New Beginnings, Great Endings, and What Comes In Between

     As some of you may know, I am a professor at a nursing school as well as being a full time writer. This past week a new class entered the school and one graduated.
It is always exciting to see new students arrive. They show up full of positive emotions and excitement. They haven't yet been throttled by the immense amount of work that they will putting forth. They see the eventual outcome through rose colored glasses...and this is good! It's great to see people who are only able to see the adventure and hold their desires close to their heart.
     It's even more exciting to see a class graduate. I have watched them go through the process of working toward their degree and even more importantly, their nursing license. The look on the faces of those who have been through the battle, didn't give up, stayed true to themselves, and found victory in the end is a wonderful thing.
     This sounds a lot like the writing process. When the idea for a new plot line or new character is first established, writers become very excited. They see the beginning and they can envision the end and it all looks amazing. Putting the first words to paper and knowing they are good is thrilling, but soon comes the hard work. A writer must find a way to engage the reader in the first few sentences or most will look elsewhere. They must make the plot flow seamlessly and have the characters connect to the reader. Sometimes, on very special days, this can be endless, joyful bliss, but on most days the process is hard work.
     In the end, when you have a final manuscript that you are proud of, you find that all the emotional and physical toil was worthwhile.
     Both of these scenarios could relate to anybody starting out on a new adventure, whether it be a new career, home or relationship. As we all know, the beginning is always exciting and full of promise, but to get to the best part...the end, we must work hard and keep our vision on the reason we started it to begin with.
So when you wake up tomorrow, try and see it as a new adventure, one with the promise of new beginnings. With hard work it will bring the satisfaction of a great ending.
Until next week,
J. M.

Cursed Blessing; Book One of the Trilogy of the Chosen is published by Suspense Publishing and can be found where ever e-books are sold.
Your reviews are always welcome. You may find yourself and your comments written in the Reviews section of the next book, Cursed Presence.

The Struggles of Changing One's Inner Clock

How many of you have had to switch from working days to nights or vise versa? In the past six months. I have gone from working a twelve hour day schedule to working a fifteen hour day and night schedule to working a twelve hour night schedule to now having to switch back to a twelve hour day schedule. Wow, even when I look at it, it seems extreme.
Don't get me wrong, all these changes were good and necessary in order to bring me where I am today. I am now on the same work schedule as my wife for the first time in the twenty-three years we've been married. I am looking forward to the extra time we will have together.
All this being said, I find it hard to continually change my sleep pattern to match my schedule.
At this point, you're probably thinking, why are you talking about this? Because, I think that it is something that most of us deal with at some point in our working life and because it entails changing all other aspects of our lives. Think about it...when you change your work hours, you change your meal hours, your sleep hours, your relationship / communication hours and your social time. For me, it has meant all those things, plus finding the time to write and answer emails. So, now that I will be back on a "normal" day schedule, I am hoping to have more time to write and to blog and to answer emails from those who follow J. M. LeDuc. If you have any advise on how to make these changes easier, please let me know. You can comment on this blog or email me at jm_leduc@yahoo.com
Until next week,
J. M.
Below, you will find the link to "Cursed Blessing". Check it out and let me know what you think
http://www.amazon.com/Cursed-Blessing-Trilogy-Chose-ebook/dp/B005KMV70A/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1315941786&sr=1-1

After Every Storm a Fresh Wind Blows

Life is a never ending series of storms. Like bad weather, we muddle through the storm or suck it up and fight. Although it's hard to believe when we're in the midst, there is always a calm, fresh breeze on the other side.
We all fight through the typical storms of financial worry and trying to balance the different aspects of our lives; work, home and relationships, but there are times when other storms blow in. So it has been in my life for the past year. I have been fighting a congenital, physical demon that has plagued me since I was a child. Since it is progressive, there is no winning, just the struggle of coming to grips with it. I can now feel the warm breeze of acceptance.
I have also fought the storm of career change. I birthed a Chiropractic practice twenty-seven years ago and had to fight through the reality that it was time to let go. The warm breeze of teaching blew into my life and I am very grateful.
Finally, thee was the storm of writing. My first novel was originally published in the spring of Two Thousand and Ten. It had great reviews, but little distribution and even less marketing. Recently, the warm wind of a new and exciting publisher, Suspense Publishing, blew my way. I have never been more excited about a new beginning and the prospects of a great future. "Cursed Blessing" has been reedited and was re-released on August Twenty-ninth, Two Thousand and Eleven with a great new look. You'll find it in all e-book formats and at the low price of $1.99. I welcome you to take a look on Amazon, or Smashwords or any other e-book seller. If you like what you see, download it and give it a read. I invite your comments and reviews, whether they be a storm or a warm breeze. If you like it, you won't have to wait long for the sequel. "Cursed Presence" is scheduled to be released three months from now.
You may be asking, why e-book? Simple. It is the present and future of publishing. Although, I do not think print books will ever go away, the reality is e-books are growing and will be the primary format before long.
I hope you all have a warm, calm, tropical wind at your back. If not, know that the storm will pass and the calm breeze is yet to come.
Until next week
J. M.