Politics, Priestcraft & Purple Pansies

As a general rule I don't discuss politics except with my husband and a few select people that don't make me pine for the squishy cucumber at the bottom of my crisper. Over the last day or two there has been a flurry of discussion in regards to what to me sounds like politics of LDS film. One guy telling another guy he's horrible, the other guy saying the first guy wasn't just horrible but his mama was horrible too. If you want to read up on the current LDS film debate, Jeff Savage did a great job of pointing it out on the frog blog. Read up and get your fill.

In 2 Nephi 26:29 it reads:
"...for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world: but they seek not the welfare of zion."

I mean this as no insult to anyone. I am also not passing any judgement, only pointing out that anyone who creates Art based on matters of religion needs to tread carefully. I think there is a real threat to us when our creativity--career--and testimony all end up on the same plate. It's very difficult for one thing to not influence the other, hard for us not to think "I'm using the gifts God gave me, and anyone that doesn't see that is a sinner".

I'm not immune to this. I write what I consider an edgier type of LDS fiction than many writers in this market. I confront matters of LDS culture that I personally find squishy-cucumber and it's too much for some people. I know, because they e-mail me and tell me so :-). When I get these e-mails I immediately wonder what is wrong with THEM. Why don't they appreciate ME? What kind of mote is in there eye that they don't recognize truth when they see it? On the same vein I get frustrated when I can't find the time I need to write such brilliance. Shouldn't my children be less demanding? Isn't hot dogs four nights in a row okay since I need to change the world with my next book? Go make yourself a freaking kay-sa-dila! (spelled wrong on purpose. Gosh!) Thoughts like this have created a tug of war within myself over why I do this and what I expect to come of it.

Do I want to be rich and famous? I can't answer that with a no and be considered truly honest, and yet I'm embarrassed to admit it because I know where my treasure ought to be. Do I want to change people's lives? I can't answer that with a yes and not feel pompous. And without those two things, why else do I do this? Truly I'm not sure. I love to write and feel my Father in Heaven gave me gifts that I've developed into talents that allow me to do so--so why aren't my novels just lined up on my own bookshelves bound in a trapper keeper? If all I wanted to do was write, why bother with publishing which then puts me in the wanting-to-be-rich-and-famous-and-change-people's-lives club.

Again, I have no difinative (I know I'm spelling this wrong but spell check won't help me and wants me to say innovative) answer. But I read Chris Heimerdinger's article today and there was a line that stood out to me. In his article he said "...if LDS filmmakers are going to succeed, they cannot forget that their first priority is entertainment. First and foremost, a movie must thrill, surprise, enchant and keep people on the edge of their seats."

THIS resonated with me and brought me back into a more comfortable chair. Yes, I want my books to be a good influence, and yes I'd like to pay for my kids braces with royalties instead of shoe money, but the very first job of an LDS writer, filmmaker, playwright is to entertain--in my opinion. If an LDS artist pursues their own gift and leaves out the entertainment quality of their work, then they are just preaching. And preaching for temporal gain is defined as priestcraft. Don't do it! As you write, as you delve into issues of religion and culture put a sign above your computer that says "I am an entertainer". Not only do I believe this will keep us on the right track, it will also hopefully keep us from getting our testimony tangled up with our financial goals. I started reading LDS fiction because I wanted characters I could better relate to, and being part of that for other readers is a good thing, right? I hope so because it's about the purest motive I can find within myself.

I wish Dutcher the best, I will miss his films. I hope he finds the happiness and peace we all deserve in this life. Though I don't know him personally, I have followed his career with interest and people that do know him personally speak very highly of him and his family.

I wish Merrill the best as well. I have boiled up my own vents and then in hindsight wished for a strong roll of duct tape. He has taken a great deal of flack for his films from Dutcher and others, movies I also enjoyed very much. I wish him the best as he picks his way through the aftermath of this. I don't know him personally either, but have heard only good things about him from people that do. We watched The Testaments on Easter Sunday and it will be a tradition from here on out.

And I am stoked for Passageway to Zarahemla to come out. I love Heimerdinger's books and I'm excited to see the movie come to fruition. He made another comment I liked: "I've been a storyteller my whole career, but I would be the first to confess that what I do is totally expendable. The LDS Church would progress just fine without LDS films or novels. No movie experience should ever compare with that of taking the sacrament. And no story will ever be more influential in changing someone's life than the efforts of a good-hearted bishop, a loving parent, a caring seminary teacher or a dedicated Scoutmaster."

So, for all us storytellers out there. Tell a story first. Chances are your own testimony will come through, but tell the story first. If we take this challenge, we will tell better stories, our readers will be entertained, and therefore they will come back of their own accord--not because they feel shamed into it, or feel the need to support US--and we will not have invested more than we can afford to lose in the outcome of our efforts (i.e. testimony). Honestly, what a relief it is to know it's not my job to convert anyone. That the weight of this gospel is not on the shoulders of my paperback novel. I leave that to you seminary teachers and scoutmasters :-)

As for purple pansies--my goats are currently free ranging because I haven't fixed the coop door and they have eaten all my flowers EXCEPT purple pansies. I have no idea why, but the idea intrigues me. What's wrong with purple pansies? They eat roses and lilies, and columbines, and tulips, even yellow and white and orange pansies but not purple pansies. Wierd huh? Weirder still, why didn't I fix the coop in time to save my spring flowers? I leave it all up to you to relate this to politics and Preist Craft. Good Luck (I couldn't do it)

My history...

I was just tagged by Tristi Pinkston with this history game, very fun! After I'm done, I'll tag five more bloggers and may I say how glad I am to have been tagged so quickly—it means I still have people to choose from--bummer for the rest of you :-) Here we go:

1. Go to Wikipedia and type in your birth date only -without the year.

May 26


2. List 3 events that occurred that day:

1830 - The Indian Removal Act is passed by the U.S. Congress; it is signed into law by President Andrew Jackson two days later—Sad day with disasterous results, IMO

1992 - Charles Geschke, co-founder of Adobe Systems, Inc. was kidnapped at gunpoint from the Adobe parking lot in Mountain View, California for $650,000 and is held hostage in a rented house in Hollister, California. The FBI rescues him four days later. Would that not make a great book?

2004 - The New York Times publishes an admission of journalistic failings, claiming that its flawed reporting and lack of skeptism towards sources during the buildup to the 2003 war in Iraq helped promote the belief that Iraq possessed large stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. I remember this one.


3. List 2 important birthdays:

1907 - John Wayne, American actor (d. 1979)—I don’t think my mother knows this or I would be her favorite child!

1948 - Stevie Nicks, American songwriter—I love Fleetwood Mac so this one I’ve known for many years.


4. List 1 death:

My pet parakeet Zepplin when I was in the 7th grade. I’m a little offended Wikipedia didn’t have this reference.

And, no one I’ve ever heard of died on this day except for 1948 - Theodore Morell, Hitler's personal physician (b. 1886)

5. List a holiday or observance:

National Sorry Day in Australia, so whatever I did, I’m sorry mate.

Now I get to tag five other bloggers-Bwahahahahaha

Julie Wright

Katie Parker

Marsha

LDSpublisher (she can use the day she started her publishing house ☺

Rob Wells

Quirky, Quirk, Quirk

Everyone talks about writers being eccentric and quirky, right? Well, I'm a writer and I'm not quirky. I'm a very very very very very very very normal individual.

So, knowing how normal I am, I don't know where those funky writers-are-weird rumors come from, hence I've developed the theory that it's just what un-creative people say. Kind of like those girls in high-school mom said only talked badly about people to make themselves feel better. However, I have to admit that I do know of some writers that are down right weird, but in the spirit of 'saying something nice' we'll use the word quirky. For example:

Julie Wright checks her word count every few paragraphs and hits save after EVERY sentence. She says she's a paranoid obsessive compulsive--do we want to raise an argument to that? She's also worn only one color of lipstick for the last ten years. AND, she's blown up a computer. She has a weird electrical thing going on and has a bit of a current running through her. She's always shocking people--not by what she says, but the shock you used to give when you'd shuffled your feed on the carpet. If she wears her hair down, it starts floating like when you put your hand on that electro-ball thing in science class. I kid you not.

Steven King "I have a glass of water or I have a cup of tea. I have my vitamin pill, I have my music; I have my same seat; and the papers are all arranged in the same places." And yes, he's the guy that wrote The Shining. "All work and no play makes Jack (ur, Steven) a dull boy."

