Jan Bornstein

About

I went to school to become a licensed practical nurse straight out of high school. Ten years later, I went back and became a registered nurse. During a four-year period in New Hampshire, I had a management position in a home care agency, which suited me well. After moving back to Massachusetts, however, I found I was unable to get a similar position without a specialized degree, which led to a BS in psychology from Bridgewater State College and a BSN in nursing from UMass Boston. I also hold a paralegal certificate from Dean College and a Legal Nurse Consultant certificate from Northeastern.

In the course of my nursing career, I have worked in nursing homes, hospitals, doctor's offices and as a clinical nursing instructor. For the past 18 years I have worked in home care, with positions ranging from staff nurse to director of clinical services. I'm currently a nurse educator in home care.

I had a brief position as an assistant manager of a retail store when I lived in NH and also a brief position as a paralegal. I still do occasional consulting. My hobbies include reading, dancing, music and walking, to name a few. I enjoy reading biographies, history, non-fictionrelating to abuse, homelessness and other social issues, and romance novels.

When I was in college, I had to take a required creative writing course for English. The instructor, a writer himself, was far more critical than other instructors I’d had previously. I struggled to satisfy him but never could. He assured me I should never think about being a writer.

A few years later, deeply moved by the death of a close friend at a young age, I found myself trying to write, but quickly discovered that I was too close to the emotion of the event to be able to complete what I’d set out to do. I put the project aside, thinking I’d go back to it in time, but never have. That unfinished book, as well as the learned opinion of that college teacher, weighed heavy on me when I started writing what has evolved into the Beyond Beautiful trilogy.

I cannot explain what inspired me to sit down and write this series. I certainly never thought of it as a trilogy when I started. I just felt the urge to tell a story. I am a great fan of plenty of rock stars and, as a culture, we are continually bombarded with the intimate – and, who knows, maybe sometimes even true – details of their personal lives. Love is hard enough for us mere mortals. I found myself wondering what a relationship between two giants in the rock world might read like. I decided to create a couple of characters and just see where it might take me. I quickly started enjoying the process. I only told a few trusted individuals that I was writing a book.

I was working as I started writing this, but didn’t particularly like the job, which included a commute that I liked even less. I settled into a routine of writing before and after work and, as I began to feel more comfortable with the still rather novel idea of myself as a writer, I made the decision to quit that job.

I took some consulting and contract jobs of one to two months’ duration. I was still looking for something more permanent, but I wasn’t finding anything of interest – and at the same time, I found myself more and more drawn to spending days at the computer working on my book. Eventually I found myself so drawn to the workthat I simply stopped looking for jobs entirely, and gave myself permission to find out where this all might actually lead.

Needless to say, it wasn’t all smooth sailing: I had my moments of asking myself what on earth I thought I was doing, wondering why I was doing it, wondering if it wasn’t going to end up like that other unfinished book in my bottom drawer. More than once I was tempted to hit the delete button. I don't know what or why but something kept pushing me to continue, and here I am now, with one completed trilogy. I still don't know why. Hopefully God will give me the answer soon.

A Shadow in Yucatan

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Description

<p>A mythical jewel of a story… A true story told on a beach in Yucatan, A Shadow tells Stephanie's story but it was also the story of the golden time. Its nostalgia sings like cicadas in the heat.</p><p>An American ‘Under Milkwood’, this distilled novel of the Sixties evokes the sounds, music and optimism on the free-wheelin streets and parks of Coconut Grove. You can hear Bob Dylan still strumming acoustic; smoke a joint with Fred Neil; and Everybody’s Talkin is carried on the wind.</p><p>Stephanie, a young hairdresser living in lodgings finds herself pregnant. Refused help from her hard Catholic mother in New York, unable to abort her baby, she accepts the kindness of Miriam, her Jewish landlady, whose own barren life spills into compassionate assistance for the daughter she never had.</p><p>The poignancy of its ending, its generosity and acceptance, echoes the bitter disappointment of those of us who hoped for so much more, but who remember its joy, and its promise, as though untarnished by time.</p>

Story Behind The Book

This story has many relating situations of real life issues from both my nursing career and personal life. The issues of abuse were from both nursing and personal areas. I know or have known people in the music world so I was able to use many situations that are brought up in the book based on my knowledge and experience with them along with some input from them.

