MOTHER'S DAY IN MAY

                                          Your Arms Were Always Open

Your arms were always open
When I needed a hug.

Your heart understood
When I needed a friend.

Your gentle eyes were stern
When I needed a lesson.

Your strength and love
Guided me and gave me wings
To help me soar.

                                  ~Anonymous

April showers bring May flowers. It also allows us to salute mothers all over the world.

When I think about my mother, a farmer’s wife who left this earth too soon, I think of one of the strongest persons I’ve ever known. She was the youngest from a family of nine siblings, and grew up bilingual in a Polish household on a farm outside Clifford, Pennsylvania. Her father, Charles Shefsky, and her mother, Mary, were immigrants. Unfortunately, both my grandfather and grandmother moved to New Jersey and died when I was very young, so I never knew them.

Jean Shefsky Lashinski was a talented lady and seamstress who could sew, crochet, and fashion beautiful articles and clothing on a simple pedal Singer sewing machine. And, she was a skilled crafter and painter as well. From her, I learned to not only make crafts, but also to have a love for books. An avid reader herself, mother made sure my sister and I had books—either purchased or from the Bookmobile—to keep us engaged and entertained with the written word. Obviously, her love for reading rubbed off on me and was the reason I went to college for journalism and communications.

Although she was a very kindhearted person, my mother was also a very stoic, resilient, and outspoken woman for her time. From her, I learned you needed to be able to stand up for what you thought was right, for your own rights, and for the rights of others. She was a strong advocate of women’s rights and routinely worked at her local polling place during election years.

I admit that I still talk to her on occasion when things go wrong or when times seem overwhelming. I can hear her in my head. In her own voice, in her own tone, and in her own words, she would remind me: “Life is tough. You must learn to be tougher.” 

This month, I'm featuring FOUR WHITE ROSES which won three awards 

and has a main character who is a young widow and mother of a little girl. 

 

"Can a wily old ghost help two fractured souls find love again?"

MARCH: Women's History Month

Every year, March is designated Women’s History Month by presidential proclamation. The month is set aside to honor women’s contributions in American history.

Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California.

One of Ours

In 1978, The California Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women planned and executed a “Women’s History Week” celebration. The organizers selected the week of March 8 to correspond with International Women’s Day, and the movement spread across the country to other communities.

In 1980, the National Women’s History Project, a consortium of women’s groups and historians, which is now the National Women's History Alliance, lobbied for national recognition. In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th 1980 as National Women’s History Week. In 1987, Congress passed Public Law 100-9, designating March as “Women’s History Month.”

The month-long event was created to shine the spotlight on the many women who have selflessly given of themselves to improve the lives of their families, communities, and the world-at-large in all areas.

Obviously, women writers of yesteryear come to mind who have led the way for female writers today. There are many who came before us. Six of my favorite writers both novelists and poets are: Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice; Willa Cather, One of Ours; Alice Munro, Dear Life; Louisa May Alcott, Little Women; Emily Dickinson, Hope is the Thing with Feathers; Elizabeth Barrett Browning, How Do I Love Thee?

I have a copy of  How Do I Love Thee on my living room wall. It was artfully crafted, starting outward in a circle and spiraling round and round, ending in the center. It is still my very favorite of all poems.

          How Do I Love Thee?

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Who do you think has helped shape women writers of today? Who do you admire? I’d love to hear your thoughts. 

                Join me on my Amazon Author Page to see all my various works:

Judy Ann Davis

 

ARE YOU A READER?

 In 2020, according to Statista data, adults in the United States spent more time reading on weekdays than in the past seven years. The average time spent reading in the U.S. amounted to 0.34 hours (approximately 20 minutes) on weekdays, while daily time spent reading on weekends and holidays reached 21 minutes or 0.35 hours.

And before we get too excited, in 2019, the time spent reading for personal interest varied greatly by age. Individuals 75 and older averaged 48 minutes of reading per day, whereas individuals 15-54 read on average 10 minute or less per day.                                                                   

Recently, Better Homes and Gardens (BH&G) magazine verified the above statistic, stating in their August 2021 edition that “the average 15-44 year old spends only 10 minutes or LESS reading daily.”

Disheartened, I dug into articles about reading. What did I find? The only logical conclusion I can make is that electronic devices, radio, and television have replaced reading—even though reading strengthens a person’s mind, and boosts memory and thinking skills. Again, according to BH&G, research shows that reading also reduces stress levels by 68 percent. Avid readers know that even a few minutes before bed time with a good book helps a person to wind down and find sleep easier and faster.

I personally believe children who learn to enjoy reading at an early age do much better in school. Reading is like a mental airplane that takes you on vacation and transports you from the world you’re currently experiencing to a different time and place. I was right there with Nancy Drew as she solved mystery after mystery. I was there with Laura Ingalls on the prairie and in the big woods. And oh my goodness, it was fun.

Do you have a favorite book or series you enjoyed as a child? Drop it in the comments box below. 

Again, I'm featuring UNDER STARRY SKIES and it's new cover. You can purchase it here on Amazon.

 

Taking a Twenty Minute Break

It’s August. Summer is winding down. Nights are cooler and golden rod is starting to bloom along the roadsides. Autumn is creeping up on us.