Heather Moore (H.B. Moore from my pen name blog) will turn off the lights if she has a chunk of time to write, she's also been known to close her eyes and type. She didn't give me a reason for this but I wonder if it's like those times as a child when you would cover your eyes and think no one could see you. If only it were that easy...

Hans Christian Andersen put a sign next to his bed that read “I am not really dead.” And I have to wonder, was it the ugly duckling or Little Mermaid that knocked his rocker over?

Jeff Savage...oh where to start. For firsts, he LIKES Disneyland, secondly, he met his wife with a bag over his head. That explains a lot. And he didn't get back to me with his quirks so I think whatever his quirks are have to do with tomato soup and Peter, Paul, and Mary. He's welcome to correct me in the comments trail.

Annette Lyon, who has all kinds of education and credentials freezes when someone is looking over her shoulder. Doesn't matter who, she can't physically write if someone is reading as she goes. She also names rocks.

Charles Dickens walked twenty to thirty miles a day. He also placed objects on his desk in exactly the same position, always set his bed in north/south directions, and touched certain objects three times for luck--quite frankly, having read a little Dickens, this does not surprise me.

Rachel Nunes Always signs books in black or gold ink, never never never blue because she doesn't like the way it looks in books. She also has a nervous reaction to people that misuse lay/lie and she will correct you (I know this because I don't know the difference between lying on a test and laying under a bus:-) And whenver she's on TV, she wears red.

Stephanie Black is also a closet book whisperer. She whispers while she writes and her face begins to contort into her 'writer's face'. I wonder if this is like when the dog bares his teeth in order to get you to BACK OFF. I might need to look into this one.

Carole Thayne always wears socks when she writes. Warm feet, warm fingers perhaps.

And me? I told you, I don't have any. I'm a very very very very very very very normal person. Good thing too, someone's got to throw off the curve.

Are you a quirker? Or is it time to make good on the blackmail material you have on someone else? I'm all ears (or eyes since it's a blog and all)

(Portions of this blog gleaned from Judy Reeves)

Pen Names

Back in the day when I felt sure being a published author meant scads of people calling my house at all hours of the night and the need for ten foot wrought iron fencing to protect my children's privacy, I decided that I needed a pen name.

It had to be something mysterious and easy to pronounce. I wanted it to sound smart and yet sassy, yet just like naming my children I wanted it to have meaning. Deep, sacred meaning. So, I thought and thought and decided that I wanted the name June Snow. This is actually my grandmother's name, it's one I was familiar with and since this woman died when my mother was still a teenager, it was very mysterious to me. I told my husband. "You don't want to use my name?" he said. I tried to console him by explaining how miserable the paparazzi would make our lives if I dared use my real name. He finally patted my shoulder and said he was okay. Then I told my father, "You won't use your husband's name but you won't even use my name?" I tried to explain my reasons to him as well but later that day I found him and my husband snickering. I asked what was so funny and they acted like they didn't know what I was talking about. Weird.

Fast forward a few months to when my book HAD been accepted and I told my publisher that I wanted a pen name. He said "Uh, why?" so I explained my romantic notions and he said. "Uh, not necessary. We want to sell books and the fact is that your real name will sell books when people recognize you as the lady they used to Visit Teach". Well, I hadn't thought about that and I didn't argue, but I did look into how to make my phone number an unlisted one should we get hounded.

Fast forward another seven years and I have no telephone call problems and no need for fencing. Now and then I get a "Hey, are you Josi Kilpack the author?" but that's usually in the small town I live in from people who saw the posters I put up myself. So why do some authors have pen names?

Janette Rallison writes YA for the national market. When she decided to write for the LDS market she didn't want to confuse her already established fans by having them run into religious stories. So she came up with a pen name to keep her books separate. It's not a secret--which is what I thought the whole point of a pen name was. She's very open about it and at the recent LDStorymaker conference she taught one class as Janette Rallison and one as Sierra St. James.

Dr. Suess was a pen name for Theodore Suess Giesel simply because Dr. Suess is much more fun and easier to say.

Mark Twain was really Samuel Longhorn Clemens--I don't know why, he just was.

Ninteenth century English Novelist George Eliot was really Mary Ann Evans--how many men would have read a woman's book back then?

My good friend writes under the name Carole Thayne, which is her maiden name. Her married name, Carole Warburton, was already taken by another LDS writer so she had to get creative.

Heather Moore writes the "Out of Jerusalem" series but her publisher suggested the pen name H.B. Moore, thinking it would broaden her audience and keep men from assuming her books were romances. And apparently it's worked since most people assume she's a man (including me until I was introduced to her). She is in fact very very female but people seem to stereotype women as not being scholarly enough for scriptural novels. Joke's on them.

Nora Roberts is known for her romance novels. When she decided to write futuristic suspense, she took on the pen name of J.D. Robb. Again, it's not a secret. But women that love Nora Roberts romances, won't pick up a futuristic suspense by mistake and feel let down. Similarly, forty two year old Blake Cartney hates romance novels and it's a cold day in Disneyland when he's gunna pick up a book by that blasted Nora Roberts. Now J.D. Robb, boy can he hanker on a good scheme.

And I bet you didn't know that Japanese novelist Natsume Soseki is really Natsume Kinnosuke--sly, very very sly.

So will I ever use a pen name? I might need one already. At a recent book signing a woman asked me what my books were about. I said "Well this one is a suspense, this one is more of a romance, and these ones are more family drama" and it gets me thinking, should I have different names for different books? Will Sue pick up a romance thinking it's a suspense and be disappointed? Will Lou-Lou be hungry for a romance and end up with a mystery? I don't know, and I guess it's too late anyway. In this market a 'brand name' is important. You want people to buy your book because they recognize your name, and I can only hope that they end up liking all the genres I write as much as I like writing them.

So, if you were going to have a pen name what would it be and why? I already told you mine, though lately I've thought Jezabell Pierce would have more of a kick.

Oops, I did it again...

So, my WIP is in time-out for bad behavior and with nothing better to do (other than the continual dishes, yardwork, personal hygene--yada, yada, yada) I'm pondering Themes. Not the "This book is about the pursuit of happiness despite decades of self-hatred" kind of themes, but the author kind of themes.

Like how Mary Higgins Clark always has pasta, wine, and cheese in her books, and how John Grisham's characters are always cynical men who if not single, wish they were. You know what I mean.

Since I'm an egotistical writer, that thought came back to my own themes. What do I tend to repeat within my books. I have seven novels, one will be out in 26 days, though who's counting, and one other is Star Struck which broke all of my molds and didn't sell, which makes me want to leave it out. So I'm leaving it out, because it's my book and my blog and I can do that kind of thing if I want to, and hence I'm only counting my six women's novel in this highly intellectual discussion.

I have a hospital visit in every book--except maybe Sheep's_Clothing, but it's implied and summarized later.

All of my women have long hair. Weird huh? I mean, I am partial to long hair on myself, but that's mostly because I have a neck like a giraffe (truly, I have one more vertebrae than most women between their skull and their collarbone--which also explains why I'm short waisted and have to have tapered shirts to prove I still have a waist)

All of my women and men are Caucasian. That's pretty typical for LDS fiction though, but it shouldn't be.

Most of my women are divorced. Now, my last two aren't--but Maddie in Unsung Lullaby thought about divorce and Kate, my Sheep's_Clothing woman, would never consider it--but they aren't romances either. So I have to wonder, do I believe that romance can't happen for single people, or do I find it cliche? OR, do I find divorce Romantic?

Strangely, only one of my male leads has ever been divorced (Allen in Earning Eternity)

All of my books take place at least in part in Salt Lake--big shocker there, another LDS fiction trend I've been sucked into through no fault of my own! Yes, I'm from Salt Lake.

All my male leads are educated white collar--I've had a psychiatrist, a teacher, an accountant, a developer, an investment banker--oh wait, Tally from Tempest Tossed isn't necessarily white collar, but he's independently wealthy.

