More MISSING Contests

This week must be contest week, for along with Anne Bradshaw's contest, readers have two more chances to win a copy of MISSING . One from Heather Justesen on Wednesday, December 2. She has a bunch of other great prizes, too. And another at LDS Fiction--this one runs through the entire month of December. Check them out. Even if you've already bought a copy, you might like to give one or more as Christmas presents. I've heard from several people that that is exactly what they're doing.

Happy reading--and giving! :)

Contests and Another Book

TOMORROW, November 25th, Anne Bradshaw will begin a week long give-away contest for my novel, MISSING. Check out her blog for details. But TODAY (or maybe early tomorrow) is the last day to enter this week's contest for a free copy of James Loynes' Christmas Album. I definitely hope I get this one. As you might be able to tell from my novel, I love Christmas and especially Christmas music. If you'd also like a chance to win this album, hop on over to Anne's blog and check out the details.

Also, I'm happy to announce that Mormon Mishaps and Mischief by Nichole Giles and Cindy Beck is now available for pre-order from Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. It will officially be available in bookstores on December 8th. I have a humorous anecdote in the book, the other entries sound like a lot of fun. I bet there are stories in it you could use as an attention getter in your next talk.

Quotes From Readers

"I couldn't put it down! When's your next book coming out?" This is the common theme I've heard from my readers since MISSING was published. Even Bonnie Henington, a reader I'm not sure I've met, left this comment when she requested a free story: "Easily one of the best mysteries I have read. I know we will see it on the Best Seller list. Will be waiting for your next book."

Honestly, I couldn't be more pleased. True, holding the book, witnessing the tangible evidence that I've finally had my book published, was an experience I won't ever forget. But hearing good things from my readers is more than the icing on the cake, it's a form of victory, of goal accomplished, of knowing I've successfully connected with others through my art. When all is said and done, writing, while fraught with work and disappointment, is one of the greatest joys in my life. Readers, you are the best!

Rexburg Signing

I made a quick trip to and from my home town in Rexburg, Idaho a couple of days ago to do a book signing at BYU-Idaho. It was a lot of fun. Not only did I get to know many people I'd never met before, but a few "old" friends showed up, too. One was Marta Smith, a fellow member of Author's Incognito. Once again I was able to connect her with another writer-friend, Michelle Erickson, who also lives in the area. Michelle was actually my Laurel advisor years and years ago. We connected, in part, through our love of writing. Anyway, they're both in need of a critique group, so I'm hoping this association will help them.

The BIG SURPRISE, though, was a visit from a man I used to go to school with. He, along with several other boys, used to have a nickname for me--in teasing. I was never offended by it, but he took the time to apologize. I must say, I was quite impressed by the good man he seems to have grown into. I'd never thought anything bad about him in those days, but I was so glad to see extra goodness in him now. The funny thing? He wanted me to sign his book as "Thanks for the memories" and then sign it with their nickname for me. No, I don't think I'll share that information with you here.

I'll close with a bit of advise. If you go to BYU-Idaho, try to secure a temporary parking pass ahead of time. Otherwise, you might have to make a long walk. Generally, that's not such a bad thing. I usually enjoy the walk. But if you're wearing a dress and carrying a lot of supplies, it's not quite as fun.

Honestly, though, the signing turned out great, and the BYU-Idaho Bookstore staff couldn't have been nicer or more accommodating. The students, too, for that matter. I'd love to go back.

A Signing and a MISSING Review

Busy, busy. But it's a fun busy. On Saturday, I and three other authors, Heather Justesen, Linda Chadwick, and Aubrey Mace, participated in a book signing at the Sandy, UT Barnes and Noble. The store was running a charity book fair that day. I had fun talking with a few people I knew and developing relationships with new readers of my book. I'll post pictures on a later post.

I also just learned Connie Hall posted a review of MISSING on November 8 on her blog. This is one of my favorite lines from her post:

"The characters in the book were real and I could picture each scene." I, of course, also enjoyed comments like, "This is an amazing book and I give it a big 10," but that first line tells me I did my job as an author, and she was fully able to step into my story. That means a great deal to me. Thank you, Connie.

A Fun Day!

Today I paid an author visit to our local middle school where I discussed the topic, "My Path to Publication" with five different English classes. It was a lot of fun, both because I had the chance to associate with old friends (I used to work at the school) and make new friends. I also discovered that many of the students were excited about my book. I don't know if I can express this adequately enough, but there is something truly amazing in knowing that many people are reading and enjoying Missing, my novel! Yes, I've written dozens of articles and stories for magazines, and I know they have influenced an untold number of readers, and I am grateful for that opportunity, but I must say that seeing readers with my book--the middle school library has ten of them!--and hearing they enjoyed it brings a unique kind of pleasure. And gratitude. Thank you, readers. You are awesome!

Just as a side perk--after the successful day, two other teachers asked me to visit their classes next month. Yay!

Now, because this is a how-to-write blog, let me list a few things I learned through my presentation (in no particular order):

1. I initially felt uncomfortable with the idea of talking about myself, but as I prepared, I realized I do have valuable experience to share. Better than that, as I spoke, most of the students really seemed interested. As I've written at the top of the blog, our value and strength is in our individuality.

2. What happens after your book is accepted is a great unknown to students and teachers alike. As authors, we can enlighten them.

3. Listeners like to hear the author read a bit of their book. I hadn't prepared to do this, but the good thing is, I quickly found a short, intriguing section to share, so it turned out well.

4. I brought tootsie rolls. When students asked me questions related to the subject, I gave them one. Some classes asked more questions than others, but they were all so respectful, I gave all a tootsie roll at the end. Note: Generally, this school frowns on teachers, etc., bringing candy to school, so I discussed this idea with the librarian who initially contacted me and she gave her permission to give out tootsie rolls.

5. Try to incorporate humor in your discussion, or at least be prepared to include it as needed.

That's all folks!