Brian, my oldest son came home especially to help me on this. He pulled the music together with "rock band" and we muddled through. Any suggestions? I think it reflects the story well but I may have gone heavy on the endorsements...and too much laughing? I liked it so much I couldn't resist. Oh, well. Enjoy.
Thoughts on Books, Writing, Publishing and Other Surprises
Friday, May 28, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
My Cover is HERE!!!!
"Lipstick Wars" is my next novel and yesterday the cover came. I really like it and feel a little like Janet Evanovich. It's cute. What do you think. I especially like the back blurb. Thanks to awesome authors who had kind things to say. I'm having a great day !!!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
One More Time
Okay, since everyone said they had to speed read on my last attempt. I changed the music and slowed it down. Which do you like best?
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
"Could You Be An Angel" Trailer- Ahhh!
Okay, so today I actually attempted to make my own book trailer for my little gift book, "Could you be an Angel Today?" What do you think? I think the two girls look too different but I couldn't find anything better. Feedback? Anybody?
Monday, May 10, 2010
Something to Blog About
Okay, so it's been a long time since I've come and blogged. Great things have happened. I went to the LDStorymakers Conference and learned so much, I got a new calling, and I started an exciting project with a circle of brilliantly talented people that is going to be so fun it should be illegal. BUT something happened yesterday I couldn't NOT write about- my husband spoke in Sacrament Meeting on Mother's Day.
Now if you don't know Greg, I'd say the best way to describe him is stoic. He's an engineer who believes in showing emotion through actions rather than words. It makes him a great husband- hardworking, dependable, kind- but it also means he rarely gives anything resembling a compliment. He just doesn't see the need. Some may say I have enough romanticism and enthusiasm for both of us but sometimes I get wistful that he'll come up with something that sings to me, that appeals to the poet in me and then I think- get realistic. Believe it or not, yesterday it happened.
At four a.m. on Sunday morning I rolled over and he was gone. When I got up at six, he was still at the table writing away. It surprised me because I thought his talk was done. We had a wonderful Mother's Day breakfast made by the children and Greg left early to pick up a man he met at a lawnmower shop that he had invited to church. So the time for his talk comes and he begins with the history of Mother's Day which was interesting and then tells the story of "Elder Croft," an early missionary who was saved from the mob by his mother's letter. Okay, so then came the awesome part.
He began by saying to the YM that when he was their age, he used to dream about his future wife. He dreamed that she would be blonde, beautiful and athletic. When he was on his mission, he even bought a t-shirt for this future dreamgirl. It was XXsmall. But that isn't close to what he got.(Well, at this point I'm blushing because I'm XXlarge and I'm thinking there is no way he can recover.)
Then he looked at me and said,
"Some of you may not know my wife. She is the type of woman that would love to shop at Nordstroms and Neiman Marcus, but has spent her life at Wal-Mart and the Thrift Store so that our children would have what they needed and we could stay in budget."
"She is the kind of woman who would love to go to the finest restaurants and follow it up with attending the Opera or a Broadway Musical, but instead makes due with an Angry Whopper and watching her children's school performances."
"She is the kind of woman who loves to write novels, short stories and plays. She likes to read the classics and advanced literature, but she spends much of her time proofreading my emails from work and helping our children with research papers and science projects."
"She loves to read the scriptures and could hold her own in any intellectual religious debate, but instead explains the basic of the gospel to our children around the dinner table and in FHE."
He ended with how grateful he was for the mother of his children and how every husband and child should honor the sacrifices their mothers make every day.
Wow, and I didn't even think he noticed. They say the best compliments are honest and specific. I'd say he nailed it. Wow.
Now if you don't know Greg, I'd say the best way to describe him is stoic. He's an engineer who believes in showing emotion through actions rather than words. It makes him a great husband- hardworking, dependable, kind- but it also means he rarely gives anything resembling a compliment. He just doesn't see the need. Some may say I have enough romanticism and enthusiasm for both of us but sometimes I get wistful that he'll come up with something that sings to me, that appeals to the poet in me and then I think- get realistic. Believe it or not, yesterday it happened.