All my women are average. Not too tall, not too short, not too heavy, not too thin--though Emma in To Have or To Hold is pretty thin. but still are all in the 'normal' range of things. I like that though and don't think I'll change it. Now Janet was a little super modelish in Tempest Tossed, but that was okay cause she was a pain and no one really liked her (Well, I did)

What I don't want to have happen to me, as I've seen happen to too many writers, is they get a certain amount of books come out and all their characters start sounding the same, or the storylines are copy-cats. I hate that. So, in order to combat it I need to write about a short haired, non-average-sized woman of ethnicity who hasn't been married, has no ties to Utah, never went to college, but that Mormon women can relate to. Hey, she sounds more like the average Mormon than any of the women I've written about before! I might be on to something.

If you've noticed any other themes in my books let me know, or if I need to look for some in your books, tell me that too so I don't feel so bad :-)

Mid-Newsletter Newsletter

Don't you just hate it when you're sitting at the computer, minding your own business and realize the pitter-patter of little feet in the hallway are not children, but goats?

Anyway, back to your semi-regularly scheduled mid-Newsletter Newsletter (and be sure the kids shut the back door ALL the way)...
______________________________________


The 4th annual LDStorymakers Writers' Conference is over, and I can breathe again. The apricot trees are blossoming, the words of my WIP are coming, my new batch of Bantam chicks are on order, I'm heading out for an anniversary overnighter with my sweetie tonight, and Soccer season doesn't start until next week. In a nutshell, life is good.

By way of sending a quick update on a few things (thank you to the newsletter recipients that followed the link :-) :

**Lady's night at Deseret Book is this Saturday (March 31) and if you've never been, boy, what an event! Scads of authors, drawings, FOOD--a complete lovefest of book-zealots like myself. Look up your closest DB and give it a try, it is a lot of fun. And if you happen to be in the proximity of the Layton Hills Mall, stop in and see me :-) You're welcome to bring in already-purchased books to have me sign and I'd love to see you. I'll be there from 6-8.

**Sheep's_Clothing isn't due to be out for a few more weeks but it is #125 on Deseret Book's website! If you're planning to buy from DB and would like to pre-order, follow this link and know that I'll love you forever!

http://deseretbook.com/store/product?sku=4981433

**The Opening night party for Sheep's_Clothing will be on Thursday, May 10 (right before mother's day) at my local bookstore Reflections of Utah. I absolutely love these Opening Night Parties. There are doorprizes, refreshments, a grand prize drawing and great discounts. I'm currently getting my prize donations gathered and my promotional items organized, so stay tuned!

**In addition to the Opening Night Party, I'll be having Book-signings in Salt Lake and Logan sometime in May.

That's all for now, hopefully I'll see some of you in one place or another. Thanks again for all the support

The lady in Green

Saturday night at the LDStorymaker conference, I had forgotten to get the projector into the ballroom for Janette Rallison's closing presentation. So I ran into room 309 (i.e. Broiler) and on my way out a cute lady in a green shirt, black pants (capris I think) with blonde hair and a forgiving nature asked if I could sign a book she had purchased. Because of my inability to do two things at once I told her I'd do it in a few minutes and that I'd find her, then I flew out of that room like a bat out of a broiler so I could get everything set up on time.

WELL, it was about three hours later when back at my hotel that I remembered. So I scanned my brain (it didn't take very long) to try and remember if she'd found me, since I hadn't remembered on my own and therefore hadn't found her like I said I would. I'm pretty sure that I didn't ever get around to signing her book.

So, I need help. If anyone reading this blog knows who it is I'm talking about, could you have her contact me. kilpack@gmail.com so that I can attempt to right this wrong of mine.

Thanks much,

DONE!!

Well, the 2007 LDStorymakers writer's conference has been done for ...about 3 hours. I've been back in my hotel for...about one hour and I've got my latest novel open on my computer. and waiting patientlly while I take the time to blog this. I saw all of two presentations but I am more pumped than I've been for weeks. It was a great conference, I had a wonderful time and am renewed! What an amazing thing life can be, what a powerful influence is freindship and talents and a Father in Heaven that wants good things for us in this life. How grateful I am for a husband that supports me, for kids that forgive me, for people that make me laugh. Thanks to everyone that came, thanks to all the Storymakers that helped make this possible. I'm glad to look upon it and see good things there. I can't wait for next year.

Now, back to my book...

Inside Sessions

About six years ago I paid $99 to take an online course called “Inside Sessions”. I’d seen it advertised on TV and thought it sounded interesting. Whoever put it together did a video interview with several best selling national authors such as Ken Follett, Amy Tan, Tom Clancy, Sue Graphton and a few others. They asked them specific questions on different parts and points of writing, then cut the filmed interviews into topics. The course was split up into chapters, focusing on one topic and you got to hear the different authors way of doing things.

Absolutely fascinating stuff!

At the time I watched this I was struggling to figure out my career (the very term was hard to utter, even in my mind). I had one book out that had done poorly, I’d gotten out of my contract and had just had my second novel rejected by a different publisher. I knew I was missing something and was sure that there was some secret formula out there that I needed to discover. And I did, through Inside Sessions—the secret? There is no secret! There is no one way that works for every writer. In fact, I dare say that no two writers do everything exactly the same.

During this online video course, they talked about outlining—one thing I was very interested in at the time. In fact I had bought a book called “”The Marshall Plan” which outlines every detail of the book you want to write. You fill out forms for each scene within each chapter, you have very specific character roles, and essentially map out the entire book before you write a word of it. I was trying to do this, but kept making changes, thus having to go back and change the entire thing (250 pages in a 3 ring binder). I know other authors that like this formula, but it wasn’t working for me and I wondered WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? But did you know that Tom Clancy never outlines at all? Ken Follett on the other hand outlines first by thirds, then chapter, then scene, then character within the scene, then dialogue by the character in the scene. He spends an entire year outlining in this kind of detail, each item of his outline put on a 3X5 card and taped to a wall in his office. Two amazing writers, two completely different ways of writing.

Rewrites—Sue Graphton goes through several—Tom Clancy, not ONE. Some of the authors answered with long explanations, showing that even they don’t do things the same for every book they write, and other’s were exact and followed the same process for every thing they wrote.

Editing—some revised AS THEY WENT, which I had been told in writing conferences was impossible. Other’s were so well planned and plotted they didn’t revise a thing once they finished.

Time—Tom Clancy writes a book in about four months. Ken Follett spends an entire year outlining and another year writing it.

Why they write—Amy Tan writes to educate the world on Chinese culture and take her people from the shadows and into mainstream understanding. Sue Graphton writes to entertain and because she loves a good mystery.

By the time I finished this program (I was on dialup and could watch about two minutes at a time so it took awhile) I felt better about my writing than I had since being naïve enough to think my first book (the one that didn’t sell well, remember) was going to change the world! I put the binder of my Marshall Plan manuscript away—in fact I put the entire story away (it later became Tempest Tossed). And I sat down and wrote a brand new story that had been in my head. The next day I went to where I’d written the day before and revised it before starting my ‘fresh’ writing of that day—it had always driven me mad to know there was a change I needed to make but I felt I couldn’t make it yet OR I’d start writing and later find out I’d been repeating myself. A few days later I cut out ten pages and thought I was going to have a stroke, but I’d changed my mind about that particular direction and like trying to find the right dress, I needed to try this one on for size.

So here I am six or so years later and I’m still trying to figure out my groove. I wrote Star Struck in 3 months, revised it twice and sent it in. Unsung Lullaby was a work in progress for five full years and I had nearly 500 pages in my ‘cuts’ folder and 292 in the finished draft. I currently have parts of six different novels on my computer, each one will hopefully become a book one day, but I’m only working on one. I have 230 pages of cuts and 83 pages of finished product. I’m avoiding my writing today because I know there are two scenes that have to go. Ouch.

The point is that every writer writes in their own way and that’s a GOOD thing. If you don’t write like me, congrats! I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, and yet, it’s what works for me. If you don’t write like Sue Graphton, no worries, neither does Amy Tan. I continue to learn so many great ideas from other writers I associate with and love to ask them about their specific tricks and tips but amid taking notes on what they do, I take comfort in knowing that I have my own trail to blaze and can build any kind of wagon to take me there.

So, the big question: what works for you?

