Association, page 9. The front cover features the Collings Foundation Lightning taken by Hayman Tam, as professional warbird photographer and P-38 Association Life member, at the 2018 LA County Airshow.

What’s on the Cover of What Leora Never Knew?

The very creative Nelly Murariu @PixBeeDesign designed the cover of What Leora Never Knew, as well as the other Leora books. She also designed the interior and formatted the ebook.

Nelly worked with the same three posed photographs of Dale, Danny, and Junior Wilson that are on the cover of Leora’s Letters.

John Busbee actually came up with the title. I’d been trying to lead with “Leora.” Some of you helped me choose the subtitle.

“We must never forget these three brothers.” Marcus Brotherton, New York Times bestselling author – this is in the black ribbon between the Wilson brothers and the red poppies. What a generous encouragement by a well-known author.The red poppies. Chapter 1 is called “Red Crepe Paper Poppies,” especially since Grandma Leora was a member of the Legion Auxiliary in Guthrie Center. Every year she offered a red crepe paper poppy for a donation which went to a disabled veterans charity. She made sure we each had one when we accompanied her to Violet Hill Cemetery to place flowers on the graves of her three sons and Grandpa Clabe, who died in 1946.  Dr. John McCrae’s poignant 1915 poem In Flanders Fields is included in Chapter 37. It begins “In Flanders fields the poppies blow/ Between the crosses, row on row. 

Robin Grunder shepherded this book through KDP publication with her own company, Legacy Press Books. She also edited this one.

I’m grateful to those who helped make elements of the handsome cover come together for What Leora Never Knew.

An Important & Necessary Read! by Elizabeth Gauffreau

An Important & Necessary Read!

What Leora Never Knew : A Granddaughter’s Quest for Answers is the fourth book in the series Joy Neal Kidney has written about her maternal grandmother Leora Goff Wilson, beginning with Leora’s Letters: The Story of Love and Loss for an Iowa Family in World War II. Each book can be read as a stand-alone, but I would recommend reading the entire series–and reading it in order–Leora’s Letters, Leora’s Dexter Stories, Leora’s Early Years, and What Leora Never Knew.

Kidney’s quest for answers about the fate of her three uncles killed serving their country in World War II began in earnest with her grandmother’s death in 1987. Leora had left a legacy of family letters, which brought back the full extent of pain and grief the surviving family members experienced, in particular Leora’s two daughters, Doris, Kidney’s mother, and Darlene, her aunt.

Kidney was determined to discover and document as much information as she could about the specific circumstances of her uncles’ deaths to keep their memories alive for future generations of her family. As it turned out, the Leora books are now part of the historical record not only for the State of Iowa but for the entire nation.

What Leora Never Knew is the story of Kidney’s research process and findings about the circumstances of each uncle’s death and the aftermath of those deaths. As detailed in the book, Kidney became a highly skilled (and dogged!) researcher. I was very impressed by the previously-classified military records she had been able to obtain and the range of resources she employed to discover the missing pieces of her uncles’ stories.

The first section of the book introduces readers to the Wilson family, with particular emphasis on the three brothers who were lost, Dale, Danny, and Junior. Some of the information appears in prior books in the series, but it is expanded upon in this volume. These chapters cover each brother’s entry into the service, his training, the day-to-day life of the pilots, the larger context of military operations, and notification to the Wilson family of each brother’s loss, Dale and Danny missing in action, Junior killed in a training accident.

The second section of the book presents the military records that tell the story of each plane’s loss, including horrific eye witness accounts, the disposition of Junior’s body, and the searches to find Dale’s and Danny’s remains. Kidney’s matter-of-fact tone when discussing military operations, the details of the brothers’ assignments, and the missions they went on, followed by the specific circumstances of each death and subsequent search for their remains left me incredibly sad.

The official military documents, particularly the lists of personal effects–”Pants, sweat, Shirt, sweat, Drawers, wool, Undershirts, wool” (p. 85)–really brought home the fact that these were three ordinary, decent young men who were cut down before they had a chance to begin their adult lives, all for love of country. What Leora Never Knew, was an emotional read for me but an important and necessary read, both for the history of this country and for its future. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Elizabeth Gauffreau is the author of the fascinating novel, Telling Sonny, as well as the poignant Grief Songs: Poems of Love & Remembrance.

Her reviews are such gifts to readers and authors alike.

Please take a look at Liz’s website.

Here is her Amazon Author Page. 

