DOG'S SAVE LIVES

May I ask for a little assistance? 

The cause is great .We need help because the desperate need to bring awareness about the effects of PTSD on our veterans,  and how “Dogs Save Lives” has now expanded to victims of terrorism.

Please help me carry the message by reviewing my latest books, MASADA'S MARINE and MASADA'S MISSION and bring much needed attention to how dogs are trained to save lives.

The need for understanding and compassion about PTSD  and the way “Dogs Save Lives”  has exploded  beyond  our veterans. It now  extends to civilian men,  women and children who have suffered and survived  terrorist  attacks  such as the ones at the San Bernardino Regional Medical Center in California  , at Dallas, Texas  and Orlando, Florida  to name only a few.

Victims of terror, whether from terrorism at  home or at war, have suffered deep trauma and need our help and support, and to realize  that  “Dogs Save Lives. “

MASADA'S MARINE

 and

MASADA'S MISSION,

  are books which bring attention to these issues in an informative and yet entertaining way.

You can carry this message and save lives.

   DEEPLY DISCOUNTED!  

$1.99 each.

I am asking for your help. 

Could you invest $3.98?

With your assistance by this  small investment, you will gain understanding and WILL BE PART OF THE CURE.

In addition, by writing a review, you will be carrying the message, “DOGS SAVE LIVES.”

Gaining knowledge and understanding  through these two books is a simple way to TAKE PART IN THE RECOVERY of the increasing number of folks  now struggling   against the effects of PTSD. They need to know that "DOGS SAVES LIVES."

Recently a Vietnam Veteran  reviewed  the book, MASADA’S MARINE.

 His words carry the message, “DOG’S SAVE LIVES.”

  “Judy just finished your book and I cannot remember a book that had such an impact on me that Masada's Marine had. I would be happy to let you post my words. This book needs to get into the hands of every combat veteran and their families. I wish I had this book or even a part of it when I came from Vietnam. Instead, I suffered from PTSD for 40 years with all the negative issues and experiences Alex had. I read it on my bad days as often as my good ones. Always provided a connection. Even though I was Army and not a Marine, I can identify with everything he did and as most veterans tried to understand why I felt more at home back in Nam than unwanted in America. I agree with Kevin you nailed it girl. I look forward to seeing you again so you get a big hug. Thanks again for your thoughts and words. And for Lt Col Robert Smith!!”

 

MASADA'S MISSION

MASADA'S MARINE


Don't forget!
 Check out Sportster's message in his first book,

ACTIVATE LION MODE

 

 

 

 

DOG'S SAVE LIVES

May I ask for a little assistance? 

The desperate need to bring awareness about the effects of PTSD on our veterans,  and how “Dogs Save Lives” has now expanded to victims of terrorism.

Please help me carry the message and bring much needed attention to how dogs are trained to save lives.

The need for understanding and compassion about PTSD  and the way “Dogs Save Lives”  has exploded  beyond  our veterans. It now  extends to civilian men,  women and children who have suffered and survived  terrorist  attacks  such as the ones at the San Bernardino Regional Medical Center in California  , at Dallas, Texas  and Orlando, Florida  to name only a few.

Victims of terror, whether from terrorism at  home or at war, have suffered deep trauma and need our help and support, and to realize  that  “Dogs Save Lives. “

MASADA'S MARINE

 and

MASADA'S MISSION,

  are books which bring attention to these issues in an informative and yet entertaining way.

You can carry this message and save lives.

   DEEPLY DISCOUNTED!  

$1.99 each.

I am asking for your help. 

Could you invest $3.98?

With your assistance by this  small investment, you will gain understanding and WILL BE PART OF THE CURE.

In addition, by writing a review, you will be carrying the message, “DOGS SAVE LIVES.”

Gaining knowledge and understanding  through these two books is a simple way to TAKE PART IN THE RECOVERY of the increasing number of folks  now struggling   against the effects of PTSD. They need to know that "DOGS SAVES LIVES."

