"From the Other Side of the Mirror"

Launch Fail

2012-02-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

Today was the day I planned to announce the arrival of my newest short story--just in time for Valentine's Day--Tea for Two. It's a cute, Victorian romance full of mystery, lies, and intrigue. You know, just like a romance should be. :)

Launch fail.

In a world of self-imposed deadlines, this one's a fail. I have this fantastic cover, and a story I've loved since the first time I wrote it over ten years ago. But, as I edited and changed and cleaned and polished this fun story, I realized the zest was gone. The zeal. The interest. And if I couldn't feel the love, how could I write a good romance? It would be bland, boring, without spark. DULL.

After much soul searching and good kick in the pants from my husband, I dropped it. It does no good to work on a project I'm not passionate about, because the reader can tell.

Please don't think I'm just sitting around, though. I want let you know I've still got two irons in the fire, and they're heating up nicely. One is the PRINT version of my book, The Wild Queen, which will soon be available for sale. The other is a brand spanking new contemporary YA called Intersect. It's so new, I'm still working on the first chapter. But I think that's what I needed. I've been editing so much over the last year or so that I just needed to start something fresh. Already I can tell it's going to be amazing. :)

Party with Tristi

2012-01-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

The awesome and extremely talented Tristi Pinkston is having another book launch party. This is her 9th book and her 4th in the Secret Sisters Mysteries. If you live anywhere near Orem, UT--trust me--you want to take the time to attend. If not, she's having an incredibly cool online launch party for us who have to admire from afar.

Check out her WEBSITE for details. You don't want to miss it!!

I Dream in Steampunk

2012-01-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

Or at least, alternate-reality, sci-fi, ninja Steampunk.

In the dream, the main characters are a pack of young teens. I say pack because initially there were 2 and that grew to 6 once we got on the roller coaster (which was way cool futuristic type). The roller coaster was the only way into the amusement park and the hotel we were going to stay at. But, before we could go anywhere we spotted a very rich man shopping with a scantily clad, buxom woman. We knew the man, or at least of him, and he had a young daughter who was missing. But he didn't seem to concerned about that, and one of us girls couldn't keep it to herself. She called him despicable.

Well, his bodyguard took exception. Suddenly he had a pack of friends. The rich guy left, so he wouldn't be part of the situation. The ninja group was defeated, but they killed one of our own.

The next day we had to return to the scene in order to get our money back for the roller coaster ride we never took. The group was there, too, and the air was thick with tension--like a fight would break out if anyone stepped wrong or said just the wrong thing. As it turned out, we let it slip that our dead friend has a girlfriend, Camille, and suddenly she became a target.

The story could really happen in any background. I'm going to have to look into this further. You know, when I have the time. (lol)

Oh, hi.

2012-01-17T14:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't meant to not be here lately. In addition to my wildly exciting desire and drive to write, I've been hit with a couple of fastballs. First my back decided to freak out and stop working properly, and then, before my back got better, my immune system crashed--and let bronchitis and a sinus infection in. Rude.

I'm still working on getting better, and I haven't let it derail my writing plans so soon after committing to them, but it did slow me down. Hey, I'm as human as the next girl.

I'm really just checking in--to let you know I'm still here and going strong for 2012. But the kids are going to be home any minute so I gotta fly. :)

Resolutions are for Suckers

2012-01-05T11:41:00.000-07:00

I've said it before, but I'll say it again. I don't do New Years' Resolutions. There's a quote going around Facebook that Resolutions are a to-do list for the first week of January.

I set goals instead. Here, on my writing blog, we're not going to mess with my personal goals. We'll explore my writing goals for 2012.

I decided I'm going to publish, or contract to publish, *5* books this year.

Whoa. I know, right? Then I got to thinking.

I'm submitting The Tyrant King at the end of the week. Cleaning up The Wild Queen to prepare for print versions (by Mother's Day per a personal request). Submitting Lizzie Lilac and the Left Socks, my children's book, (though there's no guarantee it will be published). These 3 books are almost done, and only require a few touch ups.

But, The Wild Queen shouldn't really count since I published the ebook last year. Right?

I have lined up a fabulous editor for Consequences in March, so my edits need to be done by then. That's okay, since my plan is to have it done by February. That gives me time to get it out to readers, get their feedback on it, and then make a few tweaks before my dear editor gets her hands on it.

After that, I think I'm going to work on a few rough drafts. It will be great to flex that creative muscle again. Exciting.

Five books will be great. What a fun way to spice up 2012.

Since I will be self publishing a few, I have some control over meeting this goal. The fun part will be learning how to do my own typesetting and cover art. Scary. I'm excited and motivated to get this done.

Let's go 2012!

My Review: Transcendent by various authors

2011-12-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

Repeat after me: You WANT to be part of this blog tour. Go enter to win fun prizes. Lots of prizes. Go, NOW!

Why are you still here? Oh, you're back. Ok.

Transcendent is a fun, fun collection of short stories by various authors, some of which you may have heard of. Others, you will.

The first story starts out with a hilarious twist on an old tale, and it just gets better from there.

Oh, and don't forget to check out the other participating blogs:

If paranormal is your thing, or if you're wanting to try something new, you won't be disappointed. You can click on over to GOODREADS and see what people are saying about it. Then, you can head over to AMAZON to pick up the e-book, or wait for the paperback coming SOON!

Click HERE to show these fun authors some Facebook love.

And happy reading. :)

Christmas Poem

2011-12-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

**I posted this last year, but it bears repeating. This is probably the best poem I've ever written.**

"Jesus Child"

The star shone high and bright,
in the sky above our heads.
We tried to tend our flocks,
but followed it instead.
How far it led us, we know not.
Nor do we really care.
For we'd have trod a thousand steps
to see who we saw there.
He was so small, this Son of God,
an infant child who lay
in a manger, with Mother dear
on a bed of hay.
His eyes, so bright, just like the star
that shone in Heaven above,
looked on us with approval
as we gazed at him in awe.
Others came, but we were first
this sweet child here to see.
And we knew then, deep in our hearts
our Savior he would be.

December 19, 1994

The Cloth Tree

2011-12-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

Many years ago, I lived with my husband and small son in a tiny little house. One particular Christmas season, we'd just found out we were expecting twins and were in the process of looking for a larger house. As you can imagine, the tiny little house was in disarray. We only had a four foot tree, but we had simply NO room to put it. What to do? How will we put up a tree this year?

Feeling creative, I used an old sheet as a backdrop and cut out a large green triangle that I sewed to the sheet. Then, my husband and stepdaughter helped me "decorate" our tree. We hung it up over a window and strung lights around it. The gifts stacked underneath it against the wall.

Each year following, I would come across this silly little tree as I unpacked the Christmas tree and decorations. Usually, I'd just refold the cloth tree and put it back in the box. But, the tree held a special sentiment to my husband, and I guess to me as well, because I could never bring myself to throw it away.

This year, when I unpacked the boxes, I had an idea. With the help of my 5 children, we spent a fun evening cutting out and decorating little paper "gifts." My husband laminated each one, and I attached velcro to the backs and to the old, white sheet. I also used different strips of felt to create a border--no, I had never actually "finished" the edges of the tree backing.

Now, each day from December 1 to December 24, someone puts up a numbered gift as we count UP to Christmas. By Christmas eve, the little cloth tree will be surrounded with 24 happily colored gifts. Now, at last, our little cloth tree serves a purpose in our home. And each member of the family has a part in it.

I'm curious. What family traditions have you started? Or what traditions do you carry on from generations past?

What do You Think?

2011-12-06T13:56:00.000-07:00

Pulling up to the house always felt like entering some exclusive club. Sure, nearly every other house in the cul-de-sac had desert landscaping and a three car garage, but this house stood out. Maybe it was the cascading waterfall in the front yard, surrounded by just enough rock-lined grass to frame it. Maybe it was the double solid oak doors you could see from the street. Maybe it was just because it was home.

Have you ever read a book where each chapter begins with a short letter or journal entry? What do you think of such a device? In Consequences, I'm struggling with the right balance between two points of view. There isn't enough story to give the second character her own chapters or segments, but there are aspects of her experience and feelings that the reader would benefit from knowing.

I actually kind of like the glimpses into a character's "diary" so to speak. I once read a book where the chapters took place in real time, but each one was prefaced with a short letter from the past--of either the children to their mother, or the mother to her children. I may be in the minority, here, but I enjoyed it.

Which is precisely when I'm asking. What do you think of such a storytelling tool?

My Review: The Assassination of Governor Boggs by Rod Miller

2011-11-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

About the book: Twenty-five years ago, governor Lilburn Boggs was shot in his home, but the gunman was never found. Now Detective Calvin Pogue has been hired by the Boggs family to open the cold case. From one end of the country to the other Detective Pogue follows clues that lead him relentlessly to the legendary Mormon gunman Porter Rockwell–who still isn’t making things easy for anyone!

My thoughts: I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and found myself caught up in it from beginning to end. I do enjoy historical fiction, and I'm finding LDS historical fiction equally enthralling. It's cool to read fictional stories based in times and places we study in Sunday School.

I liked the character of Detective Pogue, and found myself hoping he could resolve the issues that kept him from his child. I really appreciated that he was a character of some depth, with his own background, and not just a vehicle to tell the assassination story. I will warn you, though, there's a twist in the end that some readers will find frustrating because it is unresolved by the end of the book. I won't say that Pogue behaves out of character at the last, because I'm not convinced he does, but it was enough for me to grumble a bit on the last page. :)

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely. I'm no historian, so I can't say for sure where the lines of fiction and fact blur, but it is nonetheless an entertaining and enlightening read. Rod Miller does an excellent job weaving a convincing story with compelling characters. Go for it.

You can purchase the book HERE.

Disclaimer: I did receive a free copy of this book for review, but that did in NO way sway my opinion of the story.

Dear Chloe

2011-11-22T07:41:00.001-07:00

Dear Chloe, (From Consequences)

I’ve figured something out about myself. I can’t love anyone halfway. I guess that’s what makes me such a lousy stepmom. It’s hard for me to step back and not take part in your life because I love you like my own. I know you aren’t my child; I know you have a mother and she loves you and you love her. I’m not trying to replace anyone or edge anyone out. But I love you with my whole heart. It’s impossible for me to love a child part-way.

Having the day care taught me this. Remember when little Mae burned her hands? Her mom called to tell me what happened and I couldn’t sit still—I had to do something to help. And when she came back to day care with her hands all bandaged and only one little thumb sticking out my heart just bled for her. I’m not her mom. But I love her. Just like I love you and just like I love all my biological children.

Love isn’t a part time thing for me. Once a child pulls me into their world, that’s it; I’m hooked. I think about the kids I babysat in my teens. I wonder about the kids I took care of in the church nursery over a decade ago. The human heart has an unrelenting love capacity with no boundaries. If we allow our hearts to love, then the love just grows and grows.

You have grown up right before my eyes. The last 13 years have flown by; I swear just days ago you were that 4 year old who captured me so completely.

I saw you first. I don’t know if you know that part of the story, but I saw you long before I saw your dad. I fell in love with the little girl skipping circles around her dad long before your dad told me his name. And I knew I wanted to marry him because of the way he treated you. I wanted that kind of love and devotion for my children someday, and I got it.

If only we could have lived forever in those first months I knew you. You accepted me and we had fun together. You have a capacity to love that is unparalleled. I know why it happened. The "honeymoon" had to end at some point. Then you started treating me like I had become something forbidden. Once, you called me late at night just to whisper “I love you” and hang up. I cried. Not for me, but for what you had to change to please the people you love.

I love you. No matter what.
Jenni

What it Really Means

2011-11-15T07:06:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago, I blogged about going OLD SCHOOL, and how much it meant to try to write a novel long hand again. Today, I'm going to update you on my progress.

5700 words. That's about when my brain started going faster than my hands, and I couldn't keep up. Transcribing those last 5 or so pages into the computer, for instance, was a fight to read my own chicken scratch. Not that I've ever had stellar handwriting, but let's just say it gets much worse when I'm in a hurry.

One of my friends, when I told her what I was doing, quipped, "learn shorthand." That might work, but I struggle with the old dog/new tricks reality I realized I didn't want to take time away from my writing to learn another way of writing.

Here's the thing: I may start all my novels long hand from now on. I may write the first chapter without using a computer because it DOES do amazing things to the human brain--or at least my (mostly) human brain. I found the experience to be much richer, and I got to know my characters quickly and I tended to do more description.

Or not. I may just end up doing extensive drafting by hand, so it helps me develop my characters before I actually write the story ON MY COMPUTER.

Because that's what all this boils down to. I can ALMOST match my thought speed with a keyboard. Haven't got a prayer of doing that with a pen and paper.

So, for now, it's keyboard all the way.

Bella's Shower--Come Party!

2011-11-14T06:17:00.002-07:00

I'm totally stoked to be one of the sponsor's of Bella's Totally Awesome Bridal/Baby Shower on Inksplasher. We’ve had some fun games and prizes already, with more to come. Be sure to go visit Inksplasher every day to enter to win!

In addition to her daily prizes, she's invited sponsors (like me) to give away very cool prizes, like this!

See, I figure you’re going to want to be all prepared when Breaking Dawn comes out on DVD, so here’s a package to keep handy. And the copy of The Peasant Queen is to help you kill time while you wait for them to release the movie.

How do you get entered to win my prize? It's easy!

1. FOLLOW ME: Become a follower of my blog & leave a comment on this post telling me you're a follower. If you're already a follower, just say so in the comments.

2. Answer my Trivia Question: Email the answer to the question below to bellasshower@gmail.com. Put my name, Cheri Chesley, in the Subject line of the email & include your mailing address—in case you win. Deadline: midnight, November 19, 2011.

It’s that simple. And not only will you be entered to win my prize, but you'll also get THREE ENTRIES for the Grand Prize!

So are you ready for my question? Here it is...

Earlier this month, I shared the first chapter of City of Light with my blog readers. Which 4 blogs did the segments of chapter One appear? (Hint: The answer is on my blog)

Please DON’T post the answer in the comments. Send it via email to bellasshower@gmail.com. All emails with the correct answer will be automatically entered to win my book and the Grand Prize.

The answer to the question and the name of the winner will be posted on the Inksplasher blog on November 21st. Winner must have a shipping address within the U.S. Prize will be shipped at the end of the contest.

Good luck!

My review: Become by Ali Cross

2011-11-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I attended a writers' retreat. If you've never done one, it's awesome. I doubt non writers would get as much out of it, but there's something about having over a dozen people in a house, and hearing only the clickety clack of their keyboards for hours at a time.

I also got my hands on some fantastic books. I've teased you before with news of the DARK CARMA tour, and now you're going to hear about the A. Ali Cross' book, Become.

How can you not LOVE that cover?

From the back cover: Sixteen-year old Desolation Black wants nothing more than to stay in Hell where it’s cold and lonely and totally predictable. Instead, she’s sent back to Earth where she must face the evil she despises and the good she always feared.

When Desi is forced to embrace her inner demon, she assumes her choice has been made—that she has no hope of being anything other than what her father, Lucifer, has created her to be. What she doesn’t count on, is finding a reason to change—something she’s never had before—a friend.

My take: Ali is a genius. Seriously. I was at a WRITERS' retreat, people, not a READERS' retreat. But I wanted to see what she wrote when she signed it. Then I thought, oh, I'll just read the prologue. Then my eyes flicked--flicked--to the first chapter and caught a few words.

I was 183 pages in before I forced myself to stop.

I love Desi--her struggles, her weaknesses, her strengths. It can't be easy to make Satan's daughter a likable character, but Ali does it with such finesse you kind of don't realize it's happening until you find yourself rooting for her. I love the Norse mythology tie-ins, but I love mythologies. This story is all about the murky gray, but none of the characters leave you guessing whose side they're on.

Ali's writing style fit me. Become Does not have the rough feel of an author's first book. I actually found myself imagining editors kicking themselves for letting this one slip through their fingers (as I read). It's that good, that compelling.

I honestly can't wait to see what she does next. And, if enough people know about Become, it could easily become a best seller.

**Disclaimer, if you want one. I bought this book with my hard-saved money, so you can bet I'd let you know if I'd been disappointed!**

The Beginning, part 1

2011-11-01T11:19:00.000-06:00

When does a story begin? It begins with the action. While authors may develop a whole, complex back story it's never a good idea to start your book with it. This is one of the reasons I've worked at doing away with prologues. Mine were always heavy with back story, because I loved the story part. But readers want action.

