Here is a post I have sent in the past and wanted to share again since it says it all for Mothers everywhere. God bless all mothers on their special day!
This year 2025 my son and family will be taking me to a Mother’s Day brunch, as he has done in the past, as long as I am feeling better from this horrible cough and cold that keeps lingering. I am writing this before the day but will share with you in an addendum how special I’m sure it will be. I am blessed to have such a kind, wonderful and thoughtful son who always remembers his mother. I am thankful. He is a special son.
My lovely daughter, granddaughters and grandson plan on taking me out later on after I feel better. I look forward to spending time with them.
Happy Mother’s Day (This lovely painting was created by my granddaughter, Leahfor mea few years ago!)
I hope all mothers out there have a wonderful day. It’s your day – may all your loved ones make it special in every way!
Each Mother’s Day I miss my mother even more. I wrote this poem many years ago and it says everything about her and how special she was.
My mom, Beatrice
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!
By Janice Spina
You were always there for me
To guide and pave the way.
You bandaged my scraped knees.
You hugged and kissed the hurt away.
You listened when I needed an ear
To solve a problem you were always there.
You taught me right from wrong
and soothed me to sleep with a sweet song.
When I was sick you stroked my fevered brow.
and slept by my side as long as time would allow.
You have been gone now for many a year
but in my heart I hold you forever near.
I miss and think of you every single day.
But I know I will join you when our Lord calls me His way.
Roses I received for other occasions from my husband to share with all mothers!
Apple pie for Mom!
Here are some roses for all the lovely, hard-working, dedicated mothers out there. Please accept them with my love. Take care, stay safe and well. May your family shower you with love and appreciation for all that you do for them and definitely deserve.
Thank you so much for stopping by today to read this post. I hope you will come back again real soon. Thank you for your kind support of me and my books. Please check out all my books on Amazon and Barnes & Noble whenever you need a good read. Stay safe and well. God Bless. Happy Reading!
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
What a blessed day this is today, 5/8/25! We now have a new pope! Watching this celebration of our pontiff I was emotionally moved by the crowd and how much they acted as one! That is what we are – ONE! What a surprise when the cardinals chose an American pontiff for the first time!
Of course, I snapped many photos of this on my TV to remember it always. God is smiling on us to see this solidarity amongst His people.
May God bless us all and especially our new Pope Leo XIV for the difficult job he will have representing Him on Earth.
Thank you for stopping by to read this post. May you feel as blessed as I do this day.
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
This is a suspenseful, paranormal/romance/mystery that will grip the reader. I had a dream about a little girl who kept asking, how far is heaven? I felt compelled to write down the story. It was an emotional story for me to write especially since the story revolved around a child like this.
Parker and Priscilla Wilfork are happily married with two children. Life seemed perfect and peaceful until Parker goes on a business trip and does not return. Priscilla finds her world turned upside down when she searches for answers to how and why Parker disappeared.
One night Priscilla has a dream that Parker is an angel. Does this mean that Parker is now dead? After two years and no sign of Parker except in her dreams, Priscilla makes the decision to tell her children that their father has gone to Heaven.
Priscilla tries to get their lives back together until one day Deanna disappears too. Now Priscilla must go on a quest to find her daughter before it’s too late. She fears her daughter’s disappearance might be connected in some way to her husband’s. Can Priscilla go on with her life if she loses Deanna too?
With the help of a handsome police Sergeant, Blake Furelli, they work together to try to find Deanna and solve the mystery behind Parker’s disappearance. During this trying time, Blake, who suffered a loss of his own, feels drawn to the ethereal beauty of Priscilla.
If you haven’t read this book yet, I hope you will check it out soon. This wonderful review made my day and I feel as if I am still on cloud 9. Let this story take you away too.
Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please visit again soon.
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
New England recently had a few beautiful, sunny days in the 70’s and 80. This week we are expecting rain every day. Not a good week but the birds don’t seem to mind it.
I was thrilled to see the hummingbirds and Baltimore Oriole birds back again. John put out their feeders when he heard that they were expected to be here this month. It’s always exciting to see them. They brighten my day in spite of the dreary weather and still fighting a cough and cold. Both of us are under the care of the doctor and hope to feel better in a week or two. Fingers crossed.
Here are some photos I snapped when I first saw these lovely birds. The first photo below is a male Oriole while the others are all females. The color difference is light yellow orange for females and bright orange for males. They are both gorgeous.
We have one Oriole feeder while we have three hummingbird feeders. For some reason hummingbirds fight over who can go to the feeder at one time even though they are four feeder holes for them to share. Who can figure why they fight. They are so small but feisty little creatures.
