Category: Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday

Priscilla’s Thankful

Jackie Layton

I’m excited to introduce you to my friend Priscilla Bettis, and she’s here to share what she’s thankful for.

I’m thankful for Jesus, my faith, and my family. I’m also thankful for our small town in Eastland County, Texas. I like that I know my neighbors. We share storm shelters, shovels, and fence repairs. I get fresh chicken eggs; they get a little free labor and a lot of free books.

At night, there are no bright city lights fading the starry sky. Here’s a picture of the Lagoon and Trifid nebulas taken from our backyard just last week. The picture is actually twelve images, one stacked on top of another to bring out the colors and details. We couldn’t see the nebulas at all if we lived in a big city.

I like how the slower life of our little town gives me time to stop and observe. I get character and setting and story ideas that way. (“Prayers Heavy with Smoke” in Radix Magazine is set at a generic grocery store that’s actually the store we shop at.)

What’s more, I’m thankful for Jackie letting me share my small town musings.

Priscilla chats about life and writing on X, Here’s the link: https://x.com/PriscillaBettis

Thankful Thursday

Teresa’s Thankful

Jackie Layton

Teresa Trent’s with us today, and here’s what she decided to share.

Why I’m Thankful

By Teresa Trent

I’m an optimistic person, and part of that is because I’m surrounded by good things I’m thankful for in my life. Of course, there is my family, and the love of my life who I married 35 years ago, but it also comes back to the way I was raised.

I grew up in an Army family, and when you move every one to three years, things can get stressful. Still, we stuck together and found our place in every new town or city. My mother, who never swore, always tried to stay positive.

The one time when I thought she was going to let one rip, she said, “God….”

 here it was, proof she was human, “bless America.”

Seriously, that’s what came out of her mouth. 

When her body was crippled by rheumatoid arthritis, and her hands curled up, she still stayed positive. She had to be in terrible pain, but our conversations tended to be about me. That was her gift—listening. What a wonderful thing.

A child learns from the adults around him or her. Not so much what the adults tell them to do, but how those people react under stress, frustration, and fatigue. I am thankful my role model kept the rest of us calm through the storms.

She also taught me the value of resilience, which is important for a writer. Like I said, at 42, her body became her enemy, but that didn’t stop her. She decided she wanted to sell houses, and that’s what she did, eventually becoming the broker of the agency.

 I’m thankful for that example every time I get rejected for a story. Just like my mom, I don’t plan to give up. 

Thanks, Mom.

Friends, Teresa’s the author of The Swinging Sixties Mystery Series. You can learn more about Teresa and her books at https://teresatrent.com/

Teresa, thanks for sharing.

Thankful Thursday

Grateful for Hard Times

Jackie Layton

This week Rosalie Spielman is sharing her heart provoking thoughts on being grateful. Rosalie and I have been friends for a few years, and we’ve spent time together at conferences. I always enjoy hanging out with Rose.

Here’s what she shared about gratitude.

I am grateful for those hard times in life, because without them, I wouldn’t be able to recognize the better times for being as good as they are! 

I am also eternally grateful to my family. They were my rock, my hope, and my motivation. 

You can find Rosalie Spielman online many places, and you can get to know more at her website. https://www.rosalie-spielman-author.com/

Thankful Thursday

Thankful for being fired?

Jackie Layton

Today my friend, Annie McEwen, shares what she’s thankful for.

Yes, as embarrassing as it is to admit, and not many people outside my “inner circle” know it, but I was fired several years ago. I was devastated, to say the least. I’d faithfully
performed my duties and then some. Not to get into the nitty-gritty, but in my state, employers can dismiss the employee without cause. Let’s just say the whole situation was questionable. (I guess that happens when you stand up for what you believe is right…but I won’t get into all
that.)
After sobbing and sleepless nights, I realized it was out of my control, and surely there was a reason for this. I had to keep telling myself that, or else my husband Brian would find me
curled up in a ball on the couch, questioning my self-worth and watching Friends through my tears. Brian told me he’d noticed a change in me over the past year; I’d not seemed as happy or
excited about my work as before. I was constantly stressed out and exhausted. I hadn’t realized it.
Fast-forward to a job interview for a PRN (as needed) x-ray tech position. I’m talking with the managers; they have offered me the weekend tech position. I’d be paid the same as if I’d
worked five days, but I’d have the whole week off. Plus, I could work during the week if I wanted more hours. At first, I thought, no way! Weekends? But I prayed, talked to Brian, and took the
job! Brian’s police job requires him to work most weekends, and our kids are adults, so I can see them anytime.
What else did this mean? I finally had the time to pursue my dream to be an author! Five years later, I’m a published author of two books and working on my third. That never would’ve
happened with the ridiculous hours I was previously working. Bonus – I’ve met talented, lovely authors like the sweet Jackie Layton. Since then, we’ve welcomed two grandsons who spend
lots of time with us during the week. I’ve made amazing friends at my new job and have the best managers I’ve ever had, all of whom incredibly support my writing.

