Ramblings of an author, editor, media reviewer, homeschooling mommy, and headless chicken.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
New Release! The Secret by Taryn A. Taylor
Seventeen-year-old Delanie Hart has a past she wants to keep hidden. Moving to a new state and attending a new high school seems to be just the thing - until she accidentally sees a mark exactly like her own. When the people she is running from come after her, Lanie is left with a choice - give up what she wants or save her friends.
Buy it here or here
About the Author:
Taryn A. Taylor grew up moving from small town to small town every few years. This helped her gain an appreciation for good books, loyal friends, and the fact that a home is a lot more than a house - it's the people that love you. After receiving a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Communications, she finally began putting all of her stories down on paper, finding it most helpful to eat chocolate during this process. In between raising four amazing boys she loves to go on dates with her husband and watch movies late into the night.
Find Taryn at:
Blog
Twitter: @tarynataylor
Facebook: Taryn A. Taylor
Buy it here or here
About the Author:
Taryn A. Taylor grew up moving from small town to small town every few years. This helped her gain an appreciation for good books, loyal friends, and the fact that a home is a lot more than a house - it's the people that love you. After receiving a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Communications, she finally began putting all of her stories down on paper, finding it most helpful to eat chocolate during this process. In between raising four amazing boys she loves to go on dates with her husband and watch movies late into the night.
Find Taryn at:
Blog
Twitter: @tarynataylor
Facebook: Taryn A. Taylor
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Guest Post: Wendy Knight on My Favorite Part of Writing
I've had the chance to meet and get to know author Wendy Knight over the course of the last year, and she's a lot of fun. I was super excited for her when she got her contract, and now I get to help her spread the word about her new release. Without further ado, I give you Wendy Knight.
I love to write. I’ve always loved to write, since I was teeny tiny and could only hold fat crayons. I never gave much thought as to why that was until recently – because if you think about it, where is the joy in writing? You sit at a computer, all hunched over and awkward, and you stare at a blank screen and torture yourself trying to think of words that aren’t cliché or boring or wrong. And don’t even get me started on the grammar and punctuation dungeon!
So what is it? I think for everyone it’s a bit different.
I’ve heard lots of writer friends say it’s like magic, creating something out
of nothing. For me, though, it’s bringing my daydreams to life. I get ideas
from everywhere, as I think most creative people do. The weirdest was when I
was driving down the road and I saw four black SUVs driving in a line, and my
weird little brain starting whirling around ideas about them driving off to
save the world…ahem. Anyway, I get an idea, and it blooms into a full-fledged
daydream, and I want to share it, to bring it to life and see my characters
take on an existence of their own. I get a rush just writing the first words of
a new story (that rush dies about five thousand words in, but still). So my
favorite part of writing? It’s seeing the dreams in my head come to life on
paper, and know that I did that.
Nothing makes a new school suck worse than discovering the guy you’re in love with is your prophesied nemesis.
Ari is the most powerful flame-throwing sorceress ever, and her people’s last hope in an ancient war. But she’s also a seventeen-year-old girl, and in her free, not-hunting-nemesis times, she jumps from school to school, trying to figure out regular people her own age and pretending she’ll get the chance to graduate.
Shane lives a double life. He goes to school and masters the art of popularity, hiding the fact that he has a fate with a slim chance of his survival. He’s destined to end a 300-year-old war by killing or being killed. He knows he’s hunted by a powerful enemy who’s not afraid to die. Only problem? He has no idea who that enemy is.
When Ari shows up at Shane’s school, angry and sullen and determined to keep him at arm’s reach, neither of them realize they are supposed to be killing each other, not falling in love. Until Ari does realize it, and she almost dies – by Shane’s hand.
Author Bio: Wendy Knight was born and raised in Utah by a wonderful family who spoiled her rotten because she was the baby. Now she spends her time driving her husband crazy with her many eccentricities (no water after five, terror when faced with a live phone call, etcetera, etcetera). She also enjoys chasing her three adorable kids, playing tennis, watching football, reading, and hiking. Camping is also big: her family is slowly working toward a goal of seeing all the National Parks in the U.S. You can usually find her with at least one Pepsi nearby, wearing ridiculously high heels for whatever the occasion may be. And if everything works out just right, she will also be writing.