Last night I watched The Fugitive with the boys. At the end, my son complained that we didn't see the part where they officially cleared Richard Kimble's name. Technically, at the end of the movie, he was still a convicted murderer. I told him that's the boring part and nobody wants to see the boring part. His brother reminded him of his previous complaints at every scene that wasn't packed with action.

It's the same with books. Nobody wants to see the boring part.

I'm going to share a little journey with you this week. If you blog hop with me, you'll get the entire first chapter of the story I teased you about a few weeks back. We're starting here and now. Tomorrow, if you hit my MOMMY BLOG, you'll get the second installment. Thursday, the third will be at LDS WRITERS BLOGCK. Friday you can tie it all together over at MORMON MOMMY WRITERS. Have fun and happy reading! (image courtesy of fineartamerica.com)

CITY OF LIGHT
by Cheri Chesley

CHAPTER 1

The voice came from everywhere and nowhere, echoing off the beautifully polished building walls so that every ear in the City could hear it. People of Light, my shadow creatures have long watched you. In two days’ time my servant shall walk among you. He will claim my bride, the maiden Aisilyn. Our union will allow me to cross the Barrier of Light, and bring your destruction!
Gennavieve, shopping in the marketplace with her sister, froze when she head the voice. Everyone around her paused to listen. Genna’s eyes sought her sister’s face; at the mention of her name, Aisilyn closed her eyes and swayed a little. Genna clutched her arm, the silk she’d been holding slid back to the merchant’s table. Aisilyn opened her eyes, and Genna saw.

She knows it’s her, she thought. Just as I know.

The voice ended, and, as though bidden, the sun slid from behind the clouds. Genna became aware of the excited voices around them, fearful and urgent.

“Let’s go home,” she said. “Mother will be worried.”

Aisilyn nodded, but didn’t pull away from Genna’s grasp. Genna inclined her head to Sorai, who snatched up their purchases and followed.

Oops...and YAY

2011-10-25T14:09:00.000-06:00

Today turned out to be kind of a wash. After I sent the kids to school and Bryan off to his new job (who, seriously, gets a job after being in town 2 days?), I went back to bed. Slept till noon. Had lunch while watching last night's Castle. Showered. Did all that email and socializing stuff. Honestly, by the time I sat down to write it was 20 min till the kids get home. Bah.

So I'm putting up my post rather than waiting till later. I'll write a little tonight when I have a minute. I did want to share some news, something I've been anxiously sitting on for a little while now.

My sis, Mel Chesley, got her publishing contract today!!!!! Dontcha love the look of her blog? I totally do. Whenever I go there it always reminds me of those pirate stories I'm waiting to write/rewrite. Sigh.

I'm so happy for her. So incredibly excited! Can't wait to put her book, alphabetically of course, on the shelf next to mine!

Way to go, Mel!

Life Edit

2011-10-18T11:04:00.000-06:00

Occasionally a writer has to eat her words, and even those words aren't terribly tasty. A few weeks ago I told you all about The Price of Love, my "perfect for Halloween" story I planned to launch as an e-book last week. Lacking the huge fanfare and announcement that it's actually for sale now, I'm sure you've guessed where this is heading.

I got into the story to edit it, and found it needs SO much more work than I first thought. My initial fondness for the story had made me blind to how much I have grown as a writer since. And, so far, only one scene has been rewritten. Oddly it's a really critical scene near the end of the story.

Now, I'll let you in on what's going to happen from here. I'm going to work on this story off and on in my "free" time and get it nicely polished for NEXT Halloween. I may release it before then, if I'm really happy with it, but I doubt sales will be that good until the creepy season hits again.

I'm sorry to have disappointed you. Trust me, I'm disappointed too. But, sometimes, we just can't have what we want.

My review: The Armor of Light by Karen E. Hoover

2011-10-04T07:07:00.001-06:00

I reviewed the book HERE on Mormon Mommy Writers Friday. Today I'm going to explore the book in more depth, so I'll dispense with the description. You can already tell by the cover it's going to be cool. Click HERE for the complete cover blurb.

I love this series. I'm going to tell you up front I would pit Karen's Wolfchild Saga against any bestselling fantasy series out there. If she keeps writing like this, she's going to be absolutely huge (fame-wise). And, having TRISTI PINKSTON for an editor can't hurt. ;)

In The Sapphire Flute, you met three primary characters--Ember, Kayla and C'Tan. Ember and Kayla are our protagonists; C'Tan the antagonist. In The Armor of Light, we get to learn more about these characters as their adventures continue and the dangers heighten.

What I'm loving is how each character grows. The girls are really coming into their own, while C'Tan is becoming an even more complex villain than we first saw. You know me; I have a documented weakness for complex villains. Click HERE if you don't believe me.

The magic woven throughout the story is believable, without being convenient. In fact, some things happen that the characters find downright inconvenient at the time. Ember makes a few new friends, and Kayla really comes into her own. I love the power and strength Kayla manifests by the end of the book.

The short is that these are characters you will love, and continue to love. Karen does a great job of finishing the story while leaving us longing to read more. I can't wait to see what's going to happen in book 3.

Dark CARMA

2011-09-27T11:47:00.000-06:00

I know karma starts with a K, but Christine Bryant's name doesn't. CARMA stands for the first initials of each of the authors presenting books in their Dark CARMA tour. Check out my button (on the right side bar), and check out these BOOKS. They are amazing, and you're going to want to join the fun!

For My Next Trick

2011-09-27T06:58:00.000-06:00

"Hey, Rocky! Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat."

"Again?!"

I have no idea where Rocky and Bullwinkle came from this morning. There's really no point in asking. Let's just hope it's not going to be a Rocky and Bullwinkle kind of day.

Get moose and squirrel!

K, I think I'm done.

As I tie up the edits for The Tyrant King, I find myself looking ahead to those days when I wait to hear back from my betas and then the days (and weeks) while I wait to hear from my editor. What should I work on next? The obvious answer is The Lost Princess. She's actually my November project this year. What do do in October?

I think it's time for another e-book, myself.

The Price of Love, tentative release HALLOWEEN. Set in beautiful Scotland in an ancient manor house, this is one love story gone wrong that will send shivers up your spine.

Alita is thrilled to travel to Scotland to meet her future in-laws and plan the final details of her wedding. That is, until she meets her fiance's mother. Then Alita starts having strange dreams, dreams of dying a horrible death--dreams that spur her to dig into an ages-old mystery, and in the process learn not everyone is as they seem.

Yeah, you're right. I need to work on that synopsis. It's early, mind, and I haven't had a lot of sleep. :P

Look for more updates on The Price of Love in the coming weeks.

But, I'm Published!

2011-09-20T07:36:00.000-06:00

Last week, I heard from a friend of mine. We've kind of had mirror lives--our first novels came out around the same time, we sent our second ones to our publishers around the same time, we got rejected with requests to rewrite and resubmit--you know the drill. My friend, who'd worked very hard to rework her novel and has a much better book now than before, found out after 11 weeks that her publisher declined to publish it. I feel for her, particularly since I'm not as fast as she is doing rewrites, not to mention my crazy summer, and am on the verge of resubmitting my reworked novel. I'm confident my friend will move forward, but her experience has made me take a step back from my own life and think.

What will I do if my publisher declines to publish my second book?

First off, there's a reason I don't have a wireless keyboard (imagine keyboards sailing across the room to hit the far wall). My initial reactions to disappointment are sometimes unpredictable.

I know I'm not a bestselling author. I know having a published novel under your belt does NOT guarantee future publication. I've met really amazing authors with 6 or 7 published novels who still get the dreaded "no, thank you" from their publisher at times.

But, I also know I have certain obligations.

One, to myself. I'm a writer. What I love is to create stories and share them with others. Two, I have a modest fan base--actual living, breathing people who are anxiously awaiting the next installment of this series. I've heard it from them and bookstore owners alike. Granted, they aren't in the thousands, but they exist. And they matter to me. Three, I have an obligation to show my children that just because our dreams aren't easy doesn't mean we can give up. I read a great quote recently: Don't follow your dreams. Chase them!

But none of that changes the basic, economic fact that my publisher may not feel my book is strong enough to warrant their taking a risk on it. In fact, publishing my first book may have taught them I'm not as good a risk as they thought. As a writer, I have a distinct detachment from that side of the coin, and I don't know where they stand. Which is probably for the best.

The question remains: what will I do? I have options. I can try other publishers. I can search for an agent. I can self publish. In fact, in the next couple of months several of my writing friends are self publishing really incredible books. That will mean it will be harder to get my book in stores, but it will also mean I will have the book out to the public sooner than expected.

I really don't believe there's an easy answer here. Each process has its positive and negative sides. Shopping the book around could take the extra time my readers need to forget they're anticipating the next book. I need to evaluate my position, my goals, and see where I stand. What will be best for me, in both the short and long term? The other issue I have is that this is the continuation of a series, and how many publishers would be willing to pick up a series on the second book?

Decision, decisions. But at least I have options. :)

As Promised--my Newest Idea

2011-09-13T10:51:00.000-06:00

The City of Light and its inhabitants have long been protected from The Dark by the aura created by the actions of their pure hearts. One day a booming, horrible voice resonates throughout the city. “People of Light, my shadow creatures have long watched you. In 2 days’ time my servant will enter your city to claim my future bride, the maiden Aliyah. Once I join her to me I will learn the secrets of Light and will finally be able to destroy you.”

I've thought for a couple weeks about this, long and hard, trust me, but I'm 99.9% sure this is my voice. This is something I wrote, and not just because when I transcribed it to the computer I could remember the sentences exactly as written without looking.

The thing is there are 5 maidens in the city named Aliyah. One has a younger sister, Gennavieve. Suspecting her sister is the demon’s chosen bride, Genna starts sleeping in her sister’s room. In 2 weeks, Aliyah will marry her one true love and create a bond not even a demon can break. Genna plans to protect her sister and save her from a terrible fate.

I love my strong female characters, as I'm sure you know by now. Genna is certain she can make a difference, and is even willing to sacrifice her life if it means her sister will be safe.

The demon’s servant sent to retrieve Aliyah is a Dark Warrior trained from birth to serve this demon. He is a tall, muscular mortal man endowed with special strengths to fulfill his destiny. Because the People of Light are not warriors they cannot oppose him. Instead they wait in fear, each of the 5 families praying it is not their Aliyah he wants.

**dramatic pause lol**

He comes in the night. Finding 2 maidens in the room there is first some confusion about who he must take. Genna convinces him to take her. He gives her 2 gifts from the demon—a bracelet that both marks her as the demon’s bride but also magically compels her to his lair. The other gift is a cloak. The demon has enchanted these cloaks. Through them he can read a person’s thoughts and when he wants to speak to them the hood comes up and only the wearer can hear his voice. His servant also wears one of these cloaks, though one has never before been used by a Person of Light. The demon finds reading Genna to be like finding the way through a maze. Her thoughts seem to hide from him, and sine her plan to save her sister is her purest thought he does not find it, keeping her identity secret from him.

Now, I know he's the Dark Warrior and all, servant to a demon, but I like him already. Don't you?

Genna has a loyal maid, Sorai, who insists in going with her. The Dark Warrior tries to talk her out of it, even offering to kill her quickly because the demon will not be as kind in her death. The chances she will be allowed to live and serve Genna are slim to none, but she insists.

Again, strong female characters.

Because the demon can read his Dark Warrior he knows the man may betray him. As the Dark Warrior takes Genna along the perilous road back to his master, he falls in love with her. Finally he chooses to defy the demon and save Genna, but the demon has foreseen this, and compelled Genna through the bracelet to move through the night, putting her ahead of the warrior. Now he must race to find her before she reaches the demon’s lair.

Classic good vs. evil conflict, but with some fun twists. I'm really looking forward to fleshing out this story, but don't look for it to be a series. I don't think it's THAT fleshy! :)

From the Other Side of the Move

2011-09-06T07:37:00.000-06:00

I'm getting all my posts in early this week, in case I end up with no internet. Kinda hard to blog post with no internet. :)

What's new in my writing world? Well, the publisher rejected Lizzie Lilac and the Left Socks, as their children's book quota has been realized this year. I'm going to shop it around for next year. Hopefully I'll find someone who will want it.

Nothing new to report on The Tyrant King. I'm not writing/editing much, but I am learning quite a bit about how to improve my writing and look forward to making it a real knockout book once the kids are back in school. Yes, my kids haven't started yet. It's a casualty of the move, but they start today. Hooray! Tomorrow, I plan to be home all morning and afternoon with nothing but my thoughts. I almost can't believe I'm looking forward to that.

Still adjusting to small town living. That will take some time. But, I think I will enjoy the quiet. Less hustle and bustle. More writing time. More time with my kids. More bloggy time. :) More writing time. Wait, did I say that already? lol

In the move, I found something truly exciting--a fresh, new story idea that I'd written down forever ago and just can't wait to develop. In my next post, I'll give you the basics so you can tell me if you've seen or heard it before. One of my biggest fears finding something like this is that it's not my idea at all, but one I summarized from another source. I'd hate to be repetitive. If feels like mine, but seems so brilliant I can't quite bring myself to claim it. Make sense?

It just Keeps Coming

2011-08-23T10:44:00.000-06:00

We are moving in 6 days. Good thing I've got these great pain killers to keep me from freaking out too much. :) I guess something good can come from having your wisdom teeth yanked the week before a cross country move. And, if something in this post doesn't make sense--you now know why.

Saturday night I had this fantastic story idea just hit me out of the blue. I'm not ready to share it yet (mean, I know--sorry!) because I'm still working out the kinks, but I just love it when inspiration strikes like that. It's such a great feeling to have a wealth of ideas to choose from when I sit down to write, although I know it's going to be a little while before I get to actually write it. But it's a twist on a missing person story, actually a couple of twists on your basic missing person plot. The inspiration, I can see now, came from a combination of a movie I watched (and thought it could have been better), a book I read a few weeks back, and my own brain.

What's really cool is when the main character just starts telling her story, right out of the blue. I admit that I hear stories in first person, though I often adapt them to 3rd person. This one I may not, because I like the 1st person "voice." She's capable, yet vulnerable, with a healthy dose of suspicion. And I like the way she describes the people she meets and interacts with. She's a little irreverent. :)

I promise, I will share more when I can. Stay tuned for a first scene, or even a brief synopsis in the coming weeks.

From Unlikely Sources

2011-08-16T07:27:00.000-06:00

It started out as such a nice, pleasant slave auction.

I'm going to use that sentence, or some derivative thereof, in a story someday.

Now you want to know where it came from, right?

My imagination? No. From the mouth of my 12 yr old son.

Actually, he said something similar and I can't remember his exact wording, but I wanted to tweak it anyway. I think it makes an interesting start to a story. I mean, who expects a slave auction to be nice or pleasant? Certainly not the slaves. Certainly not any of us with a shred of compassion for our fellow man. I love how those words contrast slave auction.

What brought this on? We were watching Voyage of the Dawn Treader (yeah, FINALLY), and Lucy had just been sold at auction. The man hung a crude "sold" sign around her neck and brought out her sniveling cousin, and about that time the cloaks came off, the good guys revealed themselves, and the fighting began. Watching the structure of the scene disintegrate, my son made his comment. Gotta love his wry sense of humor.

I was told once that I would receive inspiration from my children. This one came easy. He spoke. My brain lit up. I had to write it down. Yes, this is the same child with the twisted brain that I've talked about before. I've shared some of his writing on my other blog, the one strictly about my family. Here's a LINK if you haven't had a chance to check it out. :)

And here's a fun LINK to a giveaway my friend is doing on her blog. She's helping me in that final push to raise money to help another FRIEND with her cancer expenses.

Inspiration

2011-08-09T12:35:00.001-06:00

Today, we're going on a visual tour of my once and future home.

This is Waurika, Oklahoma. I last lived there in 1997, from January to October. This is where we are moving to.

This is Waurika Lake. I look forward to swims and picnics by the lake. It's about 15 minutes away from our house.

This is the library. No kidding. The Rock Island Depot in Waurika has been restored for use as the public library.

This is a view from downtown--Main street. Waurika doesn't have a stop light, but it does have two pharmacies. :) Below is a better view of downtown.

There's a lot to be said for the inspiration of quiet, small town living--if you're a writer. I'm looking forward to creating there.