Her Only Prescription: Keep walking, keep writing

ARNP Nelly offers no cure for this nearly-two-dozen-years of living with fibromyalgia (one quarter of my life).  Her only prescription: Keep walking, keep writing.

I am walking farther than I’ve been able to (14 blocks at once) in decades, but I come home in a slog and deal with such pain afterwards, every single time. Writing? I’m dealing with the same “brain fog” problem as a year ago. Was it because my Favorite Guy suggested I quit with the four books? Or because what wants worked on is kind of an outlier–some of the same subject matter but approaching it much more creatively.

Yes, I’m thinking free verse and have a lot of it done. Then I discovered Grant Faulkner’s The Art of Brevity. I can’t wait to try some of the stories that way!

I’m working with the stories of seven generations of my motherline, six of them Iowans. Grandma Leora is in the center of the five photos. It’s her 8th grade graduation photo. Mom’s and mine on the bottom were for high school graduation. The ones on the top are Leora’s grandmother and mother.

I’m buoyed by the examples of Elizabeth Gauffreau (Grief Songs: Poems of Love & Remembrance), Greg Seeley (The Horse Lawyer and Other Poems), and Luanne Castle (Kin Types). And the ideas in The Art of Brevity.

Have you ever played with FaceApp? I have photos of Mom and Grandma Leora in their 90s and wondered what I might look like then. Hmmm. Here’s hoping the next book is finished before I need it as an author photo!

Grant Faulkner likes to wear specific headgear while working on a manuscript. Hmmm, perhaps I should see whether wearing Mom’s Sally Victor hat, the one she wore to our wedding, might work to encourage creativity.

If you need me, I’ll be playing with titles (Meadowlark Songs: Mining the Stories of My Motherline), and watching for treasured nuggets and themes in the stories of women whose mtDNA I carry.

Prescription: Keep walking, keep writing

ARNP Nelly offers no cure for this nearly-two-dozen-years of living with fibromyalgia (one quarter of my life).  Her prescription: Keep walking, keep writing.

I am walking farther than I’ve been able to (14 blocks at once) in decades, but I come home in a slog and deal with such pain afterwards, every single time. Writing? I’m dealing with the same “brain fog” problem as a year ago. Was it because my Favorite Guy suggested I quit with the four books? Or because what wants worked on is kind of an outlier–some of the same subject matter but approaching it much more creatively.

Yes, I’m thinking free verse and have a lot of it done. Then I discovered Grant Faulkner’s The Art of Brevity. I can’t wait to try some of the stories that way!

I’m working with the stories of seven generations of my motherline, six of them Iowans. Grandma Leora is in the center of the five photos. It’s her 8th grade graduation photo. Mom’s and mine on the bottom were for high school graduation. The ones on the top are Leora’s grandmother and mother.

I’m buoyed by the examples of Elizabeth Gauffreau (Grief Songs: Poems of Love & Remembrance), Greg Seeley (The Horse Lawyer and Other Poems), and Luanne Castle (Kin Types). And the ideas in The Art of Brevity.

Have you ever played with FaceApp? I have photos of Mom and Grandma Leora in their 90s and wondered what I might look like then. Hmmm. Here’s hoping the next book is finished before I need it as an author photo!

Grant Faulkner likes to wear specific headgear while working on a manuscript. Hmmm, perhaps I should see whether wearing Mom’s Sally Victor hat, the one she wore to our wedding, might work to encourage creativity.

If you need me, I’ll be playing with titles (Meadowlark Songs: Mining the Stories of My Motherline), and watching for treasured nuggets and themes in the stories of women whose mtDNA I carry.

A New Book in the Houses of Hope Series by Sheri Smith Shonk

The Houses of Hope series follows the James family of Owens Valley, Missouri. Each book features a story of hope and redemption as the flawed and broken characters meet Jesus and HIs grace in a very real way, with a little romance along the way.

Book 4 in Sheri Smith Shonk’s Houses of Hope series is just out. Each may be enjoyed without reading the others, but I enjoyed recognizing may of the same characters from getting acquainted with them earlier in the series. 

Walk With Me (Book Four)

Veterinarian Dr. Garrett James returns home to the small town of Owens Valley, Missouri to leave behind the life he no longer wanted. His struggles to find his footing are complicated by a woman who refuses to let go of him and his interest in the quiet, sweet artist that moves in next door.

