tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227022042024-03-05T02:17:50.232-07:00LuAnn's LibraryRandom Musings of an Author, Educator, Editor, and Writing CoachUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger289125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-11648843653401179182014-10-16T14:40:00.002-06:002014-10-16T14:40:36.580-06:00A Fezziwig Christmas Makes It's Debut! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1401908923l/21973314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1401908923l/21973314.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
Do you love sweet romance? Would you like to read novellas from six award-winning authors? Then the Timeless Romance Anthology series might be the one for you.<br />
<br />
We are happy to announce the release of the latest edition, Silver Bells, just in time to get you in the mood for Christmas. And I'm pleased to announce that my novella, "A Fezziwig Christmas," is part of the group.<br />
<br />
Here's what you will find:<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In <i>NY Times</i> & <i>USA
Today’s</i> bestselling author Lucinda Brant’s delightful novella, FAIRY
CHRISTMAS, Kitty Aldershot is orphaned and forced to live on others’ charity.
Offered a home under the generous roof of her relatives, the Earl of Salt
Hendon and his countess, Kitty wants for nothing, not even the affections of
Mr. Tom Allenby. But when Kitty stumbles across a letter written by Lady
Caroline that reveals how Mr. Allenby would be ruined should he marry the likes
of Kitty, she realizes she has been fooling herself all along. Kitty’s world
crumbles around her as she recognizes she will forever be alone with no
prospects at all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sarah M. Eden’s charming romance
novella A CHRISTMAS PROMISE, Sean Kirkpatrick is trying to get to his new place
of employment, Kilkenny Castle, in order to start as the new stablehand. His
only requirement is to drive a team of high-spirited nags from Dublin to
Kilkenny in a certain amount of time. Unfortunately he winds up in a muddy
field, stuck, lost, and running out of time. He’s about to lose the job before
he can prove himself capable of finishing his first assignment. When Maeve
Butler arrives on the scene, Sean isn’t sure if she’s intent on rescuing him or
bent on torturing him with her fiery wit and lovely dark eyes.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In Heather B. Moore’s enchanting novella,
TWELVE MONTHS, Lucien Baxter’s best and most incorrigible friend, Will, dies
unexpectedly, leaving behind his new bride and unborn child the week before
Christmas. Will’s last request is that Lucien watches over Cora, not just as a
benefactor, but as a husband. When Lucien does his duty and proposes to Cora,
he’s turned down flat. But over the course of the next few days, Lucien
discovers that marrying Cora wouldn’t be any sort of duty after all, but a
matter of following his heart. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In Lu Ann Staheli’s sweet romance
novella, A FEZZIWIG CHRISTMAS, Dick Wilkins and his best friend Ebenezer
Scrooge have been looking forward to the annual Fezziwig Christmas dance for
weeks. Ebenezer is practically engaged to Annabelle Fezziwig, and Dick hopes to
start courting her younger sister, Pricilla. Once the dance starts, and
Pricilla arrives, as pretty and charming as ever, Dick discovers that he’s not
the only man vying for her attention. His best friend advises Dick that
he has to win Pricilla’s heart, as well as her mother’s favor. Losing his heart
has suddenly become very complicated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A TASTE OF HOME, a captivating
romance by Annette Lyon, we meet Claire Jennings, who’s on her way to spend
Christmas with her family. As she rides the train with William Rhodes, who grew
up across the street, memories of Christmases past flood her mind. He may be
twenty-one now, but she can’t forget his torturous teasing from their school
years. At the rail station, Claire discovers that her home is under quarantine
because her little brother has measles. She's stuck in town, away from her
family, on her favorite holiday. William stays behind with her, and as
Christmas Day approaches and her homesickness deepens, she discovers that
perhaps he has changed in more ways than one.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Becca Wilhite’s entrancing novella, MY MODERN
GIRL, follows Margie, who lands her dream job as a clerk at Macy’s department
store in New York City. Margie might be new in town, but she’s determined to
succeed and prove to Henry that moving to the city was the right decision. As
the Christmas season approaches, Margie realizes that being a “modern girl”
might not be all she had dreamed of and Henry might have more to offer than she
ever imagined.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OIAJ7R0" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OIAJ7R0</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Barnes & Noble: <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/silver-bells-collection-lucinda-brant/1120553927?ean=2940150550278" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/silver-bells-collection-lucinda-brant/1120553927?ean=2940150550278</span></a>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kobo: <a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/a-timeless-romance-anthology-silver-bells-collection" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/a-timeless-romance-anthology-silver-bells-collection</span></a>
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Also, Goodreads:<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21973314-a-timeless-romance-anthology?from_search=true" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21973314-a-timeless-romance-anthology?from_search=true</span></a></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-17008921155405269172014-09-18T16:13:00.001-06:002014-09-18T16:13:04.279-06:00LDS Fiction: TEMPORARY BRIDESMAID, A Look at Romance After Thirty by Jennie Hansen<br />
<a href="http://www.ldsmag.com/article/1/14914">http://www.ldsmag.com/article/1/14914 </a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">LuAnn Brobst Staheli doesn't usually write in the Romance genre, but she's a talented writer and gave it a try. The result is <em>Temporary Bridesmaid</em>, a fun look at romance after thirty.</span><span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"> </span></span>
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Jenny
receives a wedding invitation from one of her closest friends and
realizes she'll soon be the only single left in her circle of friends.
She's getting closer to forty than she cares to admit and there are no
prospects in sight. Perhaps it's time to stop dreaming of marriage and
raising a family. Instead she should concentrate on her career. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">On
the day she decides her chances of marrying are slim to none, a
handsome temporary worker shows up at her office. He's not your usual
temp, just starting out, but an innovative computer expert who just sold
his multi-million dollar computer business to obey a strong impression
that he should do so and go to Salt Lake. He doesn't advertise his
background to anyone in his temporary job, though a few people figure
out he's a well-known figure in the computer world. Of course he and
Jenny get off to a bad start and Jenny accuses James of stealing her
wallet. As they struggle to both work together and avoid each other, she
is overwhelmed with efforts to advance her career, earn more money,
take care of her mother, and serve as her best friend's maid of honor. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">A
secondary story of one of Jenny's friends runs parallel with the main
story, telling the story of a woman who married too quickly to avoid the
stigma of approaching middle age and still single. She discovers she
doesn't know her husband very well. She hadn't expected marriage would
cut her off from her mother and friends. Her husband won't even allow
her to have access to a telephone. As he becomes increasingly abusive,
she discovers she's pregnant. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Jenny
is strong and capable, but she's also impulsive and judgmental. Under
stress she's rude. Still it's easy to sympathize with her as all of her
friends marry, leaving her to face a future no one wants to share with
her. Her pride takes a blow, but worse, the future she'd spent a
lifetime dreaming of seems to be moving completely out of reach. James
is fine with being single. Only his mother sees his single state as a
problem. He likes Jenny, but suffers embarrassment and wounded pride at
her hands. Staheli does an excellent job of making her secondary
characters distinctive individuals. All of the major characters and the
more important minor characters show growth and a greater awareness of
their lives, expectations, and values as the story progresses.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">There
are not a lot of surprises in this story. It isn't as much plot
oriented as character driven and I'm not sure how many
approaching-forty-brides actually go in for all the frills and
cutesiness that younger brides dote on, but the story is fun while
giving the reader glimpses of the problems and concerns faced by older
single women who desire marriage and children. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Lu
Ann Brobst Staheli got her start as a celebrity paparazzi reporter. She
went on to an award-winning career as a ghostwriter for celebrity
memoirs. She also taught junior high English, then became a school
librarian. Some of her more well known books include <em>Men of Destiny: Abraham Lincoln and the Prophet Joseph Smith and When Hearts Conjoin: The True Story of Utah's</em> <em>Conjoined Twins.</em> She and her husband live in Utah and are the parents of five sons. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">* * *</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-25425370291520028072014-09-18T15:53:00.000-06:002014-09-18T15:53:07.619-06:00Association for Mormon Letters Reviews Men of Destiny: Abraham Lincoln and the Prophet Joseph Smith<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
Staheli, "Men of Destiny Abraham Lincoln and the Prophet Joseph Smith" (reviewed by Elizabeth W. Roach)
</h3>
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Review<br />======<br /><br />Title: Men of Destiny Abraham Lincoln and the Prophet Joseph Smith<br />Author: Lu Ann Brobst Staheli<br />Publisher: Walnut Springs Press<br />Genre: LDS History, US Historical Figures, Lincoln, Abraham, Joseph Smith<br />Year Published: 2014<br />Number of Pages: 183<br />Binding: softcover<br />ISBN10: n/a<br />ISBN13: 978-1-59992-908-8<br />Price: $16.99<br /><br />Reviewed by Elizabeth W. Roach for the Association for Mormon Letters<br /><br />Two
of the greatest leaders of the mid 19th century, the US President
Abraham Lincoln and the Prophet Joseph Smith, each had thousands of
devoted supporters as well as those moved to violence against them, and
they shared other parallels in their lives as well. These men’s lives
have both been meticulously researched and analyzed separately to
evaluate their roles in United States and world history. Here is a book
that superimposes one man’s biographical sketch over the other to
discover new similarities in their lives and legacies as well as to
catalog the familiar connections.<br /><br />Lu Ann Staheli does not claim
to be an expert on either of these men, and this book is not intended to
be exhaustive in its scope, but rather a starting place on an outline
map to indicate places of interest as people engage in further study. In
this volume, which is far from her first book, she shows the effects of
similar life experiences on the lives of the President Abraham Lincoln
and the Prophet Joseph Smith and how their experiences shaped the
history of our country and continue to shape it.<br /><br />The book is
divided into thematic sections. Each one begins with a quote, mostly
from Lincoln. Quotes are used liberally throughout the text, giving a
sense of time and place to the subject. My two favorite quotes were both
from Abraham Lincoln. One that keeps coming to mind indicates a very
humble acceptance of God’s will, along the lines of “not my will, but
Thine be done.” After several months of war, Lincoln said, “If I had my
way, this war would never had been commenced; if I had been allowed my
way, this war would have ended before this, but we find it still
continues; and we must believe that He permits it for some wise purpose
of [H]is own, mysterious and unknown to us; and though with our limited
understandings we may not be able to comprehend it, yet we cannot but
believe that He who made the world still governs it.”<br /><br />That seems
applicable to so many of life’s challenges and struggles that we do not
seek out or even want to experience, but we need to pass through on our
way to self-improvement. Other quotes highlight Lincoln’s remarkable wry
wit, such as: “The best thing about the future is that it only comes
one day at a time.” Each section is full of familiar stories as well as
little known anecdotes and daily incidents that I found helped humanize
these two larger-than-life legends so they became more approachable and
relatable. Possible meetings between Lincoln and Smith are examined as
well as other ways their two lives overlapped.<br /><br />Staheli weaves
many different elements together to create this record which shows both
Lincoln and Smith as warm, family loving, inspired men who struggled
with human weaknesses and also had special gifts to understand people
and had the vision to complete their individual destinies. She documents
and shares this information with a minimum of personal interpretation.<br /><br />I
was very interested to read this book because I live near Illinois and
have visited historic sites associated with both Lincoln and Smith. If
it were possible, it would have been nice to have some illustrations or
pictures of main topics. Who knows but a photograph showing the view
from the front door of each of their homes may have had similar
landscapes?<br /><br />This is a well crafted book, well-documented, the
author certainly is passionate about her subjects and portrays them very
sympathetically. This book would be a good one to read as an
introduction to further research and study of the similarities between
these two phenomenal men.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-68469640501767675992014-05-26T13:08:00.000-06:002014-05-26T13:08:57.392-06:00What a WILD and Wonderful Week! If you follow my posts on Facebook, then you know this has been a wild week, filled with lots of promotions. And the results have all been great!<br />
<br />
Men of Destiny: Abraham Lincoln and the Prophet Joseph Smith has gone into a second printing after only two weeks on the market, plus the eBook is now available on Kindle. <br />
<br />
The Bookmarked Bargains promotion featured two of my novels: Just Like Elizabeth Taylor and Tides Across the Sea, and both have garnered new readers in the process.<br />
<br />
But the good news is not all about me. My friend and fellow-critique group member Robison Wells has been the recipient of the genuine kindness to so many people who participated in the IndieGoGo fundraiser that not only alleviated the medical and tax burdens Rob has been buried under with the diagnosis of his mental illnesses, but raised enough fund to also help Sarah M. Eden, another member of our group, with her medical bills and prescription expenses.<br />
