Winner of The Star Prophecy--A Book of Mormon Adventure

Jessica Tidd of California is the winner of my novel The Star Prophecy in the Sumer Treasure Hunt. Congratulations Jessica!

Dearly Departed by Tristi Pinkston

Ida Mae Babbit and her gang of Secret Sisters ride again! This fun tale begins with an innocent obituary and a couple of falls that land Ida Mae in an upscale assisted living facility. But there is no time for convalescing from her multi injuries, there is a murder to be solved! With the help of Arlette, Tansy, Eden, Eden's coworker Kevin, and a few zany senior residents, she uncovers a cynical plot in this otherwise peaceful care center.

Author Tristi Pinkston has again charmed her readers with this book two in her Secret Sisters Mystery Series. It has something to please all readers--suspense, mystery, laugh-out-loud moments--all with a hint of romance. I enjoyed this delightful story and recommend it to all who enjoy reading a cozy whodunit.

Visit Tristi at her blog.

Buy Dearly Departed on Amazon.

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!

Quote for the day--Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote to his mother from college. "I do not want to be a doctor and live by men's diseases, nor a minister to live by their sins, nor a lawyer to live by their quarrels. So I don't see that there is anything left for me but to be an author."

Mesa AZ Temple Easter Pageant. Beyond Excellent!

Each year that I go to the Mesa AZ Temple Easter Pageant seems better than the last, and this year's performance is excellent.

No tickets are required, and the pageant runs April 13-14, 19-23 in English and April 15-16 in Spanish. All performances begin at 8pm at the temple, 525 E Main Street, Mesa, AZ.

The life of Jesus Christ is portrayed so beautifully by a cast of hundreds, making it the largest outdoor Easter pageant in the US. Come early to get a seat (and a parking place.) We brought our dinner with us so we could get a seat early, and enjoyed visiting with those around us.

In spite of the huge audience, the Spirit was strong and bore witness to me again, that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world. Seeing the pageant is my favorite way to celebrate Easter!

Curse of the Elfs by Anna Del C.

Anna Del C, thank you for the interview! How long have you been writing?

About seven years ago, I started writing because my husband wanted to live to the ripe age of fifty. He thought my imagination would be the end of his days. He actually ordered me to write. He is awesome.

What are your books titled?

In the order they were published, they are:

The Silent Warrior Trilogy

Book 1 - The Elf and the Princess

Book 2 - Trouble in the Elf City

Book 3 - Elfs in a conquered Realm

and now:

Curse of the Elfs

Do you write your books from beginning to end, or start in the middle?

I started writing the Trilogy at the beginning. The idea for Curse of the Elfs came to me in the middle of the story, the rest came from there. I am not sure why… it just happened that way.

Was there a particular person or event that inspired you to write this story?

The last movie of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings was my inspiration. I wanted to know more about the character’s lives and couldn’t find enough. My husband said, “Why don’t you write your own.” I answered, “Yah right!” But his answer haunted me and in three days I had the draft of The Elf and the Princess in my mind. When I told him the story he came back with a laptop and told me to write it. The rest is history.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Never give up!!! Join a writer's chapter close to you right now, and learn the craft of writing from them.

Anna, do you write with music playing? If so, is the music likely to be songs with lyrics or only instrumentals?

I do have music on, though I love quietness. I have my favorite tunes in the computer where I write. Lots of them have lyrics, but a few don’t.

What is the best thing about being an author?

Meeting great people and other authors.

What would you say is the most challenging part?

Spending hours promoting my books. I would rather be writing!

Do you have a particular goal you aim to achieve with your writing?

To create a wonderful world where the reader can forget reality’s cold hand and safely enjoy fantasy. Life is tough and we need something to help us make it more fun and worth living. Fantasy is how I choose to do it.

You once told me that English was your second language. What sort of challenges did you meet in trying to write your books, if any?

