Non-fiction, Novels and Short Stories!

Thank you for visiting. This site contains non-fiction and novels, all for free and for your enjoyment. Many of them can be bought for your Kindle or as a paperback. With one exception, all the stories on this site were written by myself. Please read, enjoy, and share with others. Please scroll down to read some excerpts.

If you like any of these books please go to Amazon.com and leave a nice review. You have no idea how much that helps.

 

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Personal Self-Confidence: A first step toward resiliency, happiness, self-esteem, and inner success by understanding confidence, worthiness, insecurities and emotions

Do you lack self-confidence? Gaining self-confidence is not as mysterious as you may thing, although it does require some work. Personal self-confidence is simply knowing that you are as good as anyone else. The stronger your belief that you are just as good as anyone else, the stronger your self-confidence. This book explains more what personal self-confidence and has exercises to help you develop it. The hardest part of this program is remembering to do the exercise and sticking with it. Here is an excerpt from the book:

Exercise: Living Daily With Personal Worth

Doing the previous exercises in the comfort of your living room or bedroom is a good step that will help you develop your personal self-confidence. This exercise can help you more, and many of you may already be doing it. I have hinted at this exercise in earlier exercises, but it is important enough to be an exercise of its own.

This exercise is a mental one like all the others, but instead of doing this at home with your eyes closed; this exercise requires you to do it while you go about your activities. No one needs to know you are doing this, you need to do it in your head, but you need to do it as you go about your daily activities. Do this exercise throughout your day. Do this exercise if everything is going well, if everything is going bad, or if everything is neutral. Do it during failure, success or while driving the car. You should do this exercise not just when doing physical things but when you are experiencing emotions too.

The goal—the goal for this book in fact—is to make your personal self-confidence a part of the background noise you live with daily. You want to experience your personal self-confidence, without consciously reminding yourself to do that.

This exercise requires you to assert your personal worth and to feel confident about that worth during your day. Every time you do something, take a moment to assert your personal worth. Assert your personal worth every time you have a feeling or move a finger. Do this every time you think about it, and push yourself to think about it often. It only takes a second. You do not need to do any of the other exercises when doing this. Assert to yourself you are worthy, feel that worth, feel confident in that worth, then move on to something else. Then assert this personal worth again as often as possible during the day.

Keep doing this until you are asserting your personal worth without thinking about it. This is something you will want to do for the rest of your life. Eventually, with enough practice, it should become a part of who you are. If necessary, set up a reminder on your computer or smart phone.


John Neely Bryan: Founder of Dallas

John Neely Bryan was the founder of Dallas. It was he who first settled the plot that a US President, JFK, would later be assassinated on. I did not write the account of John Neely Bryan’s life presented here, but I am happy to have it on my website.

1833-1841

IN 1833 a great tragedy befell the family in the form of a devastating fever which carried off James Bryan, Thomas, the

devout brother, and three of Thomas’ children.

The Reverend Thomas Bryan had been a member of the First Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church which convened at Gallatin, Copiah County, Mississippi in 1832. When he had occasion to accompany his brother on mission trips, John Neely strayed off to barter with the Indians while Thomas dispensed the Gospel.

Having studied law primarily in order to treat with the Indians on a legal basis, Bryan made the acquaintance and friendship of the chieftains of many tribes during the period his trading carried him between Memphis and New Orleans. He learned enough of their language to engage in conversation with any of them. It is traditionally reported in the family that Bryan could walk into the camp of Choctaw, Chicksaw, Cherokee or Creek and be received as a brother. His diplomacy was truly remarkable.

Among his Indian friends, Jesse Chisholm, the Creek Chief, was one of the best he ever had. John Ross, whose side of the controversial Indian question was espoused by Bryan, was more than just an acquaintance. Bryan was a frequent visitor at Malmaison, the home of Greenwood LeFlore. A Choctaw, at least on his mother’s side, his keen mind, coupled with considerable trading ability (and a discerning eye when it came to measuring up another trader) generally found him on top when the bargain was closed, justice doubtless having undergone a slight miscarriage. LeFlores arrangements, with other Indians perhaps less fortunate than himself, were always opposed by Bryan.

Mushulatubbe was another whom Bryan enjoyed as he was a shrewd trader; their barter becoming a veritable battle of wits from which it is doubtful if either of them ever emerged victorious.

