The Dream Comes True!

After much thought and prayer and just weeks before my agent took my book: The Northanger Affect out to NY publishers. ((I bumped Pride & Popularity out, and brought NA up due to the hilarious Jane Austen rewrite of a girl addicted to Twilight theme throughout.)) The Lord reminded me yet, again, to contact Utah's own up and rising Valor Publishing.

Now having just moved my family of 6 1/2 kids from England and settling down in Utah, I was under the impression that I really could've used a large advance, which was the only reason why it took so long to contact Valor in the first place... Yet, deep down I knew that with little or no advance, it meant I would be getting my royalties immediately. Instead of years from now, had a big pub house forked over an advance.

But as of tomorrow, I will signing on with Valor Publishing. And can I just say, that since the very second I hit send on the email, I sent out to their editor Wednesday night, I knew I was doing the right thing. Never had the spirit comfirmed to me so strongly that something was so right.

By Thursday I had an appointment to meet them for lunch on Saturday. By Saturday (yesterday) I walked away knowing as I knew before, that this was where the Lord has needed me and wanted me, with his books, all along.

My release date is set for June 1, 2010--to coincide with the release of Eclipse. I'll be sent on a 21 day/17 city tour to advertise on TV, radio, signings and speaking engagements. It'll be a full schedule. But as they're providing me with a publicist I should be able to keep track of it.

The list goes on and on, with how well they take care of their authors: With Book Trailers, reviews, business cards--even hiring a band for my launch party if I want. LOL! By the way, I'm thinking about doing a Twilight/Jane fangirl bash--what do you think?

Thanks to Christine Bryant (our Staurday MMW writer) who introduced me to the idea of using her publisher months ago, I'm now seeing my dream realized in all the ways I could've hoped--except better!

Yay! To Valor Publishing!

Book Review: An Angel on Main Street

An Angel on Main Street by Kathi Oram Peterson

From back of book:

Micah Connors promised his mother he would be good in their new town. But with Christmas only three days away, being escorted home by the sheriff does not bode well. Can the towering officer be trusted not to tell what happened? Perhaps the ramshackle stable that has appeared on Main Street will sidetrack him from spilling the day’s events — or maybe his interest in Micah’s widowed mother will do the trick.

The last thing Dawn Connors needs is to hear her son is in trouble. She has enough to worry about with her husband gone and her daughter, Annie, ill. Even though Micah has told his sister the rustic structure in the middle of town is simply part of the town’s holiday decorations, Annie is sure that unseen angels are building the crude stable — which means baby Jesus is coming, and he can make her better.

Terrified that his little sister might die, Micah vows to find the baby Jesus for Annie, even if it is only a plastic doll. But as Micah gets nearer to his goal he finds angels are closer than he ever would have believed.

BOOK TRAILER:



BOOK REVIEW: By Christine Bryant

Unbelievably touching. I found Angel on Main Street to be heart warming, original and a perfect addition to our Christmas story reading tradition. I was surprised to find it told from the viewpoint of Micah, a young mischievous boy trying to be the new man of the house after losing his father. He was skipping school and causing trouble one minute and helping his mother take care of his ailing sister the next.

I was also touched by the faith of a little girl who believed the magic and true meaning of Christmas, the baby Jesus, would save her life. Finding Micah doing everything in his power to bring that to pass was both heart wrenching and spiritual fulfilling. Without giving away too much of the story, including the tearful ending, I just have to say you will not be disappointed.

Angel on Main Street has touched my life and the characters will remain in my heart for quite sometime. Well done, Kathi.

* * * * *

Kathi is hosting a contest through December 15th. “To enter, write about an experience you’ve had with someone who became an angel in your life. This contest celebrates the selfless, kind acts performed daily, many times unnoticed. If you are like me, many people have helped you through times of trouble. Let’s face it, small acts of kindness shown to us by others needs to be remembered and celebrated especially during the holidays. Christmas brings out the best in people and I wanted to give others the opportunity to thank those who have touched their lives in a profound way. Hopefully this contest will remind us of the angels in our lives” (Kathi Oram Peterson.)

You can enter by emailing Kathi here. The winner will be announced on Kathi’s blog, and both the winner and their “Angel” will be awarded a gift certificate to either Seagull Book or Deseret Book.

To purchase your copy of Angel on Main Street, click HERE!

