Nancy Campbell Allen

Cold River, by Liz Adair

2012-01-04T14:03:00.005-07:00

It's with pleasure that I get to do a review of Liz Adair's Cold River. This book is part mystery and part romance, which is a perfect blend for me as a reader. The fact that this book is set in the Pacific Northwest was an added bonus.

A brief description of the book from the backliner: Mandy Steenburg thinks her doctorate in education has prepared her to run any school district—until she tangles with the moonshine-making, coon-dog-owning denizens of a tiny district in Pacific Northwest timber country. She’s determined to make a difference, but the local populace still looks to the former superintendent for leadership. When Mandy lands in the middle of an old feud and someone keeps trying to kill her, instinct tells her to run. And though she has to literally swim through perilous waters, she finds a reason to stay and chance the odds.

And now my bullet list:

What worked for me:

First of all, the setting, as I mentioned. I will read just about anything set in the Pacific Northwest. It's one of my favorite regions ever.
A wonderful bonus to the setting was a good plot! :-) The book was a page turner for me, which I know is always a good sign. The author places hints, clues and questions throughout that kept me wondering if I was guessing correctly and anxious to see if I was right.
Mandy is a likeable character. She also shows character growth by the end of the book that takes her from a borderline education-snob to one who appreciates differing talents and abilities.
Mandy makes friends with the locals, brings her know-how to the job, and takes a lot of ribbing and not-so-good-natured jokes in stride. Her discouragement was believable but she wasn't a sulker, which is a good thing.
The author does a good job of painting a realistic community full of colorful characters with unique foibles. Backstory of the town's prominent family comes out in bits and pieces and adds to the overall plot.
I liked Grange, the former superintendent. As the book develops, we see the skills he brings to the community.
The author brings to the fore an unlikely "hero" in the form of Mo Smith, the district accountant. Through Mandy, we see a man who is largely unappreciated for his talents become someone others recognize. This is a character we often see cardboard cutouts of in books and movies--thinning hair over a bald spot, middle age, largely nondescript. Liz gives him depth and I liked it.
The mayhem! I loved the mayhem. Threats against her life, accidents, a former lover and a fun younger sister add to the mix. The more danger, the better, in my opinion, and every time something bad happened I found myself eager to figure out who was responsible.

I have very few complaints about the book, and I can't even say they qualify as "complaints." Perhaps just minor issues that I might have preferred to see differently. As I mentioned above, the author gives the reader good clues to see what's going to come as the plot develops. I think that Mandy should also have seen those clues a bit better than she did, however. In my mind, she would have figured out who the bad guy was long before she did. It's a balancing act as an author, though. Have your main character figure things out too quickly and you don't have much of a book.

All-in-all, this was a very fun read and one that I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys a good mystery and settings about quirky, small-town communities. I enjoyed the book and am so glad to have had the chance to review it!

Location, location, location

2011-11-15T22:58:00.003-07:00

I'm always amazed at how much setting determines my plot. I just took a pretty major turn in Webb 3--we'll call it Crazy in Greece, for now--and it's because of something I stumbled upon when I was looking in my travel guidebook on Greece. I've been a little stalled in the story, and when that happens I know I need to go back and research my setting. Now my characters are off to a different city and a different set of circumstances.

One drawback. I have to edit out a bunch of crap. I do hate the delete key!

It's a Breaking Dawn extravaganza!

2011-11-15T14:09:00.003-07:00

So my friend, Karlene Browning, is hosting an awesome bridal/baby shower for Bella on her site, Inksplasher, and I get to be a sponsor! There are prizes galore and fun to be had by all. (My prize will be a copy of each of my Isabelle Webb novels, which are wonderful and romantic and mysterious and take place in India and Egypt.)

I was enchanted by Stephenie Meyer's ability to spin a good yarn when I read Twilight, and I envy her success in a very healthy way. :-) She's an amazing storyteller. And I'm a fan of anyone who can get people to read in droves.

Ok, so in terms of whether or not I'm in the Edward camp or the Jacob camp, I have to say that if I'm reading the books, I'm an Edward girl. If I'm watching the movies, I'm a Jacob girl. I'm sure Mr. Pattinson is very nice and all, but he wasn't my choice for Edward. Not really sure who would fill that role to my expectations, actually. Such perfection probably doesn't exist. :-)

Have fun with the shower, and again, check out Inksplasher daily!

Hard at work...

2011-11-01T22:37:00.002-06:00

My brainstorming pages get messy...

NaNoWriMo!

2011-11-01T09:31:00.002-06:00

I'm officially signed up for NaNoWriMo and am very committed! I've never done this before and I'm looking forward to using it to help me get Webb 3 finished.

Wish me luck!

Win an iPad 2!

2011-09-06T23:32:00.002-06:00

Josi is awesome, and so are her books! I'm in her critique group and have the privilege of hearing the stories as they develop--I can honestly say that I find myself so looking forward to each new installment. So here's the official announcement:

In conjunction with the release of Pumpkin Roll the author, Josi S. Kilpack, and the publisher, Shadow Mountain, are sponsoring a contest for a new iPad. To enter, leave a comment in the comment section of this blog before November 1, 2011. Winners will be announced and notified November 3^rd2011.

For additional ways to enter, go to www.josiskilpack.com

I'm still alive...

2011-09-06T22:32:00.001-06:00

Still writing, still editing, busy, but good. I will post something useful soon, I promise. Don't give up on me!

Dave Farland is the master of motivation

2011-04-15T17:58:00.002-06:00

I'm a subscriber to Dave Farland's "Daily Kick," which are emails filled with all kinds of good writing advice. I came across a good one the other day and it was just what I needed to see. Sometimes it's easy to try and settle, or just play it safe. It can be scary to throw it all out there, to go big or go home. Because really, who wants to go home?

Anyway. Here's the quote:

"Don't think in small terms. Don't say to yourself, 'I just want to write a comfortable little story.' If you want to be comfortable, get a government job, or marry well. Don't try to write for a living."

Which is certainly not to say that there's anything wrong with a government job or marrying well. But if you want to write, really write for a living, you can't be timid. I've learned that myself. Think I just needed a reminder. Thank you, Dave.

People are so nice

2011-03-29T09:04:00.003-06:00

I had an awesome signing at the Ogden Seagull Book store last Saturday. It was Celebrating Sisterhood day, which meant good crowds and fun prizes. I sat next to Kevin Wasden, illustrator of the new series, Hazzardous Universe, written by Julie Wright. We had a nice time chatting and met some really nice people.

Which brings me to my point: people really are, for the most part, nice. When folks approach me at a signing with a slightly tattered copy of one of my books, it makes me feel so good. I tell them so, when they express that they've enjoyed reading my stuff, and I wish I could think of something wonderful and unique to say to really let them know how touched I am. "Thank you!" just doesn't seem adequate. Because I really am thankful.

When you write, you throw your whole self out there into the world and say, "Please, love me." I don't think there's ever been a person in the world who produced something that took time and effort, secretly hoping people would hate it. And while it's true that not everyone will love the same things, it means so much to hear from people who have looked at what you've done and expressed appreciation for it.

So if you're ever wondering whether or not you should approach a writer, or an artist, or anyone, for that matter, who's produced something you've enjoyed, trust me. Tell them. You may get a response that sounds canned, or rehearsed, but I can guarantee that with maybe very few exceptions, it's genuine. Trying to make a living by selling a product to others doesn't work well if those on the receiving end don't like it. So when people tell me they like what I've written, it's a very big deal. It means the world.

So, in a nutshell, THANK YOU. Truly.

Book bigamy? Why yes, thank you, I will indulge.

2011-01-16T14:36:00.005-07:00

So I got a Kindle for Christmas.

I know. I know! But I love it, I do. It's been the most amazingly fun toy I've received in a long time. I have a gazillion books at my fingertips and if I'm not in the mood for the one I was reading last night, hey, I can switch at the push of a button.

I swore I'd remain a purist, and I did, for a long time. But I've found, to my delight, that there's room for both ebooks and the real physical thing in my heart. For books that I don't really care to own but do want to read, the Kindle is great. What's more, I can put it in my purse and read any old thing I want while waiting in line, waiting in the car, waiting...waiting...waiting...

But for those books whose mere physical makeup is a work of art, in whom I must underline, ponder, turn pages and smell, those are the books I will still enjoy owning and buying. I confess, I was a bit worried at first because I fell so in love with my Kindle, and so quickly, that I wouldn't care about going book browsing anymore...(What? What?)

But I went to lunch with some of my favorite author friends the other day--well, ok, I'll name drop-- Jennie Hansen, Kerry Blair, Gale Sears and Cheri Crane, and after chatting and laughing, we went to Barnes and Noble because sweet Kerry wanted to buy my newest book so I could sign it for her. She made a fuss in the store as I signed her book ("It's such a good thing the author is right here to sign this for me! There are a couple more on the shelf; you'd better grab them soon...") and I was blushing and laughing.

The thing that I loved so much about being in the store, though, was the euphoria I felt looking at all of the new releases--the artwork, the fonts, the covers, the smell. It was as though an old lover had taken me back despite my infidelity. I was in heaven.

I bought Sarah Ban Breathnach's Peace and Plenty, Cheri Priest's awesome steampunk, The Boneshaker, and the most recent issue of Writer's Digest magazine, which is my favorite writer's reference of all.

It was delightful and heady and I felt like a very happy bigamist as I rode home on the train with my Kindle in my purse and Sarah's new book open in my lap. The experience would have been utter bliss if I hadn't fallen asleep as I was trying to read, which is no reflection on the book, itself. It was the lull of the blasted train.

Good thing I wasn't driving. :-)

A Real Dad

2010-12-21T09:30:00.001-07:00

So my dad is a therapist, and a good one. It was nice to have one on hand for all of those traumatic, hormonal teen years. I was always a daddy's girl-absolutely adored him-and probably still am, truth be told. Today is his birthday and I'm thinking about an experience that's taught me something about parenting.

I am the oldest of five kids, and when I was a teenager, naturally, I slept in. One of those Saturdays, my dad decided to take my younger siblings downtown on the bus, because they'd never ridden it before. (I, of course, opted to sleep in instead.) The story goes as follows, and I wish I would have witnessed it personally. They took the bus downtown, ate some breakfast, had to run to catch a connecting bus, for which my dad was glad because everyone should have the experience of having to run for the bus, and had a grand old time riding around town. My younger sister, who was probably 10 at the time, said, "Dad, today you're being a REAL dad."

We all laugh about that, and as a therapist and professor of Child and Family Studies, my dad often reflected on that whole "real dad" concept. In my sister's mind, the extra time spent doing something fun made for such a rich experience.

It's easy to get stuck in the rut of daily, mundane duties that must be done. The dishes and laundry don't do themselves, the toys won't pick themselves up, etc. But there are those times when I play a board game with my son or hang out with my daughters that make for the "real mom" moments. It doesn't have to involve a lot, or any, money. What it does require is time. That can be hard, unless you carve it out of an already full day, and make it a priority, even if only for a short time.

Happy Birthday to my dad, who is amazing and wonderful and such a Real Dad. Love you much.

Holidays, shmolidays? Who's really that busy anyway?

2010-11-30T21:51:00.003-07:00

So Isabelle Webb 2 comes out in January, and I'm working on Webb 3 right now. I'd like to see it done by the end of the year. Yay, me, for trying to sandwich everything in during the holidays! I ask you, is there a better way to work?

Someone tell me I'm not the only glutton for punishment... ;-)

SWEET!

2010-11-09T15:30:00.003-07:00

My new cover! I have permission to spread it far and wide. This is my tenth novel, Isabelle Webb, The Pharaoh's Daughter. The release date is January, 2011, and for readers who were mad that there was so much time between this one and Legend of the Jewel, you'll be happy to know that I'm working on the third and final book as we speak. I have no clue what the title is- for now I'm calling it Isabelle Webb, Crazy in Greece. :-)

So excited!

Whitney Award Change

2010-10-20T13:50:00.002-06:00

This announcement comes from Josi Kilpack's blog. Josi is the Whitney Awards President this year.

“Originally, we wanted to give as many great LDS authors a chance to win as possible,” said Whitney committee member Crystal Liechty. “But we feel like we’ve had enough exposure at this point so that there’s no need to prevent a book from sweeping every category it’s in if that’s what the voters want.”

The Whitneys are an awards program for novels by LDS authors. Elder Orson F. Whitney, an early apostle in the LDS church, prophesied “We will yet have Miltons and Shakespeares of our own.” Since we have that as our goal, we feel that we should also honor those authors who excel and continually raise the bar.

"Allowing novels to win multiple categories follows the precedence of other nationally recognized award programs, such as The Academy Awards,” said Josi Kilpack, Whitney Awards President. “We’re excited about this change and the continuing excellence in writing that The Whitney Awards both supports and cultivates.”

The Whitney Awards honor novels in the following categories: General Fiction, Romance, Suspense/Mystery, Speculative Fiction, Youth Fiction, Historical, Best Novel of the Year, and Best Novel by a New Author. Novels can be nominated by any reader (via this website or by mail), and nominees are voted on by an academy of industry professionals, including authors, publishers, bookstore owners, distributors, critics, and others. For more information on the Whitney Awards or to nominate a book, visit www.WhitneyAwards.com.

Project Notebooks #4: Chapter Summaries, Running Edits and Research

2010-09-09T13:28:00.004-06:00

It's official, I'm little better than a monkey. I said I would post this soon, and I most definitely did not. Now that we have this firmly established, we can move on. :-)

The last portion of my Project Notebooks contains Chapter Summaries, Running Edits and Research.

Chapter Summaries consist of a page for each chapter, on which I write the chapter number, the word count for that chapter, the total word count so far for the whole book, and the page numbers. (The page numbers will change as I revise, but I have a general idea where that chapter is located in the manuscript.)

After this information, which is all listed at the top of the page, I then list the Point of View character(s), the setting and then basic plot points. I can then look at the summary and know exactly whose point of view I was in, where the characters were and what happened.

