Joyce Shaughnessy's Blog: Joyce Shaughnessy Writes, page 4

New Blog "A Healing Place"

I have a new blog for my book, "A Healing Place," It is: ahealingplace81680.wordpress.com
I would love it if someone would join the discussion.

New Blog "A Healing Place"

I have a new blog for my book, "A Healing Place," It is: ahealingplace81680.wordpress.com
I would love it if someone would join the discussion.

A Healing Place

A Healing Place starts in the Dustbowl of the Great Depression where the Miller family of parents and three girls live on a farm in Ok. The Dustbowl becomes a terrible problem over many states, making it impossible to grow produce but also enveloping everyone in such thick and profuse dust that it makes it impossible to breathe. It literally chokes people to death. Black Sunday comes to the states and the dust literally covered the sun. Several children were lost and never found, many people died as well as livestock. The Millers are finally evicted from their farm and follow the highway to California like so many others when they decide that there are too many to make a wage out there, so they turn toward the Texas oil fields, where they finally end up in Texon, Texas which was an actual camp. I lived there from age one to ten. It not only provided everything they needed but also gave them a sense of community, which they needed to heal as a family. Their son-in-law goes into the army and is in the Philippine Islands when WWII breaks out. He is forced to walk the infamous Death March, in which the Japanese slaughtered 12,500 men, and goes into enemy camps where he farms and starves. Jed finds his healing place in the power of prayer.

Blessed Are the Merciful, Our Forgotten Soldiers

My correct blog address is: http://blessedarethemerciful.posterou....

Blessed Are the Merciful and A Healing Place are both available in e-book format.
Blessed is set in the Philippines during WWII and includes a romance between a female and male soldier (she is a nurse but on the front lines rendering aid), and also the battles and lives before and after the Allies were forced to surrender. I have included quotes from several people including Generals Douglas MacArthur, King, Wainwright, poems and a letter written by a 19 year-old soldier poet who knows he is dying of starvation, which will really tug at your heartstrings. I described the lives of both the POWS and nurses and civilian interred at Santo Tomas. I even have some interesting facts included about the person behind the cruelty played out in the book during the "Death March" and how Emperor Hirohito played a part in the treatment. The book also explains why the Philippines was not receiving any food or aid from the U.S., even during battle. Obviously,I researched the subject well before I wrote the book.
I describe the battles they fought, as well as the 64 mile "Death March", the POW camps and the Hell Ships they endured, emphasizing the cruel treatment by the Japanese captors.
I hope that those of you who are planning to read it, will pick it up and give me an honest review. Thank you, Joyce Shaughnessy
Blessed Are the Merciful

Janet Jones

I have a book "Blessed are the Merciful" returned to me today by postal. I guess it was won in the giveaway. It says incomplete address. I don't know if I am wrong or someone else is wrong. I tried to call. No help.

I have:
Janet Jones
Vivian Adams Drive
Waldorf, MD 20601


If this is a wrong address or if you have moved, please let me know and I will re-send it.

Joyce Shaughnessy

blessedarethemerciful.net

E-books

Both of my books, "A Healing Place" and "Blessed Are the Merciful" come in e-book format.

Blessed are the Merciful

The books were sent out on Saturday, the 14th of January, 2011.

blessedarethemerciful.posterous.com/7...

Merry Christmas to everyone. We are having a lot of snow, all last night and all today (unusual for us). We can use the moisture. I wish I could see our family but we will be thinking about them. Have a happy holiday!

Review of Blessed Are the Merciful

Review of Blessed Are the Merciful

By Lesley (Oracle, AZ) ·5 of 5 stars·October 16, 2011
A great read about love in the midst of war. Historically and horrific accurate account of Japan invaded the Philippines, and how unaware our American troops were of the dangers they faced. A lot of care was taken when Joyce Shaughnessy wrote this book, taking pieces of poetry , letters, and military documents, and merging them with in her story. Even though some characters might have been made up the passion, the injustice and the brutality of war were not. The Title explains it all the merciful are truly blessed. ...more

Reviews of Blessed Are the Merciful

By JanBreesmom (Mira Loma, CA) ·3 of 5 stars·September 11, 2011
I received this book, 'Blessed Are the Merciful' by Joyce Shaughnessy as a winner on First Reads. Also based on real people, the story is told through fictional characters.

It is a war romance story from World War II, in the 1940's. The setting is the war in the Pacific, specifically the American involvement in the Philippines. There, the American soldiers were ill-prepared for the atrocities they faced.

I found the story to be interesting but the characters not so much. There were serious, dramatic, and horrific occurrences happening all around and I did not feel th ...more

By Nancy (Idaho Falls, ID) ·4 of 5 stars·September 20, 2011
Grabbed my interest from the first chapter. I could empathize with the characters. I had a hard time putting it down because I needed to know what was going to happen. I would recommend this book to others! ...more