Politics as Usual

After playing games of "I know who I'm gonna pick, but I'm not gonna tell you," Senator Obama has just negated his own campaign this morning by going with a long-time Washington D.C. insider with Senator Joe Biden. How does choosing a man who has served in the U.S. Senate since 1972 (the year I graduated from high school) fit with the theme of "Bringing Change" to the U.S.?

If you watch much politics---and I admit I do. I'm a politcal junkie.---you'll know that what you think you'll get and what you really get rarely look much like each other in the end. Before you vote this November, I hope you'll take the time to read at least Chapter 1 of Dick Morris's new book, Fleeced. An Obama presidency will not be what people believe it will be.

One of the Reasons I Love the Osmonds

In case you didn't see the Osmonds 50th Anniversary concert on PBS or the Pioneer Day Concerts from Salt Lake City, I wanted my visitors to have a chance to at least hear one of the songs I love from my favorite group. It's been my pleasure to work with Alan Osmond since 1988, and he is a great man who stands as an example to me in so many ways. Enjoy the song!

Good News for Joey + Rory

Vanguard/Sugar Hill Records has announced that Joey + Rory have signed a recording contract and plan to release their debut album in the fall of 2008. Better still, “Cheater, Cheater,” a song they performed on the show, will be the first single and a video should be out soon.

You can download the song already from iTunes.

Surgery Update

Good thing I love my husband. This is the photo he took of me before I passed through the doors into my left elbow replacement surgery. Such a flattering pose and beautiful party hat and attire.

The surgery went well, but I had to stay the night in the hospital because they couldn't get me to stay awake long enough to breathe! At least the surgeon was also able to pop my right elbow back into place, so I can bend my arm and type with all five fingers on that hand.

A night on oxygen helped me breathe, sleep, and stop being nausiated at least. Now it's a week of healing before the torture begins---physical therapy!

Tides Across the Sea

I've decided to bring my baby out in the public. Although I've worked on this novel for nearly the entire fourteen years I've been married, drafted, rewritten, and submitted it to several places, I'm now taking the marketing and selling of this manuscript more seriously. Alexandra Penfold, Assistant Editor at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, asked for chapters after we talked last March at the UVSC Forum on Children's Literature. You all know how busy my life can be, but I finally completed all the last minute fine-tuning on those chapters, likely bored members of my critique group silly as they looked at yet another synopsis, and worked, then reworked the query, finally realizing she asked for these pages so all I really needed was a cover letter to remind her of that. Cover letter done, all the necessary pages printed, and this baby is off to New York City. Of course, my husband is taking her to the post office. After all, I have a broken elbow and can't do oh so many things---like drive!

Last night, Annette Lyon forwarded a blog to our group from Nathan Bransford, an agent with Curtis Brown, Ltd. , about trends in writing which seem to include Mayans. Well, my novel happens to be about Aztecs, thank you very much, but I started reading Nathan's blog and realized he is in the market for YA novels. Tides Against the Sea is YA---the human sacrifice scene alone should guarantee that. So instead of working on my final graduate paper like I was supposed to be, I spent the rest of the evening reading his submission guidelines and drafting a query to ask him if he thinks my baby is pretty. Hey, I figure it can't hurt. I haven't sent the query yet---that dratted assignment is still weighing heavily on me--but I will by next week. After all, I have to have a minute to recover after my surgery!

In the meantime, if any of you would like to read Chapter One of Tides Across the Sea, you'll find it posted at http://tidesacrossthesea.blogspot.com. I look forward to hearing what you think.

After the Fall

Perhaps some of you have been wondering where I've been (and if you haven't, then why are you reading my blog anyway?) Most of my friends know why I haven't been blogging the last few weeks---all those days, after the FALL. Here's the inside scoop for any of you who might have missed the whole story.

It all happened in California on a beautiful evening the last Saturday in June. My husband had gotten us tickets to the Symphony at the L.A. County Arboretium. Our four sons, my husband and I were walking into the venue. I glanced down in time to see a huge rock in my path. I moved my foot just far enough to the right to miss the rock. Unfortunately, I hadn't seen the 3" piece of metal (perhaps a sawed-off Stop sign post) that was lurking just behind it.

