Linda Nance's Blog, page 2

April 6, 2014

All The Books Around The World.. ..A Journey In Writing...Part Three

WHAT IS DOWN THE PATH?
As I begin this third part of the blog about the books that I now have, I find it difficult to begin. If I were to tell you what the books were about, it would be easy but there is so much more to these books than the story inside. These two books are a part of my life and that of my grandson. One is titled Down The Path and it is not my story but his own story, that I worked with him to make it become a real book. The other is An Adventure In Writing. It has been an adventure in writing but more than just the book we wrote together. It has been an adventure through the years before we ever evolved to this point in life.
I think before I begin I will share a bit about us for those who have not read my book I Will Not Give up....Not Today....Life Is A Journey. I had often been asked questions such as how long did it take you to write your first book, do you have a special way of writing such as a designated number of words or pages a day or time of day, where do you get your ideas, and many more questions that are not easy for me to answer. That book tells a lot of not only me but why I write as I do and how life can get in the way.
I had even started a writers group here locally to try to help others with their projects. I did not focus as much in sharing what we have done as finding ways to help one another with what we were doing. So many, seem to have invested so much money that they or their families really could not afford and found the results not what they expected or even with their books so high priced no one could afford them, including themselves. There are so many things involved in trying to do for yourself, what professionals normally do with whole staffs of people who really know what they are doing. Everywhere we turn there are so many 'experts' who tell you how it is. It seems everywhere you look they are all best sellers and doubt, despair and eventually all of the business side of writing or self publishing becomes overwhelming. So many give up. I am an expert at nothing. I am a little old lady that loves to write, wishes all that I do could be more perfect, can not afford the professional help I so desperately need, but feel that my stories and what I have to say is worth the effort and opportunity to not give up and make a dream something real.
I wanted this, what I call a journey, to share an idea with others to never give up. Never give up on our dreams and passions but understand that what ever we do that is worth doing, is worth the work and effort it takes to make it a reality. We also have to have a passion to persevere. We have to have the determination to overcome the obstacles life often puts in our way. Everyone has a story, good times and bad, things they have to deal with or overcome. Those are the times we need to believe and be willing to not give up.
By now you can tell I am an old lady that does ramble on, since I am writing this part of my blog to tell you about the two newest books. That and all of the medications I am having to take right now, seem to affect me in many ways, good and bad. It is time to tell you about the books and the author Zander Figueroa.
DOWN THE PATH

UK http://goo.gl/vFXck6 AND US http://goo.gl/6jrj67

By Zander Figueroa and Linda Nance
When you look it up on Amazon or elsewhere you will see it as Linda Nance and Zander Figueroa. There are legal issues in publishing and we could not have a book with the author as only an 8 year old child. The story is really his, but I have worked with him all the way to turn his idea and story into a book... A real book that he can hold in his little hands.
I had an idea. Many people have contacted me with questions and asking for help with their writing projects in the authors group and online. When my health got so bad I could hardly get out, let alone continue a writers group in person. I did not want to give up on it. I receive so much from them as I try to give and continued it online and on the phone sharing information and encouragement. I called it a mentor program. Zander's idea for Down The Path followed that idea of mentoring one another. For me it was kind of exciting to see him as he learned and worked to make something real of his idea.
If an 8 year old child could do this, and it really be him working, instead of his idea and me using it to write a book..... I wanted to share that too. That is the next book I will tell you about.... An Adventure In Writing.
How did Down The Path become a book? Here I go trying to share what was so special between grandson and grandmother. He calls me Mamaw. He started calling me that when he was learning to talk. I like it and to him I am his Mamaw.
When Zander was barely able to hold a color in his little hand, we would make coloring pictures. I would do drawings and he would scribble across, excited as we talked about what ever the picture was that he was coloring. As we did that, he not only was entertained but he was learning. He learned colors and numbers and many things. Some day I want to publish the Easter Book I did originally as coloring pages but later did the pages that would be perfect for a book about an Easter Bunny and all of the eggs. It is a wonderful way to learn colors and counting. They can also use it to develop their own imaginations and stories as you ask them about what they are doing. Where did the path go, how many colors were the eggs or what ever comes to mind involving them and allowing them to use their own thoughts and imaginations to make it more. “What else do you think they found down the path is a good question to get them going.
I had published my own book. I told him he could too, if he was willing to work hard enough and learn so that he could one day have his own book. We made hundreds of 'books' if not more, by coloring pages and thinking of the stories that go with them and then I would staple them together. He was writing and making books. He was such a little guy working with his Mamaw. One day he looked up with a sad expression on his face after we had worked making his pictures with the story for his book, we stapled together. I asked him what the problem was.
He looked so sad. “I love to do these with you, Mamaw. They are not real books though.”
I asked him why he thought they were not real books. He came up with the stories and even colored the pictures. I may have been the one to draw them but it was he who decided what the pictures were to be with the stories.
I almost laughed but knew I could not as he answered. “It is never a real book until you have your picture on the back.” I think back to that time and it makes me smile. Having a real book is so much more than having your picture on the back but at that time, for a young child it was what made it real for him.
I tried using my copier to make a last page for the stories he was doing with his picture on it before I stapled then together but he told me sadly, “It is just not the same thing, Mamaw.”
In many ways he was more right than I realized at the time. To make it a real book, is not what is on the cover, but what is in the pages within. It is more than just a story in a book, but working to make it the best that it can be. I tried to share what we were doing and hope it helps other young and old in writing.
Many years ago I wrote a poem about a haunted pumpkin field. I have told about that in the first part of this 3 part blog. The Pumpkin Field has entertained family, friends, neighbors and even been used in a State Park during their Halloween program.
I realized the only thing that kept it a poem instead of a children's story, were the illustrations. The illustrations may be simple pictures but you would not believe the heart that I put into each one. Little Zander grew up with that book and story. (It also has my picture on the back)
I have said many times that that book was written to inspire children to share thoughts, feelings and learn. I took such delight with my little grandson I did as his mother before him with the story. As the years passed there were different questions and thoughts shared but the little book remained a part of his interest and life. We talked about fears and how to conquer them such as fear of the dark. We also talked about the witch. She hurts no one and look scary and different. People assume she is a witch. Maybe she is and then maybe she is just different. She is old, ugly and dresses oddly. If someone is different, it is not always a reason to hate of fear them but so many people react in that way. In that story, the character follows a path into a pumpkin field and then the story begins.
I may at times ramble on and get off track but this time there is a reason for me sharing all of this. Down that path in the pumpkin field sparked something in this little boy's imagination. He told me, “That was not the end of the story.” He said it with such passion that he had my curiosity up.
“Tell me more. What do you think happened?”
He was so excited as he told me, “Things are not always as they seem. The pumpkins seem so nice, but there is one that is not nice at all. There is one that in nothing but trouble.”
I remind him that in the end of the story it says maybe it was only a dream.
He got all excited and told me, “It was not a dream. There is more to this story. There is a lot more.”
At that time he had one idea but time passes. He still has the idea for what we had talked about but as he got a little older and his reading ability increased so did his desire to write in the same way. He explained that we could still do a picture book for the little kids but he had so many more ideas we needed to do a different story. There is still a path and a child that goes down that path to an adventure. He already had the idea for Beyond The Path with the origional story.
This story of Down The Path is written for children to read but I am amazed and inspired to think that adults can also find meaning and interest in the story. There are so many little aspects he found a way to incorporate that relate to children and adults.

We live in a very rural area with vast areas of thickly wooded areas behind our house. It would be easy for anyone to get lost in the woods. We often see wildlife of many kinds. For many years I had a creature that would visit me that I thought of a friendly that was a bear. It is no place to get lost or for a child to adventure alone. He comes here each day after school until his mother gets off work. He has been raised understanding you do not go into the woods alone. In reality he is rarely outside playing alone but we have taught him this since he was a wee one.
In his story the children did not listen to their parents. The did not think they were doing wrong, as they followed their little dog down a path into the woods. The did not intend to get lost. They were just having fun.....but.....they went down the path. Once they got deeper into the woods they were lost and frightened and alone. They did not know how to get home. They did not know what to do.
I do not want to spoil the story for you. It is written so that a child could read it, but also so an adult could use it to share many things. I have been pleasantly amazed with the complexity of his story line and the depth he found for his characters. He had reasons for every part of his story.We worked very hard developing and talking about making the story feel real. Knowing that he and his 'Papaw' grandfather have always talked about nature, animals and many things like and adventure, gives an insight into how he wrote what he did. We had a pet squirrel that Albert (Grandpa....Papaw) had rescued for a long time.Little Zander can look at the foot print or track of a deer passing in the woods and tell if it is a buck or a doe.
This is a tale for young and old alike, sharing the story of two young children and the discoveries they make down the path they take. In the end, I do hope I am not spoiling the story, but can not resist explaining some things. I asked him, “Was it an angel, a ghost, or just their imagination?” He did not hesitate saying what he believed. He said, If we say a prayer to God, he will always hear us but not always answer like we think. Sometimes we just have to believe. Sometimes we have to stand up to mean people who want to hurt our feelings too.”He had said things better in that moment and with his own little story than I ever could have done alone. He saw things through the eyes of a child about issues much bigger. He knows he should listen to his parents and grandparents but sometimes we all make the mistake of thinking it will not hurt....just this one time..... The faith of a child and the ability to share it, makes me smile. We may each have different beliefs but to see this pure expression from one so young, is an inspiration to me, even if he was not my grandson. Having the idea and the story was just the beginning. I explained that he knew the story and he had an idea, but to make it into a book would take a lot more than what we had. He would have to learn new things and how to use them. He would have to find a way to make the characters real and the story come to life.To do all of that we worked. We worked for a long time learning and writing and developing it to be more than it started. I decided to write also about that. I included him as a coauthor, because it was about him and our journey and adventure in him making real books with his picture on the back too. That book is called An Adventure In Writing.

UK http://goo.gl/xGHR4x    US http://goo.gl/Jzn7kR
I had said that this would be a 3 part blog but I am really feeling distress and it is nearly time I can do no more. I think it will be a 4 part blog. I want to share the first part of his story and let you decide for yourselves if he really has developed the characters, story, and if you would like to read more sharing this adventure of a little boy who loves to share his stories........

                                              DOWN THE PATH

CHAPTER 1A New Adventure

       Cooper just had a birthday and turned ten years old. He had a friend that was a girl named Jenny. Jenny was only seven years old but they had fun playing together and loved to play with Cooper's dog.       His dog was named Floppy because he had big floppy ears. Floppy loves to go with them on adventures.       The children loved to play in the yard and could go for short walks from Cooper's house to Jenny's house. They were not allowed to go far and were never allowed to go into the woods near where they lived.     Their mom's and dad's were afraid they might get lost or something bad could happen to them. They wanted them to always be safe.
They were playing in yard with Floppy when began to bark and ran into the woods behind Cooper's house.    “I think he wants us to go with him or follow him. I know we are not supposed to go in the woods, but we will only go a little way. We have to see where he is going and what he is doing. Do you want to go?” Cooper asked Jenny with a big smile. Copper was excited and thought it would be fun.Jenny looked at Floppy jumping up and down at the edge of the woods as he wagged his tail. She smiled as she answered, “Let's go. We will not be gone long or go far.” Jenny had no sooner finished answering when Floppy ran back to the children wagging his tail and barking lively. Before she could say more Floppy ran back to the woods and down the path into the woods.Both Cooper and Jenny got excited and ran to follow. They were in such a hurry they did not notice a wooden sign beside a big tree near the path they were on. The sign was old and part of it was broken. The letters on the sign were faded. The letters on the sign were a warning. The sign said, “DANGER.” The part of the sign that said what the danger was had broken off years before. Who knows what danger lies ahead, but danger was waiting.           Chasing after the dog was fun but the children ran farther than they had planned down the path. Some places in the path would have more than one way that they could go. The could go to the right or they could go to the left. Some places had brush that had grown up and the pathwas hard to see at all. They were having so much fun they did not pay attention to what way they were going or what way they had come. Floppy was having fun too. He had chased a pretty butterfly down the path. He had chased leaves that the breeze had blown down the path. He really had fun when he found a little squirrel.He did not want to hurt the little squirrel. He wanted to play. The squirrel was very fast. It ran across and up a tree. The squirrel dashed to a big branch running out to the very tip of the tree limb. The little squirrel looked like a fuzzy little toy with bright eyes. It had a big fluffy tail that twitched back and forth as it peered down from the branch at the children and barking dog. It had paused at the very tip of the long branch looking at them for only a moment, as Floppy pranced and barked with his excitement.Jenny giggled as she watched both the dog and the little squirrel. “I think I will call that little squirrel, Fuzzy Tail.” As soon as she spoke, they little creature made a might leap into the air landing on the very tip of a long branch in the tree next to where it had been.The adventure began as little Fuzzy Tail jumped lively from branch to branch and tree to tree.
Floppy chased the squirrel and the children chased the dog laughing and having fun. The little squirrel they called Fuzzy Tail, finally got high enough and far enough away that Floppy lost interest.Floppy sat down to take a break from the chase with the two children joining him. Jenny gently petted him and rubbed his ears. She loved to rub him on the ears because they were velvety soft. He loved to have her attention and did loved if she rubbed his ears, tummy or back. Cooper sat on one side and Jenny sat on the other enjoying their adventure.The shadows of the trees seemed to be getting longer. As Cooper looked off into the woods, he noticed it seemed darker than before. Jenny noticed the pretty colors in the sky that she often saw at supper time as the sun would set before it got dark for the night.

