Winner of the Spooktacular Drawing!

Congratulations to Tammy of Salmon, Idaho, the winner of a copy of Haunts Haven!

Thank you all for entering. Happy Halloween. :-)

Family History

I admit it. I am totally addicted to family history research and I enjoy it as much as writing.

I actually attribute my love for writing to family history. Years ago, I found a name of a woman that possibly could be my ancestor’s mother. The impression repeatedly came to sit down at the computer and write how an interview with her would go. I did and it turned into a short story. Then it grew into a novel—my first novel (unpublished)—Bridges of the Heart. Through that experience, I discovered I love writing and crafting a story as much as I love doing family history research.

As everyone else, I had planned to start genealogy in my retirement years, but about twenty years ago a friend insisted I find a babysitter and go with her for an hour to the family history center. After that I was hooked.

I used to be like the girl I met one evening sitting in the back of the family history center as the other Young Women in her class attentively listened to the missionary sister giving a tour. I asked the girl why she didn’t join her friends. “My family has been in the church for generations and our genealogy is all done,” she said, leaning back in her chair with an air of smugness.

I had to hide a smirk. “I used to think that way too,” I told her. “But as I got into researching, I found that each of my ancestors had siblings, spouses, and in-laws that still needed finding. Outside of my direct line, very few had their temple work done.”

She shrugged and I knew that was my cue to leave her alone to bask in her all-is-well-in-Zion attitude, though I knew the joy she'd miss.

Sometimes I feel guilty spending time doing family history, but in the long run, I know it is not time wasted. Every name found goes on familysearch.com. I feel warm all over finding a name that isn’t already recorded there. Making records public takes lost individuals out of

obscurity who may otherwise never be remembered.

Another good thing about researching, is that I can do it at home in my spare time, between loads of laundry, and grandchildren visits. I can do it when I’m burned out from writing on my novel. I can write my novel when I’m burned out doing family history research.

The bottom line—doing family history work brings happiness. :-)

Read Haunts Haven

October is a great month to read Haunts Haven. Besides that Halloween is coming up, Haunts Haven has a real a ghost--a handsome ghost. The synopsis is right here in the sidebar. Click and read the first chapter.

Happy reading and happy haunting!

How Do You Write a Smile?

Don't take me too seriously on this one, but I like my characters to be happy and I find it a challenge to write a smile. Yes, I know it’s all right to write he smiled, but sometimes it gets monotonous. In an 80,000-word novel it takes a lot of creative writing to keep your character creatively smiling.

The English language doesn’t have enough substitutes for the word smile.Grin, beam, and smirk is all my thesaurus offers. To avoid each smile from sounding like the last, the writer will sometimes use modifiers such as toothy, wide, lopsided, ridiculous, or that the ends of her mouth turn up. If the character’s eyes light up, her smile smiles differently than two pages ago.

Maybe someone should make a long list of smile descriptions, cut them in slips, put them in a jar and market it to writers. Whenever they need to write a smile, they can draw one out and, kazam! It’s done. (The inventor will probably make more money than from book royalties.)

Another word we English conversers got shorted on is laugh. There isn’t a word for an ordinary, boring huff. If it is an everyday grin—no emotion involved—there’s not a lot to choose from. Everyone laughs. If we don’t blow out our breath in a quiet laugh, we just smile, or there we go grinning again.

The best we can do is chuckle, and if you’re under sixteen you can giggle. If you are a little loony you may twitter and chortle. Boys snicker. Males hoot. Old women snort and cackle (may I never be that old.) And if you just lose it altogether, you are allowed a guffaw or two.

None of these offer what I’m looking for. Got laughs?

My Double Life by Janette Rallison

Today's guest reviewer is Dylan.

My Double Life by Janette Rallison

Everyone wonders what it is like to be a celebrity for a day.

What a fun book! Any teen would love this story about Elexia, a witty honor student from a poor family, who is a dead ringer for pop star Kari

Kingsley. When Elexia's picture gets posted on the Internet, Kari's manager calls and offers her a job as Kari'

s double. Unbeknown to her fans, Kari is knee deep in debt for gambling and a shopping addiction. And to add into the mix, Kari's father happens to be Elexia's mother's celebrity i

dol.

This rags-to-riches story is fun, whimsical, and has a touch of sweet romance. MDL is a

laugh-out-loud ride that keeps you enthralled to the last page. Readers will relate easily to the realistic, likable characters, including the Nazi-ish manager. My Double Life's well thought-out plot is executed smoothl

y like a great movie.

Visit Janette's website.

Visit Dylan's blog.

Today's Smile

Today my young adult children were talking.

Ted: Do kids really believe there are monsters under their beds?

Rex: We always had so much food storage under there that we knew there wasn't room for monsters.

