Excerpt Extravaganza! and...BeaslePunk and the World of Steampunk

Hello blog fans! So glad you stopped by today. 

We will soon be changing up the Monday posts to bring you news that has to do with our BeaslePunk division. For a few weeks we'll be sharing all kinds of cool news from a sub-culture that is sweeping the globe with its stunning fashion, weaponry, and stories.

So get ready...starting next Monday we will begin to share the splendid-ness of this creative world.

Your steampunk blog hosts for this segment will be BeaslePunk's foudners/owners and award-winning steampunk artists, Don and Janet Beasley. 

We look forward to seeing you here!


In the meantime...here's this week's excerpt. It comes from the Hidden Earth Series. Janet Beasley's third volume released on November 4th, 2016. So here it is...straight from Volume 3 Planet Water ~ Draugar of the Abyss.

“Here it comes!” shouted Meilí. Arrowanna looked up as he and Torleik threw a large empty basket over the edge; it was tied to a heavy rope. Arrowanna felt her hair swish from the breeze of the dropping basket. It came to an abrupt halt just below Sidra.   

Arrowanna shouted, “You need to raise it a bit. I can’t get her into it down there.” The basket swung and banged into the side of the ship as her twin brothers pulled it upward. The wind blew the cold waters of the deep even worse as the tall ship rose and fell through the massive swells. Arrowanna feared the basket would hit Sidra and knock her from the rope ladder. Arrowanna shouted to her brothers, “Hold it there. That’s a good height.” She turned her focus to Sidra and lowered her voice to a soothing volume. “Now, we’re going to play the game we used to play back home with Poppie’s seaweed baskets. You’re going to step into this magic basket and make a wish, and see if it comes true.” Arrowanna held Sidra’s hand so tight it was turning white. She hated seeing the rope burns around Sidra’s wrists and ankles where she had been tangled up and thought, That must sting something awful. Arrowanna watched Sidra put one leg over the basket’s edge.

Sidra said, “Sis, it’s too big, I can’t get my leg in it. I can’t touch the bottom! Can I just make my wish now?”

“Oh, Sidra, sweetheart. You have to climb into the basket, or your wish won’t come true.”

“But we don't have any flower petals either.”

Arrowanna thought quickly and answered, “We can sacrifice a couple of things and your wish will still come true. I’ll come and lift you in, and we’ll use imaginary flower petals. I’m not going to let you miss a chance to make a wish.” Arrowanna struggled against the violent movements of the rope ladder while still holding Sidra’s tiny outstretched hand in her clutches.

Sidra screamed.

Arrowanna felt Sidra lose her footing; she now dangled by one arm.  Arrowanna’s adrenaline surged. She yanked Sidra closer to her, relieved that she had not let her baby sister fall into the depths. In one more swift move Arrowanna lifted Sidra into the basket.

“You did it Sis! I’m in the magic basket. Can I make a wish now?”

Crying through a hint of laughter, Arrowanna said, “Wait, we need to sprinkle you with the imaginary petals!” Arrowanna made quick movements and said, “Já, now you can make your wish.”

“I wish...” Sidra did not finish her wish, but rather screamed at the top of her lungs along with Meilí and Torleik as a wave caught the rope ladder just so, sending Arrowanna plummeting into the icy water. Arrowanna heard Sidra’s screams, and between the fifteen-foot swells, she saw her baby sister in the basket being raised to safety by her twin brothers. Now all they have to do is save me, she thought. She felt herself rise again and be pushed forward from the force of a wave, and the wave behind it came crashing over her.

Arrowanna disappeared.

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To discover more about this author and the Hidden Earth Series click here.

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.

---------------------------

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.

Excerpt Extravaganza! Today's Excerpt Is From "28 Months of Heaven and Hell"

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 Monday series on August 1, 2016. 

Today's excerpt is from 5 star, historical fiction author, J.D. Karns. He wrote this, his first novel, at age 82, and we were honored to publish it. 28 Months of Heaven and Hell is based on the journal of a WWII navy veteran who sailed on the DE-416 Melvin R. Nawman. 

The skipper soon realized that out-sailing this beast was not a possibility. He shouted order after order. Men went scrambling from bow to stern as Chester and the crew began making preparations for the approaching fierce storm. The other ships near the Nawman began to break their patterns and sail their own ways to avoid collisions with the other ships in the group. In minutes the sea had taken on a haunting appearance, and Chester believed it had become angry with the ships and was beginning to take out its personal vengeance on the helpless vessels and their crews. 

Chester finished his on-deck duties in the drenching rain and salty spray and slid down the ladder to the berth quarters. A wave caught the ship, and it listed more drastically than when he had been on deck. The sound of the wind let Chester know it had begun to barrel over the water with more force. He found it harder than usual to make his way through the small doorways but eventually reached his chair. 