Do I still have a little bit of hurt about how it all went down? You could say that… but it also makes for a great storyline. (wink, wink) Was getting canned a giant punch to the gut? Yes.
Definitely. But, it was a gigantic blessing in a bizarre disguise.

Thanks, Annie.

I’m sure you all can tell how special Annie is. I am blessed to be her friend. Here are some ways you can connect with Annie.

www.anniemcewenauthor.com

Instagram

Facebook

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday

Jackie Layton

I knew about Kara Lacey, but this spring I got to know Kara when we both attended Malice Domestic. She’s become a friend, and she’s here today to share what she’s thankful for. Here’s Kara.

Last month, I sat down to write the acknowledgements for my debut cozy, which will come out in September. As I started listing people I wanted to thank, it hit me how lucky I’ve been. When I started plotting and drafting nearly five years ago, I was under the false impression that writing a book was a solitary endeavor. How wrong I was!

I am so grateful for all the readers, writers, and friends I’ve met along the way. Whether on social media, in writing groups, Sister in Crime forums, or at conventions, I’ve found mystery readers and writers to be a wonderfully inclusive and supportive group. I’m so grateful for all the help and encouragement everyone has offered along the way. And I’m grateful to have met you at Malice Domestic, last spring. I’m already looking forward to next year!

Aw, thanks Kara. I’m excited about us spending time together next year too. And I’m excited about your new release.

https://karalaceyauthor.com/

Thankful Thursday

4th of July and Thankfulness

Jackie Layton

Whether you say Independence Day or the Fourth of July, it’s the day Americans celebrate the Declaration of Independence and our freedom.

Happy Independence Day wherever you are. I get to enjoy golf cart parades, flyovers by military jets, time on the beach, a cookout, and all this will be followed by fireworks. I hope you are free to celebrate your freedom. I’m thankful to be an American, and I’m thankful for all the people who fought to make this a reality.

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday

Jackie Layton

Korina Moss and I became friends a few years ago, and I’m thankful she took time to share with us today.

Here’s what she shared with me.

I’m thankful for the connection I get to have with my readers. They invite me to know them on a personal level, even beyond our shared love of cozy mysteries. I feel grateful when they share their excitement about my series with others, and humbled when I receive messages of how my books have provided comfort during a difficult time. I love how books can bring people together!

Korina is the author of the Cheese Shop cozy mystery series, and if you want to get to know her better, here’s her website http://korinamossauthor.com

Thankful Thursday

Jamie’s Thankful

Jackie Layton

My friend, Jamie Adams, is here today to share what she’s thankful for.

I’m thankful for miracles.

In my late thirties, I developed health problems and was advised that the worst thing I could do was become pregnant. But there was no cause for concern; after all, it had taken two years of fertility treatments to conceive my only child.

Then, two months later, my life took an unexpected turn. I embarked on a month-by-month journey filled with more hairpin turns than a mountainous highway. First came the news: “You’re pregnant.” Then, the shock: “They’re twins!” Shortly after, the fear: “One has a heart problem.” And then, the devastating prognosis: “No dividing membrane – they won’t survive past twenty-five weeks.”

At twenty weeks, I was placed on bed rest. In the third trimester, I suffered a mild stroke. My twins were born five weeks early and sent to the NICU in a hospital three hours away from home.

Yet, against all odds, my beautiful girls turn 23 on the fifteenth of this month. They have no health problems and have become two of my dearest friends.

Thanks so much for sharing, Jamie! I’m crying happy tears, reading your miracle.

Friends, if you’d like to connect with Jamie, here’s a link to her website. https://jamieladams.com/

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday at Paula’s Cozy Cottage

Jackie Layton

I recently spent time with Paula Charles at Malice, but we’ve been friends longer than a few weeks.

I asked Paula to share something she’s thankful for, and here’s her response.

“Just having gotten back from the last of several back-to-back trips, I am so very thankful for our cozy and comfortable cottage. And I’m doubly thankful for friends like you!”

I’m thankful for friends like Paula too.

Here’s one way to connect with Paula. https://www.paulacharles.com/

 

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday

Jackie Layton

Carol Ayer is joining us this week to share something she’s thankful for.

I have a lot to be thankful for, but right now I’m especially grateful for the small waterside town where my mom and I live. We often drive to the pier to eat lunch and look out to the water. It’s a peaceful time for us both.

Carol, thanks for sharing your peaceful spot. It’s lovely.

Friends, if you’d like to know Carol better, here’s a link. https://carolayer.com/