Editing Song

by Joan Sowards

(Tune: Christmas Bells are Ringing)

Editing, editing, here we go!
My manuscript needs shaping.
Finding typos like a pro—
None will be escaping.
Change the words that tell, not show,
Out of point of view, don’t go!
Slice, slice, cut, cut,
Anxious readers waiting!

Editing, editing to refine,
Hoping soon to publish.
Proofing carefully each line,
Delete all the rubbish.
Ousting passive verbs and such,
Adding taste and smell and touch.
Slice, slice, cut, cut,
Publishers are waiting!

Editing, editing page by page,
Ridding repetition,
So the reader will engage
To the tale’s completion.
Dialogue and tenses right,
Ditch the chitchat, make it tight.
Slice, slice, cut, cut,
Bookstore shelves are waiting!

Chocolate Roses reviews

"If you haven't read [Jane Eyre], then no problem. It's still a very entertaining read." Valerie Ipson at Of Writerly Things

[This Jane Eyre adaptation is] "handled with a delightfully deft hand that makes this book very hard to put down." JDP News.

I also loved this review at Star Crossed.

"Chocolate Roses hits high marks for being a well-rounded tale with laughter and drama."

-Laurie C Lewis

"What she did right." The Write Blocks

"Chocolate Roses... is fresh and original." Parson's Posts

"Chocolate Roses is a fun read." Annie Speaks Her Mind

"Good Clean LDS romance with intrigue, humor and chocolate." Taffy's Candy

Tristi liked it at Tristi Pinkston

"I wondered, 'How would Joan take [Jane Eyre] and put it into a modern day story? Let's just say, she did a fantastic job.'" LDS Women's Book Review

"This is definitely one I will read again--perhaps on a stormy evening, wrapped up in my quilt, with a box of delicious chocolate close at hand! Kaylee Baldwin

"Mouth watering, and a sweet read." Anna Arnett

"What's not to like about this novel? Go buy it." Writer in the Pines

Joan Sowards "does a brilliant job of paralleling the two stories and making it completely believable." Arizona Forever

"Doesn't the name just tempt you to pick it up?" Tangled Words and Dreams

"It really is a quite creative and fun read." For the Love of the Written Word

"This book could be a chapter out of real life for many twenty-seven year-old single LDS girls." Anna Del C Dye's Blog

Blog Tour Chocolate Roses

Love chocolate?

Love Jane Eyre?

Then you're going to love the blog tour

(July 26-August 6)
for Chocolate Roses by Joan Sowards.

Janie Rose Whitaker’s world revolved around her chocolate shop until Roger Wentworth and his young daughter moved into the apartment across from Janie’s. Anyone would think Roger fit the mold of the “perfect” guy, but soon Janie discovers secrets that could keep them apart forever. Though she resists getting involved in Roger’s complicated life, they are drawn further into a bittersweet relationship.

You will laugh, cry, and crave chocolate as you read this LDS parody of the classic novel Jane Eyre.

We have two great prizes up for grabs!

Win either a copy of Chocolate Roses (2 winners)

or this fabulous apron created by Joan!

All you have to do is leave a comment

(along with your email address if it isn't on your blog profile)

and answer the following question.

What's your favorite type of
chocolate: white, dark, or milk?

The more blogs you comment on the
more entries you'll receive.
All comments must be left by

midnight MST on August 8 to be eligible.

July 26

Margaret Turley
Nichole Giles--
Joyce DiPastena--JDP News

July 27
Deanne Blackhurst--Annie Speaks Her Mind
Tristi Pinkston--*Tristi Pinkston

July 28
Taffy Lovell--Taffy's Candy
Alison Palmer--Tangled Words and Dreams

July 29
Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen--The Write Blocks
C.S. Bezas--For the Love of the Written Word

July 30
Sheila Stayley--Why Not? Because I Said So!
LDSWomen's Book Review

August 2
Kerry Blair--Now & Here
Marsha Ward--Writer in the Pines

August 3
Kaylee Baldwin--Kaylee Baldwin
Amy Orton--Amesbury Reads

August 4
Anna del C.--Anna del C. Dye's Blog
Laurie Lewis--A View from the Other Side

August 5
Valerie Ipson--Of Writerly Things
Anna Arnett--Insights and Ramblings from Anna Arnett

August 6
Lynn Parsons
Danyelle Ferguson--Queen of the Clan

Chocolate Roses can be purchased
from Deseret Book, Amazon, and of
course your local LDS bookstore.

Author interview!

Walnut Springs Press published an author interview with me on their webpage. Please come visit. There are three photos of my family through the years.

I'm still sad about my music website not working. The problem/glitch has still not been detected. If there is a song you need, email and ask for it (using the address to the

right) and I will email the pdf to you.

Chocolate Rose's blog tour will be starting in two weeks. I am excited! We will give away a copy of the novel and one of my cute homecrafted aprons.