Recently a Vietnam Veteran  reviewed  the book, MASADA’S MARINE.

 His words carry the message, “DOG’S SAVE LIVES.”

  “Judy just finished your book and I cannot remember a book that had such an impact on me that Masada's Marine had. I would be happy to let you post my words. This book needs to get into the hands of every combat veteran and their families. I wish I had this book or even a part of it when I came from Vietnam. Instead, I suffered from PTSD for 40 years with all the negative issues and experiences Alex had. I read it on my bad days as often as my good ones. Always provided a connection. Even though I was Army and not a Marine, I can identify with everything he did and as most veterans tried to understand why I felt more at home back in Nam than unwanted in America. I agree with Kevin you nailed it girl. I look forward to seeing you again so you get a big hug. Thanks again for your thoughts and words. And for Lt Col Robert Smith!!”

 

MASADA'S MISSION

MASADA'S MARINE


Don't forget!
 Check out Sportster's message in his first book,

ACTIVATE LION MODE

 

 

 

 

DOG'S SAVE LIVES

May I ask for a little assistance? 

The desperate need to bring awareness about the effects of PTSD on our veterans  and how “Dogs Save Lives”, has now expanded to victims of terrorism.

Please help me carry the message and bring much needed attention to how dogs are trained to save lives.

The need for understanding and compassion about PTSD  and how “Dogs Save Lives”  has exploded  beyond  our veterans. It now  extends to civilian men,  women and children who have suffered and survived  terrorist  attacks  such as the ones at the San Bernardino Regional Medical Center in California  , at Dallas, Texas  and Orlando, Florida  to name only a few.

The victims of terror whether at home or at war have suffered deep trauma and need our help and support and to know that  “Dogs save lives. “

MASADA'S MARINE

 and

MASADA'S MISSION,

 bring attention to these issues in an informative and yet entertaining way.

You can carry this message and save lives.

   DEEPLY DISCOUNTED!  

$1.99 each.

I am asking for your help. 

Could you invest $3.98?

With your assistance by this  small investment, you will gain understanding and WILL BE PART OF THE CURE.

In addition, by writing a review, you will be carrying the message, “DOGS SAVE LIVES.”

Gaining knowledge and understanding  through these two books, is a simple way to TAKE PART IN THE RECOVERY of the increasing number of folks who are now struggling   against the effects of PTSD. They need to know that "DOGS SAVES LIVES."

Recently a Vietnam Veteran  reviewed  the book, MASDA’S MARINE.

 His words carry the message, “DOG’S SAVE LIVES.”

  “Judy just finished your book and I cannot remember a book that had such an impact on me that Masada's Marine had. I would be happy to let you post my words. This book needs to get into the hands of every combat veteran and their families. I wish I had this book or even a part of it when I came from Vietnam. Instead, I suffered from PTSD for 40 years with all the negative issues and experiences Alex had. I read it on my bad days as often as my good ones. Always provided a connection. Even though I was Army and not a Marine, I can identify with everything he did and as most veterans tried to understand why I felt more at home back in Nam than unwanted in America. I agree with Kevin you nailed it girl. I look forward to seeing you again so you get a big hug. Thanks again for your thoughts and words. And for Lt Col Robert Smith!!”

 

MASADA'S MISSION

MASADA'S MARINE


Don't forget!
 Check out Sportster's message in his first book,

ACTIVATE LION MODE

 

 

 

 

General Patton's Memorial Museum

  The General Patton Memorial Museum

at Chiraco Summit,  Indio, California

is now carrying in their library copies of ,

MASADA'S MARINE

 

MEMORIAL DAY!! ... Mmmmm!! ... GREAT GIFTS and GREAT READING!!

 

 

 

 

In honor of our Veterans and their families on Memorial Day

 I am excited to announce Sportster  and I  are offering

Amazon's Countdown Deals

on

COAST TO COAST WITH A CAT AND A GHOST

GOING HOME WITH A CAT AND A GHOST

 and

 MASADA'S MARINE

Beginning on May 12th all books will be available for $ 1.99.