CHAPTER 2Story Break and a Little Fun

I will tell more of the story but before I do we could have a little fun.
How far from home had they come? Could they find their way back home? What were all of the turns in the path they had taken that brought them to where they were? How would they find their way back home? How much longer would it be before it got dark?
How dark was it way back in the woods? I hope you will join me with Cooper, Jenny, and Floppy on their great adventure down the path in the woods but there is one problem.
I want to wait before I tell you the rest of the story. What if this is as far as I got when I was writing? If you think about it and can imagine what they must have been thinking and feeling, there are so many ways the story could go. If you want to have a little fun... try to make up your own story from here and see what you come up with for an ending. Writing is fun. Do they ever see Fuzzy Tail again? How long does it take for them to find their way home? Will they have to be rescued? What else do they find in the woods? When it is over will they remember to listen and do as their mothers and fathers tell them?
Do they find out what the danger is the sign warned them about when they first started down the path?
So many questions and so many possible answers before they find their way back home and the end of their great adventure DOWN THE PATH.
I hope you have fun if you decide to write your own ending but it is time for me to continue with this story and go back DOWN THE PATH on the adventure of Cooper, Jenny and Floppy.
CHAPTER 3Lost and Alone?

Floppy looked up at Jenny wagging his tale. She paused petting the little dog frowning as she looked at the beautiful colors of the setting sun. “Cooper, It is getting late. I think we should get back home. It will not be long before it gets dark.. We are probably already in trouble if mom and dad noticed we are not still in the yard playing.”Cooper had not noticed the setting sun but quickly got to his feet stretching from where he had been comfortably resting. “Wow, I did not realize how late it is getting.” He looked into the thick woods first one direction and then another as a frown creased his brow.“You do know how to get back, don't you?” Jenny was beginning to worry as she saw him looking first one direction and then another.“Sure I do. I think we need to go back down this path here.” He pointed and began walking. Floppy followed wagging his tale.The little path soon became almost impassable and they knew with out a doubt that was not the way home. Jenny felt an urge for tears thinking they might actually be lost. “This is not the way home. I have no idea which direction home even is. We made so many turns this way and that I don't know how we will ever find our way home and it will be dark soon.”Cooper stood close to Jenny feeling the same fear gazing at the setting sun. “It will be alright. I know we will find the right path. We can go back to where we started and just follow the other way.” He did not feel the confidence he was trying to share with Jenny as they quickly tried to retrace their way back. Floppy had had a fun day and was tired enough he had stopped looking for adventures and things to follow as he happily trotted between the two children.Jenny could not longer contain her anxiety as she looked at the long shadows the trees cast and the darkness that lay beyond in the woods that surrounded them. “What are we going to do? We should have listened to our mom and dads. Nobody even knows we are here. We don't even know where we are. I will be dark soon.”Tears welled up in her eyes. Cooper felt responsible. It had been his idea to have an adventure. “We will be alright. We may be in trouble when we get home but we will get home. We just have to stay calm and get going. We need to go this way here.” He pointed to a narrow path leading into the woods and hoped it was the path that would lead them home.Every little opening in the brush looked like a path to the children and they hoped it would lead them home as the went this way and that, working farther and farther into the dense forest. The two children and little dog stood quietly thinking their own thoughts and feeling their own fears. Floppy felt no fears. He was just tired from a full day chasing butterflies and Fluffy the squirrel. Standing still they heard foot steps beyond in the forest. Fear shown in their eyes as they dared not utter a sound. Floppy had no fear and felt a surge of energy for the chase after the unknown footsteps. He bounded into the thick brush as a large dear dashed away from the little dog and the chase was on. Cooper ran after Floppy calling for him to stop but the little dog was quickly out of sight.It was a relief to know that the footstep sounds were that of the deer and not some terrible monster but the relief was short lived. Cooper could feel tears burn his eyes as he was the shadows growing darker and his hopes dimming. “I don't know what to do. I thought we could find our way home but have no idea which way to go.”When he saw the tears slowly running down little Jenny's face and the tremor of her shoulders he quickly put his arms around her. “Even if we yell as loud as we can I don't think anyone would hear us but last Sunday in Sunday School, our teacher told us when ever we say a prayer and talk to God he always listens. He could hear us. He could help us get home.” Cooper watched as Jenny dried her tears.“Do you really think God will listen and help us?” She reached out and held his hand in hers.He smiled and hope she felt encouraged as the fear he felt seemed to dim all hope he really felt. “I can not see how it would hurt. Do you want to say it or me?”She tightened her grip on his hand. “You say it. I don't know what to say other than I want to go home. It is getting dark now and I am so afraid.”He smiled. “Our teacher said he always listens and when he answers it may not be as we expect but he never forsakes us. I'll do the best prayer that I can.”They held hands and closed their eyes as he began. “Dear God, I know we should have listened to our moms and dads and we are very sorry but we need your help. We need your help real bad. We are lost, God. We are lost and don't know how to get home. Please God, help us find our way home. I promise we will never go into the woods again unless Mom and Dad are with us. One more thing, could you please bring Floppy back. We love him and he needs to go home with us too.”As he finished his prayer they heard a sound that put a chill in their hearts. A long drawn out howl of a wolf pierced the stillness of the forest. The children uttered not a sound as their fearful gazed locked one to the other. Cooper wanted to call out to Floppy but was afraid to make a sound.In a whispered voice Cooper spoke in urgent tones. “Dear God, please help us. We need to get home. Help us, please. Amen.”As he finished his prayer they again heard the chilling sound of the wolf but it was closer. It was so close both children crouched between the closely growing trees near where they were standing. The three trees grew so close that the base of the trunks nearly touched with the children cowering in closely between them.

CHAPTER 4An Answer to Their Prayers or More Danger
Jenny turned her face to Cooper ducking her head and burying her face against his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her with his head on hers and tears running down his own face. The children trembled in fear as they heard footsteps coming closer and closer in the brush. The shadows were so dark they could hardly see beyond where they sat and were afraid to look.Hearing the steps ever so close they sat with their eyes tightly closed waiting for what ever was coming. Jenny's shoulders shook with silent sobs.The footsteps stopped. They could tell by the sound that whatever it was that had been steadily walking was probably stand right in front of them. Cooper slowly lifted his head and opened his eyes to bravely see what was there in the woods with them. His breath came out in a gasp.Standing just a few feet before the children was a large wolf like creature with bright intense blue eyes. The animal did not move an inch. It stood perfectly still gazing at the children. It had massive and powerful shoulders.Jenny inched her face up to see what was there with them. She could not contain the cry of fear that escaped her.The animal stood motionless staring at the two terrified children until it turned toward the sound of more footsteps approaching.The children pressed themselves back as far as they could against the trees but had nowhere to run and no way to hide. The turned their faces trying to hide and clutched one another tighter in terror of the fearsome creature standing right before them.As they waited to be torn to pieces by the wolf-like creature before them and what ever else had joined it there was no sounds. Slowly they turned their faces to see if it was still there and were surprised and afraid as they viewed a strange old woman beside the creature.She wore old and torn cloths with a hood on the dark jacket that shadowed her face. She held a crooked stick as if it were a cane in her hand. She stood a motionless as the animal at her side.Slowly she raised her hand lowering the hood, revealing bright shining blue eyes that resembled the wolf-dog. The children were too frightened to make a sound as she slowly squatted down beside the animal raising her hand and gently stroked it's fur.Her voice was soft as she spoke. “What are your names?”At first neither of the children could speak. It was as if their fear had left them paralyzed. They had no place to run or hide and the woman and animal were right in front of them. Finally Cooper tried to clear his voice and answer. “I am Cooper and this is Jenny. Our dog was with us too but he ran away chasing a deer.” He wanted to ask who she was and if the creature with her was going to eat him but could manage no more words in his state of fear.“Why are you here?” She did not smile as she spoke but did not appear angry either.“We were just having fun and wanted to go for a walk in the woods. We got lost and don't know how to get home.” Cooper was afraid but this old woman was their only hope for help. He had said prayers for God to help them but all they could see was a dog or wolf that could kill them without any effort and an old and strange woman with a crooked stick.“Did you see the sign at the edge of the woods that warned of danger?”It was Jenny that found the courage to answer the woman but her eyes did not leave the intense blue gaze of the animal. “We saw it said danger but could not read what the danger was. We thought if we saw danger we would go back but it was beautiful and we were having so much fun we went too far and got lost. Do you know what the danger is?”Several moments passed before the old woman answered. As she did a smile slowly spread on her face. “There are many dangers in this world. There are many dangers in these woods. Have your parents never warned you about going far away and dangers?”Cooper hung his head knowing they were not allowed to go into the woods and had disobeyed what their parents had told them. “Yes ma’am. Our mom and dads told us not to go into the woods and only play in the yard but when our dog ran down the path we followed. Now we are so lost and it is almost dark. We don't know what to do. We just want to go home. Can you help us?”A mist began to roll in as the chill of the night approached. The woman slowly stood beside the animal they now assumed was her pet. “What did you do when you knew you were lost and could not find your way home? Did you do something to find help?”“We said a prayer to God but I don't think he heard us or maybe he is mad at us too for not listening to our parents. He did not answer and we don't know what to do.” Tears again filled Cooper's eyes.In her soft voice that was barely above a whisper she answered. “How do you know he did not hear you? Maybe his answers are not always as we expect. Maybe he knows what is best for us and answers in his own way.”It was Jenny that found the courage to respond to her questions “If he heard us and was going to help, then why are we still lost? It is almost dark and getting cold.”As she was speaking there was a crashing sound in the brush behind where they were sitting. Their heart raced in terror wondering what creature was coming next. To their surprise Floppy bounded through chasing a little squirrel. It may have been the same one they called Fuzzy Tail or another that looked just like it. The little squirrel raced up the base of the tree they cowered against with the little dog wagging his tail looking up into the branches overhead. Cooper looked back to the old woman and big animal to explain that was their dog and hoped the wolf like creature would not decide to harm their little dog.To his surprise and Jenny's there was no one there. They had not heard a sound. The shadows were so intense it was almost totally dark. A cold chill made them shiver. Jenny reached out and clutched the little dog to her and cried. “We will never find our way home. Why did she leave us? What are we going to do?
I will be back soon. Thank you for taking the time to share this adventure in writing and in our lives. I hope you each and everyone have a wonderful day.

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Published on April 06, 2014 13:29

March 21, 2014

All The Books Around The World.. ..A journey In Writing...Part Two

All The Books Around The World.. ..A journey In Writing...Part Two
In writing this blog I could tell you all about the books, and I am doing that, but I want to do more than that. I have always loved to write and wanted one day to see my stories as books that I could hold in my hands. I enjoy working to create the characters and try to make them real enough the reader might feel they know them, can relate to them or even empathize with the situations and story and all of those involved.As I begin this part of the blog I come to the hardest book I have ever written and I will also explain why I wrote it. I did not want to write it. I never intended to write it. I felt compelled to write it. When you think of a book title, the shorter the better. The title to this book is way too much. The title was one that was what the book really is. I Will Not Give Up...Not Today...Life Is A Journey.I may have loved to write but knew nothing about computers, internet and most of today’s technologies. I did not know how to copy and paste and at the beginning did not even know how to turn on and off the computer. If you want to stop and turn it off for the day, on the computer I had you had to go to start to stop. For an old gal like me that was a contradiction but start to turn off the computer I learned. I had to learn a lot of new things. I wanted to be traditionally published and learned how to do many things and began to attempt that route. It can be a long process and the doctors found cancer that was in a bad location and every beat of my heart brought me closer to being inoperable. I already had enough health issues we feared there would be few tomorrows with or with out the surgery. I wanted just once to hold one of my books in my hands before.......That was Life Goes On. When I had to decide if I only had time enough for one book it was a hard choice. I love Journey Home so much too but I believed the story and the issues in Life Goes On might be something others might not only relate to but find an insight into some of the problems some families are facing in life, children, teenagers and how much of an influence others can have on them and their actions and much more. I want the things that I write to entertain but also reach deeper. I hope in some way my art, writing and what little I am able to do might make a difference even if it is only to one.
I Will Not Give Up....Not Today....Life Is A Journey

The reason I tell all of this is because what I had been writing, were stories and characters that I created. I love to write and create. I Will Not Give Up...Not Today...Life Is A Journey is not fiction that I was able to control and create. It is my own story but not written or told to tell about me. It is my story to share the idea in the title. We can not give up. We may have to be willing to work and work really hard in life. We can not look at life as one thing. Life is constantly changing and really is a Journey. It is something we have to continue onward in living. Life is over when we give up. We can be alive but never really living life.I did not write it to show how I did not give up or an example of courage. There are so many times fear almost overwhelms me. There are times it takes a lot of work to not only look for the beauty in life but to feel it in my heart. When I wrote the book, it is sharing from my heart as I have worked with these books and the adventure of them all and hope it might reach out beyond the pages and share the idea...to never give up.I did not plan the book, work the book, write and rewrite the book editing to make it a work worthy of being published for the reader to be able to have a finished developed book. I wish that I could, but that is not what this is. This is a book I never wanted to write and found it painful and even at times so distressing that I cried. I had to stop typing as I could no longer see through the tears.For many years there were small parts of my life I could not remember no matter how hard I tried. I felt distressed that there were missing parts my mind could not retrieve. The doctors seemed pleased and said I would be better off if I never remembered those little bits and pieces. When my face and head hit the windshield the nightmare of a head on collision began and it was a fight for life. Much of that I could not remember. It was all bits and pieces. As I was writing this book, in the middle of typing, after all of these years it came back. It came back with a vengeance....not as a memory but as if it was happening right then. This may sound crazy and maybe it is. I am a pretty crazy old woman, but it was as if I was reliving it so much I could not breathe. The blood was choking and blocking my throat. I heard the paramedic saying he thought he had a bleed out and they were doing their best. The glass gouging and scraping my face as my body was tossed like a rag doll and smashed repeatedly into the glass. My foot pinned by the motor of the car anchored me from going out onto the pavement. I was not remembering these thing but feeling it again. Even as I am writing this about the book I was going to go back and glance through it so that I could discuss different parts and tell more but I can not. I felt as if for what ever reason, I was supposed to write this book and I did as honestly and from the heart as I could, but I can not go back and read my own book. I can not get that close and feel those things again. The book is not a sad and recount of misery and pain. It is about many things and some very happy times and seeing my dreams of my books become a reality. Life is not always a happy every after adventure of joy and success so it is as real as I could make it with each and every word typed and told straight from the heart. It was not planned or perfected.I would apologize for that but will not. This book if real. It is not worked and created. It is not written for me or even for me to deal with difficult issues. It is something I felt was needed for me to write. I was in the middle of the book Danny. I feel that is not only a book that will hold the readers interests but a powerful book about an abused and neglected child. I could hardly wait to get into every aspect of the book Danny but even that had to stop until I Will Not Give Up... Not Today...Life Is A Journey was done.When it came time for the cover of the book I wanted it to be special. Every one of my books have covers that are my own art. They may not be professional and it could be a marketing mistake but what I am doing and trying to do is more than market and sell books. I am trying to create something special, it makes me happy and the responses and messages I am receiving from readers makes me smile and feel hope this adventure in writing is worth while to more than myself. This is what I have said about the book and you can read it on the back of the book or descriptions...