The Running Edit portion of the notebook is for those times when I come to the middle of the manuscript and think, "Ok, Sally is not going to be an attorney, she's a party planner." Rather than go back to the beginning and fix all those references to Sally being an attorney, I flip to the Running Edit section of the notebook, write down the change, and then from that point on in my writing, I pretend Sally is a party planner. When I get to the end of the book, I go to the Running Edit section and see that I've written myself a note that I need to make changes to Sally's profession. It's at this point that I go through the manuscript and make those changes. The beauty of a Running Edit is that you don't stall yourself midstream- you keep pushing forward until the story is told and THEN go back and edit.

My Research section is simply a place where I can write questions to myself. Things like, "When was the fountain pen invented?" I also write the page number in the manuscript where this is an issue, as I have a character using a fountain pen. I don't have to stop and look things up as I write- again interrupting the flow. I do the research afterward and can relax as I write knowing that whenever a question pops up, I've jotted it down in the Research section so I won't forget about it.

That sums up my Project Notebook, and if you've stuck around this long to see how I do it, I commend you wholeheartedly. I'm happy to say that much of the reason I've not been blogging is because I've been writing a book. I'm trying to find a way to balance both. :-)

Good luck with your writing projects! I hope maybe I've given some suggestions here that might be of use.

Project Notebooks #3: Next Time Notes

2010-07-22T22:55:00.005-06:00

Ok, let me tell you why I suck as a blogger. Oh wait, you probably don't need me to tell you. I am inconsistent and I don't show up when I say I will. Kind of like that employee you had last summer. Or maybe a girl you wanted to date and then figured out she was a flake and not worth the effort.

But I am smarter than the apes! Yes? I can improve and learn from my mistakes. There. Now I have to be a better blogger or I'll have proven to the world that I'm little better than a monkey. The kind that claps with cymbals.

So this is my third installment of the Project Notebook. This is all about the Next Time Notes. I devised this section of the notebook when I realized that sitting down to a blank screen every time I tried to write was not only paralyzing but an entirely stupid waste of emotional energy. Why sit there all terrified, when, with a few notes jotted down from my last session, I would have a good place to start?

So it goes something like this. When I reach a point where I'm going to stop writing for the day, I first put what I've done into the Chapter Summaries. (But that's the post for next time. Say, a year from now.) Once I've put my current stuff into the summaries, I flip to the NTN section and begin jotting down VERY SPECIFIC IDEAS about what should happen the next time I turn on the computer. And I do mean specific. If your notes are too general, like: Jack needs to do something that will make people stand up and take notice, instead of: Jack jumps over the candlestick, then you will still sit and stare at the screen. Decide before you go to bed, or do the dishes, or head off to work, or whatever it is when you quit writing for the day, EXACTLY what you will say when you begin again. Even if it's just the one idea.

This has made such a difference in my writing. When I fire up the machine now, I no longer sit and stare, wondering where I was last time, what I should be doing, thinking of all the other things I should be doing instead of writing stories. That's not a good place to be when you're trying to write a story.

So anyway, this is what works for me. NOW. I'm going to do my best to move beyond ape status and post again in a few days about how I structure my Chapter Summaries. They're not as bad as they sound, and not as time-consuming as they sound, either.

And to anyone out there that may someday be one of my editing clients or perhaps a potential agent, editor or publisher to whom I submit: I promise. I really can meet a deadline. :-)

Project Notebook post #2: Brainstorm!

2010-07-05T22:32:00.003-06:00

Finally! The next post. Life has a way of derailing the best of intentions.

Ok, so the next tab in my project notebook is the brainstorm section. Truly, for me, this is probably the most important part. Here's what I throw down into my brainstorming section:

plot ideas
ideas for character growth
snippets of conversation between characters
setting ideas
I ask myself questions (i.e. Why would Jane Doe have a reason to kill her mother?)
I answer my own questions. :-)

Basically, anything and EVERYTHING that could ever be relevant to the book goes into these pages. It's a hodge-podge collection of creative crap, I don't worry that my ideas are out of chronological order, I don't care that I have setting ideas mixed in with plot options. All of this stuff gets sorted out later in the Next Time Notes.

Let me say this, and I know it to be true because it's happened to me: IF YOU DON'T WRITE IT DOWN, YOU WILL FORGET IT. Let me repeat that for you. IF YOU DON'T WRITE IT DOWN, YOU WILL SO FREAKING FORGET IT! There have been times through the years that I've jotted an idea on a piece of paper, only to lose it and then have it resurface well after the book has been published. Turns out, I didn't remember to write it down again! When I lost it, the idea was gone from my brain. I didn't remember to put it into the book at all, and turns out, it would have been great! It's true. It's happened to me more than once. Please, for the love of all things holy, write your ideas down, even if they're small details. And if you jot it on the back of a receipt or something, hang on to that little piece of paper like it's gold until you can transcribe the idea into your project notebook.

All right, then. My goal is to post my ideas for Next Time Notes on Wednesday. In the meantime, BRAINSTORM, BRAINSTORM, BRAINSTORM!

Project Notebooks: How I Do It

2010-06-11T11:31:00.007-06:00

I presented to the LUW Absolutely Write chapter and also THE Teen Writers Conference on the subject of Project Notebooks. The adult group generated a lot more discussion, probably because they are at a phase in their writing where it makes sense to be thinking about organizing a novel. The teen presentation went fairly quickly and gave me ideas for how to tweak it in the future for younger audiences.

ANYWAY. I thought it might be helpful for other writers to see what I've found that works for me. I've taken bits and pieces from suggestions here and there for over 10 years and have finally come up with a system that works for me. Maybe there are portions of it that will work for you, too.

First of all, choose a notebook, whether it be something already bound, a three-ring binder, or make your own, as I often do. This is your bible for the duration of the project. Every little thought, photo, scene, bits of dialogue- EVERYTHING goes into this one place. (A note to the tech savvy- this is also easily done on the computer- I tend to like the brain-to-hand process of brainstorming, so I do it the old fashioned way.)

I then divide the notebook into 7 sections:

1. General Outline
2. ICAs
3. Brainstorm
4. Next Time Notes
5. Chapter Summaries
6. Running Edit
7. Research

I'm going to discuss one or two items a day, otherwise this post would be a mile long and I'd probably lose interest in it halfway.

First of all, the General Outline. Now, I should admit that I am not an outliner. I know pretty much where I want the story to go, and I know where it's going to start, but much beyond that, I tend to be clueless. So I make a short list of the things that I do know, and then add to it as I go along. My outline is much more complete at the end of the project than it was at the beginning. :-) It may seem pointless for me to have one at all, but keeping one and filling it in as I go helps me keep the project as a whole in perspective.

The second thing I do is something I call "ICAs" or Individual Character Analysis. Each character has at least one page, front and back, where I write down not only the character's physical characteristics, but information about their family of origin (the family they were a kid in). I also add stuff like tidbits about the character's motivation, likes and dislikes, hobbies, strengths and weaknesses, most prized possession(s), worst fears, hopes for their future, etc. I know of writers who also use photographs they find in magazines, etc, and these pages are a good place to tape those in for inspiration.

I'll post my thoughts on Brainstorming next time. :-)

Project Notebooks, details coming soon!

2010-05-19T08:54:00.006-06:00

So I've developed a system for writing that works really well for me. I even have a snazzy power point that I've developed to use for presentations. I've given it once, and will tweak it a bit for the teen conference coming up in a couple of weeks.

I basically put together a notebook for each new project I'm working on, and it becomes my bible until the book is finished. When it's done, it's kind of like a cool journal and a good reference to look back on, if needed. It's taken me a long time to figure out what works for me, and everybody's different so my system won't work exactly for someone else, but bits and pieces of it may.

After the teen conference on June 5, I'll post details about exactly what I put in my notebooks and you can see if there are pieces of it that will work for you.

And now, a teaser: I just made the most awesome project notebook for my current work-in-progress! Think all things Greek. :-)

Heather Moore's Women of the Book of Mormon

2010-05-18T00:01:00.001-06:00

It's an honor to review this book, not only because I enjoyed reading it, but I've already quoted from it in presentations and lessons. This book is a collection of 12 chapters on the women who are mentioned in the Book of Mormon. Here are some of the highlights that I appreciated:

* Heather is a reliable source on the history of the Book of Mormon, not only scripturally but from a historical standpoint as well. She delves into the customs of the day, presents viable scenarios and situations that likely occurred for these women of whom so little is written.

* The book is meticulously documented in quotations/source material. Very well done.

* Heather does not throw criticism upon the customs of the day, even subtly. She is a good example of a non-judgmental historian who looks back on flawed societies and recognizes that it was what it was. She doesn't allow modern sensibilities to cast aspersions on situations that a contemporary reader might find frustrating.

* Alternatively, the author is still willing to give a "fallen" woman the benefit of the doubt, or at least a sense of compassion. Speaking of Isabel, the harlot mentioned in Alma 39:3, she says, "What desperation and misery drove a woman to the life of a harlot? Perhaps there was little or no choice in the sense that Isabel may have been born or sold into this diabolical practice."

* Eve is mentioned in the Book of Mormon, and as such receives a chapter of her own in this book. The analysis is a beautiful tribute to our first mother, and ties the Book of Mormon to the Bible in a significant and complete way.

* Practical application. In reference to the story of the Queen of King Lamoni's Father, the author says, "In our lives, by delaying our emotional reactions and waiting for all of the facts to come in, we might discover that we had viewed the situation wrong from the beginning. When we wait, pause, or even turn to prayer for guidance and direction, we find that the correct response will often make itself manifest." Each chapter has words of wisdom that tie the scriptural account to an application to modern life.

* The presentation of the book itself is absolutely beautiful. The narrative is coupled with stunning paintings by a variety of artists.

As I mentioned, I've already quoted from this book in a presentation at a women's conference in Idaho and in my calling as Gospel Doctrine teacher. I love that Heather is a contemporary of mine, that she's a woman and is so well-read. She's an amazingly talented writer and storyteller, and this first nonfiction effort on her part is extremely well done. As a fellow author of historical fiction, I appreciate the efforts that have gone into the research used not only in her Book of Mormon novels, but in this book as well.

This book makes a wonderful gift for not only women, but men, too! I highly recommend it.

Observations from 13.1 miles

2010-05-17T08:03:00.002-06:00

So I just ran my first half marathon. I observed some things along the way.

1. I should have gone ahead and used the porta-potty after crossing the start line. It seemed so prosaic, though, to enter a green outhouse just after beginning my first-ever race.

2. I think I managed to stay ahead of the three octogenarians with the walking sticks.

3. Vanilla Bean Gu, while not necessarily tasty, did not make me vomit. In fact, just as I was to the point where I was thinking I needed to eat something, there it was in the hands of an angelic volunteer like a beacon in the night. Oh good, come to me you gelatinous packet of crap.

4. Vanilla Bean Gu contains caffeine, which I suspect helped stave of the headache I usually get if I haven't had a vat of Diet Coke by about 8:30 a.m.

5. There are many different sizes and shapes of butts. At first, I confess I was mildly concerned about how I looked from the back as people passed me. By mile 11.5, I didn't care what they were looking at.

6. My son drew a happy face on my hand to help me think of him while I was running. Unfortunately, every time I looked at the happy face, I remembered a conversation he had with my daughter when we drove the course the week before:
Anna: I know, Mom. I'll get my bike and hide halfway down the canyon. Then I can join you.
Gunder: I have a better idea, Mom. Stay home.

7. Freddie Mercury makes a wonderful running companion. Were he not dead and gay (and I not married) I might just pursue him.

8. Mark was right--there were people wearing garbage bags for warmth. My guffawing father and I owe him an apology.

9. By the finish line, my fingers were the size and shape of Johnsonville Brats. We could have cut them off and had a bbq.

10. It may be possible, but I highly doubt there's a more beautiful course anywhere.

11. Grant Avenue stretches out in some funky twilight zone fashion between 21st and the finish line at 25th. The more you run, the farther away it gets.

12. It's the most amazing feeling in the world to see familiar faces along the side and hear them cheer. And hoping you're not so tired that you look like an absolute fool.

13. Even though my sister had to not run last minute because of a migraine, I still kept her close by wearing her jersey instead of mine. Plus, hers was a small and my medium was too big.

14. Roughly 140 people in my age group finished ahead of me, yet my husband made such a fuss over me that I felt like I'd beaten everyone, even the tight-muscled Vitruvian man-looking full marathoners that passed me halfway down the canyon.

15. I love my husband.

16. My dad and sister and three kids were at the finish line. It was overwhelming and awesome.

17. I have a medal now!

18. My brother-in-law and high school buddy just ran the full Salt Lake marathon in the same time it took me to go half that distance. I totally don't know where I was going with this and am getting depressed. Next!

19. I loved every single minute of this experience. Absolutely loved it. I ran/walked thirteen miles of my favorite spot on earth. It was divine and wonderful and so much fun. My wholehearted thanks to Catina, who talked to me about doing it, and my husband who overheard and then gave me the paid registration for Christmas in a new pair of running shoes.

20. Please, please bless that when I'm an octogenarian I'll have the wherewithal and physical ability to be doing a half marathon with walking sticks.

Interview

2010-04-09T12:07:00.001-06:00

Michele Ashman Bell interviewed me and it's posted on her blog today! She's an amazing friend and does such a good job with her interviews. Check it out!

Isabelle 2 has been accepted!

2010-04-01T11:47:00.001-06:00

My sequel to the first Isabelle book is going to be released January 2011! The tentative title is Isabelle Webb: the Pharaoh's Daughter. I'm so excited!

The Sapphire Flute by Karen Hoover

2010-03-13T16:33:00.005-07:00

It is with great pleasure that I review The Sapphire Flute Book One, The Wolfchild Saga, by Karen E. Hoover. The reason I'm finding pleasure in doing it is because I really, truly enjoyed the book. When I do reviews, I like to do them in bullet points, because it helps me think clearly and boil down what I thought of the book to its essence. So first, I'll include the book's backliner from Valor Publishing's site and then I'll tell you what I thought.

"It has been 3,000 years since a white mage has been seen upon Rasann.

In the midst of a volcanic eruption miles outside of her village, Ember discovers she can see magic and change the appearance of things at will. Against her mother's wishes, she leaves for the mage trials only to be kidnapped before arriving. In trying to escape, she discovers she has inherited her father's secret--a secret that places her in direct conflict with her father's greatest enemy.