When the school where she’s taught for the last five years closes, Erin McCoy loads up her things and makes the move from the big town of Dallas to the small town of Owens Valley, Missouri to be close to her best friend. When Garrett shows up at her new place with Sadie’s husband to help unload her things, she’s flustered at the attraction she feels when he smiles down at her.

She doesn’t trust his flattery, or his freely given sexy smiles, and she isn’t sure he even shares her faith. Still, her heart races when he’s near and she laughs at his jokes even when she doesn’t want to. He’s handsome and successful, why would he want her?

Can Garrett find his way back to the steady, strong faith of his youth, forgive himself for his failings and convince Erin that his motives are true? And if he does, will his past stay in the past or will it shatter the love he and Erin find? Enjoy Garrett and Erin’s story with this fourth book in the Houses of Hope series, Walk With Me.

My take: Chemistry was not their problem, but was there hope for a future together? Art teacher Erin McCoy and veterinarian Garrett James both carry baggage from the past, both challenging to overcome. Nudged by friends, family, and scripture verses to put God first. This is such a satisfying story of including God in life, the big things and the small ones. After all, he has promised his followers a hope and a future.

—–

Dancing On (Book One)

When Sadie loses her young husband just days after his deployment only to discover that she is expecting their child, she has a decision to make. Stay in the place that reminds her of Daniel every day or go and restart her life in the town she remembers.

Weeks away from delivery Sadie makes the move from Texas to her family home in the small town of Owens Valley, Missouri. A new group of friends that love her like family and a second chance at love with rancher Dusty James, places her on a path she never expected. Will she finally have the life and family she always wanted or will tragedy strike a second time? Is she strong enough to take another chance or will fear keep her from allowing God to turn ashes to beauty in her life? Her story is just beginning.

To Sing a New Song (Book Two)

Jillian James had a gift. Her voice led her to places she thought she wanted to go, drove her to make life changing choices and cost her almost everything. Ten years after leaving home to follow her dreams, she nearly loses her life in a devastating fire. Taking a tiny step of faith, Jillian finds forgiveness, love and a new song in the arms of handsome, God-fearing firefighter Marcus McBride. Follow her journey from broken to healed in this moving story of God’s redemptive grace over addiction, shattered dreams and broken promises.

Giving in to Grace (Book Three)

Joshua “Coop” Cooper and Grace James are like fire and gasoline from day one. He’s a battle-scarred Marine, with PTSD and a drinking problem. She’s a stubborn, faith-filled woman who sees something deep inside him that she can’t ignore, far more than Coop wants her to. Working closely together to restore a huge Victorian house for his best friend, and her cousin, they clash daily.

She’s never felt so attracted to a man, even as his gruff manner, and sarcasm drives her crazy some days. He’s convinced she’s far too young and naive for him, a do gooder hell-bent on making his life more difficult. Until one hot night when Coop lets down the defenses holding her at bay, too weary to fight for just one evening.

Can Grace get through to him about God’s love and mercy? How long can they fight the attraction they both feel? Maybe Grace is right when she says God has a plan for him, and it just might include her.

—–

The Author: Sheri Smith Shonk

Sheri Smith Shonk is a prolific writer of both fiction and non-fiction. She lives in a small town in Iowa with her husband and the youngest two of her ten children. She is a follower of Jesus, wife, mother, grandmother, writer and speaker. She enjoys leading the local Writers Group, speaking at women’s events, and Writers Conferences, as well as spending time with her family.

Here is Sheri’s Amazon Author Page.

The Avoid-Dance by Author Craig Matthews

The Avoid-Dance

Avoidance is about controlling our world to escape experiencing feelings of pain, shame, and anxiety.

Avoidance is expensive because we keep borrowing emotional currency from our future selves so we can live rent-free today. (Without struggle). Life has struggles. We cannot avoid them all forever. The more we can be present in our pain, the healthier we can become today. As followers of Jesus, we know he is always with us. When we put that into action (faith), we trust he is with us in the valleys and the mountaintop days. As that faith muscle grows, we can learn to find his peace in the middle of our pain.

Learning to process today’s pain as soon as possible propels us to believe that we can handle our life and its challenges. Passing those trials off until another time only reinforces the nagging idea that we can’t handle life. Which further convinces us we don’t have what it takes to overcome.

As a Christian, we can overcome this because we have a powerful advocate. We can overcome because that advocate is crazy in love with you. Yes, you. Right in the middle of your day.