Of course, it caught my toe. I yelled my husband's name as I fell in slow motion toward the asphalt driveway. I scrambled my legs, hoping to keep my balance, but the pull of gravity and angle of my body had already conspired against me. My arms were up in front of my chest, elbows out.

SPLAT! My left elbow and left leg hit the ground full force. Then, BANG, the right side followed. I'm surprised my face didn't plant itself as well.

The next problem---I couldn't get up. Every muscle and bone in my body had moved into automatic shock, refusing to move. I had to be picked up and put into a chair. The Red Cross came, my husband the nurse looked me over, and we filled out some paperwork.

Honestly, I knew I was bruised, I thought I was sprained, and I knew my left arm was going to swell, so I pulled off my wedding ring and watch before they were stuck to my body forever. There was a weird sensation in my left arm, but I didn't think anything was broken. My left arm was wrapped, and I hobbled to a spot on the grass to listen to the first half of the concert.

I spent the next two days of vacation in the hotel room, taking OTC pain meds, and I thought I was getting better. The drive home was uncomfortable, but I was black and blue so I expected some pain..

So, off to the doctor I go once we are home, and the X-ray shows I've chipped a piece of bone from my elbow. Should be no problem, but let's go to the orthopedic surgeon just to be sure. After all, it is my elbow, an important functioning piece of the anatomy.

Five days later (July 4th holiday, so no one was in the surgeon's office, you know), he tells me the break shouldn't be a problem to heal on its own. No surgery needed. I'm suddenly feeling much better, then he says, "Except, there seems to be some stray chips of bone that I don't know where they came from."

Next stop---a CT scan, then back to his office for a consult. Sure enough, there on the computer screen I watch as he shows both me and the other specialist the five pieces of my shattered radial ball scatter all over the screen. Yippee! I'm now scheduled for replacement surgery, but I can't get there until July 23rd.

In the meantime, my right arm and left leg are still killing me. Back to the doctor's office I go. Another X-ray. Nothing broken this time it seems, probably just a sprain (althought I still wonder if it's not dislocated because I can't straighten my arm after three weeks!) Deep bruising an tissue damage in my leg is causing swelling in my lef and foot. At times it feels like my skin is ripping like hundreds of layers of paper and that a stake is being driven into my foot at the same time. Lovely though, isn't it?

Today, the surgery is five days away, the radial bone (which turned out to be twisted) aches, my left foot and leg are now wrapped to match my left arm, and my right arm still protests if I move it too close to my body.

On top of all this, I have a two-day graduate class that I must attend and present for tomorrow and the next day (the professor says it's required!). At least my husband came home from his second business trip to L.A. The neighbors have been bringing in dinner, and I've found out that at least two of my boys are willing to help Mom when she needs it. (Two more of them WILL if I ask, but they don't come to check on me by themselves.)

Everyone assumes me that once the surgery is over, I'll feel great. I sure hope so, but until then, know you all know why I haven't been blogging, writing, reading, or doing much else of what I usually do. Hopefully, I'll be back up and running by the middle of August---before if I'm lucky.

Glenn Beck Like You've Never Seen Him

Give yourself a few minutes and watch this piece from Glenn Beck. It brought tears to my eyes.

Lu Ann Staheli Wins Utah Best of State Educator K-12

Lu Ann Brobst Staheli has been named as the Utah’s Best of State Educator K-12 at a recent Gala. Staheli graduated from Alexandria-Monroe H.S. in Alexandria, Indiana, in 1972, and the Indiana University Blooomington School of Education in 1976. She taught English and psychology at Rockville Jr. Senior High School in Rockville, Indiana, for five years before moving to Utah. In 1984, Lu Ann joined the staff at Payson Jr. High School in Payson, Utah. For the past twenty-three years she has taught English, Writing for Publication, and Reading Options. In May she earned a Masters Degree in Instructional Technology with a Library Media endorsement through Utah State University’s School of Education.

Lu Ann is a teacher of teachers. Two of her former students teach with her at Payson Jr. High, one is an administrator there, and numerous others have entered the education field. She has been a mentor to four students teachers, all of whom have continued in the field. In addition to helping students become teachers, she also has moved students to careers in creative writing and journalism, but perhaps the most successful thing she has done is encouraged a generation of lifelong readers.

