Another Fun Review!

Lauren McAfee, book reviewer for Deseret News Faith has written a review on Clairvoyance.  She is also an assistant librarian in beautiful Cedar City. Thank you Lauren!
Read the review here.

Heidi Murphy's Review of Bridges of the Heart

With each new review of Bridges of the Heart, I think it's the best one yet. I really like this one Heidi Murphy posted today on Goodreads.

Heidi

At the death of her mother, 21-year-old Rachel breaks down, fleeing from Maxson Everell (the man who wants to marry her), a grieving father, and a sister who has secrets. It isn't until a friend pulls her back to the desert that she meets a strange man who tells her she has a special place in time--at Maxson's side. Rachel's not about to give the freak any credence, since he tells her she should call Maxson on the night he's getting engaged to another girl. 

But what's a girl to do? She still loves Max. She curls up under the threadbare quilt on the end of her bed--the one that smells like jasmine.

Rachel wakes up two hundred years in the past, near her ancestress' log cabin in pre-Civil War North Carolina. She has a murder to solve, a treasure to find, and a whole passel of angry-hornet family members to cobble back together, all while trying to pose as a boy, learn to milk a cow, and avoid a major family war. As Rachel works to help her forebears solve their supposedly insurmountable problems, her own come into sharper focus.

Things are humming along right fine until Rachel helps meet Jane's housepayment--with three modern pennies. All heck breaks loose when the rent collector accuses Rachel of counterfeiting. To add insult to injury, the Sheriff looks just like Maxson, reminding her at every turn that she has to somehow get back to her own time to make things right with the man who should be HER fiance, before he asks another girl. 

I loved the premise of this story. Who wouldn't want to go back in time and fix things in their distant past? Who wouldn't want to go back and find out why this guy turned to piracy and that one joined a strange new church? Sowards' fabulous settings took me right into 1800's South Carolina with its jasmine-scented quilts, calico bonnets, bucket-stomping cows, and ramshackle jails.

I wanted to help Sam, the runaway slave, on his way to freedom. I wanted to show Coker (Rachel's third great grandpa) that he amounted to something. I wanted to hug Rachel and Jane and tell them everything would turn out okay, because they felt like My People.

Get this book for a fabulous journey through time in this fictional story about true people.

Thank you Heidi!

Visit Heidi Murphy's fun blog here.
Buy Bridges of the Heart on Amazon and Deseret Book.

Love's Deception by Kelly Nelson

I enjoyed reading Kelly Nelson's newest novel, Love's Deception. It had a special magic to it--being set in rural Washington, the protagonist a beautiful widow, and a handsome rugged cowboy as the hero, I'm sure had something to do with it.

 And to celebrate the release of my novel Bridges of the Heart, I am featuring Kelly, a Walnut Springs Press author, as my guest today. After reading my review of Love's Deception, enjoy the question and answer spot with Kelly!

Catherine Lewis and her six-year-old son have made ends meet ever since the untimely Iraq war death of her husband. Boarding horses in rural Washington and taking care of her cancer-fighting mother have occupied their life.

When Cat meets Ty, a handsome farmer not of her LDS faith, who not only sells her hay but comes to her barn to help unload it, Cat’s life changes. Through his persistent attentions, she learns to care for Ty, only weeks later to discover he hasn’t been completely truthful with her. When he tries to set things straight and make amends, Cat refuses to forgive.

The story is told from Ty and Cat’s points of view. I appreciated seeing into Ty’s life—that he had lived the ways of the world, and then after meeting a girl like Cat, seeks to know what makes her different. How could he help from falling in love with her spunk and fortitude? She is hard worker, beautiful, a caring daughter and mother, and a sensitive person.

Joan: I loved reading Love's Deception. What was your inspiration for Cat's story?

I had the opportunity to meet Kelly Nelson at the
LDStorymaker's conference in Provo, in May.
She's the pretty one on the right.

Kelly: I had sent out several query letters for my time-travel, YA, adventure/romance manuscript. I noticed several publishers wanted to know my background in relation to the subject of the book, or what made me qualified to write the story in the genre of the book. So I decided to write a novel that would be easier to query and one where I had specific qualifications relating to the subject matter. I worked as a CPA. Ty is a CPA in the book. I board horses. Cat boards horses. I am LDS and so is Cat. I have a brother-in-law who served 6 tours in the Air Forces. Our family's sacrifice as well as all those who have lost loved ones to war inspired the events at the beginning of the book.

