Excerpt Extravaganza! This week's author is J.D. Karns

Welcome to the JLB Creatives Blog, where an eclectic team of creative geniuses share their fantastical imaginations. 

On Mondays we are featuring an excerpt from one of our creative authors. And what makes this feature so fun is that we publish a wide range of genres. You'll never know what to expect for the excerpt.

To read all of our excerpts thus far, we invite you to visit our blog archives and look for our first Excerpt Extravaganza! that began on August 1, 2016.

Enjoy!

All previous excerpts are available in our archives. We began this series on August 1, 2016.

Today's excerpt is from author J. D. Karns. His historical fiction novel, "28 Months of Heaven and Hell" has peeked the interest of veterans nationwide.

During the fifteen days Chester was home Sue spent most of her time at our house. I couldn’t always tell whether she was there or not when I got home from school, because her sweet perfume lingered pleasantly in the air regardless. 

Chester treated Mike and me to a very special evening on Saturday. He took Sue and us to see a picture show, “Two Girls and a Sailor.” There was something about that big screen that made Ava Gardner, June Allyson, Van Johnson, and Jimmy Durante look amazing. And to top it off, we had a detailed presentation of the newsreel before the main feature; Chester told us bits and pieces about the war as the pictures appeared. I remember that trip to the box office being a real eye-opener. I wondered how many other guys were home on leave and telling their families about the war as the images jittered on the silver screen. 

Fifteen days seemed like fifteen minutes. But those few days created memories that would last forever. When Chester finally had to go back, it didn’t seem as hard for me to say goodbye. But Sue clung to him like a bee on honey. I can’t say as though I blamed her, and Chester certainly wasn’t telling her to let go! 

He dished out the remaining hugs and made certain to muss up my hair. I laughed at that. He walked out the door and waved. We watched him until he once again disappeared out of sight as he went to the corner where the bus would pick him up. Mom shut the door, and we all looked at each other. I saw Mom holding back tears. I noticed Mike was maintaining his composure with a bit more strength this time.
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To discover more about J.D. Karns or to purchase his historical fiction novel visit his author page on JLB Creatives. 

Happy 91st Birthday to WWII Navy Veteran Carl L. Young!

WWII Navy Veteran Carl L. Young
Sailed the Melvin R. Nawman DE-416

Welcome blog fans! We're so glad you stopped by this post. It is a very special post as today is Carl L. Young's 91st birthday, and he is still with us to celebrate such a milestone!

Who is Carl L. Young you ask? He is a WWII navy veteran and is the true-life author of the journal from which our author, J. D. Karns, crafted his first novel, 28 Months of Heaven and Hell. 

28 Months of Heaven and Hell is a hot title that is receiving attention in the veteran world and rave reviews from all walks of life. 

Karns pulled actual facts from Carl's WWII navy journal (that he kept while sailing on the Melvin R. Nawman DE-416), and stunningly wove them into a historical fiction novel that takes the readers not only into the Pacific, but also the challenges and emotions that arose in the home-front back in his home state of Ohio.

When Carl returned home from the war his youngest brother, Charles, asked him to tell him all about it. He told Charles, "Some day, little brother, some day." 68 years later Charles began receiving emails from Carl...but they weren't just any emails. The emails were journal entries. It was 168 emails later that 28 Months of Heaven and Hell was written. JLB Creatives Publishing was honored to work with this family and their project plus publish J. D. Karns for the first time in his life...he was 82 years old, and still lives today.  

Carl's actual journal lying atop a copy of
28 Months of Heaven and Hell
(All rights reserved)

This novel has achieved more than rave reviews. When you understand the back story you'll find it is a heartwarming story far beyond the pages. 28 Months of Heaven and Hell not only holds the haunting tales of war-life, but it also has brought a family back together. Charles and Carl had lost contact with each other for over 60 years. Thanks to social media and email they found each other once again. 

When the novel was released, Charles was re-introduced to numerous family members he hadn't seen for many years and introduced to several he didn't even knew he had. Charles now stays in contact and communicates with many of them. His oldest nephew made a special trip to Florida to let Charles hold Carl's actual journal in his hands. Needless to say the moment brought tears of overwhelming emotion to everyone's eyes. 

Both Carl and Charles were thrilled beyond belief when they had the chance to Skype with each other for the first time this past July.    

