61 Days Can Be A Long Time

61 days can be a long time. I thought the worst was over, I thought I was doing fine. So when a friend  asked, I said, “I’m fine.”  But I was wrong.

I pulled your picture from the drawer and  rubbed my finger across  the glossy, caressing your three year old cheek while  your innocence pulled at my heart.

 Twenty eight years can be a long time, but not long enough. For you, it was a lifetime.  So much happened. You lived it,   and being my granddaughter, you lived it your way.

 61 days is not long enough for me to get over losing  you, but I  will talk to you at night when I can not  sleep. Perhaps you will  help me understand girls like you, because twenty-eight years is not long enough for them, either.    I may never get over losing you, Jessica, but maybe through my words, another mother,  grandmother, or sister will not   have to discover that  61 days will never be long enough.

 

Please check out my latest book, which I have dedicated to my granddaughter, Jessica, and to all the girls like her, who have followed in her high heels.

ACTIVATE LION MODE,
For adults and young adults

 

 

 

 

BOOK ONE OF THE FELINE FURY SERIES

 

ACTIVATE LION MODE

BY JUDY HOWARD

BY SPORTSTER THE CAT

 

Sportster the cat had always envied the huge cats who lived the big life in the jungle until opportunity sends the motorhome in which he travels veering into a roadside ditch. When strangers whisk away not only his Winnebago, but also his chauffer, Arlene, he is alarmed. However, once the dust settles, he purrs a happy tune as he discovers he is free! I He is in the wild! And he is in the Olympic Forest!

ACTIVATE LION MODE is just what Sportster does as he spins this yarn in his own words. Living wild and free brings on encounters he never have imagined. The life he dreamed becomes an adventure full of bears, pit bulls, drugs and more. Sportster weaves this story of his incredible journey as only a coddled cat of leisure can do.

 

 FIVE STAR AMAZON REVIEWS

 

 

"My 3rd book of reading from this Author. I had gotten to know Sportster through the other books. To follow him on this journey had me happy, sad, cheering, etc. Again, I had a hard time putting this book down until it was finished.
Thank you again Judy for another good book. Give Sportster a hug for me."

 

"Wow, a story you can't put down! Follow Sportster on an unexpected journey that brings out emotions you never expected. A captivating story that is full of sorrow, fun and laughter plus comfort. It keeps your attention and you can't wait to see what happens next. A recommended read for all! I haven't read a book like this in a very long time."

 

"Enjoyed reading this book very much. It brought out many different emotions. It's an Adventurous, fun, emotional read. Couldn't put it down! I found myself crying, hoping and cheering for the characters in the book. I shared part of the story with my daughter, in hopes of educating her to the world around us! I can't wait to read what Sportsters next adventures will be!"

 

 

 

Other Books By Judy Howard 

 

 

Dare Mighty Things -Win Glorious Triumphs

“No man is an island, entire of itself………..Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.”

Words to live by.

I am a writer of stories. I give lectures on the subject, “What Makes A Good Story?” I begin by informing my audience, “Story is not about the tragedy, but about how people react to the tragedy.”

We all experience tragedy in our lives, even if it was not our personal trauma.  When

John F. Kennedy was shot, I was seventeen years old.  My daughter was a month old.  Carried through the air by the technology of television, the death knell traveled 725 miles from Dallas, Texas to my hometown of Springfield, Illinois, and announced my future on a black and white TV screen. Although I had lost my innocence months before, now on that November 22^nd   day, my country, too, had lost its naiveté.

 

I did not mourn the loss of the 1950’s simplicity nor did I demonstrate for the increase of truth in the 60’s.   I have cried many tears since that November day. The sharp pain of 9-11 cut deep and I knew the impact Pearl Harbor. The needling aches of Ft Hood, Texas, Sandy Hook, Connecticut,  Colorado Springs, Colorado and now Orlando, Florida have become constant, numbing, and no longer uncommon.  When the San Bernardino Shootings occurred in my California back yard and threatened my own family, I could no longer stand by and be the philosopher. The bell tolled for me.

Solutions flood our airways like a tsunami. Guns, no guns, gay tolerance, Muslim intolerance, hate and love, religion and war. I live in a nation rich with power, invention, and freedom, yet I struggle daily not to lose my vision.  

These are sad and difficult times. I don’t want to be one of those poor spirits who Teddy Roosevelt described as "living in the grey twilight we know not victory or defeat." I want to see past the tragedies and obstacles which I know I must overcome. I want to focus on the faith that a bigger picture exists.  I want to dare mighty things and win glorious triumphs.

As a writer, I want to write the story of mighty things and glorious triumphs and know that the bell tolls for freedom.

 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 a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
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

God Bless America

 

Judy Howard's Amazon Author Page

 

 

 

The Diamond Valley Writers Guild Rocks!!