Joan: Love’s Deception has a great cover. Is there a story behind it?

Kelly: My sister does free-lance graphic design for my publisher Walnut Springs Press who published Love’s Deception. My youngest sister, Laura Johnston, who by the way is also a published author is the cover model. Tracy, Linda (my editor), and I all scoured the internet searching for the perfect Ty, and in the end this guy was the one.

Joan: Tracy also designed the cover for my novel Bridges of the Heart, and I love it!

And I agree, the man on your cover fits the description of Ty in the book. I found myself studying the cover several times while reading the novel.

Tell us about your other works. You have a series publish.

Kelly: Yes, I have a four book series titled The Keeper's Saga about a high school senior, Chase Harper, who finds a gold device buried in a cave. When he touches one of the buttons it takes him back to 1863. He rescues a girl back there, and then finds out that touching one of those buttons made him the keeper of the counter--meaning now it will only work for him as long as he is alive. Of course there are those who try and take it from him. Action, Adventure, time travel and romance!

Right now I am working on:

 The Lady with No Name: a romantic suspense novel set in Utah,

The Hidden Heir: a young adult adventure about twin boys. One raised by his father the king, the other raised a peasant by a blacksmith.

Joan: They both sound interesting. Good luck with their success. Tell us something most people don’t know about you that you would like to share.

Kelly: I lost my dad to a brain tumor in 2005. He will always be one of my best friends, so the emotions of losing a parent are never far from the surface. Each time I read Love's Deception I cried at the end. It didn't matter how many times I had read it before, it still got to me. 

Joan: Husband, children, horses—how is your life like Cat’s in the story?

Kelly: I live with my husband on a ten acre horse property closely resembling the property Cat and her mother own in the book. We have 5 horses, 4 cats, and 2 chickens. And I board 10 other horses as well, so it is busy around here at feeding time. I have four kids. My oldest was married last month. My son is serving a mission in Lubbock, Texas. And I have two daughters still at home. 

Thank you for the interview, Kelly!

You can buy Love's Deception in paperback and ebook at Amazon, in Deseret Book and other LDS bookstores, and at Deseret Book online.

Announcing My Upcoming Novel--Bridges of the Heart

Bridges of the Heart is about the power of love and forgiveness, and the eternal natures of families, and will debut this spring in LDS bookstores!  

Rachel's life falls apart when her mother becomes ill and passes away. To add to her confusion, Maxson proposes marriage on the evening of the funeral. Rachel escapes to Utah to think and take time off from the relationship. She tells Maxson by phone to date while she is away, and that she is not ready for an engagement. After returning to Arizona, Rachel finds Maxson in a relationship with Paige—Rachel’s rival throughout high school. 

With time, she convinces herself she is over Maxson, but a strange Southern visitor named Jonathan tells her that in the eternal scheme, she was meant to marry Maxson. He insists it is her responsibility to apologize to Maxson and set things straight, since she broke up the relationship. But she refuses. 

Because of Rachel’s stubbornness, she is whirled back in time to 1820 to learn that families are eternal—not only through time forward, but also the past. 

Latter-day Saint women of all ages will enjoy Bridges of the Heart. Through this unique perspective of early 19th century American South, this heartwarming tale will remind readers that family bonds reach through all time.

Chocolate Roses is now an audiobook!

Narrated by Amanda Freeman, Chocolate Rose is now available on Amazon as an audiobook!


Click HERE 

Interview with author Joyce DiPastena

Today's interview is with Joyce DiPastena, author of Dangerous Favor, her most recent published medieval novel. Please read the synopsis and my review on Dangerous Favor in the post that precedes  this.

Joyce, what started you writing about medieval times?

I fell in love with the Middle Ages during high school when I read a history book on the early Plantagenet kings of England called The Conquering Family, by Thomas B. Costain. I'd been dabbling with writing  stories in other time periods--I always seemed drawn to historical settings for my early writing attempts--but for some reason, this book especially intrigued me. When I went to college (the University of Arizona), I decided to major in history. I consequently took courses in many various time periods, but my heart always beat a little quicker in my medieval history classes, so I took every medieval history class I could find. At the same time, I began my first full length novel and also set it in the Middle Ages. And I've never really looked back. 

