About Me

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Author, reader, animal lover, artist, nature seeker, and admirer of trees

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Has been a long time

I haven't written on this blog for a very long time, mainly because I didn't need the blog to help me remember (a day doesn't go by that something doesn't remind me of my loved ones who are gone) or to heal.

I don't think healing is the exact word I want, but it will serve. One never really gets over loss, but you do learn to live with that black void that tends to follow you around. It lurks like a ghost, just on the edge of your emotions, ready to reveal itself on a moment's notice, blindsiding you with the weight of the grief you thought you had come to terms with.

This year the ghosts of the past have been lingering more than I would wish. My mother, the last of my childhood first family, passed away April 15th, 2016. She had been in decline since 2011 after a stroke. At times, she didn't know who I was, at other times, she was back in the past—back to her early teen and adult years. I don't know who she thought I was, but I could always tell if she knew me or not based on her reaction to me. If she didn't know me, she was oh so polite, thanking me for whatever I did, etc. If she knew me, it was more of a attitude that would order me about, tell me to go get or to do. No stranger politeness. And that was okay, because I knew when she knew :)

Toward the end, she had several more strokes and could not talk or really move much. But I think, when I looked into her eyes, she knew me.

I hope so anyway. And I hope she is with Ron and Dad.

Below are a few details we shared about Mom at her funeral, though it is very hard to honor a life in a few short paragraphs. I do hope to write a book about growing up...mainly because I want to get things down, before I forget too!

In Memory of Mom


Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

~ Longfellow,
'A Psalm of Life'


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June was born June 10th, 1923 in Salem Ridge (Germantown), Kentucky to Ira Disher Hicks and Carrie Kemper Woodward. The youngest of three siblings, she often spoke fondly of her early years growing up on the farm and of her memories of family and friends. Her sister, Hazel was a quiet, soft-spoken girl who preferred books and music to romping and adventure. June suffered through her piano lessons, always eager to join her older brother Norman on adventures or playing games outside when they had time away from chores. June was a bit of a tomboy.

In later years, June's tomboy personality found an outlet in watching baseball, football, and basketball on television along with the occasional wrestling match or roller derby.

June learned the meaning of working hard and hard work from her father. She recalled, once when she was quite young, maybe four, the whole family was working the fields -- they grew tobacco as well as had dairy cows, etc. -- and June sat down in the fields and proclaimed she was tired. Her father got off the wagon, paddled her behind and sent her right back to work. She said after that, she never ever said she was tired again.

During WWII, she left the farm and moved to Dayton, Ohio where she became one of the many women answering the call for war effort workers. As one of the "Soldiers Without Guns," she worked for NCR (The National Cash Register Company) assembling bomber engines.

It was while working at NCR that June met Grover Noe. He started working there shortly after returning home from the war.

On March 27th, 1948, June married Grover Cleveland Noe in Lexington, Kentucky. June then had to quit NCR because, at the time, the company had a policy about married women working there.

She discovered shortly thereafter, that she wasn't cut out to be a stay-at-home mom/wife, and actually enjoyed working outside the home. So, June went job-hunting. She had a short stint working for a factory that sewed garments for a retail store, before being hired by The McCall Pattern Company in Dayton, Ohio as a handfolder (folding patterns by hand). She worked at McCall's until the early 1960s, when Grover bought a full service Texaco service station in Phoenix, AZ and moved the family west. Grover's brother Bill and family moved with them. Bill worked for Grover in AZ. The station was called, "Grover Noe's Texaco." June ran the office, and Grover ran the service bays/pumps, etc.

In 1967, they sold the station and moved back to Dayton, and June was rehired by McCall's. In 1970, McCall's moved to Manhattan, KS and June came along as a trainer for the handfolding department. She eventually became supervisor over handfolding, holding that title until her retirement.

June was an avid walker, sports fan, loved puzzles of all kinds, chocolates, and animals. Later in life, when an ailing hip kept her from walking, she'd take great pleasure in watching the squirrels and bird feed in the backyard. As a child, she had many pets including a squirrel she'd befriended.

Before leaving AZ, Ron and Sheri were given a large white rabbit they named Snowball. June taught the rabbit to follow her around the house and to actually use a newspaper for its business. Snowball and June's Chihuahua, Peaches, became reluctant friends in competition for June's attention. On the move back to Ohio from AZ, both rabbit and dog traveled with the family, claiming spots on the seats. At one restaurant stop, Snowball and Peaches managed to get out of the station wagon and somehow made it inside the restaurant and ran right to June at the table. Ron had to smuggle the rabbit out under his shirt while June placed Peaches in her pocket. Animals loved her.

Here is a little more info. on NCR and the WWII part of her life: 

Involvement in World War II

During World War II, Dayton, like many other American cities, was heavily involved in the war effort. Residential neighborhoods in Dayton and in nearby Oakwood hosted the Dayton Project, in which the Monsanto Chemical Company developed methods to industrially produce polonium for use in the triggers of early atomic bombs, including those dropped by the United States on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.

Dayton was also home to the National Cash Register Company whose employees built airplane engines, bomb sights and code-breaking machines, including the American bombe designed by Joseph Desch which helped crack the Enigma machine.

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NCR: During World War I the company manufactured shell fuses and aircraft instrumentation, and during World War II built aero-engines, bomb sights and code-breaking machines, including the American bombe designed by Joseph Desch.
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Five “E” Awards
     In World War II, NCR carried on a number of major projects in the war effort, and received five Army-Navy “E” awards.