<br />
As we think today on this Memorial Day about those who have sacrificed for the freedom of our country, also consider those who sacrifice to help their fellowman in times of need.<br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-44929265312460191692014-04-29T14:02:00.003-06:002014-04-29T14:02:30.681-06:00Men of Destiny: Abraham Lincoln and the Prophet Joseph Smith cover reveal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9C3fMQRQvojjD0HhVFmh4aJ2xFpLAVvxq0sdlskQzHEAF6RFa-jH41aCsDAupVQH9G_PNwT-psa1m9YEwujaz9Mk4Vnd5Cx7q8To2UEgv4hKD45VWLAmTc32btHwqa1AoF_3dWQ/s1600/MOD_Front_RGB+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9C3fMQRQvojjD0HhVFmh4aJ2xFpLAVvxq0sdlskQzHEAF6RFa-jH41aCsDAupVQH9G_PNwT-psa1m9YEwujaz9Mk4Vnd5Cx7q8To2UEgv4hKD45VWLAmTc32btHwqa1AoF_3dWQ/s1600/MOD_Front_RGB+(2).jpg" height="640" width="412" /></a></div>
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Available soon on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and at Confetti Antiques</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-63414201921387510442014-04-22T10:00:00.000-06:002014-04-25T13:06:14.084-06:00April Movie Reviews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Life is flying by so fast! Thanks heavens for having my movie-loving son home and a week of vacation for spring break. We managed to see three movies, and completely enjoyed every one of them. Here's a quick review. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BNDE2MTU3NzYwOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTY4NTk4MDE@._V1_SX214_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BNDE2MTU3NzYwOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTY4NTk4MDE@._V1_SX214_.jpg" /></a></span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Pompeii</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">A slave-turned-gladiator finds himself in a race against time to save
his true love, who has been betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator. As
Mount Vesuvius erupts, he must fight to save his beloved as Pompeii
crumbles around him. The ultimate Romeo & Juliet story set against a historical background. From the opening battle scene to the final moment of climax and resolution, I was completely hooked. Kit Harrington and Kiefer Sutherland were superb in their roles as the hero and villain. As a matter of fact, I wanted to grab a sword and take care of Sutherland several times myself because he was so evil I couldn't stand knowing he was going to strike one more time. Fortunately he and the people of Pompeii got was deserving them for the wickedness, although the final hope for Milo and Cassia was buried in the end, as we knew it would have to be. but still, the romantic can hope. Perhaps that final moment is the reason the film didn't set well with audiences. I'd still recommend it it you like disaster films with a love story and some epic battle scenes.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J11U4T6/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00J11U4T6&linkCode=as2&tag=luannbrobstst-20">Pompeii [Blu-ray]</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=luannbrobstst-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00J11U4T6" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br /> </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTY2MDkxNzYwNl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTM2MjE5MDE@._V1_SX214_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTY2MDkxNzYwNl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTM2MjE5MDE@._V1_SX214_.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <b><span style="font-size: large;">Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit</span></b></span></span><br />
Jack Ryan, as a young covert CIA analyst, uncovers a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack. A well-written and well-directed back story for Tom Clancy's familiar character, Jack Ryan. I was on the edge of my seat the entire film, not only because of the action scenes, but because this movie strikes a little too close to home. The story question is: When it comes to the governments of both Russia and the U.S., who can you trust? The twists and turns will keep you guessing and the only way you know Jack will make it out alive is because this is a prequel story to the rest of the Jack Ryan collection (Sum of All Fears, Clear and Present Danger, The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games). Chris Pine, Keira Knightly, Kevin Costner, and Kenneth Branagh were all excellent in their roles, and kudos to Branagh on the directing. It was a nice touch to include Mikhail Baryshnikov in an uncredited role. I can't wait for my husband to see this because it is his kind of movie.<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AIBZMM2/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00AIBZMM2&linkCode=as2&tag=luannbrobstst-20">Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD)</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=luannbrobstst-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00AIBZMM2" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<a href="http://guardianlv.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Captain-America-Winter-Soldier-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://guardianlv.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Captain-America-Winter-Soldier-poster.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Captain America: The Winter Soldier</span></b><br />
Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and
battles a new threat from old history: the Soviet agent known as the
Winter Soldier. An excellent follow-up, that is perhaps better than the first. No more back story for Captain America, he is part of our fighting force in today's world, and like Jack Ryan, Steve Rogers has to decide who he can trust. This time the enemy is the entire government operation known as S.H.I.E.L.D. The film is filled with high action, building relationships, moments when you think it is all over for our hero, and challenges all you <i>thought</i> you knew about the Marvel characters. Chris Evans was good but Anthony Mackie and Scarlett Johansson sole the show. Robert Redford was incredibly believable in his role as well, almost to the point of wondering if he's been there in real life. Be sure to stick with the movie until the final time the screen goes black. There are two bumps during the credits and at the very end that preview a coming sequel and the next Avengers. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-43183634034160127532014-04-10T14:53:00.001-06:002014-04-10T15:13:07.687-06:00Newsletter April 10, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBt3m7wTCfDDs_WEhVx73SZ6lQ-3T_44VmniFD-hB_-W5QcX4zNgpTZEmgwmatueQrKKj8Ei6rJ2D1drmTKPnmpI-iBWdGbqbxIbV3APbbTFOq-KX3AwQs7sHjR9Hi3Q6GvaRZQ/s1600/LA+color.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBt3m7wTCfDDs_WEhVx73SZ6lQ-3T_44VmniFD-hB_-W5QcX4zNgpTZEmgwmatueQrKKj8Ei6rJ2D1drmTKPnmpI-iBWdGbqbxIbV3APbbTFOq-KX3AwQs7sHjR9Hi3Q6GvaRZQ/s1600/LA+color.JPG" height="320" width="222" /></a></div>
Here's the copy from my first newsletter sent via Mail Chimp. To subscribe, fill in the form at the right. <br />
<br />
Welcome to my newsletter. This is where I'll share my latest publication
information, including cover reveals and links where you can purchase
books as they become available.<br />
<br />
Men of Destiny: Abraham Lincoln and the Prophet Joseph Smith is coming
soon from Walnut Springs Press. I've seen the cover and I can hardly
wait to show it to you.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, don't forget to check out my other books at my home page on <a href="http://amzn.to/1n8XK3G" style="-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #6dc6dd; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a>. Also, you can follow me at <a href="http://luannslibrary.blogspot.com/" style="-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #6dc6dd; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Lu Ann's Library</a>, <a href="http://on.fb.me/1kKSllT" style="-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #6dc6dd; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, or <a href="http://luannstaheli/" style="-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #6dc6dd; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.<br />
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Lu Ann<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-85341671711192951512014-03-11T08:24:00.002-06:002014-03-11T08:24:55.728-06:00TIDES ACROSS THE SEA a RONE nominee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1365011375l/17728820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1365011375l/17728820.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">My novel, TIDES ACROSS THE SEA is a semi-finalist for a RONE Award. The RONE Awards honor the very best in indie and small press published novels from the past year, and I’m proud to be among the nine semi-finalists in the Young Adult category. Only six books will advance to the finalist stage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Anyone can vote and help TIDES ACROSS THE SEA advance to the final round.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">There are TWO ways to vote:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">You can create a user account on the InD'Tale Magazine site: <a href="http://indtale.com/2014-rone-awards-week-one" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://indtale.com/2014-rone-<wbr></wbr>awards-week-one</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Or, submit your vote via email to the following address: <a href="mailto:anasmith@indtale.com" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">anasmith@indtale.com</a>. Be sure to include the following in the body of your email: Young Adult, Tides Across the Sea, Lu Ann Brobst Staheli.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Thanks for helping.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-21011729818210087572014-02-11T19:06:00.001-07:002014-02-11T19:06:43.215-07:00Reading: How Do You Choose a Book?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As you may know, I spent thirty-four years of my career as an English teacher. Over that time I have worked with over 5,000 students, some who came to me as readers, and some who were not. During the time these kids were my students, I did everything I could to find just the right books, the ones that would satisfy those students who were already readers, and books that would engage those students who were not.<br />
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I admit, I might not have turned every one of those students into the avid readers I wanted them to be, but I did see progress. End of year reading tests showed significant improvement in their reading skills, and an increase in both vocabulary and comprehension. And yes, many of these kids were turned on to reading.<br />
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This year's crop of 9th graders at my school are the last students I had in English class, yet I see these students now coming into the library to ask for a recommendation, check out a book, and coming back to tell me if they liked it or not. Students who have moved on to the high school and college stop by occasionally or send me an email or message on Facebook to get recommendations and leave feedback about books. And I even hear from students I taught at the beginning of my career, and friends I went to high school with, who are still interested in what I have to say about a book.<br />
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Talking about books is one of my joys in life, and I'd have to say the same thing about teaching.<br />
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Last week I had the opportunity to work with a large group of students in our school, a group that would be classified as struggling readers, and the question came up from one of their teachers: "How do you choose a book?" The old classroom gears clicked into place, and I found myself teaching a lesson on choosing the right book, especially for the struggling reader. Since I have many parents ask me one-on-one for the same type of advice, I decided I should share this information in a public forum--my blog.<br />
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The number one factor at getting someone to read is to help them choose a book that is interesting. Now that might sound ridiculously simple, but it's often not. So many teachers select books for their class assignments based on what they personally enjoyed, what books are available in group sets, and what the Common Core tells them the students <i>should</i> be reading (usually the first indicator that this book is <i>not</i> one the students will enjoy. A student who is a non-reader will not be engaged by classics, multicultural, or historical fiction unless they have sufficient scaffolding from an engaged teacher who can guide them through the book, but this constant need for spoon-feeding also takes away the joy of reading. It's a lose-lose situation that will do more damage than good in the long run when it comes to developing a lifelong reader.<br />
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I've found that too often students have been forced to "read" (by the way, they usually <i>don't</i>) so many books in these categories that they honestly don't know what they like or what they would be interested in. This is where I come in and try to match the student with a book I think they might enjoy. I admit I have an advantage over many teachers in that I read 100-150 books each year, most of them in the middle grade and young adult categories, and I have an uncanny memory when it comes to book titles and author's names. I spend a couple of minutes with the student, asking about their life, their interests, the last book they read or had read to them and that they enjoyed, then I pull a few titles from the shelves, give a three or four sentence blurb about the book, then let the student choose for themselves. If nothing looks interesting, I give them several more books to look at. Usually the student will select a possible book by that time. Then we get to the reading part. <br />
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The second thing for the student to consider is the difficulty of the book. If the kid can't read and understand the words, there is no way he or she can read and enjoy the book. No enjoyment--no more reading. It's as simple as that.<br />
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Here's a simple way for students to decide if the book will be too difficult for them--it's called The Five-Finger Rule. Once a book is chosen, the student starts to read the first five pages. Every time they come across a word they don't know, they hold up a finger. If by the end of five pages they have held up five fingers, the book is too difficult for them. Time to choose a new book. See, I told you it was simple.<br />