During her twenty-nine years as an English teacher, Lu Ann has shared her love of reading and writing with over 4,000 students, and it doesn’t look like she is ready to stop teaching them anytime soon. “Once my student, always my student” is her personal philosophy, and her students seem to know that without ever being told. They come back to visit her classroom years later, stop her in the local grocery, and track her down via the Internet to ask her for book recommendations, tell her about their latest writing project, or share a favorite memory from a long-ago class she taught. Through shared literacy, students develop a sense of connection to Lu Ann that leads them into an adult world where books and writing are important. The fact that many of her own students have become teachers, and that she also mentors student teachers, broadens her influence even farther across the state and perhaps the world.

“Until I’ve given them a million words, I can’t teach them how to write,” describes the beginnings of an English program under Lu Ann’s tutelage. “So many students come to me—even in my Honors programs—with a limited view of reading and a fear of writing. A boring book or a single blood-red paper returned from a well-meaning teacher can halt a student’s progress toward engagement in reading or improvement in writing for years, sometimes even a lifetime.”

To help her students overcome those fears, Lu Ann begins her school year with reading. She teaches strategies and tips to improve reading skills, no matter what level a student currently tests, then she gives them plenty of time to practice those skills. She reads high interest books aloud to them, lets students read in small groups, and includes time for plenty of independent reading, providing audio books for students who need additional reading support. “The more words I can put in front of them, the more likely they will discover something—a book, short story, poem, or piece of non-fiction—anything that will hook them, giving them a reason get excited about reading and hopefully leading them to reading on their own. If it takes giving a student something new to try every day, then I’ll do it. All it takes is one book—the right one—to make a lifelong fan of reading.”

In addition to reading, Lu Ann leads her students into writing fluency. “Getting words down onto the page is hard for most people, but this is especially true of junior high students who are already a little insecure. I believe in letting students feel comfortable with writing, validating their efforts and ideas, long before I make corrections and suggestions.” A professional writer herself, Lu Ann teaches the craft of writing rather concentrating during early draft stages on the skills of editing. “Editing is the final process in writing. Too many teachers seek perfection from their students long before the work is ready. Editing too early can ruin voice, stop the flow of fresh ideas, and squelch any student desire to attempt, let alone perfect, a piece of writing,” she says. This process of building readers, then teaching the craft of writing, has found Lu Ann’s students of all ability levels not only among the highest scores on a variety of state and standardized tests, but also eventually following career paths that allow them to use these skills without fear.

“People who read succeed, or so the slogan goes. If a student reads well, school is easier for him or her. The information disseminated via teacher lectures, textbooks, and other materials becomes accessible and interesting,” Lu Ann states. “Eventually my students leave the junior high school. Most of them graduate from high school. Obviously, those who leave with reading and writing skills will move on to successful careers that add to the economy,” something Lu Ann herself does through the various employment and volunteer opportunities she follows beyond her work in the classroom.

In addition to teaching, Lu Ann has long served her local community. As a member of the staff at Alan Osmond Productions, Lu Ann was an Associate Producer for Stadium of Fire, a member of the Spanish Fork Arts Council, State Coordinator for the National Council of Teachers of English’s Promising Young Writers program, on the Speaker’s Bureau for the League of Utah Writers, and has been on the Middle Level and Young Adult Book Selection Committees for the Children’s Literature Association of Utah. Lu Ann served as coordinator for the Spanish Fork City Arts Council Writer’s Workshop and the Nebo Young Writer’s Conference. She is often called upon by church groups, book clubs, and other members of the local and state community to present workshops on literacy, give book reviews, or serve as a judge in writing contests. She has worked on district and state textbook and media adoption committees, as well as helping to write the previous state CORE for Secondary English Language Arts. Past-President of the Utah County League of Utah Writers and freelance editor for WriteWise, Deseret Book, and Covenant Communications, Lu Ann edits for several local and nationally published authors. She is currently a member of the Payson Jr. High School Accreditation team, and works for the One Heart Foundation and TheFamily.com.

Lu Ann has earned several awards and recognitions through her teaching career, including Nebo Reading Council Reading Teacher of the Year 2006, Christa McAuliffe Fellow Utah 1999, Utah English Language Arts Teacher of the Year 1999, Excellence in English/Language Arts Instruction 1999 from the Utah Writing Project, and Celebrate Literacy Award 1996 from the Utah Council IRA. She was selected for the USWest/UtahLINK Teacher Network Project 1995, the Marquis Who’s Who in American Education for several years, and has previously been nominated for both the Disney Hand Award for Outstanding Educators and the Huntsman Awards for Excellence in Education.