At the same time, Kayla is given guardianship of the sapphire flute and told not to play it. The evil mage C'Tan has been searching for it for decades and the sound alone is enough to call her. For the flute to be truly safe, Kayla must find its birthplace in the mountains high above Javak. The girls' paths are set on a collision course...a course that C'Tan is determined to prevent at all costs."

What worked for me:
* The premise. I love the idea of a world in danger of destruction and not one, but two girls/women are destined to save it.

* The setting. The world of Rasann is full of magic and wonder, shapeshifters and mages. The physical settings are beautifully described and full of good imagery.

* The cast of characters. I liked the two main characters, Ember and Kayla. They are different, with varying strengths and weaknesses, and in this book they are fledglings. The potential for growth is evidenced right away, and it was clear to me as the reader that we will see these characters evolve throughout the series.

* The bad guy. Or woman, rather. There are a few bad guys to choose from, but I liked that although C'Tan is evil, there's a tiny spark of regret that surfaces every now and again. That makes her seem more real to me.

* The old-fashioned feel of the story. I like the use of horses and carriages. The absence of electricity is made up for with magic, which I was totally able to go with. Lights, for example, are "mage lights," lit with the use of magic.

* The author doesn't spare her main, likable characters from pain. Snapped bones, people nearly plunging to their deaths at the hands of a sadistic bad girl and her dragon--call me sick, but I appreciated this. An author needs to raise the stakes and put her characters through the wringer- Karen does that.

* The quick nature of the plot, once the story and characters are established, especially in the last third of the book. I was nearing the end of the story and picking my kids up from school. I waited for my daughter to come out of the building, and when she got in the car, I told her she had to keep reading to me while I drove to the next school. That's the mark of a good story, to me. If I don't want to put it down, that means I like it. :-)

* The overall skill of the writer. I found myself not wanting to rephrase things, or "fix" segments that I felt would be better expressed in another way. I felt as though I was in the hands of a good writer.

Possible issues with the book:
Now, admittedly I had to search for some, because nothing is perfect, right? That said, the things I had issues with are minor.

* I didn't care for Ember's mother. I understand her motivation, but just had a hard time warming up to her. That was probably the author's intention, though.

* There's a familial tie between the two girls that was never defined fully; I'm sure this will be delved into in the next book, though, which leads into my next point:

* I wanted the girls to meet! Also something that will occur in the next book of the series, I'm sure.

* I don't like that I'll have to wait a year to see what happens next. :-)

My final opinion of the book is that it is very well done, creative, and delivers a satisfying, climactic ending with enough resolution to hold the reader over until the next installment. There's an anticipation for the sequel, but the characters are in a good enough place...for now. It was a good reading experience, and I look forward to the next book. Now I'm passing it on to my kids, who saw it on the table and said, "Hey, what's that?"

Toyota, Black Mamba and The Pants!

2010-03-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

I've been watching the news and reading the paper with interest. Here's some of what has stuck out to me lately:

*The suit that O.J. Simpson wore when he was acquitted is going to be offered to the Smithsonian. My sincere hope is that the Smithsonian will say, "No, thank you."

*Toyota is being raked over the coals, among other things, for failure to alert the public for possible problems with their cars. Now GM is doing a recall on cars that may not steer well when driving under 15 miles an hour. Presumably, this will make the most-accidents-happen-within-two-miles-from-home statistic skyrocket. I'm thinking I should invest in a tandem bicycle for my family of 5. Might make school carpooling a bit of a challenge...

*My kids' school district sent home a notice that "Black Mamba" is now being banned from the schools in spite of the fact that it's not a illegal substance. Yet. Supposedly it has the same properties as marijuana. Now, I may not be remembering correctly and I threw the paper out, but I believe it can be burned as incense. Methinks school attendance would triple if teachers were allowed to use this in the classroom. ;-)

*The Norwegian Curling team's pants. Oh, how I loved those pants! The daily Facebook updates were a joy. I am a solid one-half Norwegian; I claim a special affinity to the pants.

*Lindsey Vonn is too unbelievably cute. Shouldn't be allowed.

*Kim Yu Na is the most amazing thing on ice I've ever seen and was a joy to watch. I did so with my mouth hanging open.

*Joannie Rochette is a beautiful example of grace and perseverance under extreme pressure and grief. What a lady. And a strong one.

*Gerald Imber wrote a book on William Halsted, America's "first" surgeon, entitled Genius on the Edge. In the book, Imber talks about how in the early days of anesthetic during dentistry, cocaine was used as a local. Um, yeah. Something tells me people didn't mind going to the dentist in those days. ;-) On a more serious note, though, the book looks absolutely amazing and I'll be buying it soon. Here's a link, if you're interested.

*First Haiti, then Chile. I am mindful of the fact that I live, literally, on a fault line. My home was built in the 40s. I hope to be able to find a sturdy doorway that will shield me...otherwise, please remember me fondly. (And may it not happen until both of my daughters are paramedics. I like to think of them as rescuers.)

*The Ogden Temple is going to receive a facelift over the next couple of years. I am ok with this, because the original design of the building has been totally botched, anyway. The architect designed the Provo and Ogden temples to be symbolic of the Lord leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. They were led with a "cloud by day" and "pillar (of fire) by night." The body of the temple's building itself was to represent the cloud, and the spire, which was originally painted gold, to represent the pillar of fire. Well, a couple of years ago a statue of Moroni was added to the spire, which was fine, of course, but THEY PAINTED THE SPIRE WHITE. Totally ruined it for me. I now look at the redesign pictures with anticipation. It's going to be beautiful.

Well, now that I spewed all of that, I feel better. Please feel free to agree or disagree. And have a fabulous March! I'm so glad we're done with January and February. Spring is in the air! My five-year-old said this morning, "Mom! The birds are back!"

So true- hallelujah, the birds are back!

Total and Complete Euphoria...

2010-02-24T10:55:00.002-07:00

...or, What It's Like to Finish a Novel.

Best-selling novelist, Judith McNaught, made a comment like this once- and please bear in mind I am very loosely paraphrasing: Writing a novel is a very hard process and finishing is total bliss. She (McNaught) celebrates each finish and eventually begins on the next book, but only when she absolutely has to.

Now, I've read McNaught for years and find them very satisfying romance novels. (If you decide to try them, be ready to skim a few pages here and there. I'm just saying.) The hero grovels nicely at the end, the happy ending is guaranteed, all things told, I leave her books in a happy place. But I can kind of relate to her feelings about writing.

It's hard.

I know, wah, cry me a river. I'm published, which is a blessing I don't EVER take for granted. I'm doing something I love-except sometimes I don't love it so much. I just finished writing my sequel to Isabelle Webb, Legend of the Jewel, and I'm so glad to have it done. I went through a bit of a bad patch with some writer's block (really, I was allowing too many other things to interfere with the writing, but I'm going to call it writer's block) and the book is well over a year late.

It weighed heavily on me all year. It was this thing hovering over my shoulder that would never leave me alone. A burden that grew increasingly heavier each day. There are a few elements that combined to kick my rear end back in gear, but truthfully, I consider the finishing of this book to be directly attributable to my friendship with Josi Kilpack. If she, Becki Clayson, Jody Durfee and Ronda Hinrichsen hadn't been gracious enough to allow me to join their writing group, I think I would still be looking for the motivation to finish.

I spent several late nights in Josi's husband's office doing writing marathons with Josi and counting my lucky stars that I could work with someone who knows how nice it is to have the companionship while hammering away at a plot and characters that don't always fall into line. Not all writers are solitary--this has been one of my biggest challenges with this career. It's a very solitary pursuit, and for people who like to yak, this can be especially challenging.

So yes, I am currently over the moon with euphoria. I don't know what the evals will say, I'm not sure what my editor will want me to change, I don't know if anyone will even like it at all--but it's finished. I can't begin to tell you what a relief it is.

Unlike Judith McNaught, I don't dread beginning a new project. This, other than finishing, is my favorite part of the process. I love to brainstorm and research. At this point, the book is still perfect. It's a prize-winner in my mind- it hasn't yet been cluttered up with my imperfections. It will be the book that the world will embrace and say, "WHERE has this book been all of my life?" But until it's on the page, it's just a pipe dream, so I have to try to pull it out of my head in a way that will make sense.

When I was a kid, had someone told me I'd one day be a writer I would have passed out with joy. (I suppose that means I was a nerd. Probably means I'm still a nerd.) So the fact that I'm doing this really, truly does make me happy. The times when it's hard, I remind myself something Stephen King says in his book On Writing: "The worst three hours I ever spent there were still pretty damn good."

All things told- it really is true.

A little writing advice, if you're interested. :-)

2010-02-02T13:20:00.002-07:00

I posted this on the Scribbling Teens blog, but figured I'd include it here, too, because there are writers who read author blogs and like to share ideas. Maybe this will be of use to you- share your thoughts!

So you hear someone say that a book was full of expository writing, and you're not sure what they mean. Here's my simple explanation. I say simple because that's how I think. ;-)

There's a movie from the 80s called The Great Muppet Caper. Maybe you've seen it? Well, I'm old, I do admit it. There's a part in the movie when Miss Piggy is talking to her new boss, Lady Holiday. Lady Holiday is going on and on about her degenerate brother, Nicky, and Miss Piggy says, "Why are you telling me this?" Lady Holiday says, "It's plot exposition. It has to go somewhere."

What she's saying is this- the information about Nicky is stuff the viewer needs to know, and there's no other way for us to know it unless Lady Holiday talks about it. Would she, if it were real life, say that much to Miss Piggy about Nicky? Maybe or maybe not.

There have been books I've read in the past that have gone something like this:

(The two sisters, Mary and Ann, are talking about their mother's funeral.)

"As you know, Mary," Ann said, "mother hated roses. We cannot have roses at the funeral. When she was young, her brother, Humphrey, stomped on her rose bushes and told her that tending them was a worthless waste of her time."

I'm sure you can see the problem. (Besides the fact that Humphrey would have come out of those rose bushes severely wounded.) If Mary and Ann grew up in the same house together and had a traditional sister relationship, Mary already knows all that about their mother. Ann doesn't need to tell her. (The only reason I can think of that Ann would need to say that to her sister is if she's so scattered, nervous, sad, whatever, about their mother's death that she's just rambling to her sister. It would show that she's not thinking clearly or she's really upset.)

Sometimes in writing, it's tempting to put information that the reader needs to know into conversations between characters. Sometimes that's ok. Suppose Ann was telling a friend about the rose thing. That would make sense if the friend didn't know much about Ann's mom. Other times, though, it needs to go into the narrative. (The part of the story that's not dialogue.)

The reason some writers feel the need to put "plot exposition" into dialogue is because they're worried that there's too much narrative. We've all read paragraphs that have gone on forever, either with too much description when we want to get to the meat of the story, or too much backstory all at once. If a character is having a flashback, for instance, as a reader I don't want it to be a long one that will pull me out of the story's action.

One suggestion to avoid too much narrative is to intersperse it throughout the story. The reader doesn't need to know all at once every detail surrounding Mary and Ann's mother's dysfunctional relationship with Uncle Humphrey. In fact, if it's going to be an issue that comes into play later, it's information that needs to be spread throughout the story to keep the pace going and the suspense up.

So when you're writing dialogue, make sure you think carefully about the characters who are interacting. Ask yourself these questions:
* How well do the characters know each other?
* With the characteristics I've given them, how will they interact?
* Do I have them sharing useless information with each other, things they would already know?

Remember to avoid plot exposition in dialogue at all costs! Leave that to Lady Holiday and Miss Piggy. :-)

Horrible things are happening- am I allowed to be happy?

2010-02-02T12:36:00.001-07:00

The day I learned of the earthquake in Haiti, my stomach just fell. I looked at the images on my computer screen and wondered how on earth people ever pick up and carry on after that kind of horror.

I watched with pride as my church quickly sent relief planes and help was sent from LDS people across the border in the Dominican Republic. Certainly I don't mean to toot the LDS horn to the exclusion of the many, many other organizations that have provided help, I just was so proud to be part of a group that quickly offers compassion and help. I also have noted with extreme satisfaction LDS.org's main page, encouraging members worldwide to contribute however we can.

I saw images of bodies piling up, of mass graves, of crude burning pyres right alongside the streets, people pulled alive but broken from the wreckage, mothers grieving for lost children and children for parents, and it made my heart hurt. To know that the country suffered so horribly before the earthquake made the calamity seem like salt in an open wound.

The first day, I saw an outpouring of shock and grief. The days passed, and I noticed a shift. Supporting Haiti was becoming a political thing. People were angry at Hollywood for taking up the cause. I heard snide comments that President Obama only cared about the issue because the victims are black. I became very angry. Who cares if movie stars are helping people who are living through hell? It's not Haiti's fault. And when someone lifts a hand or donates money to make a life a bit better, where is the crime? How could this thing have possibly become political?

And then, I found myself thinking less about Haiti and more about my own life, my own problems. It's only natural, I know this. I would catch myself praying for things and then wondering how I possibly had the right to worry over little things when my Heavenly Father has other children who need him now more than I do. I suppose the beauty of God is that he can care for us all, and I know that, but I was reminded of how I felt after 9-11. I would laugh at something silly or find joy around me and then feel a twinge of something. Guilt? Probably it's guilt. A sense of sorrow for a moment that I'm finding joy and other people are living through unspeakable pain.

I remember when Saturday Night Live came back on the air after 9-11. It was a beautiful, welcome relief. It was done with love, with gentleness, it resurrected the knowledge for me that, even when horrible things happen, good still exists. We should grieve. We should help. We must do all we can to lift the hands and heads that hang low in hopeless agony. We must also cling to hope and joy and faith in a Maker who allows things to happen in this life, possibly to show the rest of us how to be humane, how to love and serve.

