Life is So Sweet

Because Earth life is what it is, we all go through a certain amount of stress. We also go through a certain amount of joy that makes us step back and really appreciate all we have. I've been counting my blessings lately that I get to work in an industry I love, and now as the senior editor for Valor Publishing Group LLC, I have the opportunity to work with an amazing team of publishing professionals and some of the most talented new authors in the country. One of those new authors is Utah State Attorney General Mark L. Shurtleff.

When I was first asked to edit Mark's novel, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. Was he getting all this attention just because he's the Attorney General? Was Valor publishing his book just because he's running for Senate? I opened the file and my jaw dropped. Mark's writing is brilliant, lyrical, and masterful. I have genuinely enjoyed every minute I have spent working on this manuscript. Again, I say, life is sweet.

And it gets even sweeter - from now until Labor Day, you can preorder a copy of Mark's novel, "Am I Not a Man: The Dred Scott Story" for a special price. This is an heirloom-quality, first edition book, personally autographed by Mark and delivered to your door before you could get it off a store shelf. Click here for more information.

In addition, if you believe strongly in freedom and you would like to share your feelings through the written word, Valor is sponsoring an essay contest. You can win a dinner for two with Mark Shurtleff and a copy of the book. Click here to read more about that.

This book is the next must-have publication for you and your family, library, and school. Read all about it now and learn how the actions of this one brave man, Dred Scott, shaped the nation we live in today.

Me and Gerald Lund

Gerald Lund recently released a novel about the Hole in the Rock pioneers titled, "The Undaunted." As soon as the book was announced, I started getting e-mails from friends and readers all over the country, wondering how I was taking the news. They knew I had struggled to get my book on the same topic published, and they wanted to make sure I was all right. I assured them I was.

You can't copyright an idea, and you certainly can't copyright a historical event. It is true that I feel I have a special right to tell the story - a key figure in the event, Benjamin Perkins, was my great-great-grandfather and I wrote my book from his life story and volumes of family history. I have often felt the hand of my ancestors in the writing of my novel, and I truly feel that "Season of Sacrifice" was the book I was meant to write, why I was created to be an author. But that doesn't mean others can't tell the story as well. Mine is more focused and centered on a few characters while theirs are more broad and take in a larger spectrum of characters. The books might tell the same story, but they naturally cover different aspects and I'm very pleased with the attention Brother Lund is receiving for his book. The more people who know the story of these intrepid pioneers, the better.

I do have one concern, though. I know that it's impossible to catch every little bit of information as you research, and I know from experience that there's always something that slips through the cracks, no matter how careful you are. But I was in Walmart today and picked up a copy of Lund's book to peruse, and in the back, saw a notation that Benjamin and his wife Mary Ann were buried in the Bluff cemetery. That is incorrect. Benjamin, Mary Ann, and Benjamin's second wife Sarah are all buried in the Monticello cemetery. I visited there just one month ago. Here I am, at their gravesides, with my dad:It's an easy mistake to make, but as the descendant of Benjamin Perkins, it does leap out, as does Blaine Yorganson's description of Sarah as being a somewhat flighty young thing with a definite Oklahoma-style drawl. Sarah was actually very serious-minded and spoke very little English at the time of the trek.

In response to the numerous questions I've been asked, there are no sour grapes on my part. Yes, I would have liked to get the attention and the sales Brother Lund is now getting. But my book went to those who needed it the most - my family - and I feel I accomplished with it the things I was meant to accomplish. I wish Brother Lund all the best and I hope many of his readers come to appreciate the sacrifices made by those wonderful pioneers, and perhaps if they'd ever like a closer-up view of Benjamin, Mary Ann, and Sarah, they'll keep me in mind.

Note: I inadvertently caused some confusion with my mention of Blaine Yorgason out in the middle of a post about Gerald Lund's book and I'd like to clarify - it's in Yorgason's book where Sarah drawls, not in Lund's.

