First, my oil painting is coming along great. Second, here is the new cover for the next book in the Jonas Black series, THE HANGMAN. We were going to call the book THE RECKONING, but since we named the first one after the killer, we decided to continue the practice. Please let us know your opinion on the title and on the book cover. It was this cover or one of a man descending into the fires of hell. We like this one, but we do value your opinion.
As we have always maintained, the name Dreamah H. Lockwood is a pseudonym for my sister and I. We write under that name in memory of our sister Dreamah who died on September 13, 2012. Maybe that is why I have felt so sad most of the day. Tomorrow or today, depending on where you live, is the anniversary of her death. I hate that she is gone. But too many of my family have died. Most of the months of the year are marked by the death of someone we have loved and lost. Years ago, in March, we lost our father. April was for me the loss of a dear friend and coworker. 2005 was a hell of a year on us. May took our mother, June a longtime friend, July a niece and the following July, a beloved nephew, August, is the anniversary of our youngest sister’s death, she died some time ago, September was the father of my great nephews. October , we got a reprieve from death. But November 2005, death claimed another sister as well as a friend. December claimed my dog, and a brother-in-law. And so this year in July, the loss of another dear friend in a motorcycle accident. Sometimes I feel as if my heart will break it has so many holes in it.
We put a lot of emotional experiences into our novels. If you read any of our books, we try to fill them with the hope of the lost finding their way home, justice for the victims, or our family overcoming death by letting us know they still watch over us.
I know my mother and sisters still watch over me. When I am ill or down in the dumps, I can smell my one’s sister’s cigarettes. She chain smoked and it eventually killed her. When I have the odor of cigarettes, mixed with the scent of my mother’s White Shoulders cologne and I am not feeling well, you guessed it, the combination makes me feel worse. Sometimes, I can smell Dreamah’s perfume; she only used L’Air du Temps. It is light and airy and smells wonderful. I don’t use cologne or perfumes. Everything I use is unscented because I worked in a hospital and cologne and scented creams can make a patient feel sicker as well as your co-workers.
Anyway, I wouldn’t ask them not to come and watch over me no matter how much their perfumes or cigarette odor makes me feel. These odors are a comfort to me when I feel rotten and down. So keep haunting me mom and sisters. Always let me know you are still with me. I miss you all so very much.
Don’t let anyone tell you that time will heal the loss of a loved one. That wound is always there, all time does is help us learn to cope. There are still tears that get shed and that missing piece of our heart doesn’t heal, it only scars over. Tears are healthy so let them flow. Know that our loved ones are always around and watching over us. Believe it, I do.
Everyone, have a great weekend, keep writing and stay safe.
Dreamah
DREAMAH H. LOCKWOOD |AUTHOR 