Hello Sweet Readers!
I hope everyone has had a great week!
The winners from Tuesday are:
Duffinwo
Tomjoy
henryandla
Your gift cards were sent last night. : )
So, by now most of you know that the big announcements we had are: Jay is doing the Baxter Boys series! The first audio, Always with You, just released TODAY!
And…
Always with You is Jay and my FIFTIETH audio together!
I am SO excited about this, and I have a few things I want to say about Jay, but first of all, I want to express my deepest and most sincere appreciation to YOU – our readers and listeners who have supported us through three years of making and working on audios. You all are the reason we’ve been able to keep doing this, that I can afford to keep writing and that Jay can afford to make this his full-time job.
You’ve spread the word about us to your friends and family, posted on social media, wrote comments and reviews (which are ESSENTIAL for algorithms and for letting others know that we’re producing a quality product).
You’ve replied to my newsletter and forms with so many amazing, encouraging, uplifting, sweet and kind comments.
I just appreciate you all so very much. My heart is full. I know I’m a writer, but words never feel like a good “thank you,” I always want to DO something.
That’s why I’m always trying to do gift cards and giveaways and why I was overjoyed that we could give our audios away for FREE and still make money on them.
It’s also why I often am up until the wee hours of the morning on Monday nights writing out a farm story from the week before and why I love putting quotes and pretty graphics in my newsletter, as well as offering chapters for free.
I feel like all that helps to SHOW you all how very much I appreciate you all. I hope it does, anyway. You all are the BEST and I feel like I can never repay you as much as I owe.
With that said, I’m going to give away another bunch of $50 Amazon egift cards. This time, I’m going to ask that you listen to Always with You, and tell me your favorite part/chapter/voice.
It’s FREE on Say with Jay so everyone can do it, and I will give you two weeks to enter. So, you have two weeks to listen to Always with You, click HERE and tell me your favorite part. (And look at that gorgeous thumbnail that Jay made! SO pretty!)
If you only get the first chapter listened to, it’s perfectly fine to say that the first chapter is your favorite. I don’t want this to be a drudgery or inconvenience for anyone, but I did want to connect it to our audios, since I’m giving away $50 in honor of our 50th audio!
Alright, I wanted to say a few words about Jay. Actually, I wanted to tell a story about him. I had one all written out, but I read it over and decided it didn’t show or say what I wanted it to.
So, let me just say that for the last three years and for 50 audios, I’ve gotten to work with not just an incredibly talented man, but beyond his amazing talent and complete professionalism, he’s just the absolute best person.
He takes the time to explain things to me at a level that doesn’t make me feel dumb, but that I can understand. He tells great stories and always makes me laugh. I’ve gone through a lot of personal issues during our time together and Jay has prayed for me and picked up the slack – doing my jobs – when I couldn’t pull my weight. He hasn’t actually written any books for me, (although we joke – but it’s true – that he writes the best business emails, so when we have to correspond with one of the companies we deal with, he writes the emails, not even kidding. ; ) but he’s done pretty much everything else.
Every one of those audios have been a joy – because Jay makes sure of it – and I am blessed beyond measure to have his name on fifty covers along with mine.
Here’s my huge THANK YOU and CONGRATULATIONS to Jay Dyess for fifty audios together!
Alright, I promised a short farm story. : )
Last Thursday Julia and I drove home from PA after being there for two weeks. We had one day to spend at the farm in VA before we had to leave again.
We were scheduled to run our Akaushis through the chute. We needed to preg test some and give a few shots. I’ve talked before about how hard they are to work with, but Watson said he and the girls and our hired guy could handle them – since there are less than twenty of them – since Julia and I only had one day home and we both had a bunch of work to do.
So, I’m standing at my desk which faces our side yard and driveway. They were bringing the herd of Akaushis down the drive from the upper pasture, and I’d be able to see them as they passed through on their way to the barn. (The chute is beside the barn.)
It had rained pretty hard the night before, so everything was wet and muddy. The girls were on their ponies and I watched as they trotted out the drive with Watson on a four-wheeler. Our hired guy was on the other side of the house to keep the cows from turning up and circling around. He’s not too fond of working with cattle and he really doesn’t like the Akaushis.
Eventually the herd comes down and goes by with the girls following on their horses. I see this from my desk, then I go back to work.
