Tag: Author Jan Sikes

August 17, 1985 – Home At Last

Published on by Jan Sikes40 Comments

August 17th is a day I celebrate each year! It was such a HUGE day in my life, or start of my life with Rick Sikes.

Although we’d met and fallen in love in 1970, it wasn’t until 1985 that we were able to begin a life together. As Rick used to say, “Courtesy of Uncle Sam.” 🙂

On August 17, 1985, Rick stepped off a Greyhound bus and into our new life together. We’d waited a long fifteen years for that day.

I want to share a very short excerpt from “Home At Last,” as it says it better than anything else I can come up with.

Here’s a picture from that time and yes, it’s a real picture of us both.

Excerpt – Chapter 2 – Home At Last

The air brakes brought the lumbering bus to a stop and the door flew open. Luke stood and gathered his meager belongings, consisting of a cheap cardboard case with a change of underwear, one change of clothes, a comb, toothbrush and the shaving razor he’d been issued when he left prison. In his pocket, he carried his parole papers, which he’d glanced at often since leaving Kansas.

When he spotted Darlina at the entrance of bus station, he swallowed hard.

He maneuvered his lanky frame to the front of the bus and stepped off. He dropped his case and wrapped his arms tightly around her when she ran forward. They stood quietly, barely breathing.

His chest tightened when big tears welled up in her blue eyes. He hated to see her cry, even if they were tears of joy.

“Oh Luke. You’re finally home,” her voice quivered.

He cleared his throat. “It’s damned time too. Let’s get out of here. All of these people make me a little more than nervous.” Luke picked up his small case.

“Sorry, the air conditioner in the car doesn’t work. It’s damned hot,” she chattered nervously.

Luke nestled his free hand in hers and let her guide him to the maroon Chevy.

“Honey, it wouldn’t matter to me if you had to pick me up with a wagon and team of mules. God, it’s good to be back in Texas. All the way here, I kept thinking to myself, ‘Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore’.”

Standing beside the car, Luke threw his case into the backseat and pulled Darlina into his arms. He kissed her waiting lips and slid his hands slowly down her back, savoring the feel of her beneath his trembling hands.

Darlina let out a long sigh. “I’ve waited so long for you to hold me, baby. I thought today would never get here.”

Luke struggled to steady his voice. “Not nearly as long I have, sweetheart. Let’s go home.

***

And so they did.

To celebrate, I’ve lowered the price of “Home At Last” in the Kindle store to 99 cents for three days! If you haven’t grabbed a copy, this is a great time to do so!

And if you read it and are so inclined to, please leave a review so that other potential readers will see your thoughts about it!

My Podcast Interview On “Tell Me A Story!”

Published on by Jan Sikes32 Comments

This was such a great privilege and honor. And, one of the most fun interviews I’ve ever done. I got to dig deep on a very personal level. My thanks to Annette Rochelle Aben.

**When you click on the link, scroll down to my name. The names are in alphabetical order by last name.**

via Tell Me a Story Jan Sikes

Jonah Part 5

Published on by Jan Sikes25 Comments

When we last left Jonah, he’d been driven into the water by a multitude of hissing green snakes. His body was covered with wounds from the stinging nettles and thorns and he’d lost Tidus. He’d simply disappeared into a crevice in the earth and the snakes had blocked Jonah from following.

Jonah spent the next two days nursing his wounds and scouring the area where he’d seen Tidus disappear. It appeared the earth had simply swallowed him up and left no traces.

He kept a wary eye out for the snakes that had blocked his path. Had he imagined the entire event? He’d heard stories about men going mad. Maybe he was now one of those men.

After another day of searching. to no avail, he hid from the brutal mid-day sun inside his makeshift hut. He hoped that Tidus would make another appearance. He wouldn’t let him slip away this time.

His gaze landed on the discarded books in the corner. He reached for “The Four Agreements” and opened it. What the hell? He didn’t have anything better to do with his time.

The opening page read, “To the Circle of Fire; those who have gone before, those who are present and those who have yet to come.”

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Jonah puzzled over the reference to the Circle of Fire. He remembered a time back on the mainland when he’d hidden in the woods and observed a group of scantily clad women dancing around a fire, uttering chants and incantations. He grinned at the memory. All he’d thought about at the time was undressing the one with the golden hair.

Chapter 1: “What you are seeing and hearing right now is nothing but a dream. You are dreaming right now in this moment. You are dreaming with the brain awake…”

A dream? Well, I don’t like this dream so I’m going to change it, Jonah thought.

He read farther. Before he knew it, the sun sank and the sky turned a bright red and orange. How had he lost hours in this book? And, what was the big deal about reading it? Most of it was common sense about keeping your word and not taking anything personally. These were things living on the streets had taught him.