Surprise!

2011-08-02T14:48:00.000-06:00

This is an actual letter I sent to my publisher, with a few changes to protect the innocent. :) What do you think?

Dear (name withheld):

This submission is in response to this publisher’s public request for Mother’s Day book submissions. I offer you a children’s book with a twist that will appeal to mothers and children alike—as a gift, or for themselves. It is called Lizzie Lilac and the Left Socks.
Lizzie Lilac is a little girl with a passion for socks, so she notices when her favorite socks come up missing. Determined to solve the mystery, she finds herself following a troll to a secret world where she discovers an entire troll village. Lizzie learns trolls steal only “left” socks, because they only know how to knit “right” socks. Caring as only a young girl can, Lizzie solves the trolls’ problem, and earns a reward.
When she wakes up in her bed the next morning, Lizzie isn’t sure if her adventure really happened, or if it was just a dream, but she does find that all of her missing socks have been restored, and someone has left a mysterious gift under her pillow.
I wrote this story with the help of my ten year old daughter, Kylie, and hope to include her name on the cover. Kylie and I have friends, Rebecca and her daughter, Lizzie. Rebecca was diagnosed in May with breast cancer, and her strength and courage has been an inspiration. She makes beaded butterfly breast cancer awareness pins. I’ve included one. Please wear it with our compliments. In my mind, the Lizzie in the story has a mother who is recovering from chemotherapy. She can have either a scarf on her bald head or wear a cute hat. The treasured socks Lizzie misses are socks her mother sewed little, beaded butterflies on while she was sick. I believe, through the combination of the words and strong pictures, adult readers will easily see the deeper meaning behind the book as they read the entertaining story to their child(ren).
I currently serve as President of the League of Utah Writers’ Tooele Chapter. My first novel, The Peasant Queen, is now being sold in stores and online. You can also find my name as one of the contributors in Covenant Communications’ inspirational compilation, Tender Mercies, released Spring 2010, and its upcoming sequel. I appreciate your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Cheri Chesley

Cross your fingers! :)

Tristi's New Book!

2011-07-31T13:02:00.002-06:00

Author Tristi Pinkston is excited to announce the release of the third novel in her Secret Sisters Mysteries series.

Titled Hang ‘em High, this novel takes place on a dude ranch in Montana. When Ida Mae’s son invites her to come for a visit, of course she brings Arlette and Tansy along with her. They are expecting to spend the week looking at horses, avoiding the cows, and making amends in Ida Mae’s relationship with her son. What they don’t expect is to be stuck on the ranch in the middle of a blizzard and to be thrust headlong into the middle of a mystery.

***

Help Tristi celebrate her new novel in two ways. First, come participate in the two-week-long blog contest, where you can win a book nearly every single day! All the details are up on Tristi’s blog.

Second, come to the book launch!

You are invited to an

August Authorama!

Saturday, August 13th

Pioneer Book, 858 S. State, Orem

12 – 4 pm

Games, prizes, balloons, face painting,

and Dutch oven cobbler

prepared by world champion cook

Keith Fisher.

Authors Tristi Pinkston, J. Lloyd Morgan, Cindy Hogan,

Nichole Giles, and Heather Justesen

will all be there to sign books.

This is one book launch event

you will not want to miss!

My review: A Countess Below Stairs

2011-07-26T08:56:00.000-06:00

A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson

From the cover: After the Russian Revolution turns her world topsy-turvy, Anna, a young Russian countess, has no choice but to flee to England. Penniless, Anna hides her aristocratic background and takes a job as servant in the household of the esteemed Westerholme family, armed only with an outdated housekeeping manual and sheer determination. Desperate to keep her past a secret, Anna is nearly overwhelmed by her new duties, not to mention her instant attraction to Rupert, the handsome earl of Westerholme. To make matters worse, Rupert appears to be falling for her as well. As their attraction grows stronger, Anna finds it more and more difficult to keep her most dearly held secrets from unraveling. And then there's the small matter of Rupert's beautiful and nasty fiancée. . .

My opinion: I've been trained as a novelist not to "head hop" or, if you're unfamiliar with the term, not to show too many different character POV's in one book, or even one scene. That aside, this book is one of the best I've read in a while. The author had a way of making the protagonists characters you absolutely invested in, while making the antagonists utterly despised for their ideals and actions. Seriously, give it a shot. I read it in an evening because I couldn't put it down. Check out this LINK to find the paperback and the Kindle version.

Poem

2011-07-19T08:02:00.001-06:00

He Smiles No More

We have pictures on the wall of him,
his mouth always a smile.
Time passes, and when we look at him,
we see it has faded.
The pictures never tell the truth.
The smile, warm and loving, is never seen.
Now we see a child, a mere babe in years,
carrying the torture, pain, and tears
of someone older than us all.
The child, so loving and dear,
cries himself to sleep now.
When I look at the pictures on the wall
of him so young and innocent,
I think to myself,
"He smiles no more."
The pain he carries weighs him down.
How can we expect an angel to fly
when he carries all our burdens
on his wings?
Some say he'll outgrow it all,
and be a normal person.
They say sensitivity is weak.
In this world, today, I know it is,
but it's purer and better than anything.
We love him, yes,
but he smiles no more.
Help the child, Daddy!
He needs you!
Mommy please!
He cries out for you both,
as I plead.
Put aside your differences, and
help your commonality:
your son.

April 17, 1992

You thought I Forgot

2011-07-12T07:59:00.000-06:00

Didn't you? Don't deny it. Yes, I can post about things other than e-books. :)

She Isn't Here

Knock, knock--was that someone at the door?
No, her little friends don't play here anymore.
So quiet, so still. No silence so lonely
as the silence of toys not playing
with their little girl.
I turn them on so I can hear
what it was like when she was with me.
I chide myself for all the times
I asked her to be quiet.
Her drawings, her books, her dolls...
I find them all around me.
The tape I have of her reading her first book--
the sounds that all surround me.
I want my baby back! My little girl,
when can you be with me?
Without you, it's like I'm sitting
all alone, in an empty field.

August 1, 1996

A Story on Layering

2011-07-05T14:51:00.002-06:00

Last week, Rebecca had to have port surgery. If you've been keeping up with her BLOG, you'll know that she's been having trouble with the chemo and they had to do something other than the IV method. This is one BRAVE lady, people. She hates all the medical stuff, hates needles, hates hospitals, etc--and has really come through it all amazingly well. Also, Monday (July 4) her youngest had his 4th birthday. He made sure we understood that all the fireworks and parties were for him. :) What a cutie!

Now I have just the teensiest request for me. Here's where the layers come in.

The Wild Queen, my e-book, is the story of a great, epic romance--but it is not a romance novel. Unfortunately, in categorizing the story for sale, someone *cough* me *cough* listed romance as one of the search words. This has led to at least one misunderstanding. A kind reader picked it up on amazon.com expecting a romance, and was sorely disappointed.

Please understand I appreciate feedback, even the not-so-nice kind, because it gives me a chance to analyze my writing, learn and grow. I also understand a review is simply someone's opinion, and I don't intend to try to please everyone. This reader took the story at face value and didn't like what they saw. Because of that, they jumped to a couple of erroneous conclusions, and really socked it to my non-romance romance novel. I've purposely layered this story, making it more complex than it would otherwise appear. I'm also confident I didn't over-complicate the plot because I've had several readers tell me what they think was really going on--and they are right.

So what's my problem? Simply this: the ONLY review the book has on amazon.com is a 1 star review, which I feel does the book--and my efforts to raise money for my friend's medical expenses--a disservice. My request? If you've read the book, please go to the product page on AMAZON and leave your review. I don't want anyone to diss this person's review or sink to name calling, because that's not what this is about. All I ask is that there be other opinions on there, too.

Thanks!

Changes

2011-06-28T10:35:00.000-06:00

I got to see Rebecca on Sunday. She's sporting a really cute, black wig now. As she put it, her hubby really likes this one. HERE is where she talks about it on her blog, and you get to see a picture!

She also has been busy working on things other than the cute, butterfly pins. Check THIS out. Personally, I think it's a brilliant idea. I mean, how many brides end up barefoot by the end of the reception? :)

Rebecca also talks about her last round of chemo HERE. And HERE is where she gets up on her soapbox for a little bit and reminds us a little of how precious life really is.

And, if this blog post isn't "linktastic" enough, I've got a few more for you. If you've been haunting my blog, wanting to help out by buying my books, but just find a $4.99 ebook TOO much of a risk, now you can get The Wild Queen for just $2.99!!! Remember, SMASHWORDS offers the book in all formats, but you can also get it directly for your KINDLE or NOOK. I've heard really good things about it. :)

Happy reading!

Lest We Forget

2011-06-21T13:34:00.000-06:00

My friend Rebecca had her second chemo treatment last Thursday. Remember, if you will, to check out her BLOG and leave her comments. She does a pretty good job of chronicling her cancer journey with eloquence and humor.

When she's feeling up to it, she works on these little beauties:

She's been kind enough to do several for me because, in helping her out as much as I can, I'm selling them for $2 each, or giving them to people who help in other ways. I have and wear my own little pink one that is unique and pretty. If you can't read the quote Rebecca puts on each one, it says:

"How does one become a butterfly?" she asked. "You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar." ~Anonymous

I've also provided all the handy links to my books so you can pick up whatever you want and, in the process, help Rebecca with her treatment costs. Remember, I'm donating all my book sales income to her *through August 31st, 2011* to help pay her medical expenses. If The Peasant Queen appeals most to you, then you can find the PRINT version here or from your area bookstores. If you'd rather entertain your mind with The Wild Queen, you can find the KINDLE, NOOK or OTHER e-reader versions here.

Or, if you'd rather a quick read, you can snag the chilling short story Ghost Bride for your KINDLE, NOOK, or OTHER e-reader.

And if you're not much of a reader, or don't enjoy YA fantasy novels, you can simply share the link for this post through Facebook or Twitter, or even on your own blog. There more people who know, the more help Rebecca will receive. You never know--just a couple clicks of your mouse may make all the difference! :)

Authors are People, Too

2011-06-14T08:18:00.000-06:00

This morning, Yahoo "News" posted an article about a children's author who was ejected from an airplane for swearing. Click HERE for the article. I clicked it mainly because I was curious whether a beloved children's author had been caught being human. Let's face it--we all make mistakes. Some are just more public than others.

What I found ridiculous is that this article is about a TV producer who happens to have a book coming out later this year and said the F-word (maybe) twice in exhausted frustration. This calls to mind many famous actors who have written a children's book here or there. We don't call them authors. They're still actors. But "children's author swears" has a better ring to it than "TV producer says F-word."

That's it, Yahoo. Go right for the sensationalism. Worry about accuracy later. Sigh.

So, before you start thinking that ALL children's authors routinely drop the F-bomb, I thought I'd tell you a story about one of the good ones. :)

Gail Carson Levine, best known for books like Ella Enchanted, The Fairy's Return, Fairest and Ever is such an author. When I checked out my friend Rebecca's BLOG a couple of weeks ago, it was with the intent to find some clue to lifting her spirits. Fighting cancer is no fun, but it generally has a heavy emphasis on the physical fight. I wanted to make sure she had the emotional well being to balance that out. I still want to. But, anyway, one her blog she lists her "Absolute Favorite Books" and, on that list, is "any Gail Carson Levine book."

This got my wheels turning. I'd met Gail briefly at The King's English Bookstore in SLC last year when she came out to help promote her newest Disney Fairy book. I even have a picture of her posing with my daughter on my phone. Let's put aside the fact that I was too star struck to admit to her that, yes, I am also an author and had a book coming out later that year. But I did listen while she talked, especially where she said she posts author advice on her blog. I've been following her blog ever since.

I thought to myself, wouldn't it be great if Rebecca got a signed Gail Carson Levine book in the mail out of the blue? Wouldn't that help lift her spirits? The answer: absolutely. So I commented on Ms Levine's blog and let her know what I wanted to do. I didn't expect a quick response--she's a busy lady--but I got one anyway. Yes, she'd love to send my friend a book. Which one? In order for this to be a surprise, I couldn't ask Rebecca. I chose The Two Princesses of Bamarre, because, to me, it's the story of finding strength you didn't know you had. And I believe Rebecca is stronger than she may think.

Sunday, when she came to church (the first time since her diagnosis), Rebecca told me, "You have connections." She'd gotten the book. Squeee! I was excited. Ms Levine really delivered. I'm so grateful, I just had to share how fantastic it is of her to take the time and trouble to do this sweet thing for a virtual stranger.

That's pretty cool. And I'm almost certain she did it without swearing. ;)

Do a Beautiful Thing--Buy a Book, Help a Sister

2011-06-03T14:02:00.000-06:00

My friend, Rebecca White, is 35 years old and has breast cancer. She got her diagnosis May 11th. She had a mastectomy May 13th. Three days later, she went back to the doctor to have the bandages removed. She confessed, almost in a whisper, that she just wasn't ready to see under the bandages.

Rebecca is an amazing, strong person. She's so skilled in all those craft-type things that leave me with glue on my fingers and glitter in my hair. She has a happy marriage and three great kids age 10 and under. Rebecca could be me. She could be your sister, your friend, your mother. She could be you. Check out her BLOG. She shares her journey and experiences there. It's heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time.

In general terms, we know cancer can strike anyone at any time. It's not an old person's disease anymore. It strikes children, mothers; in short, anyone. Soon Rebecca will start her chemotherapy. We're all optimistic for a positive outcome, but cancer surgeries and treatments do not come cheaply. Since she won't let me shave my head, I've decided to show my support for Rebecca in other ways.

This is more than taking her meals and taking her kids to and from church; I've done that. Anyone can do that, and they do. We have a supportive ward out here. But I wanted to take it a step further.

I'm donating all my book sales income through August 31st to help Rebecca and her family pay their medical expenses. This is something they need, and in order to make it the most effective I need all the help I can get. And this is why I'm appealing to everyone I can. My book sales don't just mean the royalties from selling print copies of The Peasant Queen (which, incidentally, is on LDS Living's Summer Reading LIST), but also all income from my two e-books--The Wild Queen and my short story, Ghost Bride.

It's so easy. All you have to do is purchase depending on your interests and ability to help. The Wild Queen and Ghost Bride can be found at SMASHWORDS, which not only offers the e-books for every e-reader including simply your home computer, but also offers the highest revenues.

Printed copies of The Peasant Queen can be found, or ordered, at your local bookstores. You can also find it online at AMAZON, BARNES AND NOBLE, and BORDERS.

Amazon and Barnes and Noble also offer each book for the Kindle or Nook, respectively.

Thank you in advance for your help, and happy reading!

I've Been Tagged

2011-05-31T11:00:00.000-06:00

The wonderful and talented Karen Hoover tagged me on her BLOG. This is a new one for me--my first tag, so I'll do my best.

Do you think you're hot? Seriously? Is this high school? lol. Um, NO.

Upload a picture or wall paper you are using at the moment

I'm getting ready to change it though.

When was the last time you ate chicken meat? Yesterday.

The Song(s) you listened to recently? I listen to music to help me fall asleep.
"The Climb" by Miley Cyrus
"Within You" David Bowie
"Wanted Dead or Alive" Bon Jovi
"Never Say Die" Bon Jovi
"As the World Falls Down" David Bowie
"Best I can" Queensryche
"Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)" Trans Siberian Orchestra
"Standin Outside the Fire" Garth Brooks

What were you thinking as you were doing this?
Exactly how much I wanted to reveal :)

Do you have nicknames? Really?
Cher-Bear (shortened to Bear)--long story
my kids call me Mommy
hubby calls me--ha! you didn't actually think I'd put that on here, did you? lol

Tag eight Blogger friends
Laura Bastian
Canda Mortensen
Angie Lofthouse
Deirdra Coppel
Ali Cross
Elana Johnson
Nichole Giles
Elizabeth Mueller

Who's listed as number one?
Laura Bastian--mommy, author and really insightful critiquer!

Say something about number 5.
Incredibly sweet. Really supportive.

How did you get to know number 3?
Through various writing circles.

How about number 4?
AMAZING-ly talented lady! She did two of my e-book covers, and writes pretty dang good stuff, too!

Leave a message for number 6.
So looking forward to your book release, Elana!!

Leave a lovey-dovey message for number 2.
I plead the 5th. lol! Love ya, Canda :)

Do number 7 and number 8 have any similarities?
Yes! They are both caring and really upbeat people. I love that!

