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. :)

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. :)

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.

I Won!

I can hardly believe it! After Friday's exciting news about MISSING's cover and approximate publication date, now this! On Saturday, I attended the League of Utah Writer's conference in Midway, Utah. There I learned I won 1st place in their full length novel contest for my newly written book, TRAPPED. I'm still grinning. Can this be real?

I've Joined Another Writing Group

Guess what? Thanks to fellow writer Joyce DiPastena, I've found and joined a "G-rated, Romance Writing Group! I'm so excited because it has been sooo hard to find both authors and publishers outside the LDS market who write/publish romance that isn't embarrassing to read. It's called the Sweetest Romance Authors, and our blog is located here and at the button in my sidebar. If you like clean, yet exciting stories that are rich with real romance, you really ought to check it out, and keep checking it out, because our list of published titles is quickly growing. You can bet my LDS novel, MISSING, will be among them. Grin.

What I Learned at the Best-Seller Seminar

As I thought, the How To Become a Bestseller teleseminar was an opportunity for the speakers to sell a service, kind of like the opportunities we sometimes receive to buy timeshares at resorts. However, also as I'd expected, I did learn a few things about marketing. Their particular system was guaranteed to work (if you use their service and do everything they tell you to do) for non-fiction books, but it only applied to fiction that contained some type of help for it's readers.

Nevertheless, I did learn a few helpful tips, including this advice: when we choose a day or two for our media blitz (I think it applies to book signings, too), we should avoid certain days. Two of those are any of the days during the week of a national holiday and Saturdays.

Another one was once we attain bestsellerdom, no one can take that title from us. We will always be a bestseller, and we should taut that on our websites, etc.

Something for me to reach for, I guess.

How to Make Your Book a Bestseller Seminar

Earlier this week, I signed up for a free, one-and-a-half to two-hour teleseminar on how to make almost any book a bestseller in 38 days. Since my book, Missing, will come out within the next few months, I thought it would be well worth my while to check into it. It takes place in about an hour from now. All I have to do is call in and listen. My only cost is the telephone bill, and since we already have free long distance within the US, even that cost is a wash. Tomorrow, I'll let you know how it went and a little bit about what I learned. Deal?

I've Created a "Book Store"

I've just added a sidebar link to my own bookstore (top of page). It includes direct purchase links to my recommended, "How To Write" books, my favorite fiction, and eventually my own published novels. I've often referred to these books on this post, because they've been so helpful to me throughout my writing "apprenticeship," and I thought it would help you, as my readers, find them easier, too.

An Announcement and a Contest

I know I said I'd continue with my discussion about show and tell, but this information was just too noteworthy to pass up. But don't worry, I will get back to "show" in a few days.

As for today . . .

First, my friends Nichole Giles and Cindy Beck have a book coming out in December titled, "Mormon Mishaps and Mischief." It consists of humorous anecdotes related to LDS life, and I AM ONE OF THE CONTRIBUTORS! So make sure you keep an eye out for it. It would make a fun gift.

Second, I've recently learned of a great opportunity--a contest--for all you writers out there. LDS Publisher is holding a Christmas Story contest RIGHT NOW, and the winning entries will be published in a Christmas book this year! You really ought to check this one out.

Happy reading and writing.

An Interview with Josi Kilpack about the Teen Writer's Conference

RONDA: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

JOSI: I’m a mother of four, ages 15-7, and an author of 9 novels, with a tenth coming out in August. I have been a member of multiple writing groups, large and small, and a committee member and former conference chair for numerous writer’s conferences. In addition, I’m a frequent presenter to schools and groups, a fabulous cook (if I do say so myself) and amateur chicken farmer.

RONDA: You are the conference chairperson for an upcoming writers' conference for kids. Please tell us about the purpose of the conference.

JOSI: Several of the committee members and myself have been involved with putting together writing conferences for several years. We started small and have grown until our most recent conference had well over 250 attendants. Over the years, we have had some teenagers attend our conference, and while they have enjoyed the experience, it seems to also be a bit overwhelming to walk into a two day, morning to night information-fest. So, we began discussing the idea of having a conference where the format, classes, and overall environment is created specifically to give youth, ages 13-19, the best overall introduction to writing conferences as well as instruction that will be most helpful to where they are now on their journey of being a writer. From there we started throwing out ideas and it really just rolled all together until we have this; THE Teen Writer’s Conference.

RONDA: What is your purpose for the conference? What do you hope the teens who come discover?