(I did also learn you can buy Inside Sessions on video--but Amazon only had one and I just picked it up. Sorry--but if you bring me chocolate covered cinnamon bears I might let you borrow it)

102 LDS books

Recently I found a blog-tag of 100 books—I believe they were the best selling books of all time (Harry Potter came in far ahead of The Bible, FWIW). The bloggers then marked the books they’d read, the ones they’d never heard of and the ones they highly recommended. I thought “Wouldn’t it be fun to do that with LDS books?”
I have no way of knowing the best selling LDS books, so I did the next best thing. I chose nine other authors who are each very well read in this market (list at the bottom of this blog) to send me a list of their ten favorite LDS books of all time. Then I combined the results into this list—102 books recommended by 10 authors. And I’ve used the following key:

Bold=I read it
Highlighted=I’ve never heard of it
Italics= A favorite that stayed with me a long time
(I chose to only bold the ones I’ve read and highlight the ones I hadn’t heard of because so many of my friends are on this list and I can’t choose favorites--but some of you might be braver than me)


1) A Heartbeat Away—Rachel Ann Nunes
2) Almost Sisters—Nancy Anderson, Lael J. Littke
and Carroll H. Morris
3) Angels Don't Knock—Dan Yates
4) An Old Fashioned Romance—Marcia Lynn McClure
5) A Question of consequence—Gordon Ryan
6) Ariana: The Making of a Queen—Rachel Ann Nunes
7) As the Ward Turns—Joni Hilton
8) At the Journey’s End—Annette Lyon
9) Baptists at Our Barbecue—Robert Farrell Smith
10) Charlie—Jack Weyland
11) Charley’s Monument—Blaine M. Yorgason)
12) Chickens in the Headlights—Matthew Buckley (on my to-read list)
13) Children of the Promise, Vol 1: Rumors of War—
Dean Hughes
14) Children of the Promise, Vol 2: Since You Were Gone—
Dean Hughes
15) Come Armageddon—Anne Perry
16) Daughter of a King—Rachel Ann Nunes (picture book)
17) Dead on Arrival--Jeffrey Savage
18) Double Cross--Betsy Brannon Green
19) Dusty Britches—Marcia Lynn McClure
20) Emeralds and Espionage—Lynn Gardner
21) Escaping the Shadows—Lisa J. Peck
22) Fablehaven—Brandon Mull (My daughter raved)
23) False Pretenses—Carole Thayne
24) Faraway Child—Amy Maida Wadsworth
25) Fire of the Covenant—Gerald Lund
26) First Love and Forever—Anita Stansfield
27) Flowers of the Winds--Dorothy Keddington
28) Ghost of a Chance—Kerry Blair
29) Gustavia Browne—Alene Roberts
30) Jimmy Fincher Saga Vol. 4: War of the Black Curtain—
James Dashner (My daughter LOVED it)
31) House on the Hill—Annette Lyon
32) House of Secrets—Jeff Savage
33) House on the Sound—Marilyn Brown
34) In a Dry Land—Elizabeth Petty Bentley
35) Lifted Up—Guy Morgan Galli
36) Love Beyond Time—Nancy Campbell Allen
37) Mary & Elisabeth—S. Kent Brown (Non-fiction)
38) MaCady—Jennie Hansen
39) Molly Mormon—Tamara Norton
40) Mummy's the Word—Kerry Blair (on my list)
41) My Body Fell Off—BJ Rowley (my daughter and I both loved this book)
42) My Not So Fairy Tale Life—Julie Wright (Great read)
43) No Longer Strangers—Rachel Nunes
44) Nothing to Regret—Tristi Pinkston
45) On a Whim—Lisa McKendrick
46) On Second Thought—Robison Wells (laughed my head off)
47) On the Edge--Julie Coulter Bellon
48) One in Thine Hand—Gerald Lund
49) One Tattered Angel—Blaine M. Yorgason
50) Out of Jerusalem 1 (Of Goodly Parents)—H.B. Moore
51) Out of Jerusalem 2 (A Light in the Wilderness) —H. B. Moore (on my to-read list)
52) Out of Jerusalem 3 (Towards the Promised Land)—
H. B. Moore
53) The Peacegiver—James L. Ferrell (on my to-read list)
54) Pillar of Fire—David Woolley
55) Poison—Betsy Brannon Green
56) Prodigal Journey—Linda Paulson Adams (really liked this book)
57) Pursuit of Justice—Willard Boyd Gardner
58) Return to Red Castle—Dorothy Keddington
59) Race Against Time—Willard Boyd Gardner
60) Sarah—Orson Scott Card
61) Saints—Orson Scott Card
62) Sixteen in no time—BJ Rowley (my daughter and I loved this)
63) Spies, Lies and a Pair of Ties—Sheralyn Pratt
64) Standing on the Promises Vol 1: One More River to Cross
--Margaret Young and Darius Gray
65) Strength to Endure—Tristi Pinkston (Excellent read)
66) Surprising Marcus—Donald S. Smurthwaite (Surprised me—I loved it)
67) Tathea—Anne Perry
68) Tempest Tossed—Josi S. Kilpack
69) Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites—Chris Heimerdinger
70) The Alliance—Gerald Lund (on my to-read list)
71) The Book of Mormon—Nephi thru Moroni (non-fiction)
72) The Believer—Stephanie Black
73) The Coming of Elijiah—Arianne Cope (fascinating)
74) The Counterfiet—Robison Wells
75) The Emerald--Jennie Hansen
76) The First year—Crystal Liechty (Loved this—very fresh)
77) The Fragrance of Her Name—Marcia Lynn McClure
78) The Killing of Greybird—Eric Swedin
79) The Last Days, Vol. 1: The Gathering Storm—
Kenneth R. Tarr
80) The Last Promise—Richard Paul Evans
81) The Looking Glass—Richard Paul Evans
82) The Miracle of Miss Willie—Alma J. Yates
83) The single Heart—Melinda Jennings
84) The Visions of Ransom Lake—Marcia Lynn McClure
85) The Work and the Glory Vol 1—Gerald Lund
86) The Work and the Glory Vol 2—Gerald Lund
87) The Work and the Glory Vol 3—Gerald Lund
88) The Work and the Glory Vol 4—Gerald Lund
89) The Work and the Glory Vol 5—Gerald Lund
90) The Work and the Glory Vol 6—Gerald Lund
91) The Work and the Glory Vol 7—Gerald Lund
92) The Work and the Glory Vol 8—Gerald Lund
93) This Just In—Kerry Blair (on my to-read list)
94) Time Riders—Sierra St. James
95) Time Will Tell by Julie Coulter Bellon
96) To Echo the Past—Marcia Lynn McClure
97) To Have or To Hold—Josi S. Kilpack
98) Towers of Brierley, Anita Stansfield
99) Twelve Sisters—Leslie Hedley (Loved Loved this book)
100) Unsung Lullaby—Josi S. Kilpack
101) Wake Me When it’s over—Robison Wells
102) Winter Fire—Rachel Ann Nunes


Contributing authors: Tristi Pinkston, Julie Wright, Jeff Savage, Rachel Ann Nunes, Jewel Adams, Annette Lyon, Heather Moore, Stephanie Black,, Julie Bellon and Josi S. Kilpack

If you'd like to play, copy this onto your blog or into the comment section of this post. Be sure to tell me where you blog it so I can take a peek.

What's in a name...game

I got this from Sariah S. Wilson on Six LDS Writers and a Frog blog

http://www.sixldswriters.blogspot.com/

Rules: Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following...They MUST be real places, names, things...NOTHING made up! If you can't think of anything, skip it. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

Your Name: Josi

1. Famous Athlete: John Stockton

2. 4 letter Word: Jump

3. Street Name: Josephine Rd. Medford, Massachusetts

4. Color: (Yikes!) Jungle green (Crayola 190-1992--the same years my husband was on his mission in the Phillipines Jungle)

5. Animal: Jaguar (and did you know you can tell the difference between a Jaguar and a leopard because jaguar spots have a light spot in the middle of the black and a leopard does not—just a little FYI)

6. Vehicle: Jetta

7. Tropical Location: Jamaica-mon

8. College Major: Jewish Studies

9. Junk Food: Junior Mints—preferably frozen

10. Things in a Souvenir Shop: Jingly earrings with things like Eiffel towers and killer whales hanging from them.

11. Boy Name: Jose (which I’ve been called many many times)

12. Girl Name: Jaquie

13. Movie Title: Just married

14. Occupation: Janitor (story of my life)

15. Flower: Jacobean Lily

16. Celebrity: Julie Roberts—I’ve been told I look JUST like her except that I’m shorter, and stockier, and blonde, and blue eyed

17. Magazine: JEZEBEL Magazine (your guide to upscale living in Atlanta and beyond)

18. U.S. City or State: Jackson, Missouri

19. Pro Sports Team: Jacksonville Jaguars (do we sense a theme here, hmmmm)

20. Something Found in a Kitchen: Junk drawer

21. Reason for Being Late: Just lazy

22. Something You Throw Away: Juicy lettuce

23. Things You Shout: “Just kidding, gosh, can’t you take a joke?” (notice two J words in there, double points!)

24. Cartoon Character: Jasmine from Aladdin

If you use this on your blog, leave me the link in my comments so I can check it out

Conference Shnaunfrence?