Now, in all honesty, I'm not going to check up on anyone to see if they are continuing the fun. It's not that I don't care about you all, but I am crazy busy with edits this week. If Karen hadn't emailed me to tell me I'd been tagged, I'd probably STILL not know! :)

My review: NIA by Mella Reese

2011-05-24T07:29:00.000-06:00

Nia, a 16 yr old princess with a penchant for healing, is stunned to learn that the "gift" her father's conquered enemy has offered is in fact a man. His name is Garreth, the fourth and therefore worthless son of a conquered king.

Nia is furious. He is not a gift--he is a man. And what does she need with a giant, muscular shadow anyway? But as kingdom intrigues unravel and Nia learns more about the world around her, she will become grateful to have Garreth by her side.

Nia is a good story. I found myself entertained, and did not close the book wishing I’d never opened it to begin with. The characters stayed with me for a time afterward; I wondered about them and whether Nia’s next venture would meet with success.

There were, however, two things that nagged at me. One, I found the language to be distracting at times. The more formal language would occasionally pull me out of the narrative. The other issue was, in the entire book, I can't recall what Nia looked like. I have, in my own stories, occasional forgotten to describe a minor character for my readers--but to not recall the main character's description bothered me. I even went back and re-read the first 30 pages and still didn't find one. Still possible I missed it, but it lessens the odds. :)

Overall, I liked Nia. The characters are entertaining; the plot plausible and definitely full of interesting twists. You can order your copy HERE. I would also strongly recommend you check out author Mella Reese's WEBSITE and BLOG.
Mella Reese is a native Nevadan and proud survivor of Cushing's Disease. She attended Brigham Young University in Utah and Hawaii before completing her decree in Special Education at The University of Nevada Las Vegas. Ms Reese lives in Southern Nevada with her husband, son and daughter.

The Easiest Way to Give

2011-05-14T15:22:00.009-06:00

I want to introduce you to someone. Her name is Rebecca White. She's married to a kind man, and they have three young children ages 10 to 3. Becky home schools, she does awesome crafts, and she makes jewelry. She even made me this necklace.
She's 35 years old.

And she has breast cancer.

Becky found a lump and wanted to ignore it. She's young, younger than the recommended age to get a mammogram. But she had to have it checked out, because she's conscientious that way. Because, even when scared, she does what she knows she has to do.

She got the call the afternoon of Wednesday, May 11th. Thursday she went to see the surgeon. Friday morning they did a mastectomy. That's right--two days after finding out.

As I type this, she's still up at the hospital recovering from surgery. I'm desperately resisting the urge to hover in the hospital hallways, because I know I can't do any good there.

Here's why I am telling you about Becky. This diagnosis has come at one of the worst times possible (as if there is such a thing as a good time to have breast cancer). her husband recently had back surgery, and is still recovering. And we all know medical treatments and procedures are expensive.

For the sake of Becky's family, for their well being and to help prevent financial devastation, I am donating ALL my royalties from my book and e-book sales to them to help pay their medical expenses. This includes all royalties and sales through August 31, 2011. Here's where you can help. In as little as a couple of clicks of your mouse, you can purchase a book or e-book and contribute to my cause.

Just so you know, Smashwords.com offers books in ALL e-reader formats, so you can just go there and get whatever you need. I offer the other links in case you prefer to buy directly from Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.

Ghost Bride is a short story, a ghost story even. It's a fun, quick read that's sure to entertain. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. You can buy it on Amazon, Smashwords or BN.com.

The Peasant Queen is my first print novel, but is also available as an e-book if you prefer. Discover the magic. Here's the summary: After running away from home, Krystal is transported to a faraway kingdom where an evil tyrant is bent on taking the crown - and Krystal's hand in marriage. But when she falls in love with the rightful heir to the throne, she must make an impossible choice: sacrifice her one chance at happiness or face the destruction of an entire kingdom.

You can purchase the PRINT version, or the KINDLE or NOOKBOOK.

The Wild Queen is an unofficial prequel to The Peasant Queen and my first novel length e-book. Roweena is the crown princess of Norvallen, a tiny kingdom with only one thing of value—the Healer’s Grove. The trees in this small section of forest are enchanted, giving a sap that can be mixed into potions or salves to heal almost any wound.

And it’s in high demand.

Lucien, the young king of neighboring Demarde, comes to Roweena’s father seeking an alliance, but comes away with a marriage contract for young Roweena’s hand. Furious and stubborn, this untamed beauty vows he will never conquer her. But the contract purposely gives her time to come to terms with her fate.

Before Lucien can return, Roweena’s home is attacked and her parents are murdered. The Healer’s Grove is also attacked—burned to the ground. With nothing more than her horse and the clothes on her back, Roweena goes to the only person she knows can help her. Lucien.

Purchase The Wild Queen for KINDLE, NOOKBOOK, or at SMASHWORDS.

Thank you. Remember, a little click can go a long way.

The Home Stretch

2011-05-10T09:34:00.003-06:00

Launching an e-book can be complicated. You want to make sure you're not just putting a story up for the sake of saying you've done it. You want--at least I want--to be sure I'm putting the best story out there that I can.

But, we're in the home stretch now. On Friday, May 13th, readers will be able to purchase The Wild Queen for their e-readers or even home computers.

In case I haven't shared yet, (or if you missed it) The Wild Queen is the story of King Lucien and Queen Roweena--Gregory's parents.

Roweena is the crown princess of Norvallen, a tiny kingdom with only one thing of value—the Healers' Grove. The trees in this small section of forest are enchanted, giving a sap that can be mixed into potions or salves to heal almost any wound.

And it’s in high demand.

Lucien, the young king of neighboring Demarde, comes to Roweena’s father seeking an alliance, but comes away with a marriage contract for young Roweena’s hand. Furious and stubborn, this untamed beauty vows he will never conquer her. But the contract purposely gives her time to come to terms with her fate.

Before Lucien can return, Roweena’s home is attacked and her parents are murdered. The Healer’s Grove is also attacked—burned to the ground. With nothing more than her horse and the clothes on her back, Roweena goes to the only person she knows can help her. Lucien. But he can do nothing with no legal claim to Norvallen, so they marry.

Lucien and his army destroy the invaders and rescue what remains of Roweena’s people. He then makes Norvallen a part of his kingdom, but separate, ruled by a man Lucien trusts who answers only to him.

Roweena tries to carve a piece of life out for herself in Demarde, but her wild ways often clash with Lucien’s calm, reasoning manner. They have a son, Gregory, and then a daughter, Falina. When Roweena is pregnant for the third time, she vanishes. Speculation runs rampant. Was she kidnapped, fallen victim to a mysterious enemy? Or did she run away?

Enjoy!

May Day

2011-05-03T08:34:00.003-06:00

Actually, that was 2 days ago. And I'm really not in any kind of panic. Mostly. :)

It's May now, and we're winding down the school year and my writing time. I don't get any writing done in the summer when the kids are home, so I'm really not planning to do any from May 26th through August 20th (or whenever school starts again). This is a self-preservation technique to save me the stress and aggravation of trying to write and not succeeding.

But my plans have been a little redesigned.

Last week, I posted about my writing doubts while I waited for the publisher to get back to me for The Tyrant King. They did, with a list of suggested changes and a request to resubmit when I make the changes. At first, I was sad. I mean, I didn't WANT to have to do any more work on it, but that night as I was driving (another epic story for another day) to an author event one of the more inspirational songs I use spontaneously played on the radio. For me. I know it was just for me. :) And I'm honest enough to admit my writing isn't perfect, and the story DOES have issues, so I'd much rather fix them now rather than have it published full of plot holes. (slight exaggeration) So while I wait to hear back from my beta readers for my e-book, The Wild Queen, I'm going to work on fixing The Tyrant King--with the hope of resubmitting it by the end of this month.

What has changed? My 3rd planned e-book, The Price of Love, has been put off indefinitely. And I'm not going to start The Lost Princess, my (hopefully) 3rd print book, until I've resubmitted The Tyrant King to the publisher. I'm still hoping to get it all done this month, but I'm also cutting myself a little slack.

I may also be writing a little into June. Hopefully the kids will forgive me. :)

Having Doubts

2011-04-26T08:23:00.002-06:00

As the weeks tick by waiting for my publisher to get back to me about The Tyrant King, I find myself dwelling more and more in the world of doubt. I know this is a normal process authors go through, but I doubt it gets easier with time and experience.

Which makes me wonder how much authors are willing to put themselves through, and why?

The first draft of The Peasant Queen that I submitted was roughly 114,000 words. The copy of The Tyrant King that I submitted is about 57,000 words. It doesn't take a math genius to see that's about half the size. Which begs two questions:

Have I really learned to be THAT concise of a storyteller?

Or is it that I've become TOO concise? Am I not telling enough of the story?

Oops--that's three questions.

Forgive me if, for a while, I try to hold my footing while the waves of doubt smash me against the rocks over and over again. Eventually I'll make my way back to solid ground--one way or the other.

Another Poem

2011-04-19T10:44:00.001-06:00

Jeffrey

It’s my pillow, but I don’t mind.
His drool will dry in no time.
He is my son, my little boy.
The one I thought might die.
He is so peaceful, in my bed;
his blanket tucked around his head.
His knees are up; his left toes curled.
He means more to me than all the Jeffreys in the world.
Though it is dark, in my mind’s eye
I see that scar that saved his life.
I know how lucky we have been.
No therapy or hospital stays for him.
I count the years that I have had
with Jeffrey by his twin brother’s side.
A Daniel without Jeffrey would not be whole.
I know this deep within my soul.
I love my boy, my miracle.
I thank God he is with me still.
I pick him up, his blanket, too.
He rests his head on me and sighs.
I carry him off to bed.
He is mine.

April 23, 2002

An Editing Life

2011-04-12T08:27:00.003-06:00

My goal this week is to finish the edits for The Wild Queen so I can get it out to my beta readers and have it ready to go by the end of this month. My reason? Next week the kids are on Spring Break--and three of my kids have a birthday next week. Ya, I'm not going to get anything done unless it's this week. :)

Saturday at Write Here in Ephraim, author Michael Knudsen taught a class on self editing that was incredibly timely--at least for me. I feel a teeny bit robbed, since we ran out of time and he had to cut a large part of the presentation short. His technique was endorsed by the incomparable Tristi Pinkston, who not only is a published author of 6 novels but also a freelance editor. Tristi appreciated Michael's editing process, and appreciated how dynamic his finished story turned out to be because of it. Wouldn't we all want to have a finished book like that? I know I do.

That's this week's project, anyway. I'll let you know next week how I do. :)

Another Ebook

2011-04-05T08:25:00.004-06:00

I'm really excited to announce the coming of The Wild Queen, a not-quite-novel-length prequel to my published novel, The Peasant Queen. My excellent cover designer, Deirdra Coppel, has come through once again. Don't you agree?

Here's a little about the story:
Roweena is the crown princess of Norvallen, a tiny kingdom with only one thing of value—the Healer’s Grove. The trees in this small section of forest are enchanted, giving a sap that can be mixed into potions or salves to heal almost any wound.

And it’s in high demand.

Lucien, the young king of neighboring Demarde, comes to Roweena’s father seeking an alliance, but comes away with a marriage contract for young Roweena’s hand. Furious and stubborn, this untamed beauty vows he will never conquer her. But the contract purposely gives her time to come to terms with her fate.

It gives her too long. Before Lucien can return, Roweena’s home is attacked and her parents are murdered. The Healer’s Grove is also attacked—burned to the ground. With nothing more than her horse and the clothes on her back, Roweena goes to the only person she knows can help her. Lucien. But he can do nothing with no legal claim to Norvallen, so they marry.

Lucien and his army destroy the invaders and rescue what remains of Roweena’s people. He then makes Norvallen a part of his kingdom, but separate, ruled by a man Lucien trusts who answers only to him.

Roweena tries to carve a piece of life out for herself in Demarde, but her wild ways often clash with Lucien’s calm, reasoning manner. They have a son, Gregory, and then a daughter, Falina. When Roweena is pregnant for the third time, she vanishes. Speculation runs rampant. Was she kidnapped, fallen victim to a mysterious enemy? Or did she run away?

Watch this blog closely during April for announcements of when The Wild Queen will be available!

Bees in My Butt Blog Fest

2011-04-01T10:53:00.004-06:00

This is me totally dropping the ball.

My friend, Rebecca Shelley, trusted me to put up this blog fest info and link last week. Or even the week before. I started well, but then the email got lost in the swamp that is my email inbox.

If you're quick, you can still enter the contest. Drawing will be held Monday.

HERE is the purchase link to buy Bees in My Butt for $3. Coupon code: 3UKPPPQM

I want you to know I've read the books, and I find them honest (in the way they depict smart kids) and very funny. This is entertaining stuff, and Rebecca is not short on talent. Even though you've missed the fun, please don't hesitate to check out these books. They're worth it. :)

You can read about the Blog Fest HERE.

And here's a little about the books: Take Monkey, a literary genius with flatulence; Bean, a science and math guru; Vinny, a computer whiz who can't keep her mouth shut;
and Art, an artist who can shoot a basketball like a pro, confront them with a mess of fourth grade trouble, and watch the fun
explode.

In Bees in My Butt, the first book of the Smartboys Club series, the members of the Smartboys Club use their skills to battle a group of crazed Ninjas that take over the school. And it happens on a day when Monkey has the worst case of flatulence imaginable.

Keep Moving Forward

2011-03-29T07:54:00.000-06:00

Well, I did it! I mailed the complete submission packet for The Tyrant King to the publisher this morning. Now, it's up to them.

So I'm moving on, too. A really great friend of mine, who happens to be a GENIUS artist, Deirdra saved me yesterday. Check out the cover she came up with for one of my new ebooks.

My version, my own, pathetic attempt, involved what was supposed to be a tattered wedding veil on black velvet with blood splatters. I won't subject you to the pain of viewing it. Thank you, Deirdra, for being so brilliant!

As I sit in my post-submission euphoria, I'm eager to tackle the next projects: ebooks. Ghost Bride is a super short one I'm only going to sell for 99 cents. The Wild Queen, being an installment of The Peasant Queen series, may be as much as $5.00. (I know, don't blow a gasket lol) The Price of Love, may sell for $2 or $3, depending on several things. The more I research, the more intimidated I become--but that's cool, because I'm going to do it anyway. :)

But I have the entire month of April to accomplish this. 3 ebooks published by April 30th. I'm working on revisions, and cover art, and getting all my ducks in a row formatting-wise before I start launching books. I'm also going to attend a class on ebooks (as long as it doesn't interfere with my presentations) when I'm here:
I highly suggest, if you're in or near the area of Ephraim, UT on April 9th you come check it out. You can't beat free, and there's going to be tons of good information passed around.
See you soon!

Call for Submissions

2011-03-24T09:46:00.004-06:00

My publisher, Cedar Fort Books, has put out the call. Can you answer it? They're looking for submissions in these categories:

* Prayer
* The Book of Mormon
* The Doctrine and Covenants
* Church History
* Mother's Day: short stories and gift books
* General Nonfiction
* LDS Nonfiction
* Historical Fiction
* LDS Fiction
* Social and Behavioral Issues (i.e. Asperger's, ADHD, suicide, eating disorders, body image) both nonfiction and fiction.

Check out their website HERE for more information. And good luck! :)

Cheer and Shout

2011-03-23T10:29:00.003-06:00

I did it! I finished the second book in The Peasant Queen trilogy. And, even though my hands are no longer speaking to me, I want to party!

I admit, I'm at least 3 months behind schedule--this being a self imposed schedule and not anything a publisher has put in place. And it means my readers will have to wait a little longer to actually read the book (except my pre-readers, of course. I need a test audience). But I have a treat for those willing to check it out.

Next month I'm going to release part of Krystal's story in ebook form. It's actually part of King Gregory's story from his past, but the events in this book directly affect Krystal and her life. It is The Wild Queen, the story of Gregory's parents, his childhood, and what made him the way he was in The Peasant Queen.

So, if you don't see me around much, I can be found tying up loose ends in The Tyrant King or preparing The Wild Queen for ebook publication.

Then I'm going to get started on the very rough draft of The Lost Princess before taking the summer off for family stuff.

March Right In!

2011-03-08T07:07:00.000-07:00

Hello, March! Blog tour is done, contest is over, prizes mailed out (and received in part).

