Goodbye, my love

Today is my beloved’s birthday. I contemplated not posting anything. I loved her so much, I decided this was a day to celebrate her transition into the beyond. She was the toughest, most brave soul I ever saw facing death. She said goodbye to us before the cancer took her brain in a way that would seem paranormal to many. Joyce loved us… me, Eva, and Jim around her, and her family. I won’t share more, other than to say she faced death with a dignity I only pray I can emulate. There are times beyond reality we can share the unimaginable. It is… unimaginable my Joyce is gone.

A Blessing

The writing has been my friend lately. With Nick McCarty, Rachel, Jean, Gus, and Deke the dog keeping me company, I’ve allowed my fictional characters in Cold Blooded, Book III to take my mind into their world of ‘Sins and Sanctions’. It is a blessing. Nick and Gus have taken on a comic book flavor to assuage his quirky side. He expands their confrontations with bad guys under the guise of El Muerto and Payaso to violent but humorous endings. ‘Sins and Sanctions’ is now at 73k words, and on its way for a November release.

My partner, RJ Parker, in the meantime has the first book in three of my series on sale for 99 cents each. In the worlds of John Harding’s Hard Case series, Rick Cantelli’s P.I. land of darkness and shadow, and Mike Rawlins’ paranormal young adult Demon series, the first books are under a buck. The entry book into these three action series adventures is a bargain. These are all standalone novels, but will we hope entice the readers into sampling more of each series.

Rick Cantelli, P.I.

Demon

Hard Case

The End of Days

In late August, Joyce and I returned from a vacation at Disneyland and Oceanside with our kids and grandson. We had a great time while I did research for my third Rick Cantelli, P.I. novel, titled Into the Darkness. We visited The Nite Owl bar with our kids, where Cantelli hangs out in my novels. It was a wonderful trip, but we loved being home again.

A couple days later, Joyce saw blood in her urine with stabbing pains. An emergency room visit later with tests revealed Renal Cell Carcinoma in her left kidney. It shot through her before it could be halted or adequately treated, finally reaching her brain in this past week, stealing away what little mobility she had. She and I had just spent eight days and nights in the hospital with the inevitable torturous journey into our own darkness; but with silly humor, prayer, and holding her in my arms. We shared every moment together in these months past. I had closed my auto shop. Thank God my writing allowed me to do so. She needed me with her, and I needed her more than life itself. I brought her home. Joyce died in my arms on Monday night with her Mom, sisters, and our kids with me.

I wrote this for her on our 37^th wedding anniversary this past January. She said it was her favorite one I had done for her.

We don’t talk about love, because we own love.

We don’t turn from trouble, because we own trouble

We don’t need life examples - we are life examples.

We don’t measure our success – we simply succeed.

We don’t seek others’ blessings – we count our own.

We don’t demand respect from others – we earn it.

We don’t cry when denied respect – we settle for fear.

When one of us needs help, we know who’ll be at our side.

When we’re in danger, we know who’ll bring the shotgun.

When danger ends, we know who’ll be at our side burying it.

We don’t waste precious moments trying to turn back time.

We spend what time we have left making precious moments.

Our kids don’t look for backup, because we are backup.

Our friends wonder how we’re still together – we don’t.

I love you with all my heart. Happy Anniversary!

My partner, Joyce Lynn Whitney DeLeo passed on to the Lord on October 13^th, 2014. Through the decades we spent together - from the time she stopped me at the Grants store in Warren, Ohio when she was sixteen in 1968, and said, ‘Hi, I’m Joyce Whitney. I live up the street from you’, she had me from that moment on. When trouble and hard times visited us over our many years together, I could count on one thing: when everyone else ran in fear – at my side would be Joyce, fists up, and game face on, feet dug in next to me. I needed nothing else. She is here with me still. My brothers and sisters rightly labeled her Saint Joyce, because she put up with me through the years. Amen to that.