I will say right up front that I love writer’s conferences. You are warned!

The first conference I attended was about a year after my first book was published. My book had not done too well, having sold a whopping 400 copies in that first year—far less than the 250,000 copies I had been counting on. The most common comment I’d received was that I didn’t know beans about grammar…but the story was good. Hardly what I was looking for. I was apparently not the brilliant writer I had thought myself to be. How IS that possible?
That first writer’s conference was hosted by Rachel Ann Nunes, Lisa Peck and Anita Stansfield and held in the basement of one of their homes. Myself and about fifteen other writers gathered together to glean some insights—and we got our money’s worth. It was the first time I’d ever met other writers, I ended up swapping manuscripts with one of the other attendees and learning how to get and give feedback because of it. I also learned the tricks these 3 women used in their own writing.

Since then I have attended League of Utah Writer’s Round-up, Association of Mormon Letters annual conference, and four years ago LDStorymakers posed the idea of doing our own writer’s conference. We were about 20 members strong at that time and had all learned so much from our association with one another that we thought it would be great to share that with even more people (and we needed money ☺)

So we looked around for a venue—hmmmm, hard to do when you don’t have any money, and found the Brown Theater in Springville. We taught our workshops surrounded by theater sets, everyone had to whisper in the halls because there was a lack of actual walls, and the two bathrooms were located in such a way that you had to walk through the workshops to get to them. Most of us that presented had never done a presentation in our lives. It was rough—and yet, it worked. The feedback we received was incredible, people loved the casualness of it, the networking yahoogroup we set up for the attendees was a hit—they even liked the food. The following year we had a little more money, but not enough to move anywhere else and we used the theatre again—hauling tables across the state and using chairs from one of our members storage bay so as to try and keep our attendee’s behinds from going to sleep. It went really well, again, and we were all a little better at it. I ran out of gas at midnight on I-15 though, my husband had to come rescue me but everything else was the bomb.

Last year we were able to have in a hotel, added a contest and Boot Camp. It was awesome—we had arrived! This year, I’m one of the co-queens and it is fabulous, if I do say so myself. We’re hosting at the Provo Library and very excited about it. Each year we have nearly doubled in the size of our attendees, and our presentations have more variety and because we have so many people that come back every year we've expanded to have both beginning and advanced level classes available.

However, despite my worship of writers' conferences, I hear some writers say that they're a waste of time because it’s just one more way in which they are NOT writing. They make a valid point--if all you do is go to a writer’s conference, you are wasting your time and money, but for me writer’s conferences are an incredible opportunity to learn about the craft of writing. I’ve been to enough that not every class interests me, so then I stay out in the halls with the other Riff Raff (all due respect to said Riff-Raff-Hall-loungers) and network—priceless!!

So, now that I’ve born my testimony, what do you think? I know that sounds loaded, but truly I'd like to hear people's opinions--and quite frankly I should have asked this ten months ago when we were planning the conference. Still, the info is valuable. Have writer’s conferences been helpful for you? What conferences are your favorite? Why? Do you think they are a waste of time? Why? I’m ready to hear all about it and take notes.

And with the LDStorymakers conference being only two weeks away, go to www.ldstorymakers.com for more information.

What have You Read?

I got this from tristipinkston's blog www.tristipinkston.blogspot.com and thought I'd give it a go. Of course, once I pasted it here all my bolding disappeared so I get to start over with that part. Grumble, Grumble. If your interested in doing this on your blog, instructions follow my list.


1. The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) (I’m humiliated to admit I’ve never read it)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) **
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell) (see #2)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien) (see #2)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien) (see #2)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery) (see #2)
9. OUTLANDER (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A FINE BALANCE (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling) (is this one out yet?)
17. FALL ON YOUR KNEES (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) (I don’t apologize for not reading this one, I just can’t get into Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien) (see #2)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) (see #2)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) (Hated it—but I was 17)
28. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. ATLAS SHRUGGED (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of Earth (Ken Follett) (started, didn’t finish)
37. THE POWER OF ONE(Bryce Courtenay)
38. I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. THE ALCHEMIST (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. The Bible **I highly reccomend this one :-)
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy) (see #2)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt) I hated this book
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb) (started it, didn’t like where it was going, stopped0
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card) (see #2)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens) (see #2)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. THE HANDMAID'S TALE (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. THE FOUNTAINHEAD (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. FIFTH BUSINESS (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares) (see #2)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)(Didn't finish - I couldn't get into the language)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA (Marquez) (sounds horrible)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. THE SUMMER TREE (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According to Garp (John Irving)
79. THE DIVINERS Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White) (don’t love the story, but how do you go through life without reading it?)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)** (I recommend with reservations -- the writing is beautiful, the story is bleak. If you don't want bleak, don't read it.)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)**(Loved loved this book)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen) (see #2)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)** (found this story fascinating)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. THE STONE DIARIES (Carol Shields)
89. BLINDNESS (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding) (Disturbing but beautifully written)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield) **(Enjoyed very much)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

I’m a little bummed that movies don’t count. If they did I’d be considered well read ☺


To blog: copy the list and...

* Bold the ones you’ve read
* Italicize the ones you want to read
* Leave blank the ones that you aren’t interested in
* Highlight those you haven't heard of (I'm going to put in capitals. I haven't figured out how to type in color yet!)
* Put a couple of astericks by the ones you recommend. (Rule added by Framed and Booked - I like it!)

Author pages take...three...for five...or eighteen

Lucky you and lucky me this is my last day. Fact is I don't have time for author pages, funny how that works, doesn't seem to be rocket science that if I don't have time to write I won't have time to blog either--but there is good news--I think the pages work.

Seriously, I wrote a short story last night in one sitting and fixed a few chapters in my book today. I've figured out a format that will work with my new book and I'm having that little burbling of excitment to find time to write again--dang have I missed it. But since I said I'd do a week I better do four days, right?

So here are my author pages for the day.

I realized today that I've been working on this book for 7 months, is that not sad? And yet, who cares so long as it turns out, right? I've been pondering the concept of 'one step at a time' over the last few months, when I find myself looking ahead and getting overwhemled by the "what if..." and "suppose that..." and I'm really trying hard to look at just one step at a time, one day at a time. It's not easy for me to do. I'm a planner, I like to know ahead of time mostly because I'm just arrogant enough to think I have a super power that allows me to control my future. Now in theory, that's true, since the future is really just a building up of all the things I do every day, but that's not a bullet proof theory. Crap's gunna happen anyway.

Then the other day on the LDStormakers yahoo group we discussed the concept of Grace, how we do all we can and the Lord does the rest. Now granted writing books isn't quite equal to Eternal Salvation, but I don't think the concept is too different. I look at the pages of cuts I have (198) and the pages of keeper stuff (61) and feel depressed and pessimistic, wondeirng how I could possibly write an entire novel when I'm trashing three times what I'm writing. But the fact is I can't write a whole book today--it would be impossible. But I can write a chapter, or fix a chapter, or cut a chapter--I can do something, can't I? Yesturday I did quite a lot of somethings and it felt great. Today I did a little something more and my book isn't finished but it's taking shape. I once told a freind that if she were told she had to date 200 guys before she met Mr.Right, (or Mr. Wright if you happen to be Julie Wright) woudln't she start asking guys out left and right? If I were told that it would take me a year and 300 cut pages before I'd get this book written, wouldn't I be doing anything I could to get those 300 pages out of the way? It's not hard to look at my own track record and see that the fact is I cut an average of 300 pages per book. I end up with a 300 page final draft and 300 pages of wordy garbage, but if that's what it takes for me, then cut away, right? And if I can't write an entire book today, why beat myself up about the little bit I do?
So that's where I'm at and I'm okay. Now next week I'll be making a list of ten things I like about myself to keep from drinking the Listerine, but for today I'm good and isn't that what it's about? I can't change yesturday and I have no influence over tomorrow other than having a good today so that's my plan.
Might you also take off the binoculars and look at today for just...one day.