Playing Catch-Up

I have nothing more to say about Rob Wells, at least at this time, so I'm moving on to other things. I realized this morning that there are a few items of business I need to catch you all up on.

First of all, I've been a little quiet on this blog but not in Blogland itself. I'm now a regular contributor to two other blogs - the Valor Publishing blog and Pushing Past the Pounds, a blog I started to chart my weight loss journey, and where I'm joined by several friends. Come check them out - they're both pretty cool.

In addition, my new release "Agent in Old Lace" just hit #20 on the Deseret Book bestseller list for general fiction. Wooohoooo!!

Tomorrow I'll be telling you all about the first project we're releasing through Valor Publishing, so be sure to head back over here and read all about it.

And that'll do me for now. As you were.

The Robison Wells Drama Continues

I've apparently put my foot in it again without even realizing it.

The other day, I posted a blog detailing some of Rob's (alleged) activities since the proclamation of Rob Wells Day. In that blog, I said, (and I quote myself,)

Another reader reports that he made copies of my blog and sent them by the caseload to his fellow bloggers over at Six LDS Writers and a Frog. He enclosed notes to each of them, his note to the Frog reading: "Take that, fly breath."

I returned home from LDSBA last night to find the following e-mail in my box.

Dear Ms. Pinkston,

We here at the Society for Promoting the Awareness of the Importance of the Proper Treatment of All Amphibians and Likewise-related Creatures (The SPAIPTAALC)were shocked at the callous manner in which you quoted the letter sent by Mr. Robison Wells to The Frog. It is bad enough that the letter was sent in the first place, but to have that level of crassness furthered by you, on your blog, is more than can reasonably be tolerated by our membership.

Perhaps, Ms. Pinkston, you are unaware how difficult it is to be an amphibian in today's society. Indeed, our national spokesfrog Kermit summed it up with his song, "It's Not Easy Being Green," which is sung at every gathering of the SPAIPTAALC. We push forward from day to day, ignoring the slights and the ridicule, doing our best to hold down jobs and provide for the little tadpoles. We harm no one. And yet you, without any thought for our position or feelings, repeated one of the most hurtful insults one can hurl at an amphibian. Shame on you, Ms. Pinkston. Shame on you for your thoughtlessness.

We are hereby canceling our subscription to Tristi Pinkston Weekly and will no longer be frequenting your restaurant in Soho.

Wow. That was pretty harsh. But it's true - I really had no idea I was being so thoughtless, and I do apologize for that. I hope that frogs, toads, salamanders, and their brothers and sisters everywhere can forgive me.

Moving on to happier news, Wednesday morning Kerry Blair moderated an intervention between Rob and the other members of the Six LDS Writers and a Frog team. Rob and the Frog were both reduced to tears as they expressed their love for each other and slapped each other on the back in a man-hug. Jeff, Julie, Stephanie, and Sariah all looked on with approval, and, I dare say, a few tears themselves.

However, I caught this image on film at LDSBA on Wednesday afternoon:As nearly as I can remember, this is how the conversation went.

Jeff: I'm telling you, I don't think Rob's tears were authentic. He can turn them on and off at will, and I think he was just trying to smooth things over. You weren't there. You didn't see it.

James: Whatever, man.

Seriously, folks, I'm really sorry for stirring up this whole hornet's nest. Sheesh, you try to do something nice for someone, and it turns into a whole blog series and you're offending frogs and tears are shed and you just wonder if it was all worth it. I'm rethinking my plan to proclaim September 14th "Peanut Butter Appreciation Day." I can just hear the negative feedback now.

Sheila and Shanda and Tristi - Oh, My!

I had a lot of fun on the LDS Women's Book Review podcast back in May, when Sheila and Shanda spent a couple of hours chatting with me. The interview is up now, here, if you'd like to check it out!

It Was a Nice Thought ...