But, one thing the book didn’t cover was fear. It was fear that had kept him alive. He’d earned a reputation over the past few years. Everyone within his path learned to respect and fear the “Wrath of Jonah.”

He closed the book, stepped outside his hut and stretched his muscles, enjoying the rippling strength beneath his skin.

Tomorrow he would search more closely for the caves Tidus referred to. Tomorrow he would find them. Another world existed on this island of terrors and somehow Jonah knew it was nothing like the world he was trapped in.

The low growl of a fanged beast drew his attention. He reached for his dagger only to realize he’d carelessly left it inside the hut.

dagger

The beast lunged forward.

Flowers and Stone Re-Edited! #RRBC #RWISA

Published on by Jan Sikes11 Comments

A HUGE thanks to Nonnie Jules for announcing the new and improved version of my first book, “Flowers and Stone!” via Let’s Play Follow The Leader – @rijanjks #RRBC #RWISA

Courage

Published on by Jan Sikes35 Comments

May you find the courage to follow your dreams.A New YearA Clean Slate

I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions. To me, they are only rules you make for yourself that you end up breaking, then feel bad because you weren’t able to stick with it.

Instead, I choose a word at the beginning of each year that is my theme or go-to for the year. For instance, last year, my word was “Believe.” Looking back over the year, it was amazing how many times that word got tested and/or validated. Here’s a synchronicity that pretty much blew my mind. Shortly after the beginning of 2017, I was at my daughter’s house and she said, “Mom, I got a Young Living order in and they sent me a free bottle of oil. Do you want it?”

She handed it to me and I had to smile. The name of the oil blend was – yep, you guessed it – “Believe.”

Believe

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, for the entire year of 2017, I put a drop of “Believe” on the bottom of my feet every morning.

I said all of that to say my word for 2018 is “Courage.”

I am attempting to find a publisher for a new series I am writing. I need Courage to pursue that and not give up. I need Courage to spread my writing wings, to write in a genre I’ve never attempted, Courage to try new things I’ve never before tried, Courage to step into my own personal power.

My power animal is the Puma or Cougar and they are the symbol of Courage or Bravery.

I have a feeling I will be calling on my power animal a lot through 2018.

I’d like to share with you the blurb I wrote for my new book, which is Book 1 of the White Rune Series – When Two Worlds Collide.

Caught between a strong mind and fragile heart, Rena Jett vows never to let anyone in. The horrific abuse she suffered as a child has left permanent scars. Jag Peters doesn’t realize anything is missing from his near perfect life until he almost collides with Rena on her candy apple red Harley.

Rena’s brother, protector and only friend, Sam Jett, died in Afghanistan. A final letter from Sam delivers a mysterious White Rune to her. Jag is able to see and communicate with Sam’s ghost creating a triangle of souls. And when life-threatening danger comes to call, the two join forces to save Rena.

Could it be possible for two worlds so completely opposite to find a common ground and perhaps even love or a happily-ever-after?

What do you think? Does this pique your interest and make you want to know more? Give me only honest opinions, please. 🙂

Of course, I hope to attract a publisher who is willing to take a gamble on me. In the meantime, I am working on the second book in the series where the White Rune gets passed to a soldier desperately in need of his own happily-ever-after.

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Special Anniversary Days!

Published on by Jan Sikes12 Comments

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August has always been a BIG month for me. Well, at least it has been since 1985.

Rick Sikes, aka Luke Stone, left Leavenworth prison on August 15, 1985, and arrived on a Greyhound bus in Brownwood, Texas on August 17th. So, of course, it was a big day for Luke and Darlina after being separated by walls and bars for fifteen years. Even now, when I think about it, my heart races. Here is an excerpt from Home At Last.

During the ride back to Coleman, Luke never let go of Darlina’s
hand. He savored the countryside that he’d known as home
for all but the last miserable fifteen years of his life. Prickly pear
cactus grew wild in the pastures and along the roadway
amongst the cedar and mesquite trees. A lot had changed in
his absence, and yet so much remained the same.

The moment they stepped through the door of the small
apartment Darlina had rented for them, Luke drew her into the
circle of his arms and kissed her, savoring the uninhibited way
she responded.
He ached for her in ways that only a man who’d been
deprived for years could ache. The need and raw hunger overtook
everything else.
In minutes, the two lovers lay on the living room floor with
remnants of clothing scattered about. It didn’t matter that they
hadn’t made it to the bed. Nothing mattered except the moment.
Luke’s insatiable appetite grew more with each release. They
devoured each other lost in a span of time and space where the
entire Universe stopped spinning just for them.
Finally, out of breath and spent, Luke sat up with his back
against the sofa and gathered Darlina close beside him. “You
have no idea how many nights I dreamed of this and how those
dreams kept me going when there didn’t seem to be any other
reason.”
She snuggled into the crook of his arm. “I’ve died and gone
to heaven. I looked for some way to replace you after you left,
but I never found it.”