Author notes take two...or three

Second day of author pages and I….blow it. Yeah me! I can’t even write freaking author pages, no wonder my mojo is off.

Actually, it’s not so bad. I’ve been editing a book for a friend of mine and I’m really enjoying it. It helps that she’s raw-raw-rawing me and seems to like my suggestions. I’ll take my positive affirmations anywhere I can find them. And I actually wrote three scenes in my own book yesterday—I know!! Amazing. I don’t know that I’ll keep them, but, well, I wrote them and I liked them and that counts…at least for now.

So today I need major brain dump

The goats got out again yesterday, dash and darn it. They are getting smarter, I should start eating their goat chow and see if it helps me too. They keep pushing down the fence…chicken wire…and slipping out, then they come and poop on my porch, almost got in the house this time. I’ve got to redo half the fencing and I DON’T WANT TO and it’s dang cold and so I better wear shoes every time I go on the porch. And a chicken is setting—brilliant. Not only is it 30 degrees but we have no rooster so there ain’t gunna be nothing happening and since she’s been setting for a week I’m out of eggs. No fair.

We’re on the 4th week of me taking the kids blankets and sheets if they don’t make their beds and I’m loosing steam. They’ve done really really good—it helps that they get fruit snacks if they do it, but I’m tired of stripping beds and I want to stop but I can’t so I won’t and I’ll just keep hating it.

Sent off two articles this morning and even though I know it will be weeks before I hear back I’ve checked my inbox…oh, twenty times waiting for a reply that says THIS IS THE BEST ARTICLE WE’VE EVER SEEN. Is that my ego or ID talking? Hmmmmm.

Chocolate chips
Piano tuning
Lip-sync competition
Believing Christ
Marshmallows
Clean the basement
Get new car insurance for ### without her knowing about it
Post blog
Laundry
Chickens
Vacuum
Maddie so owes me

More tomorrow—maybe

Author Pages 1

Anyone ever heard of Author Pages? They are a motivational un-blocking type activity I learned about in the book "The Artist's Way" By Julie Cameron. They are supposed to work like a creativity laxitive and get things moving. I'm in desperate need of such a procedure, and so I'm going to be doing Author Pages for the next week and putting them on my blog. Author pages are supposed to be a kind of free association of thoughts and such--so I can't be blamed for anything I say and I'm not checking spelling or grammar or anything (like I know how)

Author Pages--FUN! I haven't done these forever, mostly because I haven't needed to, but as a close second int he reasoning department, I don't know that I beleive in them and then of course there's the added boon of not having any time. Life is nutes, not that it iever been not-nuts, but it's nuts. The time I used to have for writing has been squeezed dry. All the story ideas I once had now seem flat and clhich. I've written 200 pages in a booik--with only 40 left that I might maybe keep. Whqat's wrong with me? I have the best publishing in this marekte, I've learned so much and hare I am writing freaking author pages because the ideas won't come--at least not the solid I'VE GOT TO WRITE THIS ideas I used to have all the time. I should be better than this. I should know how to put a story together and yet I'm st6uck. I know my character--Candice Starr and I and "feel" what I want her to be but I can't put the words togetehr. I knwo the basis of my story but I don't know the WHY. Why does it happen this way? Why do they do the things they do and why shoudl anyone read about it? I've gotten too wrapped up with wanting to teach people about the issue that I'm struggling to fit the story around it. And I'm starting to panic. I need this story to be done by June. I need it turned in by Julie--and I can make the time...if I know the story.

Boy--are you inspired? I hope someone is :-) I'm more depressed than ever. Better luck tomorrow.

Since changing the name of my blog a few months ago I’ve had several people ask me what it means. I love quotes, I don’t remember them and I usually forget to write them down, but I love them none the less. In my home-office right now I have several

“Writing is Hard Work—do it only if you have too” (my husband doesn’t think this is inspiring, but that’s cause he’s not a writer. It could also read ‘Real Estate Development is Hard Work—do it only if you have too, and then he’d understand it’s about fulfilling a passion you have. Mine is writing, his is real estate—I don’t know the original speaker of this one so I hope they don’t sue me)

“Your job is to tell the truth—their job is to learn from it” (I also don’t know who the original speaker of this one, so I hope they don’t sue me either, but author-actor-director-script writer, Thom Duncan, relayed it to me and I loved it. It reminds me what my end of the bargain is)

“The great public is the only tribunal competent to sit in judgment upon a literary effort”—Mark Twain. (I was told this by Lyle Mortimer of Cedar Fort a few years back and had it made into a sign I then hung on my wall. I gave him one too and it serves to remind me that I’m not just writing for the two reasons in the above quotes, but that I’m also writing to sell books.)

But the quote that has inspired me more than any other is the following:

“Use your talents, for use is why they were made. What is a Sundial in the Shade?” Ben Franklin.

So I ask you—what is a sundial in the shade? A nice statue? Somewhere for the cat to sleep and the birds to . . . decorate? Can a sundial fulfill it’s measure without sun? Another quote that explains this concept is “An Items value is in it’s use.” So, if you are a sundial, but you live in the shade, what is the use of being a sundial? And if you’re a writer, but you don’t use your gift, or you don’t find a way to share it,—what is the value of your talent?

Whether it’s writing, or baking, or welding, or running, or serving others, or real estate development—whatever talent the Lord has given us, do we keep it in the shade? What is it’s use to us? What is it’s value? And what will we say when the Lord asks us.

“Hey, were did you put your sundial?”

Step out of the shadows—spread your arms wide—turn your face to the sun and let the world know that “Here I am!”

Sariah S. Wilson-spotlight

I haven't yet spotlighted another author on my blog--don't know why--but there's no time like the present. I chose Sariah for several reasons:

1) Both our husbands served their missions in the Phillipines-- Salamat
2) Both our middle initials are S
3) We're both one of nine children
4) I enjoy her blog as www.sixldswriters.blogspot.com
5) She sent me an e-mail announcing her book, I don't believe I have ever recieved and announcement from someone I didn't already coorespond with. That impressed me because it shows she is gung-ho on this whole promotion thing. Most authors, especially first timers, aren't. I am BIG on telling new authors to hit the ground running and so it tickles me when they do!

Now, she and I have met (I think) but I can't remember where, so at the very least, hopefully this will help her forgive me for forgetting. If I hadn't JUST send out a notice to my mailing list I'd have included this, bummer.

Anyway, I've pasted a copy of the e-mail she sent me and encourage you guys to check out her website and use me as the referral. I love free books! But also forward it on so you can have a shot at it as well. I haven't read the story but have a lot of respect for the books Covenant puts out and I enjoy this genre. So, heeeeres, Sariah...

************************************

Hello!

My first book, "Secrets in Zarahemla," will be on bookstore shelves this
week. In honor of my debut novel, I am offering several contests on my
website, www.sariahswilson.com.

I'm contacting you in hopes of spreading the word about my book and to give
you the chance to participate in one of the giveaways, the "Secrets in
Zarahemla Tell A Friend Contest." I am hoping that you will tell your
readers about this giveaway. The direct link to this contest is:

http://www.sariahswilson.com/contestinfo.asp?id=1

One reader can enter to win a free copy of "Secrets in Zarahemla" and a $50
gift card of their choosing. They will need to enter your name in the "who
referred them" box.

Whoever drives the most entrants to the contest will win their own $50 gift
certificate and a free copy of my book.

The contest lasts until February 28, 2007.


Thanks so much!
Sariah S. Wilson

Tag--I'm it?

I'm pretty slow on the uptake, but apparently I've been tagged. I read all these other people's but didn't realize I was It--shows how good I am at this stuff, doesn't it. To see the blog that started it all go to http://www.sixldswriters.blogspot.com/. Jeff Savage is the offending party so if you live close, egg his house (but not with my chicken eggs cause the cold is keeping them from laying much) Anyway, I'm supposed to tell you guys 5 things you probably don't know about me. But I talk WAAAAAAAAY to much so I bet some of you know it all, but here goes :-)

1--I have a tatoo. My freinds and I brought in our Bruce Springsteen TAPE (it was that long ago) and when it was my turn I listned to Glory days. A week later we took some cookies to our tatoo artist. I don't think anyone had done that for him before. For anyone that hasn't had the joy of getting a tatoo, let me give you a heads up. Take a quilting needle, put it over a flame until it's red hot then jab it into your skin and scrape. And no it's not a skull on my back, it's a heart on my ankle. These days it looks like I let my 5 year old color on me.

