Proof of Life
Page 27
I’ve told you all this to provide a little background. What I really wanted to share is that last year, while writing Proof of Life, I was told by several different spiritual mediums that this book was being channeled by my daughter. I wish I could say that Jen just poured ideas and words into my head and the book fell out fully formed, but that would not be true. It was plenty of hard work. What is true, however, is that there were a number of times when I wrote a scene or a sentence and knew it did not come from me.
While I have thought about writing a book about Jennifer, I never contemplated writing about the spirit world. It just occurred to me one day that it was something I needed to do. And while I was cooking up a plot, the idea came to me to bring back Jessica Mack, the young woman with amnesia from What She Saw. And while that was coming together, I realized that Sage Boles from Written Off needed to be in the book. And my late boyfriend, whose middle name was Jay, decided he needed to be there, too—he just rode up on his bicycle in two different scenes and when I asked what he was doing there, he let me know, and it was perfect. Even after Proof of Life was “finished” and I was doing what I thought were final edits, I got what I believe to be an inspired thought that resolved a problem I’d been having with a scene.
I don’t know how readers of my Forensic Handwriting Mysteries series are going to feel about my veering off course with Proof of Life, but I hope they will give it a try. There are some familiar characters in the book—Claudia Rose makes an appearance, as does Annabelle Giordano and Dr. Zebediah Gold.
Finally, many people seem to fear letting others know of their experiences with loved ones who have crossed to the other side of life. They think they’ll be seen as “crazy.” But me, having a big mouth, well, I mention it to everyone I can. And guess what? People tell me their stories and are happy to have someone to share them with. I’ve found it is extremely common to have contact with so-called deceased relatives or friends. If you think you’ve received a message in a dream or some other means, you are not crazy. Welcome those loved ones (including pets) in.
If you have an experience you would like to share with me, I would love to hear from you: sheila@sheilalowe.com.
Resources
If you are bereaved and looking for comfort, here are a few of the many available resources:
Victor and Wendy Zammit probably provide more resources on their website and their Friday newsletter than anyone else: http://www.victorzammit.com/ Wendy hosts numerous free sessions on Zoom covering a wide variety of spiritual topics.
The Afterlife Research Education Institute: https://dev.afterlifeinstitute.org/
Sheri Perl offers free training to record afterlife voices: http://www.sheriperl.com/evpguide
Suzanne Giesemann has published several books and hosts a radio show: https://www.suzannegiesemann.com/radioshow/
Sandra Champlain’s YouTube interview show We Don’t Die Radio: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjfFXqs2gw4q3OMKxF86bwg
I don’t have personal experience with them, but this organization has a wonderful reputation: Helping Parents Heal: https://www.helpingparentsheal.org/
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Like her fictional character Claudia Rose in the Amazon #1 Bestselling Forensic Handwriting Mysteries series, Sheila Lowe is a real-life forensic handwriting expert. Author of the acclaimed The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Handwriting Analysis, Handwriting of the Famous & Infamous, and Handwriting Analyzer software, she is president of the American Handwriting Analysis Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes education in the area of handwriting, and on the board of directors of the Scientific Association of Forensic Examiners. Sheila holds a Master of Science in psychology, teaching and lecturing around the US, Canada, and the UK. Her latest nonfiction book is Reading Between the Lines, Decoding Handwriting. She lives in Ventura, California, with Lexie the Very Bad Cat. Despite sharing living space with a feline, however, Sheila does not write cozies. She describes her books as medium-boiled psychological suspense.
POISON PEN
Book 1: A Forensic Handwriting Mystery
(#1 Bestseller)
Sheila Lowe “wins readers over with her well-developed heroine and the wealth of fascinating detail” (Booklist) in this captivating mystery set in Hollywood, where forensic handwriting expert Claudia Rose knows that despite the words it forms, a pen will always write the truth.
Before her body is discovered floating in her Jacuzzi, publicist to the stars, Lindsey Alexander, had few friends, but plenty of lovers. To her ex-friend Claudia, she was a ruthless, backstabbing manipulator. But even Claudia is shocked by Lindsey’s startling final note: It was fun while it lasted.
It would be easier on the police—and Claudia—to write off Lindsey’s death as suicide, but Claudia’s instincts push her to investigate further, and she quickly finds herself entangled in a far darker scenario than she had anticipated. Racing to identify the killer, Claudia soon has a price on her head. Unless she can read the handwriting on the wall, she will become the next victim.
“The well-paced plot develops from uneasy suspicions to tightly wound action.”
—Front Street
https://amzn.to/2RMhn6f
WRITTEN IN BLOOD
Book 2: A Forensic Handwriting Mystery
(Top ten pick of Independent Booksellers and #1 Bestseller)
Sheila Lowe’s Poison Pen was hailed as a “fast-paced, crisp…novel that penetrates the world of celebrity.” (Armchair Interviews) And Hollywood forensic handwriting expert Claudia Rose is about to prove once more that no matter what words it forms, a pen will always write the truth.