Wow!

That’s all I can say about Diamond Valley Writers Guild !

 Our president, Lynne Spreen, described me as a firecracker when she introduced me as the main speaker on Saturday, but did you realize what an energetic and enthusiastic bunch of writers and poets are beginning to make up this outstanding guild?

We are growing and evolving in our first year. The fascinating folks who are joining comprise every facet of the writing profession imaginable. You will definitely be able to find your kindred spirit at the Diamond Valley Writers Guild in Hemet, Ca. on the fourth Saturday of the month!

Thank you all for coming and listening to my take on, What Makes A Good Story?  I hope you all came away inspired and excited, because I love giving back what I have learned over the years.

Hope to see you all in June!

Thank you all for your book purchases. Reviews on Amazon are an author’s lifeblood. Please support me and the other authors whom you have enjoyed. Let the world know how the writers’ words moved you and perhaps changed your outlook.

In honor of the sacrifices of our veterans and their families on this Memorial Day, I am discounting my two books in The Masada Series.
Beginning on Memorial Day,  and for a limited time, MASADA'S MARINE  and MASADA'S MISSION  will be available for $1.99 each.
That is a  65% discount for both books combined!!

Take advantage and discover how dogs  save veterans lives.

22 Veterans a day commit suicide.

Judy Howard's Amazon Author Page 

 

 

INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION DAY

Today is Motivation Day.  People use words like Inspiration and Brave to describe me. Even my cat, Sportster has an electrifying personality.

I believe everyone who crosses our path,   who touches us, those whom we have shared moments with, whether good or bad,   become a part of us. They change us.  Our encounters are like pouring thick cream into a black cup of coffee, the contents become forever altered. The action itself may be long forgotten, yet the mug carries the combination into eternity.

I recently reconnected with my best friend from high school, Jan Gingold. We shared a love for horses and were inseparable. Saturdays and Sundays,  sun up to sundown, we rode anywhere and everywhere, breathing in nature and feeling the freedom, racing down abandoned country roads. That time with my best friend nurtured my love for freedom, the outdoors and adrenaline rushes. Today, when I am asked to name an enjoyable moment in my life, I recall my time with Jan.

We cannot always control who shares  our journey, walking along with us for a while. Are those  interactions divinely guided and predestined? We might never know, but what I do know is those events  change us, hopefully like rich cream.

 But, maybe not. Sometimes it is more like sour milk.

During my 70 years, I faced the shame of a teenage pregnancy in the fifties and the aching guilt of an estrangement from my teenage daughter, which lasted sixteen years.  I’ve endured   despair, watching three people whom I loved fight futilely against cancer, the last, my granddaughter, who succumbed only a month ago at the age of twenty-eight.  So how can I swoosh  into a room with an explosion of energy?

I am motivated to change the world. And I fear I will not reach my goal.  

The desire to make a difference, is it a lofty goal?   Many days I believe my dream  is like the nonsense of a young girl’s fantasy  to marry the prince.

 Everyday I  wake up afraid, yet every day I am driven to overcome the fear, because if I do not believe in the dream, then change will never have a chance.

Dreams and imagination are seeds for a better world.

Every day I sit down to write. To inspire. To motivate.  To make a difference. Every day I search for the inspiration to motivate others.

What are you afraid you might  not achieve? What do you care about? What makes you get up in the morning?  What are your dreams?

Here are my mine.

I want to save the lives of 22 veterans a day. That is the number who lose their lives on home soil to suicide.  I want them to find honor, to rise above their anguish by using their stories to reach out to others. The public needs to know. What was it like? What happened? What is it like now?   By traveling across the country presenting writing seminars and motivational workshops, I hope to help veterans and their families to find the courage to tell their stories, their history and speak of their sacrifices.

 I want to save our youth from the ugly world of t human trafficking, which generated an estimated $7 billion to $9.5 billion per annum as of 2004. The average age a girl disappears into the grasps of sex traffickers is twelve.  Human trafficking is thought to be one of the fastest-growing activities of trans-national criminal organizations.

With so much at stake, motivation is everything. Discover what you care about and light your fire.


I was recently interviewed by Jim Hitt​  of the Diamond Valley Writers Guild​. If you are one of the 80% who have thought about writing a book, please listen  and then mark Saturday, May 28th on your calendar. I will be speaking on the subject of "What Makes  A Good Story?" Whether you are a seasoned author or an aspiring writer, you will come away INSPIRED  and MOTIVATED.

SEE INFORMATION BELOW.