Life is a journey. There are times that the path is smooth and well traveled and others it seems steep and difficult…but if we do not give up, there is so much more that awaits us. I love to paint paths that lead to ?... I hope they will lead to where we need to go in life. I hope there is love, hope, happiness, and wonderful new things that await us at the end.

I want to look for and find the beauty in life and find love and hope. This book is not just the wonderful moments to show only the smiling, happy, marvelous and inspirational times…I am trying to make it real and share a piece of my heart, life, thoughts, feelings and so much of who and what I am.

This may be my story, but I hope in sharing it you will find meaning, hope and knowledge that we will not give up…Not today. This book is shared from the heart.

When I painted the watercolor painting I used for the cover I began to feel it was the right thing for this book. I mixed in florescence into the pigment of the paint allowing the to do the sunset so that with a black light it softly lights up and glows as the evening sky would just before the darkness of night descends.I had to use a template for the paperback so you will see two different versions of the book and the original painting .I also love to use my art combined with thoughts and words shared. One day I want to make a picture book of words and art. I used this painting for one of those too.

A Tale To Tell

I love this small book as not only stories but fun in the telling and sharing. There may be a ghostly presence in each but there is more if you look closely. More Than Just A Story In
A Book may be the name of this blog but it is something I want to do in my writing too. One of the stories The Legend Lives On is one if find fun. When I wrote it I wanted the reader to be a part of the story as much as the characters that a fiction in the story its self. I would love to talk about it and tell about it but it would be more fun for you to be able to read it as it is written.The Midnight Hour may be a ghostly tale of what a young man finds in the cemetery at the midnight hour but it is more than that. Pier pressure can have a great impact on young people and the urge to be accepted can influence any of us at any age. What would you do to be accepted? What could be the consequences especially in that place at that time? More Than The Eye Can See is one that makes me sad as I wrote it. What if a little old lady could feel and see from the past and what she finds brings sadness to her very heart. Things can seem so perfect for others in life and we may never really know their pain, insecurities or how devastating depression can be even on young people who have their who lives ahead of them. Finding a way to reach out to one another and share love and understanding is not always an easy thing to accomplish. What did this little old woman see? Was it real?Watch What You Wish For is a completely fictional story, but they say a writer should draw on their own life experiences and things they know in their writing. What would it feel like to die? What if all the body had stopped its functions and yet the person could still hear every word said in the room? What if they could quote conversations held as the doctors desperately worked to bring the patient back? What if you could use such an experience in a story helping to make it feel more real? Many years ago I had a severe reaction during a surgery and ended up, after they were able to bring me back when I no longer had a respiratory response and machines were keeping me alive, on life support. I could remember and do to this day what a comfort and peaceful feeling I had of what was just ahead. There are many times I think to die would be easy, it is living that is hard …. but it is in life we find the most beauty and things that warm the heart and make me smile at times too. It is in life I can strive to do what is required....I never understood what was required. Maybe it is just trying to do the best that we can each day in the life that we lead.

I Watch You All The Time is a short story that I think is very powerful. I do not want to ruin the read by telling too much but I will say that this story inspired a novel that I am working on now. I can hardly wait to see it as a book but I have to take things slowly and want to take my time and make it the very best that I can make it . It is coming and if you read this short story you may have some idea of the feel for the novel even though the stories are different the inspiration for the novel came from this story.

This is what it tells about that book.......

Some of these stories tell more than a story. It may be a story to share in camp or when the hour is a little spooky but it also can bring many things to mind. Being young is so wonderful. Everything usually works with our bodies not yet worn and old, arthritic or broken and sick. We can be filled with the enthusiasm of youth.

There are also so many pressures to learn from, grow with, understand and overcome or be influenced for good or bad and often pushed to do things we know we should not do. Peer pressure can be brutal and some with cruel intents can do more harm than we dream. Youth can be a bright and shining adventure but it can also become overcast and even deadly oppressed.

If we are unable to find ways to understand and deal with life we can suffer so many consequences. There are times a little help from a friend can go a long way or what we thought was a friend can hurt us to the core giving a lesson learned the hard way.

Even as the years pass we can find situations in life that are difficult or impossible to fully explain to another. There by compassion and love may we find others less judgmental and more inclined to reach out with understanding and lend a helping hand. We can hope to find such a thing but need to be prepared to find our own path if we need to go forth. Abuse or situations so oppressive we find we can loose our way.

The last story is one that may be disturbing. It is fiction as are all of these stories but deals with emotions and problems that do not have a happy ending. Life does not always end “Happily Ever After”. In this story there are many things happening and some that may never end. It may be more haunting than haunted.

We will see. This short story inspired a novel that will soon be released. It gave me an idea for the first novel but it finds heart and takes off for the novel I Watch You All The Time.

I hope these stories will entertain, I hope they will find meaning and new thoughts. I hope you enjoy and find a Tale To Tell……
This is my water color painting I used for the cover of A Tale To Tell

In that painting I also have combined the paint pigment so that the sky will light up with a black light and glow the colors of a setting sun.

I did another version of it for the art and words

DANNY If you love a story with a paranormal twist this is the book. This is a fictional story that could bring more than just a story of a young abused and neglected boy but also of the realities involved and consequences such things in life can have. It is more than just a tale about abuse. It is a story I think will live long in memory but I do not want to spoil the read.

This is what it tells about the book......A young child trapped in a nightmare life had a special friend. His friend said, “You can call me Danny.” Danny was his only friend. Feeling alone, abused, isolated and lost, a young child needed someone. No one but Steven could see or hear Danny. Was Danny imagination, a friendly ghost there protecting, or was there more to this entity than anyone might suspect? Steven began to think Danny might be a Guardian Angel but angel or evil…only time would tell….. because Steven would tell no one and betray his friend and that friend was there to stay.
Tragedy and chaos, murder and an end to life as Steven had known, erupted in his household in the dark of night.
Three young boys fled and that night would change their lives forever. It was filled with death and disaster. If it was a new beginning or a new nightmare of a different kind, only time would tell….and we can not forget Danny.
This is a story you will not soon forget.
Danny is a story of a young child living a nightmare life of abuse and neglect. The pain of abuse at any age, is one that has consequences. There are those who are stronger and live lives determined to never repeat the horrors they endured but there are others who survive in other ways. Feeling alone and vulnerable allows a person to be victimized even more in many instances.
Danny is a story of all that and more. There may come a day we suspect a person is being abused and want to help, finding it is more difficult that we dreamed. If we dare to care and not give up, one by one we might make a difference. If we make a difference for even one person, it may mean the world to that one soul.
The idea that there might be more things in this world than meet the eye or that we might be able to see and understand, can give insight to a story that will take you beyond the abuse into the world lived by this child. This is more than a story of abuse and survival. This is a story that may haunt you in memory but remind us of what there can be in this world. I hope it reminds us to find heart, hope and tolerance to those who suffer or need help. I hope we have the courage to look and see, trying to make a difference. This is a story you will know this child and feel from the depths of his inner-being instead of hearing his story.
There may be a cold chill travel your spine as you begin to understand even more of this tale. We can call him Danny, but can we say who he really is?

I can hardly wait to tell you about my most recent two books that are actually with my grandson. Down The Path is his own story he created and worked for over a year and a half developing. It was so much fun as he began not only writing the story but learning and working to make the characters as real as possible. I would ask such things as.... Well that all will be in the next blog. The things we did to enable an 8 year old child to write a book I think adults would find things in as well as children would enjoy I documented in a book similar to a journal and it is our other book called An Adventure In Writing. Those two will be the next of this 3 part blog. I guess my own story will be the first part of a series too since I am not dead yet and not giving up.... not today.

I close to day and am getting ready to lie down and take a rest but wish each and every one of you a happy day, happy reading and wonderful things in the years to come. Thank you for taking the time to share this adventure I am undertaking in life and writing and taking the time to visit a bit with me here..... I almost said visit a spell, but that is a local thing you would have to hear the Arkansas accent to appreciate. Y'all have a wonderful day.

This is a list of the countries I will provide links for through Amazon.....
US United States UK United Kingdom IN IndiaDE Germany FR France ES SpainIT Italy JP Japan BR BrazilCA Canada CN China MX Mexico AU Austrailia

I have author pages in the US at http://www.amazon.com/Linda-Nance/e/B004PVDVR4/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1 and the UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Linda-Nance/e/B004PVDVR4/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1393520462&sr=1-2-ent There are many other place I often go and have sites such a linkedin, goodreads, twitter and many others. For today would share the links to each country for each book but the truth is I am getting tired and even this has taken such a long time I am ready to rest a bit. If you go to your country page and look for the book title and author name I hope you find me and if you do not please let me know and I will try to help.

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Published on March 21, 2014 10:43

March 3, 2014

All The Books Around The World.. ..A journey In Writing...Part One

Many people have asked about my books and writing of the books and stories. I promised to do a blog with all of them and it has taken some time to do what I really wanted to do. I wanted to share not only the books, but the links where they can be found. There are many other places to find the books and they can even be ordered from your favorite books stores. When I began writing and first got online with the internet I felt it was my way to reach out beyond where I am. I wanted to be able to not just fade away but to feel alive. When I published the first book I did not know if there would be a chance for any future when they told me how critical the cancer was. Every heart beat brought me close to being inoperable. I was not strong enough or have enough lung capacity to survive the surgery. I worked with treatments until they could do the surgery. I had two novels I had written but had to decide what one I would choose to publish knowing it may be the only chance I would have.
I loved Journey Home. It is a novel and a story I think you will not soon forget. I also love Life Goes On. When I first got the idea to write this story I wanted to share something others could relate to. I wanted to write it to feel so real you would know the people, share their pain, and gain an insight to some of the problems and issues others might have with economics, home, family, children, teenagers, and the dangers of the choices we make in life with consequences that may be far reaching. I wanted it to be a story that would take the reader with them all into the story and life.
There is a new reality television show here sharing the life in a rural area of Hard, Arkansas. Life Goes On takes you into the life this family works to build as the relocate from north to south and city to country with children who do not want to go. None of them dreamed they would go from a life of stability with a good job, beautiful home, safe schools, friends and neighbors to unemployed and life cascading out of control. The loss of job results in a loss of home and moving to a rough neighborhood and a life they had never really understood. You can read the story and feel the people. You can experience the life as they learn to adapt. Many people love the reality shows. This is a work of fiction but has the feel of real life and real people in a place many call home.

Children are survivors and adapt to environment. The environment was not one that any parent would choose, but also not one they could avoid. When they could not pay rent there they were facing a future of being homeless or taking the offer of help from a relative and relocation.
We may pass people who are homeless and often look away. We never really see them or think of who they are or were, and where they came from to arrive in such circumstances. People who have worked for years at the jobs and building their lives suddenly find themselves in situations loosing their homes and struggling to survive. What if there was no place to go? What if there was no one to help? This family had few choices left and a long way to go in miles and transitions.Each person would have changes, challenges and problems with choices that could affect not only them but their whole family and those they love. They would have to live with the consequences and find a way to go on ….. as Life Goes On.
When I was looking for the links to my book, I wanted to share the links to all of the countries it may be found. I have compiled a list of the Amazon sites.
Before that I want to also explain that every one of my book covers is one of my pieces of art. Many are my paintings and some a from my photos worked to be special for the book or art from pastels. Life Goes On is one of my photos we took many years ago as we traveled from St. Louis, Missouri to Arkansas. The sky was ablaze with color and it took my breath away. It was that special time of evening just before darkness. When I saw the headlights of the cars, the thought occurred to me wondering about those who traveled that evening. They each had their own stories, places to go and pasts they left behind. I knew that was right for this story. Life Goes On.
This is a list of the countries I will provide links for through Amazon.....
US United States UK United Kingdom IN IndiaDE Germany FR France ES SpainIT Italy JP Japan BR BrazilCA Canada CN China MX Mexico AU Austrailia

I have author pages in the US at http://www.amazon.com/Linda-Nance/e/B004PVDVR4/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1 and the UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Linda-Nance/e... There are many other place I often go and have sites such a linkedin, goodreads, twitter and many others. For today I will share the Amazon links to all of the books and all of the countries I could find.
This is the original picture I use for the cover of Journey Home and the final cover for the book.