Here's a couple of excerpts from 28 Months of Heaven and Hell. Both excerpts are based on information straight out of Carl's journal.

Carl L. Young 1945
Honolulu

Excerpt 1:

BAM! The big wave hit. Chester felt the ship list, and he checked his gauges. He quickly made peace with his maker when he saw that the Nawman was listing at sixty-plus degrees! Strapped in his chair, on his way to being upside down, he detested the thought that his gut feeling had been right many weeks before. He thought of the box of letters he had left with Jeb. The radio went dead, and he was certain this was the end. The Nawman’s creaking, snapping, and low rumbling brought him to tears. He closed his eyes and whispered, “I love you Mom, Dad, Mike, Jeb, and especially you, Sue. I’ll see you in Heaven.” He braced himself for the worst. 

The Melvin R. Nawman rolled back upright. 

Chester sat in awe. He screamed as he banged on the radio, but no sound returned. He felt he could do no good from his chair now, so he unbuckled his seat straps and jumped from his chair, his feet landing flat on the starboard bulkhead. From below deck aft he walked, stumbled, and crawled back and forth from the starboard bulkhead to the port bulkhead while the ship continued through the waves. Somehow he made it topside and into the pilot house. He grabbed Randall’s leg for balance and pulled himself up. 

“The mast! We’ve lost the main mast!” Randall shouted. Chester now knew why the radio had gone dead. He peered through the driving rain as best he could and saw the enormous mast dangling over the side of the ship with cables still attached, making for a dangerous situation. 

Excerpt 2:

As the ship drew closer to the island, Chester said to Randall, “It’s hard to imagine we were just watching whales on a calm sea, and now we’re watching this.” 

A call came over the radio from the observation plane, letting the big ships know that their salvos and explosives were making direct hits; they were doing great. Chester looked at Randall when the sounds of the bombing began to escalate. 

GQ sounded, “Red alert! Bettys have been reported in the area.” Chester and Randall knew the kamikazes had to be close to the Nawman because of all of the extra fire power that opened up immediately after the alert. 

Chester walked to the porthole to see for himself, and what he saw shocked him. Rapidly the sky was filling with flack from all of the ships firing their big guns. Black smoke began to cover the water’s surface, and not long after the fires ignited, the faint smell of gun powder seeped into the sonar room. 

Randall squeezed his face next to Chester’s to take a look. “Looks pretty bad out there, but we’re winning, I just know it!” He stepped back, leaving Chester the full view once again. 

“OH MY GOD!” Chester stood motionless, his face glued to the glass. “She’s coming right at us. We’re gonna die. We’re really going to die. Right here. Today.” He reached his hand out. Randall grabbed it and pushed his face back onto half of the glass. Chester could feel Randall shaking. They put their arms around each other and stood in awe. Chester barely squeaked out, “That Betty’s too low. Our boys can’t gun her down.  She’s too low. She’s too low. OH MY GOD! SHE’S TOO DAMN LOW!” He could not close his eyes. He and Randall braced for the impact.

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J. D. Karns

To learn more about our author, J.D. Karns, click here. To purchase a print copy or an ebook of 28 Months of Heaven and Hell from Amazon click here.

Say Hello to YA Scifi Author Jessica Arman

Jessica Arman

Jessica Arman will always hold a special place in the hearts of the JLB Creatives Publishing team and the Journey to Publication Writing Program curriculum...she holds the title of the first author to have a novella published through the Journey to Publication Writing Program!

Jessica is a multi-time returning author to the Pickford Community Library Young Writers Workshop group. Protective Measures is her first novella. Jessica served as a part in the development of the Journey to Publication Writing Program / Curriculum, a comprehensive writing program created, authored, and published by JLB Creatives Publishing. For more information on the program please visit www.JourneyToPublication.com

Imagine being stuck in school forever. Living there, working there, and eating every meal there. That’s what Taryn and every other kid from her town has to do. What they don’t know is that this so-called slave school is run by Taryn’s father. This secret will lead to heartbreak and despair. Freedom will be had, but not without a heavy cost. 

You can download Jessica's novella for FREE from the JLB Creatives Ebook Shoppe / Journey to Publication Authors

FREE Alert!

Testimonials from Journey to Publication
writing enthusiasts

Welcome to the JLB Creatives Blog. We're so glad you stopped by today to check out our FREE Alert!

What's FREE you ask? Well let us tell you.

