J.V. Manning

The author of "Random Thoughts n' Lotsa Coffee: A Collection of Writings Based on Real Life,"The Other Side," and the popular blog titled "Random Thoughts"
Biography

Who is J.V. Manning?

Well, she is a work in progress.
She is at times her own best friend and at times her own worst enemy.
Some days she has her stuff together. Some days she is a hot mess.
She drinks way too much coffee but always seems to be tired.
She thinks a lot. Probably too much. Her brain never really shuts off.
She is quirky. She is a bit random. She is a tad bit crazy at times.
She has been to hell and back and isn't afraid to write about it.
She is a bit outspoken, probably too blunt and tends to speak her mind.
She refuses to break regardless of what life throws at her.
She likes to make people think.

She is me.
Who am I? Good question- as I am still figuring that out myself.

I am not a celebrity. I do not hold a bunch of fancy degrees. I am not famous nor any different than any of you who read my words. I am the woman next door, chick at the coffee shop and the one singing in her truck at a traffic light. I am a wife, a stepmother, a sister and a friend. I am just a woman that has seen both the darkest days and brightest moments that life has to offer and one day decided to write about them.

I tend to really see the world around me. I refuse to wear rose colored glasses or blinders. I absorb life's nuances, feelings and unspoken words. I refuse to look away or hide from reality and tend to confront life lessons head on and just deal with them, and then move on. If I carried the baggage of my life with me I would never get off the ground. So I learned the art of letting go. I may not have a fancy degree but I am a graduate of the School of Hard Knocks and not ashamed of it at all. I am who I am because of my journey through life. The heartaches, the tears and the lessons have brought me to this point.

I have lived in Maine my entire life. Maine to me is one of the most magical places on this planet. Though I would love to travel more and experience different ways of life and cultures I will always call Maine home. Often I can be found sitting on one of my favorite rocks along the Maine coast staring out at the ocean lost in my thoughts or wondering around the woods behind my house.

My husband told me once that I was a leader that did not demand to be followed. That I allowed people to make their own decisions and choices in life but was always there beside them when they needed me. I thought at the time how perfectly that summed me up. I make no demands on people. I do not tell them how to think, what to think or how they should feel. It is not my style. I simply write from my experience and let the people who read my work go from there. I am no self-help guru. I hold no secret keys to happiness or strength. All I have is me and my Random Thoughts. Written from a place inside myself that I never knew existed but was so thrilled to have discovered. My words aren't always pretty, never flowery and tend to be pretty straightforward.

Let’s see what else. I drink my coffee black. Normally I drink it hot and sometimes add shots of espresso to it. I do love my Iced Coffee but apparently this is a New England thing because my friends out west think I am crazy for drinking it. I love animals and my family is currently searching for a rescue dog to add to the craziness that is our life. I swore that I would never get married. Then I did. I swore I would never have children. I got an awesome step-son. My husband and my kid keep me grounded, inspired and well caffeinated. I am a lucky lady ♥