Claudia Rose’s latest client is a dime-a-dozen type. The widow of a rich older man, Paige Sorensen is younger than—and hated by—her stepchildren. And they’re dead set on proving that Paige forged their father’s signature on his Will, which left his entire estate, including the Sorensen Academy, to her.
Intrigued by this real-life soap opera, Claudia soon breaks one of the cardinal rules of business: Never get personally involved. But Claudia has grown attached to a troubled Sorensen student, and when disaster strikes, she’ll realize that reading between the lines can mean the difference between life and death.
“[Claudia’s] sharper, tougher, and more tenacious than ever.”
—American Chronicle
https://amzn.to/2E0c3ZD
DEAD WRITE
Book 3: A Forensic Handwriting Mystery
Sheila Lowe’s mysteries “just keep getting better,” (American Chronicle) thanks to feisty forensic handwriting expert Claudia Rose, who knows that when it comes to solving a murder, sometimes the pen can be mightier than the sword.
Claudia heads to the Big Apple at the behest of Grusha Olinetsky, the notorious founder of an elite dating service whose members are mysteriously dying. The assignment puts Claudia at odds with her boyfriend, LAPD detective Joel Jovanic, who suspects Grusha is trouble.
Drawn into the feckless lives of the rich and single, Claudia finds herself enmeshed in a twisted world of love and lies fueled by desperation. But desperate enough to kill? Clues in the suspects’ handwriting might help Claudia save Grusha’s already dubious reputation, before the names of more victims are scribbled into someone’s little black book.
“Sheila Lowe is the Kathy Reichs of forensic handwriting—a rip-roaring read.”
—Deborah Crombie, National Bestselling Author of “Necessary as Blood”
https://amzn.to/2ShVuAM
LAST WRITES
Book 4: A Forensic Handwriting Mystery
Claudia’s friend, Kelly, learns that she’s an aunt when her estranged half-sister, Erin, shows up at her home in desperate need of help. Erin and her husband have been living quiet lives in an isolated compound as members of the ‘Temple of Brighter Light.’ But now her husband and young child have disappeared, leaving behind a cryptic note with a terrifying message.
Seizing an opportunity to use her special skills as a forensic handwriting expert, Cl
audia becomes one of the few outsiders ever to be invited inside the mysterious compound. She has only a few days to uncover the truth about Kelly’s missing niece before the prophecy of a secret ancient parchment can be fulfilled, and an innocent child’s life is written off for good.
“A fascinating view into the world of handwriting analysis…captivating.”
—Robin Burcell, Author of “The Bone Chamber”
https://amzn.to/2SANIBs
INKSLINGERS BALL
Book 5: A Forensic Handwriting Mystery
A body left in a trash dumpster; a tattoo artist killed in a firebombing attack; a soccer mom, shot in the living room of her home; vicious thugs whose job is to protect a suspected criminal. Just another week on rotation for LAPD detective Joel Jovanic...until he uncovers a connection between the disturbing series of vicious crimes and Annabelle Giordano, who is in the temporary custody of his soulmate, Claudia Rose.
Annabelle is a troubled and traumatized teen who suffered the tragic loss of her mother and later witnessed the brutal murder of a beloved mentor. Neglected by a father who scarcely acknowledges her existence, it’s little wonder the girl makes some disastrous life choices.
But she has one staunch ally in Claudia, a highly regarded forensic graphologist who digs into the darkest of human secrets through the study of handwriting. When Annabelle involves herself with a questionable tattoo artist, she re-opens a door to the grim side of life and goes down a path that could get her killed. A distraught Claudia will do anything to save her, even if it means jeopardizing her relationship with Jovanic.
“ ‘Inkslingers Ball’ is the perfect novel for an afternoon by the pool. With vivid characters, smooth writing, and a twisty plot, Sheila Lowe has crafted a mystery that will keep you guessing to the very end.”
—Boyd Morrison, International Bestselling Author
https://amzn.to/2MSdQ5L
OUTSIDE THE LINES
Book 6: A Forensic Handwriting Mystery
What should have been a routine afternoon on the witness stand for Forensic Handwriting Expert Claudia Rose turns into a shocking assault that leaves her bruised and bloodied. Following on the heels of a series of other traumatic events, the attack sends Claudia to the brink of a breakdown.
Her fiancé, L.A.P.D. Homicide Detective Joel Jovanic, learns of the attack while leading a homicide investigation into a mailbox bomb. An innocent housekeeper in the tony Venice neighborhood is dead and the homeowner is the CEO of a major pesticide-producing corporation that has been targeted in the past. When a notebook found in a geocache near the crime scene leads to the protest group People for Safe Food, Jovanic needs Claudia to identify the handwriting of a suspected eco-terrorist.
Though she may have recovered physically from the assault, weeks later Claudia’s fears continue to plague her. Desperate to get away, she accepts an invitation to lecture in the UK, but her trip turns into a nightmare when she runs afoul of both the FBI and New Scotland Yard. Jovanic’s homicide case has followed her to London where she finds herself unexpectedly allied with the chief suspect.