We are honored to be able to publish such amazing talent from participating Journey to Publication writing enthusiasts. We are excited to let you know that we recently released the 2016 Anthology and three novellas. 

If you're not familiar with the Journey to Publication writing program here's the scoop. JLB Creatives Publishing's top team members along with Pickford Community Library's Young Writers Workshop participants are the the creators and authors of this amazing curriculum. We publish selected aspiring authors who have completed the program. These particular Ebooks are made available around the globe for free, and can be downloaded by visiting JLB Creatives' Ebook Shoppe.

If you would like more information regarding this writing program curriculum we invite you to visit JourneyToPublication.com

Last Call For Priority Genres - Happy Halloween!

It's our CEO's favorite month - October. The colorful leaves, caramel apples, apple cider, bonfires, s'mores, camping, and so much more enchant this amazing month. To make it even more so enchanting, we wanted to let everyone know that this month we will be open for submissions.

We currently accept submissions for multiple genres, however we will be focusing on a few special ones during October. These particular genres will be the first to be considered between now and the end of the year.

Each Tuesday and Friday throughout October we are "calling" for submissions of certain genres. If you're an aspiring writer with a complete ms and have been looking at having your work considered for publication we encourage you to stay tuned to the JLBCP blog to see if your genre is one we're looking for during the month. If you are submitting in one of these genres your work will be moved to the top of the stack through the remainder of the year. 

Before you make a submission we require that you fully read all Submission Guidelines before doing so.

Announcing today's genre of choice of the month...

CALLING ALL HISTORICAL FICTION WRITERS! (WWII, Westerns, Victorian, Queens and Kings, Disasters, Gangsters, Outlaws, Royalty, and the likes)

If you're a writer of historical fiction, and have your ms completed, we invite you to check out our Submission Guidelines to see if we're the right fit for you. You will find information, guidelines, and details by visiting JLBCreatives.com 

JLBCP Has Been Making Their Presence Known Nationwide

Thursday September 25, 2014 JLB Creatives Publishing's senior editor Dar Bagby joined library manager Ann Marie Smith of the Pickford Community Library to give a cutting edge presentation at the UPRLC (Upper Peninsula Region of Library Cooperation) annual meeting. 

L - JLB Creatives Publishing's senior editor and
Young Writers Workshop facilitator Dar Bagby.
R - Randy Riley: Michigan State Librarian.

Ann Marie opened with "Engaging Your Community's Writers and Readers: Libraries and ePublishing." Dar Bagby immediately followed filling in the details with her presentation "ePublishing and How It Influences the Community." This dynamic duo of risk takers knocked it out of the park for the nearly 60 attendees representing libraries from across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the executive director  of the Midwest Collaborative for Library Sciences, Randy Dykhuis.

Dar is a co-facilitator/founder along with JLBCP's CEO Janet Beasley for the Young Writers Workshop (YWW) that takes place at the Pickford Community Library, Pickford Michigan.

Ann Marie holds accolades such as taking a community library from a circulation of under 400 to nearly 1600 per month in only two short years, and being bold enough to approach not only Dar, but others of the community to bring in many beneficial special programs that take place at the library. 

You can expect to begin seeing Dar and Ann Marie at other appearances in the future throughout the entire state of Michigan. 

Pictured L to R: Les Cheneaux Community Library Manager
Jane French, Shannon White from the Library of Michigan,
Pickford Community Library Manager Ann Marie Smith.

Only 3 short days after this dynamic duo's appearance in Michigan's UP, JLB Creatives Publishing's CEO Janet Beasley and Senior Financial Director Jean E. Lane headed to St. Augustine to appear at the Florida Heritage Book Festival.  

Janet gave a presentation regarding the innovative ways JLB Creatives Publishing is making a difference in the literary world, as well as shared some of their authors' works with the captive audience. 

L - JLBCP's Senior Financial Director Jean E. Lane

R - JLBCP's CEO Janet Beasley

Florida Heritage Book Festival exhibit 2014

Back on the exhibit floor Janet and Jean E. teamed up to show off the collection of select JLBCP authors. In addition to selling books they both engaged in effective networking with other literary professionals, authors, and readers. JLBCP is definitely looking forward to making an appearance once again at this fabulous festival  in 2015.

We invite you to visit and "Like" our FB pages:

http://www.Facebook.com/JLBCreatives

http://www.Facebook.com/PickfordCommunityLibrary