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Anything fewer than five fingers, the student is ready to read the book. But what about those 1-2-3-4 words they didn't know? Most teachers, and probably parents, will say, "Look it up!" WRONG! We don't every want kids to STOP their reading progress to go look up a work they don't know while they are reading. Most of the time the word doesn't really matter anyway. So how should they tackle new words, ones that can improve their vocabulary? Again, we have a 5 Finger Rule. 1. The first time you run across a new word, skip it. 2. The second time you run across that same word, make a guessed based on what's going on around it. 3. The third time you see the same word, ask an expert. This could be the friend sitting next to you. 4. The fourth time you see that same word, make another guess based on all you now know about that word. 5. The fifth time you see the word, write it down so you can look it up AFTER you have finished your reading session. If you see it that many times, it's probably important and you'll see it again so you might as well know what it means. <br />
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This process brings us back to the original question, How do you choose a book? By now, the student has read five pages in a possible book. They know if the book is too difficult for them and they should know if the book is interesting enough to entice them to read the next five pages. If the answer is yes, then go for it, but if the answer is no, abandon that book and choose another.<br />
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A child must have the opportunity to read books that speak to them, books they enjoy, books that are interesting to them, not to the parent or teacher. There is no such thing as a non-reader, just like there is no such thing as someone who doesn't like to read. The true problem is that for whatever reason--faulty teaching, misguided ideas about the value of books, or simply lack of opportunity--the students who thinks they hate to read, simply hasn't yet found the right book.<br />
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Be the adult who leads them to discover the lifelong enjoyment of reading. Just like my students have proven to me, they will thank you for it, and they will lead the next generation to a life of reading enjoyment because you did.<br />
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(If YOU have a question about teaching reading or writing, or you simply need a good book recommendation, be sure to leave a comment. I'm always happy to help!) <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-57652443802181671192014-02-08T15:58:00.001-07:002014-02-08T15:58:43.787-07:00February Goals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Setting goals is a good way to at least keep a written record of all the things you'd like to get done in a given period of time. Of course, life happens and sometimes those goals get moved into the next period of time. That's what happened this month to some of my goals, but a few new goals got inserted, including a huge writing project that I didn't anticipate at the time I wrote my January goals.<br />
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So, even if it looks like I didn't accomplish everything I planned to do, know that I <i>did</i> accomplish some pretty huge things that I'm excited to share with my readers when the time is right.<br />
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In the meantime, let's see how I did in January at meeting my goals:<br />
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<i>1. Finish revisions for Always a Bridesmaid: Grace, the first novella in my new series</i><br />
Although I'm about a third of the way through revisions instead of completely done on this goal, lots of progress has been made on the series as a whole. First, the series has a brand new title! "Always a Bridesmaid" is gone and the new series title is "A Gateway Romance." There were a few reasons for this change, including the fact that another author already has a series with the original title. The novellas and accompanying full length novel already written for this series all have major scenes that happen at The Gateway in Salt Lake City, thus the new name, which ties the books all together. Another change will be the fact I'm using a pen name for this new line of books. I made this decision because of branding. I didn't want my juvenile readers to confuse my middle grade and young adult novels with the new romance line, and it also made sense to have them separate from my non-fiction and magazine articles. I actually chose my pen name when I was in high school and first considering a writing career and it has great meaning to me. Marie Ellsworth is a combination of my mom and dad's middle names. Since my mother gave me a love of reading and writing, and my father taught me about business, using their names reminds me of their contributions to who I am today. Watch for official announcements on the blog and my Facebook pages when the first novella will be released. <br />
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<i>2. Approve cover art and format Kindle edition of Grace</i><br />
Progress is also being made on this goal, although we are not quite ready yet for a reveal. Since this is going to be the first book in a series it is vital that the cover design is one I am totally, absolutely in love with. So far we have the series title and author name banners and font chosen. I've been looking at lots of photos, hoping to find the perfect couple, season, and location to match the storyline in Grace. Again, I'll let you know as soon as we've found the perfect combo.<br />
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<i>3. Complete a client edit (Visit the Precision Editing Group website if you're interested in hiring an editor)</i><br />
Done! <i> </i><br />
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<i>4. Write two entries for Living in an Osmond World and find appropriate cover art</i><br />
I wrote one entry for this book, which may actually be released in March <i>if</i> some of my other goals stay where they belong. I haven't found the cover art yet, but I know I have something in the hundreds of photos I've taken over the years. I just have to dig into the photo albums to find the one I want. <i> </i><br />
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<i>5. Finish reading Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom by A.C. Crispin</i><br />
Two years ago I promised one of my sons I'd have this book read by the time he returned from his LDS mission. That day is almost upon us and I'm only halfway through the book! It's good, but the book feels like it weighs 30 pounds and it wear me out to hold it in place so I can read. Plus I got sidetracked and read The Children of Huron by J.R.R. Tolkien, another book my son wanted me to read, so at least I got something done toward a reading goal. <i> </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
So, what kind of goals can I set for February?<br />
1. Complete revisions and cover art for A Gateway Romance: Grace and release the book on Kindle<br />
2. Critique and revise Tamlyn, the second novella for the Gateway romances<br />
3. Finish drafting Kira, novella number three in the Gateway romances<br />
4. Finalize Living in an Osmond World text and cover art<br />
5. Finish reading Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom<br />
<br />
Check back in March to see how I'm doing, but in the meantime do yo need to set some public goals of your own? Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-87479908133999738092014-02-08T14:36:00.000-07:002014-02-08T14:36:30.459-07:00January Book / Movie Review<span style="font-size: small;">What a crazy month January turned out to be! A huge writing opportunity came to me which completely threw me off my schedule for so many things. Project complete, I'm furiously trying to get caught up again. Since I didn't want to miss any of my planed blog topics, the first order of business today is to jump back in time and write the blogs I missed for the past two weeks. Thanks for being patient. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Saving Mr. Banks</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Since the premiere of this delightful film, critics have tried to debunk it. Everything from Meryl's Steeps' inappropriately timed comments about Walt Disney being sexist in a time when <i>everyone</i> was sexist, to biographers who insist "the story didn't happen that way," and now members of the Disney family fighting over their inheritance. My response? Who cares?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Saving Mr. Banks was a wonderful film about--of all things--forgiveness. Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson were fabulous, and both should have received Oscar nods for their work, yet they were ignored. I grew up watching Walt Disney on television and Hanks played him perfectly, even managing to capture the twinkle in Walt's eye. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">If you haven't yet seen the movie, you must. Be sure to take some tissues, yet know you will come from the theater with a song on your lips and a lighter step than when you went in. Oh, and you'll want to pull out your copy of Mary Poppins to watch as well when you get home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ender's Game</b><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm not sure exactly how long ago I first read the novellette that grew to become the multi-book series about Ender Wiggin and the other children who were taken to battle school to save the world. </span></span>At the time I though the science fiction would remain just that--fiction. How wrong I was. Has anyone stopped to consider that author Orson Scott Card actually invented the iPad? No wonder it took so long for this movie to be made. Technology had to catch up with the ideas Card had all those years ago.<br />
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Ender's Game is worth seeing just for the performances of Harrison Ford and Ben Kingsley alone. They <i>made</i> the movie.<br />
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I will admit, having read most of the book series helped me understand the significance of the events, the relationships between Ender and his Battle school colleagues, and why his sister was so important to him, but even viewers without that background will become involved in the story.<br />
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I love the fact Ender's Game left the door open just far enough that we might just see a sequel.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rump: The True Story of Rumplestiltskin</span> </b><br />
Liesl Shurtliff<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">If you're looking for a delightful story to read with your upper elementary or middle school student and you like retold fairy tales then Rump might be just the book for you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The story starts with poor Rump, who has never known the rest of his name, discovering that he has inherited a wonder skill--he can spin straw into gold. But like all things that seem too good to be true, Rump soon discovers that what he thinks will be his ticket to freedom actually binds him into chains. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Shurtliff has done a wonderful job of developing reasons as to why Rump would want to take someone's baby, why names are so important, and how friends and family are the greatest riches anyone could ever ask for. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Rump is a finalist in the Middle Grade category for the 2013 Whitney Awards. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-47349487981406607002014-01-21T18:14:00.000-07:002014-01-21T18:14:10.686-07:00January Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Time for my first CAREER UPDATE on the blog.<br />
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January has been a crazy month so far when it comes to my writing, and all of those related activities that come with being a writer.<br />
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First, I've signed on to be a presenter at a group of conferences (see the sidebar for dates and topics). I'll be speaking to the Salt Lake Scribes Chapter of the League of Utah Writers, on several panels for the Life, the Universe and Everything conference, teaching a class at LDStorymakers, and another at the first Indie Hub Publishing conference. Most of my presentations are already written, which is a good thing, but there is always last minute polishing.<br />
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Walnut Spring Press will be publishing my next non-fiction book, Men of Destiny: Abraham Lincoln and the Prophet Joseph Smith. We are expecting a March release, which means I'm working on gathering endorsements, getting a new author photo taken, and drafting articles for Meridian Magazine and TheFamily.com about the research. Once the revisions are done, I have permission from my publisher to post a sample chapter here at my blog, so you'll have the chance for a first look.<br />
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I'm currently working on revisions for the first novella in the Always a Bridesmaid series, Grace. My graphic artist is starting to look for ideas for the cover design and I'm hoping for a February release on this one. Grace will not be the only book in the series this year. Two more novellas and a full length novel are almost ready to go.With this series, I've decided to start using a pen name--Marie Ellsworth. I've long intended to write under this name, which is the middle names of my mother and my father combined, but now I have a reason to. Since my other published work has been either non-fiction or written for middle grade and young adult readers, I wanted to keep the branding of the romance separate, thus the use of a pen name.<br />
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But those are not the only books on my release docket for 2014. A non-fiction memoir, Living in an Osmond World is nearly done, as is Carny, the next book in the Small Town U.S.A. series, and there is a possibility I'll finish the middle grade novel, Ebenezer, in time for December. <br />
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But the biggest news of all--I've signed a contract to write a Christmas novella for an upcoming Timeless Romance anthology! These anthologies have become bestsellers, and I'm thrilled to be invited to participate along with Heather B. Moore, Annette Lyon, Sarah M. Eden, and two other authors.<br />
