Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Net Switch!

The time has finally come. My debut novel, Net Switch, a dark, psychological suspense is now available on Amazon in paperback and Createspace (subsidiary of Amazon). Please check out my Author Page on Amazon. Here’s the synopsis:

“In the dead of winter, Sydney Hayes finds herself in an internet chat room in hopes of expelling her loneliness. Enchanted by a stranger, she soon finds herself caught up in an affair that spills over into her everyday life. Within a short period of time, the stranger captures her mind, her body and eventually her heart, but excitement turns to terror and Sydney must abandon the life she built in Chicago and assume a new identity.

A fragile woman in a new city, Sydney tries to put it all behind her as she makes a fresh start in Seattle, but her troubles follow her and she is running out of time. Feeling as though she has no other choice, Sydney is determined to destroy him before he destroys her—unaware that her journal holds the key.

Will she discover the secret before it’s too late?”

Stop by YouTube to check out the Net Switch Book Trailer, and if you have a moment, like it or add a comment.

Thank you all for your support.

Monday, December 12, 2011

A Love that Lasts Forever

It’s true—no one will ever love you like your mother. On December 7, my mother left us to be with God, but she was not alone. Her three children and sister kept her company. My mother watched her children take their first breaths and we saw her take her last. Today, we put her to rest.  


Life wasn’t easy for my mom. Divorced at age thirty with three children, like all single mothers with an absent ex-husband, she sacrificed a lot for her children and never once stopped us from following our dreams. I admire the strength it must have taken to divorce when divorce was frowned upon, along with her and my grandmother’s hard work in giving us a good life. I remember her telling me that she kept her married name because she didn’t want her children to have to go to school with a different last name. Her decisions were always for the good of her children. She believed my brother, sister and I were her biggest accomplishments in life.

When my brother lived in New York, she would collect what monies she could to send him care packages, and when I lived in Germany, every day she would stay up to the early morning hours just to make sure she got a chance to talk to me on Skype. When her other daughter fell upon hard times, she would send text messages to let her daughter know that she loved her. As many reprimands as she dished out, she more than made up for with love.

I remember when we were young, my brother, sister and I would kneel around the manger at Christmas time to say our prayers before bed. On Christmas morning, my mom would have one of us put baby Jesus in the crib. It was a big deal to us and a memory I will treasure forever.

My mother was…creative when it came to pulling baby teeth. She would tie a string around our tooth and the other end around the refrigerator door and then slam it. But it was our job to find the tooth.

Then we grew up and had our own lives, and my mother bought a Maltese she named Buttons, to keep her company. He became her little baby.

She was a great cook, and come Thanksgiving, the entire family couldn’t wait to eat her turkey dressing. It was the best in the world. Then on Easter, she made her lamb cakes for friends and family. And in August, she made cold beet soup for the three Leos in her life.

There was one thing about my mother that many can agree with and that was her laugh. It was a hearty one. Not a wimpy, fake laugh, but one that made you feel like you could possibly be a comedian one day.

She loved football—most of all—her beloved Chicago Bears. We would either get together to watch the games, or call each other throughout the game with our comments. Even though she was very sick, she asked to have the Bear’s game on the Sunday before she passed.

It was this time of year, Christmas and snow, that my mother loved the most. If she could sit with a cup of Starbucks while watching a snowstorm, she’d be happy.

Merry Christmas from Heaven

I still hear the songs
I still see the lights
I still feel your love on cold wintery nights

I still share your hopes and all of your cares
I’ll even remind you to please say your prayers

I just want to tell you, you still make me proud
You stand head and shoulders above all the crowd

Keep trying each moment, to stay in His grace
I came here before you to help set your place

You don’t have to be perfect all of the time
He forgives you the slip, if you continue to climb

To my family and friends,
Please be thankful today
I’m still close beside you,
In a new special way

I Love you all dearly,
Now don’t shed a tear
Cause I’m spending my
Christmas with Jesus this year.
 by John Wm. Mooney, Jr.

My mother was religious, felt strongly about family and tradition, and made sure those around her were happy. Because of her devotion to friends and family, I don’t think she realized how many people truly loved her.

“Every time a bell rings, an angel gets [their] wings.” I believe my mom already earned hers.

Merry Christmas and Sweet Happiness, Mother…until we meet again.

Love your ‘precious baby’, Denise

Thursday, December 1, 2011

The 25 Days of Christmas!

On
the First
day of Christmas
we had plenty of snow,
I would have much rather had
hangings of mistletoe. On the Second 
day of Christmas I drank some eggnog brandy.
A wonderful substitute for peppermint candy. On the
Third day of Christmas I sent out Christmas cards—just me
and a wine bottle sending my best regards. On the Fourth day
of Christmas I decorated my tree, after a few days, it became 
home to a flea.


 
On the Fifth
day of Christmas I
wrote my wish list, hoping
more than ever, to finally be kissed.
On the Sixth day of Christmas I received
a secret gift, an IOU and a request to work
the night shift. On the Seventh day of Christmas
the grocery store ran out of brie, which I had
planned to eat while playing my Wii. On the
Eighth day of Christmas I got my hair
done, she apologized for making
me look like a nun. On the Ninth
day of Christmas I had a colonoscopy.
The procedure wasn't fun, but the drugs made me
feel free. On the Tenth day of Christmas the carolers did
sing, it wasn’t as good as getting a ring. On the Eleventh day
of Christmas I ate a chocolate chip cookie, then later that night,
my lover wanted some nookie. On the Twelfth day of Christmas I
went to plow. The snow was much higher than the Dow. On the
Thirteenth day of Christmas I went to a holiday festivity, and got
stuck talking to someone about radioactivity. On the Fourteenth
day of Christmas I cooked a Cornish Hen. I couldn't finish
eating it because of too much cayenne. On the Fifteenth  
day of Christmas my ceiling started to leak
The repairman who came, had a
very nice physique.


On the Sixteenth day of Christmas I went sledding with the little ones. By the time we got home, we all had frozen buns. On the Seventeenth day of Christmas my work had a food fest. I ate too much and now I'm unable to digest. On the Eighteenth day of Christmas arose several family dramas. I ignored the calls, and drank in my pajamas. On the Nineteenth day of Christmas my Christmas lights went out. I couldn’t fix them because of my gout. On the Twentieth day of Christmas I watched a holiday flick, about a man, who falls in love with some chick. On the Twenty-First day of Christmas I ate ten candy canes. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, to enjoy some Mary Jane’s. On the Twenty-Second day of Christmas I put the logs on the fire, and thought about the day when I can retire. On the Twenty-Third day of Christmas I thought I heard reindeer, but it was only coming from the computer engineer. On the Twenty-Fourth day of Christmas I made my love dinner. He looked at it and said, “This definitely won’t make you look thinner.” On the Twenty-Ffth day of Christmas we all went to mass, to pray for our shortcomings, and wish for some class.

Mistletoe and Ho! Ho! Ho!
Bea