Right now, March feels pretty good. But it's only just beginning.

Coming later this month, I'm going to share with you another contest. I have to research the details a little better, but it's going to be tons of fun. And, of course, there will be a prize. It's a nice one, but not a book. Well, not necessarily. :) That part's up to you.

So, that's all I'm going to share now. But the wait will be worth it.

Remember, I'm signing at the Starry Night Books in Tooele with author Michael Knudsen this Saturday (March 12) 2-4pm. Hope to see you there!

Winners Galore!

2011-03-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

First of all, a HUGE thank you to all the people who participated in my blog tour for my first book. Being my first attempt at this, there were some bumps, and some hitches, but overall it's gone well. Thank you bloggers, reviewers and interviewers for your willingness to help me out! I appreciate it more than these feeble words can express.

Congratulations to our final weekly prize winner of a copy of The Peasant Queen: Theresa! I've already contacted her via email, so hopefully she will soon claim her prize. :)

And now you can start the drum roll, because I've done the final, Grand Prize Drawing for my promotional blog tour. And the winner is:

Taffy! Congrats, Taffy! Be sure to email me so I can get your address to send the grand prize out to you. In case you've forgotten, you won all of this:

Thanks so much, everyone! Don't wander far. I have another contest coming up in March!

My Review: Star Scout Rising by Gary Darby

2011-02-24T07:31:00.000-07:00

About the book: From the last frontier, Space. A must-have, out of this world adventure! Star Scout Rising, First Trail by Gary Darby is a thoughtful, awe-inspiring, and spine-tingling Sci-Fi mystery that follows a young man named Del Baldura during his quest for knowledge, truth, and discovery in the distant future of human and alien kind. This story has it all superb background, surprises, mystery, love, futuristic technological possibilities, bizarre life forms, and a hero trying to make sense of his duty and loyalty, his current leadership responsibilities, and his search for truth about part of his and his family's history.

I do enjoy sci-fi, probably more than I should. Generally, I don't read much sci-fi because they are very involved reads. Gary Darby's debut novel, Star Scout Rising, is no exception. The main character, Del, has his share of secrets--not the least of which is his name, linked for 17 years with reports of disgrace and death. He's a bit of a noble character, trying to rise above the ghosts from the past and find answers for the future. But sinister people are at work, vying for vengeance and power. Del's is definitely an uphill battle.

But that's what we like, isn't it? It's boring to read a book about the drudgery of every day. I can live that, thank you--I don't have to read it. It's entertaining to escape into a book like Star Scout Rising and see another person's possible view of the future.

Darby has a talent for description, and his characters came to my mind clearly. I could easily picture them as they interacted with one another. I like the intrigue of the first book. Obviously, the first of a trilogy can't answer every question if poses.

You can pick up a copy of the book HERE. Or HERE, if you're partial to your Kindle. :)

And check out the author's blog HERE.

Touring Update

2011-02-22T13:10:00.003-07:00

We're down to the last few stops on my blog tour. Last week's winner of a copy of The Peasant Queen is Ann Best! Congrats, Ann!

This week, there are 5 reviewers posting, so be sure to get them all as I put them up on the side bar of my blog. Diony George's review is up already from yesterday. And, don't forget to get your comments posted, because there's still the grand prize drawing the first week of March.

Good luck, everyone, and happy commenting!

Winner of my continuing contest...

2011-02-15T08:54:00.002-07:00

...is Angie Lofthouse! Congrats, Angie, you won a copy of my book for commenting on a review post. (I know you already have a book, but we'll talk lol) You're also entered in the end of the month Grand Prize drawing!

Remember, for any of you who want to enter, click the Blog Tour links on the side bar of my blog and leave a comment on any of the reviews. Each comment equals an entry in the Grand Prize drawing of a treasure of books. Also, share the love and follow each blogger who has reviewed my book. It is the month of love, right? :)

2 Winners Announced!

2011-02-08T09:46:00.002-07:00

First things first. The winner of the $15 Amazon gift card prize from my blog share with fellow authors Maggie Fechner, Dan Harrington and Michael Knudsen is:

Lauri!

Lauri, you've proven difficult to find. You left a message on my review of Growing up Gracie, but there's no link to your email or a blog. This is more a public plea--if you are Lauri or know Lauri, comment on this post or email me at Cheriwrites @ yahoo.com so I can award her prize!

Secondly, I've started my Feb blog tour for The Peasant Queen. Saturday marked the end of the first week's drawing, which, if you recall, included all reviews/interviews posted in January as well. The winner of that drawing is:

Brendajean!

I've contacted her and hopefully she'll get back to me soon. Brendajean won a signed copy of The Peasant Queen.

And, don't forget, this week's reviews are at the top of the Blog Tour list on my sidebar. Next Tuesday I will post the winner of this week's contest. All you have to do to enter is comment on the reviews. And, you'll be entered in the grand prize drawing I'll do at the end of the month.

Congratulations to the winners!

It's a Launch Party (and not mine! lol)

2011-02-05T18:27:00.004-07:00

Next Saturday, in Provo, UT, romance lovers everywhere will want to be at the Provo Deseret Book store from 11a-1pm. Click HERE to find out why.

And, in case you didn't click the link, I'm going to tell you anyway. :)

Double Book Launch Party!
The Kiss of a Stranger by Sarah M. Eden
and
Mark of Royalty by Jennifer K. Clark and Stephonie K. Williams
Saturday, February 12th
11am-1pm
Provo Deseret Book
989 South University Ave

Now, click the link and find out about the cool prizes, and how you can enter to win even if you can't attend the launch party.

I loved Sarah's Courting Miss Lancaster so much, I did a search for her other books to try and get them too--and found out they had all been pulled from shelves pending re-release!!! So, here's the next one.

I've heard a lot about Mark of Royalty. I've seen the book trailer. I must say I am terribly intrigued. Click HERE to learn more about the book, and see the trailer.

And, if the weather is nice--or at least not raining or snowing, you can follow me up to my 2pm signing at the Murray Borders Bookstore! :)

It's Here

2011-02-01T10:48:00.002-07:00

February has arrived! And, don't forget, the contest is on. Click HERE for a reminder on the rules and prizes, but the gist is simple--watch my blog's sidebar for review/interview posts about me or The Peasant Queen, comment on the reviews, and be entered in not only the weekly prize drawings but also the grand prize drawings. And, don't forget January's reviews/interviews are eligible for the first drawing this weekend!

Author Rachelle Christensen has generously offered to post an interview tomorrow, so look for her blog to be added to the growing list. And, as always, you'll benefit from following my reviewer's blogs as well. :)

Happy contesting!

My Review: The Rogue Shop by Michael Knudsen

2011-01-31T06:15:00.000-07:00

I think I have a crush on Chris Kerry. Okay, so he’s the fictional main character of Michael Knudsen’s novel, The Rogue Shop—but, my goodness, I think he’s adorable.

Tall, dark, and Texan, with an unassuming air and curious enough about life to befriend a lonely old lady who practically lives in the basement of the tuxedo shop where he works. Even getting along with Travis, who is so consumed by what he views as his physical shortcomings he has trouble seeing he can make real friends. Oh, yes, Chris is definitely a keeper.

Mike has done a great job in The Rogue Shop introducing us to characters who are warm, rich and vibrant—and mildly irritating—sort of like relatives we don’t visit often enough. He tells the story of Chris, who comes from Texas to Utah to get his college education—and nothing else—but ends up getting an entirely different education in addition to his academic studies.

Oh, dear, I’m starting to sound a bit like Travis.

I’m not going to lie. I really, enjoyed this book. It’s clever, humorous, and entertaining. And even a little heartwarming. It’s great fun to read a book and have my kids ask me “what’s so funny?” every time I laugh out loud.

Remember, this is the last leg of our blog hopping contest, for which the prize on my blog is a $15 Amazon gift card. Check out Maggie Fechner's BLOG, Mike's BLOG and Dan Harrington's BLOG for their posts. And, for a review of the rules for my contest, click HERE.

What You've Been Waiting For!

2011-01-25T13:24:00.004-07:00

My poor blog tour has had it's share of glitches. But, I'm moving forward the best I can. Since January is pretty much done, I'm going to start new with February. Here, to tempt you of course, is the grand prize:

You're looking at a copy of MATCHED by Ally Condie, THE SCORCH TRIALS (autographed) and the audio version of the 2nd 13TH REALITY book--both by James Dashner, THE AMARANTH ENCHANTMENT and SECONDHAND CHARM, by Julie Berry (both autographed), and two fun and pretty hardbound journals from Barnes and Noble.

If that's not enough, each Saturday in February--the 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th--I will draw a name from everyone who has posted on my reviews that week, and the winner will receive a free, signed copy of THE PEASANT QUEEN. (In case you forgot, it looks like this lol)

All the reviews posted in January will count in the drawing for Feb 5th, so make sure to get clicking and comment on those reviews!

I'm going to make this super easy for everyone. I will post each review on the sidebar of my blog in the Tour section. If you'll notice, there are already a few in there. And, I will click each review and tally up comments for the drawings.

Where do you come in, you may ask?

All you need to do is comment on each review my blogging friends post about my book. Each comment is an entry in the drawing, and all entries will count in the grand prize drawing I'll do March 1st. You'll get a bonus entry if you also start following that reviewer's blog. It's that simple.

So, get clicking!

My Interview: Dan Harrington, author of Who's At the Door

2011-01-24T13:13:00.006-07:00

Bio:

Dan Harrington is a freelance writer in Maine whose work has appeared in LDS Church News, The Kennebec Journal and Village Soup. "Who's at the Door?" is his first book.

Cheri: I read in your author bio that you once tried to interview a talking Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Now that you’re a little older, who is the person you’d want to interview the most?

Dan: Gosh, that's a tough one! There are so many possibilities. I've always been a fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger, so probably him.

Cheri: I’ve lived in AZ, OK, and UT, and visited a few other states, including NY. But that’s about the extent of my travels. Augusta, Maine is a place on a map to me. What is it like to live in Maine?

Dan: Get ready to be surrounded by trees, trees, and more trees. Mainers think trees make the best neighbors.
Maine is very spread out and our cities are small compared to most places. Our largest city, Portland, has a population of roughly 65,000, so it's about a third the size of Salt Lake City.
We have a beautiful landscape and rugged coastline. One thing that's unique about Maine is that there are no billboards anywhere in the state—they're actually illegal. There's a strong sense of keeping the land as pristine as possible.

Cheri: Your Spock reference in the first chapter made me giggle a little. Are you a sci-fi fan?

Dan: Absolutely. I've always loved Sci-Fi and Fantasy.

Cheri: I particularly appreciated your “Note from the Author” at the beginning of the book. It’s true that being a church investigator can be solitary, particularly if you receive little support from your family. Did your family support your investigation into the LDS Church?

Dan: They were actually indifferent to it. They thought the LDS Church was fine but showed no great interest in my studies.
They did enjoy watching some of the LDS videos I got from the missionaries such as the Restoration video and the Testaments DVD, so they thought the LDS Church could make cool movies, but they saw them as good, inspiring tales, nothing more.
I wound up watching “The Work and the Glory” one weekend, and my mother thought it was great.

Cheri: Before meeting the Elders, did you ever consider that a twenty-year-old man could be so centered, humble or straight-forward? What were you like at twenty?

Dan: No because most of the 20 year olds I know are either very cocky and unemployed (strange how those two go together) or lost and still feeling life out.
I definitely fit into the latter category. I was a real dreamer filled with ideals but also very shy. One reason I connected with the missionaries is because they tend to be idealistic.There's something very energetic about that age whether you're meeting LDS elders or even volunteers in the Peace Corp.

Thanks, Dan. I really enjoyed getting to know you.

Remember, readers, you're going to want to check out Dan's BLOG, Mike's BLOG, and Maggie's BLOG for our newest installments this week. And if you need a refresher on my contest rules, click HERE.

Sorry I'm Late...

2011-01-21T09:28:00.002-07:00

I did not post as usual Tuesday, and it's not because I posted Monday. :)

Actually, I felt so miserable Tuesday I couldn't summon the energy. Then our internet went down. And, well, maybe now we're back on track.

I'd planned to launch this fantabulous blog tour this month, but I'm seriously dragging. And I think I want to spread out the goodies, gifts and contests just a little bit.

So, I'm extending my blog tour by a couple of weeks, to end around Valentine's Day. It's a good place to end a contest about a romantic fantasy novel, right? And it will be a great (somewhat belated) Valentine's gift to my first prize winner.

Next Tuesday, I promise, I will post the blog tour info and the prize info, including pictures. This is in addition to the contest I'm running with my fellow Cedar Fort authors Dan Harrington, Michael Knudsen and Maggie Fechner. You're definitely going to want to stay tuned. :)

And don't forget to check out my side bar for the reviews so far. Alison Palmer reviewed for me first. I love the look of her blog so much!

I'll run that third contest this coming March. :)

Thanks for following!

My Review: Growing Up Gracie by Maggie Fechner

2011-01-17T06:56:00.002-07:00

I think it's safe to say I love the cover for this book. It's kind of a throw-back of simpler times, where life feels less complicated.

And I can say the same about the book. Maggie tells the story of Gracie, starting as a young child and going all the way through her marriage. Gracie is a regular girl--not too shy, not too outgoing, not too pretty, not too plain--but really that's mostly how she describes herself. The one in the family who gets the least attention.

Gracie and her two best friends, Liza and Chelsea, aren't immune to troubles. But they face them all in different ways. Liza is wholesome and humble--the ideal best friend. Chelsea is the explorer of the group--she has to experience the fire before she'll believe the pain. They provide a balance for Gracie as she faces the uncertainty of her life through the death of a sibling, her first crush, finding her testimony, dating, and more.

I enjoyed the story. Growing Up Gracie is the kind of story you can relate to--Gracie is the kind of character we care about. She's strong without knowing it. She's brave without realizing it. And she grows into herself a little at a time, just like we all do. The book starts out with a little teaser of the boy Gracie eventually loves, and each time she met a new one I asked myself, "Is it him?" That was pretty fun, really. :)

I'm not going to give away all of the secrets of Growing Up Gracie. But, if you want to find out for yourself, you can find a copy HERE.

And you're definitely going to want to check out Maggie's BLOG. We're introducing ourselves as new authors. Also, check out Dan Harrington's BLOG and Michael Knudsen's BLOG. I'll review their books over the next couple of weeks.

My prize? A $15 Amazon gift card.
How do you enter to win? Leave a comment on this post--or when I talk about Dan's book next Monday, or Michael's book the Monday after that--telling me you've visited Maggie's, Dan's, and Michael's blogs--and tell me one memorable thing from each blog.
If you follow their blogs, you'll get an extra entry in my drawing. Bonus!
I'll even give you an extra entry if you repost my review, or post the link to my review on Facebook or Twitter. But you have to tell me what you've done.

I will tally up all of the entries on Feb 4th--that's when my contest ends--and announce the winner Monday, Feb 7th. You'll need to check back here on that day to see if you're my winner.

Good luck, and happy blogging!

Editing Life

2011-01-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, my darlings, sometimes we have to do a little editing of real life.

More details will come shortly, but, in the mean time, I thought I'd share some excellent news. Yesterday, Monday, I noticed one of the people I follow on Twitter had shared a link about me and my book. This LINK, specifically.

This person, @SuccessBooks, has 33,380 followers. So their post on twitwall.com about my book was sent out to over 33k people. That is an amazing blessing. Of course, I said thank you. :) What else would I do?

You just never know what will come of the networking you do to promote yourself, your books, or your projects. This is a great lesson to keep at it--whatever it happens to be.

And, if you happen to be an author with a book to promote, I suggest you follow @SuccessBooks on Twitter. It couldn't hurt. :)

Stranger than Fiction

2011-01-04T09:40:00.003-07:00

Have you ever experienced something in your life that is so bizarre the people you share it with have a hard time believing it actually happened? This is what I consider to be "stranger than fiction." Why? Because fiction has to make sense.

We're odd, aren't we?

Imagine you're reading a charming, coming-of-age novel about a young girl who is struggling to find herself after her parents' divorce and father's death. When the main character is 15, she and her friends--one of whom is old enough to drive and has a car--decide they're going to have a wild night of fun. They go to a rock concert, then tell all their parents they are staying at one girl's house. But that girl's parents are out of town, and the girls have no intention of going back to her house that night. They are going to stay out all night and have fun, meet people, etc.

