UPDATES

I know, I know! I haven't written in a while. My only excuse is I've been really busy with all the announcements I'm about to give you.

1) TRAPPED is now published. My opening night book signing will be at Reflections of Utah in Brigham City from 5-7 on May 6th, just in time for Mother's Day. :) For more information or to read the first chapter of TRAPPED, click here.

2) I've begun to sign copies of MISSING at the Costco in Orem. I will be there several times during the month of May, but MISSING will be there even when I'm not--at a really good price. To see my schedule, click here.

3) I attended the LDS Storymaker's conference last weekend. There were a record number of attendees this year--over 400--and it was, as usual, amazing! A lot of good information and a lot of opportunities to connect with other writers, authors, and publishers--even a few agents.

(Cathy Witbeck--reaquainting with a fellow member of Author's Incognito)

 One of my favorite parts was the boot camp because I had the good fortune to lead one of the groups. Here is a picture of me with my new friends.

(Left to right--Donna Fuller, DeNae Handy, Me, Shawna Coombs, Joyce Smith)

 One of them, Donna Fuller, even placed second in one of the first chapter contests. You go, girl!

Donna Fuller 

That's it for now!

School Visits and an Answered Question

I've been busy doing one of the things I really love, and that's visiting schools and teaching students about writing and "My Path to Publication." It takes a lot of energy to speak to about 100 students every class hour all day, but like I said, I really enjoy it.

As part of my presentation, I have a question and answer session. It's no surprise that the students are very curious about how to get published as well as what happens after you've had a book accepted. Because that has been so interesting to them, I thought you, too, may benefit from a bit of the information I've given them.

In my experience and from everything I've heard from other authors, once you contract with a publisher to publish your book, it becomes a product to them that they want to sell. Since the cover and title are a big part of their marketing plan, the publisher has all control over them. The good news, though, is publishers usually hire knowledgeable people to come up with titles and covers they believe will best sell your book. While this might seem a bit hard to swallow, the good news is I have never been disappointed with my publisher's choices, both in my magazine articles and with MISSING. True, a few changes took me a bit of time getting used to, but overall, my experience has been a good one and I've learned to trust my publishers' marketing departments.

So, a bit of advice. While you're looking at which publishers to submit your books to, look at their current books and see if you like their covers and titles, because once your book is published, it will likely keep both for a long time to come.

One more good thing! I do get to keep my title to my second novel, TRAPPED, which will be published later this year. I'm definitely excited about that, because I have always liked this title.

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 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!