My Inner Two-Year Old

I've been doing alot of research on writer's block, and working through the low points. The biggest thing I'm learning is that there is alot of mental work that goes into writing. You have to be in tune with your inner self. Lots of books and writers sometimes refer to thier creative side as the child within. The child loves to play and have fun. But when you try to make them work they suddenly turn petulant or find something else to do. That description seemed to accurately describe my problem lately. I've been so wrapped up in the fact that I need to work, work, work to get published. I'm quite ok with working hard for it. But somewhere along the way I forgot to enjoy it. I forgot to find happiness in it. As a result, writing has been like pulling teeth. My inner two year old has dug in her heels and she's not budging. The more I try to bully her out of the corner the more she hides.

Another person i met virtually at The Muse Online Writers Conference is Tamlyn Leigh. (Don't you just love her name?) She has a blog that helps writers find their bliss. She also had a class where she assigned us all to write about our inner two year olds. She had us describe their reactions to writing, their likes and dislikes. So I'm going to introduce you all to my inner two year old. (BTW, the picture is really me at about age 3, but I couldn't find any pictures of me at two.)


My inner two year old has brown hair and big brown eyes. She even has little dimples when she smiles. She loves to be happy and play. She hates any form of work. She loves to sing and dance to any song with a beat. She doesn’t care that she’s terrible at both. Demands on her time drives her crazy. When it comes to writing, she loves new stories. She loves the twists and turns and gets absolutely giddy when she writes about a side kick to the head (even though in retrospect, it really wasn’t that funny.) She loves dreaming about authordom, and her published life. Reality is no fun to her. Editing hurts her feelings and has her cowering in the corner as her side kick to the head gets cut. Rejection letters cut her to the quick and leave her refusing to jump through all the hoops, cuz that’s no fun. She needs to be taken by the hand and told that it’s ok. She needs a big hug and to be told that I love her.

My lastest mission is to have fun with my two year old. To let her play, to convince her that even editing is a blast. To find the fun in life.

Feel free to introduce us all to your inner two year old in the comment section. My toddler would love to set up a play date!! I can't wait to meet them all.

Joy in the Journey

I used to think how lucky certain writers were when they signed a contract and became published authors. I would compare myself to them and even murmur, thinking that they had a timely break and hope that I would have an angel swooping down and magically turn me into a published author over night.

I felt forlorn until I took a look at the marketing plan. I thought, wow, of course one would need to work to promote the book to real success!

Since then, I've decided to take one day at a time. I can enjoy the freedom of writing without a deadline--and after doing NaNo (already done my 50K + words), boy I can surely feel the pressure of that.

Why bite my nails and think, "Rats! I want a contract right now! I want my book published right now!" Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? Well, I want to be like the tortoise, enjoying every step of the journey and getting there when I get there. Not to rush the Lord's hand in these things.

That's what it boils down to, is trusting the Lord in all things--even in regards to when I will be published.

Tell me how are you enjoying your journey with writing, where ever it may be?

"Crazy Uncle Joe"

One essential thing to good stories are interesting characters. Especially the lead. So, my question to you is: What makes a character interesting?

Is it their profession? Is it their past experiences? Their personality?

What if you want your main character to be an every day, average Joe? Will that, then, not make a good story?

Think of one of your favorite books and tell me: What makes the MC interesting to you?

I'll start. Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility" is full of interesting characters. What makes the two main sisters interesting, though, is how they react in contrast to each other. (The one sensibly, and the other not.)

So... maybe what makes a character interesting is the way in which it relates to the story being told? For example, a cop might not be an interesting character in, say, a story about fairies... but would definitely be a more interesting character in a crime-thriller.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and observations!

Guest Post -- Rebecca Carlson

The Right Time to Write

Don't mean to complain, but I have five children and I'm the Primary President. I've been trying to simplify my life, so I quit the PTA and sent my one remaining piano student to another teacher this fall. If writing was still just a hobby for me, it would be gone too. No, writing is not just a hobby. Writing is my part-time job that I don't get paid for yet. Two hours a day, whether I feel like writing or not.

So if I went away to live on a remote desert island and did nothing but write and eat cold MRE's, would I be published by now?

Maybe, but I wouldn't be as good of a writer.

My life gives me something to write about. All the experience I gain raising my family, serving at church, and volunteering in the community teaches me about people, about feelings, about conflict, about communication, about love, about life. Everything that happens to me can inspire me, can add a drop to my creative well, give me another fine thread to weave into my stories.

Every day I learn new things. It's painful sometimes, but every day I'm getting a teeny bit smarter and wiser and better. So I don't spend much time feeling bad that I don't have more time to write. I've got time to live! I believe that four hours a day would be my ideal amount of writing time, but I can't have that right now, so I'm content with two.