Here is a link if you want to learn more about these amazing hummingbirds. Here is a link to learn more about Baltimore Oriole birds.
I hope you are having some good weather wherever you live. Thank you for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Come back again soon. You are always welcome.
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
Here it is already the end of another month. Where does the time go? I have been busy as usual reading some wonderful books for the month of April of 2025. Here are the 9 books I read and reviewed forApril I might have read even more if I didn’t have a few WIP. But I always seemed to have a WIP! That fact never stops me! I hope you enjoy reading these reviews.
I love sharing my eclectic reads in this Jemsbooks Segment, Books Read in the Month. I hope you will get a chance to look over these books soon. Thank you for your kind support of my work and that of my fellow authors.
If you are an avid reader, as I am, please review the books you love on Amazon or wherever you purchased them for others to enjoy your reviews. Reviews are one way for readers to know about an exceptional book. We indie authors love to receive reviews and appreciate the efforts of readers to do them. Once again, I thank you for your kind support of me and my books and for supporting my fellow authors too.
When I wrote these reviews I rated them on Amazon, Goodreads and sometimes Barnes & Noble. I did not include the ratings here though. It is best to share my thoughts with you about how I felt about the book without the rating. Ratings can be deceiving at times.
We all feel differently about books. Sometimes we love them, sometimes we like them and still other times we may dislike a book. Some other books are so memorable they take our breaths away! While still others are sweet, sensitive, and enjoyable reads that we soon will forget. But all these books I have reviewed were lovely reads as you can see from my reviews. I hope you enjoy my reviews and that they will help you to decide what will be your next read.
Fatal Intrusion is a unputdownable thriller/crime/detective series that grips you and holds onto you until the last page. The characters are interesting, well-defined, strong and resilient.
This was a wonderful beginning to this thriller series. The main characters Carmen Sanchez, a Homeland Security agent, and Professor Heron, an Intrusionist expert, get together to solve mysterious crimes that put their lives in danger at every turn.
When Carmen’s sister’s life is threatened she goes on the alert and won’t give up until she discovers who was responsible and put them away for life. What she doesn’t see coming are many others who are killed causing this to be a serial crime and the killer is now on the prowl.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to the next installment of this incredible series.
FRIENDS ARE FOREVER BY MIKE MARTIN is now on Amazon!
Reading this book is like going home to visit an old friend. It’s comfortable.
Friends are Forever is another book in the Winston Windflower series with one of my favorite characters in Winston. He is kind, caring, efficient and a dedicated leader of his men. Winston has received a promotion and now has more responsibility in New Bank and is in charge of many more men and women.
This book is full of drug problems, suspects, murders to keep not only Windflower busy but also everyone under his command. They all work together even to go as far as putting their lives in danger especially Windflower’s. The underlying themes throughout the story are friends and how friends are forever.
I enjoyed visiting with Windflower and his lovely family, the beautiful and peaceful area they live in and the closeness of the people there with each other. It feels like going home again each time I visit with these characters who I have come to feel close to. I have read all of this series and have enjoyed each one.
I recommend this series to all who love cozy mysteries and endearing characters.
The Bourne Shadow with the main protagonist David Web aka Cain aka Jason Bourne is full of action, adventure and murder in every scene. This character is always on the run with someone after him. Everywhere he goes, danger seems to follow.
There are two women who surface from Jason’s past. Some unexpected events take place that threaten their lives. Jason is on another mission that will keep the reader glued to each page as the action increases along with the body count. There is no one Jason can trust as everyone has secrets even Jason Bourne.
Another exciting thriller that is an enjoyable and heart-stopping read.
The Silent Watcher is an intense, shocking crime thriller with varied characters who are gritty and real. The three protagonists are Piper Danes, a Guardian ad litem who is in charge of the lone survivor of a hideous double murder of the sixteen-year’s family, Larazus Holloway, a detective, and Judge Hope Dawson, a formidable, no holds barred kind of judge, who work together to see that the perpetrator serves time for his crimes.
This was a gripping page-turner that kept me holding my breath at the horrific details of this crime and the horrible person who was responsible for them. Piper must do all she can to assist in putting this man behind bars where he belongs to prevent him from harming anyone else. The lawyer who is the prosecutor on the case is not experienced or doesn’t seem to care enough about the sole survivor who he is supposed to be protecting. Piper finds herself putting her two cents in constantly during the proceedings in order to protect this teen from harm if this man gets out of jail if the case is lost.