When I wanted to reach around the world I truly felt as if I was seeing my books in all of these places

LIFE GOES ON
256 pagesISBN-13: 978-1453780138 (CreateSpace-Assigned)ISBN-10: 1453780130BISAC: Fiction / General
LIFE GOES ON The Family of five found themselves in crisis as they were evicted from their apartment after the father lost his job. With great trepidation they accepted help from a relative that offered them a place to live and new start in life. They had no choices except seeing their family homeless in a rough part of the city. It was not an easy adjustment for any of them as they experienced moments that would test their sense of humor and times that would test their strength of character. There were some difficult issues they would have to face and how they responded could have life altering consequences. Learning what family can mean was a lesson each person learned in their own way. This is a story of people and a place they would work to make their home. It is struggle, heart, moments of triumph and times of despair. It is a story that speaks to many of us in different ways as the characters struggle with life. They had weathered the difficult transition of the relocation and would face new challenges as life goes on for them all. Life Goes On is a dramatic story worth reading and remembering.

CREATESPACE PAPERBACK https://www.createspace.com/3478911

US KINDLE http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004XJ6U26
AMAZON PAPERBACK http://www.amazon.com/Life-Goes-Linda-Nance/dp/1453780130/ref=la_B004PVDVR4_1_5_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393523455&sr=1-
UK KINDLE https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004XJ6U26
AMAZON PAPERBACK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pumpkin-Field-Linda-Nance/dp/1461044812/ref=la_B004PVDVR4_1_1_bnp_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393520472&sr=1-1

IN KINDLE https://www.amazon.in/dp/B004XJ6U26
AMAZON PAPERBACK http://www.amazon.in/Life-Goes-Linda-...
DE KINDLE https://www.amazon.de/dp/B004XJ6U26
AMAZON PAPERBACK http://www.amazon.de/Life-Goes-On-Linda-Nance/dp/1453780130/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393524209&sr=8-1&keywords=LINDA+NANCE
FRKINDLE https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B004XJ6U26
AMAZON PAPERBACK http://www.amazon.fr/Life-Goes-On-Linda-Nance/dp/1453780130/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1393524746&sr=8-9&keywords=LINDA+NANCE
ES KINDLE https://www.amazon.es/dp/B004XJ6U26
AMAZON PAPERBACK http://www.amazon.es/Life-Goes-On-Linda-Nance/dp/1453780130/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393525843&sr=8-1&keywords=linda+nance
IT KINDLE https://www.amazon.it/dp/B004XJ6U26
AMAZON PAPERBACK http://www.amazon.it/Life-Goes-Linda-Nance/dp/1453780130/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393526152&sr=8-1&keywords=linda+nance
JP KINDLE https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B004XJ6U26
AMAZON PAPERBACK http://www.amazon.co.jp/Life-Goes-Linda-Nance/dp/1453780130/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1393527015&sr=8-2&keywords=linda+nance
BR KINDLE https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B004XJ6U26 AMAZON PAPERBACK
CA KINDLE https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B004XJ6U26
AMAZON PAPERBACK http://www.amazon.ca/Life-Goes-Linda-Nance/dp/1453780130/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393527306&sr=1-2&keywords=linda+nance
MX KINDLE https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B004XJ6U26 AMAZON PAPERBACK
AUKINDLE https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B004XJ6U26 AMAZON PAPERBACK

The more I get into this, the more I feel the excitement. With every book and story I wrote, I wanted it to be more than just a story to entertain. I wanted it to feel real and let you get to know the people and be able to see the places. As I worked to find all of the links for the books I really did get the feeling or reaching out beyond these walls as I sit here typing. I love this book. It is the first novel I ever wrote but one that will always have a special place in my heart. Many people have asked me how long it took me to write it. I have no real answer except that life got in the way. I did not give up on it and worked for many years before it became what it is today.

How would you feel if you believed and knew someone was watching, following, even stalking you and no one took it seriously? Lara relocated thinking she would leave her problems behind. She met new people, made new friends and saw some from her past when she went back to what she thought of as her childhood home. She had to stay for nine months but found those nine months could be a life time or and end to life depending on finding the truth and realizing who she could trust.
What it you looked out your window as darkness approached and instead of enjoying the view, you wondered who and what might be looking in? These were just some of the problems this young woman would face. Her new friends seemed too good to be true but she could not stop the feelings she began to experience for the man who might have the most to gain if she failed to stay or anything happened to her.
Knowing who to trust could be an impossible thing but being alone could be disastrous. The problems she was having were more than an infatuation that developed into stalking. Life and death could be the result for her and anyone close to her. Were the feelings she could not control for Alan real, or would they be what destroyed her? Were her new friends too good to be true or a blessing and her only hope?
Home is more than a place you live or an address where you receive mail. Home is a place in the heart. For this woman to find her way on her Journey Home to find a Home of heart she would have to survive. She would have to survive the Journey Home and find a way to live life.
I had the story, but I needed a cover. I thought of so many things I could try to use. I still hardly knew how to use a computer and the frustration trying to learn so many new things was almost more than I could survive. Many years ago I did a painting for my father-in-law. I did not have fancy art supplies. I had used a simple piece of typing paper and a 99 cent tray of children's watercolor paints. I got a piece of paper towel and some brushes and tried to capture the sky and the place. All of these years later he is gone from us now but the painting and memories are still alive in our hearts. I knew that was what I wanted for the cover of Journey Home. We each have paths in life we travel and this painting was a path in a place so like the book describes. It may be a path Lara would have walked. I may be a path I would love to walk. It was the path that would take the story Journey Home forward to becoming a book I could hold in my hands.
This is the original painting.

That brings me to The Pumpkin Field. This is one book that will always be dear to our hearts with a long history even before it became a book. When our boys were young they came home from school telling how much they hated poetry. I explained that a poem is many things. A poem could actually tell a story. They laughed and made young boy faces saying “Yuck, it would be a love story.”
I decided to write a poem about a haunted pumpkin field. Most children and many adults love a ghost or haunted story. I wanted it to be more than a poem and more than a story. I wanted it to be something we could use to explore thoughts, dreams, fears, hopes, and more. I wanted it to be something that could generate enough interest they might begin to explore their own thoughts and creativity.
For many years that is what it was. It was a little poem with a big reach. If a child was afraid of the dark the first part was something I could use to help them understand that night is not bad.....it is a different kind of light. With teenagers and older people they could find and see more. They could and did relate it to life as we find darkness and shadows in life and we have to find a way to find our way. What lies in the darkness and shadows?

My witch does not eat people or hurt people. She is old, ugly and dresses strange. She is different and scary. That does not always mean that different is bad. What we see on the outside is not always what is on the inside or real of the person we see. There are many forms of prejudice and most come from what is different or we do not understand. If we could overcome our fears and look beyond appearances we could come to a much deeper understanding and also discover some amazing people we might have feared or disregarded. I tired to write the entire story in a way that people of all ages could relate to and children would love.

The local schools began to use the poem in their classes at Halloween time of the year and I even did posters with the characters. The State Park near here used it as a focal point and special thing for the children with me reading the story, poem at their Halloween event. The newspapers took pictures of the posters and told all about it.
My husband told me I just had to make it into a book. He believed in me. To do it justice I would want the illustrations to follow the story. That is a lot of art work. How and what to do? Day by day and page by page I decided to work with Pastels to do the pictures. I did full page pictures so the children could really enjoy the book with full color. My little poem became a book.

I thought back to the many time through the years we gathered around a bonfire and I told the little story. Our children, neighborhood children, friends and relatives loved the little poem, story and asked for it over and over. Now they bring their children to hear it and have the book to read. I had to laugh when one many told me it was Christmas time and his two daughters had to have him read them the Pumpkin Field as a bedtime story.

I was overjoyed when I heard from one reader in England who had shared the book with her daughter's class at their grade school. She said her daughter never tired of the book and they read it together over and over. When I found out classes and schools in another country were enjoying my little book there are no words to describe the emoticon I felt.
I may be sick, old, crippled and have problems but as I sat here at home typing, drawing and working on the books that I love I really did feel as if I had escaped these walls and a part of me reached around the world sharing something special to me. I kept the original sketches before I did the pastels for the book. Since my grandson was a baby I used them for coloring pages. He love it. He could make decorations for Halloween and also use them to make his own little book. I would staple them together and he would add to the pictures making his own little stories.

I have had more than one person tell me how stupid I was to not make a coloring book and sell it. I may one day but I wanted to have pages others could copy for free and the children to be able to do as many as they wanted. Each child seems to pick one character that is their favorite. In a coloring book that is one page. For free they can copy as many as they want. Some choose a pumpkin and some choose the scarecrow or even the witch.

That little boy that colored the pictures and stapled the pages together making his little books never gave up on the idea. He has told me that is not the end of the story. There is more to it. I smiled and encouraged him to tell me more of his ideas.
We have worked and he loves his stories. I wrote a book called An Adventure In Writing. It is a journal type thing of what we learned and worked on for an 8 year old to write a book with a story and characters I believe not only children but adults might find interesting. It shares part of his first book called Down The Path http://www.amazon.com/Down-Path-Linda-Nance-ebook/dp/B00GW51ED4/ref=la_B004PVDVR4_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393874832&sr=1-1and the next one he is still working on he said he will call Beyond The Pumpkin Field.
I have heard it said, to write what we know and he does that naturally. I have to smile at parts knowing what is behind the words and stories. We live in a very rural area with miles of forest behind the house. He knows to never go into the woods alone. He knows there are animals there. He knows he is supposed to listen to us and his mom but in his story the children thought just this once it would be alright to go into the woods. I would tell you more but will save it for when I do that book. I tell it now because the little story of The Pumpkin Field was the beginning. It was the beginning of him wanting to write his own stories and books and the beginning of many conversations with young and old alike.

We still love to get out back around a fire and tell stories with family and friends. This is one picture of my little coauthor and his grandpa.

The Pumpkin Field is a little book with a big reach. It reached through the years and around the world. Here are some of the places it can be found.
THE PUMPKIN FIELD
40 pagesISBN-13: 978-1461044819 (CreateSpace-Assigned)ISBN-10: 1461044812BISAC: Juvenile Fiction / Holidays & Celebrations / Halloween
Through the years as I have told or read this story the children sat listening to every word. When the story is over it is only beginning as the questions flood forth about all different things from the different children. I see emotions relating to excitement, curiosity and a desire to share their thoughts, feelings, experiences and questions. Each and every page is an art work done to bring the story to life. I am so pleased to be able to share something so special in so many ways. The characters are ones that will remain in memory not to haunt but to be happy memories almost like friends on an adventure. The first of the book allows you to write to and from, making it a gift that is special just as you would a greeting card. This is a greeting of happy memories and good times shared. In a short and magically poetic story many doors open allowing communication on various topics and of as many thoughts as are possible in the young minds of those who share the tale. It is not just a story to tell but one that can be special in many ways. On this journey through the pumpkin field there are strange, ominous, mysterious, and even magical things that occur. Was it real or was it a dream? Could that be why it is requested even now into a new generation? I hope that my illustrations will bring this tale to life and just as my children and grandchildren and so many others have loved this tale, it will bring a special smile and create memories shared by all who read or receive it. This book is my gift to be passed on and shared, that can live on and reach out beyond the pages leaving delighted smiles. The Pumpkin Field is a little book with a big reach.

CREATESPACE PAPERBACK https://www.createspace.com/3588264

US KINDLE http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DIQUBIE
AMAZON PAPERBACK http://www.amazon.com/Pumpkin-Field-Linda-Nance/dp/1461044812/ref=la_B004PVDVR4_1_2_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393523455&sr=1-2
UK KINDLE https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DIQUBIE
AMAZON PAPERBACK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pumpkin-Field-Linda-Nance/dp/1461044812/ref=la_B004PVDVR4_1_1_bnp_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393520472&sr=1-1
IN KINDLE https://www.amazon.in/dp/B00DIQUBIE
AMAZON PAPERBACK http://www.amazon.in/The-Pumpkin-Field-Linda-Nance/dp/1461044812/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1393523882&sr=8-3&keywords=LINDA+NANCE
DEKINDLE https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00DIQUBIE AMAZON PAPERBACK http://www.amazon.de/PUMPKIN-FIELD-Nance-Linda-Author/dp/B00IEWZOWA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1393524209&sr=8-4&keywords=LINDA+NANCE
FR KINDLE https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00DIQUBIE
AMAZON PAPERBACK http://www.amazon.fr/The-Pumpkin-Field-Linda-Nance-ebook/dp/B00DIQUBIE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1393524631&sr=8-4&keywords=LINDA+NANCE
ES KINDLE https://www.amazon.es/dp/B00DIQUBIE
AMAZON PAPERBACK
IT https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0054GLX92

Paperbooks http://www.amazon.it/The-Pumpkin-Field-Linda-Nance/dp/1461044812/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1393526152&sr=8-4&keywords=linda+nance
JP KINDLE https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00DIQUBIE
AMAZON PAPERBACK https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B00DIQUBIE
BR KINDLE https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B00DIQUBIE AMAZON PAPERBACK
CA KINDLE https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00DIQUBIE
AMAZON PAPERBACK http://www.amazon.ca/Pumpkin-Field-Li...
MX KINDLE https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B00DIQUBIE AMAZON PAPERBACK
AU KINDLE https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00DIQUBIE AMAZON PAPERBACK
Before I go I want to share a few of the pages and pictures.