2--I grew up in the ward Mark Hoffman lived in at the time of the bombings. I even babysat his kids once. A couple years into his prison term my brother came home with a crystal Mark's son gave him. We called it the Urim and Thummin :-) His wife and kids are wonderful.

3--On my wedding day during pictures across from the Salt Lake Temple L. Tom Perry and his wife walked by so we did the classy thing and asked them to be in a picture with us. That guy is TALL!! A year to the day later my husband and I went to the Joseph Smith Memorial building to celebrate our first anniversary and guess who we rode in the elevator with--yep, L. Tom and his wife. Totally weird huh!! And yes, we were classy again and made them shake our hands while we told them the story I don't think they remembered.

4--I can wiggle my ears.

5--I was married on April Fool's day--no joke. My sister was one of 300 weddings preformed in the Salt Lake Temple on her wedding day. I was one of 11--I guess Mormon's are pretty supersticious people. However, turns out that the thursday before General Conference all the GA's and their wives attend a special session of the temple and we were married on the thursday before conference, so we were in the temple the same day as all those amazing people!! it's got to be a sign or something, right...hey, maybe that's why I ran into L. Tom Perry that day. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Anyway, that's me. Now--who do I tag? Oh, I know....

Author, PR woman, writer extrodinaire:
Betty Ann Bruin--http://www.happyjellybeans.blogspot.com/

Author Trina Boice--http://www.boicemail.blogspot.com/

Author Katie Parker--http://www.katieparker.blogspot.com/

And I think everyone else's blog's that I know have been tagged--so move fast ladies, before all your freinds are used up!!

Best Book of 06!

Writing this blog ended up being a rather depressing endevour. For all the manuscripts, research, writing books, and such I read in 2006--not much of it was fun and not much of it was good enough to reccomend. Pretty pathetic. I love to read, and yet it seems in 06 I didn't find much time for it. I've already worked on fixing this for 07, and I'm off to a good start, but I realized that writing this blog was for purely selfish reasons. I need some good books this year!
As for my reccomendations, as you can see , I have three. The First Year by Crystal Liechty, The Counterfeit by Robison Wells & The Coming of Elijah by Arianne Cope. They are all very different as I enjoy a broad range of books.
The First Year is a hilarious comedy about the first year of marriage. I absolutely loved it and couldn't put it down. Crystal came to our the LDStorymakers writers' conference last spring and I was thrilled when she found publication. She has a very fun and easy to follow style.
The Counterfeit is an action packed adventure novel that takes place partly in the tunnels beneath Paris--I didn't know they existed. It was a fascinating and high-paced novel with a lot of humor and intriquing twists. It is the sequel to Wake Me When it's Over, which I haven't read of yet, but it stood on it's own.
The Coming of Elijah was the winner of the Marilyn Brown LDS fiction contest and is classified as an LDS literary novel. It is beautifully written and has been compared to The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint as it follows the life of a Navajo girl in the Indian Placement Program of the Church. I will warn you that it's not for every reader. It is raw in places and shows our human frailties in a startling light, but also shows an incredible depth of spirit that is very unique and is ultimately supremely redeeming--in my opinion. I found it very powerful and incredibly well written. It's Adrianne's first novel, though she's a very expreinced writer, and a story that stayed with me long after it was finished.
I reccomend all three depending on what you like to read, and keep in mind that if you're library doesn't carry them, put in a request. Usually they'll buy it and you'll be first to get it.
That's all I've got, but my pen is at the ready for your suggestions.

Carpal Tunnel--Oy!

Being invincible in all things (ha, ha), I had hoped I would not have to worry about Carpal Tunnel. Alas my luck ran out in November. For those of you that aren’t sure what Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is, it’s a condition where the rigid passageway for tendons and nerves between the forearm and the hand (the Carpal Tunnel) is compressed by either fluid, bone, or tight tendons, thus putting unnatural pressure on the nerve. What it feels like, for me, was a fast onset of intense pain at different areas between my wrist, thumb and first two fingers—it will not affect the pinky or ring finger as that’s linked to different nerves. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is caused by repetitive motions, such as, get this, typing! The intensity for me lasted several minutes, and the area turned dark purple and swollen. I iced it and it eventually dulled to an ache that stayed on the rest of the day while causing limited movement in the affected area. I wasn’t sure what it was and asked around—yep, carpal tunnel. Lucky for me I know Tristi Pinkston!

Tristi Pinkston is an avid writer and good friend (www.tristipinkston.com) who herself suffered from Carpal Tunnel as a teenager. When facing imminent surgery, she researched the problem and found this solution. I have since recommended it to friends suffering from CTS and every one of them that followed the instructions said their recovery was nothing short of amazing.

The Pinkston Plan

1. Go to the health food store and get a large bottle of flax seed oil capsules (not the liquid—yuck). Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club or a Costco will be your cheapest option.

2. Also get a B complex vitamin.

3. For the first week, take 8 flax seed capsules and four B's every day. Break that up so you’re not taking it all at once, say, 4 in the morning and 4 at night, otherwise you'll want to throw up.

4. For the second week, take 6 flax seed and 4 B, and stay at that dose for the next three weeks.

5. On week five, cut down to 4 and 2, and stay on that for about three weeks.

6. Forever after that, take 2 flax and 1 B every single day as a maintenance.

7. You should also go to a chiropractor and make sure don’t have any vertebrae pinching those nerves.

What will happen is that the flax will flush out all the toxins from your joints, and the Vitamin B will nourish them making the Carpal Tunnel more flexable, thus decreasing the compression. Some people worry about taking so much oil, but this is one of the good oils and will also help reduce cholesterol. (which I also have problems with so yeah me!)

Bottoms up—so far so good for me, I haven’t had a flair up since I started, and I’m on week two.

If you have an additional tips or suggestions, bring em on!

Six Lessons of '06:

6—Blogs Rock! I just love the casual nature of blogs and have found them very informative. Check out those I have in my links list and pass on any you come across. It’s a priceless way to learn from other peoples mistakes, successes and experience.

5—This is a Buisness. No one will watch out for my best interest the way I will. Passion and hobbie aside, this is a business and I need to be professional and wise in the decisions I make.

4—Keep Making Friends in the Industry. I’m amazed at the power of networking and the benefits of getting to know just one more author, or publisher, or editor. You can never have enough friends.

3—Freelancing . . . who Knew? I have had a few articles accepted this year and not only has the extra money been great, but the confidence of knowing I can write in another arena has been very encouraging. Every little bit of motivation helps!!

2—ALWAYS listen to Feedback. I have learned this lesson many times, but I’ve learned it yet again. In June I had several people read my manuscript, and one in particular gave me harsh feedback. I made some of her suggested changes but blew off the other ones and submitted my manuscript. Guess what changes Deseret Book ended up asking for? You got it. The exact things she’d pointed out. Had I listened, I may have saved myself 6 months and a deadline rewrite. But it was a good lesson—I sincerely hope I remember it this time.

1—Enjoy Successes! This career is full of discouragements. There are bad reviews, scathing reviews, rejections, small or non-existent royalty checks, plenty of people willing to tell you where you’ve fallen short or that your just wasting your time. Unless you completely lose all sense of reality, this will follow you your entire career. Because of this, it is imperative that you enjoy your successes. Write down your milestones, reward yourself when you meet a deadline, brag to someone about the scene you finally got right. Put up inspiring quotes and allow yourself to enjoy this process. Getting published hasn’t made the discouragements disappear for me—not a bit. But I think I take more joy in a good characterization now than I used to. It’s easy to wallow in the places I’ve fallen short, but it doesn’t keep me going. There is so much to learn, and around every corner is good and bad aspects of it. I’ve tried hard this year to focus on the ups instead of the downs and encourage you do to the same.

I'd love to hear what you've learned in your writing this year--I can use all the help I can get!

The Joy of NOT Writing

November for me was like spin cycle . . . on the back of a moving semi . . . with the brakes blown out. It was intense to say the least. I was doing a rather major rewrite of my latest novel for my publisher, my husband’s Grandpa died and I was in charge of the church Christmas Party.