“Full of thrilling suspense, ‘Outside the Lines’ by Sheila Lowe is a fascinating story of modern greed, betrayal, and revenge. The stakes rise to an exciting ending that reveals a long-standing injustice—and a twist no reader will see coming. Enormously entertaining, this terrific mystery is one you’ll want to linger with.”
—Gayle Lynds, New York Times Bestselling Author of “The Assassins”
https://amzn.to/2TCde6F
WRITTEN OFF
Book 7: A Forensic Handwriting Mystery
When she travels to Maine to interview convicted serial killer Roxanne Becker, handwriting expert Claudia Rose is exposed to a shocking secret about a group of grad students dubbed “Maynard’s Maniacs.” Was Professor Maynard—herself brutally murdered—conducting unethical research that turned deadly? Swept up in the mystery of Madeleine’s life and death, Claudia soon realizes that the professor left behind more questions than answers, and no shortage of suspects at Greystones University. After inspecting a newly produced, handwritten will for the local police chief, a blizzard forces Claudia to seek refuge in the professor’s isolated house, where she becomes trapped with a killer.
“A simply riveting read from cover to cover, ‘Written Off’ by Sheila Lowe is an impressively entertaining and deftly crafted novel of suspense from a novelist with a complete mastery of the genre and a genuine flair for originality.”
—Midwest Book Review
https://amzn.to/2SdP8Tb
WHAT SHE SAW
Book 1: Beyond the Veil Mystery (A Prequel)
(#1 Bestseller)
Imagine waking up on a train and having no recollection of how you got there. The more you think, the more you realize that you don’t have any idea who you are…no name, no memories, no life.
This is the situation you're drawn into in “What She Saw.”
A woman…no name, no memory, no life…only fear.
By chance or fate, she runs into someone who knows her and gives her a ride home.
At her home she finds two IDs, two sets of keys, one face…hers, but two separate lives!
https://amzn.to/2SuyLRB
READING BETWEEN The LINES: HANDWRITING DECODED
If you have ever wondered what the squiggles and strokes in a line of ink say about personality, or if you are a handwriting professional who learned the “trait-stroke” method, “Reading Between the Lines, Decoding Handwriting,” introduces you to a new way to look at handwriting and understand personality. The gestalt method versus trait-stroke is the difference between viewing an object under a microscope that offers a very small field of vision, and a telescope that shows the bigger picture. One is not better than the other, they simply appeal to different thinking styles. Trait-stroke analysts are more comfortable with an atomistic step-by-step approach, building up a picture of personality one stroke at a time. Gestaltists are more conceptual thinkers who look at space, form, and movement, learning to recognize the whole personality at a glance.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H1KG1C2
ADVANCED STUDIES IN HANDWRITING PSYCHOLOGY
The monographs in this volume are the result of a study and practice in the field of handwriting analysis that began in 1967 and continues through today. Their author, Sheila Lowe, earned a Masters in psychology, is a court-qualified forensic handwriting expert, and has taught handwriting examination in the extension programs at UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara. Topics in this book include: Signs of childhood sexual abuse seen in the handwriting of adults - The addictive personality and its handwriting - The Lower Zone and the Subconscious - Motivations and handwriting - what makes you tick? - Finding personality traits in handwriting with the gestalt method – Abraham Maslow and the Pyramid of Needs - Serial Killers, the Face of Evil.
https://amzn.to/2SdccS2
PERSONALITY & ANXIETY DISORDERS:
HOW THEY MAY BE REFLECTED IN HANDWRITING,
And other important topics
The material in this volume is based on articles and a series of talks presented to members of the American Handwriting Analysis Foundation by the late Israeli psychologist/graphologist, Dr. Ze’ev Bar-Av. Sheila Lowe had co-presented papers with him at several handwriting analysis conferences, and when he asked her to help him with the lecture series, she accepted with pleasure. I provided most of the demonstrative handwriting samples and edited the material. After Dr. Bar-Av’s untimely death, Sheila compiled and further edited this important material to preserve and make it available for handwriting professionals and others who are interested.
https://amzn.to/2wGPELO
THE COMPLETE IDIOT’S GUIDE TO HANDWRITING ANALYSIS
Second Edition
Space-Form-Movement: A basic course introducing the gestalt method of handwriting analysis. Using hundreds of famous people’s handwritings, the CIG2HWA shows you how to understand the core personality of a writer without having to take dozens of mea
surements. Learn what spatial arrangement reveals about how you arrange your life and time, what writing style says about your ego, and what writing movement reveals about your energy and how you use it.
https://amzn.to/2DZFwCW
HANDWRITING OF THE FAMOUS & INFAMOUS
Second Edition
Handwriting communicates much more than what is committed to paper. A quick note, a carefully composed letter, an autograph or a scribble also reveals a great deal about the personality of the writer. What are the clues to look for in a person’s writing and what do they reveal? What do they tell experts that the writer might prefer to keep hidden? This fascinating book is a collection of handwriting samples of some of the most influential and notorious people of the past and present.