     During this period, NCR produced MK4 rocket motors, was the sole production source for the 58 Chandler-Evans aircraft carburetor, which was used on the B-29 long-range bomber that ultimately carried the first nuclear bombs, and turned out K-3 and K-4 analogue computer gunsights, used in bomber defense systems.

     In addition, the Company produced more than two million M-42 antiaircraft time fuses, and made a million and a quarter magazines for the Oerlikon gun, a Swiss model that the Navy adapted for shipboard antiaircraft use.  In addition, the Company manufactured about 10 million spare parts for carbine rifles.



Monday, September 14, 2015


Sharing - Enjoy!


Time's Best Friend releases next week!

You can get it now on preorder. Even better, my publisher Mythical Press is offering a special preorder sale price of $2.99. Order now, and get it delivered to your e-reading device when it releases on September 21. Or, keep reading to see how you can get it for free, now!

But first, a little bit about Time's Best Friend 
                                                  
                                            

A Chance She Can’t Miss
In 1939, time-traveling, Appalachian farm woman Florie LeBeau fell in love with an 18th-century frontiersman, and vowed to cross time to be with him again. Then war broke out, forcing her to wait four years to travel back two hundred. But when she arrives in 1756, she finds her frontiersman doesn’t know her, Nazi soldiers occupy her historic home, and her only friend a mysterious dog who just might be their spy.
A Tale He Can’t Believe
Ousted from his home by strange Hessian soldiers, fur trapper Zeke Allen can’t believe his luck when his new hunting dog brings him a woman. Knowledgeable in the ways of pioneer life, the lovely Miss LeBeau could make the perfect wife, if not for her crazy tales of time travel, a club called the Saturn Society, and an impossible war in the twentieth century she insists she comes from—and to which she must return.
A Predicament They Can’t Escape
Slowly, Zeke begins to believe Florie’s crazy stories as his fondness grows into a love she returns. But the men she calls Nazis tear her away from him, plunging her into a future where she must deliver information that could change the outcome of the war. Finding her way back to Zeke proves difficult. Harder still: convincing others of the truth–and saving her canine rescuer and herself from the Saturn Society, the very people she thought would protect her.
Readers who enjoy the Saturn Society won’t want to miss this standalone addition, while those new to the series will find this introduction an unusual time travel story rich in action, romance, and history.

OK, I'm back. If you enjoyed Time's Fugitive, and wondered how Florie became Mrs. Allen, this is her story. If you haven't read Time's Fugitive (or any of my books), no worries! This story stands on its own, and makes a perfect introduction to the Saturn Society.

Like I mentioned above, you can preorder the ebook this week and get it for $2.99. (Click HERE to preorder from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo Books, or Google Play Books). After the release date, it goes up to its regular price of $4.99 USD. Or, if you're willing to write an honest review on or soon after the release date, just email me at jen@jenpowell.com and let me know which format you'd like - Kindle, epub, or PDF - and I'll send you one! I'll also send out a reminder to review when the book officially releases.
Prefer print? The paperback will be out next month, and on Amazon, will include a free download of the ebook.

Thursday, September 10, 2015

New pre-made book covers 9-10-15


To view these and other pre-made covers I have up, please visit HERE





Ancient Lore, $75 for E and Paper





The Calling, $75 for E and Paper  (All three for $200: The Calling, Once Called, and To Resist the Calling)





The Calling, $75 for E and Paper  (All three for $200: The Calling, Once Called, and To Resist the Calling)






To Resist The Calling, $75 for E and Paper (All three for $200: The Calling, Once Called, and To Resist the Calling)

Monday, September 7, 2015

New pre-mades available



Time Keeper Set



The Calling Set



Run Free - One Set



Stay Free - Two Set



These are some new pre-mades I created and are searching for a story home! Drop me a note if you're interested. The animal in The Calling can be traded out for a wolf, a bear, etc. at no additional charge. Each set above is $75 for both E and paper. The Western ones are $75 each set or if you want both, you get a small savings of $10 off the duel sets. Click HERE to see all my pre-mades available.

Friday, September 4, 2015

More pre-made covers available

Haven't shared some of my creations lately, these are pre-mades ready and waiting for a great story! Feel free, in fact I would be thrilled, if you'd follow me at

https://www.facebook.com/coverartbysheri

You can keep abreast of the latest pre-made covers as well as see the entire inventory available here
http://www.sherimcgathy.com/sheri/book-cover-design/premade-covers/All I Ever Wanted Was Younot even a mouse paperInvitation to the BallFace the Wind

On My HonorMy Highlander
A Pirate's Man

HomelandWitch Woods 2Witch WoodsNight Warrior One Night Warrior TwoNight Warrior Three

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Here are a few new pre-mades. Please surf over to my site if you are shopping for covers. I have a large stock of pre-mades and I'm usually available to create a special order cover if need be.

Thanks, Sheri







Friday, January 3, 2014

Lot's more Pre-made cover art up

I've created more pre-made cover art files and have them posted on my site. If you are interested, please drop me a note.

Information up on my site: http://sherimcgathy.com/sheri/book-cover-design/premade-covers/

You can also see samples at my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/coverartbysheri

Most of the samples are for the front book cover/E-book cover but I can create for paperback, as well.

Here are a few new pre-made samples.