They go to a pool hall/bar and play a few games, attracting the attention of several young and older men. One of the younger ones seems so interested, he literally writes his name and number on the MC's arm as her friends are dragging her out. Later, they meet up with these two guys that one of the girls kind of knows, and end up crashing at a stranger's apartment until the wee hours of the morning, when they discover their plan has been found out--and their parents are all worried and waiting for them to come home.

The MC rides back with her friends to the girl's house where they were supposed to be, and during the ride they come up with the story they're going to tell their parents. If it's a simple enough story, and they all tell the same one, they reason the truth won't be found out. I mean, whose parents WOULDN'T kill them for staying the night with some guys, even if nothing really happened?

The MC gets a ride with one of her friends and her parents, who are fuming. All the way to her house, the MC has to sit and listen to the lecture from the parents to both girls about how worried her mom was and how irresponsible and stupid their behavior had been. And how much trouble she was in when she got home.

When she does get home and they drive away, her mom gives her a hug, makes her a sandwich, and lets her take a nap before they go to church that afternoon.

Now imagine the conversation those girls have at the lunch table at school the following Monday. One has been grounded for a month. Another got grounded for two weeks. The driver had her car taken away for two weeks, and was grounded for another two weeks. And our MC? She tells her friends her mom made her a sandwich and let her take a nap.

Stranger than fiction? Would you throw the book across the room and swear that couldn't possibly happen? No parent, acting as both mother and father to their child, would just let them get away with such behavior! That's ridiculous, and SO unrealistic.

Except it really happened. And I'll probably never use it in a book because readers expect more from a novel than we can get away with in real life. :)

What's your "stranger than fiction" story?

Big Things are Coming Your Way

2011-01-04T09:24:00.002-07:00

Exciting is January, says Yoda.

You're getting two posts from me this morning, because I have so much to share. I think you'll want to pay close attention to my blog over the next few weeks. I'll be part of two contests in the month of January. The first is my blog tour, with fabulous reviewers and wonderful prizes for those willing to follow the tour.

The second is another type of blog tour and contest that I'm having with three other Cedar Fort authors. I'm going to tell you about their books, and they will tell you what they thought of mine. And, at the end, there will be a prize for one of you intrepid followers.

And then, in February, we're going to have a contest for all you romantics out there. I can do that, since my book is a romance. :)

Stay tuned, and stay close. January is hopping!

Christmas Aftermath

2010-12-28T09:46:00.002-07:00

Now that we are on the other side of Christmas, I'm anxious to re-focus on my writing. At my last signing of the year, I sat down and ironed out on paper the remaining plot holes in THE TYRANT KING. Earlier this month, I was able to plot out the entire story of THE LOST PRINCESS. And, now that I have people literally clamoring for my next book, I'd better get moving.

My husband has a network of amazingly supportive friends where he works, most of whom have purchased at least one copy of my book. Last week, he shared a bit of a short story with them that I'd written for my mom forever ago. And his friend immediately asked when THAT story was being published.

I told him he has to stop talking about my stories. He asked why. I said, with my current schedule, there's no way I can keep up with his mouth! :)

The biggest challenge of plotting out my trilogy has been deciding who lives and who dies. Really, only a handful of characters have proven untouchable. But I also don't want to kill characters off for the sake of killing them. There has to be a purpose, or reason, for their death that makes sense from the plot perspective. And I'm kind of worried, because there are a couple of characters I deeply love who might meet their end in THE TYRANT KING. I wasn't expecting that.

There's very little death in THE PEASANT QUEEN. I mean, most of the important deaths occur before the book starts. Only two characters die in the book, and they are the bad guys. But, in THE TYRANT KING, the villain is much more ruthless, and much more deadly--arbitrarily--than in THE PEASANT QUEEN.

But, in THE LOST PRINCESS, there isn't a murderous enemy. Most of the conflict comes from internal character issues, though there is a little bit of a power struggle the characters involved are not murderous. They feel justified that they are on the side of the right, so they don't feel they should have to resort to murder. But, it's not realistic for the events that happen to transpire without costing at least one life. And, it's a big death, a meaningful one. I'm still struggling with it. All the primary characters will feel it--they will all react.

I remember JK Rowling saying once, on this topic, that she'd tried to kill Mr Weasley several times, but he kept surviving. But the Weasley family couldn't be untouched by the events, as close as they were to them, so it did cost. When I look at killing off characters, I play out the events and then wonder what the cost would be. In one instance, a character poisons someone so he can escape, but logically, as he reaches the stable to get his horse to steal out of the castle, someone is there. Someone who would raise the alarm. Someone who, if injured, would die before help would arrive the next morning.

It's amazing how much logic and reason have to go into a fantasy novel. :)

But This Is

2010-12-20T21:58:00.001-07:00

"Jesus Child"

The star shone high and bright,
in the sky above our heads.
We tried to tend our flocks,
but followed it instead.
How far it led us, we know not.
Nor do we really care.
For we'd have trod a thousand steps
to see who we saw there.
He was so small, this Son of God,
an infant child who lay
in a manger, with Mother dear
on a bed of hay.
His eyes, so bright, just like the star
that shone in Heaven above,
looked on us with approval
as we gazed at him in awe.
Others came, but we were first
this sweet child here to see.
And we knew then, deep in our hearts
our Savior he would be.

December 19, 1994

This is No Christmas Story

2010-12-14T07:29:00.002-07:00

Somehow, I managed to get through high school, though I will tell you I spent the majority of my senior year on the homebound program, where a teacher visited me twice a week and left me with homework. Incidentally, if you're in my graduating class, that's where I was. I didn't drop out, I didn't have a baby. I actually graduated the same time you did. But, due to some rumors and lack of follow through, I'm not in the yearbook. Just so you know.

Shortly after graduation, we moved from the 3 bd house we were renting to a 2 bd apt. When I was 19, I applied for and got a job at a local movie theater. Free movies. Oh, yeah. I loved it.

But I promised to tell you about one of the days I almost died. So here it is. By the time I was 20, I'd been working at the theater for almost 2 years (I was a month shy of 21) and I was married to Bryan. We'd recently started trying to have a baby. I was majorly burned out working at the movie theater and had put in my 2 weeks' notice.

One Friday afternoon, as I was sitting in the box office alone selling tickets, a man walked up to the window. HI, I said.

Hi, he said.

Then he pulled the gun out of his pocket, and pointed it through the opening in the window where money and tickets pass through.

He calmly asked for all the money. I looked into his eyes. Dead calm. Intent.

I picked up the entire cash tray out of the drawer and slid it toward him. He pulled the meager amount out and stuffed it into his pocket.

Then he told me to sit on the floor and count to ten. In any other circumstance, I'd have laughed at the suggestion. But, a gun pointed at your chest is an amazing equalizer.

I got to about three before logic told me he wasn't waiting around to test my counting skills. I peeked over the counter and he was gone. So I grabbed my radio to call my supervisor upstairs.

"Michelle," I said. "We've just been robbed."

"What?" Disbelief.

I started to crack. "I've been robbed."

"I'll be right there."

That's when I started to cry.

In the moments that followed, some of the things management was grateful for was the fact that they had just done a cash drop, so what was in the drawer was less than $100. Take that, slimeball. The other thing they were happy about was that I was the one in the box office. I was the one it happened to, not one of the kids who worked there.

That's rather a backward compliment, don't you think?

I pulled myself together long enough to talk to the police and give a detailed description of the man. Think George from Seinfeld, with a few differences. Bryan was driving trucks back then, so he couldn't rush to my side to comfort me. My mom came and took me home, and stayed with me until Bryan got home.

In the days that followed, I did return to my job and work the box office the last week. I hated being home alone. And I got angry. Really, really angry at this man, because he stole something from me far more valuable than the money he got.

He took my sense of security, my feeling of safety.

The jerk.

A Little More History

2010-12-07T09:28:00.003-07:00

I've posted about all the exciting things, contests, books etc, during the last few weeks, and gotten a bit distracted from my writing history.

If you'll recall, the last tidbits I shared were in story form. Basically, I shared real events that happened to me in ways that were easier to talk about. Now I'm going to share with you how those experiences, and others, helped me write my book.

We all know that we're supposed to "write about what we know." Okay, well, I wrote a romantic fantasy novel. I don't know much about the setting and what might happen in an alternate world--never been there--but I do know something about captivity, real and figurative. I do know what it feels to be put in the role of "victim" and how I react to it.

Recently, I attended a signing where author Jessica Day George spoke about this very thing. Her books focus heavily on relationships because that's something she knows. So, while she has this fantasy setting for her novels, the characters resonate with the reader because she pours what she knows into them.

That's what I hoped to do. In my book, THE PEASANT QUEEN, Krystal is put in a position in her family where she is given an impossible choice: marry the village idiot or run away. I faced different circumstances, but a similar choice. Krystal is taken prisoner by an evil king. Okay, my captivity was more emotional than physical, and he wasn't a king, but I felt trapped just the same. And I did NOT like it, very much like Krystal.

At one point in the novel, Krystal is fighting of the unwanted advances of an older man. Been there. At another, she has genuine fear for her life. Been there, too.

Most of us don't know how it feels to look possible death in the face and the things that race through your mind in those moments. When we're granted the reprieve of continued life, we reflect on what we would have left behind.

All of this is very real for me. All of this is what I know, and what I hope to pour into my novels.

Next week I'll tell you about that day I almost died. At least one of them.

MY GIFT TO YOU by Lori Nawyn

2010-12-02T08:54:00.002-07:00

From the back of the book:

Trish Ingram works hard to maintain the perfect suburban household—or, at least, the appearance of one. By managing her outer world with lavish attention and rigid control, she’s able to ignore and conceal the darkness of her inner world, which is plagued by traumatic childhood memories of loss. Her terminally ill sister-in-law, Jamie, sees through the façade and reaches out in love to Trish, inspiring her to seek a more meaningful life and a more authentic self. But the childhood scars run deep, and despite Trish’s best efforts, she’s unable to be the wife and mother her family needs.

Devastated by the departure of her husband and daughter, Trish faces the challenge and opportunity of a lifetime. She desires to move forward in faith, but this desire alone cannot mend her family's shattered trust. The hollow realm of denial and fear has been her safe haven. To confront pain and transcend the shadows of her past will require a level of courage she’s not sure she possesses. This gripping story of familial love and conflict tenderly reminds us that forgiveness—of self, and others—is both a difficult choice and a precious gift.

Why I wrote the book:

“My Gift to You” is about forgiving ourselves, despite what we perceive as our shortcomings.
When we judge ourselves as less than acceptable for any reason, small mistakes can cripple us with discouragement. It becomes easy to lose sight of our potential, as well as precious opportunities for growth.

I was an only child with ample time to ponder the intricacies of human behavior. At a young age, I became fascinated by the fact that while several people in my life were happy, upbeat, and in possession of inner peace in most if not all circumstances, some seemed inherently unhappy no matter what happened—good or bad. Money and possessions didn’t seem to have a bearing, and I wondered what did.

Though I’d been baptized when I was eight, my family didn’t attend church. If I wanted to go, I had to attend on my own. It took me a while to grasp gospel concepts, and I found that most of the time I was among those who were unhappy. About twenty years ago I decided to stop asking Why me? and instead start asking What if?

One by one, I replaced negative emotions with those of a positive nature. Instead of wondering why I couldn't make everyone around me happy—and becoming despondent because nothing I did seemed to change them or their opinions—I started asking things like, "What if happiness really is a choice? What if it can be my choice, no matter what anyone else thinks or feels?"

Instead of commiserating over why my extended family couldn't accept me for who I was and what I believed in, I asked myself, "What if I could choose my own thoughts and emotions based on what I know in my heart is right and true?" In short, "What if I accept myself for who I am?"

And, "What if I forgive—knowing that forgiveness doesn't mean acceptance?"
When I began writing “My Gift to You,” I decided I wanted my main character, Trish, to discover something important about herself: I wanted her to discover her own inner strengths and worth—much like I had when I began to unravel my own life.

Some of the things I hope the book will lead the reader to consider:

What does charity mean? Why is it important we extend it to ourselves?

What can happen when we base our worth on what the world values? On what should we base our worth?

Why are women so hard on themselves? What defines true success?

What can result when we judge ourselves to be less than others? Why is important we have a clear sense of self and purpose?

Are cruelty and shallowness signs of strength, or weakness? Why can cruelty be the result of fear?

Bio:

Lori Nawyn's award-winning writing has appeared in regional and national publications including Outside Bozeman, Segullah, Deseret News, CraziBeautiful Women, and Latter-Day Woman. She is also a columnist for her local paper and a former member of Utah Press Women. One of her short stories was published in the anthology Stolen Christmas. Her first novel, My Gift to You, was released in October 2010.

Lori is currently writing her next novel, Day, about a mother’s relationship with her son. She works as a freelance artist and is the illustrator of the award-winning children's picture book What Are You Thinking? which was released in July 2010 by ThoughtsAlive Publishing. She and her fireman husband live in northern Utah where they enjoy spending time with their four children and two granddaughters, plus an assortment of dogs, rabbits, and chickens.

My review: PERILOUS by Tamara Heiner

2010-12-01T06:30:00.001-07:00

Review Disclaimer: Sometimes a book I review has been sent to me for free by a publisher or an author. This in no way effects my review, which is my own opinion about whether the book was a good read for me, fit my tastes, and if I would recommend it to others. Other than possibly a free book, I am not compensated in any way for posting a review.

I use “wow” too much, but how do you describe a book that just leaves you reeling?

Tamara Heiner’s book, Perilous, is a thrill ride of danger and adventure. I sat down to skim it one evening after the kids were in bed, and ended up reading into the wee hours.

Intense.

Unbeliveable.

Action packed. And it all started with a bad coincidence. I'm afraid by explaining too much I'll be giving something away.

You’re going to love it. And, like me, be waiting anxiously for the next installment.

For fun, here is the information on the contests Tamara has running for this blog tour (in her own words):

Book giveaway: The winner of this contest will be randomly chosen. Every
person who comments on any post during the blog tour will be entered into
a random drawing for a book. Which I can autograph, if they want. The
contest begins on Nov. 16 and ends on Dec. 15.

Kindle giveaway: This contest is point-based and begins Oct. 15 and ends
Dec. 15. Whoever has the most points wins the Kindle. There will only be
one Kindle given away. Here are the points:
1 point: blog comment (can comment on all the blogs, multiple times, on
the tour)
1 point: follow my blog (http://tamarahartheiner.blogspot.com)
1 point: retweet
2 points: blog about the blog tour
5 points: purchase the book (ebook or paperback, must email me the
confirmation email) if they actually buy the book in the store they can
mail me a copy of the receipt.
Have them add up all their points as well as their proof (links, etc) and
email it to me at the end of the blog tour (tamara at tamarahartheiner dot
com)
People can earn an infinite number of points! I'm excited for this!

To get you going, check out the trailer HERE

And, you'll have to read Perilous to understand, but I'm really scared for Kristin.

Heads Up!

2010-11-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

Tristi Pinkston is hosting an absolutely huge contest over on her blog to celebrate the release of her new book, "Dearly Departed." A new prize will be offered every twenty-four hours, and with multiple chances to win, you can't go wrong! Prizes include books, jewelry, perfume, movies - and the grand prize is a free night's stay at the Lion Gate Manor in Lava Hot Springs. Visit Tristi's BLOG for rules and more details.

And the Winner is...

2010-11-23T07:32:00.000-07:00

I'm so mean. Before I announce the winner, I have to say that you ladies are amazing. All the suggestions I received were worthy of consideration. It touched me how accurate some were, and how similar others were. Many of you suggested terms from Alice in Wonderland. Some of you really hit my heart.

I found myself wishing everyone could be a winner. But I had to narrow it down. To one. Oh, the humanity. But, my blog can have only one name.

So here's what I did: I narrowed it down to my top 5 (ok, 6) favorites, then put them in a hat, mixed it up, and let my oldest son draw the winner.

And the winner is:

From the Other Side of the Mirror

submitted by KRISTA.

Congratulations, Krista! You have one week to email me privately at Cheriwrites(at)yahoo.com with your address so I can mail your free copy of THE PEASANT QUEEN to you. Also, please let me know who you want to me to autograph the book to.

Thank you to everyone who submitted their suggestions. You really made this tough. :)

And, a huge shout out to ALL my followers. We hit 250!! Woohoo!!

