Friday, December 26, 2014

Wanda S. Maxey: One Powerful Eternal Kiss

Everyone's Story welcomes back Wanda S. Maxey, a strong, beautiful woman with a caring heart. Wanda writes non-fiction that grips the heart because it's straight from her own life experiences. Why? Because she doesn't want others to wade through similar agonies. Is Wanda's segment an unusual post-Christmas or end-of-year article to share? No. Not when, as Wanda says in the acknowledgment section of her new book, LONELY HEART MEETS CHARMING SOCIOPATH, "There is hope and healing in the Lord." Yes, indeed, there is! Please check out Wanda's new book, her Giveaway (and mine!), and her touching words she shares with us. We're both looking forward to hearing from you.
            May you each have a peaceful New Year.



BookGiveaway:
Wanda is offering 1 e-version of LONELY HEART MEETS CHARMING SOCIOPATH to 1 randomly drawn commenter. PLUS a second chosen viewer will receive a printed copy of THE STORY, which includes my (Elaine's) FamilyFiction "People's Choice Award" short story IN HIS OWN TIME plus delightful stories by fifty amazing authors. The winner will be announced here on Friday, January 2nd between 5-6 PM EST. To be entered in the Giveaway, please leave your contact information within your comment


Blurb on LONELY HEART MEETS CHARMING SOCIOPATH:

Lonely, vulnerable, and looking for love, Wanda waded through the seemingly safe waters of Internet dating. An easy target, especially for a sociopath.

Lonely Heart Meets Charming Sociopath takes you on a riveting, true journey through the author's relationship with a verbal and emotional abuser. Nothing prepared her for the twisted turn of terror she'd endure after this “southern gentleman” clicked on her profile and entered her life. She discovered, all too late, that he was not the God-fearing man he claimed to be.

Predators prowl the Internet to gain easy access to victims. Appearing normal, but in reality they are ravaging wolves. Living and walking among us. Blending in so well.

This powerful, expose-all book offers freedom and peace of mind as you unlock the secret schemes of a dangerous impostor. Peek behind the mask. Learn through vivid details, the true-to-life signs of a trolling predator. If you think it can't happen to you—you could be dead wrong.


One Powerful Kiss by Wanda S. Maxey

The sound of a kiss is not so loud as that of a cannon, 
but its echo lasts a great deal longer.
                                                              Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

I immediately reached out and touched my cheek. “Aw,” I said out loud. I turned around to find out who had kissed me. I wondered if I had been dreaming, but no, it was so real. I literally still felt the kiss on my cheek. Cheeks still wet with tears. My chest ached from crying. My heart was buried in a dead mans chest. My beloved husband of thirty-two years had passed away. How could I go on? I asked myself. What a silly question. My husband Buddy and I, after one of the most frightening times of our lives, had both met the Lord, and because He lives, I could face the future without fear. I knew we would see each other again one day, and God comforted my heart. But

I was so lonely and lost without the man who called me Angel Face. My daughter, Lynn, had been with us for the past six weeks. Whenever I needed her, she was there. Like the morning Buddy was so weak he couldn't stand. He fell out of bed trying to get up and make coffee. All I had to do was yell, “Lynn, help,” and she was there. When I was too tired and exhausted to cook, she was there. During the excruciating long, midnight hours. She was there. But she had a life of her own, back with her husband. I watched her little black Honda pull out the winding drive that morning and waved until her car disappeared.

Courtesy Google Images
Back in the house I forced my legs to carry me up the steps of our bi-level home. One step. Then another. I kept my eyes down, not wanting to look at the place where his hospital bed had been. The hustle and bustle of the hospice workers had ended. No more seeing the smiling face of my husband after the nurse had given him a bath and a fresh shave. No more watching the nurse massage his tired and frail body. I remembered when they asked him if he would like a massage. “Yeah,” he said, “but only if my wife can have one too.” The quiet and still of that large five-bedroom home on forty acres was deafening. Until the sound of my sobbing filled the empty rooms. Exhausted, and bone weary I sat down on the couch and fell asleep, which I needed. I woke up when someone leaned over from behind and kissed me on the cheek. I sat on a couch that was shoved tight against the wall. No one could have gotten back there. The door was locked. But...someone had kissed me. I turned around to see who was playing a trick on me. I faced an empty wall.

Still, the kiss warmed my cheek. The sweetest, most pure and powerful kiss of my entire life. Was the kiss from my late husband? No, because the Bible says the dead have no power. From the Holy Spirit? From an angel? From Jesus? 

I don't know who kissed me, but I knew, in that precise moment, that God used the kiss to comfort my shattered and aching soul. The sadness that had gripped my heart seemed to evaporate like the water in my geranium pots on a hot day. I jumped up from the couch and walked to the window. There was a lightness in my step. One huge, Heavenly-Blue Morning Glory bloomed in the planter Buddy and I had built together. The first bloom from a season of nothing but abundant green leaves. The tears stopped for a while. I felt joy and a renewed strength. A whole new world to explore. That was one powerful kiss.

Visit Wanda's previous Everyone's Story segment: Correcting A Once Dream Turn Terror


Wanda's Ah-hahs To Tweet:
Wanda S. Maxey @photosue shares about her 1 powerful kiss & it’s not what you think! (Tweet This)

#BookGiveaway: LONELY HEART MEETS CHARIMING SOCIOPATH by Wanda S. Maxey @photosue (Tweet This)

#BookGiveaway: FamilyFiction’s THE STORY: 2014 Anthology (Tweet This)

Everyone has a story: author Wanda S. Maxey @photosue shares horrors of Internet Dating. (Tweet This)

Author's Bio:
Wanda is a Christian, a Writer, and an Author who lives in Michigan.