This is the first book in this series which is an unforgettable beginning and opening to these believable characters. I look forward to the next book in the series.
My Corfu Love is a sweet and tender love story on the Greek Island of Corfu. The author describes the island so beautifully that you feel as if you are there feeling the wind pulling on your hair, the warm sun on your face and the silky sand between your toes. All this draws the reader into the story making one feel as if they are there along with the characters.
The two protagonists who have known each other since they were teens, Spiry and Marcus, come together again after the man, Marcus’ aunt dies leaving her house to him. Spiry is visiting with her grandmother at this time and she crosses paths with Marcus bringing back their feelings for each other.
A lovely tale of love renewed even though much time has passed. I read this book on Audible and enjoyed it very much.
Echo Road is an edge of the seat thriller with non-stop action and two strong female protagonists, one a sheriff, Bree Taggert, and the other an FBI Agent, Mercy Kilpatrick. These two characters are in other books by two separate authors but are brought together in this exciting mystery, suspense, crime novel.
When two bodies are found stuffed inside separate suitcases, Sheriff Taggert is on the prowl to find the killer. The public is frightened by this crime and push her to find the one responsible for this hideous crime before another woman becomes prey to this killer. When a senator’s daughter goes missing from Oregon and somehow links with this crime, FBI Agent Kilpatrick is drawn into this case to find this woman before she becomes the next victim.
These two women, Bree and Mercy, work together to solve this horrendous crime that involves the dark web and threatens the lives of not only other missing women but also the two who are determined to solve the case.
This was a gripping and shocking tale of a serial killer who stopped at nothing to fulfill his urges. A frightening but unputdownable story! These two authors created an unforgettable and seamless collaboration of their two distinct styles of writing in this book. I look forward to more of their joint work.
The Color of Love is a beautiful story that touched the heartstrings of this reader. The characters were well defined and realistic.
What one man endeared made him stronger and help him change his life, find love and a family. He not only saved himself but others too.
The author described some harrowing scenes of a plane crash and the fight for survival. I look forward to the next book in this series!
The Answer is NO is a strange tale of a man who is a recluse. He lives alone, dines alone and avoids others at all costs. He enjoys his solitude until it is gone.
Lucas lives in an apartment building but doesn’t speak to anyone. He enjoys ordering Pad Thai, drinking wine and playing video games. Problems begin when neighbors infringe on his quiet life.
An unusual story but comical in the absurdity of situations that are thrust upon him.
The President’s Shadow is told in two timelines – past and present. There are many multi-faceted characters involved in both times that can confuse the reader somewhat.
Meltzer created an intriguing mystery that I had to keep reading for fear of getting lost in the myriad characters and happenings. It was full of mystery, suspense, murder, chase scenes and suspects that ratcheted up the story.
I can’t begin to explain everything in this book but I did enjoy it and the satisfying ending. You will have to read it to discover it for yourself.
Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Come back again soon. You are always welcome.
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
Once I complete book 4 of Gateskin Chronicles I will work on creating audiobooks for the four books. With the length of these books it may take me a little time to complete these. There will be two more books in this series which will probably be completed next year.
Since this is an epic fantasy series it takes me longer to create one. There are myriad characters and creatures that will keep the readers on edge and turning pages. Something is always happening in Noella Province. LET THE ADVENTURES BEGIN! GATESKIN CHRONICLES WILL TAKE YOU AWAY TO ANOTHER WORLD OF MAGIC, MYSTERY AND SURPRISES!
Award-winning series with three MOM’S CHOICE AWARDS – Gold Medals, one BOOK EXCELLENCE FINALIST AWARD, and one MAINCREST MEDIA AWARD.
While you wait for the latest book and audiobooks, please check out the other books in the series and all the other audiobooks that are now available for the other six novels below.
I have much work ahead of me with all these audiobooks. I will do my best to complete them all before the end of 2025 including creating audiobooks for Branyrd the Angel Series Books 1-4.
I do not plan on creating audiobooks for the children’s, middle-grade and preteen books, however. I feel that this age group should read them to really enjoy the series and all the adventures. Actually reading the books will increase their reading levels rather than listening to the audiobooks.
Being an indie author and doing everything myself is not an easy job or road to travel. I work hard to bring entertaining reading to readers of all ages. I hope that you are enjoying my books and my efforts to keep doing it all without wearing myself out. Some days I feel that I may do just that – wear myself out since I am not getting any younger, but who is?
Please keep reading and reviewing books to help spread word about authors’ books. We appreciate your efforts and welcome reviews.
Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please come back again soon for more books, reviews, interviews, and whatever else pops into my already overcrowded head.