WE have Arrived!!

2010-11-19T09:47:00.003-07:00

I know it's not Tuesday, but I had to post. Just got an email from my editor, Megan, that said my book has arrived at the warehouse. Can you imagine? Sitting over in Springville are copies of my book, just waiting for their December release.

I'm so excited! I have to go wake up my husband now! :)

The Suggestion Box is now Closed

2010-11-17T19:29:00.003-07:00

Just a quick post to remind you all that yesterday, Tuesday, Nov 16th, was the last day to submit your suggestions for my blog name. I will announce the winner here next Tuesday, Nov 23rd.

I'm so excited.

Remember, the lucky winner will receive a FREE signed copy of my book, THE PEASANT QUEEN!

Happy News!!

2010-11-16T08:33:00.003-07:00

Just a quick bonus post to let you all know my brilliant friend, TRISTI PINKSTON, has announced her second SECRET SISTERS book has been accepted for publication! What's more, the publisher has put a rush on her book and it will be out this coming January!! How exciting is that?

Just so you know, I read the first one and found it delightful. Tristi writes with humor about a Relief Society presidency who will go to ANY lengths to help their sisters. I can't wait for the next book.

You can find the first installment wherever LDS books are sold. I have even spotted it at local Walmart stores. If you want to find it online, click HERE.

And just so you know what you're looking for, here's the picture of Book 1:

History in Story Form 2

2010-11-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

I’m going to tell you a second story now. This is about Alice.

Alice babysat to earn extra money. She worked for families in her neighborhood, though there were few, and mostly advertised by word of mouth. Once, she answered an ad and ended up watching the daughters of a stripper who worked nights. Then, near her 18th birthday, Alice took a job working for a family who had a home business.

The mom had a thriving business, and two young children in diapers, and definitely needed another pair of hands. She struggled tending the kids while answering phones and planning business deals. Alice loved the kids—2 ½ and 1 ½ yr old boys. They didn’t talk much, but they were great fun.

Within a couple of weeks working there, Alice met a member of their extended family who frequently visited the kids during the day. One day, this family member was visiting when the mom came home. The older boy raced to the window to watch Mommy pull in, while Alice sat on the couch next to this man with the younger one on her lap.

Without warning, the man put his arm across Alice’s chest and gripped her opposite shoulder. He pulled her toward him, and she felt him nuzzle and kiss her neck. Alice froze. What was going on? What was he doing?

He pulled away. Really it had all been over in seconds. Alice glanced at the older boy, but he didn’t appear to have seen it. Mom opened the door, and Alice went home. Shaking. Reliving the moment over and over. What could she have done? How could she have stopped it? Why did he do that?

The next time he came over to visit the family, Alice gave him the cold shoulder. She never got close enough for him to grab her again. Then he put her on the defensive. He called the Mom while Alice was working and asked if Alice was angry with him for something. She put Alice on the phone and Alice listened to him explain that he didn’t mean anything by it; that he’d just gotten overcome with affection visiting the kids because he loves them so much.

No, Alice didn’t buy it either, but she still felt stuck. Now what could she say?

So she didn’t. She kept her silence.

For over a year. Other than her closest friends, who volunteered to instruct this person on personal boundaries, Alice told no one. In the mean time, this person showed up at her work unannounced, any time of the day or night, and sometimes at the park when she’d take the kids to play. He offered her a job once. While “chasing” her across the playground while the children played, he offered to double her salary if she’d come work for him as his assistant. He was a writer, too, he explained, and had to drive out to remote desert locations to do research. She turned him down.

One morning, she broke. Alice called her employer from her bathroom floor to quit her job, because she was too overwhelmed with emotion to move. Getting up and going to work made her physically ill. The stress and constant fear of this person showing up when she was alone with the kids was more than she could stand. They called Alice back and offered her a raise if she’d come back to work for them. The kids trusted her; they needed her, but Alice had to say no for her own sanity. She never confessed the real reason she quit. She never felt like they’d believe her word over his.

But who did her silence truly protect?

History in Story Form 1

2010-11-09T06:35:00.000-07:00

It occurs to me, as I talk about my past, I don’t talk so much about what I wrote during this time. Let me say that in high school I wrote my first novel, started the second, and wrote a handful of deep, dark, depressing poetry (as well as some nice things). I wrote rants, also. One in particular involved a horrendous Valentine’s Day.

Today, I’m going to favor you with two posts. They say confession is good for the soul.

Now I’m going to tell you a story. I’m going to tell you about Abbey. Abbey was a teenage girl growing up in Phoenix. She had a mom and several brothers. She walked a lot. One day, while walking to the store, she saw a car drive by her slowly. This was not unusual. Pretty enough to get attention, Abbey dealt with stupid boys whistling and hollering at her regularly when she walked.

But this was different. The car came by again. Abbey felt cold shivers of dread on that warm, spring day. Again she saw the car. By then Abbey knew something was wrong. Fear gripped her. She bent down and picked up a large rock she could barely conceal in her hand. Why? She couldn’t say; her thoughts were not clear.

The car came by one last time. The driver slowed, and the man asked her if she knew where this particular street was. Abbey thought she did, and gave him directions, all the while careful not to get too close. But the man didn’t seem to understand. As he started to ask her if she’d just get in and show him, a police car appeared at the end of the block. The man glanced in his mirror, spotted the cop car, and hurriedly thanked Abbey and drove off.

She dropped the rock a while later, still shaking. What Abbey wanted was to flag down the police car and ask them to take her home. Somehow, going to the store had lost importance. But she didn’t. She continued with her plan and reached home safely.

A few weeks later, she was sitting on the edge of the couch reading the newspaper over her brother’s shoulder. On the cover of the paper was the photo of a man. Sick dread filled Abbey as she recognized him. He looked so much like the man she’d met on the road. She was certain they were one and the same, but time made her wonder.

The man in the paper had been arrested for rape and murder.

CONTEST REMINDER

2010-11-07T18:09:00.002-07:00

This is a friendly reminder of my ongoing contest. We're nearing the last week I'll be accepting entries, so get commenting! :) I've gotten some great suggestions so far. Here are the details:

My author blog needs a cool name. An incredibly brilliant author friend of mine suggested "Author Blog" might be a bit boring, but I literally had NOTHING--so I just put up my name. Equally boring.

I'm opening up the floor to suggestions. But, remember, keep it clean. I am a wife, mother, blogger and author of young adult romantic fantasy novels. I'd like to keep to this theme, particularly with emphasis on the writing--since this is my author blog (even if I want a better name for it).

How do you enter? Simple. Just leave a comment on my blog with your suggestions between NOW and NOVEMBER 16TH. On TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23RD I will announce my choice.

And now you're wondering what you could win, aren't you? How about a free, personalized, autographed copy of my debut novel THE PEASANT QUEEN? That's what's up for grabs. So get brainstorming, my friends!

History, continued

2010-11-02T08:50:00.002-06:00

Before I delve into the past, here's a reminder about my ongoing contest. My blog needs a name! Click HERE for more details. Just a couple weeks left to have your say!

I mentioned, at the end of my last post, how writing saved my life. At the risk of sounding dramatic, this is too true. Things at home hit their lowest point while I was in high school. I was the kid who thought all the other kids my age who worried about regular things--dates, prom, grades--were stupid and trivial because I was fighting for my life every day.

I tried to escape. Truly. All I wanted was $100 from the social security check that came in my name to my mother so I could give it to my friend's mom for rent. Without that, though, I was stuck.

And I didn't get it.

At my lowest point, I wrote a suicide note. I still have it. (Note**Some authors are crazy and keep EVERYTHING) But, because I had spent a solid year sharing everything I wrote with my friends, when my friend walked into the room I handed her my note. I didn't even mean to. It was automatic. And we talked. And cried. And I lived another day.

And another. And another. A few months later I admitted I could not fix me without help, and we sought outside counseling. With therapy, and medication, I was able to live a much more normal life.

Until...well, we'll talk about that next week.

A Little History

2010-10-26T10:26:00.002-06:00

Today I'm posting a little about my writing journey. You know, what got me to the point I am today? What drives me to write?

First, though HERE is the link to my ongoing contest. I need a cool, awesome name for this blog. Keep them coming; this is getting really fun! :)

Now for some backstory:

I was an intensely angry youth, but I hid it pretty well. I know everyone has a hard time through the teen years, but I took it up a notch. My parents divorced when I was 4, and my dad remarried. He died the summer before I turned 8 yrs old. I had no coping skills to deal with this, so I internalized it.

Things got really complicated at home when I was about ten years old. Without going into details, home lost all safety for me. Even my friends' moms didn't like them coming to my house. They didn't feel it was safe for their children to be there. Not that I had a great many friends, mind you. I liked the loner status--less to explain.

But I was developing a reputation in certain circles because of my temper. Some considered me dangerous when angered. I had developed a habit of bottling my emotions. If something hurt me, or angered me, I'd stuff it into this little bottle in my mind. Except that only works for so long before the emotions start spilling out--usually at bad times.

This is how I coped. I read, a lot. I made up stories and scenarios in my head and acted them out with my dolls, my friends--whatever worked. But it wasn't until I was in high school that I started writing things down. And it was writing that saved my life.

But more about that later. :)

Sneek Peek at my Full Cover!

2010-10-21T13:16:00.004-06:00

I have been sadly remiss in sharing this with you. A week or so ago, I received the full cover for my book, THE PEASANT QUEEN. Here it is:

This is not the best image, but hopefully you can read it. The copy came to me as a .pdf file, which won't upload as an image to FB or blogger.

Here is a close up of the back cover blurb:

I think it's beautiful :)

Surprised, aren't you?

2010-10-19T10:47:00.001-06:00

I bet some of you are pretty surprised to see me here, on my self proclaimed posting day, with a new post. I've been so inconsistent I know people have lost faith in my ability to maintain a steady schedule. I know I did. But, here I am!

First, I want to remind everyone of my contest. It's still going on. You have until NOVEMBER 16TH to leave a comment with your suggestion my new blog name. The prize is a copy of my book, THE PEASANT QUEEN--which went to press yesterday. Woohoo!!

Remember to please keep your suggestions clean. I've had a few already--one's a little too long (but sweet, Amie--thank you!), but I think we're going in the right direction. I want to make this a real contest, so don't be shy. Suggest away!

And now, for another poem.

Untitled

A child alone, a child lost.
In this world tempest tossed.
The tears flowed free, just like a brook
as down the mountain paths it took.
Her smiles were fewer, as tears took hold.
She never really was too bold.
Once in the darkness life had wrought
she saw more pain the more she fought.
And so her struggles began to wane;
she thought them all to be in vain.
She sobbed alone, upon a stone.
If only the poor child had known.
That all the times that she had cried.
It was the Lord who wiped her eyes.

January 22, 1995

You know, I did originally leave this one untitled, but right now, I'm thinking it should be Tempest. What do you think?

More Poetry, and 2 Announcements!

2010-10-12T08:15:00.000-06:00

Happy Tuesday! As we careen through October, I thought we'd have a little fun. But, since I don't want my fun to get mixed up with Halloween fun, I'm extending it into November.

So, how about a fun contest? My author blog needs a cool name. An incredibly brilliant author friend of mine suggested "Author Blog" might be a bit boring, but I literally had NOTHING--so I just put up my name. Equally boring.

I'm opening up the floor to suggestions. But, remember, keep it clean. I am a wife, mother, blogger and author of young adult romantic fantasy novels. I'd like to keep to this theme, particularly with emphasis on the writing--since this is my author blog (even if I want a better name for it).

How do you enter? Simple. Just leave a comment on my blog with your suggestions between NOW and NOVEMBER 16TH. On TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23RD I will announce my choice.

And now you're wondering what you could win, aren't you? How about a free, personalized, autographed copy of my debut novel THE PEASANT QUEEN? That's what's up for grabs. So get brainstorming, my friends!

Now for my second announcement. Except for the odd book review, I will be posting on this blog every Tuesday of the week. Here's what you can look forward to in the near future: my personal poetry, tidbits from my writing journey, updates on my book's release and the odd, inspirational thing that may hit me.

And now for another poem: Happy reading!

PLAYTIME

Oh, if only I could stay,
and watch my child as she plays.
To be a fly upon her wall
seeing her; nothing else at all.
For I know that soon will come
the day when all her playing's done.
But now, in my room so quiet,
I listen to her joyful riot.
Not to intrude, or ruin her fun.
My time is when her playing's done.
My heart, though, would be full today,
if I could watch her as she plays.

January 13, 1996

"The Secret Place"

2010-10-09T10:52:00.000-06:00

Far away from town,
clear of all the roads.
Lies the secret place
that only I know.
In the middle of a field
under the lonely tree
stands a bench for all to see.
But only I can see it
for it lies in my mind,
this single, secret place
that only I can find.
It's where I go when life
heaps too much onto me.
I sit there, in my secret place,
or climb right up the tree.
I hope we all can find
our separate, secret place.
So this, our cold, cruel world
we can learn to face.

November 7, 1994

Does this sound Familiar?

2010-10-01T11:06:00.002-06:00

Last night, exhausted and overly reflective perhaps, I got to thinking. Have you ever thought how much the author network of Utah resembles Hollywood?

We have our superstars--our big screen draws--if you will. These are the ones who have written books that appeal to the large, national audience. They're our Brad Pitts and Angelina Jolies. (ahem--Brandon Mull, Shannon Hale, James Dashner)

We have our "small screen" authors--those who do very well in the smaller venue of LDS literature and seem content to carve out their niche and stay there. (Anita Stansfield)

Then we have our Broadway stars--those who have national appeal but remain in a smaller venue, in a smaller realm of influence.

And last, we have those like me--the starlets, ready to break out into our first starring role and see where it takes us.

In this reflection, I find myself thoroughly pleased we don't have the worry of Hollywood gossip. I love that private lives stay private and separate from our writing lives. That is the mark of true professionalism.

YES!!!!!

2010-09-26T13:43:00.003-06:00

You can't see it, but I am so doing the happy dance right now!

I've struggled for a long time now over the remaining books in THE PEASANT QUEEN series. Initially, they were going to be THE PEASANT QUEEN, THE WILD QUEEN and THE TYRANT KING. While TPQ and TTK have been rich, fantastic stories to tell, TWQ has been like a constant plague, the kind that makes you want to go into accounting or something. There's a great story there, but it lacks a solid, satisfying resolution. And the main character, or at least a primary character, vanishes 2/3 of the way through the book. That mystery is never solved. In fact, the bad guy is never unmasked, and gets away scott-free.

HOW can this be a satisfying story?

In truth, it can't be. Or it would take an author way, WAY more talented than I am to bring it to life.

But, part of the story of TWQ is told in THE PEASANT QUEEN. Another part of the mystery is revealed in THE TYRANT KING. And, at the end of THE TYRANT KING there is a character that the readers don't really get to know, someone with tons of angst and conflict who has a story to tell.

She is THE LOST PRINCESS.

I HAVE A COVER!!

2010-09-20T11:06:00.001-06:00

Do you LOVE it?

My review: The Stone Traveler by Kathi Oram Peterson

2010-09-16T20:06:00.004-06:00

I had not read any of Kathi's work before, so when she contacted me to do a review I have to say I was excited.

First, a description of the book: Sixteen-year-old Tag can't believe he's in this much trouble. He's not actually a member of the gang known as the Primes-all he did was spray paint some graffiti that caught their attention. In all honesty, ever since his dad and brother left, Tag just wants to be alone. And it's certainly not his fault that the Primes nearly beat up his goofy cousin, Ethan. But his mom is furious about these gang-related activities and insists that Tag spend the whole summer at his grandpa's lakeside cabin, which is not Tag's idea of a good time. So he does what any self-respecting teenager would do: run away. But he doesn't get far before he encounters three strange men carrying an even stranger object-a stone that glows with radiant light as bright as a thousand sparklers. Tag doesn't steal the stone-not exactly. He feels like he is supposed to take it. But he doesn't expect the stone to transport him through space and time to a place he's never seen before-a place that looks an awful lot like the ancient lands described in the Book of Mormon. And he definitely doesn't expect to join Sabirah, the entrancing daughter of Samuel the Lamanite, on a quest to rescue her father and brother from the evil King Jacob. And he absolutely doesn't expect to be captured by Jacob's minions and prepared as a sacrifice to the evil idol of the city. But just as Tag faces his death, a terrible storm begins to break, and the ground cracks into jagged pieces. And he's not sure which event will impact his life more: his captor's knife coming at his body, the violent tempest sweeping the land . . . Or the men who later appear, glowing even more brightly than the traveler's stone.

