Jan Sikes writes compelling award-winning stories from the heart. She has been called a wordsmith by her peers, is an active blogger, grandmother, a fan of Texas music, and resides in North Texas.
After a shocking courtroom tragedy, a disturbed Vietnam veteran and the vindictive judge who sent him to prison become an unlikely pair of time travelers in a chaotic multiverse. The fallen angel who rescues them wants to guide them to a radiant new life. But first they must return to the scene of a ghastly crime.
Billy Worster was a naïve teenager ill-prepared for the gruesome realities of war. The sole survivor of a deadly massacre in a Vietnamese jungle, he avoided certain death only because he ran away when the shooting started. Riddled with guilt, he comes home to a dusty Texas farm with post-traumatic stress disorder and the crazy notion that he can fly in and out of parallel worlds.
As Billy struggles with addiction and questions his sanity, he is arrested on a drug charge and ends up in the courtroom of Judge Madeline Johnston, a bitter old judge tormented by a dark secret surrounding her father’s death. She callously tosses Billy into prison, but when a greedy executor files a lawsuit to steal his inherited land, Billy is hauled back to her courtroom in chains, where a stunning twist of fate launches them into the sky on an odyssey of discovery and healing.
Spanning forty years from the jungles of Vietnam through infinite, parallel worlds, Rip the Sky examines how the power of forgiveness can lead us toward a better life, no matter how many worlds we may live in.
Mark Packard spent the last 38 years as a trial attorney and is now retired from the courtroom and working as a mediator. In a life before lawyering he was a journalist and regrets waiting far too long before returning to his roots to write his first novel, Rip the Sky. Though he knows he should have jumped off the merry-go-round years ago, he hopes to hang around long enough to craft a few more tales. Connect with the author:
Welcome to the beginning of a new month and a reading to set the tone for the month. I hope you enjoy today's post! This quote from Ray Bradbury made me laugh. Created in Canva I chose this meditation to share because we can all use a bit of empowerment. I hope you like it …
Happy Friday! As we say goodbye to September, we have enjoyed more seasonable temperatures in Texas. I don't know about you, but October is my favorite month of the year. I love watching the grands get all costumed up to go trick-or-treating. The days get a little shorter and nights a little longer. All of …
Whoo hoo!! It's release day for book 1 in the Harbor Pointe Series, and talented author Mae Clair is leading the way! PURCHASE LINK BLURB: Some hauntings come from within.Leviticus Sinclair has been a broken man since the murders of his wife and brother. Burdened by personal failures the night they were killed, he occupies …
It's Monday, and the last one in September. Isn't it insane to think of Christmas coming right around the corner? As always, I hope you leave this post with a positive thought and maybe a bit of inspiration. Today, I am sharing a podcast video from my neighbor, Judy White-Artz. She is in the process …
Happy Friday! As this week drew to an end, I pondered on what I wanted to talk about today. What came to mind first is the subject of how we spend our daily allotment of time. It's a sensitive topic for me, but I'll share. Are you struggling to find enough time to complete life's …
Happy Monday. I hope you can take away some inspiration from today's post. I love this quote from Helen Keller. Interestingly, most guided meditations are female voices, so it was refreshing to discover this one done with a male voice. https://youtu.be/fAzEwHXRUi0?si=zxbfyiBbxESj3K4O The tarot card for this week is inspiring and reassuring and is closely related …
Happy Friday! I am happy to say we have had fabulous weather this week in Texas! Temperatures have been below 100 and most parts of the state even got a welcome bit of rain. Maybe Fall is really right around the corner. This has been a productive week for me, and I hope it has …
Happy Monday! I'm thrilled to be able to say we are finally out of the triple-digit temperatures here with a possible chance of rain. Whoo hoo! The trees are so thirsty. They will be doing a happy dance if they get some moisture. I love today's quote. It's a great reminder. This meditation inspired me …
Meet Robin Flynn: a woman of artistic soul and iron will, who forges metal and paints vibrant canvases as an escape from life’s ceaseless challenges. Raised in the gritty trade of welding, she inherits not just her father’s skill but also his audacity. But her creative passion takes a daring turn when she accidentally ignites an abandoned warehouse. Instead of ruin, her act inexplicably wins her gratitude from the local firefighters. Emboldened, Robin embarks on a clandestine mission to purge her crumbling town, Hemlock, of its dilapidated relics.
Enter Nate Mitchell: a man standing on the cusp of his dreams. As he trains to become a fire marshal, he’s also courting the woman he believes to be the love of his life. Everything seems perfect until destiny throws a spark into his meticulously planned world.
A pulse-pounding question burns at the heart of this riveting tale: What happens when a man committed to extinguishing fires falls deeply in love with a woman setting them? When faith and love clash like fire and water, will they quench each other or evolve into something even more powerful?
Dive into Tested By Fire, a Christian Fiction saga that weaves romance, suspense, and spirituality into a tapestry of human resilience. Inspired by 1 Peter 1:7, this story reminds us that our faith—far more precious than gold—emerges stronger through the crucible of trials, as we await the day when it illuminates the entire world with its glory.
1 Peter 1:7 (NIV)“These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold–though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”
C.J. Peterson is a ten-time award-winning, multi-genre published author since 2012. She is also a podcaster, blogger, and publisher who knows how to relate well to folks of all ages. She has multiple books and series including:
Grace Restored Series, The Holy Flame Trilogy, and the Divine Legacy Series, which have characters crossing over storylines. In these books, the spiritual realm crosses into the physical. This adventurous journey will have you holding onto the pages for dear life! The Sands of Time Trilogy isan exciting sci-fi series that will have you on the edge of your seat! This series follows a group of teens with abilities as they go through the US to rescue their siblings from the Challenger, their sadistic creator who has the
money & power to win at any cost. Chain Reaction follows Trip and Tori as they go through time guiding their ancestors to change crucial decisions. In changing their past to save future generations, will Trip and Tori cease to exist?