 

The Diamond Valley Writers Guild

The DVWG meets from 9-11 a.m. on the fourth Saturday of each month from January – October, at the Hemet Public Library, 300 E Latham Ave, Hemet, CA 92543. We invite our audience to engage speakers during their presentations, to discuss and question the topic at hand for the greatest amount of feedback and interaction. Speakers will sign and sell books after the meeting. Hope to see you there.

MAY 28, 2016

Judy Howard and Sportster

“Getting Started on Your Bestseller”
with Bestselling Author Judy Howard

“I should write a book!” How many times have you said that? Here’s your chance to answer that yearning – to check it off your bucket list! On Saturday, May 28, 2016, 9:15-11 a.m. at the Hemet Public Library, Judy Howard, author of Coast to Coast with a Cat and A Ghost, Going Home with a Cat and a Ghost, and Masada’s Marine, will reveal the secrets of writing a book you can’t put down.

Judy will cover the critical elements of plot, structure and character development. Informative handouts will be provided. If you’d like to see more about Judy and her commitment to writing, click here for the video.

 

 

 

 

The Best Day of Your Life

What was the best day of our life?  The miracle of your child’s birth? The moment you met “Her”? Or was it that private moment when you sat by a creek, the heat of the sun on your cheek and a brisk breeze tugging at you hair?

Was your best day the one moment when you swelled with a desire for the freedom to soar into vast world before you?

It probably happened when you were young, at least it did for me. Before experience proved the consequences of dreaming impossible dreams.   

On my best day, my eyes watered as I urged my horse, Trigger, to chase his own dream of running free. I was sixteen.

The old forgotten coal mine was home to a few jackrabbits who protested our presence and sprinted across our path, failing to spook the spirited palomino.  My heart raced as his hooves pounded the black dusty mine road. He  kicked up long ago coal chunks discarded from the rusty boxcars, which had come to rest on the abandoned railroad tracks tracing the road.

I hugged his neck and never wanted to stop, but I had been riding since morning and had to be home for dinner. That was the rule.

 Reining my steed in, his nostrils puffed hot breaths into the frigid air and I thought of the bad boys smoking in the alley behind the school. Trigger snorted and shook his head. His flowing golden tail switched  across my leg as I slid off the horse’s bare back. His body heat rose like smoke as he puffed and then pawed the earth.

“Just catch your breath, boy.” I panted from my excited exertion as I smoothed my hand over his thick muscles, wet with sweaty foam.  I pulled the reins over his head and kissed his velvety nose. “Let’s walk awhile.”  And we headed home.

The best day of my life.

Tell me yours!

 Studies show that when you recall moments when you felt powerful, and believed nothing could stop you, those memories will recharge your soul.  Don’t let those adult doubts and fears invade and over power your ability to dream.  Everything you see before you, EVERYTHING! -- Began as someone’s dream.

Last month, I raced a Mario Andretti race car at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. 

to celebrate my 70th birthday.  I was terrified and afraid not only of dying in a fiery crash, but worse, of embarrassing myself by driving at a grandma speed.

  But, I am afraid every time I sit down at the computer to write. My stomach flip-flops when I hit the publish button and expose my creations to you, my fans. My hands tremble when I walk to the podium to inspire you, to tell you how I made it this far and what I am doing today. I am always racing scared.

So why do I do it? Whether I only achieve, writing one page, or publishing one book, or racing the slowest speed at 128 miles per hour, the effort of the journey is how  I  grow, blossom, and bring Inspiration to others.  And doing that makes it my BEST DAY EVER!

I am not telling you it is going to be easy, I'm telling you it is going to be worth it!

Check out  the latest books on...

Judy Howard's Author Page

 

Sportster the cat always envied the huge cats who lived the big life in the jungle until opportunity sends the motorhome in which he travels veering into a roadside ditch. When strangers whisk away not only his Winnebago, but also his chauffer, Judy, he is alarmed. However, once the dust settles, he purrs a happy tune as he discovers he is free! I He is in the wild. And he is in the Olympic Forest

ACTIVATE LION MODE is just what Sportster does as he spins this yarn in his own words. Living wild and free brings on encounters that he never imagined. The life he dreamed becomes an adventure full of bears, pit bulls, drugs and more. Sportster weaves this story of his incredible journey as only a coddled cat of leisure can do.

 

 

Masada, a bumbling golden retriever puppy, struggles through eighteen months of training to become a lifeline for a veteran with PTSD.

As part of her training, the puppy is assigned to prison life, where she matures and adapts to the cold concrete life of confinement and experiences hair-raising risks, tension, and the ache of loneliness.

She forms unusual bonds, first with Roy, her inmate trainer, and in the end, the total prison population as well.  

When she walks point for her veteran down the graduation aisle, an awe of respect silences the crowd.

Will the readers also be led down the wedding aisle?  Brad and Judy, founders of the K9s for Warriors training facility,  who have reunited after a forty-year separation, face monumental responsibilities that test their relationship as they try to build the dog-training program for veterans.