My thoughts: I found this book to be quite engaging. I knew Tag had a deep, dark secret that he'd blocked out, but it was hard for me to be patient until near the end to find out what exactly he'd hidden from himself. And Sabirah, who is also a primary character, was absolutely delightful. I found her completely believable as a young, righteous woman fighting with all she had to bring her father and brother home.

The Stone Traveler felt real. I could picture Tag, how he saw himself and how others saw him. I understood Sabirah and her struggles. I saw the evil and it creeped me out. And in some parts, where the characters weren't sure which direction was right, I found I wasn't either. And, of course, for those of you looking for it, I did cry at the end--okay, near the end. There were a couple of very touching scenes that made my eyes leak.

I did find a section near the end where it seemed like Tag was speaking formally and it didn't sound quite like him, but overall the book had good character distinction. Most of the time I didn't need to check at the top of the section to know which--Tag or Sabirah--character's thoughts I was reading. And I will say that I found one particular section dealing with Christ to be difficult for me to read. Not because of any failing on the part of the book or author, but a personal preference and feeling all my own.

Those things said, I had a great time reading The Stone Traveler, and I bet you will too.

Don't forget to click HERE and take part in Kathi's exciting contest! Contest ends September 30!

Don't have a Heart Attack...but I'm Back!

2010-09-16T08:21:00.003-06:00

If ANYONE has been paying attention, it's been over a month since I sent out a new blog post here. I think about all my blogs and my followers every day, and wonder who is out there hanging on my every post and waiting, hoping, praying, for more bits of wisdom.

Then I wake up lol. :)

But, seriously, I haven't felt the inspiration needed to post for so long. It's frustrating, but I don't want to post just for the sake of doing so--I want to actually have something to say.

So, here it is: I have never read The Hunger Games series. There, I said it. And now, I will explain why.

I'm unearthly, unreasonably, unseasonably stubborn.

I'm going to take you back in time. It's 1987, and the movie The Princess Bride is in theaters. My friend calls me up to tell me she just saw the movie, and I HAVE to go see it. It's my kind of movie--sword fighting, princesses, etc. And so FUNNY! And we hang up.

My first thought--why? Why should I go see a movie just because someone tells me to? Sure, it's pretty popular and she just loved it, but so what? I hate doing things just because other people do them. So I didn't. I wasn't mean or anything about it. I just never went to see the movie.

Then one day I saw it on video. Yeah, that was before DVD. And, of course, I loved it.

But that didn't really teach me anything. A few years ago, a friend brought me Twilight. I think the third book had just come out, and I was barely reading the first. Why? Because every one else was. Same with Harry Potter, but I did jump on that band wagon way sooner than with any others, simply because my little (at least she was at the time) stepdaughter was loving them.

And now, it's Hunger Games. I still wouldn't be reading them except my new book club has chosen Mockingjay for their book next month, and I hate reading a series out of order.

Someday I'll figure out what this stubborn-refusal-to-follow-the-crowd makes me. Aside from the obvious. Am I a maverick? I like the sound of that. Trailblazer? Well, maybe not so much. Original? Definitely. Frustrating? I'm sure, to some. :) Fortunately, they love me anyway.

My review: HOMETOWN GIRL by Michele Ashman Bell

2010-08-09T09:00:00.000-06:00

**ATTENTION** Michele is running a contest in conjunction with her blog tour. If you are interested in winning a $50 Visa gift card for use anywhere, click HERE to be directed to her blog to enter. Michele will only select winners who have entered on her blog.

From the back cover: Jocelyn Rogers’s life is in a rut. Maybe she should step outside her comfort zone and move to Milford Falls, where she has inherited her grandmother’s house. With the encouragement of the other Butterfly Girls, Jocelyn musters her courage and starts a new life.
However, when she arrives in the small town that holds both good and bad memories for her, she discovers the house in worse shape than she expected, and getting repairs done is anything but easy—especially when it comes to dealing with Jack Emerson, a man who seems to be agitated by Jocelyn and everyone else within a fifty-mile radius.
To make matters worse, she has begun to worry that moving back to the place where she once spent a troubled summer will expose the deep personal secret she has kept hidden for fourteen years. But Jack also has a hidden secret that has prevented him from getting close to anyone in a long time. And now it seems that interfering neighbors may prevent both Jack and Jocelyn from moving forward with their lives.

My take: I’ve only read two of Michele’s books, but I’ve really enjoyed both of them. In fact, this one had me up until 2am because I couldn’t put it down until I knew what had happened in the end. I didn’t find Jack nearly as crusty and unapproachable in the book as he’s made out to be on the back cover, however. I liked him from the start, but that could be because I knew I was reading a romance, and he was THE GUY.

Jocelyn’s secrets are big, and they run deep. So do Jack’s, which is why I think I enjoyed watching them work their way to one another. So much of this book reminded me of my own life. I could, at this moment, move to a small town (with my family) and take up residence in a grandmother’s house—that is also likely in need of a great many expensive repairs. I have moved recently, and found—like Jocelyn does in the book—a friendly, welcoming ward who also seem to be everywhere I go. And some of the moments she shares with Jack remind me of my husband.

I’ve learned I’m an emotional reviewer. If a book brings an emotional response from me, then I’m going to like it. Even if it makes me cry. Hometown Girl had several touching moments, but enough laugh out loud moments to keep me going. I had a great time staying up all night to read it—even if I was a zombie the next day!

You can hit up your local bookstore for a copy, or try AMAZON.COM, DESERET BOOK
or SEAGULL BOOK.

Enjoy!

Move over, Sloth.

2010-06-30T18:58:00.003-06:00

Okay, I'm actually doing it this time. I'll be participating in Tristi Pinkston's JULY WRITING CHALLENGE. Click on over and check it out. She keeps it pretty simply--you set the goal and then post on your progress.

Since I have so much work to do STILL on The Wild Queen, I thought it's the perfect opportunity to get this monster finished and sent off. So, that's my July goal: Revise and submit The Wild Queen.

I know I can do it. Just watch me. ;)

My Review: Loyalty's Web by Joyce DiPastena

2010-06-26T08:57:00.002-06:00

This isn't a new release or anything, but I wanted to share my opinion.

I admit it, I'm a total sap for the time of knights, ladies, warriors, kings, lords and castles. But with that in mind, it took me a little while after buying this book to actually start reading it.

That's okay, because from that moment I was hooked. I even stayed up past my bedtime to finish it. I just had to know what Clothilde's mother had done to her. And she's not even the main character.

I sympathize with a younger sister who is constantly compared to the beauty of her older sister. It's been done in other books I've read, but I found the harshness of the mother's treatment of her younger daughter, Helene, believable. She (the mother) has a valid point. Without a large dowry, her daughter has nothing but her appearance and ladylike accomplishments to snag a husband.

The cool thing about Loyalty's Web is you can tell by reading it the author has done her research of the era. So much rang familiar from my own research. And it's not far fetched that a mother, knowing the harshness of their world and lack of options, would beat or torture a reluctant daughter to get her to agree to a marriage. It's sad, but factual.

Now on to the meat of the story. Forbidden romance, several near death experiences and a truly evil enemy--Loyalty's Web has it all. If you love romantic stories that are not grossly explicit, you definitely want to check it out.

Back on the (Writing) Wagon

2010-06-16T16:00:00.002-06:00

I don't think I've ever had two characters who caused me so much frustration before. Some of you have been introduced to them, though I noticed I've gotten a few more followers lately. Cool.

Anyway, I'm talking about Lucien and Roweena. Roweena, of course, is the main character in The Wild Queen. Or is she? Can you have a character that is the TITLE character without being the MAIN character?

I ask myself this a lot, actually. Funny thing is, I do the same thing in The Tyrant King--because who on Earth would go for a tyrannical protagonist? That would be some seriously misunderstood dude.

But Roweena and Lucien have driven me in circles, tied me in knots, and made me crazy. Ideas pour into my brain like water, but writing them becomes struggled and stilted. Ugh. My first problem? I had a "Wild" queen who really wasn't wild. She was in her early youth, untamed and all, but once disaster struck and she married she became quiet, docile--not at all "my" Roweena.

And I have a sneaking suspicion Lucien is the main character, because he's the one who sees the narrative through from beginning to end. But I always write about girls for girls. Now I'm writing about a boy for girls. I'm going to need a LOT of male perspective, here.

There's nothing wrong with Lucien. I quite like him. He's flawed, but brave. Noble but insecure. Handsome, but--no, he's handsome lol.

The worst part now is that I set myself a goal, then let frustration and life interrupt me, and now I feel bogged down because I know I won't turn out a quality narrative AND reach my goal. And that just stinks.

Have I mentioned it's June 16th?

My review: REBOUND by Heather Justesen

2010-06-03T10:56:00.003-06:00

About the book: Lily's life is perfect--a perfect lie.

With a successful husband, a gorgeous home, and a growing family, Lily Drake has it all. But when the FBI shows up, she realizes her husband is not the man she thought he was.

Meanwhile, Lily's friend Curtis is about to be drafted by the NBA, but he suddenly feels pulled to find his birth family, and no one is prepared for what he'll discover. With so many obstacles in their way, Lily and Curtis must learn to rely on each other if they're ever going to find peace and learn to love again.

In this heartwarming family drama, Heather Justesen, author of The Ball's in Her Court, weaves a stirring story of hope. Reunite with your favorite characters and discover how determination, love, and faith can overcome even the toughest trials.

My review: Heather's a genius. Seriously. And she writes the sweetest kissing scenes. :)

I read The Ball's in Her Court last December on my way from Alaska after visiting family. I'm sure it looked kind of funny to the other people on the plane to see me with my nose in a book and tears streaming down my face. Fortunately, Rebound only made me cry once. But I loved it just as much.

Lily's life really is perfect, until it all comes down around her ears. My heart broke for her as everything she thought she knew about her life turned out to be a lie. And then she has to pull herself together and move one, which not only takes an exceptional amount of character (no pun intended), It also takes amazing strength. Readers will love Lily--she's so human. So real.

I also really love the basketball themes that are throughout both of Heather's books. I am not a sports fan of any kind--never have been--but Heather really writes as though she knows what she's talking about. In fact, I finally learned what "ninth in the draft" actually means.

You can pick up a copy of Rebound at your local bookstore, or HERE online.

At least this isn't you.

2010-05-30T22:41:00.002-06:00

McKenzy didn't look up from her iPod as the car drove past. She glanced up at the time display before tapping the screen with her finger. Stupid card game had her completely hooked. She slid the card across the screen to make another match before glancing in her rear view mirror.

The couple in the car had started arguing. She could hear them from her position under the blossoming peach trees. McKenzy reclined the driver's seat a little farther, so they wouldn't think she was listening. Who pulls into a church parking lot to have a fight?

Without warning, two sharp, snapping sounds sliced the air. Fireworks? Did the car backfire? McKenzy raised her head and twisted a little to see behind her van. She watched, horrified, as the passenger door opened and someone fell out. They didn't move.

The door slammed shut and the car rocked into motion. It made a wide circle and came up along side McKenzy's minivan. She caught a glimpse of the driver before the gun in his hand registered in her mind. Instinctively, she ducked. Bullets striking metal, a sound she'd never heard before but would never forget, pierced the air. McKenzy flinched each time.

The engine roared to life and she heard the car speed away. Still, she hesitated before lifting her head to look around. Then she fumbled for her cell phone and flipped it open to dial 9-1-1.

"What is your emergency?" the voice on the phone intoned.

"Help, please," McKenzy said. "Someone's been shot." She glanced back at the body. "I think she's dead."

"What is your location?"

McKenzy started to shake as she rattled off the cross streets. She glanced down at the school a half mile down the road. Now she really was going to be late picking up her kids.

Feeling Accomplished

2010-05-16T17:06:00.003-06:00

My sis in law, Mel, and I both agree our first ever contest went fabulously! That's in large part to all of you--all of our followers and friends. So far, we've been able to deliver two of our prize packages--though I only know for certain that one was received. :) (Melissa C. if you're out there...:)) Tomorrow I will have the very nice lady at our local post office help me find a box to fit our final prize and get that sent off.

I just wanted to send all of you following a huge THANK YOU for your part in making our Spring Into Reading Contest a success.

As we meander closer to summer, please remember to check both mine and MEL'S BLOG for updates on our writing ventures, contracts, signings, etc. My book, The Peasant Queen, is still scheduled for a release of Dec 1, 2010. I'll be posting updates as they come.

We have a winner! Or two! Or three!

2010-05-09T22:22:00.001-06:00

Congratulations to our three winners: Melissa Cunningham, Hannah Rohan and Falen (aka Sarah Ahiers).

Our winners need to email me at CheriwritesATyahooDOTcom by Friday, or we will go back to the drawing board, literally. 

Starting with third prize, our winner is Hannah Rohan! Congratulations! Hannah’s prize include the three Josi Kilpack culinary mystery books: Lemon Tart, English Trifle and Devil’s Food Cake, as well as Annette Lyon’s grammar book, There, Their and They’re and a sweet pen set.

Second prize goes to Melissa Cunningham!! Second prize, if you’ll remember, is the Romance Prize. I’ll Know you by Heart by Kimberly Job, Summer in Paris by Michele Ashman Bell and Loyalty’s Web by Joyce DiPastena—as well as Annette Lyon’s grammar book There, Their and They’re and a $15 gift card. Melissa, when you email me, please be sure to tell me which store’s gift card you would like.

And , finally, our First Prize winner! This is our Fantasy Prize and it goes to Sarah Ahiers (Falen). This lucky lady gets Lisa Mangum’s books The Hourglass Door and The Golden Spiral as well as Karen Hoover’s The Sapphire Flute. On top of the autographed books, she will also receive the Writer’s Blocks and a copy of Annette Lyon’s There, Their and They’re book.

Remember, winners, in order to claim your prizes you will need to email me at CheriwritesATyahooDOTcom so I can get your address and ship off your prizes!

Congratulations and thanks for following!
Cheri and Mel

It's almost time

2010-05-09T19:43:00.002-06:00

With Mothers Day and all, I didn't post this earlier. But here you go. Just one more day and you'll have your answer: did you win one of our fabulous Spring into Reading Prizes?

Mel and I are doing the tallying and drawing tonight. You'll know in the morning.

Good luck to all of you! And thanks so much for following!

GIVE AWAY!!!!! Woohoo!

2010-05-03T10:54:00.003-06:00

That's right! My sister in law, MEL and I have reached 100 followers each. So, as promised, we're having our Spring Into Reading Give Away.

Okay so here is what we're going to do:

1 Entry if you have followed this blog after May 3rd.
2 Entries if you have followed this blog before May 3rd.
2 Entries if you follow both me and MEL.
1 Entry if you Tweet or post on FaceBook.
1 Entry if you post about it in your blog.

Tally up your entries! Post them in the comments section. (Either hers or mine, no need to do both, we read each other's stuff. ;) ) Then check either of us out on Monday, May 10th to see if you have won!

Okay, here are the prizes:

First place: Fantasy ~ Three books: The Sapphire Flute by Karen Hoover, The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum (autographed) and an ARC of The Golden Spiral by Lisa Mangum (autographed). PLUS Writer's Blocks and a copy of Annette Lyon's book There, Their and They're.

Second place: Romance ~ Three books: I'll Know You by Heart by Kimberly Job (autographed), Summer in Paris by Michele Ashman Bell (autographed) and Loyalty's Web by Joyce DiPastena (autographed). PLUS a $15 gift card (your choice within reason! :D) and a copy of Annette Lyon's book There, Their and They're.

Third Place: Mystery ~ Three books: The first three autographed books in Josi Kilpack's culinary mystery series Lemon Tart, English Trifle and Devil's Food Cake. Guaranteed to make you hungry! PLUS a copy of Annette Lyon's There, Their and They're and a pen set.

*Please Note: While MEL and I are related, we live states apart. As in Utah and Alaska lol. We'd like to give you a choice in the genre, but that's going to be difficult for us, so we apologize in advance. Look on the bright side if you don't like the genre, you have early Christmas presents. ;)

Okay! So there you have it everyone. Again, tally up your entries, post it in the comment section of either her blog or mine and we'll draw names. Check back Monday, May 10th for the winners!