 What is it about the Medieval period that fascinates you and keeps you writing about it?

I don't really know why this particular period fascinates me so much. I'm fascinated by many time periods, ancient, medieval, Stuart, Regency, the American Revolution. But when it comes to writing, I just enjoy the medieval time period more than any other.

 What keeps me writing about it? There are still so many fascinating things to explore! My books so far have touched on subjects such as medieval illumination, medieval Arthurian poetry and medieval politics. I've just completed two short medieval stories that incorporate medieval carol dancing and medieval reliquaries (highly decorated boxes that held objects believed by the Catholic Church to be holy, such as fingernail clippings, locks of hair, even vials of tears from the original twelve apostles or the saints that followed them). 

I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of topics available to research and explore and share with readers in a story of one sort or another. I think it will be avery long time before I tire of writing about this time period!

 What are your most trusted resources on details of that period?

I have a very extensive personal library of medieval research books that focus on multiple specialized topics, but here are some of the ones I find myself referring to for almost every story I write are:

The Castle Explorer's Guide, by Frank Bottomley
Pleyn Delit: Medieval Cookery for Modern Cooks, by Constance B. Hieatt and Sharon Butler
900 Years of English Costume, by Nancy Bradfield (I think this may be available under a different title now, but the same author)
English Costume from the Early MIddle Ages Through the Sixteenth Century, by Iris Brooke
Medieval English Gardens, by Teresa McLean
A Baronial Household of the Thirteenth Century, by Margaret Wade Labarge

Thank you so much, Joyce, for your interview!

Visit Joyce's blog here.

Here are some of Joyce's other Medieval tales:

   

Readers: Please leave a comment telling what time period you enjoy reading/writing about and why.

Interview with author of Espionage, A.L. Sowards

Welcome to author A. L. Sowards--Yes, another Sowards in the writing world! Our husbands are not too distant cousins and from the same small southern Colorado town. 

Amanda's recently released debut novel Espionage is making splashes. I am happy she agreed to this short interview, and I hope you all enjoyed getting to know her better.

When did you seriously start writing novels?

I started Espionage in high school. The first chapter was a project for my junior English class. I started working on it again in 2004, when I was finished with college and didn’t have to write research papers all the time. I rewrote the first chapter a few times, and then kept writing. Now I’m addicted [to writing] and I doubt I’ll ever stop.

What authors have influenced you the most?

My sister put her copy of Espionage in between her Jack Higgins and Alistair Maclean collections, and those two authors were among my favorites when I began writing. It’s hard to pick who has influenced me the most, but lately I’ve really been impressed with Stephen Ambrose and Cornelius Ryan. They both write nonfiction military history.

Every writer has a pet aspect about writing. What do you feel is your strongpoint?

Probably plotting, although I feel like I do a good job with characters too. I know just enough about grammar to know when I need to look something up. 

Give us an account of your road to publication.

I started looking for an agent or a publisher in 2007. I didn’t have much luck at first, so I kept reworking the book and making it better. The first time I submitted to Covenant, they didn’t take it, but it had gone far enough along in the process that they gave me some of the feedback they’d gotten from their test readers and let me rework the book and submit it again. 

What has surprised you about being published?

Covenant accepted Espionage in spring 2010. I guess I’ve been surprised by how far in advance Covenant (and most other publishers) accept manuscripts and how long it takes a book to hit the bookshelves once it’s been accepted.

What is the next novel you hope to publish?

I’m just calling it Book 2 for now, because I’m sure my publisher will come up with a title other than the one I have. It’s another WWII spy novel involving some of the same characters, but I tried to write it so it can be read and enjoyed even it you haven’t read Espionage. It will take place in the summer of 1944 and involve a commando mission to Romania and some spy work along the French Riviera in preparation for the Allied liberation there.

What is something about you that most people don’t know that you wouldn’t mind sharing?

I don’t like deviled eggs. When one of my sisters was younger, she liked to make them. My mom told her she couldn’t make any more until the ones made were eaten. So she followed me around the back yard and fed them to me until I threw up. I was 3 or 4, so I don’t remember it happening, but I still hate the smell.