His trading with the Indians had become so well known and so agreeable, it is thought they may have given him the sobriquet of “Colonel” as he was rather too young to receive such a commission in the army, and in a letter from David Thompson, dated March 30, 1839, who was projecting a coal mining venture, through the Spadra Bank, he writes to John Neely in Van Buren, Arkansas, addressing him as “Dear Colonel.” In the letter, court affairs are discussed, business arranged for settlement by Bryan, and messages to his daughter given. John Neely was requested to bring all his letters and papers when he came down to the mine. He was also informed that Richard Thompson of Benton County, Arkansas will be there to “close” the sale, when he (Bryan) pays $2800.00 in cash for three hundred and twenty acres of land in Chicot County. The deed was recorded later. Incidentally, the coal mine begun then at Spadra, Arkansas, ?839, is still in operation.

The Song of the Coyote

What  can be better than a story about coyotes at play. Experience the adventures of Tyke and her brother, Dingo, as the play and explore.

Dingo Runs Away

Tyke saw herself chasing the mockingbird.  As usual, the mockingbird was getting away, flying higher and farther out of reach.  Then she saw herself rising into the air.  She flapped her arms and paws and flew faster and faster toward the mockingbird.  The mockingbird was in a panic; it struggled to flap its wings faster, to fly faster, but could not.  Tyke was quickly catching up to the bird.  As she came within a nose of the bird, almost close enough to catch the bird in her mouth, the bird made a last effort to escape.  The mockingbird spread its wings and swooped downward to pick up speed.  But Tyke did the same thing.  She spread her arms and paws and swooped down on the bird, picking up speed faster than the bird.  Finally, Tyke was even with the bird; she turned her snout to the mockingbird and grabbed it in her mouth.  The bird squirmed for a second, but Tyke bit down hard, breaking its bones, and killed it.  Tyke, forgetting to pull up from her swooping dive, crashed into the ground.

On crashing, she woke up and jumped to her paws, startled.  The part about flying and catching the bird had been fun, but the part about crashing disturbed her.  She took a deep breath and looked around.  It was still daylight, and much sunlight was left.  And she was still at the same spot where her dad had told her the story about the wise coyote.  But her mom and dad were not there, nor was Dingo.  This was strange.  Her mom and dad never went anywhere without leaving him to look after her.

Tyke, remembering the wise coyote, decided to investigate.  She first took several sniffs, but she could not catch any unusual scent from any of the missing coyotes.  She walked to the entrance of the den and again sniffed several times; none of the scents were strong and she knew they had been gone for some time.  She then remembered that Dingo had walked to the other side of the hill to get away from Dad.  She walked out of the den and ran to the other side of the hill, but still no Dingo.


Finding Peace in Hell

This short novel is the story of Joe, a man executed for murder and how he found peace by going to hell to be with the woman he killed.

It was soon after this that we encountered our first white angels. We had been told we might encounter them and to be careful of them, but I was still surprised at the encounter. Bobby was excited and I suspected it was his wish to encounter them. I was not so excited. Megan acted indifferent.

As we came up to them, we slowed down. Bobby had already reached back to his sword and pulled it out before we stopped. When we stopped, I pulled my sword out and so did Megan. The white angels did not pull out their swords at first. They were not worried about us trying to capture them, and we had no such desire. But they would have liked to capture us if they could.

Four white angels glared at us and blocked our way. “Repent,” spoke the lead angel, “and join us. We can help you find your peace.”

Bobby snorted, “How can you bring us peace?”

“By helping you focus your thoughts.”

“And if we don’t do as you say, you throw us into your Hell,” Megan told him.

“We teach you to focus. It is those who refuse to be instructed that are put into Hell.”

“And if we say no?” I asked, wanting to get the encounter over with.

“Then we will take you by force.” The four white angels now pulled out their swords, perhaps they saw our inexperience. “You must join us or be thrown into Hell. You must make a decision.”

Bobby was eager to start the fight and took a wild swing at them, which they easily avoided. I could tell the white angels were eying him and I fear they would take them. They would not be able to take three of us; if one of them simply grabbed me, I could easily grab him too creating a stalemate. But if several of them grabbed me, I would be overpowered. As long as we prevented them from striking us with their swords, we would be okay. The best defense was for the three of us to stand side by side or back to back. Bobby knew this, but he wanted to fight.

Soon the four white angels where circling us, swinging their swords which we defected with our swords. The swords served as an extension of our bodies, but the swords were stronger than our bodies. A sword could not kill an angel, but could incapacitate one. Strangely, if I poked my sword into me, it would not harm me, but if I did it to another angel, white or dark, they would be disabled for a short while. If one of the white angels stuck one of us with their sword, the other two would have to fight off the white angels and defend the incapacitated dark angel.

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The Mockingbird’s Song is a showcase for the writings of Jimmy Clay

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I work, I walk, I jog. I try to keep my cat happy, I do a good deal of reading, I sometimes I write, I do a lot of thinking.

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