JOSI: Our hope is that the attendees will discover a lot of things: 1) They are not the only kids that write, 2) Whatever goals or ambitions they might have in regard to becoming a writer are within reach, and 3) It takes knowledge and time and concerted effort to accomplish those goals. Those of us on the committee, all of us being writers ourselves, have spent years honing our craft and are excited to help set these kids on that same path—perhaps earlier than we ever started.

RONDA: What kind of classes will you be offering?

JOSI: We will have classes that focus on actual elements of writing, as well as classes on book markets, the publishing process, and what attendees can do now to best prepare themselves for a future in writing. We have a variety of classes which will appeal to both new and experienced writers.

RONDA: What if a teen would like to come, but is really shy? Will there be anything that will put him or her at unease?

JOSI: Our entire focus and reason for putting this conference together is to create a comfortable place for young writers to come, learn, and flourish. We have been and will continue to put their comfort as our first priority, because we know if they are intimidated and anxious, they will not benefit from this experience. However, we also expect them to be ready for this experience. Each youth, along with their parents, will need to determine if they are ready to be a part of this. Not all teen writers will be, and that’s okay. We hope to make this an annual event, so if this year won’t work, then perhaps by next year they will be ready.

RONDA: What is your overall goal for every youth that attends the Teen Writers' Conference?

JOSI: That they leave encouraged and inspired to do their best, to hone their craft, and to truly reach for the stars in regard to their writing and their life. We also hope they will make friends with one another and feel a sense of community among other writers their own age.

RONDA: How were you able to get such excellent editors and famous writers to attend?

JOSI: Well, in all humility I have to admit that they are my friends—my very good friends. We are like-minded people that saw a common goal and made it happen. I admire each and every person on this committee, and understand the sacrifice they each make to be a part of this. We are joined in this purpose as well as in our passion for great writing. I am blessed to rub shoulders with some of the best writer’s out there and the attendees get to benefit from that gift in my life.

RONDA: When is it and how do teens register?

JOSI: Registration is open for another 4 weeks. To register, attendees need to go to the website http://www.teenwritersconference.com/ and print off the registration form. Those attendees under the age of 17 will need parental permission to attend; then they will mail the completed registration, along with payment, to the address printed on the page. They and their parent will receive a welcome e-mail upon receipt of their registration as well as updates as the conference gets closer. Updates will also be posted on the website.

RONDA: Finally, this conference is for 13 to 19 year olds. Why that age group?

JOSI: We discussed this issue at length, and then simply decided since it was a TEEN conference, we would make it open to TEENS only. We feel that having them among their peers will help them relax and yet be willing to ask questions, meet other kids, and focus on the instruction we’re providing. For the older attendees, this will likely be a kind of introduction to adult-focused writer’s conferences, showing them what to expect and how the typical conference is organized. For the younger attendees, we hope they will come back year after year and continue learning about what they can do in the future.

RONDA: Any other information you'd like to share?

JOSI: We’ve had some parents express concern in regard to leaving their children at the conference without them. Again, this conference isn’t right for all teens, or all parents, but we do ask that parents consider the value of letting their children experience the independent nature of this conference. As a committee, we are dedicated to their safety and comfort; they will come to no harm while attending. And while we ask that parents stay clear of the conference rooms, there are many places on campus that are great for reading or getting some other work done if they worry about going too far away. We will also allow attendees to keep cell-phones on silent throughout the conference so that parents are only a phone call. For those attendees without cell-phones, they are welcome to use a committee members phone at any time.

RONDA: Where can people go to find more information, and especially to learn about the writing contest made available just for those who attend?

JOSI: http://www.teenwritersconference.com/ has all the details of the conference, contest, venue, etc. If something is not answered, there are e-mail links that will send you to us so we can give you the details you are looking for.

RONDA: Thank you very much, Josi. This sounds like an event teen writers won't want to miss.

My Book--Publication and Signings

Within the last few days, I not only received another, slightly modified copy of the contract from my publisher to peruse, but I also learned that Missing is scheduled to be published in June. Yay! We also discussed some of the ins and outs about scheduling book signings, so now I'm busily trying to finish the first draft of my current book, TRAPPED, before this weekend's Storymaker's conference; working on promotion ideas; and putting together the front and back matter pages, like dedications, acknowledgements, blurbs, and bio info. It's busy, busy, and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed; but it's an exciting overwhelmed. This is a place I've wanted to be for, well, since I was twelve years old. I won't say how many years ago that was.