Don't miss this opportunity!

 

 

 

 

What can you accomplish in a year?

What can you accomplish in a year?

 

Retirement:

In May of last year, I sold my pet grooming business, The Canine Beauty Salon, which I had operated since I was eleven. I’m not going to say how many years that is but my upcoming birthday will be the last year I’ll see any number in the sixties. You do the math. With my signature on the bill of sale, my new goal is to live the dream - travel and write books.

 

 

 

Remain in the top 10% of Amazon’s Author Ranking:

You, my readers, have humbled and inspired me since the release of my first two books, COAST TO COAST WITH A CAT AND A GHOST and GOING HOME WITH A CAT AND A GHOST. Thank you so much. 

Publish book number three:

In August last year I  edited and reedited my latest book, MASADA’S MARINE,  clicked the “Publish” button, and  then like every author I know, ran to the bathroom, hung my head in the toilet bowl and vomited. The birth of this third novel, is the story of a service dog and her wounded Marine warrior, and I believe, is my most compelling yet. Already the reviews have proved my goal is being met - to bring awareness, not only to what our veterans have sacrificed, but also the importance of service dogs in aiding  their readjustment to civilian life.

Enjoy the honeymoon stage of retirement:

Sportster and I traveled the coast of California, Oregon and Washington.

Mendocino: I visited my artist friend Suzi Long who lives above her art gallery in this old water tower in Mendocino, Ca. Pretty cool! And she is a very accomplished artist. I'm going to take some of her classes some day.

 I held a Bengal tiger. Att six months old, this cutie could have done a lot of damage.

The beautiful  Oregon coast...

...and the Olympic forest. The inspiration for  Sportster's new novel. He's pawing at the computer keyboard as you read this.

RVer, author Judy Howard travels 'Coast to Coast with a Cat and a Ghost'

RVer, author Judy Howard travels 'Coast to Coast with a Cat and a Ghost'

Author and solo RVer Judy Howard with pet companion Sportster (Julianne G. Crane)

Solo RVer Judy Howard's lust for traveling became ingrained during a family vacation when she was a young girl.

In 1955, she recalls, "We traveled in our Willys Jeep towing our travel trailer from Springfield, Ill., to visit Disneyland" in California. "For a ten-year-old girl, that experience was unforgettable, not only because of Disneyland, but also because of the journey itself--Route 66, small towns, horned toads and Indians."

Now, nearing 70, Judy says she still feels "just as much passion for the journey as for the destination. Every day I am filled with gratitude for the privileged lifestyle I am able to enjoy."

Judy Howard's traveling rig.

She's married three times during her life. "My third was the longest of 25 years, the hardest and, amazingly, the best."

"In 2000 my husband and I purchased a 1997 24-foot Class C Winnebago Itasca.  We were only able to enjoy a few trips before he fell ill to lung cancer and died in 2004."

While she nursed her husband, she also nurtured a dream of driving their motorhome from southern California to Florida to visit a friend.

"After watching the Tom Hanks movie, Cast Away, I created a life-sized doll like the Wilson (soccer ball) character in the movie. He would become my companion and I would tell him my plans," she says.

"Afraid and alone, three months after my husband passed away, I made that trip, accompanied by the doll and my cat, Sportster, riding shotgun. With country music cranked and blaring for 3,000 miles all the way to Florida, I cried and sang my lungs out. However, the woman who drove the 3,000 miles back home had changed. She sang 'I will survive,' 'I am woman,' and 'I’m Proud to be an American.'"

Inside Judy and Sportster's motorhome. (Julianne G. Crane)

In the beginning of her RVing adventures, Judy worked full time as the owner of a pet grooming business, The Canine Beauty Salon.  She joined a Good Sam chapter called the Rolling Singles and tried to be content with close-by, monthly camp outs. "But I yearned to go farther and longer."

Judy has traveled solo in her Winnebago for 11 years now. "I love its size and the coziness of the Class C floor plan."