As I continued to watch attempted relief efforts in Haiti, and still do watch, I am reminded that, as the Proverb says, "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick." That we must cling to hope like it's all we have, and work as hard as we possibly can for the betterment of our own lives and those within our realm of influence. I know that the problems and trials in my own life, while in comparison to others may seem small, are still real and I can pray for help without feelings of guilt or inadequacy. I will keep it in perspective- one of my favorite quotes from Robert Fulghum is the notion that there are three kinds of lumps in life: a lump in the oatmeal, a lump in the throat, and a lump in the breast. I've learned to try to categorize the lumps and make sure I'm not acting as though I've a lump in the breast when really it's a lump in the throat that may not deserve as much attention as I'm giving it. And yet, the lump in the throat may still need a prayer or two, and it's ok.

My heart continues to ache for those who are suffering in Haiti, and everywhere in the world where unspeakable things happen that I know would test my faith and my sanity. History is replete with examples of hell on earth, and yet in those stories there are silver linings to the clouds, blessings from a benevolent God who sees all and loves all, and sometimes those blessings come through not only his angels in heaven but also those he has stashed here on earth. They are all around us.

I'm going to try to be an earthly angel. And to smile and feel joy and hope, even when things are bleak. The human spirit is resilient, and we are here to learn from the pain and find joy in the journey. So I answer my own question that, yes, even when horrible things happen, we are still allowed to be happy. I find comfort in that.

January- yuck

2010-01-28T08:41:00.001-07:00

As much as I try to begin each year with a sense of optimism and purpose, the January does its best to beat me down. I enjoy fresh starts, I like reevaluating and setting new goals, I enjoy everything that a new year is supposed to be about. So why is January so hard?

Is it as hard, I wonder, for people who live in sunny climes? I keep thinking maybe it's the weather where I live, and I suspect it may have a lot to do with that. I live on the mid-northern end of the Wasatch Front in Utah, and inversion is in full swing this time of year. (That means a blanket of cold air and crap is trapped in the valley and I'm ready to start wearing a SARS mask.)

I'm looking out my window and I see dirty snow. When it's winter, I want it to be either in the act of snowing or I want to see a beautifully deep blue sky with sparkling clean snow on the ground and in the trees. I don't demand much, do I?

Isn't that just like life, though? (Here comes the meaningful metaphor.) Things aren't always perfect, they don't always appear as we'd like them to. The trick is to find joy in the journey. So, against my better instincts, I'm going to list things I do like about January.

1. The house seems nice and simple after putting away all the red Christmas clutter.
2. As much as I enjoy having my kids at home, it's nice to get back into a routine when they go back to school.
3. I like the thought of planning for a new year that's full of fresh possibilities.
4. When it snows, it's beautiful.
5. Getting through it feels like an accomplishment.

Ok, that's a really lame list, but it's better than nothing. :-) And now, sitting here at the end of January, I have Valentines Day to look forward to, and then by the first part of March, I'm usually feeling pretty good.

Is it just me? I should ask my Florida relatives if they have January blahs. Well, wherever you are, I offer a big woohoo that we've survived January and I wish you good things to come from here on out. :-)

BACK FROM THE DEAD!

2009-12-30T12:18:00.003-07:00

YES! My third book, A Time for the Heart, has come out of oblivion and is again in print! I'm so glad, because I really liked this story.

Covenant has reissued it, and it is available through Seagull, Deseret Book, and online. I'll be having a small blog tour- small because it is a re-release, after all- and a contest here.

This is the back blurb:
For Claire O'Brian, a bright and beautiful archaeologist, working at a newly discovered archaeological site in the wilds of Guatemala is her opportunity of a lifetime. Unfortunately, the dig is being funded by Darren Stark, her manipulative ex-boyfriend. And if that isn't enough, several rare artifacts have disappeared--and Claire suspects everyone. Enter "Bump" St. James, a handsome and capable private investigator. As Claire and Bump work together to unearth the mystery, their mutual attraction deepens. However, in a dramatic confrontation, Claire learns that Darren Stark will do anything to keep her from learning the truth about the missing artifacts. Anything.

Click here to to check it out at Amazon.

If you haven't read it, I hope you'll give it a try. :-)

How many books do you have?

2009-12-29T21:24:00.002-07:00

So I was looking around my library the other day and wondered exactly how many books I have in there. I would post a picture, but it's such a mess that I'll have to clean it up first.

My best estimate is somewhere around 500. I could be low on that guess- I have a whole lotta paperbacks. If it sounds excessive to you, you must understand that it's a disease with me, this whole collecting of the books. I must own what I read, and more often than not I like to keep it when I'm done.

That said, I do plan on going through the shelves someday soon and culling the best from those that need a new home. The first of a new year is always a good time to purge!

So what about it? Do you obsessively collect or are you a good library visitor? Speaking of which, I need to renew my card...

Things I Learned in 2009

2009-12-28T16:20:00.000-07:00

These are some of the things I learned in 2009:

1. I am not perfect. I know! I was surprised too.
2. I can lose weight when I exercise and quit eating, like, 4,000 calories a day.
3. I like to exercise!
4. Too much sun really is bad for my skin.
5. I absolutely love my chosen careers. Writing and homemaking suit me well.
6. I love to cook.
7. I love to knit.
8. I love to kickbox. I know! I was surprised too.
9. My kids are growing up fast.
10. I fell in love with my husband all over again. 20 years look good on us.

To be accurate, or not to be accurate...

2009-12-26T21:17:00.002-07:00

Writers of historical fiction sometimes find themselves in a bit of a quandary. If you don't get it right, someone will know and will tell you. If you don't include enough of the history, armchair historians will be unhappy that the history is little more than wallpaper for the book, while those not so much into the history will be bored if there's too much.

Dialogue. Now there's a mess waiting to happen. Keep the dialogue too true to the period and it can come off sounding stilted and can be jarring for the modern reader. Make it too modern, and it will pull the reader out of the setting.

I suppose the question for me is not so much "do I want to be accurate?" as it is "how can I strike the right balance?" I think this is very hard, and trying to please as many readers as possible can be a challenge.

So as a reader, how do you prefer your historicals? Meaty, or just enough history to give the story a sense of place?

Josi Kilpack's Lemon Tart

2009-12-22T10:38:00.005-07:00

Josi Kilpack'sLemon Tart is a fun book with a twisting plot and engaging characters. That line sounds totally cliche, but every word is true. This is the backliner from the book:

A recipe for murder!

* 5 families living on Peregrine Circle
* 1 flowered curtain tieback
* 1 missing child
* 1 body in the field

Mix with a long list of suspects and top with two very different detectives. Increase heat until only the truth remains.

Award-winning author Josi S. Kilpack introduces a new series of culinary "cozies" that is sure to tantalize mystery lovers. In this debut volume, cooking aficionado-turned-amateur detective, Sadie Hoffmiller, tries to solve the murder of Anne Lemmon, her beautiful young neighbor - a single mother who was mysteriously killed while a lemon tart was baking in her oven. At the heart of Sadie's search is Anne's missing two-year-old son, Trevor. Whoever took the child must be the murderer, but Sadie is certain that the police are looking at all the wrong suspects - including her!

Armed with a handful of her very best culinary masterpieces, Sadie is determined to bake her way to proving her innocence, rescuing Trevor, and finding out exactly who had a motive for murder.

Here's what worked for me with this book:

*I loved Sadie. She is a funny, funny character. Josi has a way of putting the reader in Sadie's head without intruding there, herself. So funny. Sadie meddles, is frustrating for some of the other characters but ends up being endearing rather than irritating. I think this is a hard mix to accomplish, and my hat is off to the author.

*I enjoyed the cast of secondary characters. There was enough going on to make me wonder whodunit.

*The plot. I enjoy a good mystery, and I liked peeling back the layers of this one.

*The recipes! They were such a fun addition to the story. Rather than just read about what Sadie made, I was able to look at the recipes and get a sense for exactly how it would have tasted or come together. I have yet to try them myself; I'm hoping for a chance to do some experimenting over the holiday season.

All told, I loved this book and am looking forward to getting my hands on the sequel. Reading Lemon Tart was an enjoyable experience, and I enjoyed the story so much I hated to put the book down. That's always a sign of a good read.

P.S. Same disclaimer as with Jennie's book: I do know Josi Kilpack and am pleased to call her my friend, however, I wouldn't have reviewed the book if I didn't like it. It's true. :-)

Jennie Hansen's Shudder

2009-12-16T09:07:00.006-07:00

This is the description from the backliner of Shudder, by Jennie Hansen:

Darcy and Clare grew up as best friends, sharing trials and triumphs from preschool through college graduation. Now they’re sharing an apartment in Boise, Idaho, where Clare just landed a great job and Darcy is pursuing a teaching certificate. There’s only one problem: Blaine, Clare’s boyfriend. His chauvinistic, know-it-all ways set Darcy’s teeth on edge. Darcy vows not to let Blaine ruin her lifelong friendship with Clare, but when Blaine insists on moving in, Darcy suddenly finds herself alone. The estranged friends forge ahead on seemingly separate paths. Engaged to Blaine, Clare becomes trapped in ugly family politics and vicious treatment from her fiancé. Darcy finds a temporary home with Karlene, an accident victim seeking live-in help, but a twisted plot soon threatens their safety. Clare’s wedding briefly reunites her with Darcy, yet the friends have never been farther apart. And when Clare finds herself in mortal peril and finally calls on Darcy to help, it might be too late.

I liked this book for several reasons. I should probably preface this review by admitting that the author is a friend of mine. I will, however, attest to the objectivity of this review by stating that if I didn't like the book, I wouldn't have reviewed it.

Here, in a nutshell, are several of the things that worked for me:

*The realism. The book pulls no punches, no pun intended, and I liked that the author portrays the abusive relationship in the book as realistic without being gratuitous.

*Clare's internal dialogue. It's everything I've ever heard about the thought processes of a victim of abuse.

*The contrast between an unhealthy and healthy relationship. The difference is clear.

*The setting. Yes, I know, it's in Idaho. (If you're from Idaho, no offense intended. I live in Utah. Like I have a lot of room to talk). But it's BOISE, which is a very cool city. It really worked for me.

*The mystery/suspense portion of the plot. I love a good suspense novel, and the fact that I stayed up late trying to finish the book before exhaustion finally took over tells me something. When I fight sleep to finish a book, I know it's a good one.

*I found myself feeling for Clare, and there wasn't a tidy wrap-up to her story. I was sympathetic to her without thinking that she was TSTL. (Too Stupid to Live). I thought that given her painful background, her vulnerability to Blaine was believable.

I know this subject isn't an easy one to broach and I admire the author for doing it well. I can imagine she felt a certain amount of pain? discomfort? at throwing her creations into such a bad situation. This is more than just escapist fiction, (which I do love, I write it myself), it's stuff that happens in real life and it isn't pretty. The healing power of the Savior and loving friends and family is clear, though, and gives a ray of hope. I was satisfied with Clare's ending, and yet my first question for Jennie was to ask if there was a sequel on the way to continue her story. Her answer was that no, this is where it ended for her, that in real life, sometimes we don't know how things pan out. After she said that, it made perfect sense to me.

I would recommend this book to anyone- it's a good fix if you like suspense and romance, or also if you prefer your fiction to be more on the "realistic" side- rather like Anita Stansfield, Rachel Ann Nunes, Jodi Picoult, etc.

I loved it!

The worth of a soul...

2009-12-08T08:08:00.001-07:00

Last night I had the privilege of attending a fundraiser at my husband's school. He's a counselor for the Youth in Custody program, and the school decided to hold a fundraiser to raise money for a family in need this Christmas.

The students have been doing research for projects, writing papers on those projects and putting together slide shows that displayed images of their research with original text, all set to music.

There was a group of four brave students who sang, "Angels Among Us." They were wonderful, and I say "brave," because there were eight more who were supposed to sing with them. These four were awesome!

The students also made five quilts that were auctioned off. They were beautiful, and each one was purchased.

I was so touched at the work the kids put into their projects and the quilts. These children have experienced a slice of life I can only gape at, and I'm amazed at their resilience. They are working hard to succeed in a world that hasn't given then a very nice beginning. My hat is off to them--I am in awe of them and humbled by them.

My kudos also to the staff, who are talented, dedicated, and who must have loads of patience and use it often. Teaching is not an easy profession; I speak from experience.

I suppose I just want to say to this group of people, staff and children, and to teachers and students everywhere--nicely done. This life is not an easy one, and I do believe that as long as we help each other, we'll all get through it intact.

Happy Holidays to Project Surpass, and truly, God bless us, everyone!

I am alive!

2009-12-02T21:09:00.004-07:00

I am still alive and kicking- just not kicking too much online lately. I'm finishing up my Isabelle 2 novel, doing the mom thing, and trying to keep my house in some semblance of order, which is ever a losing battle for me.

Coming soon, though, I'll be posting my review of Jennie Hansen's Shudder. And I'm way behind the game, but I finally read Josi Kilpack's Lemon Tart and will be reviewing that one soon, too.

In the meantime, think of me fondly, as I am of you. :-)

Writer Groups

2009-10-21T12:49:00.002-06:00

To join or not to join? That's a question I have asked myself numerous times over the course of my writing career and I must say I'm glad I finally approached a fellow writer friend who has a writer group and asked if they had room for one more. They have graciously accepted me, and I went to my first meeting this morning!

I have waited WAAAAYYY too long to do this. Here's the thing with me. Writing is very solitary. I am not a solitary person. There is nothing introverted about me. I love people. I yak a lot. When I need a recharge, I feel better after spending time with friends and family. My husband, (thank the stars), is also a yakker, and I am able to bounce ideas off of him and enjoy a unique friendship with him that I cherish.

Anyway, yes, writing is very solitary. I find my enthusiasm, energy, drive, etc. lagging when I spend too much time alone with it. I always come home from signings or other writing activities feeling recharged. But often, especially lately, they've been far and few between. This group is just what I've needed to do to keep me on track and motivated.

If you're considering the value of joining a writers group, try to find one with people who will encourage as well as offer kind, constructive criticism. This is crucial. For me, anyway. I suspect for most of us. I feel so lucky to have landed in a good group of people. They're so kind to allow it- sometimes when you're part of a group you don't really want the dynamics to change by adding someone new, and I'm glad they're willing to take the risk.