I know when I'm ready, when the time is right, I'll publish. And my novels will be richer for all the experience I've gained on the way.

I'm just looking forward to next year and KINDERGARTEN!

Let Me Have It!

Wow! I've been so busy writing and trying to get my word count up with NaNoWriMo that I completely spaced about posting. So here's the deal. Last week I wrote about what to expect AFTER you're published and the anxiety of being in the public eye. Most of you and those who comment on my personal blog said that giving presentations was the best part and looked forward to it.

So, here's your chance.

Give me a brief explanation of your presentation platform. What message do you want to leave with your audience, both those who read your book and those who listen to you speak. Will you be humorous or serious? Will you use props or just wing it with you and your fans?

Let me have it girls. I'm excited to hear what you've got planned. After all, we know you'll all be published and famous soon, right?

Top 10 Ways Moms are like Rockstars!!

I felt silly and decided to write the top ten ways moms are like rockstars! So laugh along with me.
10. As soon as they are spotted, they get no peace.
9. They hear their name chanted incessantly on a daily basis.
8. They often deal with loss of voice due to overuse.
7. Often they have the same set of groupies following them around. (I can't get rid of mine, no matter what I do!)
6. Their most adoring fans usually want something from them. ("Mom, I love you so much...can I have the car keys?)
5. Hectic schedules interfere with regular eating habits. ( I am typing this between bites of a sandwich that is actually my breakfast that I am eating at 11am)
4. Some people mistakenly think they have unlimited supplies of money. ("But mom, it's only $20!")
3. They often have get encore requests. ("Mom, I forgot my lunch/homework/important project please bring it to the school.")
2. Their clothing choices are sometimes questioned. ("Are you really going to wear that in public?")
1. Their autographs are in great demand, especially at the most inopportune times. ("Mom, you have to sign my report card/daily behavior sheet/test grade/homework before school in 5 minutes!!")
That was fun! Do you have any you would like to add? Feel free to put them in the comments!

The Writing Sisterhood

Here it is, two nights and two days later Sunday at the Sweetwater Lift Lodge in Park City

and it has been a writer's haven of heaven. I am so very grateful for Karen Hoover's generosity

and love by inviting me along with our most treasured writing group of awesome sisters to come

over so we can reinforce our already strong bonds of friendships by doing what we love best:

WRITING!

My heart is very full as I express my gratitude for my wonderful critique group because we are

so much more than that--we are sisters in Zion who love one another and who build one another

up and who cheer each other on. Talk about major support group. I have to be forthright and

honest, but I wouldn't be where I am right now without them (and I am not referring to Park

City). :) There is a sisterhood here with Mormon Mommy Writers as well, and for that, I am

also grateful--especially with our followers!

Finding that it's a writer's blood life to connect with other writers, how are the dynamics like

with your writing friends and groups?

Get that scream!

I've been thinking a lot about Nikki's post on tension. Like she said, a book doesn't have to be an action-thriller to be a page turner. But a book does need tension. It's what keeps the reader reading. It's what makes a story. Without tension we just have mundane life and, let's face it, no one really wants to read about that. Stories need action-- whether it be physical action, emotional turmoil, or mental change.

James Scott Bell, in his book Plot & Structure, gives good advice on creating tension.

1st- Let your readers know what is at stake.

When conflict arises, how will it affect your MC? The higher the stakes, the greater the tension. Otherwise, the reader is left thinking "Who cares?" and will likely put the book down.

2nd- Stretch the tension.

Milk your reader's emotions for all their worth. If you want them to worry, REALLY make them worry. (And, really, a reader should be worried throughout the book, no matter the subject, to see if the MC is going to be able to achieve his/her goal.) Pause a moment and consider all of the options the scene presents. Then ratchet it up a notch. Consider further possibilities.

Here are some things Mr. Bell suggests to think about when you're writing a scene:

• What is the worst thing that can happen to my character? (physical/outside circumstance or a range of mental stakes... look to the character's fears)


• What is the worst trouble my character can get into in this scene?


• Have I sufficiently set up the depth of emotions for readers before the scene? (We need to care about the characters before we care about their problems.)


• Have I sufficiently set up the danger for readers before the scene? (Remember they need to know what's at stake before they can start worrying.)

Building the tension throughout the story is what really leads to an ending that your readers will likely not soon forget.

This is what I've been thinking about lately. What do you do to build tension?