Beyond the classroom, Lu Ann continues to teach reading and writing to former students and the community at large. Through her two weekly newspaper columns, "Read All About It" and "Out of the Best Books," Lu Ann shares her love of books and her expertise when it comes to literacy issues. In addition, she writes two subscriber-based e-zines, several blogs, and publishes book reviews in three national educator magazines, Library Media Connection, The SIGNAL Journal, and The ALAN Review. She has taught classes and workshops for her school, district, and state organizations, including her popular workshop “Recipe for the Reluctant Reader.” As a Senior Editor for the Precision Editing Group, she teaches Mastery Writing classes for BookWise Publishing. Her own publication record in the area of education includes an invitational chapter in Teaching Ideas for 7-12 English Language Arts: What Really Works (Christopher-Gordon Publishers), Books, Books, and More Books: A Parent and Teacher’s Guide to Contemporary Adolescent Literature, and Teaching Secondary English: One Day at a Time, as well as featured articles in the Utah English Journal.

Past-President of the Utah Council of the Teachers of English Language Arts and the League of Utah Writers, Lu Ann currently serves on the board of the Nebo Reading Council and the UVSC Forum on Children’s Literature. Through her newspaper column and personal donations, she helped the Nebo Reading Council build a library collection for the Nebo School District Young Mother’s School in 2008.

Joey and Rory Finish Third, but . . .

So, Joey and Rory finished in 3rd place on Can You Duet, but that may turn out okay. I've heard through the grapevine that a record company exec may already be talking contract with them, and the exposure was certainly good for Rory's already established song writing career. I expect we will be hearing more from this duo in not too much time. Here's what Naomi Judd had to say about them:

I must say that I could have never predicted how this competition was going to turn out. Not that I’m unhappy with the final choice. In fact when you look at it purely from inside the music business, the duet with the best chance of establishing themselves and making a long career as artist were the winners.

It’s no secret that Joey and Rory were my favorites. To me they were the most authentic duet on the show and I loved practically everything they did. After the filming of the last episode I found out that my masseuse, Richard Valdez and family, is their next-door neighbor and never told me. It must have been difficult for him to have kept that secret, but knowing that it could have impacted the show, he knew it was best not to tell me. My husband Larry and I just had lunch a few days ago at Joey’s little restaurant, Marcy Jo’s, outside of Columbia, Tenn. Pork Chops, mashed potatoes and green beans. (http://blog.cmt.com/2008-06-13/can-you-duet-naomi-judd-surprised-by-finale/#more-945)

BEA for Booklovers

I had the best opportunity in the world for a bibliophile like me: FREE BOOKS! I spent a day in Los Angeles the end of May, meeting with agents, editors, booksellers and hundreds of authors who were at this annual trade show, ready and willing to give away and autograph copies of their books. You’ll be hearing more about some of these authors and books in the coming weeks, but I wanted to give you an overview that might make some of you salivate to attend the one scheduled next year in New York City.

BEA stands for Booksellers Expo America, and it is the place to be if you have anything to do with the book industry. In addition to the open trade show and author autographing areas there are workshop sessions, special breakfast and luncheon presentations, in-booth one-on-ones with authors, illustrators, editors, agents, book publishers, and others involved in the industry. Some of these opportunities are geared toward specific audience members such as librarians, educators, book buyers, booksellers, and those who are building and renewing contacts with others in the industry.

You’ll have the opportunity to meet just about anyone and everyone at BEA. While standing the line to meet Peter Walsh (Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?), I chatted with an agent who handles Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction, one of the many things I write. She handed me her card so I could send her sample chapters. Walking from the trade show to the autographing area, I ran into T.A. Barron (Merlin’s Dragon) who I had met several times at conferences in Utah. We talked about doing an interview for one of my blogs. Back at the autograph tables, I met George Hamilton (Don’t Mind if I Do) most recently of Dancing with the Stars fame, who was just as good-looking, tanned, and suave as ever.