Ha, ha! Funny how those things happen. Thank you so much for the interview and best wishes with Espionage's success!

Read the first chapter of Espionage here.

Visit Amanda's blog here.

Buy Espionage here.

Identity by Betsy Love

I admit I was thankful for a cold this week. Why? It gave me a good excuse to hibernate and read Betsy Love's fun debut novel, Identity. Betsy is the one who helped me get started on the path to publication by inviting me to join ANWA, a writers group for LDS women. Thank you Betsy and ANWA for all your help!

After vacationing in Mexico, in the same town and the same resort, two similar-looking young women board a flight to Phoenix. One is a wealthy heiress and the other is a Mormon girl planning to serve a mission.

The plane goes down near Nogales, leaving several dead. One girl survives, but with all memory lost of who she is or any past experiences. After a lengthy stay in the hospital, she goes home with a loving Mormon family who has no doubt she is their sister. Savannah remembers nothing of the gospel and must relearn everything from Joseph Smith and the first vision, to Mormon lingo.

Amelia's fiancé Brent will not believe she died in the plane accident. After his ex-wife turns up murdered in Mexico, he is the prime suspect. He jumps bail and heads to Phoenix in search of Amelia, only to be detained by disasters and the police at every turn. One barrier after another keeps him from her, including desperate criminals who would do anything to keep Amelia from returning to her past life.

Identity is a fun read. I enjoyed the Freeman family for being a good Mormon family--not perfect, but good. Savannah's best friend was overweight and sensitive, the villains turned out very villainy, and the love interest was believable and fall-in-love-with-able.

Congrats to Betsy Love for an enjoyable novel of suspense and adventure!

Visit Betsy Love at her blog.

Buy Identity at Deseret Book.

The Star Prophecy--A Book of Mormon Adventure

Christmas is the perfect season to read The Star Prophecy. It is a unique approach to the Nativity story--a personal interview with the shepherds, and a chance to walk in the wise men's sandals.

Read the first chapter here.

The Star Prophecy is available at LDS bookstores and Amazon.

Have a merry Christmas, and happy reading!

Book Signing and Rollover

My book signing in Cedar City, Utah was in a lovely store named Mountain West Books. It offers a wide variety of books (including LDS) and supplies in an uplifting atmosphere. Mountain West is affiliated with the furniture store next door that is chockfull of decorating accessories that are to die for. Next time you are in Cedar City, treat yourself with a visit to their stores.

It started hailing/snowing before 1 pm when I bid farewell to my hostess Britannia, and my husband and I headed toward St George. The road turned very slushy and before we knew it, only a few miles into our journey, our van began to fishtail. In seconds we spun, hit the shoulder and began to roll. I wondered if my life was over, if I'd ever see my children again, and if Dennis and I would get to serve the mission we planned on. Thankfully. after a full roll, our car landed upright. The windows had shattered and showered us. "Are you alive?" I asked, and to say I was relieved to hear Dennis say "I am" would be an understatement. He carefully opened his door, and as snow fell, came around and opened my door, We hugged, grateful to be alive! Thank goodness for seat belts and great engineering design. Blinded by tears, I began picking up my novels and items that had been thrown from the car in the roll, and tossed them back into the car hoping to get them out of the rain and snow. Most of the windows were gone from the vehicle, so there was no protection from the snow. I also found my laptop still in one piece on the ground.

Passer-bys didn't see us since we were several feet off the road down a slope. Dennis got his cellphone working and called 911. Up the road we could see another car had ran off the road, and several yards behind us, a truck had slid into the median. Later we were told there were ten vehicles that had ran off the road within that hour. Hopefully, we were the only one that rolled. To make a long story short, our car was towed back to Cedar City (totaled, of course), we got a rental car, and four hours after the accident we headed up the road again toward St. George--still very shook up.

Thank you to all the emergency personnel who came to our rescue--the highway patrolmen, the paramedics, the tow-truck driver--everyone acted concerned and cordial to our needs and made dealing with the tragedy much easier.

We are thankful to be home where we are nursing our bruises. Next time I go to Utah, I will definitely fly!

First review of The Star Prophecy

Tina Scott has posted the first review of the Star Prophecy on her blog, "Totally Tina."