A touching yet educational story, about the world of service dogs who save veteran lives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rest in Peace

When we are three years old, life is a wondrous place full of innocence and love. When we are, three we are embarked on  our  journey that perhaps is predestined, or is it already paved by the lives that came before?

 I am not so pious or wise to think I know the answer, but what I do believe is that we all do the very best we can.

Sometimes our very best is unacceptable in the eyes of the ones who love us the most.

Today, if I could beg  for anything from the universe, I would ask for acceptance for those whose path I am unable to understand.

 I would ask for the ability to forgive those who could not listen to my pleas to travel a different route, a smoother way.

I would ask for understanding, which seems nearly impossible when I have not followed on their path.

Today, I beg for it all, acceptance, forgiveness and understanding, in memory of my granddaughter, Jessica Shows,  who at the age of twenty-eight ,succumbed to her difficult life in which she described, “there are no good stories.”

May you rest in peace, Jessica,  with my acceptance, forgiveness and understanding.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen! Start Your Engines!!

LADIES  and GENTLEMEN

START YOUR ENGINES!!

Come to the Auto Club Speedway and sign up with me to participate in the The Mario Andretti Racing Experience.   I will be celebrating my 70^th birthday and checking this thrill ride off of my bucket list.
Oops! That's not me in the photo on the right. That's my mother in one of my father's race cars. So you see? Racing is in my blood!!

The Andretti Qualifier is voted the most popular racing experience.  I will drive an Indy-style racecar for an 8 minute timed racing session on the speedway. Every minute counts in this amazing experience!

Mark your calendars!

Start your engines!!

^. Join me and feel the thrill.

Sunday, April 17^th! 

Cheer me on!

For those who are not thrill seekers, but want inspiration and an unforgettable adventure,  mark Sunday, May 28^th on your calendar. If you have ever thought about writing or even if you are way past the thinking stage with books on the Amazon shelves , come to The Diamond Valley Writers Guild at the Hemet Library on  the fourth Saturday, March 26^th from 9am to 11am.

I will be conducting my most popular seminar, What Makes A Good Story?  This is a favorite among seasoned writers as well as beginners.

 

 Start you creative engines!

 

 

Get Set!

 

And GO!

 

AVAILABLE APRIL 21ST

 

BOOK ONE OF THE FELINE FURY SERIES

 

ACTIVATE LION MODE

BY JUDY HOWARD

GHOST WRTTEN BY SPORTSTER THE CAT

 

Sportster the cat had always envied the huge cats who lived the big life in the jungle until opportunity sends the motorhome in which he travels veering into a roadside ditch. When strangers whisk away not only his Winnebago, but also his chauffer, Arlene, he is alarmed. However, once the dust settles, he purrs a happy tune as he discovers he is free! I He is in the wild! And he is in the Olympic Forest!

ACTIVATE LION MODE is just what Sportster does as he spins this yarn in his own words. Living wild and free brings on encounters he never have imagined. The life he dreamed becomes an adventure full of bears, pit bulls, drugs and more. Sportster weaves this story of his incredible journey as only a coddled cat of leisure can do.

 

 AVAILABLE APRIL 21ST

 

MASADA’S MISSION

WALKING POINT FOR A HERO

The Making of A Service Dog

A novel

by

Judy Howard

 

Masada, a bumbling golden retriever puppy, endears her readers as she describes her eighteen-month struggle through training to become a lifeline for a veteran with PTSD.

When Masada is abandoned to prison life, Author Judy Howard expertly lures the readers to follow along as they, too, become incarcerated behind bars with the young dog.

The readers walk in Masada’s paw prints as she matures and adapts to the cold concrete life of confinement. They share Masada’s experiences and all that prison life entails - the hair-raising risks, the tension …. and the ache of loneliness.

Masada captivates her readers as she does her time. She forms unusual bonds, first with Roy, her inmate trainer, and then with the other veteran inmate trainers. In the end, the total prison population becomes enamored by her dedication and loyalty.  

At her graduation, she proudly walks point down the aisle for her veteran and there is not a dry eye at the ceremony.

Will the readers also be led down the wedding aisle?

Follow Brad and Judy, founders of theK9s for Warriors facility. Reunited after a forty-year separation since high school, the couple faces monumental responsibilities as they try to build a successful dog-training program for veterans. Finding  puppy raisers, training  inmates, and making  the crucial decisions of selecting  the veterans who will receive the dogs strains their relationship and threatens to  puts the much needed program on the line.

A touching, feel good and yet educational story, about the wonderful world of service dogs saving veterans lives.

 

In the mean time, check out my other books  by visiting Judy Howard's Author Page on Amazon