In 2010 Judy discovered she had a talent and love for writing. "I’ve had a custom desk built in my motorhome so that I can spend my future doing the two things I love--writing and traveling."

Judy Howard's books (Julianne G. Crane)

She wrote her first book about her 2004 trip, Coast to Coast with a Cat and a Ghost. (2011). It is "a memoir about my loss, but more importantly, about my new beginning as an RVing widow," she says.

In 2012, Judy published:  Going Home with a Cat and a Ghost "a romantic mystery appealing to everyone in the second half of their life who have asked themselves, What if? Even in this work of fiction, Judy Howard delivers to the reader a message about how to rise above life's tragedies."

Her third book,  Masada's Marine: A Story of a Service Dog and her Wounded Marine Warrior came out in 2014. The novel, "the uplifting message of overcoming life's dramatic hurdles is delivered. Howard draws the reader into the life of a Marine Corps veteran who struggles with PTSD when he comes home from Iraq and, also, into the life a dog named Masada, who becomes a service dog for the wounded warrior."

About Sportster, the cat

Sportster (Julianne G. Crane)

"He has more fans and followers than I do," says Judy.

"He arrived in my life when someone brought him into my grooming shop as a small kitten, asking where the humane society was located. I was considering adopting a dog, but I agreed to take the kitten and find him a home," she says.

"I didn’t particularly like cats, but my employees talked me into making him a 'shop cat.' He didn’t last long in the shop cat position before he had purred his way into my heart, and I took him home. Now I would not own a dog. Cats are amazing, at least Sportster is."

He is a traveler, a companion, an explorer and a co-author. "He writes a blog, The Cat’s Perspective On Reading, Writing and Life, and has begun to write his memoirs. He too, loves to travel and gets very excited when he sees me loading the motorhome."

More about Judy Howard

Judy also presents inspirational seminars about writing and self-publishing at RV rallies, libraries, schools and veteran centers. "I believe writing is healing, and that we owe it to our youth to record our history."

Although not a full time RVer, she says, "the lure to do so is strong. I travel four to five months out of the year."

Always before a long trip she says she is scared. "The 'What If’s' try to consume me. Always before I publish my next book I am nauseous with worry. What will people think? Life is scary," she says.

"My message to everyone–and Sportster would agree–whatever it is you want to do with your life, don’t let fear keep you from getting behind the wheel.  Pack up your doubts, put your dreams in gear, and step on the gas. Life is for living."

Website: JudyHowardPublishing.com
Facebook: facebook.com/judy.howard.716
Twitter: twitter.com/SPORSTERHOWARD
Blog: The Wandering RV Widow.

She is currently working on books four and five.

– Julianne G. Crane

Read more RV lifestyle articles by Julianne G Crane at RVWheelLife.com. 

RVing widow Judy Howard becomes author after traveling ‘Coast to Coast with a Cat and a Ghost’

RV Wheel Life

Julianne G. Crane writes about recreation vehicle and camping lifestyles, people, destinations.

In the 03/10/2015 edition:

• RVing widow Judy Howard becomes author after traveling ‘Coast to Coast with a Cat and a Ghost’

RVing widow Judy Howard becomes author after traveling ‘Coast to Coast with a Cat and a Ghost’ By Julianne G Crane on Mar 10, 2015 12:41 am Judy Howard has traveled solo with her pet companion, Sportster, for 11 years in her 1997 24-foot Class C Winnebago Itasca. She wrote her first book about her 3,000-mile trip in 2004, shortly after her husband passed. Coast to Coast with a Cat and a Ghost (2011) is a memoir about her loss. “But more importantly,” she says, it is “about my new beginning as an RVing widow.” When asked if she runs into trouble on the road traveling alone, Judy says: “No. I am a fanatic about maintenance and repairs.” And, she reports, “I keep a low profile when I stay in a rest stop, Wal-Mart or truck stop.” But unexpected things happen, she adds. One challenge came when she was traveling I-70, near the Eisenhower Tunnel west of Denver. “I panicked because I wasn’t sure of the clearance for my motorhome,” she recalls, “so I took the detour, Loveland Pass. At 12,000-feet elevation, almost straight up, I white-knuckled the steering wheel through hairpin turns all the way to the top and back down. I will never forget that ride.” Learn more about Judy, Sportster and her road to becoming an author of three books (and working on two more) by clicking here for an article on WomenRVers.blogspot.com. – Julianne G. Crane Photo: RVer Judy Howard and travel companion Sportster. (Julianne G. Crane)