The roar of the engine and the noise of the creaking ship drilled their way into the depths of Chester’s ears. 

Randall came rushing by and saw Chester in trouble. “Strap in! Strap in!” 

“I’m trying, but the ship’s rolling so bad I can’t seem to hang on long enough to get it fastened!” 

The ship listed to port. Randall rushed to the lower side of the chair and pushed up on Chester, giving the straps enough slack for him to fasten the buckles. 

“Thanks, buddy!” Chester pulled on the straps to tighten them to the point where it was difficult for him to take a deep breath. 

Randall headed toward the door. He shouted before he ducked out, “Now you hang on Chester, and I’ll see you on the other side of this storm. She’s a doozy!”

-------------------------------------

To discover more about this 82 year old author, or to get your copy of "28 Months of Heaven and Hell" visit JLB Creatives Publishing's author J.D. Karns

Spark Your Creativity!

Every Wednesday we offer you a special photo taken by our CEO Janet Beasley to help spark your creativity. Whether you're an author, a painter, a musician, or clay sculpture artist we think you'll find her photos very inspiring!

Ghost of Sails Past

Happy creating!

It's Book Trailer Tuesday! Check out Book Trailer #4

Hello fans and followers! Welcome to the final week of our Book Trailer Tuesdays here at the JLB Creatives Publishing Blog. We have been featuring one book trailer every Tuesday for the month of April from our author Janet Beasley's Hidden Earth Series. This week we are heading to The Lower West for a rootin' tootin' book trailer like none other. Get ready to experience Volume 2 in author Janet Beasley's Hidden Earth Series, Planet Water ~ Draugar of the Abyss (Coming Soon). Enjoy!

WEDNESDAY FEATURE "Spark Your Creativity"

#Beach #Ocean #Caribbean

This week's photo takes us to Disney's Castaway Cay

Janet has titled this photo, "Just Me and You"

Happy Creating!

On Wednesdays we're posting a photo taken by our CEO, author Janet Beasley to help inspire authors, painters, musicians, and other awesome artists. We've titled the new feature, "Spark Your Creativity." How did we come up with this? Read on...

When Janet isn't hard at work in the literary world, you'll find her and her husband kayaking the crystal clear, spring fed rivers of Florida. Janet's second passion next to writing is photographing nature as they glide through the serene settings these rivers have to offer. She and her husband also enjoy traveling the US, so you'll also be seeing some of Janet's

photos taken from hikes and journeys she and her husband have done nationwide. She has used her photos time and again for her own inspiration when it comes to many of her stories, and decided she would like to share the same inspiration with the literary and arts world.

And not to worry if you're not inspired this week, come back each Wednesday to catch a glimpse of what could "spark" your next amazing piece of work. And if you don't want to wait until next Wednesday, we'd like to invite you to visit our JLB Creatives Photo Gallery on Flickr where the photos are always free to download and use as book covers, business cards, wallpaper, etc. All we ask is that you give credit where credit is due - perhaps by something as simple as adding a credit link to the JLB Creatives/Janet Beasley Flickr site in your book or on your presentation. 

We hope you enjoy our new Wednesday feature, "Spark Your Creativity." And we want to let you know, if a photo inspires you to write a story that you would like to have considered for publication by JLB Creatives Publishing, be sure to visit our website at http://www.JLBCreatives.com where you'll find our company's history, be introduced to the publishing team, discover our Submission Guidelines, and may submit your work for consideration.

Enjoy!

Author J.D. Karns' Favorite Recipe

Carl L. Young
Honolulu, HI 1945
WWII Veteran 1943-1946

Hello fans and followers. For the month of November we are going to be featuring some of our authors' and team members' favorite recipes every Tuesday and Friday right here on the JLB Creatives Publishing Blog.

In honor of Veteran's Day, we proudly present to you our Historical Fiction author J.D. Karns, and want to thank WWII veteran Carl L. Young for serving this country to maintain its freedom and awesome way of life! 

Today we're featuring historical fiction author J.D. Karns' favorite recipe. To find out about his awesome WWII historical fiction based on the journal of WWII Navy veteran Carl L. Young visit 28 Months of Heaven and Hell

Tempting Tettrazini:

3 TBS butter

1 sweet onion – chopped

1 stalk of celery – diced

2 cups cooked chicken, pulled from bone and cut up OR 2 cups mixed vegetables: carrots, broccoli, yellow squash

6 oz dry spaghetti – broken up

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup fresh mushrooms

½ cup parmsean cheese

2 1/3 cups chicken broth OR 2 1/3 cups vegetable broth

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Melt butter in skillet and sauté onion and celery over low heat

Add remaining ingredients except for mozzarella cheese

Bring to boil, turn to low heat, and cook until spaghetti noodles are done

Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and serve right from the skillet