The other day, I proclaimed a Rob Wells Appreciation Day and we all enjoyed a trip down Memory Lane to relive some of Rob's greatest blogs ever. When I did that, I had no idea of the repercussions that would arise from my actions, and quite frankly, I've been a bit surprised. Over the course of the last few days, I've received numerous reports detailing Rob's reaction to the proclamation. I'll condense here for brevity, but apparently the whole thing went a bit to his head.

- One blog reader saw him out on the sidewalk, wearing a sign saying, "Down with Pioneer Day! Celebrate Rob Wells Day instead!"

- Another reader reports that he made copies of my blog and sent them by the caseload to his fellow bloggers over at Six LDS Writers and a Frog. He enclosed notes to each of them, his note to the Frog reading: "Take that, fly breath."

- He allegedly plans to run for governor in the next election (His slogan is, "If SuperDell can do it, why not Rob Wells? After all, Rob has his own day." Yeah, I thought that was a little long for a slogan, too).

- He has allegedly petitioned for Utah to change the state flag to one bearing his picture right in the center, surrounded by laurel leaves.

- Rumor has it he'll be appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight to plug his new book, "Robison Wells: the Man, the Blogger, the Floatbuilder - a Modern-day Noah." (Yeah, that title is a little long, too - apparently he needs to work on that).

- He's (allegedly) meeting with city planning officials in California to discuss changing the Hollywood sign to read "Robbywood." He argues that it's really a very simple fix and he can do it himself with some lumber and nails.

Honestly, dear readers, I had no idea he would take my little tribute so much to heart. All I meant to do was express my appreciation for his tremendous talent ... and it backfired on me. I shall be very careful with the content of all my blogs in future, lest I incite another riot on this scale.

The Complete Novel Plotting Workbook - Weston Elliott

The most amazing thing happened to me the other day. I was writing along on about page 140 of my rough draft, and all of a sudden, it occurred to me who the bad guy was. I love it when that happens!

Yes, I do write books without knowing what's going to happen next. It's kind of fun, toddling along, going where the mood strikes, seeing how the characters interact with each other and chuckling at the things they throw in there. It's liberating to scamper down the creative path and see where it leads. The problem with this, however, is that once you see where the path leads, you have to go back and put markers along the way to make the outcome possible. You have to plant clues or place characters in different locations or change her name to Jenny - whatever it necessary to make the ending plausible. And that can get a little frustrating.

This is why I'm so fascinated by the idea presented in Weston Elliott's new creation, "The Complete Novel Plotting Workbook." It's just a simple book, really, held together with metal rings, and completely ready to be written in. From the first page, you are given a path and shown how to create an outline for your story that you then follow to create a cohesive tale. The first section is called "World Building," and you write down what type of environment your story will take place in, from its name to its landscape to the system of government that exists there. You then move on to in-depth character sketches, from your major to your secondary characters, through to the incidental characters. We analyze our plot ideas and structures. Then, you head into perhaps the most interesting part of all - breaking it down into chapters. What will happen in chapter one? What characters are involved, what portion of the story will be covered here? By the time you have filled out each page in this workbook, all you have to do is sit down and write the book. You know exactly what should happen when, and if something needs to be fixed, you can just grab your notebook. Should he eat a tuna sandwich for lunch instead of cheese (thereby, getting mercury poisoning which ends up being his cause of death)? You know, from your notes, that he ate lunch in chapter five, and so you can fix it easily.

Perhaps the thing I like best about this workbook is the way in which it makes writing a novel seem easier by breaking it down into steps. Let's face it - writing a novel is daunting. It's something that many people want to do, but when they look at the work that goes into it, many decide that perhaps they won't do it after all. By breaking the process down into steps, and then showing you how to analyze those steps and bring them together, "The Complete Novel Plotting Workbook" makes it all so much simpler. I think that if more people had a copy of this workbook, they would overcome their hesitancy and move to Novel Writing Land, and that's a very happy place to live.

You can get your own copy of "The Complete Novel Plotting Workbook" here.