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So, as you might imagine, I'll be spending lots of time this year, working on my computer, but I also hope to hear from YOU! <br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-19955887126427055902014-01-15T18:13:00.003-07:002014-01-18T15:19:21.955-07:00Writing Tips: Wasted Words<!--[if !mso]>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span>ome of my readers are likely aware that I taught English for 34 years. Others may know that I've been a freelance editor for 17 years. In all of that time, I've read a lot--school papers, manuscripts, and published books. Through all of that reading, I've tried to not only be a critic--yes, that is what English teachers and editors do--but also to improve my own writing skills, based on the lessons I've learned in the process. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">During the second week of each month, I will put on my teacher hat for this blog. Sometimes I will teach readers writing tips I have learned. Other weeks I'll share tips to help you better readers. The truth is, this information is actually one in the same. If you are a critical and discerning reader, you should be able to transfer those skills to your writing as well, improving your final product. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">This week I've been spending a great deal of time editing--both for myself and for clients, which has helped me choose my topic: </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"> Writing Tip #1: Wasted Words</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">During the initial drafting process, writers often shoot for a word count target. This is especially true if we are participating in a challenge such as NaNoWriMo or Word Wars with our Twitter friends. The higher the number of words we write in a given time frame, the better. We do everything we can to win the battle, collecting lots of wasted words along the way, all in the effort to have the largest word count when the match is done. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">But by the time we are ready to revise and edit, we realize that many of those precious words we wrote in the struggle to reach our goals need to go away if we want our manuscript to be worthy of publication.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">I'm as guilty of wasting words as anyone. It's easy to fall into the trap of a favorite phrase that clutters my writing. I lost track of how many times I had to remove the phrase "a bit" from one of my manuscripts, but that's not the only phrase I've been guilty of using. I've learned to keep a "watch list" during my own editing process, and the search function has helped me get rid of the over-use of certain words. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">But overuse is not the only way an author can waste words. Sometimes we use words to "warm up" to what we really want to say, as fillers when we aren't sure <i>what</i> we want to say, or because of habits we have picked up as we speak, which we let stray into our writing. Here are a few examples:</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">"And with that" -- Writers add this phrase while drafting when they want to move a character from place to place, instead of just moving them. Almost every time it draws the reader out of the point of view character and into the thoughts of a narrator using the author's voice. Remove this phrase and show us the action to strengthen your scene. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">"Up" -- It's amazing how many times this little word can be added when it's not necessary. Rose up, sat up, and stood up are just a few examples. Search for "up" and read the sentence without it. If the sentence makes sense, omit the word, or better yet, find a way to strengthen the verb.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">"Thought to himself" -- Everyone is guilty of this one, but if you stop to think about it, the phrase is sort of silly. Who else would you think to? Unless you're a backwards mind reader, there is no way you can think to anyone other than yourself. Delete "to himself."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">"Small / Large" -- We often add these words, thinking they help a reader determine size, but unless you specifically give sometime to compare the item to these qualifiers don't add anything to the description. "A small man" could describe any man without another man to compare him to. Is he under 5' tall? Or is he simply a couple of inches shorter than Michael Jordan? If you want to see how meaningless these words become, pick up a copy of Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen and read, looking especially for the word "small." I love the story, but it becomes laughable when you hit the section where he uses small something like ten times in a half a page. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">"Well / Um" -- These words are wasted in conversation, and they are even more wasted in written text. Find another, better way to show hesitancy in a character's speech. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">Look over your own work in progress this week and make note of wasted words. Do a search and see how many you can delete. Do you notice an improvement in the quality of your writing? Continue to build your list, make every word count, and you will see improvement as you write. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">One word of warning--you'll also start to see other people's wasted words as you read. This can be good if you add their words to your editing list to avoid in your own writing, but it may also drive you crazy as you realize some of your favorite authors could have been so much better if they'd only learned not to waste words. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-67250379242294923082014-01-07T18:06:00.000-07:002014-01-07T18:06:41.135-07:00Welcome 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQp_RDYOw4iEpL1tyt-HhXM1uZT5SEAnXsk716jXF8FDEnzNV8Xcg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQp_RDYOw4iEpL1tyt-HhXM1uZT5SEAnXsk716jXF8FDEnzNV8Xcg" /></a></div>
Happy New Year! Welcome to my blog. One of my goals is to do a better job this year at providing updates. I've even put myself back on a schedule.<br />
<br />
If all goes as planned, I'll post a new message each week on Tuesday, and if any exciting news becomes available, I will also post additional updates in between. <br />
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Tuesday messages will center around the following themes:<br />
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Week 1 -- Setting Monthly Goals (I'll share mine. Feel free to share yours in the comments section)<br />
Week 2 -- Tips to Improve Your Writing or Reading Skills (Once an English teacher, always an English teacher)<br />
Week 3 -- Career updates (Book facts, news, passage, etc.)<br />
Week 4 -- Book or Movie Review (My choice, so please don't request reviews.)<br />
<br />
Since this is officially Week 1, I'll share my goals for the month:<br />
1. Finish revisions for Always a Bridesmaid: Grace, the first novella in my new series<br />
2. Approve cover art and format Kindle edition of Grace<br />
3. Complete a client edit (Visit the Precision Editing Group website if you're interested in hiring an editor)<br />
4. Write two entries for Living in an Osmond World and find appropriate cover art<br />
5. Finish reading Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom by A.C. Crispin<br />
<br />
I'll let you know how I did when I give my February goals. In the meantime, check in next week for Tips to Improve Your Writing or Reading Skills.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-81491006291897218942013-12-31T12:26:00.000-07:002013-12-31T12:26:06.228-07:00Memories of Those We Lost 2013With the passing of each year, we often look back at those whose deaths have greatly affected us. Some of these people are close to us as family and friends. Others we only feel close to because of the body of work they produced which influenced our lives. I honor here the passing of few people who were important to me or my family.<br />
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<a href="http://images1.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Paul-Walker-paul-walker-1151647_1525_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://images1.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Paul-Walker-paul-walker-1151647_1525_1920.jpg" width="254" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Paul Walker<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span> <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">The death of actor Paul Walker was a shock to our family on many levels. My husband worked with Paul on two of his early films--Meet the Deedles and Joy Ride. Paul was raised a member of the LDS church, a faith our family holds dear. Although Paul was no longer an active member of the church, nowhere have we read or heard anything about him denouncing the faith. Instead, his charitable attitude and the way he treated others on film sets seem to prove that his adult life was still deeply rooted in the teachings of his youth. Because of this, two of my sons who want to become filmmakers felt a closeness to him though his work. It was always their intention to make a movie with Paul so they could discuss the gospel with him, as well as watch him work. One of the movies I most enjoyed this year was Fast & Furious 6. I'd never seen the other films in the series, but when I watched The Fast & the Furious for the first time, I was struck by how prophetic is was in the loss of this man, one we can still admire. </span> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAyLWIiGI9kS7LSrcR24tX7z1m1mdodDu9hY33M4_txblyVrF3g3PlX8FUkavx8v6Mr_5JunDlQj2Mwoq7376u5lsCHlUG_C_Bv0hmjk1eaTU5VyLTXm_4BV_Sb9QS1e6Qgwf/s800/Annette+Funicello18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAyLWIiGI9kS7LSrcR24tX7z1m1mdodDu9hY33M4_txblyVrF3g3PlX8FUkavx8v6Mr_5JunDlQj2Mwoq7376u5lsCHlUG_C_Bv0hmjk1eaTU5VyLTXm_4BV_Sb9QS1e6Qgwf/s320/Annette+Funicello18.jpg" width="272" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Annette Funicello</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">It seems like Annette was always a part of my life. From those early days of watching her on The Mickey Mouse Club, through the teen beach movies, and on to her adult life as a designer for teddy bears on QVC, I've always been aware of what Annette was up to in her career. She was a woman to be admired. Her lifelong respect for Mr. Disney and the business gave us a role model to be emulated. My closest association with Annette came though Alan Osmond, who has been both my friend and employer for many years. When Alan got word that a national rag mag was going to break the story about his own battle with MS, he called fellow sufferer and Disney-friend, Annette Funicello, who advised him to break the story himself before the magazines could make up stories. She told him to take charge, which he did, just as Annette did with her own battles with the disease. What an example of courage! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jean Stapleton</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">How well I remember my mother singing along with actress Jean Stapleton as she screeched her way through the theme song to All in the Family. Lucky for me, my mother could actually sing, and if the truth be known, Jean Stapleton probably could as well. But the bad vocals added upon the outlandish character being portrayed by a comedic actress who probably could have given Lucille Ball a run for the money. Edith Bunker was the most likable character on the entire show, although I'm not sure she was supposed to be. "Archie! Archie!" could only be properly intoned by Edith in her nasally voice as she tried to explain life to her husband, Archie Bunker. </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Those were the days! </span></span></span></span>How did I also forget that she was in another of my favorite movies of all time, You've Got Mail? </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Richard Griffiths</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Most people recognize him as Vernon Dursley, Harry Potter's most unaccommodating uncle, but a quick skim though his listings on IMBD prove we've probably all seen him elsewhere as well. Two films of note are Superman II with Christopher Reeve and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides with Johnny Depp. The comment most often heard another my students, and the members of my household, at his passing was, "It's a good thing all the Harry Potter movies have been made." No one could replace Uncle Vernon.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of course, there are many other persons of note who passed away in 2013, but these are the ones I've chosen to write a little something more about. A search on in the internet will provides lists and film clips of hundreds more names of those who left us in 2013. Death is a part of life, but our memories can help sustain the talents these people shared with the world. </span></span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-49238328671705439062013-12-30T14:16:00.000-07:002013-12-30T14:16:27.455-07:00Best of 2013 - BooksBecause I'm a former English teacher and currently a school librarian, the question I am most often asked is "What should I read?" I'm always ready with an answer, and I've had years of success at taking kids who entered my class as non-readers into the life of avid readers by the time they move to the next grade. This is not only my job; it's my PASSION.<br />
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One of the men I've admired most in life is Andrew Carnegie, not necessarily because of the business he built, but because he gave his money away to build libraries. And that is my personal theme:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I BUILD LIBRARIES</span> </div>
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And I have. I've donated books to so many classrooms in Nebo School District that I have trouble keeping count anymore. I've sent books to friends, relatives, shelters, and public libraries. I spent this last summer reading through my eternal stack of books-to-be-read stored in a spare bedroom. Once read, those books were packed up to send to my niece or friends for their children, or to donate to the school library where I work, using the books to enrich our collection, or to give as gifts to students and faculty who enter the weekly drawings.</div>
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I completed 114 books this year according to my records on GoodReads. I won't list them all here, but I will tell you about some of the best, and give you a list of the others that made my Top of the List.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">William Shakespeare's Star Wars</span></div>