Her passion is trying to help others who have been through abuse, no one has to go through it alone.

She was widowed in 2005 after 32 years of marriage to a wonderful man. Two years later, being lonely and desperate, she found a new love on the Internet. After a whirlwind courtship they were married. She soon discovered she had married a sociopath. Her books were written in the hopes of helping others learn about the signs to look for, so as to not be “Hooked,” by one of these predators.

Places To Connect With Wanda:





22 comments:

  1. Elaine,
    Thank you for hosting me again on your wonderful blog. You help many. God bless you, Wanda

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Wanda. And I must share: hearing from lovely people like you truly warms my heart. I am thankful for you, for everyone who visits.

      Looking forward to a great week with you as my guest!

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  2. I well know that silence that is so loud you can't think. But God is so faithful to be there for us. Powerful story. Am very interested to read Wanda's book.

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    Replies
    1. Waving, Pat. Nice to see you this Christmas weekend… because as you say, God is so faithful to us.

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    2. Patricia,
      Yes, God is truly a faithful and loving Father.Thank you for your encouraging comments. Hope you have a most blessed New Year.
      Wanda

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  3. What stories! I think that happens a lot now with the ease of the internet. . .Losing the love of your life.. The blog today was so interesting. There was some serious writing here from all of you.. Would like to read more...
    dkstevensne AT outlook DoT COm

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    Replies
    1. Deanna, I'm enjoying your visits! The Internet is phenomenal--it makes distances between family and friends shrink down to nearly zilch, brings entertainment and knowledge to many… yet it is the evil man/woman who corrupts it. I'm glad Wanda is taking the time to warn others of what can happen, especially when lonely.

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    2. Deanna,
      Thanks so much for reading and adding your encouraging comments. God bless you and yours with a Happy New Year.
      Wanda

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  4. This all sounds fantastic thank you.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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    Replies
    1. I'm glad to see you, Mary. I'm thrilled that you're finding my guests fascinating that you keep coming back :)

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    2. Mary,
      So glad you stopped by to read and thank you for taking the time to comment. We appreciate your kind words.
      Blessings,
      Wanda

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  5. Wow... intriguing prose, Wanda! I'm sorry, however, to hear about your loss which was then followed by a bigger nightmare. I hope writing about it was cathartic for you and that it will edify and educate many. Elaine, I'm excited to see your story in print!

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    Replies
    1. A very thoughtful response, Kathy, as always. And as always, I'm thankful when you visit.

      Thanks for your enthusiasm regarding my writing! It was a blessing to be able to not only hold 2 of my short stories in published form in one month (talk about Christmas gifts!!) but to be able to share with others. Baby steps. Just praying and trusting in God my novels will find a home as well.

      Happy New Year, my friend.

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  6. Kathy,

    Thank you for reading and all your kind comments. Yes, writing helped me SO much and my hope is to also help others.

    Elaine also had a great book!

    Many blessings,
    Wanda

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  7. Wanda, thank you for sharing your experience. I can't even imagine how horrific was your experience. As a widow myself, I find your experience especially chilling. What a blessing that you were able to find the strength to extract yourself from that relationship!

    Elaine, I am so happy for you to have two of your stories published in books. I pray that more of your works will be published in the coming years.

    HAPPY NEW YEAR!
    may_dayzee (AT) yahoo (DOT) com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy New Year indeed, Kay! You've already kick-jumped mine into gear with your kind wishes for more publication. Thank you. May 2015 find you blessed as well.

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  8. Kay,

    Happy New year. Thanks for reading and commenting. Yes, it was the worst time of my life, and it was only by God's grace that I made it out alive. Now my hope is to warn others about the dangers of the all too common sociopath.

    Blessings,
    Wanda S.

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  9. Wanda, I love that line, "My heart was buried in a dead man's chest." Your story is very powerful. I was one of the "lucky" ones-I met my husband on the internet 15ish years ago. Elaine, congratulations on your stories being published. BTW, I love the background on your blog.

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    Replies
    1. Mary, thanks for visiting today… and I hope you'll come back! I'm glad you like the background, especially since it's different from most standard author blogs. I love folksy, primitive kind of art work and when I saw this background it spoke to me: all homes and villages have a story to tell! Some good, some surprising… which segues into my next comment…

      I'm happy you have a happily-after story to share about your husband. It's a scary world out there--sadly, too many troubling people, for sure.

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    2. Mary, a huge PS: thanks so very much for your warm congratulations on my short stories seeing the light of publication. Your kind words are such an encouragement!

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  10. Elaine,

    Just wanted to tell you, "Thank you SO much," for all the time and effort you put in for everyone's story. All your extra touches, words and pictures meant a lot to me and made my post so much better than it would have been otherwise. Your heart for others shows in all you do. May God bless you abundantly and grant you a wonderful Happy New Year.

    Many Sweet Blessings,
    Love & Hugs,
    Wanda

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  11. Wanda, you've beat me to a closing comment for the blog-week's end but that's A-okay since your sweet, encouraging words have touched my heart. I try my best to make my guests and viewers feel "at home" and I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. And wow--what a great week. You've received lots of viewer hits! I have prayed that your segment will find the very people it needed to as well as glorify God… and I believe it did :)

    Thanks too for your BookGiveaway. And the winner of Wanda's book LONELY HEART MEETS CHARMING SOCIOPATH is…

    Kay M. Congratulations, Kay. Both Wanda & I will contact you directly.

    And, the winner of my BookGiveaway of THE STORY: 2014 Anthology is…

    Kathy H. Yay!! I too will be contacting you directly in a direct email.

    May 2015 be a kind and gentle New Year for all.

    God bless.

    ReplyDelete

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