Find yourself a group! Whether you like to read or knit or quilt or scrapbook or make shoes or eat sunflower seeds...it's nice to connect with like-minded people. Give it a try!

2009-10-09T13:36:00.004-06:00

I'm finding that one of the worst things about being behind on a writing deadline is the frustrating fact that I can't blog or do anything like unto it without feeling an incredible sense of guilt. If I have two minutes to blog, I should have two minutes to try for another couple hundred words on the manuscript.

Well, blogging and internet research is one thing I can do while the kids are running around and distracting me, so today I'm using that as my justification. I wish I were the kind of writer who can write amidst chaos, but when I write my novels, I must have complete and utter silence. I can't even have music on. It affects my mood too much.

I keep trying to grab those stray moments when I can, but just when I get sucked into the zone of my story, someone comes along and wants a drink/snack/needs to be wiped/help with algebra (It doesn't have to make sense, honey. Just learn the blasted formula. It never made sense to me either)/or any one of a million other interruptions, and I get sucked right back out of the story and I feel all disoriented. Really, picture the warp speed images from Star Wars and the like, and that's what it feels like when I have to jump back and forth between worlds. I usually find myself literally blinking and trying to focus on the person talking to me. You know it's bad when the five-year-old has to repeat himself and starts articulating slowly and loudly, kind of like people do to my Norwegian mom when they hear her accent.

When I'm in the middle of writing, I also have to be careful of what I read. For instance, when I was writing the Civil War series, I was paranoid about copying anybody else's style so I avoided other historical series. I have yet to read Dean Hughes's Children of the Promise, like the rest of the LDS world has already done five times over. I'm sure it's probably irrational, but I worry about things like that. My 1st Isabelle book was set in Colonial India, so instead of reading helpful books like A Passage to India and The Far Pavillions, I ran in the other direction with my hands over my eyes. I do all of my research, well, almost all, from nonfiction sources because I worry about unconsciously using material I've read from another author.

There is one exception this time around; Isabelle 2 is set in Egypt at the height of the Egyptology craze, and I have been reading Amelia Peabody like crazy to get myself into an authentic feel for the place. Why this is different, I have no clue. I think one of the reasons is that there was a REAL Amelia, who wrote A Thousand Miles up the Nile, and I suspect she was an inspiration for Elizabeth Peters. Amelia Edwards wrote her memoir in such beautiful detail that it makes research on this time and place an absolute joy.

Isabelle 3 will be set in Greece, and I am stamping impatiently to get at that one. If people were to ask me which of my books is my favorite, I think I would say, "the next one." As much as I love to write, it's really hard. There are times when I want someone to come along and tell me what happens next. It always works itself out, but it can be a frustrating, intimidating process sometimes.

Enough of the rambling. Time to pick up kids from school. And then the crazy-busy afternoon melts into dinner time, then shifts to after-dinner craziness and then bath time and then the threats to the teenagers begin. (Go to bed NOW. This is why it's so hard for you to get up in the morning. *ten minutes pass* I swear, I will take your phone. Don't look at me that way. If I had looked at my mother that way I'd have found my head across the room.)

When all this is done, I settle down to write. If I'm lucky, I stay awake. :-)

Another fun readers' site

2009-09-24T21:51:00.002-06:00

If you read LDS fiction and/or books that hold with LDS standards, you might enjoy the LDS Readers blog- interesting reviews, open for comments if you've also read the book, that sort of thing. I really like it! Check it out.

Do you like talking about books?

2009-09-24T08:11:00.006-06:00

Bell Ladies Good Reads!
Come on over to Bell Ladies Good Reads! Bell Ladies is a fun group of women who discuss all kinds of things from politics, to fashion, to home care, you name it. Now I get to guide discussion on a new page dedicated to reading and all things books.

Check it out, and I hope you'll stay with us!

To all fellow quote nerds

2009-09-23T09:15:00.003-06:00

"I have been complimented many times, and they always embarrass me; I always feel they have not said enough."
---Mark Twain

I love quotes. I write them in notebooks, scribble down good ones when I'm in meetings, use them later for inspiration or whatever. If you are a quote nerd like I am, you will love this site. Quotes from everyone imaginable, in every category imaginable. If you have a talk or speech to give in the near future, you might want to check this out!

www.brainyquote.com

An oldie but goodie...

2009-09-22T11:13:00.004-06:00

So much of what I get out of this life is found in the pages of books, big surprise, and I've mentioned this one before but it bears repeating. If you need a little bit of a shift in the way you think, you might like this book.

It's the precursor to The Secret and a gajillion other books/philosophies that followed, and I love it for its simplicity and genuine tone. Aside from that, it's given me some great food for thought and brought to mind ideas and concepts that have been truly lifting during times of stress or sadness.

I hope you'll give it a try at some point and remember that even though it was written decades ago, (and at times seems really charmingly quaint), the concepts are sound and well worth the time it takes to read.

I highly recommend it! Ok, now back to work. Isabelle awaits. :-)

Favorite historical settings...

2009-09-17T08:35:00.002-06:00

Do you have a favorite historical setting? Something that speaks to your heart and makes you almost wish you'd been alive then?

Some of my favorites are:
Victorian England
Colonial India
Egypt in the 19th Century archaeology craze
The Roaring 20s

I know I'll think of more, but for now that's what comes to mind.

How about you?

Fall reads

2009-09-16T12:41:00.003-06:00

I just threw open my window for the first time in...well...a long time. The temperature is slated for a high of 83ish and my home is well-shaded in the front, allowing for a nice, gentle breeze.

I do so love autumn! Just when I'm afraid summer will be eternal, fall slides in and redeems my faith in the beautiful 23 1/2 degree tilt and the fact that the sun now hangs lower in the southern sky and will soon bring Halloween and Thanksgiving in its wings.

I have certain books I love to read depending on the season. Not particular books, I suppose, but certain genres. I love a good, frothy romance in the summer. Nothing like a good beach read. In the fall I enjoy Dracula, Frankenstein, books that lend themselves to setting the mood for a good Halloween.

My book club is reading Ender's Game this month, and although I've read it before, I am so looking forward to getting into it again. Ok, it's not exactly Dracula, but for some reason it feels right for the season. I need to get on it- book club is in two weeks.

Do you have any books you like to read in the fall? Please share!

LDS Bookcorner!

2009-09-14T08:13:00.004-06:00

Last week, my book Isabelle Webb, Legend of the Jewel was featured at LDS Bookcorner and I was out of town. I didn't have internet access and it had been my intention to post a link to the site. So it's too late to receive the first 20 pages of the book in an email from LDS Bookcorner, but here's the link anyway! The site is fabulous, and if you're a reader of LDS fiction, I highly recommend you visit and then add it to your favorites list.

Ok, I'm trying to get my second Isabelle book ready for submission so back to work I go!

Anticipation is always more fun

2009-08-31T23:46:00.003-06:00

It seems like I've been an avid anticipater my whole life. My personality profile suggests this about my preferred line of thinking: "What could be is always more exciting than what is." As a kid, the anticipation of any event almost eclipsed the event itself. Sometimes the buildup was so emotionally absorbing that the event almost felt anticlimactic in comparison.

I thought of the fun of anticipation the other night as I sat with some friends in my living room for Book Club. We read an old favorite, Pride and Prejudice, and had a good discussion. We also compared the book to the more prevalent movies released in recent decades. This led to a more general discussion about romance in books and movies, and one of my friends mentioned the fun of the buildup to that big kiss, the big embrace, the deliciousness of the tension and anticipation.

Remember when you were young and reading a book where the hero and heroine sat by each other, their fingers almost touching? Sometimes the simplest of gestures are the most satisfying. I remember being 13 and reading one of my beloved Trixie Belden books. Jim and Trixie HELD HANDS on a plane ride at the end of the story. Actually, she put her fist in his palm and he closed his fingers around it.

I was in absolute ecstasy. I must have read that book a million times for that scene alone.

I think there's a crucial element to a good love story that will work almost every time for me. Now, the fact that the book must be well written with compelling characters is a given. So ok, assuming those things are in place, the thing I want is tension. I want tension between the hero and heroine. By the time he finally takes her hand or they move in for that kiss, I want to be saying, preferably out loud, "Oh come ON already!" Make it worth my while. I want a story to be emotionally charged and the characters emotions to be deep and intense. I want the air around them charged and the passion intense with just a glance or a meeting of the eyes without a word even spoken.

Now, granted, I do not feel these things from reading Pride and Prejudice. The relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy is much more...subdued. At least on the page. My friend assures me that the Kiera Knightly version is much more grand and charged with love, drama and a fantastic music score. I have yet to see it myself, but it's on my list of to do's.

As a writer, I suppose my Ideal Reader would be the one who sighs at the end of my books, completely emotionally satisfied and fulfilled with the romance thing. My eternal quest will probably be to write the perfect book about the perfect romance that people will read again and again.

I suppose I should mention that my personality profile opens with this description: "If ever there was a personality destined to die for love, this is it."

Oy.

BTS Night

2009-08-21T08:17:00.002-06:00

Aw yeah. Back to School night for both my daughters. Mark went with Nina and I took Anna. (And Gunder. Doh.) We talked to teachers, noted the required supplies, walked the crowded halls and said hi to friends they haven't seen for three months. Part of me was excited for Anna, and the other part wanted to throw up. I really did like school, but the drama with friends and hoping people would like me and wanting to look perfect, etc etc came back with a vengeance.

In terms of Anna's classes, I found myself being excited for her. The geography teacher said she needs colored pencils because they do a lot of maps. Natch. Ok, I so would have been all over that. I have a weird affinity for both colored pencils and maps. The math teacher was really cool and I think it'll be a good match for my daughter, and the English teacher was one I would have loved having as a kid. And she has the kids write something every day!

They're writing every day!

I think this is one of the most valuable skills that helps students across the board. If you can read and write, success in multiple subjects is much more attainable than otherwise.

I'm reminded of the line in "You've Got Mail," where Tom Hanks tells Meg Ryan that he wants to buy "bouquets of sharpened pencils." Dork that I am, I love that. My favorite pencils ever are the Ticonderoga Tri Write. They are unbelievably sexy. Yes, I just said that about a pencil.

All things considered, as much as I will miss the freedom of summer, I am looking forward to reestablishing routine around here. I'm much more organized during the school year. Summer becomes a free-for-all.

To my sweet children, I wish you good luck and fabulous friends and good study habits. I hope that you'll learn many wonderful and useful things this year, and that your successes will be satisfying.

Better stop before I get all misty-eyed.

Danger, beware!

2009-08-18T00:00:00.000-06:00

"There's a danger in the word 'someday.'" --Henry B. Eyering.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the danger of Someday.

Someday I will take that trip. Someday I will actually ride that roller coaster. Someday I will learn how to sew something useful. Someday I will go back to school. Someday I will read that book sitting by my bedside. Someday I will be brave and befriend that new neighbor. Someday I will begin an exercise program. Someday, someday, someday...

The problem is that Someday often doesn't come. Someday doesn't make itself manifest until we create it. Oftentimes, the Somedays that we yearn for are secret longings of our hearts, things we don't tell another soul about but quietly wish we could or would do.

The problem with waiting is that none of us know how much time we're allotted here, and how sad would it be to get to the other side of life only to realize that while we did our best and what was required of us, we could have experienced a lot more, found much more enrichment and joy along the way.

Maybe I'm all introspective because I turned 40 last month and I'm now doing the whole Am I Where I thought I Would Be thing. Gratefully, I have accomplished much of what I envisioned when I was 18. I have waited, however, for other things that could have brought me joy much sooner.

For example, I've been a Someday I'll exercise person for years. I had a gloriously fast metabolism as a kid and then I hit 30. Oy. Those insidious pounds crept on one by one until I looked at myself in the mirror and wondered what had happened. Again, maybe because of the milestone birthday and maybe because I managed to lose a couple of pounds from a brief illness--whatever the reason, I decided to keep those few pounds off and begin melting away the rest.

I've exercised and eaten smart, and have lost roughly 20 pounds since May. My goal is another 20. It's gratifying to see real results and knowing it's coming because I'm working at it is that much more satisfying. Who knew I would come to look forward to jogging? I used to be winded climbing a flight of stairs.

Am I sounding like an infomercial for weight loss? I don't mean to. I just want to throw this out there, that I have a renewed sense of faith in our secret dreams. The only thing holding us back is ourselves. I know this to be true, because I've done it. I came across a quote the other day, and now I can't remember where I saw it, but basically it asked if we are hanging out in the rear mezzanine of life.

It hit me squarely. I don't want to be standing in the shadows of my own life. I don't want you to be standing in the shadows of your own life, either. Rabbi Zusya said, "If they ask me in the next world, 'Why were you not Moses?' I will know the answer. but if they ask me, 'Why were you not Zusya?' I will have nothing to say."

We are all unique, and we all have talents, some of the bizarre. Doesn't matter how weird or inconsequential we think they are; we have an obligation to ourselves and those in our realm of life to use those talents and pursue our secret dreams.

Take that class, go on that walk, take that vacation with your sister, do something carefree with your kids, read that book, write that book, learn to play that musical instrument, save a little pocket change for that silly froo-froo home decor thing you really want but don't really need. Love your family with abandon, their faults and all. Think of one good thing your spouse did for you last week and give him/her a big, fat kiss for it.

There is so much good in this world, and so many opportunities for us to do those things we want to, whether small or big. Beware of Someday and instead, reach inside to where you are uncertain or self-conscious. Rip that secret dream from its hiding place in your heart and put it down on paper. Smile.

A Writer's Must-Have

2009-08-14T17:11:00.003-06:00

So this book has been around forever, but it's new to me. Just when I thought I'd bought every writing how-to book on the planet, I found a classic at B&N that I'd always heard about but never read.

Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones is so, so good. I'm already implementing her suggestions and techniques into my writing day. The book has a decided Zen/Eastern slant to it, but even if you're not particularly appreciative of all things Zen, the principles contain truths and ideas guaranteed to resonate with even the most unZenlike writer.

Of course, now that I've raved about this book, you may want to take a look at Jennie Hansen's August 5th post, "Fantastic or Boring." What's good to one isn't always good to another.

But trust me. This book is good.