Take a Step for a Vet - It's time to Pay It Forward

JUST A REMINDER

 Sunday, March 1st

 

I will be attending the Good Sam/Camping World RV Rally  in Phoenix, Arizona and participating in  a 5K at the Phoenix Raceway to raise money for the Fisher House.org, an organization who builds homes for veterans. 

PLEASE  join my team, Judy Howard Publishing, in our participation of  

 

STEPS FOR VETS

 

 

AND

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE AND CLOSER TO HOME .....

 

 

 

The 21 Day Myth and STOP 22

How long does it take to make a habit? Twenty-four days ago on January first, I read an article that claimed  it takes twenty-one days to form a habit. It was on the internet, so it must be true.

 

I made the decision right then. If I could consistently rise every morning and exercise twenty-one minutes for twenty-one days, I will have made a habit. No, not a hobbit. I have neither shrunk in size nor have hairy feet, although at my post-menopausal age the hair has sprouted in other undesirable places. I am talking about a habit, an exercise habit.

So, is it true? I tested the theory. By the fourth day of my research an entirely amazing pattern  began to emerge.  The final disclosure of my analysis? In twenty-four days the twenty one minutes of exercise decreased proportionately to the increasing number of days that passed. By the twenty-first day the minutes of exercise registered zero. I also discovered that the passion for creating the habit of exercise decreased as well.

But I have learned one thing.. Don’t give up. No matter what.

Throughout life there have been times when I became passionate about an idea, a product, and even a person. Like on a honeymoon, I did everything to nurture that idea into a reality, I worked long hours to acquire that new product, and I sacrificed and compromised to love that person with all my heart. In the beginning the idea, the product and the person promised great things, feeding my passion. Like anything that is new, I was on board, gung-ho, ready to go all out.  

But as we all know the honeymoon fades, the passion dims during the struggles of long hours, compromises and sacrifices. 

The path grows long, the sand deep.








But no matter how dark and treacherous the way, just around the bend is an unexpected surprise,  waiting to happen.

 Don't give up. Just do the work. What ever your goal, just start over again. Press on. Successful athletes did not quit after they lost the game. And every author doubts his work. But if you are doing what you love, you are already a far ahead of the game. 



And don't forget.....


always look up.




Habit Formation - The 21 Day Myth

 

 

 

 

 

Every day 22 veterans commit suicide because of PTSD.

Please carry the message.

MASADA'S MARINE, The Story of a Service Dog And Her Wounded Marine Warrior.

Join the movement : STOP 22

Join  Shari Duval and the   K9s For Warriors in their movement, STOP 22.

 

2015: The Year of the Veterans

Today is the day. I Create tomorrow’s memories   and live yesterday’s lessons.

 

The end of a year means a blank calendar ahead.  Today I consider new beginnings. I’ll welcome my new year with excitement and adventure. Although the IEDs of fear and worry line the roadside of my journey, I am not one to let them stop me. I will trust this year’s journey will be an honorable one, as was last year’s. I trust  the memories I bring with me into the new year, as well as  the lessons learned from yesterday,  will be of benefit to those  I meet along the way,  who are alone with theirs.

The most valuable gift I have to give is my experience, wrapped in strength, and hope. Even in the depths of despair, when there is nothing else, we all have our experiences. Through my writing I hope to pay forward, the compassion, empathy and love I’ve received during my journey through life.

 Because of my charmed life of freedom, made possible by the efforts of those who have fought to defend it,  I want 2015 to be The Year of the Veterans. We are needlessly losing 22 our men and women per day to suicide.