But all good things come to an end, as do crazy and overwhelming things, and as of yesterday I am done! The rewrite I finished last week, the obituary bill has been paid and the church Christmas Party was a success if I do say so myself. And now what am I going to do?

Nothing.

Of course, nothing is a big deceiving, cause I’ll be doing a lot of somethings, but different somethings that have been sorely neglected—like cleaning out closets and hiring someone to fix the light in my closet so I can see whether or not the shirt is black or brown or red or purple. But as far as writing goes, I’m taking a break. One I feel I much deserve.

Let’s face it, there is only so much creativity to go around and quite frankly when my house is falling down around my ears and we’re having hot dogs for the third night in a row it’s hard to expect the muse to want to stick around anymore than the kids do. There must be a certain level of order amid the chaos and any order I had a month ago is long gone now. So it’s time to rebuild, organize, take a deep breath, admire the Christmas tree, do some shopping, make some cookies and snuggle with my sweetie on the couch.

Do I feel guilty? Yes, I do. I have been writing furiously for the last 10 months, deadlines looming and ideas bursting within my brain. But I’ve felt guilty about the hot dogs and the closet light too, so it’s all relative. In the meantime, until I sit down and spill out my literary brilliance come January, I am thinking, planning, having fictional dialogues in my head with characters I haven’t written yet and I’m loving every minute!

And so what’s the point of all this? Simply that there is a time and season for everything, and for everyone, and right now, for me, I’m taking the season to enjoy the egg nog and figgy pudding . . . okay, not the figgy pudding part—but perhaps a fig . . . Newton, maybe two.

Merry Christmas, may you find the time to enjoy it!

Recipe for a Launch Party

Since doing my first Launch Party, or Opening Night Party, almost a year ago, I’ve been asked on several occasions just how I put it together. First, let me explain the objective of the night.

1) In order to create a buzz about anything, there has to be a reason. The Opening Night party becomes the reason to promote the book.

2) Sales. Promoting the event is promoting sales, and the more books you sell that night the better for everyone.

3) Ego. Orchestrating an event where people go out of their way to come is very satisfying and a big confidence boost.

So, we’re all clear on the objectives? Great. Here’s the secret recipe

Josi’s Launch Party

1 bookstore
1 newspaper (or more)
200 postcards
1 Radio interview (optional—more if wanted)
20 posters
1 Website mention (or more)
300 half page fliers
2 e-mail campaigns
8 Door prizes
1 Grand Prize Drawing
200 Postcard Stamps

A month before:

Step 1—Order postcards be sure to get full color, with a few sentences on the back but space for a VHS sized label you can print up. You can do this as soon as you have a jpg of your cover. Compile your address list as well—anyone that would be interested in knowing about your book.

Step 2—Contact you publisher. Your publisher may be willing to help with posters, paying for newspaper ads, getting you a radio interview and helping you find a bookstore for the event.

Step 3—Bookstore. Explain that you’ll be doing a lot of the work and driving business directly to them. Determine a date and time that works for all of you within the FIRST WEEK of your books release. Ask if they will distribute half page fliers for 2 weeks before the event.

Step 4—Newspaper and Radio. Query them via e-mail if possible, telling them about the event—not necessarily the book—offer the newspaper a pre-written article, Ask about Advertising prices and who you should contact with help to design an ad that you will be paying for (this encourages them to support you since you’re a paying client).

Step 5—Donations. Ask for a $15-$20 value of a donation, either tangeable or gift certificate. Tell the donors that they will get advertising through your postcards, posters and newspaper ads.

Step 6—Find Grand Prize Drawing. A gift certificate to a local restaurant is a great option, or an overnight stay at a hotel or resort. Something BIG.

Three Weeks Before

Step 7—Write it up. Write up your article, the labels you’ll be putting on the postcards, design the posters and fliers, help design the ad for the newspaper Come up with lead questions for the radio interview Once things are written up, get them printed.

Step 8—Follow up. If you haven’t heard back from the Radio or Newspapers, try again and again and again. Be sure your donations are in line, you know when your picking up the donations. If you have a website (which you really should have) make sure this is mentioned on it. Design an e-mail announcement and send it out to your mailing list.

Step 9—Mail the postcards. Affix the VHS label description, affix the address labels, be sure you include an online ordering option for out of towners, include your e-mail address, and stick those things in the mail.

Two Weeks Before

Step 9—Pass it out. Put posters on community bulletin boards and in store windows. Take the original for the flier to the bookstore and remind them that they were going to put them in bags.

Step 10—In Print? The article about the event should run this week or next week, depending on the paper and the arrangements. Keep your eyes open for it.

Week of

Step 11—Radio. Be sure to mention the event, be upbeat, go into the studio if you can, be prepared to talk a lot. Dead air is dead radio, so if you pause, the hosts will start talking.

Step 12—Gather Donations. Pick them all up, be gracious. Make tags to put in front of the donations with the name of the donor, once the prizes are gone you still want to show who donated.

Step 13--Reminder. Send your second e-mail, reminding your e-mail list of the event.

Day of

Doorprize drawings—I allow all attendees to enter the doorprize drawing, but they have to be present to win. This keeps the evening moving and it keeps people in the store longer. Display the prizes on a separate table.

Grand Prize Drawing--One entry per purchase and you don’t have to be present to win. You won’t draw this name until everything is all over and done. It’s nice to have the item on display.

Refreshments—Make sure you discuss with the bookstore what they are okay with. It’s nice to have the refreshments at the back of the store, it encourages customers to browse and keeps things from getting congested at the front of the store.

Mailing list—Be sure you have somewhere for people to sign up for your mailing list. Then the next time you do this, you have their contact information.

Week After

Thank you Cards—Happiness is a grateful heart. Take an hour and write thank you cards to the donors of prizes, the bookstore, publisher, newspaper and radio stations that helped you with the event. Not only is it good for your soul to realize how many people helped you out, but it insures that next time you contact them they have felt appreciated.

Report Back—Be sure to get a number from the bookstore on how many books they sold, and relay this info to your publisher so they see the success of this event and know what you’ve done to pull it off. Thank them for anything they did to help.

I realize this sounds like a lot to do, well . . . it is. It’s a major event, it’s your opportunity to celebrate your accomplishment and get the word out. You don’t have to do everything I have listed here, feel free to put your own spin on it. The point is to make a BIG deal out of it, cause it is a big deal. Your book was just PUBLISHED!! That’s definitely worth celebrating.

(If you would like a more detailed description, please e-mail me Kilpack@gmail.com)

I AM a writer...I think

I’m a pretty good writer (if I do say so myself), but not much of a runner (as my neighbors can attest). My dad is a great runner. Marathons, track coach—that kind of thing. Last summer and fall I spent almost three months making running a priority. I got up to three miles and had actually started to . . . get this . . . like it! But then it started snowing, and it was really cold at 6:30 in the morning and since I like my ears I decided to avoid the inevitable frostbite.

I told myself I’d run on the treadmill, but I didn’t. And come spring I was ten pounds heavier and out of shape again so I put it off . . . and off . . . and off. Well, this morning I decided to run. I figured I’d huff and puff my way through a mile—but guess what? I made it a full two miles without stopping. When I finally stopped for my one block cool-down-walk, I wasn’t completely sucking wind.

So what’s the point? Even though it’s been several months, I’m better today than I was when I started running last summer. I’m not necessarily where I was—why should I be? I didn’t keep up with it. But I’m not so far behind as I thought. As it is with writing. We all have breaks, roadblocks, really really big sinkholes on the track of our writing. There are times when whether by choice or by circumstance we can’t give it our all. But, that doesn’t mean that what we have done is lost. One thing that kept me from running was that I felt like I would be starting all over again. But it doesn’t really work that way. The college course we took sixteen years ago, or the conference we attended right before that bike accident, are still gifts to us. Chances are, we’re not so out of shape as we might think. We need to look at our writing realistically and not beat ourselves up over what we haven’t done. We can write, try and make it a habit that fits our life and better yet, enjoy it.

I will not live a normal life—that is the first step of being a writer. Being willing to accept the weirdness of our passion—but live your life is the next step. Beating yourself up for what you haven't done is only going to make it harder to jump back in there. The best thing you can do for yourself is simply do better tomorrow. Look at yourself, look at what you know and what you've done and say to yourself...I am a writer!!