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
I have been getting over a cold and now my husband is fighting one. We haven’t been outside much but I hope we will both be back to our old selves soon.
I noticed the weather has been beautiful causing the trees to bud and blossom and flowers to come up everywhere. I snapped a few photos today on our way back from a doctor visit. We hope soon that we will be out and about and enjoying the lovely weather again.
We had plenty of rain in the month of April which helped to bring all this beauty now. In spite of this the weather is not dry and in danger of fire. Who can figure?
The street to our development is lined above with flowering maples. It is so breathtaking with the clear blue sky as its backdrop. Above I added some butterflies as a sign of good things to come.
I hope wherever you live that you are enjoying the beauty around you and are in good health. Good health is the most important thing in life. Without it we cannot enjoy our lives or all the beauty around us. God bless you all.
Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your kind support. Come back again soon. There is always something brewing at JemsBooks!
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
My WIP, Gateskin Chronicles Book 4 is coming along at a decent rate. I put in a few more chapters recently and plan to do a few more today after I complete this post.
If you haven’t read any of this series, now is the time to grab your copy of book 1 and LET THE ADVENTURES BEGIN! There is always something happening on Noella Province, plenty of magic, unusual creatures and my lovely dragons.
This is Book 1 of a fantasy series that will have six books in all. In this book learn about the three children of King Gateskin and his wife, Queen Solinara. The children have had powers since they were quite young..
Serena was three years old when she learned of her power to move objects with her mind. Her brother, Simon, can fly and their sister, Catalina, can become invisible or blend into her surroundings. They live with their parents in Sovorotskina, the Land of Light.
With these powers comes responsibility. The children must try to use their powers for the common good and responsibly to help others. The three children befriend a Sprite named Spindle who accompanies them on their adventure. Along the way they meet up with their aunt and uncle, their mother’s brother and his wife, Wizard Hotenfaran and Fairy Procelina. The group must travel into the evil land of Parotovina, Land of Darkness, to save King Gateskin, who was kidnapped, and also rescue some of the descendants of their friends and fellow Sovorotskinans who were captured and taken by the Evil Ones. These descendants have been waiting a long time to be free to return to the villages of their ancestors.
The children have many trials and adventures along the way. Will they be able to rescue their father and fellow Sovorotskinans without endangering their own lives? Will the evil King Kaposkaran and his Queen Beregina stop Serena and her siblings from being successful or will they turn Serena and her siblings to their dark ways?
I recently sent out five copies of book 1 of this series to lucky winners from Mom’s Choice Awards Giveaway. I hope these readers will enjoy this book and want to continue with the rest of the series. As always I love and welcome reviews from readers and appreciate your efforts to help spread word about my books.
The adventures of Gateskin, a multi-award-winning series, will continue in this latest book and provide hours of entertainment and surprises for readers. Hop on board and experience the magic and mystery of Gateskin Chronicles today. Enter the world of Gateskin and his family in the village of Sovorotskina on Noella Province where the unexpected happens and danger is around every corner. These books are full of magic, mystery, suspense, unusual creatures, incredible dragons, and fascinating characters making for a gripping and unputdownable series.
Here is a taste of what you will experience in this book trailer I created with Animoto.com.
Here are what readers are saying about this series.
Gateskin Chronicles Book 1Gateskin 1 gif 2Gateskin 1 gif 3The Legend of the Taken Ones Book 1
The adventures continue in this addition of Gateskin Chronicles. Many new characters and creatures are introduced. Spells abound with magic all around. Many visitors come to Sovorotskina looking for asylum from the evil King Kaposkaran of Parotovina. Will King Gateskin accept them all or even be able to trust them not to be spies for the evil King?
Serena uses her powers to assist when wolves come their way. Other creatures are also about and threaten the safety of the village.
Kaposkaran finds himself in trouble when his village is attacked by creatures. Will he turn to Gateskin for help? If he does, what will Gateskin do?
There is a spy about in Sovorotskina. Will the spy be discovered and somehow stopped from undermining the magic of King Gateskin and his family?
Here is the book trailer I created for this book with Animoto.com.
Here are what readers are saying about book 2:
King Gateskin must be vigilant to protect his land and people when another creature threatens to cause harm. He fears for his land when visitors come asking about the lost Medallion which he knows is still buried somewhere in his village of Sovorotskina.
Some of these visitors from a far-off island come in peace while another threatens the safety of Noella Province with her Dark Magic. The King must enlist all the help he can muster to protect not only his village but all of Noella Province from Peril.