At the beginning of each book I did a page where you can write to and from. I wanted each child to feel as if the book was special for them. It is sort of like a greeting card giving them a gift. I hope it will be a gift that will inspire communication, creativity, imagination and a wonderful time.

I would stay and tell you all about all of the books but I have to do things a little at a time and this is actually something I have worked on for some time. I will be back soon and share more about the books and my journey writing them. I hope you can help me share about them to others everywhere. I have to do things a little at a time and can not promote them as I would love to do. For me this is more than sharing books for sale..... it is sharing a passion, stories and something created from the heart.

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Published on March 03, 2014 15:26

January 14, 2014

This Was Hard To Write … But...I Am Still Here

It has been some time since I have been able to write one of my blogs. I have had dozens of ideas but each day has been a challenge to just continue to live. I promised to be honest in this blog and the things I share as I go along but that is not always easy. When I say that I get tired, very tired, it is something that most people will never fully understand. When I was young I would play until I was so tired I could not keep my eyes open. I was very tired but it was a good tired. I could rest and feel renewed to play another day. As I grew older I could work until I could go no more but it was a tired that found rest at the end of the day and a new day refreshed. When I became ill I got tired and it was not a good tired that rest could refresh. It was a desperate tired feeling that found no ease. When I became more ill, I often feel tired as if being alive is difficult and facing the challenges that life seems to never run short of, could be more than I had or have the strength left to face. I have tried so long and so hard to not only be alive but to live life the best that I can.. I have tried to look for hope and believing that each new day is a blessing. I have tried with my art and words and books and involvement with others to share that feeling of hope. As the family circumstances became more dire my hope began to dim. I began to try to survive. When you can no longer find a way to strive in life, looking forward to each day as a blessing, and are reduced to surviving, you are not in a good place. Words of hope and joy no longer came to mind. When I looked out my window I could see the sunshine but not feel it in my heart. I could see all of the people around me here at home and by phone and internet but still feel alone..... and tired. I lived in a world of pain that never ended. In the middle of the night if I finally fell asleep the pain would wake me. It was so intense the blood pressure was extremely high. They could not prescribe pain medicine without close medical supervision because it could diminish lung function. If my lung began to fill with fluid, I would be in trouble in an unbelievable short period of time. What could help me, could kill me. I understand all of that but could not afford the doctors that could help me. I have been seeing a lung specialist that is an amazing doctor and helped keep me alive through a clinic that helps those with no insurance or medicaid. They could not manage pain meds. I finally got Medicaid and thought it was the beginning of being able to recover enough to have a life and be alive. By the time I finally got it, I had a heart attack, blockages of 80 percent on one side and 70 on the other. They went in and put in 4 stints at one time and I felt so much better. The blood pressure was still an issue but I found out that since I had the Medicaid I could not go to the clinic as I had for years and many doctors are now unable to take new Medicaid patients. The primary care physician tried and could find no one closer than a 3 or 4 hour drive and that was a maybe for a lung specialist.That was when my left side went limp during one of my rehab sessions for cardio function. I have been lucky and blessed to have regained most of the use on that side. It is still a bit slow and numb but better. The blood pressure was out of control. I am on 16 different prescriptions for blood pressure/ heart, breathing and respiratory, thyroid, blood thinners and that sort of thing. The new doctor prescribed pain meds that have been such a relief. I am more able to be up and around. I am able to be awake and not feel like I am loosing my mind. My blood pressure began to come down to almost normal. It is amazing until..... it is time to get my medications refilled. I still need the blood pressure meds. I do not want another stroke or heart attack. I have lived through cancer and having most of my left lung removed. The last time in the hospital they explained that I have a degenerative bone disease that has progressed to the point that there is nothing they can do except try to manage the pain. I have known that for some time but it is not easy to live with especially when you add in all of the other things. The Medicaid pays for 6 of 16 prescriptions. The blood thinners are all that will keep the stints from blocking up again. I had pressure increase in the heart not long ago they went in and did another heart cath and I am still here. I on prescriptions they feel are necessary to keep me going...... which ones do I need the most? If I get them filled, will I have the money for gas to go to the cardio rehab that has helped so much? If we do those things will we have the money for groceries? Then there is the big fear that seemed so oppressive especially during the extreme cold weather we had and will have again....will we have the money to fill the gas tank to heat our home? These are things that were ever present on my mind. We did not live extravagantly heating the house toasty and warm. We heated only as necessary and only two rooms during the extreme cold. At night we are usually under the covers and we were under a lot of covers. It was cold. I saw no way we would survive month to month and eventually the gas will be gone on a little over $500 a month. When Albert fell and fractured his skull it shattered more than the bone. It shattered our life. He tries day by day but some of the damage is permanent. He does his best but is surviving constant headaches and many other things that limit his life and ability to work. He applied for disability but was denied saying he might be able to be retrained. He has appealed and we will have to wait and keep trying to survive. All of that brings me back to when I looked out the window seeing the sunshine but feeling no sunshine in my heart. I would like to say that things have all worked out and I see a bright and shining future but I can not see the future. What I am now finally able to see, is this moment. I am looking at each day. I felt so close to giving up. I felt myself going down hill until I could hardly function at all. I see the smiling face of my little grandson and my daughter smiling but looking a bit helpless and worried. I see my husband as he takes me for each rehab session and patiently waits reminding me how important it is to continue. I see comments here online and from friends I talk to on the phone.... and I am not as alone as I was not that long ago. I took the time to pray for me along with those others I hear about who need help and realized that I am not alone. I got a phone call and the doctor that helped me so much in the clinic found a way to accept me as his patient. He did not forget me and I have hope. In the new book I wrote with my grandson, the ending is something a bit different. It is a children’s book but the end is one I think we could all relate to. Things in life are not always as they seem and some things we are never really sure of. Some things require faith. One of our neighbors stopped in to visit today and could not say enough about the little book. She and her husband both read it and she smiled as she told how touched they were. She said they loved the whole story but the ending was one they will never forget. I went out on the back porch and sat with our little dog this afternoon.

Last night I went and sat out for a short time and looked up at the sky. The moon shone through a haze of light clouds. There was no bright shining light from the heavens of the night. There was a dim glow with clouds growing denser and a chill in the night air. Life can be that way. It can be cold with storm clouds brewing. It can seem dark and almost hopeless....almost. With the afternoon sun warming me where I sat and seeing the little dog romp and play, I looked up at the clouds parting and the intense blue of the sky through the trees. The trees are bare making patterns in the sky but Spring will come again. The leaves will bud out in vibrant green. The dogwoods will bloom. The flowers will brighten the world. The darkness of the night before was gone. The clouds were parting instead of building to blot out the sun. All hope is not gone. I have no idea how things will work out but life does go on. I still get very tired. I have had to write this a little at a time but I am writing it to share the idea that as I have said so often. We can not give up. When we give up is when all is lost. I have a favor to ask. I need your help. I want each of you who read this, to take the time to tell someone near you how much you love them. We often feel it but do not really say it. A smile can often do wonders. Take a happy thought and pass it on. A simple kindness can mean so much. Reach out to others and try in what ever way that you can. So many here online have reached out to me and they will never know how much they have helped. They have tweeted and shared on twitter and facebook for me and I have not been able to return the favors. I often am too tired to be able to sit at the computer but for very shot times and when my back is acting up am not able to be here at all. When I do come back, there are words of kindness, hope, encouragement and prayers. I believe in those things. You have touched my heart and given me hope.

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Published on January 14, 2014 12:41

December 8, 2013

Honest Words In Hard Times

I had said that I wanted to record and tell of things in life and how I felt about those things as they occurred. I am finding that more difficult than I had ever dreamed. When I wrote the book I Will Not Give Up...Not Today....Life Is A Journey, I did not so much write it to tell my own story as to try to share the idea that we can not give up. If we give up today there is so much of tomorrow and the rest of life that we miss. We do not have to be dead to be dead to life. Just because we are alive does not mean we are truly living life. When we loose the ability to find the beauty in life, life can have a dim outlook. When we loose the will to stand up and keep going we fall farther and farther down. If we find what we look for in life it can be something beautiful or it can be dark and increasingly hopeless. I guess that goes to the old saying we need to watch what we look for..... we just might find it. When I wrote I Will Not Give Up it was the hardest thing I had ever written but I felt compelled to write it. I wrote about things I had never talked about, and remembered things that for years had been beyond my ability to remember. As I wrote, it was like a flash back and I did not just remember it but relived it. I have heard from so many that the book touched their heart and even helped in their own lives. I could not go back and read my own words. I was unable to risk the feeling of reliving things such as the head-on collision and other times that were so difficult. The pages were not written as an author but emotions straight from the heart. Now as I try to keep my word and honestly write about life and how things are going with my writing and surviving, I again find it difficult. I would like to tell you that every day I look on the bright side and am able to see hope and bright and shining things but that would be a lie. I have felt almost overwhelmed. There were times I felt so filled with despair there was no one I could talk to. There was no where I could turn. I turned to prayer. I understand there are many who do not want to hear religious discussions but my beliefs and faith are a part of me. I believed that God was there with me but I do not know his plan. Am I to survive? What are the challenges ahead? I was also not alone because of the outpouring of support and well wishes and prayers from all of you online. I have said before how much you have touched my heart and how much it has meant but words really do not describe it. Then we lost the internet. My husband has always taken care of our family. He could no longer work. He was lucky to be alive. Everyday he faced challenges trying to survive the damages the brain injury has left him to overcome. We had no income but what the church provided in offerings. We had to go the food banks to have food and work applying any and everywhere we could to get help. I had no idea how we would pay for things I feel are necessary in addition to food and utilities or gas to go to doctors. How would I pay for the oxygen that is my lifeline? They showed such compassion and have helped to keep me going. Month after month I tried to hold on and not give up. My husband had nearly died in March. My mother and father had been very ill. The end of July we lost my mother. As I stood at her side holding onto her in the physical and emotional sense in those last moments, I felt overwhelmed. I felt a terrible pressure in my chest. I could not breathe even with the oxygen. I went down. I thought it was my nerves. I thought it was anxiety. In addition to respiratory problems and the loss of most of my left lung to cancer I have severe hypertension and some heart problems. During those months I felt sure the pressure and stress was showing in an anxiety attack. My family tried to get me to go to the hospital but my mother was dieing,, my father would need me, my husband was so hurt from the skull fracture.... I was so sure it was stress. I was wrong. It was my heart. I could not give up. My father needed me. My family needed me. Even the funeral became a nightmare. We could not bury my mother until we came up with money. We thought it was all arranged and there were insurance to cover but it had been cashed in long ago. My father had no idea and the stress was immense. He has mild Alzheimers and it made it more difficult. I did my best and she had a beautiful service eventually. I felt so tired. I tried my best to keep going. During that time there were so many who posted comments that helped so much. I thought we were through the worst that life could throw at us but life has a way to surprise you. I became so weak I could hardly get up. If I took more than a couple of steps I became dizzy and felt so fragile I began to tremble. We had no choice but to go for help. The good Lord does look after me even as stubborn as I can be. I have felt so bad for so long it is often hard to tell when I am in danger. The went in and found I had an 80 percent block on one side and 70 percent on the other. Four stints later I was doing so much better. Since that time I began a rehab program for cardio/pulmonary. It helps so much but how could I be strong enough to do it or have the gas to get there? When my left arm fell down I felt so confused and could not make it work. I just wanted to go home. I thought if I rested I would get stronger and all would be fine. I could do it..... but.... I had had a mild stroke. I am still working to get it back and making great progress. I am typing this. I may have to do it over and over and it takes longer but I can do it. During all of this there were times it was hard to look on the bright side. There were times it was hard to find hope and beauty in life. I thought of the things I have been working on combining art and words to help share the message of hope. I sat and looked at my own works to find hope in my own life. I was hanging on but barely. I read the words you all posted and they inspired me that I was not alone. There were others who cared. The love of my daughter, grandson and husband kept me going. Friends and family shared their love. I could do it. I could live through all of this and find a way to make life worth while.... I hoped I could but was not as sure as I had once been. I am finally back online but feel so tired and weak it is difficult for me to be here. I do everything a little at a time. I really miss my momma. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving thanks to my daughter, grandson and her boyfriend. They worked so hard and made such a wonderful meal. My father was there but he looked so lost and fragile. When he first was there I do believe he was ready to go be with Mom. By the time he left, I saw him smiling and talking about the future. The little grandson works magic for all of us. He held my father's hand and told him about how he would have to be there for Christmas. Now Daddy is talking about Christmas and smiles. That is the same little grandson that is my co-author. The book we just got out is one I can not promote but am so happy with. I feel it is not only a good story for children but one that may touch grownups too. I wrote a journal type book as we worked to share how we did this. I did not only want to tell a story but teach my grandson how and what it takes to make a story a book. I wanted him to understand why we wrote it as we did and what we were doing as we developed the story. I hope that helps young and older alike to make their dreams come true with the own writing. Before I got so sick I was invited to be the guest speaker for the fourth and fifth grade classes at Green County Tech. It was wonderful. The children were so excited and filled with enthusiasm. I hope one day to be able to do a special event and work with some that are interested in writing. So many times the thing that holds us back is the ability to believe and determination to work and work hard learning as much as we can to accomplish our dreams. There are so many things that I want to do. It has been so long since I could be up and about to do the writers group but I will not give up. We still keep in touch on the phone. This last round nearly did me in. I was having problems thinking of the future in anyway other than one filled with pain, and a dismal end to life. I could look outside and see a bright day that I could not be a part of. I thought that maybe it was time for me to say enough. I had tried, but living was really hard. I wanted my grandson to hold the book he had worked so hard to write in his hands. It is here now. It is real and so is the book that shares how we did it. We let him open the package it arrived in. At first he had no words. He seemed overwhelmed with emotion. I had my husband take pictures of him.