Not many really. I write and my editor has to figure out what I am trying to say. (If I can't figure how a word goes in English, I put it in Spanish...he speaks Spanish very well.) We have a lot of fun when we edit the books; because of my English mess ups.

If you could give your book to only one person, who would it be and why?

A teenager in trouble...

In the hope that he/she could discover the power they have deep inside to change and become better. I want them to see that nothing is impossible if we put our minds to it.

Can you share with your fans how you describe so well your battle scenes and the sword's playing action?

My husband and I took a medieval sword fighting class at the local high school. He liked it so much that he has continued for a years now and has earned two different belts with the clan.

Where can we purchase a copy of your books?

www.amazon.com

www.barnesandnoble.com

www.annadelc.com

Thank you for this opportunity to visit with you and your friends!

Watch the book trailer here.

Lolly's Yarn by Anna Laurene Arnett

Lolly’s Yarn is a delightful collection of stories from the life of author Anna Laurene Arnett. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her childhood, her courtship with the handsome Charles Arnett, their wedding, her child birthing experiences, and their many moves across the US and even to Japan. Even before I read the last page, felt like part of the Arnett family.

I didn’t barrel through Lolly’s Yarn all in a few days as I usually do when reading a novel. True, Anna’s account of growing up and going back east to work, then meeting and falling love with Charles, played out like a romance novel and kept me reading. After that, I read a few of her stories each day and savored them—relating them to my own life. I loved that Anna enjoyed being a mother and wife--refreshing for today. I appreciated her willingness to accept the role of stay at home mom. You could feel her love and devotion to her seven children. And when they were all grown, Anna went to college and became a teacher.

Anna keeps you laughing, and in places she makes you cry. Lolly’s Yarn is a story about real people, real wars, and real happenings, Anna Laurene Arnett retells a life full of adventure with an honest voice that blesses all who will read.

Anna's son Mark made a documentary about Charles' service in WWII and named it after his father's fighter plane--"Baby Boomerang." This interesting hour interviews and real footage and photographs from the war puts you right in time period. Mark tells the story of his father’s World War II experience to the spoiled, pretentious, and ungrateful baby boomer generation that he belongs to. He succeeds in drawing us into a very personal story that explores faith, courage, love, and the inescapable fact that, in many ways, we all turn into our parents in the end.

Buy Lolly's Yarn here, and "Baby Boomerang" here.

The Upside of Down by Rebecca Talley

“Hmmm,” the doctor muttered.

Natalie wrinkled her forehead,

almost afraid to ask, and said, “What does that mean?”

“You do know you’re pregnant, right?”

Her breath caught in her throat. “Excuse me?”

“You’re pregnant.”

Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. “I’m what?”

Natalie Drake certainly has her hands full raising a large family, dealing with her difficult mother, and maintaining a relationship with her rebellious teenager. Just when things seem to be going smoothly, she finds out another unexpected surprise—she’s going to have a baby. Faced with so many challenges, Natalie must learn to trust in a plan that isn’t what she imagined and discover that every situation has an upside.

Beloved author Rebecca Talley carefully creates this touching and heartfelt story that is sure to inspire you. With true-to-life characters and situations, The Upside of Down will reignite your faith and remind you of the importance of family.

Rebecca Talley grew up in Santa Barbara, CA and attended, and graduated from, BYU where she met her husband where they were leaders of the same FHE group. Happily married for over 25 years, they are the parents of 10 wonderfully creative and multi-talented children. Their ranch is in rural Colorado where they keep a dog, cats, a spoiled horse, and a herd of goats. Rebecca loves country living--a great contrast to her growing up years in California.

Not only has she authored her latest novel The Upside of Down--still hot of the press with its release in January--but she has three other published novels: Grasshopper Pie, Heaven Scent, and Altared Plans.

Welcome, Rebecca! You are a very versatile writer and I have enjoyed reading your other novels. When did you start writing?

