And the winner is . . .

Ilean P. Congratulations, you won the $50 gift certificate to Olive Garden.

In Case You Haven't Heard . . .

. . . there's a great internet service for readers and writers called LDSbookcorner.com. Anyone can stop by, browse their store, and purchase books directly from them. But what I think is the best part of this service is every week, all those who've signed up for their mailing list, receives via e-mail, the first chapter or so of a different book over the course of each weekday. For example, MISSING will be featured this week, beginning December 28th. That means that each day, subscribers will receive a portion of MISSING in their inbox, have the opportunity to read it, and then if they like, purchase it. What a great way to find out if you like a book before you purchase it. Anyway, if you haven't already signed up for this service, I encourage you to do so--soon!

Signing at Confetti Books in Spanish Fork

One of the best parts of book signings is getting to know and associate with good people, and I wasn't disappointed when on Friday, the 18th, I travelled to Spanish Fork to take part in an event held by Confetti Books and Antiques. I was there during the early hours, so only a few customers stopped by the store, but among them was Nichole Giles, a fellow member of Author's Incognito and co-author of Mormon Mishaps and Mayhem.

There were also two other authors signing that morning/early afternoon with me. A self-published author, Tom Davis, and the well-known, LDS author, Gale Sears. Gale's most recent book is The Route. Tom has had a full, well-rounded, interesting past that has provided him with many stories to share. Gale is a kind-hearted, "real" person. I immediately liked her, quickly admired her goodness, and look forward to meeting her again.

Promoting and Writing

About Promoting:
Since the release of MISSING, most of my posts have been related to promoting my book rather than to writing. I don't feel bad about that, because much of my work as an author is the promotion of both my work and myself. However, I have always believed that the first step in promotion was to write the best book I could. After that, my goal has been to get as many people as I can to read my book. Hopefully, they will like it enough that they will tell others about it, and hopefully some of them will buy it, like it, and tell others and . . . word of mouth takes over. That's my hope. That's also my advice to aspiring writers.

So with that introduction, I'll now promote MISSING by letting you know I will be signing copies of MISSING at Confetti's Antiques and Books in Spanish Fork, UT on Friday, December 18, 2009, from 10 a.m.-noon. If you're in the area, please stop by. I'd love to see ya.

Also, MISSING reviews have been popping up all over the web. When I come across them, I add them to my sidebar. Why don't you take a look at some of them?

About writing:
Writing doesn't end when promotiong begins. They work hand in hand. In fact, although I'm busily promoting MISSING, I am also tweeking/marketing my second novel and gathering information and ideas for my third. It's a lot of work, but for me, it's the life I've always dreamed of. :)

Word of Mouth and Friends

Advertisers know the best way to promote a product is through word of mouth, so it becomes their--our--challenge to find ways to foster that word of mouth process. Since MISSING was released in October, I've learned that one of the best ways to do this is to establish connections with people. When I say "connections," I don't mean we need to try to rub shoulders--or brown noses--with the rich and famous or even our bosses. We simply need to emotionally/mentally/physically connect with people. Gather friends. Care about others and let them know you care about them.

Creating and visiting/commenting on blogs is one of the ways we connect with people. So is joining groups whose members have interests similar to your own. In fact, it's initially because of connections I've made over the years that MISSING has spread both in cyberspace and in my community. These dear people have bought my book, read it, and recommended it to others. And I am grateful.

In conclusion, as both an example of word of mouth as well as a chance to reciprocate, I happily announce the release of two new books.

The first, as I've already mentioned is MORMON MISHAPS AND MISCHIEF by Cindy Beck and Nichole Giles. It is a compilation of humorous, true events that have happened in church settings. One of my stories is in the book--yay--but even more importantly, their book launching party is tonight at the Orem Barnes & Noble from 6-9 p.m. Check here for more information and to read of other opportunities to meet these fun and talented authors.

The second is by new author, Mary Greathouse. She has come up with a way to help us organize our important family information and documents. It's called "Family Record Keeper," and as part of her online launch of this product, she's offering a contest for a free copy of the book. Check it out here.

Happy connecting!

AMAZING NEWS Plus Another Winner and Contest

Guess what? I recently found out MISSING is the #1 Best Seller at the bookstore, Reflections of Utah, in Brigham City and #2 next to "Hunger Games" in Box Elder Middle School's library. Amazing! It's hard for me to believe, and yet I know it's because so many of you have spread the word about my book. Thank you.

I also learned that Heather Justesen's great give-away contest has come to a close, and we now have another winner of MISSING. It's Chris and Laura Zemp from Nevada. Congratulations!

And then, just tonight I learned that another writer, Marta O. Smith, reviewed MISSING on her blog and is also running a 12 days of Christmas contest where a copy of MISSING is one of the prizes. Go check out her blog and leave a comment. That's all you have to do to enter. :)

We Have Our First Winner!

Martha E. of Review of Martha's Bookshelf won an autographed copy of MISSING during Anne Bradshaw's contest. Congratulations, Martha!