In a flash he grabbed up the two copies and held them up with a smile that would light the room.

I was sitting beside him. It had been a very difficult day for me and I think it showed but he lunged toward me with the books in his hands and we had a special moment I will never forget and even had the picture of the moment.

After that I had a really bad day. I had not been feeling well at all. The blood pressure is uncontrolled even with medication. I have tried my best but felt so bad. When I finally gave up and went to the hospital they kept me there. I began to wonder if this would be my last. I had the nurse take a picture so if I did get to come home and write this it would be one more piece of life's puzzle. For a brief moment I thought it might be the last picture of me to be had. It was a sad and fearful feeling.

I felt so weak and fragile. They did many tests and all of a sudden we were headed to the heart cath lab. They called in specialists and they were so good. They went into my heart and did what they could and I am alive. I have to find ways to make life special and live it, instead of just being alive. I had pressure that had built up in the heart that could have ended all of that. I still am fighting hour to hour the blood pressure that could do it again but I am alive. I came home from the hospital in and ice storm. We live out in the country and often loose our electricity. When we loose ours I loose my oxygen. I have a couple of small tanks, but how long will they last. The ice made it impossible to leave the house. There was no way I could walk on the ice or for us to get our vehicle out to go anywhere. The night we got home from the hospital we did loose our electricity for awhile but thanks to those who work in the cold and difficult weather they got us going before I ran our of oxygen. The next day I looked out the window to a world of ice. I usually love the beauty as it sparkles like crystal. All I saw was a shroud. It was a shroud of ice. I looked out the window at the trees the ice storms of the past had broken with their twisted limbs reaching up and more ice on the branches. Was it a world of beautiful crystal or a shroud of ice? I guess it is all how you look at it.

I looked out and thought of all the messages from those online. I thought of the love of family and friends. I thought the my husband, daughter and grandson and knew I had to find a way to see the beauty. I had to find a way to get tough and get up and live. It is not over until we give up. My grandson asked how will anyone ever know about our book. I told him not to worry. We did something special and I believe in the story. Itis a tale for young and old alike, sharing the story of two young children and the discoveries they make down the path they take. The choices we make have consequences as the two young children discover. What may seem like an adventure and time of fun can often evolve into something more sinister or frightening. Discovering the right path and surviving to come safely home is something the children almost loose hope of finding. A story of the faith of a child and courage to stand by what they believe.

I told him it is there and it is real. Even if only one person reads it and it touches them we did good. I looked out again at the ice on the trees and knowing how cold it is outside. I saw it sparkle in the sunlight. I saw the beauty again. I did not give up. I may have come close but there is more for me to do in this life. I have no idea what the future holds and am working with all my might to hang on and improve. There are so many more things I want to do. Even on the coldest days the love of family and friends here and online make a warm place in my heart.

Before I go I want to share some of the art projects I have been doing with art and words. I have used my own water color paintings and photos to combine feelings, sight and heart

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Published on December 08, 2013 11:56

November 30, 2013

Patterns in Life

We got ready early in the morning to go to the cardio/pulmonary rehab and it was so cold.I had had the blues and missed my mother. I missed my grandparents and so many others who have passed from this life. Family and friends are now gone. The holidays are near and my daughter and grandson are trying so hard to make a wonderful and happy time for us all. Her boyfriend makes us feel ever so welcome and they work together trying to make it all so special....yet I had the blues. I know they are missing mom and also worried about us but they work to make happy times to come.All during these difficulties my daughter came every day. She ran and fetched for us. We had no way to even get groceries or medicines. She gave all she had to give and did all she could to help as well as take care of her family and child.I am so grateful and it warms my heart seeing all of the love she shares with us. The little grandson makes me smile and the dreariest days seem bright.But I still had cried off and on for days.I risk falling when ever I try to go somewhere so even getting out to the vehicle is a challenge. The cold makes the aches and pains worse but the therapy makes them better..... so I was going to do my best.Albert takes me three times a week and patiently waits without complaint. All of that and I had begun to feel as if it was no use. No matter how hard I work I will never get well. I will never be able to go for a walk or hike in the woods with my grandson seeing all of the beauty there, as I did with my children. I will never be able to go camping and sit peacefully by the campfire.I could go on listing all of the things I will never be able to do and dreading all of the things yet to come....When I got in the pickup truck it was so cold the windows were iced over. We would have to wait for a few moments and let the heat from the defroster melt it away while Albert switched out my oxygen bottle.As these feelings washed over me, the sun broke through the gray cloudy sky. The ice on the windshield sparkled like diamonds. The delicate lacy patterns shimmered on the glass. It was so beautiful. It was icy and it was cold but it was delicate, intricate and sparkling and bright.Staring at that cold and frozen windshield I began to feel a bit of peace. I thought of the things I write and say and realize there are times I need to read them myself and remember to watch what we look for. If we look for the misery and pain in life, it is not hard to find but is that what do we really want to find? There are those who hurt us and take advantage of us. There are those who are cruel or bully.There is beauty. There is love and kindness. There are also those who do not forget us. There are those who do all they can to help us and keep us in their thoughts and prayers. There is sunshine behind the clouds and beauty if we look for it even in a frozen windshield. There is hope for tomorrow.I am not dead yet..... I have so much more life to live and want to do the best that I can. I will not say that I never feel despair, fear, heartbreak, anger, frustration and depression. But I will not let those fleeting feelings dictate to me. I will find a way to see the patterns in life that lead to hope and joy.Life can be so cold and harsh just as the ice that froze on the glass. Life can also hold untold beauty and surprises for the days ahead. If we give up today we miss all of the tomorrows.I Will Not Give Up Today....Life is a journey and there is so much more I have to do.

To all who miss loved ones during these holiday seasons, know that love never dies. Love that lives in the heart lives forever. Instead of thinking about all that I have lost I want to think of all that I have. I want to think of ways to make good memories for those I love instead of grieving and stealing the joy of the moment.I want to look for the patterns in life that give beauty and joy.

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Published on November 30, 2013 17:39

I Am Back

I Am Back
These past few months I have been off the internet have seemed like a lifetime. I have heard people say that people on the internet are not real or at least not real friends but I have to differ. There is no way to describe how wonderful so many have been. I started all of this in 2010 and the people I have met then and now are friends. I may have never seen you in person or heard your voice but you have touched my heart. Several of those I have become friends with on the internet have begun to communicate by phone. For sometime now that was the only way you could reach me. I had said I was going to write about all of this honestly as I went along. It started with me wanting to see at least one of the things I had written as a book that I could hold in my hand. They had told me I had cancer and with all of the other problems we were all very unsure if I would even wake up from the surgery let alone what the future would bring.I shared honestly and from the heart. I remember the days before the surgery thinking I may never be able to see and be with those I loved in this life again. I felt so many emotions. I felt fear and even some emotions there are no words to describe but I tried.I got to hold the proof for Life Goes On days before the surgery. When I woke from the surgery there was no thought about books. The pain was unreal. Nothing stopped the pain. Even morphine did not seem to work. I had to survive. That was all I was doing for sometime.CreateSpace had worked with me doing the first novel. The patience and support they showed was amazing. You have to realize that my oxygen levels were very low. At one point they were not even able to do the surgery that could save my life. They said my lung capacity was so low I would not survive and if I did it would be on life support. I was doing treatments and working as hard as I could but there was no way I could have done the book without all of their help.I knew so little about computers and the internet I had to learn everything and had no time to do it. Even uploading the files was difficult.There were times they worked with me on the phone talking me through it and even then we often had to wait and try again later as I became more and more unable to function. After the surgery for sometime I was simply surviving and living in a haze of pain. I still did not know how long I would have to live and if the cancer would come back. I decided I would not wait in life. If I was alive, I wanted to truly live my life. If there were things that I wanted to do I was driven to do my best to keep going.I worked to learn as many things as I could. We had no money for me to do books. It was not that I had a minimal budget but I had no way to pay for things I so desperately needed. I had to be the writer, artist for the covers, figure out how to make a painting into a book cover and send it to be published and make it work. Since I had not even known how to copy and paste there was so much to learn. I had to be my own editor and I do not recommend that but have had no choice. There are so many things we miss when it is our own writing. Reading it closely was difficult since I had not only written it but read it and rewrote and re-read it so many times I often caught myself skimming through but did my best.There is another thing that make is difficult for me when writing I have never really talked about before. I am dyslexic. When I say I often scramble and turn numbers and letters around that it an understatement. Even writing down a simple phone number is a chore for me.When I was young they did not really understand that and in schools just thought you were dumb. I did not think I would ever learn to read. Now I love to read and have my own little methods to make things easier. One thing when writing I have learned to love is spell check. It catches every time I scramble letters in words. As the years have gone by and after the accident I was in, my hands have arthritis and my little finger on the left hand is no longer usable. It is actually drawing up and stiff. Not long ago I had a mild stroke and lost the use of my left hand. I was going to keep trying to type with the right hand but decided I will make it work again.I have to type and retype but it is working beautifully. I hope to one day have it back like before. I get tired so easily I am also limited on time to do things. After the cancer surgery and the removal of the lung I worked with a passion to not give up. I wanted to share that thought because no matter how hard things may be there are so many others out there suffering their own problems that are just as bad if not worse. I had so much to learn but there were so many online who helped and were so patiently teaching me. I wanted to share that with others.I won't say that everything online was wonderful. There were some people who were very mean to others. If they got mean with me I just did not continue to talk to them. I sort of thought of it in a weird way. If this was my last day alive how important would their opinions or words be to me? I had some so called experts demanding I do promotions and things their way because there were experts. Some of it was great and somethings I just had to do my way. I was learning as I went. I saw so many who were giving up on their dreams because they thought there was no hope for them. Every other author they talked to was a best seller and they did not know what to do or how to go. When I found something that worked I tried to share the information.Three days a week I have to go to cardio/pulmonary rehab. It is through St. Bernards Hospital here in Jonesboro, Ar. and they have been fantastic. It is a lot of work but so worth it for recovering and maintaining. When I was in the hospital with the last problem, I got to meet many doctors. They checked me from top to bottom. They were conscientious and caring. I had excellent care from all of the staff. There is only so much they can do.At one point we all had a nice little talk. I have severe back pain and at times my legs quit working. I have suffered several falls lately. The good news is that I do not have any spinal fractures or ruptures in the vertebrae. The bad news was that I am worn out. I had to laugh at the young doctor as he so seriously told me that , and replied that may be because I am an old lady.He remained very serious and tried to make sure I really understood. I have a degenerative bone disease. I understand more than most how serious it is and will become. Years ago when they first told me I cried. I was afraid and began to feel depression set in thinking of the future. I had seen my grandmother go from happy and always doing something to bedfast and in constant pain. She would cook so many wonderful things from scratch and sing songs with me. One day in the nursing home she had to live in as she had become totally a prisoner in her own body she turned her head and it cut the spinal cord when the bones gave way.I had understood what could be for many years but what they were telling me is that is not something that may be in the future but is now. That is why there is so much pain in the back, knees, shoulders, hands and almost every part of my body.You would think they could give me some really good pain medicine to help, but if they do, it will reduce the respiratory and that could be very dangerous for me. If the pain is too intense the blood pressure goes way up. I don't think they know what to do for me. I was and sort of am beginning to think I don't know either. After the lung removal I threw myself into my writing, books and even started a writers group to help others with their projects.This past 7 or 8 months was almost enough to extinguish the passion and dim the hope.I nearly lost my husband when he fell onto concrete fracturing his skull and suffering brain bleeds. The damage he sustained destroyed life as he had known it. He has always worked and took care of his family. Now he is unable to work and life as he knew it will never be. He is having to adjust and survive.My father had blood clots that were life threatening but survived. My mother had health issues so severe you never knew one day to the next what the future would hold.The end of July we lost my mother. Tomorrow will be the first Thanksgiving in my life without her.I was with her at the end. In those moments I felt a crushing weight in and on my chest. I could not breath. I went down.My family tried to get me to go to the hospital but I was so grief stricken I felt sure my problems were anxiety and stress.I was wrong. It was my heart.I will skip the details. There is no need to try to find words. I will move on along to when I did finally go for help. They did many tests and found out I had a blockage of 70 percent on one side and 80 on the other. I was lucky I lived. With 4 stints put in I began to do much better.I went to the rehab as soon as I was strong enough. I could not believe how much better I was doing and what a difference it made.One day not long ago my hand fell down off the handle of the machine. I felt so confused and as hard as I strained it would not go back up. It was numb. They tried to get me to go to the hospital but I explained that I fell the day before and hurt that shoulder as well as all of the rest of me. I am old enough I do not bounce well. I just wanted to get home and rest. I was sure I would be better if I could only rest a bit.It was not long before we knew I was not better and something was terribly wrong. As I told before there was more than just a small stroke I will have to deal with and endure.I know I will have to work but I am not dead yet. I was able to get the two projects I had started with my grandson ready and he is so excited. He little face lights up when we talk about the books. I showed him on the computer what it would look like. I even showed him the Amazon page. That is not like holding the book in your hands. Month after month we worked and planned, discussed and learned.Yesterday my husband told him it would not be long before the book was here. He just gave him a look and said “really?”When he realized Albert was serious I can not describe the look on his face. He is so excited. I can hardly wait to see his face when the book arrives. We are going to wait for him to get home from school so he can open it. I just hope I will be able to get a picture of his face when he does.One day at a time.... When I wrote my own story I called it I Will Not Give Up....Not Today....Life Is A Journey.I did not give up before....did not give up today and the journey is not over.