Simple Summer Favorites

2009-07-22T20:12:00.001-06:00

I do so love the different seasons. Really. Every time we go into a new season, I think of all the reasons why that one is my favorite. Then, just when I get tired of it, it's time for another one. Well, it's really, really hot right now where I live, but I'm still loving summer. I decided to make a list of ten of my favorite things about it:

1. popsicles
2. the farmer's market and fruit stands
3. our family garden and fresh veggies
4. my sister's pool
5. watching my husband swim in my sister's pool- he's like a fish.
6. green lawns
7. the smell of freshly-mowed green lawns
8. bar-b-ques
9. my little boy wearing only shorts and his tan tummy
10. my big girls and their tan shoulders, looking like I used to

(Ok, so number 10 is a little bittersweet. Give them a few years and a couple pregnancies and then they'll be envious of their own daughters).

But how about you? Do you like summer? What are some of your favorite things?

Sometimes the simplest times are the best

2009-07-07T13:24:00.002-06:00

This 4th of July, my family and I spent time with my sister who lives a block away from me. They recently moved to Ogden from Salt Lake, and the best bonus of all is her backyard pool. My husband has been cleaning and caring for it in a most dedicated fashion, because my sis and brother-in-law are not really what they call, "Pool People," but we definitely are. They said they'd not fill it in if we would help maintain it.

Done and done.

So we all hung out on the 4th, doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING MORE than swimming, sitting under the umbrellas, eating and visiting. We didn't go anywhere, buy anything other than food for the grill and some simple fireworks that we lit later in the street. (My favorite are the pagodas that spin and then pop up at the end. Sweet!)

My 4-year-old was even low-maintenance because his water wing contraption keeps him afloat so well that he can toodle all over the pool and we don't have to worry about him drowning. Ok, we need to teach him to swim, but for now, it's awesome. The only downside to the day was that two of the five siblings and their families weren't able to make it. And my dad's recovering from some surgery so we let my parents miss this one. Other than these missing loved ones, the day was absolutely divine.

I found myself hoping my sister never, ever moves because when we're all old and gray with one foot in the grave, maybe, I still want to be able to go over to her house and hang out with the people I love. And to have no agenda?! Such bliss, I tell you! It was the best 4th I can think of; I loved every minute of it.

It's a good lesson for me. Simple is good. Makes me want to go through my house and create a minimalist palate. I know myself too well, though. Wouldn't be long before I'd have things cluttered about again. Then I'd just have to go through again and purge. Purge, collect, repeat. One eternal round, or something.

At any rate, I hope everyone who celebrates the 4th of July had a wonderful time, and my wishes to all that we make time to enjoy loved ones first and foremost.

My book is boring me, or I have writer's block...

2009-06-11T14:15:00.002-06:00

To those of you who like to write and are working on a project/book, I have a question for you that I put on my Scribbling Teens blog:

What happens if you're writing along, loving it, and then you miss a day or two, or three, or four and you find yourself slightly bored with the thought of picking up the pen or opening the folder?

This happened to me while I was writing my first book. I put it away for weeks at a time, sometimes months, and it took me five years to write a book that ended up being just under 200 pages long. Kinda lame, yes. I got bored with it, I listened to the inner voices that told me I was wasting my time...

Well, I've since discovered some things that will help. If you do need to put the book away for a small amount of time to take a breather, fine. Do just that. But don't NOT write something else every day. Keep your writing habit alive by still writing/journaling/scribbling something down each day. We must ingrain the daily writing habit, even if it's only ten minutes at a time.

Another idea might be to try a fresh project for a bit and then go back to the original one that was giving you fits. When you get a little bit of distance from it, sometimes you can see the thing that was wrong, or you realize you really do like that idea and you're willing to work with it again. I don't suggest you put it away for five years, though, if you can help it.

Maybe it would help to brainstorm a list of possibilities for your characters. Start making a list of things that could happen to him/her. Raise the stakes! Do something horrible and let the character work her way out of it. Shake it up a bit.

Go for a walk and think about your book. Let the fresh air slip into your head and rejuvenate those tired brain cells. (Or something like that). Truly, sometimes just moving around does wonders for my writing abilities.

Sit somewhere crowded and listen to people talking. See if there's anything you overhear that might be useful in your story. Challenge yourself- see if you can find a way to fit in something you might not have thought of otherwise.

Don't give in to boredom or writer's block! Fight it!!

Scribbling Teens

2009-06-09T23:50:00.003-06:00

Do you know any teens who like to write? I've started a new blog called Scribbling Teens that's aimed at helping kids figure out the writing process and learn as much as possible to help them along their paths to writerhood. (I know that's not a real word).

Anyway, if you know of anybody who might be interested, point them in my direction!

Thanks! :-)

Amazing talent!

2009-06-07T19:46:00.017-06:00

Saturday was so much fun for me. I was privileged to be on the committee for THE Teen Writers Conference, which turned out so well. I also did the coordinating for the writing contest, and it was so amazing. There's a lot of talent out there in the world, housed in the bodies of the 19 and younger.

The classes were really good, the kids seemed to have a good time, and the author panels were informative. I even learned a few things!

Among the books I bought at the conference:

I've known Jeff (J. Scott Savage), for a few years now, and I watch his career climb with admiration and awe. He's amazing, approachable, and so very cool!

I met Lisa Mangum in person at the conference but had been communicating with her earlier in the week regarding the contest judging. She was such a wonderful judge, and would be, of course, because she's a real-life professional editor for Deseret Book. She's amazing. Smart and witty and as she sat talking with the kids during lunch, my opinion of her just kept growing. She offered advice and was so approachable to the kids. It was so cool. Thank you for all your time and effort, Lisa!! Can't wait to read your book.

I had James Dashner's first volume of the 13th Reality series at home and wished I'd thought to bring it with me for him to sign. Such a funny, funny man. I'd seen him being entertaining with Jeff Savage for two years at the Whitneys and have seen him all over the web but never had the chance to actually talk with him until Saturday and I just have to say, he's wonderful. So articulate and sarcastic, two qualities I love and admire in others. :-) At any rate, I will continue to watch his career climb and cheer wholeheartedly for him from the sidelines. His book The Maze Runner comes out this fall from... Random House! So incredibly cool. (Plus, I think I've found a political kindred spirit, and this is always a wonderful thing.)

I don't have a copy of this book yet, but I can't wait to read it. I don't think I've ever met a more energetic, entertaining and sincere performer than Julie Wright. She was so, so wonderful. She did the general session at the conference and it was everything I could have hoped for and more. I think the kids got a real treat in her, and everything she said about the differing stages of writership was dead-on and I'm really hoping the kids took some good notes. Awesome, awesome, and she is so warm and just all-around great. Wish she lived farther north!

I bought this book, but will have to wait until I get it. They sold out! Annette took my order and will mail it to me. Call me a dork, but I do love a good grammar book. That would also mean Annette is a dork too, and she's anything but. She's also wonderful, (I'm using that word a lot), and I had a great time talking to her. She's a wealth of industry info, and she's a person I know I could ask just about anything and she'd probably have the answer for it. She's also incredibly funny and great to talk to.

I met Jewel Adams several years ago and have had the chance off and on to see her at various functions. I'm always impressed with her class and style. Jewel is awesome and I'm glad to say I know her. We traded books and I can't wait to start The Journey!! She's an incredible lady with an amazing presence about her.

I also met Ronda Hinrichsen, who has a new book called Missing coming out this month from Leatherwood Press. Another book to add to the stack! It sounds really cool, and I enjoyed spending some time with Ronda at the conference. She has a very polished air about her that reminds me of someone who really has her crap together. (Does that sound crude? I obviously don't have my crap together yet). At any rate, she was nice and gracious and I liked getting to know her.

Karen Hoover is a massage therapist! I'm thinking we need to set up a chair for her at future conferences. Oh, and in addition to that, she's signed a contract with Valor Publishing Group and has a book slated for March, 2010. Woohoo!! She was so much fun to talk to and I loved getting to know her.

I spent time with Heather Moore, historical novel author extraordinaire and winner of this year's Whitney and Best of State awards. She's beautiful and eloquent, as always, and has a daughter who looks just like her!!

Also on the committee and giving a wonderful presentation on humor was Matthew Buckley/Marion Jensen. As Josi put it, he was the testosterone on the committee that helped keep the estrogen in check. He's such a nice guy and I really enjoyed his presentation. He has such a dry sense of humor- subtle and very hilarious.

Speaking of funny, Jessica Day George was there as a presenter and panelist. I could just sit and listen to her talk because she is so funny and light. She's a person who will brighten up a room just by walking into it. I can't wait to read her books. They've been on my list since last year when I saw her receive her Whitney award for her book Dragon Slippers. She's an amazing person.

I met Cindy Bezas, (C.S. Bezas), for real at this conference, after seeing her only in passing before. What an amazingly talented woman. She was a committee member and presenter, and she's done it all, from books to music and everything in between. (I've tried unsuccessfully to link to her website- I'll try again in a bit). At any rate, she is all things gracious and lovely and I'm in awe of her accomplishments. Plus, she brought chocolate for her presentation which now makes her the smartest person I know.

Last, but not least, Josi Kilpack is an amazing woman. I want to be like her when I grow up. She ran one heck of an amazing conference and I am really, really impressed. It ran like clockwork, and I've decided if I ever need to have a major event organized, I want her in charge. Not to mention that she's funny and smart and I really like her. I've had her book, Lemon Tart, for some time now, and it's in my TBR stack. I will one day read all these great books. I think one day will start tomorrow morning. Extra reading time isn't going to leap into my lap. Unfortunately.

Well, all told, it was a great conference and I really hope that the kids enjoyed themselves and feel it was worth their time. I would have been all kinds of bat-crazy for something like this when I was young. Good times!!!

Someone made MY day!

2009-06-04T21:57:00.001-06:00

So Bookworm Nation totally made my day by posting that I made HER day! Here's the link- she says some really nice things about me and my books. It seriously makes me feel so good.

Thank you, thank you!!

Conference prep!

2009-06-04T00:00:00.003-06:00

I'm getting ready for THE Teen Writers Conference, which is happening this Saturday at Weber State. I'm finalizing my presentation and going over the contest entries, which have been so, so impressive. There are, I'm thrilled to say, some very talented writing kids in the world. In all, about half of the registered attendees entered the writing contest, and I happen to be in the know about the prizes. They are going to be uber cool.

So I'm old school- fighting the inevitability of the power point, (really, what's so bad about a white board and a marker? And the fact that the markers smell so good is an added bonus), and recruiting my husband and daughters to help. I know the mechanics of making the slides, putting together the presentation, but there's this little part of me that is waiting for the whole thing to crash on Saturday and then I'll have to punt.

With the whiteboard and a marker. Hmm. Who knew a crash could be a good thing?

Well, at any rate, I am so, so excited about this conference and the kids I'll get to meet. Kindred spirits, all of them, I'm sure. There's something about being with other people who love to do the same things you do. You can be as different as night and day, and yet there's a bond, an understanding. (You love pens and paper? Really? Me too!) I've loved reading and writing as long as I can remember. Only a fellow nerd would understand the delight of reading Nancy Drew and eating countless Popsicles in the back yard all summer long.

So to the kids I'll meet on Saturday, I give you a fond cyber-greeting in advance. You are now who I used to be. It's a good, good life. There is nothing more satisfying, for some of us, than writing. I wish you all the good things that a life of writing has to offer.

And perhaps the most important advice a writer can ever receive?

Read. And then read some more.

Can't wait to meet all of you!

Stephen King writes a lot

2009-05-25T23:33:00.004-06:00

I just followed a link from Nathan Bransford's blog to a blog called The Book Page, where they have a quick write-up on Stephen King's new book, coming out this fall. You know, I may actually be able to read this one! His books usually scare the beejeebies out of me so much that I can't keep reading them. After checking out the premise of Under the Dome, I think I might brave it.

Reading about his page count reminds me of a review I read once about a Tom Clancy novel, where the reviewer said something along the lines of, "Tom Clancy again gives us a novel that weighs more than a laptop..." Stephen King's The Stand is one of those that's definitely in the heavier-than-a-laptop category, and it'd be fun to see Under the Dome become as well-loved. King is one of those dreaded genre authors, *sniff of disdain,* and he's prolific and beloved and talented and wealthy because of it and I love it. He's been one of the most vocal supporters of "popular fiction" and its value, despite the bad rap it usually gets, and I've appreciated that about him.

I love a good, weighty novel. I love that an author has so much to say. One of my favorite books ever, coincidentally also by Stephen King, On Writing, suggests that if you have a God-given talent to write and you aren't writing, what's your problem? He says something like, "What are you doing, knitting afghans?"

Hmm. It's a good question. I find myself often avoiding the computer. Writing is a hard thing to do. Many's the time I've stared at the screen, at that blasted blinking cursor, and wished someone would come along and tell me what happens next. And as I sat knitting the other night, Mr. King's comments came floating through my brain and I stared guiltily at the knitting needles, feeling like they were the devil.

Well, I've renewed my resolve to live a well-balanced life. There will be time to knit after I've written my word quota for the day. And can I get a massive woot-woot for the fact that school will soon be out and I'll have two teenage slaves at my disposal. Don't tell them, but I plan on putting them to work so I can get some things done.

And maybe, just maybe, before I die I'll be able to string so many words together that I'll produce a thousand-page novel. That'd be so, so cool.

You running out of ideas?

2009-05-20T23:08:00.004-06:00

Lily Furedi's Subway

I had a quick visit with a cousin I don't see very often, and we were catching up on life and such. He asked me how the writing was going, and I said it's kind of slow right now. He misunderstood, and asked if I was having a hard time coming up with ideas.

Well, the idea well is never really dry. In fact, knock on wood, I have enough ideas to last me for, like, seven lifetimes. I'll never get them all written. Ideas are never my problem. Slow sales- that can be a problem.

My only consolation is that sales have been relatively slow across the board. I'm thanking my lucky stars that it's not just me. The only book industry still booming, from what I understand, is the national romance novel sector. I can understand, because I am a die-hard romance fan myself, and I'm always a sucker for the guaranteed happy ending.