I started making books when I was a kid and I loved to write in high school, but I put writing aside when I got married and started having babies. I decided to get serious about writing again in the mid-90s when the Internet suddenly opened up a whole new world for me. I met other writers, took classes online, and read all I could about writing. I’ve been writing ever since.

The Internet has become our window to the world. What else do you enjoy doing?

Eat chocolate, ice cream, peanut M&Ms. I love to go to the beach and swim in the ocean, but I only get to do that once a year or so. I also love to dance to disco music. I’ve recently started doing Zumba, a kind of Latin dancing/exercise program—lots of hip shaking. I love to go on dates with my husband and I love to play with my kids. I’ve also started making jewelry and flower barrettes with my kids.

You say the inspiration for The Upside of Down was the newest movie Cheaper by the Dozen. How so?

I thought it would be fun to write a similar story set in an LDS household. Since I have a large family, I drew from many of my own experiences to create my characters and establish the storyline. I had lots of fun writing it, especially as I relived some of the funny things that have happened in our family.

So is it all fun and laughs, or are you hoping readers will learn something from The Upside of Down?

I hope people realize that no matter who we are, none of us is spiritually invincible. We all need to rely on the Lord, in good times and in bad. No matter how desperate a situation may seem, the Lord can lighten our load if we’ll turn to Him. The atonement is for all of us. And, even in the midst of trials, we can have peace.

A good lesson to learn, but what is the significance of the title?

I also hope people will learn something from my book about Down syndrome and

realize that underneath it all, we’re all children of God and we all deserve love and respect, no matter our chromosome count.

Where can we purchase The Upside of Down?

Right now at Amazon, and in a few weeks at LDS Bookstores.

Thank you, Rebecca, for the interview!

Thank you!

Visit Rebecca at her blog, her website, and specifically The Upside of Down blog.

Winners of The Star Prophecy Giveaway

Congratulations to those who won a copy of The Star Prophecy:

Esther Blair-Tull

Renee Richardson

Sarah Bibi Setar

The winner of the President Monson quote is Christine Jensen!

Thank you to all who participated in the tour for The Star Prophecy.

Reviews of The Star Prophecy

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.

Here are a few quotes from reviewers of The Star Prophecy:

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

This was a fun book to read. Likable characters and a well written tale that left me believing this really could have happened.
Totally Tina

[Sowards] 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.

Peggy Urry
I [recommend] this book to my friends and family and to you.

Tangled Words and Dreams
It’s just a beautiful story that you’ll find appropriate for any Sunday afternoon. . . This is one that will appeal to young and old alike.

Kaylee Baldwin
While reading this book, I kept thinking: I want to read this to my children!

Of Writerly Things

Joan is a great writer and storyteller. This one will pull you right into Enoch's journey.
Writers Mirror

The Star Prophecy is rich in character, story line and adventure. I highly recommend it.
Bonnie Gets a Say

The characters are wonderful and I found myself pulled into their adventure anxious to find what would happen next.

The Blessing of Family Life

A wonderful treat for any age, this story will be a family favorite in no time.
Anna del C. Dye's Blog

An inspiring story full of faith, love and persistence.

Renee S. Clark

The Star Prophecy combined so many elements that I’ve come to need in a good book—Adventure, some romance, good character development—and some things that I should seek more of—spiritually uplifting with lessons about faith and obedience.

Steve Westover, author of Defensive Tactics, reviewedThe Star Prophecy--,"[The Star Prophecy] is like a familiar friend who manages to surprise with a wonderful idea and an engaging story."

Anne Bradshaw, LDS best-selling author wrote in her review, "The Star Prophecy is a great combination of adventure and romance, and full of interesting detail relating to the time period."

Margaret Turley, author of Save the Child wrote, "This speculative fiction novel is full of faith building action, adventure and romance, making it an exciting inspirational page turner."

Diony George, author of Torn Apart "Joan Sowards with creativity and imagination writes a fictional story, The Star Prophecy, which takes place six hundred years [after Lehi left Jerusalem]."