In this very hectic world, man needs time for peace, quiet, and reflection.  He needs time for observing the world around him, utilizing his senses of sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing. There is something calming in being able to zone out with a favorite activity such as listening to the birds, smelling the petunias and phlox in bloom, or staring at the cloud formations in a cobalt blue sky—perhaps even petting a fuzzy little kitten. Or how about just listening to children laughing and giggling as they play?

According to psychologists, we need at least twenty minutes every day to devote to ourselves. And we should use that time for whatever we deem important at the moment: meditation, daydreaming, reading, knitting, woodworking, fishing, sketching, tinkering, doing puzzles and mind games—whatever brings happiness. And, by the way, this does not include using an electronic device to access social media. Put your selfies and digital pictures away. Let’s not bore our friends any more than we currently do.

When my children were little and bedtime rolled around, I always took time to sit down, grab a cup of coffee, and read. I enjoyed being transported away from the humdrum of the here and now. I could step off into another world. I could leave my problems behind and get a smile, laugh, or some good vibes, especially from a story with a happily-ever-after ending.

Lately, I’ve been at a standstill with my writing. I can’t decide whether it’s the reality that summer is slowly slipping away, or I need a break. Maybe the news of the latest Covid outbreaks are playing a role. Whatever it is, I need to get back to the keyboard.

But until then, I’m taking my twenty minutes sitting on my patio on my wicker swing. It always does wonders for my attitude.

Come on over. Rest awhile. Together, we’ll renew our energy and mindset. Or if you prefer, grab those twenty minutes in your favorite spot and leave your troubles at bay.

NEW COVER for Under Starry Skies!

Visit My Amazon Author Page for all my Books

WHERE DO WRITERS GET IDEAS?

Everyone wants to know where writers get their ideas. It’s a question every author who has a book signing or who gives a presentation is asked. Many times, you will hear writers (myself included) admit that they “truly don’t know” where they get them.

For a writer, ideas are like the ocean waves—sometimes they come crashing into our minds; sometimes they roll quietly in and then slip away, receding like a calm ripple; and sometimes they tumble around like a sneaky undertow before they pop up, surface and become a viable thought.

However, there are some truths about all writers:

Good writers are voracious readers, devouring anything they can get their hands on—from the back of a cereal box to a placemat at the restaurant to the directions for the new coffeemaker.

Writers are often asked how do you manage to read and write at the same time? Simple--just like a chef eats, but creates and cooks for his vocation, we read and write. It’s part of the job. Good writers exchange and read works of their fellow writers who create in a similar format. The short story writer will read short stories of masters like Jack London, Edgar Allen Poe, Mark Twain, Louis L’Amour, Kurt Vonnegut,  Eudora Welty, or Alice Munroe. . .and the list goes on. 

But don’t be fooled, good writers also read the masters and modern day writers of other genres as well. Why? To discover what is good and what is bad writing. To get ideas. To listen to new voices, to understand new styles, and to discover how characters, descriptions, setting, dialogue, and storylines are created by others.

I personally have found that most writers I know are receptive to new things, are often curious, and do not like to be idle.  They are observant of their environment, situationally aware of everything and everyone around them, and often embrace change, sometimes just for the newness of it. They are able to remember details and, like the cartoonist  who can capture the essence of person with a few  features unique to only that person, writers are also able to sort through detail and write images readers can see and relate to.

Why do Writers Write?

Every time, when I meet people and they know I’m a writer, they always ask me how long it takes to write a novel. Most are surprised when I tell them it takes me a year to write a work of about 70,000 to 80,000 words. I am not a fast writer. Others write much more quickly than I do.

But there are many facets to writing that deplete your time, including rewriting the draft, editing, and allowing the manuscript to sit for a length of time so the writer can take a second look with a refreshed, erased mind, and a different outlook.

Writers don’t just write. We have to advertise, blog for ourselves, maintain websites, appear on other blogs, read, belong to chat rooms, have a presence on social media, and follow the latest industry trends. I also belong to a book club. These all infringe on writing time.

When I start a story, I hate to play with more than one draft, so I try to get the story line and plot fairly correct the first time. I write each chapter as a separate unit/document before bringing them all together in a complete manuscript and into one final document. This makes it easier to delete a chapter or rearrange all of them.

My biggest failing in writing is that I used to keep a sketchy log or bible of my characters, noting specifics about them, but I quit. Now, I often have to go back to the original manuscripts or print book and search for things like eye color, hair color, and other physical descriptions. I try to be sure I’m not overusing some characteristics or repeating names.

This month, I am showcasing Four White Roses for just $0.99 while I work on special advertising for it. This is the time to tell your friends with eBooks and Kindles to grab it. It’s still my favorite of all the contemporary books and novellas.

By the way, the best thing you can do to help a writer is to leave a review if you’ve read his/her book. And it doesn’t have to be a long one—just a sentence or two.

I’ll leave you with this question? Why do writer’s write?

They write--because they can’t not write. If they are away from their craft for too long, they get antsy and need to fill the hollow creative space in their brain with ideas and words.

FOUR WHITE ROSES - Just $0.99 during February