Life is cyclical, or so I've been told, and I have high hopes that things will pick up again. I was thinking about these things when I opened my newly-delivered Smithsonian Magazine this afternoon. This current issue is so full of good stuff! I was especially enamored of an article on Depression-era paintings. This is the link to the article, and if you visit it, which I'm sure you will after this, click to see all the pictures they highlight. As the author, Jerry Adler, explains- there's such a sense of optimism in these beautiful paintings. Like people knew the hard times would pass and life would again be pleasant.

I worry about abusing copyright law, and hope that I haven't, but I had to include two of my favorites here. The one above is the "seedy subway crowd," which totally makes me laugh because hello, they look better put-together than most of us today in our Sunday best.

This one is called Tenement Flats, by Millard Sheets. It speaks to me because of its sense of community among women; it makes me think of my friends I love and spend time with up and down my neighborhood streets, and I appreciate the strength I draw from them.

I sometimes think it would be an awful lot of fun to live in such quarters as this, and to be such a part of each others' daily lives in close proximity. (Then we'd probably be all mad at each other for hanging our laundry in someone else's spot or the kids making too much noise, running around inside...but for a while, hey. Total fun).

At any rate, these images give me a reminder that my ancestors on both sides seem to shout from the dust: work is always the answer. Reminds me of my favorite line from Disney's "The Great Mouse Detective." "There's always a chance, Doctor. As long as one can think." I figure if I can keep thinking, I can keep producing.

And truly, there are moments in my day when I am so thankful just to be here for the journey. What a privilege. :-)

THE Teen Writers' Conference

2009-04-27T22:15:00.009-06:00

Hey all- the following is an interview with Josi Kilpack, THE Teen Writers' Conference chair. I'm honored to be on the committee with her and am looking forward to this conference. It's going to be great, and if you know any kids aged 13-19, please pass the info along!!

NANCY: Tell us a little bit about yourself, Josi.

JOSI: I’m a mother of four, ages 15-7, and an author of 9 novels, with a tenth coming out in August. I have been a member of multiple writing groups, large and small, and a committee member and former conference chair for numerous writer’s conferences. In addition, I’m a frequent presenter to schools and groups, a fabulous cook (if I do say so myself) and amateur chicken farmer.

NANCY: You are the conference chairperson for an upcoming writers' conference for kids. Please tell us about the purpose of the conference.

JOSI: Several of the committee members and myself have been involved with putting together writing conferences for several years. We started small and have grown until our most recent conference had well over 250 attendants. Over the years we have had some teenagers attend our conference, and while they have enjoyed the experience, it seems to also be a bit overwhelming to walk into a two day, morning to night information-fest. So, we began discussing the idea of having a conference where the format, classes, and overall environment is created specifically to give kids, ages 13-19, the best overall introduction to writing conferences as well as instruction that will be most helpful to where they are now on their journey of being a writer. From there we started throwing out ideas and it really just rolled all together until we have this; THE Teen Writer’s Conference.

NANCY: What is your purpose for the conference? What do you hope the teens who come discover?

JOSI: Our hope is that the attendees will discover a lot of things, 1) that they are not the only kids that write, 2) that whatever goals or ambitions they might have in regard to becoming a writer are within reach, and 3) that it takes knowledge and time and concerted effort to accomplish those goals. Those of us on the committee, all of us being writers ourselves, have spent years honing our craft and are excited to help set these kids on that same path—perhaps earlier than we ever started.

NANCY: What kind of classes will you be offering?

JOSI: We will have classes that focus on actual elements of writing, as well as classes on book markets, the publishing process, and what they can do now to best prepare themselves for a future in writing. We have a variety of classes so as to appeal to both new and experiences writers.

NANCY: What if a teen would like to come, but is really shy? Will there be anything that will make him or her uncomfortable?

JOSI: Our entire focus and reason for putting this conference together is to create a comfortable place for young writers to come, learn, and flourish. We have been and will continue to put their comfort as our first priority because we know if they are intimidated and anxious, they will not benefit from this experience. However, we also expect them to be ready for this experience. Each youth, along with their parents, will need to determine if they are ready to be a part of this. Not all teen writers will be, and that’s okay. We hope to make this an annual event, so if this year won’t work, then perhaps by next year they will be ready.

NANCY: What is your overall goal for every youth that attends the Teen Writers' Conference?

JOSI: That they leave encouraged and inspired to do their best, to hone their craft, and to truly reach for the stars in regard to their writing and their life. We also hope they will make friends with one another and feel a sense of community among other writers their own age.

NANCY: How were you able to get such excellent editors and famous writers to attend?

JOSI: Well, in all humility I have to admit that they are my friends—my very good friends. We are like-minded people that saw a common goal and made it happen. I admire each and every person on this committee, and understand the sacrifice they each make to be a part of this. We are joined in this purpose as well as in our passion for great writing. I am blessed to rub shoulders with some of the best writers out there and the attendees get to benefit from that gift in my life.

NANCY: When is it and how do teens register?

JOSI: Registration is open for another 4 weeks. To register, attendees need to go to the website www.teenwritersconference.com and print off the registration form. Those attendees under the age of 17 will need parental permission to attend; then they will mail the completed registration, along with payment, to the address printed on the page. They, and their parents, will receive a welcome e-mail upon receipt of their registration as well as updates as the conference gets closer. Updates will also be posted on the website.

NANCY: Finally, this conference is for 13 to 19 year olds. Why that age group?

JOSI: We discussed this issue at length, and then simply decided since it was a TEEN conference, we would make it open to TEENS only. We feel that having them among their peers will help them relax and yet be willing to ask questions, meet other kids, and focus on the instruction we’re providing. For the older attendees, this will likely be a kind of introduction to adult-focused writer’s conferences, showing them what to expect and how the typical conference is organized. For the younger attendees, we hope they will come back year after year and continue learning about what they can do in the future.

NANCY: Any other information you'd like to share?

JOSI: We’ve had some parents express concern in regard to leaving their children at the conference without them. Again, this conference isn’t right for all teens, or all parents, but we do ask that parents consider the value of letting their children experience the independent nature of this conference. As a committee, we are dedicated to their safety and comfort; they will come to no harm while attending. And while we ask that parents stay clear of the conference rooms, there are many places on campus that are great for reading or getting some other work done if they worry about going too far away. We will also allow attendees to keep cell-phones on silent throughout the conference so that parents are only a phone call away. For those attendees without cell-phones, they are welcome to use a committee member's phone at any time.

NANCY: Where can people go to find more information, and especially to learn about the writing contest made available just for those who attend?

JOSI: www.teenwritersconference.com has all the details of the conference, contest, venue, etc. If something is not answered, there are e-mail links that will send you to us so we can give you the details you are looking for.

**And a final note from me- this is going to be so fun. What I wouldn't have given to have had something like this when I was a kid! I'm looking forward to it and am pleased to be teaching a class, myself!

Questions or comments? Check out the website or feel free to email me.

She posted WHAT online?

2009-04-23T18:06:00.003-06:00

I just found this extremely cool link from Nathan Brandsford's blog. It's an article written by author Lynn Viehl, and in it she writes about how she got on the NYT mass market bestseller list. She even, get this, posted her royalty statement for all and sundry to peruse. She clearly lists how much money she made, what percentages went where, and what she ultimately pocketed.

For anyone wondering how things are in the national publishing scene, this is one link you don't want to miss.

Ok, scrapping the schedule

2009-04-23T16:50:00.003-06:00

I'm a Meyers/Briggs/Keirsey ENFP personality type, which basically means that I have issues with rules, regulations and too much routine.

Makes me sound really dependable, doesn't it.

And in light of the fact that I've not nearly done what I set out to do with this blog, I'm scrapping the rigid, (hey, for me, it's rigid), schedule and will post as often as possible about at least one of the things I was trying to do with that daily schedule.

Right now, I'm pushing to get my next book done, and between that and mothering, I find myself not giving the blog the attention it deserves. I'm hoping if I relax it a bit for myself, my posts will be better.

Lame, yes. And I suppose you might understand if you are also an ENFP. My dad is an ESTJ. Personality-wise, the only thing we have in common is the extrovert piece. He is duty-bound and dependable. I struggle to make it on time anywhere. It's not something I'm proud of. But given the fact that in the evolutionary scheme of things I do supposedly have the potential to learn and progress, (and trust me, there are days I wonder if I've evolved much past, say, plant life), I have to believe that by the time I'm 80, I'll be responsible, too.

At least, that's what I tell myself. ;-) My dad has hope.

Author Spotlight- Michele Ashman Bell

2009-04-17T00:00:00.001-06:00

So I'm skipping Thursday's Tidbits post and jumping right into the author spotlight for this week.

When I was perusing shelves for LDS authors before I sent in my first manuscript, I saw Michele's name. She, Anita Stansfield and Rachel Nunes are the women I remember seeing the most as I conducted my own informal market research, and I've been lucky enough to get to know all three of these talented ladies.

Michele has 21 published books to her credit, and those books include romances, young adult adventures, short stories and children's books. I've enjoyed her romance novels and my daughter loved her young adult books.

Michele is beautiful and gracious, and even though she is both of those things, I can't help but love her. I try to hate her but it doesn't work. She is one of the most genuinely nice people I've ever met. She also possesses amazing people skills--I've seen her charm people at book signings, and I always come away from time spent with her with lifted spirits and a smile.

All that aside, she's a really good storyteller, which is the point of this spotlight. Her most recent series is The Butterfly Box, of which the first book has been published (A Modest Proposal),and she's just finished writing the second. I have yet to read A Modest Proposal, which is sitting on my nightstand and waiting for a peaceful moment (ha!) this summer when I can read it and bask in the sun. It's one of those books I've been putting off because I want to enjoy it at my leisure. (Does that make sense? Am I the only one who does that?) I've enjoyed many of Michele's books, but I think my favorite this far is Finding Paradise.

Michele is the mother of three beautiful girls, a handsome son and she has a darling grandbaby. Her blog is here. Her website is here. I think she's the ultimate fun beach read, and since summer is coming... :-)

Industry Info

2009-04-14T23:34:00.006-06:00

Thanks to the miracle of cyberspace, we have access to agents and editors who openly share their business lives with the rest of us through their sites and blogs. There are a few that I've seen many writers link to on their blogrolls, and one such is Nathan Bransford. This guy has such good advice and a sense of humor, to boot. I check his blog daily and have made lots of good notes.

There are so many good agent blogs out there, but another that I frequent is LDS Publisher. She gives valuable advice specific to the LDS market, so if that's your goal, your time will be well spent at this blog.

One last blog with a wealth of info: BookEnds LLC. So, so much good stuff to be had there. BookEnds is a literary agency and I love the conversational, helpful and friendly tone of the posts. Makes you feel like you can get there from here.

Good luck, and might I suggest a massive Google hunt for agents/editors if you want to get an overall feel for who's out there and who might be representing the kind of books you write. If you're like me, the hunt is half the fun. I love doing industry research. If you're not like me, however, then just visit the links I've provided, for starters, and work from there. :-)

Happy hunting!

Books I Like

2009-04-14T23:17:00.003-06:00

So I'm really late posting this, but I haven't forgotten. I'm trying to finish the book I'm working on right now, and it has me a little scattered.

One of my favorite books of all time is Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I read this book several years ago for a book club and really, really loved it. It tells the story of Francie Nolan, and girl growing up in Brooklyn with her brother, practical mother and alcoholic father, whom she adores. They live in poverty, but there's such a feeling of hope about the book that it didn't bog me down in spirit the way others have. By the end of the book, I was pulling for this character, and I was so happy with how it all ended.

I do believe that most of the reviews I've seen about this book have been positive. Some like it more than others, of course, and one review I saw recently mentioned some prejudice and stereotyping in the book that I don't remember jumping out at me. It's been some time, though, and it could be I've blocked it out. It makes me cringe a little to think that there may be something objectionable in terms of prejudice that I may have missed. Some books are interesting commentaries on their time/settings and as such the reader will expect it to reflect the attitudes of the day. There are other times, though, that it's too much, to the point that it detracts from the story, and I don't remember feeling that with this book.

One thing is for sure--it made me appreciate a fully-stocked kitchen.

Writing Tips- Generating Ideas

2009-04-13T14:55:00.002-06:00

"Where do you get your ideas?"

Such a common question, and I usually respond with my favorite answer to everything: Brainstorming.

Now, granted, there are ideas everywhere; a story in the newspaper or something on tv might trigger a great idea. But lots of times, my ideas have come from brainstorm lists.

Here's one way I do this. I make lists of jobs I think are really cool, locations I'd love to visit, people I think are interesting, that sort of thing. I also list my favorite books and movies, examining what I really like as a reader, and jot down everything I can think of.

Then, I start asking the "what if" question. What if artifacts started disappearing from an archaeological dig in Guatemala? What if a man with a rotten past temporarily forgot it? And what if clues to his past took him to Savannah, Georgia and Tuscany, Italy? And what if this same guy sees a mirror image of himself lying dead in an alley? (Ok, so maybe that's not a common "what if" question; I'm just odd).

The key to everything, for me, is brainstorming. It's how I work things out. And when I get ideas, I know I'll forget them if I don't write it down somewhere. I've jotted down plot ideas and notes for other books on scraps of paper or notebooks I put aside and when I find these ideas later, I'm always amazed that a) I thought of them in the first place, and b) that those ideas haven't popped up in my mind since. That's been one witness to me that just because I think of something once doesn't always mean I'll think of it twice. I have to write it down.

Incidentally, lists are also a great journaling device. My sister makes lists, and I copied her idea once, ages ago. I listed all of my kids' favorite foods, movies, books, and toys. It's such a fun window into the past. The memories come right back and I can see my kids playing all over again.

Brainstorming lists! Try it!

Author Spotlight- Jennie Hansen

2009-04-10T00:00:00.000-06:00

My first author spotlight is someone I know personally and admire very much, both as a writer and a woman. She's amazingly talented, strong and kind. She's also witty and 9 times out of 10, I find myself saying, "Yeah, what she said!" She puts into words the things I'm thinking but she does it so much more effectively than I do.

