Jordan Raven has experienced ghostly encounters since the age of four. When a white pickup truck causes the early and tragic death of her to-be-fiancé, Martin, on their to-be-engagement night, Jorie watches in horror through the window from their favorite restaurant. Just as Jorie starts to get her life together, it spirals out of control and takes a turn for the worse when she learns that her mother is dying of brain cancer. She wonders how she will go on.
Day after day ghostly sightings of her fiancé, pacing footsteps in the hall, and voices grow more intense and more frequent. Can Martin comfort his true love from the afterlife? Will Jorie accept his need to communicate with her?
Only after visiting Madame Daluka, a fortuneteller, Jorie begins to realize just how out of sorts her life truly is. She is ready to give up and accept life as it is until Kelly Spencer enters her life--and she finds herself wondering if Madame Daluka will be able to fill in the blanks for her?
Ghost. Just the word gives me chills. I have always believed in paranormal activity.
My first ghostly experience happened when I was four. I remember it as if it happened yesterday.
My grandfather died on the doctor’s examining table during a routine check-up. My grandmother didn’t want children at the burial, but we were allowed to attend the viewing the day before.
Dressed in a black velvet knee-length dress, I chewed on my long, dark braids as I made my way towards Grandfather’s casket. His powdery face frightened me at first, but as I listened to and watched all the grown-ups around me cry, the frightened feeling was immediately replaced by serenity. His stern stare was no longer a threat, and that made me feel at ease. Granted, I didn’t fully understand death and why Grandfather looked and felt the way he did, but somehow I knew that he was in a better place.
On the day they buried Grandfather I had to stay at a friend’s house. Even though I hadn’t known him that well, I cried. Being I was only four years old, I can’t honestly give a reason why I cried, but I do remember that it was the strangest family event I had ever attended.
That night as I slept my grandfather visited me. His face appeared much kinder than when he’d been alive. His harsh chiseled features were softer, and his muddled salt-and-pepper hair was now neat in appearance. I smiled, welcoming him.
My vision of him was clear, and a pure white glow surrounded by a bright purplish-white light shone around his tall, slim figure. Grandfather’s clothing was such a brilliant white that it looked almost blue.
With his arms outstretched, he floated towards me, a smile on his face. Although I could not hear his voice, his mouth moved as though he were speaking. He stopped when about four feet in front of me. Slowly, his head turned to the side. He never took his kind sea-green eyes off me.
Then I heard him say, “Take care of your mother, Jordan. You’ll have some very difficult moments in your lifetime, but I’m here to tell you that I will be here for you. I love you.” Then he vanished.
I’ve never forgotten his words, the look in his eyes as he said them and the warm tone expressed with each word. They are now forever embedded in my mind.
After my grandfather visited me in a dream, I experienced several other visits from family members and friends who passed away. All were within a few years of each other, and all in dreams. Not all of them spoke, but those who did told me that they were fine, and that they were in a better place and they would look out for me. The odd thing was…all of them said what my grandfather had said: “You will have some very difficult moments in your lifetime.”
Chapter One
Life and Love
The beginning of a new life is always a dramatic and experimental time for us humans. Accepting one’s destiny can be a major struggle; but in the end, when it’s all over and done with and we reflect on the valuable life lessons we learned from it, then and only then are we able to sit back, take a deep breath and smile.
* * *
Faint sounds of footsteps in the hallway woke me. With the blinds drawn, rays of moonlight peered through the sheer white curtains, casting dancing shadows throughout the small room. My heart thumped. I sat up, rubbed my eyes and scanned the room. At first, I thought it was Sharon or Jason, but in glancing at the clock, I realized that they wouldn’t be up yet.
When the footsteps grew louder, I faced the bedroom door. My eyes were wide open as I waited for signs of someone. Still nothing.
Everything was now quiet, and when no one appeared, I fluffed my feather pillow and collapsed on the bed. As I lay with my legs curled in a fetal position, the sound of the distant footsteps echoed in my head. Was there someone there? Did I dream it? I listened again for a few minutes longer then brushed it off as just a dream. Within a few seconds, sleep fell over me.
by Marsha Chicoine
“Notes on the Windowsill” by Jennifer L. B. Leese
Publisher: Zumaya Publications
http://www.zumayapublications.com/item.php3?id=67
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Jordan Raven grew up with her mother always dreaming of what her life would be like, if only her father was part of her life… instead of abandoning them when she was only a toddler. Her mother goes into a depression as a result, which leads Jordan into a career in psychology.
“If you listen really hard in a quiet room, you can hear whispering from the afterlife.” Since Jordan was four years old she has had the “gift” in which her deceased loved ones are able to contact her. These encounters both terrorized Jordan and aided her in moving on with her life.
The sudden loss of her college sweetheart and husband to be Martin personally and professionally puts Jordan’s life in the shadows of the joy she once had. Unfortunately there is more loss in Jordan’s life than she had anticipated -- along with more gain than she could have ever wished for. Jordan learns of her true destiny, which leads her down an unexpected path to unexpected people and familiar places.
The novel is an eye opening story of destiny, love lost and love gained, with a paranormal twist. Jennifer Leese’s style allows for a romance novel that anyone would enjoy. The story shows how all life’s tragedies both small and large can turn out for the better and down the path that you’re meant to be on. It was a pleasurable and quick read.
by Nancy Jackson
5 Stars!
Notes on the Windowsill by Jennifer LB Leese
ISBN: 1894869613
Publisher: Zumaya Publishing
Publisher's website: http://www.zumayapublications.com/
Date: January 2003
Pages: 249
Price: $20
Distribution: Trade Paperback
NOTES ON THE WINDOWSILL is a paranormal romance that will make you laugh, cry, and think about the many signs and signals around us that we don't always notice. The characters of the author's creation are real and vivid. The story centers around a young woman named Jordan, the main character, who has lost the love of her life, Martin. Through her days of mourning and trying to heal, she reminisces about their amazing relationship and surreal bond. The intensity of their love was on a higher level than normal relationships, each feeling they were meant to be together, soul mates even. Jordan realizes her many dreams and visions had given her signs about the fateful night Martin died. Months later she still feels his presence and receives notes on the windowsill, a sweet gesture he began when they moved in together. She isn't sure whether she is going crazy or if her love is trying to tell her something. Through visits to her psychiatrist and a kind fortune-teller, she finds pieces that unravel many of the symbols she ignored. As Jordan tries to move on, she meets a new man who has many similarities to Martin and begins to fulfill a promise, a dream she was meant to fulfill.
Jennifer L. B. Leese paints a very sentimental story that draws you in and haunts you after finishing the story. You feel compassion and sympathy for the trials and tribulations the main character is forced to go through and you are right there with her. I highly recommend NOTES ON THE WINDOWSILL -- a touching love story. You may want to have the Kleenex box nearby as you read.
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