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For thirty-five years I taught Romeo & Juliet, a play I fell in love with when I was in 9th grade and the Franco Zefferelli version starring Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey first hit the theater screen. Perhaps because Shakespeare is my cousin--thirty-four generations removed--I have deep respect for his work as an author. Add that to my love of Star Wars, and this book had the potential to either be a complete flop, or one of the best books ever written in my opinion. I LOVED IT! The author totally understood the rhythms and nuance of Shakespeare's work, while using A New Hope as his basis for the plot of this re-envisioned work. I've recommended this to many students who have also loved it. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Fifth Assassin</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Anyone who knows me well knows I am a political junkie who loves to read about conspiracy theories, and has an affinity toward learning about Abraham Lincoln. (Since I wrote a book about Lincoln and Joseph Smith three years ago that will be published in 2014, I've read a lot about the assassination of the former president.) Meltzer has developed the ultimate conspiracy theory in this fast-paced novel. What if John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald and others were not lone wolves? What if all of the presidential assassinations were somehow linked? Ignore the critics, who are likely upset because President George W. Bush gave Meltzer access to inside information from the archives. As thrillers go, this one grabbed my attention fast and didn't let go until the very end. Something too many books have failed to do lately.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Clockwork Angel<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another book which grabbed me a the beginning and didn't let go, I loved the steampunk feel of this series enough to carry me through both this novel and the sequel, Clockwork Prince, with the intention to finish the series next summer. Sometimes a little racy, making the books definitely YA or above, the trip into the dark streets and mysterious happenings of 1878 London held my attention to the point I forgot it was another vampire novel. I didn't care. Whoever decided to start with the more modern Mortal Instruments series made a huge mistake as far as movies go. This prequel Infernal Devices series is awesome, somewhat like the Robert Downey, Jr. version of Sherlock Holmes for paranormal fans. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I don't read much women's fiction, but this novel had the added elements of two significant historical events--the Great San Francisco Earthquake for 1906, and John F. Kennedy's inauguration--as well as the unusual writing career for one of the main characters to draw me in. I'd never thought before about the skills one must have to be an obituary writer, at least the kind of obituaries they used to publish in the newspaper. The crafting of this</span> novel is beautiful, and although I had begun to sort out the mystery long before the moment the truth was revealed, I was still completely satisfied. I was so intrigued by Hood's storytelling that I also read The Knitting Circle and loved it just as much. She is an author I'll add to my list of those to watch for new releases. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Longing for Home</span></div>
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Back in the day when the members of my critique group were all just getting started we had the luxury of reading entire novels before they were sent off to our publishers. No longer so. Deadlines and hectic publishing schedules mean we are only getting to read opening chapters and a few random chapters and have some plot discussions along the way before the completed manuscript is sent off, never to be seen by us again until the author brings us the published book. Such was the case with Longing for Home. I knew Katie and the struggles she had faced. I knew the two men she would be forced to choose between. What I didn't know was that each friendship would blossom into a relationship that would make the final decisions Katie had to make so evenly matched that I didn't want to insist that she decide. Can we have them both? No, of course that wouldn't be fair to anyone, but making the choice is a torturous thing! Now, when is the sequel coming out? </div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Like with my Best Movies list yesterday, there is no way I can do write-ups for all of the other books that have made my list, but I will give you titles and authors. I'll even place them into target audiences to help you know a little more about them than just the titles will say. One of my goals is to do some reviews again throughout the coming year, but those are always going to be books of my choice here on the main blog. Occasionally I'm asked to review a boo<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">k, but those will be on another linked blog, based on target audience. See the top of LuAnn's Library for those links. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Middle Grade</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">13th Reality: The Void of Mist and Thunder -- James Dashner</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Case File 13: Zombie Kid -- J. Scott Savage</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Case File 13: Making the Team -- J. Scott Savage</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wonder -- RJ Palacio</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cragbridge Hall: The Inventor's Secret -- Chad Morris</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wednesdays in the Tower -- Jessica Day George</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Vampire Plagues: Paris -- Sebastian Rook </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Far World: Air Keep -- J. Scott Savage</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Runaway King - Jennifer Nielsen</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Slob -- Ellen Potter</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Michael Vey: Battle of the Ampere -- Richard Paul Evans</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Young Adult</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Going Dark novella -- Robison Wells</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Blackout -- Robison Wells</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Eye of Minds -- James Dashner</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Adult Novels</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Band of Sisters: Coming Home -- Annette Lyon </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Heart of the Ocean -- Heather Moore</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Finding Sheba -- Heather Moore </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Deadly Undertakings -- Gregg Luke</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Agenda 21 -- Glenn Beck</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Aliso Creek novella series -- H. B. Moore</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Edenbrooke -- Julianne Donaldson</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Blackmoore -- Julianne Donaldson</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Becoming a Lady novella -- Marie Higgins </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Non-Fiction / Education</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Book Love -- Penny Kittle</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hope you find something new here to enjoy in 2014! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-79039364983200412342013-12-29T11:46:00.002-07:002013-12-29T11:46:46.210-07:00Best of 2013 - MoviesThus approaches the end of another year, and like many bloggers, it's time for me to post my annual Best of Lists. One caveat, none of us have seen every movie that was released the previous year, nor do we like the same things, so these lists are often useless when it comes to making comparisons to the lists our readers would make. That's okay. It's still fun to see what our friends enjoyed. My list has no particular order, but it is filled with 20 movies I enjoyed.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Hunger Games: Catching Fire</span><br />
Rare is the moment when I've enjoyed a movie more than the book it is based on, but that's exactly what happened with this episode of The Hunger Games. (This was NOT the case with the first movie and the original book, where I felt too many details about the way their world worked were omitted from the movie for the audience to understand the significance of so many details.) The tension that was built through this movie was compelling, the way details were changed made scenes more dramatic, and I cared more about the characters than I did in the book where they seemed a little flat. Perhaps that was because I read the book after seeing the movie this time. In any case, I enjoyed the film more, especially liking the way the wedding dress reveal was changed and the scenes in response to Gale's beating. Well worth seeing, but not as a stand-alone, and if you don't like to wait for what happens next, you might want to wait until closer to the release of Mockingjay.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Since I'm talking about movies I liked better than the book, I'd better jump in here with The Hobbit. I've read the book twice. I hated it both times. I fell asleep watching An Unexpected Journey. I was reluctant to see this episode in the theater. My husband tricked me, making sure we arrived too late to get tickets to see Saving Mr. Banks, which is still on my must see list. But, I was pleasantly surprised. For the first time I was able to tell the characters apart--the Lord of the Rings trilogy is a nightmare for me to watch for this very reason--and I was able to follow the story without feeling like I'd already seen this battle before--another problem with LOTR. I know purists aren't sure about this film because Jackson took the liberty of adding to the original plot, but since these new scenes and characters helped someone like me finally figure out important elements of the LOTR, perhaps he wasn't so off-base in doing so. This is another film that if you want to know what happens next, wait until the end of the year to watch it, right before the final episode is released.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Lone Ranger</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you're one of those people who listens to the national media when it comes to movie reviews, then you probably think this movie was a real clunker. Not so! Disney marketing was the problem. Like they did with John Carter, the marketing department had another epic fail, trying to sell the movie to the wrong audience in the wrong way, thereby cutting off their own noses to spite their face when it comes to sales. </span></span></span>I grew up watching The Lone Ranger as a child. Every Saturday morning my brother and I watched the show, which we recognized as somewhat campy even then. Sure Hammer's Ranger comes off a little more like Dudley Doo-Right, but that's okay. We loved that show too. This movie was hysterical! The subtlety Depp brings to the character of Tonto kept me in stitches. From the moment the William Tell Overture begins I was totally into the chase scene--both times I saw it in the theater. I bought only six movies this year for Christmas, and The Lone Ranger was one of them. Give it a chance, and be prepared to laugh!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Despicable Me 2<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Speaking of laughs, this second installment about Gru, the girls, and those crazy minions will also have you laughing like crazy. The first time I saw it was in a theater packed with a hundred kids younger than eight-years-old and I felt like a fool whenever I laughed at the humor that was obviously aimed toward adults. The kids didn't get it. But then, I'm sure i didn't laugh as hard as they did and the physical comedy based on bringing pain to the characters. That's okay. It's all part of understanding the ladder of comedy. Those kids will grow into it. In the meantime, I loved the film enough that this was another movie I bought for Christmas. We watched it this week and I found even more to laugh about because I could actually hear the dialogue over the constant chatter of little people in the movie house. The producers left the series open if they decide to do another episode, but this one also has the perfect ending. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Saratov Approach</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Perhaps its because I currently have two sons serving LDS missions; maybe it's because one of those sons started telling me I had to see this movie long before I'd even heard of it; maybe it's because I like to revisit events in history, even if they were unfamiliar to me before seeing the film. Whatever the reason, I was touched by this movie and I've been recommending it to people everywhere. The core of the story is one every missionary mom prays she will never experience--a phone call from the Church office letting you know something is wrong. Your missionary has been hurt and you're half a world away with nothing you can do to set things right. As an audience, we go in knowing that everything works out alright--the two elders are still alive and doing press junkets, but that doesn't stop your heart from beating a little faster, your palms getting a little sweaty, and the tears from pouring out of your eyes uncontrollably. One of the best LDS movies I've ever seen, yet any audience will understand. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> So, there are detailed reasons why I enjoyed five of the movies on my list. I could write about the other fifteen, but that would take me all day and I don't have all day. You don't have all day to read them either, so here are the remaining films that made it onto to my favorite list for 2013. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Man of Steel</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fast & Furious 6</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Star Trek Into Darkness</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Iron Man 3</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oz the Great and Terrible</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">World War Z</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">White House Down</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Croods</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oblivion</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Epic</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">G.I. Joe Retaliation</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">42</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jack the Giant Slayer</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Austenland</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Monsters University</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hope you had a great time in 2013 At the Movies! </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-33408209721629739742013-12-26T12:39:00.000-07:002013-12-26T12:39:04.037-07:00The Explorers: Tides Acrss the Sea -- Kindle Countdown Christmas Sale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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“Beautiful coming of age and young love story. TIDES ACROSS THE SEA
sends readers deep into history and gives them a story they will find
difficult to put down!”--InD’TALE MAGAZINE, Stephenia McGee
<br />
<br />“TIDES ACROSS THE SEA is an intriguing adventure, rooted in a
fascinating historical era of the famous New World explorers as they
infiltrate the Aztec culture. I loved learning more about the time
period and Staheli's excellent story-telling had me immersed in the
first chapter.” Heather B. Moore, Best of State & Whitney
Award-winning author
<br />
<br />“History buffs will love reading about the adventures and tragedies
of the Cortés expedition and the Aztec people.” –WHY NOT? BECAUSE I SAID
SO, Sheila Staley
<br />
<br />Lu Ann Brobst Staheli is a three-time Utah Best of State Medal
recipient for Literary Arts and Education, winner of Utah’s Original
Writing Competition and the League of Utah Writer’s Diamond Quill for
Juvenile Fiction. “My fascination with Cortés and the Aztec people began
years ago as my husband shared legends about Montezuma’s gold,” Staheli
says.