 

 

 

No man is an island, entire of itself;

Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;

If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if the promontory were,

As well as if the manor of thy friends, or of thine own were;

Any man’s death diminishes me,

Because I am involved in mankind;

And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;

It tolls for thee.           

 John Donne

When I wrote MASADA’S MARINE last year, I spent hours of research, and now, I can no longer feign ignorance to this country’s embarrassing issue of ignoring  this invisible disease. I would like you, too, to join me in my crusade. In order to introduce  you and your friends to my cause, I am recommending a reading list.

Of course, my book, MASADA'S MARINE is top of my list because it illustrates the dynamics of PTSD and how service dogs are combating this invisible disease.

Masada and her Marine were born two decades and two thousand miles apart, and both aspired to do be the best that they could be. But first, they had to meet.
Masada began her journey in Illinois as a bumbling golden retriever puppy and emerged twenty months later as a proud, confident American Service Dog, ready and able to protect and preserve the life of Iraq veteran, Alex March, USMC.
Alex’s journey began in California as an ambitious boy who only dreamed of protecting and preserving life for the Corps, his country and his family. Twenty years later, he emerged as one of “a few good men,” and served with honor, courage and commitment …until he came home….
“An unseen attacker, camouflaged in the crowd, cooled its heels like a terrorist. It waited to follow Alex and his family home. How could he have known what lurked on the sidelines? Another war, an invisible war, he knew nothing about and had not been trained to fight.”
Follow Iraq veteran, Alex March, USMC and his American Service Dog, Masada, who rescues the wounded warrior, as they become the best they can be.

 

The two books below are only two of many included in my research of Masada’s Marine. I guarantee you will join my campaign after reading these books.

 THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE by David Finkel

The wars of the past decade have been covered by brave and talented reporters, but none has reckoned with the psychology of these wars as intimately as the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Finkel. For The Good Soldiers, his bestselling account from the front lines of Baghdad, Finkel embedded with the men of the 2-16 Infantry Battalion during the infamous “surge,” a grueling fifteen-month tour that changed them all forever. In Finkel’s hands, readers can feel what these young men were experiencing, and his harrowing story instantly became a classic in the literature of modern war.
     In Thank You for Your Service, Finkel has done something even more extraordinary. Once again, he has embedded with some of the men of the 2-16—but this time he has done it at home, here in the States, after their deployments have ended. He is with them in their most intimate, painful, and hopeful moments as they try to recover, and in doing so, he creates an indelible, essential portrait of what life after war is like—not just for these soldiers, but for their wives, widows, children, and friends, and for the professionals who are truly trying, and to a great degree failing, to undo the damage that has been done.
     The story Finkel tells is mesmerizing, impossible to put down. With his unparalleled ability to report a story, he climbs into the hearts and minds of those he writes about. Thank You for Your Service is an act of understanding, and it offers a more complete picture than we have ever had of these two essential questions: When we ask young men and women to go to war, what are we asking of them? And when they return, what are we thanking them for?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TAMING THE FIRE WITHIN, by Anne Freund

Anne Freund, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist who has been practicing since 1989. She graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor's in Psychology and from the University of Florida with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Dr. Freund completed her internship at the VA in Bay Pines, FL. She has been with the Department of Veterans Affairs since 2005. Prior to that she worked with law enforcement and first responders as part of a Critical Incidence Stress Debriefing Team. Dr. Freund began conducting PTSD support groups in 2005, shortly after arriving at the VA. She has had specialized training in PTSD at the National Center for PTSD in Menlo Park, CA and at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. Dr Freund is a member of the American Psychological Association, American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, International Society for Traumatic Stress, the European Society for Stress Studies, and the Association of V.A. Psychologist Leaders. Dr. Freund was the keynote speaker at the annual POW/MIA Heroes Dinner sponsored by Rolling Thunder in 2011.

 

 

I am sure after reading these books you will join in the effort to pass this bill: S. 2182 VETERANS SUICIDE BILL

HAPPY NEW YEAR.