Find Wendy ...
On Twitter @wjk8099
On her blog
Buy her book here or here or here
***
I love to write. I’ve always loved to write, since I was teeny tiny and could only hold fat crayons. I never gave much thought as to why that was until recently – because if you think about it, where is the joy in writing? You sit at a computer, all hunched over and awkward, and you stare at a blank screen and torture yourself trying to think of words that aren’t cliché or boring or wrong. And don’t even get me started on the grammar and punctuation dungeon!
Nothing makes a new school suck worse than discovering the guy you’re in love with is your prophesied nemesis.
Ari is the most powerful flame-throwing sorceress ever, and her people’s last hope in an ancient war. But she’s also a seventeen-year-old girl, and in her free, not-hunting-nemesis times, she jumps from school to school, trying to figure out regular people her own age and pretending she’ll get the chance to graduate.
Shane lives a double life. He goes to school and masters the art of popularity, hiding the fact that he has a fate with a slim chance of his survival. He’s destined to end a 300-year-old war by killing or being killed. He knows he’s hunted by a powerful enemy who’s not afraid to die. Only problem? He has no idea who that enemy is.
When Ari shows up at Shane’s school, angry and sullen and determined to keep him at arm’s reach, neither of them realize they are supposed to be killing each other, not falling in love. Until Ari does realize it, and she almost dies – by Shane’s hand.
Author Bio: Wendy Knight was born and raised in Utah by a wonderful family who spoiled her rotten because she was the baby. Now she spends her time driving her husband crazy with her many eccentricities (no water after five, terror when faced with a live phone call, etcetera, etcetera). She also enjoys chasing her three adorable kids, playing tennis, watching football, reading, and hiking. Camping is also big: her family is slowly working toward a goal of seeing all the National Parks in the U.S. You can usually find her with at least one Pepsi nearby, wearing ridiculously high heels for whatever the occasion may be. And if everything works out just right, she will also be writing.
Find Wendy ...
On Twitter @wjk8099
On her blog
Buy her book here or here or here
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Altercation by Tamara Hart Heiner
Visions of death plague Jayne, who thinks watching her boyfriend die is the worst that could happen to her. But when she witnesses a murder, Jayne finds herself caught up in a dangerous world of intrigue and suspense.
As it turns out, she is not the only one doing the stalking. The killer is on to her, and all of her visions of the dying don't reveal how her life will end. Somehow, she must stop the murderer before he arranges Jayne's own inevitable death.
First page
Available on Amazon.com, Smashwords.com, Barnes & Noble.com, and Kobo.com!
After an awesome ebook launch on Facebook, Tamara's trying hard to top that with the paperback. So here's the plan:
1) For the entire month of March, every comment on Tamara's blog gets entered into a drawing to win a HARD COPY of one of her books. (You get to choose which one!)
2) Leave a comment on THIS BLOG for a chance to win ALL of her young adult ebooks!
3) Enter the Goodreads Giveaway for another chance to win Inevitable.
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Inevitable
by Tamara Hart Heiner
Giveaway ends April 02, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Are we ready??? Get set! Go!
About the author: I live in Arkansas with my husband and three children, two crazy boys and one pretty little princess. I used to spend a lot of time writing until I had a baby and discovered Facebook. Now you'll often find me on there pretending to have a social life.
I am the author of three young adult suspense novels, PERILOUS, ALTERCATION, and INEVITABLE. You can find out more about what I'm writing and catch deleted scenes from my books on my blog at http://tamarahartheiner.blogspot.com.