<br />
<br />Set against the background of the exploration of the Aztec
civilization, TIDES ACROSS THE SEA, opens in the year 1519, where the
passion for adventure and the lust for gold reign in the hearts of both
young and old. Fifteen-year-old Felipe is no exception, though his
yearning for adventure is tempered by his love for the beautiful
Manuela. She wants to marry Felipe, but she must first rid herself of
the betrothal bands her papa has accepted on her behalf to the local
bully, who threatens the life of the one she loves. When Felipe ends up
on Cortés’ ship bound for the New World, the young couple is pulled
apart.
<br />
<br />Felipe and Manuela each must find a way to overcome the odds stacked
against them if they want to someday reunite. But the New World is
filled with danger, and Felipe may not escape the human sacrifices being
made to the Great White God, unless the young slave girl, Tia, who also
yearns for home, can help him escape and return to Manuela.
<br />
<br />EXCERPT: Manuela Perez couldn’t stop the perspiration pouring across
her brow. The azure sky was crisp and clear above the piazza where the
sun radiated from the cobblestones, making the day seem hotter. But it
was more than the heat making her feel drained. The words coming from
the mouth of the boy she hoped to one day marry brought her great worry.
<br />
<br />“A New World. Just saying the words brings a fire to my belly,”
Felipe Marco said, reading from one of the many notices posted in the
village. Felipe’s fists rested on his hips and he pulled his shoulders
back, his lean torso enhanced by the muscles bulging from the sleeve
above his almond-colored arms. “To travel to a new continent across the
Caribbean. This—this would prove to your father that I am a man. Old
enough to own a bull and a piece of land, old enough to travel beyond
the southern shores of Santiago de Cuba, and to marry his daughter.”
<br />
<br />“Oh, Felipe,” Manuela said, sighing. Her tiny frame was almost
hidden beneath the orange, yellow, and green ruffles that decorated her
skirt and blouse. “What if you never return from this voyage with
Cortés? Who would I marry?” She placed her head against the woven fabric
of his tunic and touched her creamy palm against his dark curls. The
noise of the market swirled around them, but she paid no attention.
<br />
<br />A smile played at Felipe’s lips as he embraced her. “A child as lovely as you need not worry about marriage.”
<br />
<br />TIDES ACROSS THE SEA, a young adult novel from The Explorers series,
is historical fiction with a touch of romance in the style of Carolyn
Meyer (Loving Will Shakespeare) and Ann Rinaldi (The Coffin Quilt).,
which takes readers on a journey to the New World with Cortés and into
the palace of Moctezuma, satisfying their own lust for adventure.<br />
<br />
<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-2231104537994040072013-06-13T10:35:00.000-06:002013-06-13T10:35:31.489-06:00Just Like Elizabeth Taylor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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WINNER — Utah Arts Council Original Writing Competition, Juvenile Division<br /><br />WINNER — League of Utah Writer’s Juvenile Novel & Diamond Quill<br /><br />Twelve-year-old
Liz Taylor has known for a long time that she would escape—escape the
abuse against herself, and against her mother. She just didn’t know how
or when. <br /><br />Then the perfect opportunity comes—money left of the
table by her mother’s abuser—and Liz is on the run. But a girl her age
doesn’t have many options when it comes to hideouts, making a K.O. A.
Kampground and a nearby middle school her perfect choices. <br /><br />If
only she can keep to herself, Liz, now using the name Beth, knows she
can make it on her own, until things change, and she realizes she must
face her situation head on if she is to save herself and her mom. <br /><br />Excerpt:
I was named after a movie star. Elizabeth Taylor. When Mom was pregnant
she watched National Velvet on a cable station playing old movies.<br /><br />“She
was so beautiful, and with our last name being Taylor, I couldn’t
resist,” Mom told me. “The doctor in the delivery room placed the tiny
bundle that was you across my stomach. Your eyes almost looked violet,
and you had a head full of dark hair and a little birthmark on your
cheek, just like Elizabeth Taylor. I knew that had to be your name.”<br /><br />“Liz, if you please,” I reminded her for the millionth time. <br /><br />I’d
read some of the biographies. I didn’t want to spoil Mom’s impression
by telling her that baby Elizabeth Taylor had been ugly, her little
newborn body covered all over by dark hair. Mom didn’t have any idea
that my life—and hers—would turn out to be filled with those same
unglamorous experiences her idol had faced. Life wasn’t all movie stars
and parties like Mom imagined.<br /><br />JUST LIKE ELIZABETH TAYLOR, a
young adult novel from the Small Town U.S.A. series, is historical
fiction with the feel of today. Liz faces challenges too horrific to
think about, yet learns much about life and herself as she struggles to
survive. <br /><br />Like with the works of Carol Lynch Williams (Miles from
Ordinary), or Sara Zarr (Story of a Girl), readers will find a main
character in Liz that they will love, as well as want to save. <br /><br />Lu
Ann Brobst Staheli is a three-time Utah Best of State Medal recipient
for Literary Arts and Education, winner of Utah’s Original Writing
Competition and the League of Utah Writer’s Diamond Quill for Juvenile
Fiction.<br /><br />Use the Look Inside feature to read more, or click the
LIKE button above to share on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. Reviews
are appreciated on Amazon or GoodReads.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-32976224192477951102013-06-05T17:40:00.000-06:002013-06-05T17:40:19.137-06:00Now That I Got THAT Out of My System<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Last month I wrote a long blog entry that was very
well-received by so many people in the writing community who have been
frustrated with the whole road to traditional publication, as I myself had been
feeling. But a funny thing has happened to me and my creativity in the three
weeks that have passed since I wrote that blog—I’ve suddenly been filled with
ideas for books and magazine articles that would fit perfectly with the
traditional market.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">WHAT?! You might wonder what happened. Did I change
my mind about Indie publishing? Have I suddenly turned my back on all of you,
who might be struggling like I am to not only publish, but also sell books like
the ones I self-published?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The answer is NO. Indie publishing has done
something wonderful for me. Actually, many wonderful things:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The manuscripts I’ve been working on for so many
years, the ones that never seemed to fit the right niche, or to be just what an
editor was looking for, are now either available for family, friends, or a
growing fan base to purchase.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Because those manuscripts are no longer just
sitting, waiting, hoping to be the very thing an editor or agent connects to,
they are also not staring me in the face, the characters begging for me to find
them a publication home, which has freed my mind toward more creativity.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">New ideas have poured in to take their place, and
unfinished manuscripts are crowding my thoughts, hoping now is the time for
them to be finished and see the light of day. Some of them will be direct to
eBook, but others have long hoped for a traditional publishing deal. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At least two of these not-quite-finished manuscripts
have made my critique group sit up and pay attention in the last two years,
causing them to ask, “When are you going to bring more pages?” One of the books
has had interest from two agents and two NY editors in the past. “Send them to
me once you’re ready.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So, why haven’t I done so? Somehow I think those
completed, yet homeless manuscripts, have somehow held me back. It’s not that
they weren’t good books; they were, and I thank so many of you who have
purchased them and written nice reviews. I hope many more readers will discover
them in the future, now that they are available on Kindle. They just weren’t
the right thing for the major markets to buy at that time, and that’s okay. I
never saw them as anything more than sweet books for the mid-list anyway, yet
they have given me an incredible opportunity to tell a story, hone my craft,
and introduce my work to those who do appreciate a nostalgic story. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I still have
my list of books to release this year, with a new YA novel coming out very
shortly, but I also now have my list of manuscripts to complete. Those books
will be polished, query letters prepared, and their stories will get the chance
to visit agents and editors, looking for a match, a phone call and an offer saying,
“I love it!”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Writing is part of me, and I’ll never give it up,
even if sometimes I try to tell myself I want to. I can't get over it. Good stories are a part of
me, and when it comes right down to it, I’ll never get THAT out of my system. When
it comes to publishing, Traditional or Indie, my stories deserve to be shared. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I hope that you, my readers, will still come along
on that journey with me. </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-87026881973855064272013-05-11T18:54:00.001-06:002013-05-16T13:21:28.510-06:00The Book-of-the-Month Club<br />
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The Book of the Month Club</span>
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">At the end of 2012, I was sitting around, feeling
sorry for myself. I’ve been working on a writing career since I first moved to
Utah in 1988, and although I’ve had some small successes, published two books
with niche presses and won several writing awards, the all-elusive benchmarks
of having an agent and signing with a big-name publisher had never come to be.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Oh sure, I’d pitched to agents, who requested both
partial and full manuscripts, then I never heard from them again. Not even a-thanks-but-no-thanks
email, even after I sent them a follow-up. I guess ignoring the writer is the
newest trend in giving a rejection. Maybe it’s easier on the agent, or at least
less time consuming. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Meanwhile, as an author, and like many others I
know, we all sit at home, thinking surely a phone call, a letter, or an email will
come sometime soon saying “YES, I’d love to represent you.” But that moment
never came.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The editors I met with were a little better, albeit
not much. About half of them had the courtesy to respond, even though about
half of those were form letters, often poorly photocopied, but a response at
least, even if the answer was “No, thank you.” </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">“I love your writing, but it’s just not right for my
list.”</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">“We’ve decided to pass.”</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">“Good luck finding a house for your work.”</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="line-height: 115%;">Right</span></i><span style="line-height: 115%;">.