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Published on November 30, 2013 17:29

August 9, 2013

A New Day

Life seemed to present so many things through these past months that I have been quite overwhelmed. When the time came, I was unsure if I could go on I realized I did not have time to not be able to do and be what was needed right then. There is only today because we never really know what tomorrow will bring.... or if there will be a tomorrow.
When the phone rang a few months back and I heard that my husband had suffered a fall, my heart nearly stopped. I knew he was working on a roof in construction and a fall from that high was serious. What I did not know right then was that he landed on his back on concrete. At first we did not know if he would live at all. I fully understood what difficulties he might face in the future. I managed to share that in a blog I wrote http://linda-nance.blogspot.com/2013/03/danny-novel-and-linda-author.html. As hurt as Albert was, his one request was for me to get the book Danny done. At that time all I could think of was Albert but he did not want to give up on our dream with the books and writing.
We have struggled with him trying his best to recover as much as possible but it has been so difficult for him to realize that so much of the damage is permanent and he is lucky to have lived. He is used to being the one that helps others when they need help and taking care of his family.
My mother has been in poor health for many years but this time we could see that there was little strength left to fight for life. Congestive heart failure, diabetes, and many other problems was only part of the problem. Cancer that had spread was more that she would be able to survive.
Day after day seeing her so helpless yet still fighting to live was heart breaking but seeing my father by her side holding her hand left me without words. When you see a love that has lasted more than 60 years holding fast in the worst times and delightfully living life to the fullest with family and friends in the best days so obvious in that simple moment it left me without words but tears that would not be held back. I still cry but am trying my best to do what my mother would want and find a way to make the best of life for not only myself, Albert, children, and grandchildren, but also to be there for my father.

My father gave me my mother's jewelry box as she had urgently requested and a bag he said was special to her that she had locked with their papers in a safety deposit box. It felt like a bag of beads. I waited until I was alone and looked in the bag to see what kind of beads were so precious to her that she had locked them away and kept special.
Oh what memories did flood my soul. They were beads. They were the beaded necklaces I had made through the years many many years ago.

I remembered as a young child we had gone on vacation and got lost. We got very lost and began to feel fearful not knowing what way to go when we saw a sign that made it clear tourist were not welcome. We had arrived on an Indian reservation but continued and hoped to find directions back to where we were trying to travel. We parked the car and Daddy told us to wait there while he went into the store to ask for help. A very old woman sat on the porch to the store making something. She looked up directly into my eyes and I felt compelled to step out and see what she was doing.
She was weaving the most beautiful necklace I had ever seen. It reminded me of lace. She smiled when I said how beautiful it was and told me I could not buy it but if I never forgot the legend of the necklace she would give me one. She patiently explained......
The Legend of the Necklace

The pathways we travel in our lives take many twists and turns. The necklace is not woven of many strands. It is made of a single strand of many twists and turns. The necklace is not worn hanging down low. It fits about the base of the neck to shield and protect the one who wears it with the tips of each point in the pattern points outward to defend. Any point, when tipped inward, forms a perfect heart. The design is formed to bring luck in love to the one who posses and wears it. We all need love in our lives. From the day we are born until the day that we pass to the next life we need love in many forms. This necklace is a symbol of the wish to protect the heart of the one who wears it that they may always feel loved and love others in return.
She told me that she felt in me a special bond and that I would understand what she was telling me and what was felt. She also told me there would be a time I would choose to make the necklaces and I could do as many as I chose spreading the legend of the beads with it. She smiled and I felt such a connection to her as she continued to explain what she had shared with me was something very special to her and all of her people. If I shared the necklace then be sure to share the meaning of it too.“From the day we are born until the day we pass on, we all need to feel and be loved. May the legend of the necklace bring luck, love, and keep your spirit safe and protected. May it bring you peace and joy” was what she told me.
It is a perfect circle just as life is a circle with many twists and turns. It is a circle of life and love in every bead.

This is a picture of me wearing the original one.

This is what I found that was so precious to my mother....the simple beads I had made for her so many years before.
Every hour of every day, we did not know if that would be the last time we would have mother with us. When the time arrived …..I will not describe it because it was not an easy passing. It was filled with suffering, pain and her wanting a little longer in this world. My father bravely stood by her side every moment.
I felt a crushing pain in my chest and could not breathe. The moment was so intense I was sure it must be anxiety and stress. I could not be sick. My father and others needed me to be able to handle things. We thought we had the arrangements complete but there was a misunderstanding and when the time came we found out we would be unable to bury my mother.
My father was devastated and I worried I might loose him too. We would have to find a way to raise the money or they would not bury mother. Albert is unable to work and I have been unable to work for many years. We had no way to come up with money. Daddy sat with his head in his hands and softly said, “They won't give your momma back. What are we going to do?”
When he did not see me and sometimes when he did, the tears would not stop. I felt frantic. When times are the darkest if we hold on and do not give up we can find a way. I shared this on the internet and received some donations but so many heartfelt prayers and well wishes that it warmed my heart. I did not know how we would survive this time but no longer felt so alone.
The church worked with me as I arranged a memorial service. Some of my fathers family had driven many miles to be here with him and this would be a special time for not only my mother but also him. Mom was an only child who had 2 children and 2 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. We are not a large family. The church and the people in it were so wonderful preparing us a beautiful meal as well as the service. You felt the warmth of their love and comfort of their care.
We were eventually able to borrow the money. We still have to find a way to survive in many ways but will work one day at a time. I can take a simple breath now and look back to those moments and try to see more than the pain. We had a visitation and service at the graveside. It had been rainy and dreary weather and here in Arkansas it is also hot. The clouds offered a small measure of cooling shade as the rain stopped. We had no idea if it would end or brew up a summer storm. We gathered there in our small little group under the shade of the tent and clouds above for this sad parting to say our last good byes. The service that was done was beautiful and they did all that they could to make it special and as we would want it. At one point the tears were more than I could contain and that feeling in the chest had returned. The last thing I needed to do was have a heart attack right then. I glanced out across the rolling hills and as Amazing Grace started to play the sun shone through the clouds lighting the day in dazzling light. It was so perfectly on cue with the mood and the music it was almost like a sign. I was not the only one to notice. Most of us there, looked out at the beautiful scene before us.
With the sunshine came the sweltering heat and humidity. I drew in a deep breath feeling the strain and the clouds swiftly closed blocking the sun and a gently cool breeze drifted across us. It may be coincidence, but I felt a peace in my heart. I closed my eyes and said good bye to my Momma. I wore the necklace I had made for her so many years ago.
It seems as though life can become a nightmare and if we look at all of the problems that seem to have no answers we miss out on so many little things all around us.
I have had many sleepless nights. As morning neared I wondered if it was still so hot outside so I stepped out on the back deck. I looked over and saw an amazing glow in the trees of bright red. Morning sunrise is normally pastel colors that swiftly turn into the new day and this was blood red.

Since there are miles of trees around us the thought that red could be something like fire brought a brief feeling of panic as I looked closer realizing it really was the dawn of a new day.

It happened so quickly I would never have caught it if I had not had my phone with me. I take it with me when ever I go outside in case I fall or have a problem and need help.
As quickly as I could take one picture and then another the color changed and the day was before me. It was so very beautiful and I again felt a moment of peace.

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Published on August 09, 2013 14:11

July 6, 2013

I Can Do It Continues Part 2

I Can Do It Continues Part 2
It has been quite a challenge to not only work to create a book that truly is written by both my grandson and myself but also the process of teaching writing to a child of this age. I know of others who listen to the ideas and then write the story. That would be the process of writing with a coauthor but I wanted it to be more.
I feel if I hurry to write the story I might miss the opportunity to be a part of an experience in learning that could carry on later in life. I have no idea what Zander wants to do when he grows up, but firmly believe that learning all that we can is never a waste. A friend of mine marvels at his enthusiasm saying it is because he is his grandma's boy and grew up watching me writing, typing, discussing, and shares my passion, feeling a part of it. That is probably true but I believe it is also in his own heart and his own desires no matter where it originates. Helping a child to enjoy learning is like an adventure for me. We have fun.
I think having fun in learning is especially important to the young. As we grow older we know there are assignments or things we need to do and learn and may do it because that is what we need to do. A young child might not feel the need or understand the advantage and their attention might wander to other things they find more fun and appealing. It is exciting to see them want to do and learn because they can not wait to do and learn more. Seeing them filled with pride and confidence in the new things they understand and now can use is only a start. Seeing them with a desire to continue and learn more is more than I can resist.

That is the reason I am working to write a book that will take others through the processes we are doing to learn and write our book. I plan to share things here too but am actually doing this second book in the same manner I use when I teach Zander or speak with school children or any others wanting to learn. It will not be a work book although it will have spelling words, learning definitions, concepts and hopefully a new way to think and see things as we work creating something special.
Zander has a pretty good understanding of many things relating to writing but I am going to try to relate some of them here and in the book. When I have tried to teach him some things especially if they are things he might not run across in everyday conversations with his friends I try to make it either fun or challenging. Often it is like a puzzle if he can figure out how it works.

One of the first things we discussed is what it takes to make a story. I asked him if he knew. He frowned not knowing what answer I was looking for. I explained that it takes a beginning, middle and end. If we tell all about someone and where they are, maybe even what they are doing but that is all, there is no end. “Sam was a big boy with brown hair ran swiftly. He ran in the race and was one of the fastest runners of all in the race.”
He waited for me to continue explaining. “We know that Sam is a big boy and has brown hair. We know he was fast when he ran and that he was running in a race. Did he win? Did something happen? Who else was in the race? What things do we need to know to make it a story instead of just telling me about Sam?”
A big smile came across his face. “Sam was only one of the kids in the race. There were a bunch of kids and one of them was mean and tripped him. When he fell he lost the race.” He laughed and asked it that was the end or did I want to know more?
That was the beginning of understanding for what we were about to begin. I want him to understand how important words are. We use words to write our stories. We use words to communicate with each other. We use words in many ways. We need to understand the words we use and the meanings.
I asked if he knew what a protagonist is and he gave me one of his special looks. He did not know and was not sure he cared but it was a challenge between us. I waited for him to ask what it was and was not disappointed. My momentary silence was soon filled with him wanting me to tell.
We have made such good progress since my last blog but I will try to bring us up to date and get ready for next week.
Spelling Words and definitions
Protagonist : the principal character in a literary work (as a drama or story) The chief character in a play, novel, or story a leading actor, character, or participant in a literary work or real event
“I guess we could say that the protagonist is who or what the story is about.”
Zander smiled with understanding, “I know now. It is the person the whole story is really about.”I love to create a bit of a challenge to think a little deeper. “It could be a person, but what if the story is about a talking dog, or a pumpkin that comes to life or even a ghost or an alien? Those are not just people. One reason we have words to have better understanding of what we are trying to say. If I just said the person the story is about that might not be good enough depending on our story. The words protagonist tells us all of that with one word and we know who or what in the story we are talking about.
Antagonist one that opposes another. “Who or what is causing the problem? If we know who the protagonist is and we know what is going on then what is the problem or thing that is happening in the story? What is keeping the protagonist from doing what he is trying to do? He smiled and said, “In the little story, it is the mean boy that tripped Sam.”
I was thrilled. At that moment he had learned two words I have never heard an 8 year old use before, but as we continued to talk and discuss ideas for stories and examples of things involving the protagonist and antagonist I could see him growing more accustomed to hearing and using his new words. I did not want to give him words so that he could learn the definitions and memorize them, but own them by knowing and understanding them in his own discussions and use. We continued to talk of many things but I found ways to use the new words as we did enjoying his responses when he too used the words. At first he seemed hesitant but soon seemed proud.
I mentioned since he knew what a protagonist was then he understood it was about the main character of the story. When we say character it could mean more than one thing. Some words have different meanings depending on how you use them.
We know that just as the protagonist is the main person or character of our story...the character is what? The character is a person or something that is one of the actors or participants in the story. You may have many characters.
The boy who was a fast runner is the protagonist that is the main character. They boy that tripped him is also a character but not the protagonist, or one the story is about. You could have other characters in the story such as “When Sam fell, two other runners stopped to try to help him up and see if he was hurt. All of the other runners ran right by and did not seem to care.” There may be many characters.
He had to think on that one for a bit. A smile came across his face and he was ready for more.
I told him what about this? “Look at that little dog chase his own tail. He runs in circles. He is such a cute little character.”
He looked confused. So I tried a different example. “The little old man could tell such funny stories and made us all laugh. He is such a funny character.”
What was it about the old man that made him such a character? Was it because he did something different or odd compared to others? Was the little dog doing something odd, different or funny? Was the old man doing something different that caught their attention with his stories?
Character an odd or peculiar person
a person in a story, novel, or play

We could also talk about what kind of character a person might have that made them trustworthy and honest. Are they of good character? Would the word character then describe something about a person?
Character can be moral excellence

We went on discussing different ideas for stories using the new words and he seemed to delight in one idea after another using his new words.
Ever so often as we used the words protagonist and antagonist I would spell it. Casually as we talked he was learning new words and how to spell them.