Monday, March 18, 2013
A Gaze into Heaven by Marlene Sullivan Bateman
Gaze Into Heaven is a carefully compiled collection of more than 50 near-death experiences that occurred during the early years of the Church. These documented accounts give fascinating glimpses into the Spirit World by those who have actually been there. Besides being filled with stories of insight and inspiration, Gaze Into Heaven has pertinent quotes from latter-day Prophets and other leaders, scriptures, and perceptive commentary. After reading this book, you will never think of life—or death—in the same way.
Most of us have wondered exactly what will happen when we die. What does the Spirit World look like? Will we see departed family members and friends? What do people do there? Do spirits there know what is happening on earth? What did people who had near-death experiences learn from their visit? All of these questions and many more are answered in Gaze Into Heaven.There have been many books written about modern day near-death experiences, but this book is the first to focus solely on those that took place in early church history.
Studying near-death experiences can bless us with a better understanding of this life and increase our knowledge of the life to come. By reading about those who actually entered the spirit world and saw conditions there, we can benefit from the insights they gained and use that information to reevaluate our lives and use our time on earth productively.
How I came up with the title
Quote from a reader
I asked Marlene how she became interested in her topic. She said:
I didn’t set out to write a book
about near-death experiences—I stumbled upon it—and it was the best accident I
ever had! I was researching for my first book, Latter-day Saint Heroes and Heroines, (true stories about people
who risked their life for the gospel) when I came across a couple of near-death
experiences. I was fascinated and jotted
down the references and put them aside, thinking I’d come back to them after I
finished my book.
Then I began finding truly amazing
stories about angels who came to earth to comfort, inspire, or direct early
latter-day Saints. I then started on a
book of angelic experiences, (And There
Were Angels Among them), which eventually expanded into two more books on
people who had actually seen or heard an angel. (Visits from Beyond the Veil and By
the Ministering of Angels).
It
seems like I lived in libraries for a long time. J While I did some
research at BYU, the University of Utah, and Utah State, the majority of
experiences for all of these books came from the Church History Library and the
Church Archives. While there, I pored through old newspapers, early church
magazines, and in the archives, looked at countless collections of papers,
journals, letters, and microfilms.
I was so excited each time I
found a near-death experience. The warm feelings that enveloped me while reading them convinced
me they would make a fabulous book. It’s been such a comfort reading them and
knowing that life continues on in an absolutely beautiful place and that people
there are happy, active, and at peace. I am amazed at how well these near-death
experiences correlate to Church doctrine.
It is a great testimony builder to read them. And a great comfort. (Visit Marlene online here.)
Purchase at Amazon
Purchase at Deseret Book.com
Purchase at Seagull
You can also buy this book in brick-and-mortar stores as well. Enjoy!
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Book Review: The Word of Wisdom: Discovering the LDS Code of Health by Dr. Scott A. Johnson
We all know what the Word of Wisdom is, right?
Of course we do—and in fact, so do persons who know very little else about the
Church. The word “Mormon” seems to be synonymous with our choice to abstain
from smoking and drinking. Many see this choice as a form of bondage, a way of
curtailing our freedoms and keeping us from having any fun. But as Dr. Scott A.Johnson points out in his new book, the Word of Wisdom was given to us as a
means of protection and a way to keep us healthy.
Years before the dangers of tobacco use were
discovered, the Lord counseled us to stay away from it. Before we even knew
what alcohol did to our internal organs, we were told not to drink it. The early
members of the Church didn’t understand all the reasons for the Word of Wisdom
when it was first given and so obeyed because of faith, but today we know—we’ve
seen pictures of lungs burned black because of smoke inhalation. It’s plain
that such practices are harmful to our health, and we are grateful to the Lord
for paving the way so we could know how to avoid some painful and fatal
diseases.
I have to be honest—when I first started
reading this book, I wasn’t sure if I was going to get anything out of it. If
you’ve been a member of the Church longer than fifteen minutes, you’ve got the
Word of Wisdom thing pretty much memorized. So I was surprised—in a good way—to
see this book take off in a different direction. Rather than spending all 120
pages discussing the advantages of avoiding tobacco use, the author then went
on to explain proper use of herbs and how they can be beneficial to us. I’m
married to an herbalist and I was raised by an herby mother, so this all
resonated with me—I’ve seen for myself how proper administration of the right
herbs can change lives. In fact, I have to give credit to my recent dramatic weight
loss to this very concept. Read more about that here.