Then just 8 short days later, Luke and Darlina stood at the altar and repeated marriage vows.

Excerpt:

Luke placed his arm through the crook of Darlina’s and
together they walked toward their future.
The pastor of the Northside Community Baptist Church
waited to officially pronounce them man and wife.

The ceremony passed in a blur. All Darlina could focus on
was that she would finally and forevermore be Mrs. Luke Stone.
Her voice wavered and her hands shook as she read the
poem she’d written for the ceremony. “Today I stand here next
to you, to pledge my love faithful and true. At your side, I’ll
always be, from now throughout eternity. And so, in sight of
God and man, I promise as I take your hand, to love you deep
and strong and true and with you be, though storms may brew.
Never may our love grow cold even though we’ll both grow
old. So, today, they’ll say I belong to you, although that fact we
already knew.”

Luke chose to speak from the heart. “I’ve loved you for
always and promise to love, protect and adore you for always
and forever. You have my pledge to be faithful and true, and
you can rest assured I’ll never ever lie to you. You and these
two girls are my family now and I intend to make sure you
never regret this union. You are my everything. You’re all I
need.”
***

And so today, I choose to honor that anniversary from thirty-two years ago. Did Luke and Darlina have any idea what lay ahead? Of course not. But, it wouldn’t have changed anything if they had.

I hope you found the excerpts of interest and that you’ll pick up the book and help me celebrate this anniversary, and many more!

HOME AT LAST ON AMAZON

Thank you for your support!

WEBSITE        TWITTER        FACEBOOK

Http-www.jansikes.com

To Celebrate Valentine’s Week!

Published on by Jan Sikes18 Comments

This is something I rarely do, but in honor of Valentine’s Week, I have made HOME AT LAST free on Amazon Kindle!

Home At Last_3D

With empty pockets, a heart full of love, and hope for a new beginning, Luke leaves behind the horrors of prison and embraces a bright future. In this book, he and Darlina are finally united after fifteen long years apart. Their tenacious love is what carries them through struggles that seem insurmountable.  Journey with them as they learn to live as one unit, facing difficulties head-on. Lessons learned the hard way and belief in their undying love is their strength!

An epic love story.

Get your copy today! CLICK HERE

AND, I’d be thrilled and honored if you’d pick up the music CD that accompanies this book. “I’ll Be Home When The Roses Bloom Again” is a compilation of songs from the heart of Rick and Jan Sikes.

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR AWESOME SUPPORT!

Code

Published on by Jan Sikes16 Comments

This word conjures up several different meanings such as ‘code of conduct’ or the ‘code’ to a safe, but for this blog, I want to look at programming ‘code.’

Isn’t it amazing that by stringing together symbols, numbers, characters and letters, we can get beautiful images like these? They are so lifelike that you can almost hear the roar of the waterfall or feel the gentle touch of the butterfly lighting on your finger.

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It fascinates me!

In my new novel, When Two Worlds Collide, the protagonist, Jag Peters,  is a computer programmer. He spends his days writing code, but never unlocking the one leading to his own happiness.  He lives a settled life with few bumps in his road until he almost collides with Rena Jett and her candy-apple-red Harley. Rena carries deep scars from a lifetime of abuse and hides it behind a dark scowl and sharp tongue. It is a story about opposites with much to learn from each other and, of course, to fall in love with little hope of ever meshing their two worlds. Add in a paranormal aspect and it is shaping up to be a powerful story.

So, the next time you see a GIF like these, or play a computer game, think about the mile-long code it took to create it.

Computer Code HTML

Have you unlocked your own code to life? Have an AWESOME weekend!

 

A unique and entertaining series filled withPassion, Crime, Redemption, Second chances and inspiration.png

 

#REVIEWS

Published on by Jan Sikes6 Comments

rosesWhoever said “Reviews are like receiving a bouquet of roses” expressed it perfectly as to how an author feels when he/she receives an honest review of their work.

I am grateful to have received numerous reviews of my books and only today realized there is one easy place to view them all!

So, I wanted to share that with you.

Many of these reviews came from members of the RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB, for which I am eternally thankful!

Of course, I’d be thrilled if you check out the reviews and even more thrilled if you are inclined to purchase the books, read and review them!

ALL REVIEWS OF JAN SIKES’ BOOKS ON AMAZON

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