Sometimes the encounters I had there were almost comical, like when I tried to find the end of the line to meet Slash, a member of the heavy metal group Guns and Roses who was there giving out copies of his forthcoming autobiography. The line wound out of the autograph area, and halfway around the building, yet I still hadn’t found the end! Then there was meeting Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn) and realizing as we talked that I had taught his wife at Payson Jr. High School. And I loved the moment when a publicist chased me through the line to get my card so she could add me onto her list of advance copy reviewers.

It’s easy to forget these people are famous or critical to my writing career when I have authors like R. A. Salvatore (The Orc King) stop in the middle of autographing my book to introduce me to Heather Graham (The Death Dealer) whom I had actually met last fall at the WriteWise conference in Salt Lake; the head of Roaring Press Books take a minute to introduce me to one of her favorite agents while we were discussing my review of one of their recent publications; And New York Times best-selling authors like Richard Paul Evans and Robert G. Allen giving me advice on how to pitch to an agent or editor while at the conference.

All in all, going to BEA was a great experience for me, as I’m sure it was for the rest of those who went from here in Utah. And it’s one I plan to have again, only this time I hope it’s me sitting at the table autographing copies of my book. Target date: Las Vegas 2010.

Lu Ann Meets Her Favorite Organizer at BEA

Anyone who read my article at Desert Saints about Clean Sweep knows how much I love Peter Walsh. I admire the genteel way he works with people to overcome their clutter habits and obsessions. When I saw that Peter was going to be signing copies of his latest book, Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat? I knew I had to get there early to be in his line. I wasn't disappointed. Peter was funny, he was kind, he posed for this photo, gave me his email address so I could contact him about doing an interview, gave me a hug with a kiss on the cheek, and declared that I was hysterical, meaning in a funny way not like a super-fan gone crazy. I told him how I was training my boys to clean house the clean sweep way, and his publicist through that was great, too. Okay, I know my house has a long way to go to be as neat and clean as the ones Peter does for his stint on Oprah, but at least the memory of this day will help keep me on the right path when I battle the mess that I call an office. Speaking of which. . . I guess I should get started now or it will take me all summer to do. In the meantime, if you want to read more about another one of Peter's books, visit my Book Review blog about It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Leading a Richer Life with Less Stuff.

Can You Duet - Top 8

Just finished watching this week's episode of Can You Duet, and I was excited to find that Joey and Rory have made it into the Top 8.

If you haven't yet had a chance to visit their website, I encourage you to do so. And while you're there, listen to some of Joey's music. She's great.

www.joeyandrory.com

WINNER 2008 Best of State Education K-12

I just found out this morning that I have been named the winner of Best of State K-12 Education.
You can see my name listed at: www.bestofstate.org. Just scroll down to the Education section.

Precision Editing has posted this blog about my win: http://writingonthewallblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/editor-wins-2008-best-of-state-award.html

Yesterday I participated in the hooding ceremony for my Masters of Education in Instructional Technology, with a Library Media endorsement from Utah State University.

It's been a great weekend!

Smalltown U.S.A. Goes to Nashville

I grew up in Alexandria, Indiana, a small farming community that was once made famous as it was chosen for a brochure during World War II that depicted what life was like in Smalltown, U.S.A. This booklet featured photographs of my brother-in-law as a small child on his family's farm.

I've been to that farm many times. It sits right next to the house where my sister raised her family. Today, the old homestead and farm are owned by Jack & June Martin. I've known June since I was a kid. She used to sing gospel music in the church my mother took me to, and her younger sister Mary Ann was a friend of mine in school. June had the voice of an angel, and I loved to listen to her sing.

All that family history and knowing how beautiful June could sing, made it a natural choice for me to buy a CD, songs unheard, by her daughter Joey Martin when I heard about it in 2005. I was not disappointed! This CD is my absolute country favorite. It's downloaded on my computer and my iPod. I keep the CD in the car where I can listen on my commute.

Like her mother, Joey, too, has the voice of an angel.

Today I discovered that Joey and her songwriter-husband Rory are contestants on "Can You Duet," the country music contest from American Idol producers on CMT. Soon America will know how great Joey can sing, too!

If you've got time, in between voting for David Archuleta, I'm here to invite you to send a few votes Joey's way too.

If you'd like more information about Joey and Rory, visit their website JOEY AND RORY
(You can even download a copy of Joey's solo CD while you're there.)
or YOU CAN DUET.