Then we enter into a discussion about meat. We’re
told in the Word of Wisdom to eat meat sparingly, and it’s true that we eat far
too much meat in our culture—just ask any cardiologist. We’re reminded that
grains are highly beneficial, and then—possibly my favorite part—the author
reminds us that we’re to use our own best judgment in these things and to use
foods in moderation. I liked that reminder a lot because not everyone can eat
the same way to achieve maximum health. For myself, I feel best when I eat a
diet devoid of grain and with a lot of meat. I’ve actually taken a lot of guff
for that, as some people feel that my choice to limit my grain intake means
that I’m not living the Word of Wisdom. My particular body needs to eat a
certain way, and Dr. Johnson recognizes that in the book—we must seek for the
diet that encourages our unique bodies to heal and to function properly for
them. The purpose of the Word of Wisdom is to encourage us to live strong,
healthy lives, and I’ve found the way to do that for myself.
I was also very pleased to see a section in
this book about caffeine consumption. It is true that the Word of Wisdom does
not mention caffeine and that the Church has no official stance on it. Dr.
Johnson points out, however, that caffeine is harmful to the body and goes
contrary to the Lord’s desires for us—that we remain in control of our
emotions, that we seek for optimum health, and that we not become dependent on
substances. To quote Dr. Johnson, “Caffeine is the most abused
behavior-modifying drug in the world.” Anyone who has questions about caffeine’s
relationship to the Word of Wisdom should read this book—it makes things much
more clear. You can read my thoughts and feelings about caffeine here.
Dr. Johnson himself is proof that living the
principles of the Word of Wisdom is a blessing in our lives—he was diagnosed with
a very painful joint disease, and after much research and study, he determined
that by adhering to all the teachings outlined in the Word of Wisdom, including
limited his meat intake and using healing herbs, he would experience a lessening
of his symptoms. He is now living a full, rich life, able to do without many of
the medications he was taking when first diagnosed.
Our bodies were made by our Heavenly Father,
and so who better to tell us how to take care of them? I’ve seen it for myself—the
Word of Wisdom is a guide and a tool given to us to help us be healthier and
stronger than we would be otherwise, and I’m so grateful for it.
Wednesday, March 06, 2013
Book Review: Parenting with Spiritual Power by Julie K. Nelson
When I first became a mother nearly seventeen years ago, I
was overwhelmed—with love, with awe, and with a sense of tremendous
responsibility. Nothing will make you feel the weight of adulthood on your
shoulders like becoming a parent—a little being now depends on you for
everything from food and diaper changes to nurturing in the gospel and
instruction on how to return to our Heavenly Father. And perhaps the most
overwhelming feeling of all was the message I received from the Spirit one
night while taking care of my daughter—this was God’s baby, on loan to me, and
I’d better do right by her.
Talk about pressure.
Because we have been entrusted with the care and keeping of
our Heavenly Father’s children, it only makes sense that we should raise them
in His way. I’ll liken it to babysitting. When you take a babysitting job, the
parents will tell you the child’s bedtime and what they should have for dinner
and what rules they should follow. They also provide a telephone number in case
of emergency. Our Heavenly Father has done no differently. He has given us
instructions for His children—commandments and the scriptures—and He gave us a
way to contact Him—prayer—if we need help.
The new book “Parenting with Spiritual Power” by Julie K.
Nelson outlines some of the examples we find in the scriptures of good parents
and the way that God parents us. After all, what better example of a father
could we find than our Eternal Father? The author posits that the scriptures
are the best instruction manual we could ever find for raising our children and
that by turning to them, we can feel as though we’re raising our children in
the most loving, Christlike, and effective way.