But, just a minute or so later, one single cow comes from the barn side of the house and walks through the yard right below my window. One of the girls is behind her on her pony and the other girl comes around the other side of the house at a gallop to get in front of the cow and turn her down toward the barn.
They get her turned, and I go back to work.
But the same cow appears again, walking through the yard (and my flower bed) with a girl on a pony right behind her and the other galloping again to get in front to turn.
They make about ten laps around the house and through the back yard (and my flowers). This cow just will not go towards the barn once she gets around the other side of the house.
Finally after the eleventh time of this cow coming around the side of the house, walking or trotting through the yard (and my flowers) and going around again, I close my computer. It’s wet outside and cows’ hooves are pointed and, while I’m really not a diva about my yard or my house (we live on a farm, we work here, there are animals and we get dirty and they mess things up. It’s just life.) this seems a little excessive and I close my computer a little more forcefully than necessary.
It seems to me that if something isn’t working, maybe they should try something different, rather than running in circles around the house.
I put my shoes on (while the cow makes ANOTHER round around the house and yard and flowers) and walk outside.
Our hired guy (whom I love) is standing by the porch, just kind of watching the girls chase the cow. (I’ve been chased by the Akaushis and I know they’re scary. They’ll charge you rather than run from you, so I get it.)
Watson is over by the barn between the four-wheeler and the gate, just standing there. I guess he’s planning on shutting the gate after the cow goes in. Both guys seem to be content watching the girls on their ponies chasing the cow.
I walk through the yard and climb on the four-wheeler. Watson says something to me about needing to be there to shut the gate so he couldn’t use the four-wheeler, but I don’t say anything to him, just start the four-wheeler and drive up the drive where the girls are doing their thing where one is bringing the cow around and the other is galloping to get ahead of the cow to turn her.
I drive to the other side of the cow, turn around and follow her as she walks down the drive in front of the house, across the small strip of grass, through the gate, into the corral and Watson closes it.
I park the four-wheeler where I found it and walk back across the yard, take off my shoes and go back upstairs to my desk.
I guess all that cow wanted was for me to come down and give her a little special attention.
After I was done working, I went down to check out the damages. After looking around, I figured she killed as many weeds as she did flowers (although she didn’t kill the poison ivy climbing the side of the house, so I had to get the pruning sheers out and snap that thing off), so I guess it’s a win. : )
Actually I really do love working with cattle and I’ve seriously missed it this spring, so maybe that was the Lord’s way of giving me a little opportunity to do what I love.
Alright, please don’t forget to check out Always with You HERE, watch it (and give us a thumbs up and leave a comment!) and click HERE to tell me your favorite thing about it to be entered to win one of several $50 egift cards!
Thanks so much for spending time with me today!
Hugs and love,
Jessie🌷
Dyess/Gussman audio #50, Always with You, is available to listen to for FREE on Say with Jay!!
Some of your answers to last week’s question, What’s Your Favorite Jay Dyess Hero?:
That is almost impossible to answer! I LOVE the hero in whatever book I am listening to, at the time. Since I just finished “JOY”, I have to say Shawn Barclay. Jay gives him the best and most caring voice.
I haven’t listened to Jay yet but plan on doing that today. I’m recovering from a heart surgery and this is the perfect time to Say With Jay!
All of them, I haven’t heard a bad voice yet…love the kid voices too
All of them. He’s an awesome voice! His voice & your books
That’s like making me choose who my favorite child is! I love them all!
I love how he talks when doing the older woman’s voices. He makes listening a pleasure.
I’ve never listened to any, because I’m not a huge audiobook fan, but after hearing so many raving reviews, I might just give one a listen!
Mrs. Agnes (not typical hero but made a lot of matches)
i don’t know. He’s just really good.
The kids….and the ‘older” folks. I know they not called the hero but these are my faves. And him singing as the hero.
Zane Hudson. I love how Jay gives him a deep drawl. Whiskey smooth and oh so delicious!
It’s not so much an individual voice that has sold me on him, but the amazing blend of distinct voices that allow me to identify the speaker without introduction.
There was a sample online where Jay was a brother and he sang an old hymn with his 2 brothers. He gave me good goosebumps!
So many. I like when he sings, and I like when he does womens voices so well you have to remind yourself he’s a man