PLOT is another word that can mean more than one thing depending on what we are saying and how we use the word. Plot and mean the main story (as of a book or movie) I like to use the word and give an example as we talk. You notice I did not say teach, because I am teaching by including him in the conversations or allowing him to crave an understanding, knowing he can figure out the puzzle or answer with it in the end.
“As I read the story it was so interesting I could hardly wait to see how it ends.” You could think of the plot of the story like a guide of how the story goes from beginning to end.
What about other ways to use the same word? If we are talking about a ghost story it would be a paranormal story. That is something that is not normal or out of the ordinary and normal. We could say “I was afraid to go near the plot of the old man who is supposed to haunt the cemetery.” We know the plot is a small piece of ground where the old man is buried. a small area of ground : <a cemetery plot>

If I told you to be careful because I think some of the characters in the story will plot mean things for the protagonist, what do you think?
Zander laughed and said “That is easy. The main character had better look out because there is some bad stuff ahead.”

“That is right. We might say they have an evil or unlawful scheme of plan that is what they are plotting to do.

We continued talking and using the new words we had learned. I mentioned the original children's story The Pumpkin Field. He had heard it so many times he almost knows it by heart. Through the years he never seems to tired of it as he looks for other meanings for the same phrases. I wrote it hoping it would be something to stimulate thought as well as tell a story. I mentioned if we wanted to write the rest of the story as he had thought we could actually use the words from the first story in the second and develop it into a new story with the other story included.

US
http://www.amazon.com/Pumpkin-Field-Linda-Nance/dp/1461044812/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373168927&sr=1-6

UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Pumpkin-Field-ebook/dp/B00DIQUBIE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373169032&sr=8-1&keywords=linda+nanceCanadahttp://www.amazon.ca/The-Pumpkin-Fiel...http://www.amazon.de/The-Pumpkin-Field-Linda-Nance/dp/1461044812/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1373169140&sr=8-3&keywords=linda+nance
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I got out a copy of the book and he smiled as he read and looked at each page. “You will have to do some pictures for our book too. I know we have mostly words and the story but I still like the pumpkins.....and the witch....and the cat.... Well I like them all.” He remembered watching me as I did each of the original pictures. The pages are full size art works with the words included in the art. I was amazed when I saw the first book at how exact the print quality was. I could see it just like the ones I have in a folder.

It would be a challenge, but so was creating a story that did not have characters he so loves such as Iron Man or Spider Man. We had to learn to create our own characters from our own imaginations and not use what other people had created. That was a bit of a discussion before he understood and accepted that he could not use any character or story from the television.
It was exciting as day by day we learned new words and worked to develop what the new story would be. He wants it to be for older children. He loves the pictures of the story book I wrote and illustrated but he said there is so much more to this story he wants to tell. He wants it to be one that he and his friends could read.
We began to actually put a story together. He chose the characters and names. We had to work to find solutions to problems early in the story. I loved watching the expressions on his face as he thought and would propose one idea after another until we could find on that might work. Sentence by sentence we made a small beginning. I know it will be written and rewritten many times before we are satisfied but that is part of learning to write a book. I want him to understand and question even his own writing. “Is what I have written easy to understand? Did I describe the characters well enough the reader knows what the look like and what they are like as people? How do they work out their problems? What are their problems? What are they wanting to do? Why?” These were only some of the many things we talked about and tried different things.
After we came up with the first part I typed out what he thought the story should be. We have his ideas, his characters, his story and me putting it together. I asked many questions leading him to analyze the story and develop it as we went along. When I asked a question challenging something the would do or wanted to do he would think and come up with what he thought it should be . This is the first bit we did.........
Beyond The Pumpkin Field

Several years ago, I decided to see if the rumors I had heard about a haunted pumpkin field were true. It was almost Halloween and many whispered about the spooky field down the old gravel road, not too far from my house. It was a night I will never forget. I was afraid to tell others about it, fearing they would never believe what I had seen and heard.It was the dark of night but the moon shone bright, casting shadows on things below. I was younger then and those shadows looked spooky. I was afraid but did not want the others to know how afraid I really was. I should never have gone without telling my parents, but knew they would say no or think it was silly. We did not think it was silly and I really wanted to know the truth. I had heard many times that there was nothing in the dark that was not there in the daylight, but it sure looked like there might be anything hiding there in the dark. As the years passed I began to wonder if even in time, we might never know what was the cause and the reason for it all. I just know what I saw, or thought I saw. I know it was true but then again, could it have been a dream? Those were things that I thought about from time to time.When I think back to that night it was as if some kind of eerie spell had crept in and strange things were all around. The only way for a person to know for sure what was really going on, would be for them to go and see. In the day it was a field that looked so peaceful with all of the plants the farmer had planted. When I went there before that night in the daylight the field was full of pumpkins the farmer had grown and corn stalks bundled here and there. The scarecrow hung limply on his perch looking old and worn with hay peeking out here and there. His blue shirt was faded with age and his hat hung down low on the head full of hay.The moon had a silvery light and almost blue in the shadows. I felt a chill in the air and I began to shiver. I remembered the stories I had heard and the rumors of how haunted the place was. I had also heard about the spell the old witch they told tales about was said to have cast on the land. There were many stories about her too. They say she used to own that land, but the farmer took it away from her. She was so angry she moved far back in the woods, casting spells and haunting anyone she ran across. The other children said a single look from her could turn you to stone or some other equally bad spell she might cast. There were other stories about her too. Each time they were told, the stories became more fearsome. I have to admit that I was afraid. I was so afraid that night that I could hardly walk. I am still afraid. I have only told a few people about that night but none of them think it was real. Some people think that I just fell asleep because it was late and I had a bad dream. Some told me they thought I was telling lies. Some just laugh and think I am making it all up to scare them. When I think about it, I see no way it could be real. I wonder myself how it could have happened like I remembered. To this day I remember it all.I walked up to the pumpkin field down a long road lined with big trees and bushes. I expected for one of my friends to jump out and try to scare me any time but it seemed like I was all alone. I could hear the frogs singing their night song not far away in a pond near the field. There were lightening bug or fireflies that flickered in the dark. I had a flashlight but was afraid if I used it, someone might come to see who was there and tell my mom and dad I had been sneaking around in the dark of night. I did not want to get into trouble.I did not realize that if I got hurt, no one would know I was there. Any bad thing could have happened. It was really not a smart thing to do but here I was thinking about doing it again. Since no one believed my story I began to wonder about it myself. It all seemed so real but I could see no way that it could be real.Now that I am a teenager you would think I would have figured it out, but I just have more questions. I decided I would have to go back. I might have to go back more than once. No matter what it took, I would have to figure out if it was real or only a dream. I had a plan to take a friend or two this time. I was going to have a witness if there was anything special to see. This time it would be more than just me that saw things in the dark of night that sent a shiver down your spine. The next day at school we were eating lunch with everyone laughing and talking. I decided to confide in my two closest friends about my plan and hoped they might decide to join in too.Matt could come and stay with me on the weekend. We would be able to sneak out together and be back home before daylight. I did not like to sneak but that night haunted my memory for all they years after it had happened.Mary was friends with my older sister. Her name is Amie and she is only a year older than I, but thinks she has the right to always boss me around and treat me like I am only a little kid. The only way I could think of for Mary to be able to come with us, would be for her to stay overnight with my sister. My sister might tell on us and then none of us could go. She also might think it would be a lot of fun or another chance to show how stupid I am. It was a risk I would have to take and hope that Mary could convince her that it would be fun.When I first began to explain what I had in mind, they both laughed and asked me if I was serious. “I remember when you first told me all of that and can not believe you are serious. Are you telling me after all this time you still think you saw all those things and that place is haunted with an old wicked witch waiting to catch people?” Matt laughed and I worried others might start to wonder what we were talking about.“Keep it quiet. You two are the only ones I trust with this. The last thing I need, is for everyone to find out and start telling the whole world. I would be in a lot of trouble if my mom and dad found out. I don't want to listen to some of those bullies teasing me or making fun of me either. I know it sounds crazy but maybe you are just too afraid to come and investigate with me. There are all kinds of groups that investigate things like this that are haunted. They call them paranormal investigators. We would be like them, doing an investigation.” I waited for them to think it over and hoped they would not think it was silly too.A big smile came across Matt's face. “Have you got a plan on how we can all get there in the middle of the night? The more I think about this the more I think it would be fun. We could be the official Pumpkin Field Ghost Chaser Team.” He broke out in peals of laughter.“I don't think this is funny. I am serious and hope you will be too. You could come and stay the night with me this weekend and Mary could stay with my sister. They are both in the choir together and I think still friends. Sometimes I wonder how anybody could be friends with my sister as bossy as she is.” I waited to see if I would have company or have to make the investigation on my own.Matt and Mary both started to smile but it was Mary that spoke first. “You can count me in. I would not miss this for the world. I think we will have to change the name a little. I will go for the Pumpkin Field Ghost Hunters but have to leave the chasing to you guys. If I find a ghost I will be busy runny away.” They all three laughed at her new name for their little expedition.

We have a long way to go and I am considering changing it to third person point of view. For right now we have had fun with him acting as if he was the protagonist and telling his own story. We will wait and see what develops. We have had such a good time and the hours flew by as we talked back and forth about, what if this or what if that? They could have done this but what if that? Questions and answers and before long it is as if we know them.
When I finished typing it he read it allowed and said, “I think we got it Mamaw. This is really going to be cool. I think we have enough ideas we will have to write at least 20 or 30 books. I know we can do it.” I had to laugh. He has told me that several times and his mother and grandpa too. We can do it. We are doing it. What a summer adventure.

We began making a list of things about our story........

STORY DETAILS
CHARACTERS
Jimmy main character Protagonist
Matt his best friend Character
Mary another friend Character
Amie Sister... 1 year older Character

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Published on July 06, 2013 21:14

June 25, 2013

I Can Do It A Summer Adventure In Writing

It has been an amazing day. My grandson and I plan to write a book together. He has some fantastic ideas and actually complex story lines and characters. I want it to be more. I want this to be our little adventure with writing and learning. I think one of the most important aspects of learning is the ability to learn to think. We can memorize many things. We can read and we can listen. We can learn. We also need to think about all of those things. To be able to use the things we learn, to do something we desire to do or accomplish that something special that has alluded us, is bringing learning into a new light of utilization of acquired skills and knowledge. We need to expand from accepting all we hear, to thinking about what we hear and learning from life.Much of this day has been discussing. He agrees with me and wants to learn as much as possible and make the book we do together, something special. We can only do that by work. We will have to work to learn many things. We will have to work with ideas and learn to develop them.We will have to think and create.We discussed his school, teachers, and classes. Whenever I read the little book I wrote called The Pumpkin Field, we always end up talking about many things. We discuss their thoughts, ideas and it goes on from there. Some tell of the their fears such as the fear of darkness and we see how the story helps us to understand those things. We almost always talk about writing. When they ask me about writing the book I see such excitement and enthusiasm. We talked about writing and the last class did a whole class project with them writing their own stories.As we talk there and at home, one point I ask is about when they learn their spelling words, their definitions of words and what words really are? “You may think that you study your spelling words to get a good grade and that is correct but there is another reason you may not know yet.... you will one day.”They always ask what it is that they do not know about their own spelling words and at times the teacher looks curious about what I might be getting to in the discussion. “What you learn here in school is wonderful and we all need good grades but there is more. What you learn here is a gift that will last a life time. Your teachers are doing more than teaching you the words, they are helping you how to learn. Teachers give you the gift that lasts all of your lives. The things you learn now will be with you forever.”We discuss many other things and always have such a good time. Today with my grandson, we reviewed somethings we had already learned and discussed new ideas. We talked about what kind of stories we want to write. We talked about characters and also not using other people's ideas and characters. He does love Iron Man. I even explained copyright about what we write and create including what you see on television. Our story will have to come entirely from our own imagination.I told him anything worth doing is worth doing well and also worth working as hard as we can. He agreed we will spend this time not only doing a book but learning about books, words and many things we can use to write.I am not going to go into every detail here but thought about keeping a journal of the study pages, discussions, topics and ideas as we go. I think I will see if I can work it into book form to help other children learn to write or just have a joy and being able to create with words. I still plan to have a small group of children who are interested in writing with a group of their own. We can have our writers group and the junior group too at different times. I thought about doing a workshop with them if there ever was such an interest. Right now I am excited about what we are doing together, grandson and grandma. He calls me MaMaw. As I discussed all of this with him he frowned and mentioned it might be nice to have a book so that other kids could make their books too. “Can you teach them and help them with a book?”“I guess I could, but it would take a lot of work.” He smiled at me as I smiled in return, thinking of how I might be able to do this and him at the same time.With that big grin on his face he told me we needed a cover for our notebook. It could be the cover for the book to learn to write and then we will have to do our book.I reviewed some of the vocabulary I wanted him to remember. I asked him if he remembered what a protagonist was. “Sure I do. That’s the one the story is about.”I then mentioned that the main character would be the protagonist and asked if he remembered how to spell protagonist. He thought for a moment and I could see his little lips move as he silently sounded it out and spelled it perfectly. We did a few other words and definitions including talking about how he could use these things. He asked me why he could just not call them people instead of protagonists. I explained the story might have a main character that was an animal or maybe even an alien. By using the proper term we can more easily understand each other. We lean new things all the time and in school they are always learning new words. Think how limited life would be if we only learned a little and never learned any more. Words can open a whole world and echo through the ages of time.As I write this blog I am sure now that I will make a book/workbook about writing for young people. Zander is 8 years old and he constantly amazes me. We never know what we can do until we try and then keep trying and learning. As we work to learn and write our story I can also share that experience. It is an exciting time for me and Zander. He has always said that one day he was going to write his own story in his own book with his MaMaw, and the time is right. We can do it.

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Published on June 25, 2013 12:02

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