Updating

Today I've been a busy bee.

I've updated all of my blogs, made sure everything I needed to do for my graduate classes was done, and folded a ton of laundry. I also wrote both of my newspaper columns, something I've been on a two month vacation from because of all the graduate assignments I had to get done.

Of course, I still have lots to do before the day is done. There are two manuscripts sitting on my computer that I need to finish editing for clients, three chapters of one of my own novels to polish and get submitted to the editor who requested them, and a screenplay to continue work on.

The likelihood of getting everything finished before sleep and exhaustion overtakes me? Slim to none.

Tonight my husband is taking me out to dinner. The momentous occasion is that tomorrow is my birthday.

On Monday, I'll be back at work, trying my best to get everything done. Yesterday was midterm at the school where I teach, Friday I walk in graduation for my Master's degree, and fewer than twenty school days until summer vacation.

And this bee can't wait until she has more days of the week to spend in her hive, getting her personal writing goals done!

It's Not on the Test

As my classes were frustrated this morning while the school computer system froze during the state U-PASS tests, I checked my email and found this little ditty from a friend of mine. If you are a teacher, you'll probably appreciate the sentiment.

Click on this link to to watch IT'S NOT ON THE TEST

Coming Soon! Season of Salvation: The Movie

Lu Ann Staheli is currently under contract to write the film adaptation of Seasons of Salvation, a novel by Dennis Mangrum. With principal photography to begin early in June, producers plan to release the film in time for the 2008 Christmas season.

“The students piled the packages high on the porch, rapped quickly on the door, and then secreted themselves nearby. Finally, a sleepy-eyed little boy opened the door and stared wide-eyed at the mountain of Christmas presents. Santa's sleigh crashed right here on my porch! In this heartwarming, feel-good story based on an actual event, distrust, abandonment, and lack of hope give way to love and service in an early morning seminary class full of problem kids who help their teacher pay an overdue debt of gratitude.”

Farworld: The Blog Tour

My friend, and a member of my writer's critique group, J. Scott Savage has a new YA fantasy novel, Farworld: Water, that will be released September 5, 2008, from Shadow Mountain.

As part of the promotion for this introductory book in a great new series, Scott and his publisher are preparing to send the ARC (advance reader's copy) of the book to bloggers who would be interested in reading it and writing a review on their blog.

I've already read Farworld: Water in manuscript form and loved it. Participating in this blog tour will allow you to get a copy and read it too. Plus, Shadow Mountain is willing to send along a second copy for you to give to one of your blog readers!

If you're interested, visit the instructions on Scott's blog at: http://jscottsavage.blogspot.com/2008/04/marketing-part-ivthe-blog-tour.html

Be sure to tell him I sent you, and we'll both see you in FARWORLD.

If you want to know more about J.Scott Savage, you can read more from his blog at:

http://jscottsavage.blogspot.com, read his entries on http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/ or listen to the podcast interview I did with him in The Author's Corner at http://luannslibrary.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Author%27s%20Corner

Books, Books and More Books: Parent & Teacher's Guide

Special Offer Books, Books and More Books: A Parent and Teacher's Guide to Adolescent Literature, Vol. 1 CD-ROM version

Successful Teaching Strategies
100 Novel Study Guides
Reading Assessment Chart
Additional Suggested Books

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Special Sale Price: $15.00 plus $2.50 postage/handling
Regular Price: $25.00 SAVE $10.00 while supplies last.
Limited Number Available
Paypal: allstars@prodigy.net
For check or money order, send me an email and I'll send you my address.
luann@luannstaheli.com

Whitney Awards Announced

Tonight was the 1st Annual Whitney Awards for LDS writers, and I'm excited to say my critique group was well-represented.

The first award of the evening, Best Romance/Women's Fiction went to Michele Paige Holmes for "Counting Stars." Michele was up against such heavy-hitters as Rachel Nunes and Stephenie Meyer (yes, the one from Twilight fame). Michele was also a finalist in the Best New Author category.

Next was H. B. (Heather) Moore who won Best Historical for "Out of Jerusalem Book 4: Toward the Promised Land." Annette Lyon (Spires of Stone) was also a finalist for this award, and Heather was also a finalist for Book of the Year.

Congratulations to you all!

To see photos and read the blog about the rest of the evening, visit:
The Whitney Awards.