"Mrs. Sowards tells the account of Enoch and his friends as though intimately familiar with the era, and weaves her tale through both the Book of Mormon and the New Testament’s scriptural accounts of Christ’s birth in such a way that, as a reader, I was convinced it could have happened just as she told it."

Come and read her impressions of The Star Prophecy.

Thank you, Tina!

Buy The Star Prophecy at LDS bookstores and Amazon.

The Star Prophecy by Joan Sowards

I just received my first copy of my novel, The Star Prophecy and it is beautiful. It is a tale of young Nephite men who set sail for Jerusalem to find the Christ Child.

The back cover blurb reads:

"You are crazy. No Nephite has ever returned."

Most people laugh when they hear of Enoch's dream of returning to Jerusalem to find the infant Messiah. Even Enoch's future father-in-law mocks him when he asks for a postponement of his long-awaited wedding to his beloved Rebekah. A few take Enoch seriously--the shipbuilder Omnihah, Enoch's teacher David, and the prophet Nephi.

Five Years before, a Lamanite named Samuel had stood on the wall of Zarahemla and prophesied that "five years more cometh" and the Christ would be born in Jerusalem. Time is running out! Enoch knows he must set sail across the great water in search of his dream--to see the face of the Messiah.

The Star Prophecy is a surprising story of courage and love, faith and fortitude. Sail with Enoch and his friends across the sea through hardship and adventure in search of the Christ child.

"I love Joan Sowards' inventive mind. She begins this adventurous tale with "what if?' and tells it so well that the reader closes the book thinking 'why not?' The Star Prophecy adds a surprising new dimension to the Christmas story." -Liz Adair, author of Counting the Cost

"Action-adventure, romance, inspirational, and historical fiction all rolled into one make the Star Prophecy an exciting page turner." -Margaret L Turley, author of Save the Child

Buy at Amazon and LDS Bookstores

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?

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.

Book Review of Chocolate Roses

Check out this book review of Chocolate Roses on Queen of the Clan.

Excerpt:

"I was pleasantly surprised with how well done th

e story was. I loved the quotes from the original Jane Eyre at the beginning of each chapter - it lent a feeling of connection between the classic and the new, and you could see how the modern day Janie felt connected to her

favorite heroine, Jane." -Danyelle Ferguson

I hope you all will read and enjoy Chocolate Roses!

-Joan

Chocolate Roses is featured on LDS Bookcorner this week!

Chocolate Roses, my 2nd published novel, is featured on LDS Bookcorner's Fiction Daily Chapter this week. This is a service that breaks down the first chapter of a novel and sends it in short segments throughout the week.

To check out LDSBookcorner, or to sign up for future daily chapters click here.

To read the first chapter of Chocolate Roses, click on the Chocolate Roses book cover at the right (on this site) in the sidebar.

I personally love the story of Chocolate Roses. People ask me which of my novels I like the best, and I really can't choose. I like them both. I love the ghost aspect, characters, and the solution in Haunts Haven, but I'm partial to the love story in Chocolate Roses. The first-person aspect of it allowed me to write in my own thoughts and dumb humor--the freedom to "write off the top of my head." In both stories, I enjoyed writing the subplots and weaving everyone's story together.

So here is the back cover blurb:

A modern LDS parody of Jane Eyre set in a chocolate shop, Chocolate Roses is rich read. You'll find yourself wanting to curl up in your favorite chair with the book in one hand and a supply of chocolate in the other.
She’s in love . . .
He’s out of reach . . .
Is there any hope?
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.

(My daughter Kristy penned that line and never got credit. :-) Thank you, Kristy!)

“I’m a big fan of Joan Sowards, so I picked up Chocolate Roses with great expectations. It’s every bit as scrumptious as the title implies. Once again, this creative, funny writer will leave you wanting more, more, more!”
—Kerry Blair, best-selling LDS author
Chocolate Roses is a fresh and modern retelling of the classic novel, Jane Eyre. Peppered with loveable characters and countless moments of humor, you’ll find yourself drawn into Janie’s life and her plight with the unattainable Roger Wentworth. Grab a box of chocolates and settle down for one delectable story.
—Amesbury Reads
Chocolate Roses can be purchased from Amazon, Deseret Book, and your local LDS bookstore.