Good luck with that. If my book isn’t the next-big-thing then I can forget
about finding a traditional publisher.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I don’t write about vampires, dystopian America, or
erotica so that throws out the possibility of catching the current wave, which
really isn’t current at all since those topics have all been covered and
covered again in the last few years.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">So what is the next new wave? What should I be
writing and submitting? </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">“We’ll know it when we see it.”</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Right again. Finding that one on my own is more
difficult than finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. Stand about 500
feet away and throw the dart, hoping you pop the right balloon to win the
prize. Oh, and you have to do it before anyone else does, yet be so much like
everyone else’s story that the publishers know what to do with it, how to
market, where to shove it into a category, and it had better be hot, hot, hot
when it comes to sales or you’re right back where you started from.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">That’s when I started to look at my writing realistically.
</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I love to write. I know how to tell a good story. Readers
have enjoyed my work enough that the reviews have been good and I’ve won awards
from a variety of writing contests. But I’m not getting any younger, and the
books I’ve written have been rejected by every agent or editor who has
requested them, and everyone else I’ve simply queried. There came a point when
I told my critique group—most of you know them and the powerhouse bunch of
published authors they are—that I didn’t think I could do this anymore. I was
tired of the rejection, tired of spending every evening, weekend or summer
vacation writing away and never seeing any acceptance letters as a result. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I was done with writing.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">So I came home and took some time off. It was hard.
My characters kept calling out to me, begging for their stories to be finished.
Those that were already done, complained about how tired they were of sitting
on my computer hard drive, constantly being backed up to make sure they didn’t
one day disappear altogether. They wanted to be read by people who would love
them. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">And that’s all I wanted for them as well. I didn’t
need a huge contract with a large advance. Of course that would be nice, but I
didn’t need it, and if the truth be known, I wasn’t sure I ever even really
wanted that. A contract came with its own set of obligations—new books, topics sometimes
chosen at the discretion of the editor and publisher, rather than the
characters who spoke to me, written on a schedule that allowed a full year to
pass from one publication to the next, and promotion that possibly meant travel
and time on the road that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with physically, as well
as finding a way to travel when I still have a son at home who needs a parent. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">What I wanted was to write the books I wanted, at
the speed I wanted to write them, to have the way to publish them, and to find
the right audience who wanted to read them. I don’t have a single platform—I have
many. I write novels for middle grade, young adult and adult audiences. I write
for LDS readers, and non-LDS readers. I write non-fiction for both groups as
well, and the range of topics is broad—memoir, education, and history so far,
with lots of other ideas swirling around in my head. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The email messages started coming in from the
members of my group: “You can’t quit.” </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">And the characters in my head told me they were
right. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">So in December, I made a decision. If publishers
didn’t want to buy my books, then I’d need to move on without them. I had readers
who were tired of waiting and I was too. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">That’s where my 2013 goal came in. I would publish a
book-a-month, even if I had to do it on Kindle. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">I made a list of all the books I had already written
that were sitting on my hard drive, waiting for a home. I added the manuscripts
that were nearly done as well, and found, that even with not yet counting the
two manuscripts I had out waiting for a response from traditional publishers,
that I had enough books close enough to completion to meet my goal. (Since
then, both of those books have been formally rejected, so they are now a part
of my master list of books that will be lining up on Amazon, ready for an
instant download to the readers who want them.)</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">In January, my goal started to become a reality. <i>Leona & Me, Helen Marie</i> was the
first entry out of the gate, just like it was the first novel I ever wrote.
Based on the stories my mother told me about her childhood, growing up in
southern Indiana, this middle grade novel is near and dear to my heart. It was
written shortly after my mother passed away and I am thrilled that the two
beautiful girls on the front cover are actually my mom, Helen Marie, and my
aunt, Leona Mae. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">February was highlighted by the release of <i>A Note Worth Taking</i>, adorned with a new
cover that placed it into the Small Town U.S.A. series. Although some readers
have tried to read themselves into this novel, when it comes right down to it,
it’s a story I made up in my mind. Sure, some of the events are based on truth,
but the conflict and resolution, and the characters who play key roles are
purely fiction. I’ve taught school for over 30 years, and I’m here to tell you,
when it comes to girl drama, there is nothing new under the sun, so you could
change the names a million times and people would still wonder, “Is this about
ME?” </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The digital version of <i>When Hearts Conjoin</i> was available starting in March. As the
credited ghostwriter of this family drama/memoir, I was pleased to be the recipient
of Utah’s Best of State medal for Non-Fiction Literary Arts after its original publication,
and I was thrilled to work with New York Times Best-selling author Richard Paul
Evans throughout the entire publication stage that brought the book to you. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I celebrated my birthday with the release of <i>Tides Across the Sea</i>, a YA historical
with a hint of romance. This book is set to be the first in a series called <i>The Explorers</i>, with novels about Eric
the Red and Leif the Lucky already outlined on my computer, waiting their turn
at draft. <i>Tides </i>saw its performance
debut at Payson Jr. High when I read it to a class of 7<sup>th</sup> graders,
one of whom who decided to act the entire thing out as I read to the group. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Currently I’m doing a final read through and proof of
<i>Just Like Elizabeth Taylor,</i> which
will be my May release. This YA novel was the winner of the Utah Arts Council
Original Writing Competition for Juvenile Fiction, as well as The League of
Utah Writers Juvenile Novel of the Year. Although the topic is darker than most
of my books, it is filled with hope, friendship, and a silver-lining at the
end.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">That brings us to the date of this blog post, but
the list won’t stop there. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Not all of my releases will be fiction, although
those are coming too. <i>Men of Destiny:
Abraham Lincoln and the Prophet Joseph Smith</i>; <i>Living in an Osmond World</i>; <i>Been
There, Done That, Bought the T-Shirt</i>; and volume 2 of <i>Books, Books, and More Books: A Parent and Teacher’s Guide to
Adolescent Literature</i> are all in the running for the summer release spots. <i>Temporary Bridesmaid</i>, <i>Carny</i>, and <i>Ebenezer</i> are on my summer vacation agenda for revision or
completion. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">And who knows what else I might write or resurrect between
now and the end of the year. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Nothing is set in stone as to which one comes next,
so if you have a preference shout it out so I can see what I can do to make your
request available soon. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">In the meantime, thanks for reading, and a HUGE
thank you to those of you who also take the time to leave reviews at Amazon and
GoodReads. Word-of-mouth is the best advertizing when it comes to discovering and
sharing books. As a former English teacher and now school librarian, I’ve seen
kids pick up books and read them just because someone they respected told them
it was good. I hope that some of my readers will feel inclined to do the same
thing, and whenever possible, I’ll return the favor for you. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Leave a response on the blog, send me a tweet, or a
message on my Facebook wall, and I’d be happy to recommend a book to you. </span></span></span></div>
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<![endif]--><a href="http://lakeviewchristiancenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/BMC-Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-70810930708810879692013-05-05T11:37:00.000-06:002013-05-05T11:39:10.996-06:00The Explorers: Tides Across the Sea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0zICVPdoed3gRKV7vmeZQ_MoxWMpJDkncV191a4-E6cpK1s9V8wq-5EkRMrdDxW5z_lithNR2nZP3X6eRhWWr0TzPnDUOmxB-WfsyV9HoQacDgPFECwnb-tYDyZq_KynkxEjyyg/s1600/WEB+-+Staheli-TidesAcrossTheSea-FRONTcoverFINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0zICVPdoed3gRKV7vmeZQ_MoxWMpJDkncV191a4-E6cpK1s9V8wq-5EkRMrdDxW5z_lithNR2nZP3X6eRhWWr0TzPnDUOmxB-WfsyV9HoQacDgPFECwnb-tYDyZq_KynkxEjyyg/s320/WEB+-+Staheli-TidesAcrossTheSea-FRONTcoverFINAL.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
Manuela Perez couldn’t stop the perspiration pouring across her brow.
The azure sky was crisp and clear above the piazza where the sun
radiated from the cobblestones, making the day seem hotter. But it was
more than the heat making her feel drained. The words coming from the
mouth of the boy she hoped to one day marry brought her great worry.<br />
<br />
“A
New World. Just saying the words brings a fire to my belly,” Felipe
Marco said, reading from one of the many notices posted in the village.
Felipe’s fists rested on his hips and he pulled his shoulders back, his
lean torso enhanced by the muscles bulging from the sleeve above his
almond-colored arms. “To travel to a new continent across the Caribbean.