At four a.m. on Sunday morning I rolled over and he was gone. When I got up at six, he was still at the table writing away. It surprised me because I thought his talk was done. We had a wonderful Mother's Day breakfast made by the children and Greg left early to pick up a man he met at a lawnmower shop that he had invited to church. So the time for his talk comes and he begins with the history of Mother's Day which was interesting and then tells the story of "Elder Croft," an early missionary who was saved from the mob by his mother's letter. Okay, so then came the awesome part.
He began by saying to the YM that when he was their age, he used to dream about his future wife. He dreamed that she would be blonde, beautiful and athletic. When he was on his mission, he even bought a t-shirt for this future dreamgirl. It was XXsmall. But that isn't close to what he got.(Well, at this point I'm blushing because I'm XXlarge and I'm thinking there is no way he can recover.)
Then he looked at me and said,
"Some of you may not know my wife. She is the type of woman that would love to shop at Nordstroms and Neiman Marcus, but has spent her life at Wal-Mart and the Thrift Store so that our children would have what they needed and we could stay in budget."
"She is the kind of woman who would love to go to the finest restaurants and follow it up with attending the Opera or a Broadway Musical, but instead makes due with an Angry Whopper and watching her children's school performances."
"She is the kind of woman who loves to write novels, short stories and plays. She likes to read the classics and advanced literature, but she spends much of her time proofreading my emails from work and helping our children with research papers and science projects."
"She loves to read the scriptures and could hold her own in any intellectual religious debate, but instead explains the basic of the gospel to our children around the dinner table and in FHE."
He ended with how grateful he was for the mother of his children and how every husband and child should honor the sacrifices their mothers make every day.
Wow, and I didn't even think he noticed. They say the best compliments are honest and specific. I'd say he nailed it. Wow.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Writing "An Angel"
My latest project is due to hit bookstores in the next few weeks. It's a story about a mom who is asked to stand in for a weary angel for just one day. After flitting around doing what angels do all day, the mom flops in bed exhausted. She expects some great fanfare, but what she gets instead is much more valuable.
Like all projects "Could You Be an Angel" had an interesting beginning. It started with preparing an Enrichment Night. My RS counselor was impressed by Jeffrey R. Holland's talk of angels and wanted to do an angel-themed evening. We got a musical number, a craft, nice refreshments and a speaker, but there was something missing. I wasn't sure what.
As luck would have it, my sisters (I have seven) had planned our first ever sister's retreat about that same time. With three hours to kill on the plane, I took out a pad and pencil and worked the entire time on building this idea. The hardest part was figuring out what guardian angels actually do. I finally decided they mostly nugde and whisper, right at the moment you need it most.
My sister Julia is an incredible poet in her own right and helped me clean up my meter. Then I posted it on line where a few friends added their two cents. At last it was ready, and I copied it on scrolls tied with gold ribbon.
When the night of Enrichment came (now RS Meeting), my musical number canceled due to a cold and the craft person bugged out. I was sure the whole night would be a disaster. We had the angel food cake and strawberries, our keynote speaker and then I stood to deliver this poem.
As I spoke the room was silent and with my last word, I could tell it had really touched some people. It turned out to be a wonderful evening, and I felt the women left revitalized and ready to serve. Afterward, I put the poem away and didn't think about it for a while. Then a woman in my writing group suggested I submit it for publication and here it is.
It's awesome that the final product is inexpensive as a greeting card and can be used for a visiting teaching gift, mother's day card or simply something you give to anyone. It is written to be general enough for any audience, so you can even share it with your non-LDS friends.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Whitney Awards
Okay, I did it. I'm actually going to read all the Whitney Award finalists in romance since I'm not getting in the house early. They are Counting the Cost, Illuminations of the Heart, Santa Maybe, Previously Engaged and All the Stars in Heaven. We'll see what I think....
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