Media Links

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Reviews

<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top">By </td> <td><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A292NDEAXUNW62/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp"><span style="font-weight:bold;"><font color="#004b91">Richard R. <span style="white-space:nowrap;">Blake<img class="custPopRight" style="border-right:medium none;border-top:medium none;border-left:medium none;border-bottom:medium none;" alt="" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/common/carrot._V47081519_.gif" /></span></font></span></a> (Bridgman, Michigan) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A292NDEAXUNW62/ref=cm_cr_pr_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&sort_by=MostRecentReview"><font color="#996633">See all my reviews</font></a><br /><a href="http://www.freado.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=cm_rn_bdg_help?ie=UTF8&nodeId=14279681&pop-up=1#TR"><font color="#996633"><img height="15" alt="(TOP 500 REVIEWER)" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/reputation/c7y_badge_tr_5._V47082063_.gif" width="93" border="0" /></font></a> <a href="http://www.freado.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=cm_rn_bdg_help?ie=UTF8&nodeId=14279681&pop-up=1#VN"><img height="15" alt="" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/reputation/c7y_badge_vn_1._V251201990_.gif" width="62" border="0" /></a> </td></tr></tbody></table>First time author, Jan Bornstein takes the reader on a roller coaster ride in this fictional account of life in the fast lane in the music and entertainment industry. Jan has crafted a composite of star quality celebrities in her main characters, rock stars Jenna Bradford and Scott Tenny. "Beyond Beautiful" the first in "The Song Trilogy" details a year in the life of Jenna and Scott. <br /><br />A well balanced mix of romance and suspense keeps this absorbing plot moving from page one to the final climax, leaving the reader eager for the upcoming sequel. Deceitful relationships, selfish goals, unresolved issues from the past all add to the difficulty Jenna and Scott are faced with in their struggle to build a relationship of love and trust. A police investigation, physical and psychological trauma, and a predatory press add to the insurmountable pressure faced by Jenna and Scott. <br /><br />Bornstein is able to convey to the reader the beat of the music, and the perfection of the musicians and song writers. She has the ability to reveal a progression of growth from a shallow one dimensional character to caring, sensitive, believable personalities creating an empathy with the reader. <br /><br />If you enjoy suspense, drama, and romance you will enjoy "Beyond Beautiful." <br /><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td width="90%"><a></a><br /><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" align="right" width="0"> </td> <td valign="top" align="left" width="100%"> <div style="margin-bottom:.5em;"> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><a></a><br /><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" align="right" width="0"> </td> <td valign="top" align="left" width="100%"> <div style="margin-bottom:.5em;"> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><a></a><br /><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" align="right" width="0"> </td> <td valign="top" align="left" width="100%"> <div style="margin-bottom:.5em;"><span style="margin-left:-5px;"><img height="12" alt="4.0 out of 5 stars" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/common/customer-reviews/stars-4-0._V47081936_.gif" width="64" border="0" /></span><strong>An Insightful Look Into The Hearts And Minds Of The Rich And Famous</strong>, May 4, 2009</div> <div style="margin-bottom:.5em;"> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top">By </td> <td><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/AKK3Z4WXCAGPE/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Apex <span style="white-space:nowrap;">Reviews<img class="custPopRight" style="border-right:medium none;border-top:medium none;border-left:medium none;border-bottom:medium none;" alt="" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/common/carrot._V47081519_.gif" /></span></span></a> (Durham, NC USA) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/AKK3Z4WXCAGPE/ref=cm_cr_pr_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&sort_by=MostRecentReview">See all my reviews</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div>With music flowing through her veins since birth, Jenna finally achieves her lifelong dream of becoming a successful rock musician. At the height of her career, she enjoys immense popularity, wins numerous awards, and gains worldwide acclaim. Despite all her material success, though, love remains elusive for Jenna - that is, until Scott crosses her path. A noted musician in his own right, Scott immediately falls head over heels for Jenna, and she feels a strong attraction for him as well. The only problem? He's still married, and she's involved with someone else. <br /><br />Nonetheless, neither Jenna nor Scott can deny their feelings for one another, and when Jenna tragically loses her father, Scott rushes to be by her side, ultimately solidifying the ties that bind them. Just when all appears to be going well, though, Jenna suffers a horrific car accident that causes her to lose a baby that she had previously conceived with her former lover. In the devastating wake of her loss, Jenna and Scott try their best to keep their burgeoning love alive, but the constant bombardment of outside interference, media attention, and hidden secrets revealed present a series of increasingly difficult challenges for them to overcome. <br /><br />Skillfully crafted and engaging, Beyond Beautiful provides the reader with a piercing look into the dark underbelly of the world of fame and celebrity. In their rush to idolize the icons of the entertainment industry, many people tend to forget that musicians, actors, athletes, and other popular figures are just as human as the rest of us - flaws, insecurities, and all. In Beyond Beautiful, Jan Bornstein successfully pulls back the curtain of illusion in relating Jenna and Scott's all-too-human story, and it is an emotional rollercoaster of love, heartbreak, and ultimate triumph that will inspire and entertain. <br /><br />Strongly recommended for its insightful, refreshing take on reality, Beyond Beautiful is a compelling, rewarding read. <br /><br /><br />Linda Waterson <br />Apex Reviews </td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

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