Each chapter takes a story or episode from the scriptures
and likens it to our relationship to our own children today. We start out the
book with a discussion of how God dealt with Adam and Eve in the Garden of
Eden. He outlined the rule, told them of the consequences, and then allowed them
room to make their own choice. When they broke the rule, He didn’t pat them on
the head—He made it clear that they had disobeyed. But He also gave them the
opportunity to try again, and He continued to love them and teach them and be a
father to them. While He did have to drive them from the garden because that
was the natural consequence, He never ceased caring about their welfare.
The author then explains how the principle of free agency
and consequences can be applied in our families as well. Adam and Eve were very
much like children, and while we are not God, we can use His perfect example as
we seek to teach and discipline.
Additional chapters examine the power of teaching our
children doctrine, as demonstrated by the Savior’s interactions with Judas and
with Mary. We learn about the power of having good cheer, as demonstrated by
Lehi and his family. Alma and Corianton show us the power of correcting with
love. And perhaps one of my favorite chapters in the book—the power of banners
and fortifications as shown us by Captain Moroni.
One of the banners, in this case, was compared to “The
Family: A Proclamation to the World.” Just as Moroni took a pole and mounted a
flag whereon he wrote his reasons for fighting, essentially reminding himself
and everyone around him that his cause was just, we can hold the Proclamation
up high and say, “This is what we believe, this is where we stand, and we won’t
back down from it.” Of all the things we have to fight for, what could possibly
be of more worth than the family? I can’t think of one.
This book caused me not only to think about parenting in a more
godly way, but the scriptures as well. We’ve always been taught that we’ll
learn great and important truths from the scriptures, but it’s key for us to
realize that they aren’t just stories sprinkled with a bunch of wars. They are
examples given to us for how we can better live our lives, and the book is a
step-by-step curriculum for how we can implement the scriptures more fully. In
addition, I would say that it gave me some hope on my journey of motherhood. At
times it seems so overwhelming, and even impossible. But God loves His children
so much that He made sure we would have the knowledge we would need to be
successful parents, and we can turn to Him in prayer for comfort and additional
answers. Children might not come with
instruction manuals, but what they have been sent with is even more perfect.
Monday, March 04, 2013
Guest Post: Rachel McClellan on Mommy Bodies
Today my guest is Rachel McClellan, the author of Confessions of a Cereal Mother.
- Don’t throw your pregnancy test away before the full three minutes is up.
- Unless there is a rush on the grocery store pending a zombie-virus outbreak, never take your kids shopping.
- If your toddler is going to chew on a Band-Aid, hope it’s one found inside the community swimming pools chlorinated pool and not one found in their locker room.
- Never throw up in a cookie sheet.
- Things can always get worse. You could discover your child playing with a used tampon applicator. It’s not a whistle, sweetie.
- And most importantly, the moment one of your children is seriously ill, forget about everything else. You have the greatest honor in the world – being a Mom.
What others are saying:
"A realistic and humorous take on motherhood. Are you in my house???" —Robin O'Bryant, author of Indie Best-seller, "Ketchup is a Vegetable and Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves."
"Delightfully humorous with factual truths about motherhood and womanhood. You’ll immediately be hooked with her fun story-telling and hilarious hooks. A truly fantastic read that will not only lift your motherly spirit, but remind you what motherhood is truly all about… and it’s all worth it." —Karie Elordi, author of the popular blog "The Dating Divas"
Author Bio: Once upon a time, in a wonderful and carefree world, Rachel McClellan fell asleep in a warm and spacious bed, her long hair in great locks around her, and not a single blemish upon her face. Outside her window, bluebirds sang and the cloudless blue sky was full of promise. However, when she awoke she discovered gum in her now ratted hair, a tiny, chocolate fingerprint smeared across her forehead, and four very wiggly children crowding her bed. There were no bluebirds singing outside her window (or perhaps she couldn’t hear them anymore), only a tornado, pulsing with thunder and lightening. Her world was in chaos, a raging storm on all fronts. But what a perfect storm it was…
Find Rachel: Facebook | Blog | Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Buy Confessions of a Cereal Mother Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Click here to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway!!!