‍—–

Review by “LS” of Craig Matthews’ The Stars in the Sidewalk on Amazon:

Challenging, Dark, Uplifting, and Inspirational all at Once

This is one of the most interesting and unique stories I’ve ever read. The author deals realistically with humankind, both from darkness and the most evil acts, to love and forgiveness. Written in various scenarios, changing frequently as you read, I was confused initially but quickly caught on to each set of characters and how they intertwined.

Personally, I found the story so dark and graphic that I had to read it in spurts, yet, I was compelled to keep reading to see how the story played out. At times, I couldn’t fathom how some of the drama would be reconciled.

I found this book a challenge to read but the overall message of the book is bright and hopeful and worth reading to the end. At the end the reader will fully understand and be satisfied.

Craig Matthews has a gem here. Once you start, keep reading all the way to the end, even if you take a few breaks, as I did.

—–

Find out more about his compelling books on his Amazon Author Page. (You can find my review of this book on Amazon, as well as of Craig’s other books.)

Please check out more about him on his website.

What’s on the Cover of Leora’s Letters?

Nelly Murariu @PixBeeDesign designed the handsome cover of Leora’s Letters. She also designed the interior and formatted the ebook.

The posed photographs of the five Wilson brothers were all she had to work with. All five photos were taken by Edmonsons Photo of Perry, Iowa, as each of the boys came home on leave.

The Navy boys are in the back: Delbert had just returned to the East Coast after his oiler survived a harrowing mission in a convoy coming back from Casablanca. Donald had just been promoted to Chief Electrician’s Mate. This was his first furlough after surviving the Battles of the Coral Sea and the sinking of his carrier at Midway.

The Army Air Force pilots are below: Dale, Danny, and Junior. Each was given a furlough after receiving his wings and commission. Their furloughs turned out to be their last trips home during the war.

Robin Grunder was my coauthor on this book. Since then, she’s formed her own company, Legacy Press Books, and has shepherded the next three Leora books to publication with KDP.

The Wilson family would be so pleased with the way their story turned out, beginning with the compelling cover of Leora’s Letters.

The Book Cover: Leora’s Letters

Nelly Murariu @PixBeeDesign designed the handsome cover of Leora’s Letters. She also designed the interior and formatted the ebook.

The posed photographs of the five Wilson brothers were all she had to work with. All five photos were taken by Edmonsons Photo of Perry, Iowa, as each of the boys came home on leave.

The Navy boys are in the back: Delbert had just returned to the East Coast after his oiler survived a harrowing mission in a convoy coming back from Casablanca. Donald had just been promoted to Chief Electrician’s Mate. This was his first furlough after surviving the Battles of the Coral Sea and the sinking of his carrier at Midway.

The Army Air Force pilots are below: Dale, Danny, and Junior. Each was given a furlough after receiving his wings and commission. Their furloughs turned out to be their last trips home during the war.

Robin Grunder was my coauthor on this book. Since then, she’s formed her own company, Legacy Press Books, and has shepherded the next three Leora books to publication with KDP.

The Wilson family would be so pleased with the way their story turned out, beginning with the compelling cover of Leora’s Letters.

What Do You Think about Virtual Voice?

Earlier this year, an email announced that a couple of Leora books were eligible if I wanted to create them into audio books with “virtual voice” narration.

I’d run into AI generated narration when I listened to an essay on Newsweek magazine’s website about WWII. Well, the narration called it “WW eye eye.” No computer narration for me!

After I’d dismissed the invitation, I noticed that an ebook of an author I respect (Dan Walsh) has an audio version narrated by a “virtual voice.” So I did more checking.

After Paul Berge’s compelling narration of Leora’s Letters, I’d hoped to have Leora’s Dexter Stories done the same way. But, because of the expenses of the editing, I may never earn what it cost to have that wonderful Audible version created. So, I’d given up on ever having more audio books.

Virtual voice through KDP costs nothing but the investment of several hours listening to my chosen computer gal (there are 8 voices to choose from) and trying to correct “her” pronunciation. “She read” the stories with welcome inflection, which I hadn’t expected. The biggest drawback to audiobooks is no photos.

Now these are available as a stand-alone audio books, or as an add-on to an ebook. If you’d like to hear what they sound like, on each audio book page there’s a link right below the book cover:

Leora’s Letters, with Paul Berge’s incredible narration

Leora’s Dexter Stories, with “virtual voice”

, with “virtual voice”

What Leora Never Knew is not eligible for virtual voice through KDP, but I haven’t discovered why. Yet.

I think Grandma Leora would be delighted with the way “her stories” turned out, maybe especially the audio versions.