Jennie has 20 published books to her credit, the most recent being High Country. She's written both contemporary and historical novels. She also has an impressive background as an award-winning journalist. I'm constantly in awe of the way she strings words together.

Jennie is also a book reviewer for Meridian. She does this in addition to her writing, family, and now temple work. One of the things I appreciate about Jennie, as a reviewer, is that she's honest, but kind. She is also so well-read that I know I can trust her opinion about good writing, regardless of whether or not we like the same kinds of books.

Here's a link to her website- as a reader I'm always happy to find author websites so I can read a little about them and discover how they started life as a published writer. Click on the link and learn some more about Jennie- that is, if you haven't already. It'll be worth your time!

She's really good.

And no, she didn't pay me to do this. ;-)

Behind the scenes...

2009-04-09T00:00:00.002-06:00

I was trying to think of a tidbit from my 2nd book, No Time for Love, when I remembered the most glaring change of all that I had to make.

In this book, my heroine is a private investigator who spends the bulk of her time following cheating husbands around and showing evidence of their infidelities to their wives, who hired her to do the following around in the first place. ORIGINALLY, she was hired by the wives to serve as BAIT, to see if the husbands would fall for it.

What was I thinking? I mean really, that's a bit edgy for my intended audience, and my publisher let me know it. I figured, hey, it gives the heroine that much more of a reason to be jaded, which was an integral part of her character at the beginning.

Well, with the rewrite, she still came off as jaded enough, and it worked.

That's me. LDS fiction's bad girl. ;-) (Oh, come on! Like we haven't all had stuff we've had to tone down at one point or another! No? Well don't I feel sheepish...)

Industry Info

2009-04-08T18:00:00.004-06:00

Ok, so I'm going to morph two categories into one; I've realized that much of what I'd offer in terms of industry info is also in the form of links to sites and blogs that I find helpful, which is supposed to be Saturday's category. So Industry Info now includes blogs/websites/books and I'll think of something else for Saturday.

To begin, the mother of all industry helps in this business is, of course, Writer's Digest Magazine. I read this publication before I was published and still read it, religiously, to this day. The advice they offer runs the gamut from writing tips to agent searching to working with editors to the ever changing market--it's a treasure trove of info for the hungry author.

I was absolutely THRILLED one day, years ago, when I read an article on some kind of writing style, it escapes me now, but as I read I was thinking, "Hey! I already do that! Woohoo!" Now when I look back on some of my early books I kind of cringe, but even then I did manage to do a few things right.

One of the things I love about writing is how much I change and evolve as I go. I'm convinced that rarely is an author as good as s/he has the potential to be. It's why we keep trying to learn and get better and improve upon what we already know and do. I love that there's always more to learn. For me, that thought keeps it fresh and maybe I'll forever be chasing the dangling carrot, but at least it keeps me moving. Better that than to stagnate.

I read books on the writing craft voraciously. I can't get enough of them. Along with the trusty Writer's Digest, these books keep me continually searching and evaluating what I do. So given that, the book I should mention in this post as it's been my favorite, to date, and will likely always be, is Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. Absolutely the mecca, for me, of writing advice. I love, love this book.

If you're looking to keep a finger on the pulse of your writing career, I'd start first with a subscription, (or monthly bookstore visit), to Writer's Digest. It's an excellent place to begin, if you haven't already.

Back on track. Sort of.

2009-04-07T07:28:00.004-06:00

So life intruded and I fell off the schedule. Didn't take me long. To the five of you who read this blog, I apologize!

Ok. So Monday was Writing Tip day. (I missed Friday and Saturday of last week, too, but that'll just have to be missed until this week).

My writing tip for today is my most favorite part of the whole process and I carry it throughout the whole project. BRAINSTORMING! This is how I begin all of my books and it's the blueprint I use from start to finish.

Now yes, it tends to be a bit messy, but I pull from my brainstorm list and use it to make outlines and what I call the Next Time Notes, but more on that later. My brainstorm list has every little thought I ever conceived of for the book. There's no order to the list at all, just a massive compilation of thoughts and ideas.

Then, when I start to see how the structure will form, I make a general outline and pull from the brainstorm list, which is often several pages long. Then, as I write, I cross items off both my outline and the brainstorm list so I know what's been covered and what still needs to go in.

I think one of the reasons I like brainstorming so much is because at that point, the story is still perfect. It's this fantastic idea that has the potential to become something wonderful. I read somewhere that the finished product is never quite as perfect as we envision it, and that is so true for me, but I do the best I can and then let it go. It is what it is.

For each book I write, I have a notebook I keep with tabs for each section. Some of my sections include brainstorming, chapter outlines, general outline, research, running edit, and ICAs, (Individual Character Assessments). And although it's the most jumbled and formless, I like looking back over the brainstorming section because it's fun to see how an idea popped out of chaos and morphed into something organized. My notebooks become fun journals that I revisit every now and then.

Now then, Tuesday's post is supposed to be a Book I Enjoy. For today's book, I choose Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte. Ah, the quintessential romantic book, I absolutely love the story and brooding hero. It's my favorite formula: governess and moody lord of the manor who is in desperate need of her healing hand. I like the way the mystery unfolds, layer by spooky layer, and the relationship evolves slowly and beautifully. The happy ending leaves me in such a good place that I invariable close the book with a sigh. Admittedly, I haven't read it for about 20 years, and now it makes me wonder if my perspective has changed at all. (For exampe, I read The Scarlet Letter in high school and was pretty irritated. I read it later at 30 and was absolutely OUTRAGED). Jane Eyre is on my local bookclub list to read, so I'll let you know if I have some weird issues with it now that I'm so much older and wiser.

At any rate, any particular thoughts on brainstorming or Jane Eyre would be welcome! What do you think?

Tidbits- What's in a name?

2009-04-02T00:00:00.001-06:00

Ok, so my first tidbit is from my first novel, Love Beyond Time. (No, I often don't pick the titles. The publishing company does. And, although I've been known to bash the titles, from a marketing standpoint they really are effective).

ANYway. I began writing this book when we lived in Atlanta for a short time. I had just read a time travel novel by Jude Deveraux, (A Night in Shining Armor, if you're interested), and I was totally enamored of the landscape around Atlanta--all the plaques everywhere that stated what had happened there in that very spot--so I decided to try to write a book myself.

When I first started the book, my heroine was a doctor named Claire Elizabeth. Loved, loved that name. As I progressed with the book, (over an embarrassingly long period of time), I came across a series of books I thought looked absolutely wonderful. The third in the series, Voyager, was newly released, so I backed up and read the first two books. Alas, imagine my dismay to realize that the books were about a time-traveling nurse-turned-doctor named: Claire Elizabeth. The series is the now-famed Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Amazing, amazing books.

*Sob*

I was distraught. But as my character was a time-traveling medical worker, I didn't want to be a copy cat, even though it really was entirely coincidental.

So I changed Claire's name to Amber. It worked, but it was SO HARD to change the character's name in the middle of the writing. I didn't think of her as an Amber. It was sillily painful. Now enough time has passed, (and truthfully I'd have to reread the book to really remember it well), that I can think of her as Amber.

I did resurrect the name Claire, however. She became an archaeologist in my third book. :-)

Industry Info

2009-04-01T07:40:00.005-06:00

This post is going to be the most basic of basic posts on submitting manuscripts to a real-life publisher. I'll just begin by telling you what I knew about publishing when I finished writing my first book.

Little to nothing.

The one thing I had in my favor was that I'd made several virtual friends online through a couple of romance readers' bulletin boards. These friends were wonderfully supportive; some of them were published nationally, others were avid readers who knew what they liked in a good story. Through these associations I found the drive to finish my first manuscript and then actually pursue publication.

How did I do that? I hopped online, of course. I knew nobody personally who was published in the LDS market, so I went to a few key websites. Lo and behold, they had submission guidelines! I followed their instructions to the last detail, made three copies of my book, submitted to three companies and crossed my fingers.

I also followed sage advice and kept writing. (I give this sentence its own little paragraph because I cannot emphasize how important it is).

After a few months, I heard from all three companies; the first two sent nice rejection letters, and the third company told me that if I made a few changes, they'd publish my book. Happily enough, I made the changes. And the nice thing was that while I'd waited to hear from the publishers, I'd been able to write the sequel to the first book. It was nice to be able to submit that one right away and get going on the third book.

Now, this will seem silly and very elementary to people who are well-versed in the arts of learning about publishers and submitting manuscripts. But for the novice who really has no idea where to start, just begin by surfing publishers' websites. They'll tell you everything you need to know about submitting to them, and whether or not they take unsolicited manuscripts. (Unsolicited = you don't have an agent and you're just sending the book out on your own).

To make a long story short, become familiar with your favorite publishers' websites and guidelines. This is the advice I always give first when people ask me how to go about the process of getting published. We live in an age where this process is so much more accessible to the unpublished writer--take advantage of it! Know their requirements inside and out. Pay attention to the kinds of books they publish. Follow their instructions to the letter; don't assume that your book is so fabulous that they'll dismiss the fact that you didn't format the manuscript to their specific requirements. They notice things like that; if they say they want double-spaced with one-inch margins all around, that's what they mean.

(Don't panic if you're not sure how to format your manuscript just right--I guarantee you have someone in your life who can help you with this. Typically, the younger they are, the more proficient. Take a 13-year-old kid who's written essays for school and I'll show you a kid who knows Microsoft Word pretty well. Said kid can probably be bought for a burrito or a Slurpee).

This is really basic stuff, and again, I apologize if you're way beyond this. But I hope there's at least one writer out there who might be wondering where to start. I would have loved for someone to walk me through the process, and while some of my friends were able to help, so much of what I learned was self-taught. The publishing industry is complex, but it's also fascinating and not nearly as intimidating to face if you surf around for a bit and learn all you can about it.

J. Scott Savage, author of the new Farworld series, has an awesome post on publishing, ("Publishing 101"), and he says it so much better than I do! He really is amazing--a wonderful writer who's becoming a marketing genius in his own right. I admire him very much.

Good luck!

Books I Like

2009-03-31T07:36:00.008-06:00

For my first ever Books I Like post, I have to begin with Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo. I first read this book at 20, and I've loved it ever since. It's the perfect blend of great story and cool writing.

When I read this book, I had been reading a lot of Jeffrey Archer and I was thrilled to realize that TCOMC was really like a classic version of an Archer novel. The ending of Monte Cristo had enough twists and turns to keep me satisfied as a reader who loves a good mystery and it also has a romantic element that had the sap in me entirely satisfied.

Jeffrey Archer remains one of my favorite authors today, so imagine my surprise and delight when I picked up one of his most recent releases and flipped it over to read the back. A Prisoner of Birth is about a man, wrongly framed by four supposed friends and then imprisoned, and details his life in prison and then as he takes his revenge after his jail time. Sound familiar? I can't wait to get into this book, but I'm saving it for a nice, long stretch of summer reading pleasure.

I loved Monte Cristo, and as such recommended it for my book club a few years ago. It timed with the release of the new movie perfectly so after we read the book, we all went to the movie together.

Nice eye candy.

They totally slaughtered the story.

I mean, they totally ruined it, in my humble opinion. But such is often the case.

The book is almost always better.

Write What You Know?

2009-03-30T07:17:00.003-06:00

So one of the most basic pieces of writing advice you're ever likely to hear is the old, "write what you know," phrase. It's certainly good advice; when you're writing about something with which you have a lot of experience, it's bound to come off sounding authentic and will draw your reader that much more into your story.

But what if you don't like what you know? Take me, for example. I'm a SAHM with a degree in elementary education. Now, there's probably a great story out there waiting for me where the heroine is a teacher and a bunch of crazy things happen. But that's really not what I want to write about. Now, anyway.

In my books, my characters have time traveled, been doctors, spies, private investigators, archaeologists, antique experts and survivors of the Civil War. Some of my heroes have been accountants, tech guys, former drug addicts, blacksmiths and victims of amnesia.

Nothing in my shorter novels, (those that exclude the Civil War seris), has ever happened to anyone I know. A lot of what I've written is what I call "escape fiction," and is totally out there. That's because it's what I like to read, as well. When I read for enjoyment, I like to be completely and thoroughly entertained.

I also happen to love research.

Eeewww! So many people hate research, but I really love it. And here's one of the biggest benefits to spending a bit of time researching: it becomes what you know! I know, how great is that! If you spend some time becoming familiar with something else- a different occupation, location, time period- you have moved yourself into the realm of knowing something about the subject and when you do that, all sorts of things open up for your writing. Suddenly it becomes very easy to imagine a character with a given set of traits who, when you put her into a given set of circumstances or a profession, takes off on her own.

I suppose what I mean with all of this is that while yes, you will write with your own set of experiences behind you, it's ok to venture out into the unknown and make it known. Don't be intimmidated about writing something you haven't personally experienced just because you haven't personally experienced it.

Crack open a book on ancient Egypt, google archaeology, buy a guidebook on India or England--the sky's the limit if you don't limit yourself.

Streamlining Time!

2009-03-28T21:35:00.003-06:00

So I was at Celebrating Sisterhood today at the Redwood Road Seagull. (Shout-out to Edie and her people for putting on a great event!). I got to visit with some friends- Michele Ashman Bell, Jeri Gilchrist, Heather Moore and Angela Eschler.

Anyway, while I was talking to Michele about this whole blogging thing, I realized I need to do what she's doing- streamlining. So NCAllen is now specifically about writing, and Nifty Nancy is where I'm hosting the stuff I've been doing until now. I'll still do the fun stuff my friends and family enjoy, (or at least they're nice enough to tell me they do!) on that blog so that this one can be devoted to what I do for a living.

I plan to dedicate each day of the week on this blog to a specific writing-related topic. This is how I envision the schedule, and here's hoping I can stick to it:

Monday- Writing tips
Tuesday- Some books I enjoy
Wednesday- Publishing industry info
Thursday- Behind the scenes tidbits on my books
Friday- Author spotlights
Saturday- Writer's Guides and websites that I've found helpful.

At any rate, I really hope that maybe some writers-in-progress will stumble across the information I put here. Heaven knows I would have loved to have had it when I was trying to get published.

Thanks for your patience while I restructure! :-)