TEEN WRITERS CONFERENCE

Hey, everyone! If you're a teen or if you know a teen who's dreaming of becoming a writer, check out this amazing opportunity! I'd have loved to have attended something like The Teen Writer's Conference when I was a teen. It will be a one day event held at Weber State University in Ogden, UT on June 6, 2009. Presenters will include award winning authors and editors (I will be one of them!), and we'll even host a writing conference. Check out the link here or on my sidebar. You won't be disappointed.

My Book Title and More

Throughout the past few days, I've been in contact with my editor, Linda Prince, at Leatherwood Press. She's let me know my book will be titled MISSING, and they intend to publish it this summer--the date is yet to be determined. We've also been discussing marketing opportunities--signings at a certain store chain--throughout the summer. I'm hesitant to give any more details than that before they're set in stone, but it's looking pretty good. I've also published my website. It's still a work in progress, but there is still some good information there, including a chapter I omitted from the final book. It's an event that takes place several years before MISSING does, but it deeply affects my main character, Stacie Cox, throughout the book. You can find that chapter on the "Behind Missing" tab.

My Book to Be Published!

It's finally happened. Two days ago, a publisher offered to publish Flip-Flop. THIS YEAR! This title will change, however, which I don't mind because they've had some of the same concerns about the title that I've had.

The biggest concern, to me, was the fact that "Flip-Flop" seemed too lighthearted for the suspenseful, romantic book that it is. I've suggested my other favorite title, Distraction (I think I referred to it under this name in an earlier post), but I'll just have to wait and see what the publisher says.

Now, as far as the publisher goes, I think I'll keep who it is a secret for now because I haven't yet signed a contract with them. Be sure to check back, though. I'll most definitely reveal their name when that time comes.

And by the way, during the coming months, I'll also post my steps to publication here for you. In doing so, I'm hoping it will help you, my readers, be a bit more prepared when your book publishing opportunity rears its grateful head.

Happy writing and publishing!

LDS Storymakers Conference

In case you haven't heard, LDS Storymakers has announced their 2009 writer's conference. It will be held at the Marriott Hotel in Provo, UT on April 24th and 25th. I believe I've said this before, but it's worth saying again: If you can at all swing it, you really ought to attend this conference. The Storymakers conferences are among the best writing conferences I've ever been to, for not only do they provide the opportunity to meet editors and agents, but their classes are informative for both new and experienced writers. Here's the link so you can check it out for yourself: LDStorymakers.
Hope to see you there!

Promotion: A Call for Articles

In the spirit of "Word of Mouth" promotion (see my previous blog), and to give all you writers a publishing opportunity, I've decided to include this "call for articles" as today's blog. Good luck!

Share Some Humor (Published and unpublished authors alike are invited to submit!)

Nichole Giles and Cindy (C.L.) Beck are actively seeking humorous, true, anecdotal stories of Latter-Day Saint goofs and gaffs at church, for a book that is being considered for publication by Covenant.Whether your story takes place in Sacrament meeting, Relief Society, Priesthood, Young Men and Women, Primary, at a ward party, or at any ol' Mormon meeting (and face it, we have plenty of meetings from which to garner bloopers), we welcome them all.We seek unpublished, narrative, nonfictional anecdotes that read like fiction. Stories must be humorous, original, in English, typed, titled, and up to 170 words. You don't need to be a published author to submit, but if you are, we welcome your submissions as well.There are no entry fees ... but then again, there aren't any prizes, either! Well, except for the prize of the opportunity to spread a little laughter, and a chance to get your name and website listed in a book that is being considered for publication by Covenant. Ooo, that means a possible publishing credit for you, too.

Selections for the book will be made by committee. Because of that, it won't do any good to call Cindy or Nichole—or to bang on their doors—begging them to accept one more story. (Although we have heard whispers that some on the committee might consider a chocolate bribe.)

Guidelines
Submissions must be true, humorous anecdotes that have taken place at an LDS church or at an LDS church-related function. Stories must be UNPUBLISHED. Stories that have been previously published in books, magazines, e-zines, websites, blogs or other forms of publication will NOT be considered.They must be double-spaced, titled, in English, with a word count up to 170.They may not contain the names of the individuals involved (we don't want to get sued because Sister BlubberPuss and Brother ToeJams saw their name in print), and can not give ward or stake names.

Email submissions to ldshumor at yahoo dot com. No attachments—please copy and paste your submission into the body of the email. One submission per email, but feel free to submit as many stories as you like. In fact, we encourage this! Include your full name, mailing address, email address, and phone number.

DEADLINE:
February 15, 2008. You can also view the guidelines, along with two sample stories at: www.nicholegiles.com/submissions.html
www.bythebecks.com/submissions.html