***
One of the most difficult
things a mother has to get used to is how her body changes with every
pregnancy. Boobs inch closer to the floor, hips become like a half-baked bunt cake,
and dimples and scar-looking lines appear in what used to be perfectly smooth
skin.
In this short excerpt, the
mother in Confessions of a Cereal Mother considers doing something drastic
when faced with having to wear a bathing suit.
Carrying Baby, I
reluctantly walk into my bedroom. My heart begins to pound and sweat pools in my pits as I
come face to face with the drawer. I blow a thick layer of dust off itshandle and stare. “What
do you think, Baby? Will I find one that fits?”
He barfs down the front
of his shirt.
“My sentiments exactly.”
After mumbling a few
words of encouragement to myself, I open the drawer. I am familiar with all of
its contents, but comfortable with none of them: two short nighties, a bustier
top, stockings with only one matching garter belt (the other belt had been used
to tighten a Halloween costume for one of my children years ago), and an
assortment of swimsuits.
I remove the swimsuit I
use the most—a blue and green tie-dye one given to me by my sister in the
eighties. The material is thin and the bum area so threadbare I can practically
see through it. But it fits.
I hand the swimsuit to
Baby and continue to rummage through the rest of the items: an unused sports bra, a
floral grandma swimsuit with a skirt (a gift from my mom), and a bikini—this one I should
burn.
“I guess this will have
to do,” I say and wrestle the tie-dye swimsuit away from Baby.
After pulling on the
stretchy material, I look at myself in the mirror. Where there should be hills,
I have valleys, and where there should be valleys, I have mountains. Just then
I remember a conversation I’d overheard between two farmers at church last
Sunday. One had said he could fix anything with duct tape. I stick my head out
the door. “Grant!”
“Yeah, Mom?” he calls
back from downstairs.
“Do you know where dad’s
duct tape is?”
“I used it all on my
fort. Why?”
“No reason.” I frown and
close the door. On to the next best thing. I grab one of my husband’s tank tops
and pull it over the swimsuit. There. Mission accomplished—sort of.
Baby claps.
Confessions Blurb:
In this humorous memoir you’ll discover several mind-saving rules, which include:- Don’t throw your pregnancy test away before the full three minutes is up.
- Unless there is a rush on the grocery store pending a zombie-virus outbreak, never take your kids shopping.
- If your toddler is going to chew on a Band-Aid, hope it’s one found inside the community swimming pools chlorinated pool and not one found in their locker room.
- Never throw up in a cookie sheet.
- Things can always get worse. You could discover your child playing with a used tampon applicator. It’s not a whistle, sweetie.
- And most importantly, the moment one of your children is seriously ill, forget about everything else. You have the greatest honor in the world – being a Mom.
What others are saying:
"A realistic and humorous take on motherhood. Are you in my house???" —Robin O'Bryant, author of Indie Best-seller, "Ketchup is a Vegetable and Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves."
"Delightfully humorous with factual truths about motherhood and womanhood. You’ll immediately be hooked with her fun story-telling and hilarious hooks. A truly fantastic read that will not only lift your motherly spirit, but remind you what motherhood is truly all about… and it’s all worth it." —Karie Elordi, author of the popular blog "The Dating Divas"
Author Bio: Once upon a time, in a wonderful and carefree world, Rachel McClellan fell asleep in a warm and spacious bed, her long hair in great locks around her, and not a single blemish upon her face. Outside her window, bluebirds sang and the cloudless blue sky was full of promise. However, when she awoke she discovered gum in her now ratted hair, a tiny, chocolate fingerprint smeared across her forehead, and four very wiggly children crowding her bed. There were no bluebirds singing outside her window (or perhaps she couldn’t hear them anymore), only a tornado, pulsing with thunder and lightening. Her world was in chaos, a raging storm on all fronts. But what a perfect storm it was…
Find Rachel: Facebook | Blog | Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Buy Confessions of a Cereal Mother Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Click here to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway!!!
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