King Kaposkaran of Parotovina once again is a nuisance rather than a help to the other rulers of the lands in the province. He is only concerned about his own problems. Will King Kaposkaran be a hindrance or a way for the evil to enter Noella Province once again? Will King Gateskin be able to conjure up enough magic to save them all?
Here is the book trailer that I created with Animoto.com.
Here are what readers are saying about this book.
Gateskin 3Gateskin 3Gateskin 3Search for the MedallionGateskin 3Gateskin 3Gateskin 3Gateskin 3Gateskin 3
LET THE ADVENTURES BEGIN IN BOOK 1 AND CONTINUE IN BOOKS 2, 3 AND 4 (coming in 2025).
Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please feel free to come back again for more posts about books, reviews, and whatever else pops into my already overcrowded head.
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
It was sad to hear of the death of Pope Francis. He was much beloved by all Catholics around the world. Some of the film of his tributes have been featured over the past few days.
Franco Origlia – Getty Images
One particular remembrance touched me deeply – the one where the Pontiff consoles a little boy who had lost his father. The boy wanted to ask the Pontiff if his father was in Heaven. Pope Francis welcomed him up to his seat and took the boy into his arms and embraced him and caressed his head as he spoke to him softly. The boy rested his head onto the Pope’s shoulder and appeared to be listening intently to whatever was being said.
I watched this in awe and wondered, “What did Pope Francis say to the boy? Did he tell him that his father was in Heaven?”
I have read that Pope Francis was a pious and different kind of pope who didn’t like the pomp and circumstances of his position. He wanted to live as austere as possible and didn’t wear the red shoes or some of the cassocks trimmed with fur indicative of his station. He stayed in a room without any of the usual extras. He only asked for the basic things in order to live. That is what I call a real Pope! He is resting with God and watching over us. We need his prayers.
There were many profound statements made by this unforgettable Pontiff that will always be remembered. Here is one that I find touching and heartfelt and real.
Recently the day after Easter Sunday we woke up to find our fish had died in our 95-gallon saltwater tank. I let our families know that we were closing down the tank in case someone wanted the tank.
My husband began the tedious job of clearing out the dead fish and filtering out the detritus in the dead water. To our surprise as he lifted some of the live rock he uncovered the Clown fish hiding behind the rocks alive but gasping for breath.
Five days later he is still alive but hiding behind the rocks once again. I think Clown is traumatized from the deaths of his fellow fish. Here is a photo of the pristine tank and Clown hiding. The only thing that would perk him up would be to have an anemone to host and keep him company. We hesitate to purchase one since he is not healthy enough to last very long. He could surprise us once again,
Here is a collage of past fish in our tank as a memorial to all of them. We have had so many different fish over the years and have enjoyed them all. They all had distinct personalities, believe it or not, especially Puffer. You can see how he interacts with us when we come up to the tank. I think he liked having his photo taken and even smiled. Haha! I miss all the puffers we have had.
Stripper, Foxface & TriggerFoxfaceTriggerPufferStripperClown with AnemoneWrasseClown & DamselGammaHermit crab and WrasseStripped & GammaStarfishStarfish & Sea CucumberTwo Clown fish & Yellow TangClarence HenrySebas Jr.Sebas JrClarence Henry book cover
Clarence Henry’s cover is the best photo I have of him. I couldn’t find the original photo, but I think this one is Clarence’s best with his claw growing in front. I had to memorialize him in the book for all to see him as we did, a hard-working and determined crab who did his best even with his missing claw and leg. If you want to learn more about Clarence Henry, please pick up his book today and see him as he grows a new claw, cleans the tank and interacts with his fellow inhabitants of the tank. It is an entertaining and informative book for all ages. A great reference book for all libraries. Thank you for your support.
A collage of our tank over the years
I will keep you informed how Clown does and if we purchase an anemone for him. I really would like to move him to a small tank in the kitchen after that last fish (who refuses to go to the fish Heaven) and make it a saltwater tank. It would be a lot easier to clean for my husband. The large tank is too big a job for him now.
Here is the kitchen freshwater tank with one lonely fish who is very old. We have had him for many years. He is the only one left out of many fish who have since passed. He is determined to outlive us all! Haha!
We will keep watch over these two lonely fish. If they both pass; we will have to close down both tanks and say goodbye to the fish forever. That is what I want to do but my husband may have other ideas about keeping the small tank and changing it to saltwater for one clown fish and an anemone. Sigh!
Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your interest in our fish. May they rest in peace. Come back again for more news about fish, books, reviews, author interviews and whatever else pops into my already overcrowded head.
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
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