This—this would prove to your father that I am a man. Old enough to own
a bull and a piece of land, old enough to travel beyond the southern
shores of Santiago de Cuba, and to marry his daughter.”<br />
<br />
“Oh,
Felipe,” Manuela said, sighing. Her tiny frame was almost hidden beneath
the orange, yellow, and green ruffles that decorated her skirt and
blouse. “What if you never return from this voyage with Cortés? Who
would I marry?” She placed her head against the woven fabric of his
tunic and touched her creamy palm against his dark curls. The noise of
the market swirled around them, but she paid no attention. <br />
<br />
A smile played at Felipe’s lips as he embraced her. “A child as lovely as you need not worry about marriage.”<br />
<br />
Set
against the background of the exploration of the Aztec civilization,
Tides Across the Sea, opens in the year 1519, where the passion for
adventure and the lust for gold reign in the hearts of both young and
old. Fifteen-year-old Felipe is no exception, though his yearning for
adventure is tempered by his love for the beautiful Manuela. She wants
to marry Felipe, but she must first rid herself of the betrothal bands
her papa has accepted on her behalf to the local bully, who threatens
the life of the one she loves. When Felipe ends up on Cortés’ ship bound
for the New World, the young couple is pulled apart. <br />
<br />
Felipe and
Manuela each must find a way to overcome the odds stacked against them
if they want to someday reunite. But the New World is filled with
danger, and Felipe may not escape the human sacrifices being made to the
Great White God, unless the young slave girl, Tia, who also yearns for
home, can help him escape and return to Manuela.<br />
<br />
Tides Across the
Sea, a young adult novel from The Explorers series, is historical
fiction with a touch of romance in the style of Carolyn Meyer (Loving
Will Shakespeare) and Ann Rinaldi (The Coffin Quilt). Tides Across the
Sea will take readers on a journey to the New World with Cortés and into
the palace of Moctezuma (Montezuma) that will satisfy their own lust
for adventure. <br />
<br />
Author Lu Ann Brobst Staheli is a three-time Utah
Best of State Medal recipient for Literary Arts and Education, winner
of Utah’s Original Writing Competition and the League of Utah Writer’s
Diamond Quill for Youth Fiction, and Christa McAuliffe Fellow. “My
fascination with Cortés and the Aztec people began years ago as my
husband shared legends about Montezuma’s gold,” Staheli says. “What
began as an adult thriller about the search for riches ended up as a
young adult adventure with a hint of romance. Since I spend most of my
time immersed in children’s fiction, this change turned out to be a
perfect fit for me as an author.”<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=luannbrobstst-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00C37B8KE&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-39314996279294191812013-01-31T18:21:00.000-07:002013-01-31T18:21:15.347-07:00Leona & Me, Helen Marie (A Small Town U.S.A. Novel)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs1WAy-ZxzPBQkuj3Tb8uCbTEQTcx9z_P38XfJE_kGupBP2Zf72IhCq8KK_5vtx0aA-7GCaoXInbfXZqPRR3s0tX_tBbVe6ClYGeTVE_5jVaHSpD7Xh-42PurVkKRYhTBd5zsfUg/s1600/WEB-Staheli-LeonaNMeFINALfront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs1WAy-ZxzPBQkuj3Tb8uCbTEQTcx9z_P38XfJE_kGupBP2Zf72IhCq8KK_5vtx0aA-7GCaoXInbfXZqPRR3s0tX_tBbVe6ClYGeTVE_5jVaHSpD7Xh-42PurVkKRYhTBd5zsfUg/s640/WEB-Staheli-LeonaNMeFINALfront.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
“Watch me, Leona. I’m Miss Tarantula, mysterious tight rope walker of
Madagascar!” I lifted my arms for balance and started across the wooden
beam in the barn loft, one foot in front of the other, imitating the
lady we’d seen at the circus in New Albany. After reaching the wall, I
made a little curtsey, trying to pull my overalls out like they were the
net skirt the trapeze artist had worn.<br />
<br />
“Magnificent, Helen,”
Leona said, mimicking a ring master. She held onto a joist about thirty
feet away from where I’d ended my trip across the barn.<br />
“With my eyes closed this time,” I said. <br />
<br />
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said. Leona was nine, two years older than me, and liked to pretend she was in charge.<br />
<br />
“Watch
me. Watch me,” I said, closing my eyes and turning around on the beam
toward the way I thought I’d come. My bare toes gripped the rough edges
of the wood. <br />
<br />
“Helen Marie Heffner, you stop right now.” Her
voice sounded just like Mama’s when I’m gonna get in trouble, but I took
a step. Then another. On the third one, there wasn’t a beam under my
foot. My eyes flew open and my legs peddled the air, like a character in
the comic papers, trying to find a way to stop falling.<br />
<br />
“Le—o—naaa!” I screeched.<br />
<br />
Seven-year-old
Helen Marie Heffner has a knack for getting into trouble, followed
close behind by her older sister, Leona Mae. Whether it’s walking the
barn beams like a tightrope, fooling the neighbor boys into thinking
they’re being chased by a fiery jack-o-lantern, or making a mess rather
than transferring a pattern for Mama’s Christmas surprise, Helen comes
out the winner every time. <br />
<br />
But life is not always fun and games
in 1922 for this southern Indiana family. In the wake of the Depression
of the previous two years, the girls and their mama are often left alone
in Hancock’s Chapel while their papa travels to find work to keep the
family finances alive. Lately, Mama’s been showing signs of not feeling
well, and Helen is stuck at home, missing the entire school year while
she recuperates from the rheumatic fever that struck her the year
before. Mama fears the worst is about to happen. Everything from the
barn owl, to the chicken thief, the stranger who passed by one evening
to a poor neighbor-boy who falls into the ravine, all point to signs of
trouble to come. And sure enough, it does.<br />
<br />
Leona and Me, Helen
Marie, a middle grade novel from A Small Town U.S.A. series, is hometown
historical fiction in the style of Richard Peck (A Long Way from
Chicago, The Teacher’s Funeral, Here Lies the Librarian) and Kate
DiCamillo (Because of Winn-Dixie), with a touch of Laura Ingalls
Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie thrown in for good measure.<br />
<br />
Winner
of the League of Utah Writer’s Diamond Quill for Youth Fiction, Leona
& Me, Helen Marie is sure to delight readers with its glimpse into
yesteryear. <br />
<br />
Author Lu Ann Brobst Staheli is a three time Utah
Best of State Medal recipient, former winner of Utah’s Original Writing
Competition, and Utah’s Christa McAuliffe Fellow. A native Hoosier,
Staheli says, “I still recall vividly my visits to Hancock’s Chapel as a
child with my mother. The two-room school house where she attended had
been turned into a pig pen, Wenning’s General Store was boarded up, and
the house where my mother once lived was gone, but the stories she had
told me all of my life brought that tiny crossroads to life in my
imagination then, as I hope it will come alive for readers now.”<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=luannbrobstst-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00B8DTP9K&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-79250948128879873262012-12-21T18:31:00.000-07:002013-01-28T16:30:05.882-07:00Small Town U.S.A.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7a8C4jAxlDoXm2xpp-ZQC47p8nElaPyGyqqist745wwsmkyTr0dRN3e5sD6EtciOjL-usbHkLeGn3OqsEFHbb_EqyQwpRVQqTWumbdM3oIjyfdhqp5Jgw14whUj6td4bC8PvPUA/s1600/File3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7a8C4jAxlDoXm2xpp-ZQC47p8nElaPyGyqqist745wwsmkyTr0dRN3e5sD6EtciOjL-usbHkLeGn3OqsEFHbb_EqyQwpRVQqTWumbdM3oIjyfdhqp5Jgw14whUj6td4bC8PvPUA/s320/File3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I grew up in Small Town U.S.A. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Literally! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">My hometown of Alexandria, Indiana, was selected as the focus piece of a booklet, intended as pro-American propaganda during World War II. The booklet, which featured photos of my brother-in-law and his parents and siblings when he was just a kid, was filled with photos of townspeople engaged in shopping, farming, and other family-friendly activities which would show people what a great place America was to be.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Long before I was born, my mother had her picture taken for this booklet, but for whatever editorial reason, her photo didn't make it into the book. That's okay. She knew it was taken, and for the next thirty-five years she made sure other people's photos were treated with more dignity. So did my dad, because the two of them owned and operated Brobst Photo Supplies, originally on Canal Street.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">And that was where I started to learn about my hometown and the people in it. I spent most of my young life at the store. My playpen was a Kodak box. I began at an early age to know everyone in town, and it seemed everyone knew me. By the time I was old enough to roam from store to store on my own, we'd moved to Harrison Street and the center of town. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">In the 1960s, I wasn't worried about the Cuban Missle Crisis, the hippies in Haight-Ashbury, or the war in Vietnam--well, except when my brother's best friend was drafted. In Small Town U.S.A., I spent my time discovering The Beatles and The Monkees, hanging out at the Alex Theater, or grabbing a sloppy joe at the Alexandria Bakery. I made good friends, and even lost some. I changed crushes as often as I changed my clothes. I went to school, and I lived my life.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I was a teenager not much different in desires or fears than kids of today. I may live halfway across the country from my small town home, and despite the fact times have changed, the kids I see each day at school still want the same things I did back in those days--to know they're loved by friends and family, to feel safe, and to succeed and reach their goals.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">In "A Note Worth Taking," the first book in my Small Town, U.S.A. series, I give my readers a glimpse into what life was life during the 1960s in a small town. Although this is a work of fiction, the people you meet may feel all too real. Maybe you know them, maybe you don't, but the fun will be in trying to guess who a character might be, if you too grew up in Small Town, U.S.A. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">But that small town didn't have to be Alexandria, Indiana, because these people still exist--everywhere! I've met a few of them multiple times in my years in Utah, and maybe you will know them too, no matter where you live. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Small Towns are all alike, and as O. Henry once said, "Everyone you meet has a story." I hope you enjoy the ones I choose to share as we visit Small Town, U.S.A. </span> <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=luannbrobstst-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B008VGV7O8&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></span><br /> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22702204.post-28957352502355695862012-11-24T15:29:00.000-07:002012-11-24T15:29:25.618-07:00Let Them Eat Thai!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jC4kDnRIHjXvCVqUACR9IZbp2d7gjtzcMY2HB3ivFUyoXN5KqwLto6ZuZp-s3xi5zT2obxgvllMdGM0lo5bnDb2raNrLb1Sm0DGriwvybDEJ805L1L7ZrKv0jl34QtKZu2E8VA/s1600/xmas+2012+group+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jC4kDnRIHjXvCVqUACR9IZbp2d7gjtzcMY2HB3ivFUyoXN5KqwLto6ZuZp-s3xi5zT2obxgvllMdGM0lo5bnDb2raNrLb1Sm0DGriwvybDEJ805L1L7ZrKv0jl34QtKZu2E8VA/s400/xmas+2012+group+3.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L to R: Robison Wells, Annette Lyon, Michele Paige Homes,Sarah M. Eden, Lu Ann Brobst Staheli, H. B. (Heather) Moore, and J. Scott (Jeffrey S.) Savage</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">In a rare occur<span style="font-size: large;">ence as of late<span style="font-size: large;">, our entire critique group<span style="font-size: large;">, along with almost all of <span style="font-size: large;">our spouses (<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">w</span>e missed you Rob<span style="font-size: large;"> L.)</span></span>, met for our annual Christmas <span style="font-size: large;">gathering. This time we insured that all would be in attendance by <span style="font-size: large;">gathering at noon on a Saturday at Thai Village. (Who can pass that up?<span style="font-size: large;">) After much chatting about life in general, and discussing the pros <span style="font-size: large;">and cons of publishing (much to the b<span style="font-size: large;">o</span>redom of said spouses, three of whom ran off to look at guns at the nearby mall)<span style="font-size: large;">, we had the traditional exhanging of the presents. There was definately a theme this year as both Rob and Annette gave us actual bu<span style="font-size: large;">tter churns (mini<span style="font-size: large;">ature) and Jeff had special <span style="font-size: large;">T-shirts made with our butter church mascot in the center (watch for these at <span style="font-size: large;">Storymakers<span style="font-size: large;">, and no, you can't have one!) Sarah personalized our gi<span style="font-size: large;">fts by wra<span style="font-size: large;">pping them in pages from our own manuscripts, Michele and I both wrote accompanying text for our gi<span style="font-size: large;">fts, and Heather gave us all hot cho<span style="font-size: large;">colate to keep us motivated to write through the cold winter that is soon to come. A good time was had by all, but for now, it's time to get back to the WIPs (works-in-progress for my non-writer friends) <span style="font-size: large;">so we can meet our deadlines and word counts for 2013. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0