What do NaNoWriMo, Literary Book Gift, Cashmere Gloves have in common?

Have you heard of NaNoWriMo? 

November has been declared National Novel Writing Month. Thousands of humans around the globe try to write a WHOLE entire novel in thirty days. 

How many words, you ask? 50K Fifty thousand. 50,000

That's a whole lot of words, people. And it's not as easy as you think. 

But it's a fantastic way to get lots of words written down and out of your head. 

There are many tools someone in November can use to help. This is one such tool that I love.

#shoutout to Literary Book Gifts for allowing me to trying out their cashmere, fingerless gloves! 

I LOVE them! 💝🧤

They are soft and warm! Perfect for cold days writing at home or in the library. 

They aren't bulky or thick, so they don't get in the way of typing or turning pages. They can be kept in a coat pocket or a purse. Everyone will be jealous of not only your style, they'll be jealous of how warm your hands are as you read and/or write.

Have you ever done NaNo? 
How did you do??
Have you ever wanted to do NaNo?
It's never too late to start!

KID AUTHORS: True Tales of Childhood from Famous Writers by David Stabler & Doogie Horner

The series that includes Kid Presidents, Kid Artists, and Kid Athletes now chronicles the lives of Kid Authors! Here are true tales of famous writers, from long before they were famous--or even old enough to drive. Did you know:
- Sam Clemens (aka Mark Twain) loved to skip school and make mischief, with his best friend Tom, of course!
- A young J. R. R. Tolkien was bitten by a huge tarantula--or as he called it, -a spider as big as a dragon.-
- Toddler Zora Neale Hurston took her first steps when a wild hog entered her house and started chasing her!
The diverse and inclusive cast includes Roald Dahl, Beverly Cleary, J. K. Rowling, Langston Hughes, Jules Verne, Lewis Carroll, Stan Lee, and many more.


 Opening line:
"Everybody loves a good story--and we all know that a well-told story has a beginning, a middle, and an end."

This was a fun and quick book to read. Little interesting insights to a few writers with cute illustrations for each.
Ronald, aka, J.R.R. Tolkein was bit on the foot by a Baboon Tarantula. They are ginormous! Remind you of anything spiders in his stories?
Roald Dahl loved candy. When he was thirteen he was sent to a dismal school BUT it doubled as an undercover testing lab for Cadbury! He us to daydream about the inside of that factory.
Sam, or Samuel Clemens or Mark Twain (his name has something to do with boats...) us to get into all sorts of mischief with his best bud, Tom.
There are more snippets of interesting facts about more kid authors at the end of the book
I think this would be a great addition to any home or classroom.

10 (of my favorite) unforgettable love stories in fiction

There are so many good love stories out there. One of them is mine (had to throw that in there) though my is nonfiction. Shall I tell you the story? I promise you won't get too bored. It involves a foreign country, Americans, and a cute boy.

The summer after I graduated from high school my friends (mostly girls) and I left the US of A to teach English in Taiwan. It was a good gig: good moeny, see new sights, learn different customs.
Ugh. It was a long flight over. Then the humidity was like 100%. And Taipei smelled strange and most people were brown and spoke a different language. The culture shock hit pretty fast.
What was I thinking?
The good thing was I was surrounded by Americans who helped me get a job, figure out which bus to take and how to order food.
The next good thing was I fell in love. I fell in love the people and the culture and food. I LOVED my new home. Oh my word! The adventures I went on, both planned and unplanned. The people I met and the memories I will forever hold close. I was only there for six months but I felt like I left part of myself over there.

A few weeks after I arrived, another group of Americans (all boys) showed up (we all went to church together). They were cute, especially The One. But like most insecure young'uns, I didn't think I had a chance with him. We hung out a lot as our two groups explored the area over the next few months. We became good friends. Then He started asking me out. We went to movies with Chinese subtitles, ate fresh fruit from the night markets and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning talking.
Then it happened...he kissed me! It took him long enough! He'll tell you I was playing hard to get and I'll say he had to earn it.

Me and The Cute Boy

He went home before I did and I missed him. When I flew in to the states, he was waiting at my airport with flowers. A month later he asked me to marry him. A few months later we were married.
Yup! Whirlwind is a perfect adjective to describe our engagement. But why wait when you know deep, deep down, that you were meant to spend the rest of your life with someone?

So, I guess I gave you two love stories: how I met my husband and how I fell for a country.

How about you? Do you have a love story? A book or a dessert or a person you absolutely love? Tell me! 

 Now onto the books. In no particular order I give you some of my all time favorite love stories in fiction:

The Far Pavillions by M. M. Kaye

The Far Pavilions is a story about an Englishman- Ashton Pelham-Martyn -brought up as a Hindu. It is the story of his passionate, but dangerous love for Juli, am Indian princess. It is the story of divided loyalties, of friendship that endures till death, of high adventure and of the clash between East and West.


I LOVE this story! lovelovelove the forbidden love story and adventure.

Finding Sheba (An Omar Zagouri Thriller #1) by H. B Moore

For centuries, historians have speculated that the Queen of Sheba is nothing more than a seductive legend; but when undercover agent Omar Zagouri finds a tomb in a tunnel beneath Jerusalem, he unearths cryptic clues that may lead to the queen’s final resting place.

Dr. Richard Lyon of Brown University, the world’s leading expert on the queen, is found murdered in his office, setting off a chain of deadly events. Omar desperately works to piece together the puzzle to locate the queen’s burial ground, fearing another assassination will take place. He teams up with one of Lyon’s protégées as well as with his ex-girlfriend, agent Mia Golding, in order to unravel the truth about the queen, expose a murderer, and reveal a timeless story of love, revenge, and sacrifice.


I love this series because the author has two love stories going: one ancient and one modern. These stories are well-researched and full of romantic tension as well as thrilling adventures and dangers.

The Wrath and the Dawn

One Life to One Dawn.

In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.

Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?

Inspired by A Thousand and One Nights, The Wrath and the Dawn is a sumptuous and enthralling read from beginning to end.

Just. Just go read this one. Trust me. If you love forbidden love stories, read it.

The Hundredth Queen by Emily R. King
 
As an orphan ward of the Sisterhood, eighteen-year-old Kalinda is destined for nothing more than a life of seclusion and prayer. Plagued by fevers, she’s an unlikely candidate for even a servant’s position, let alone a courtesan or wife. Her sole dream is to continue living in peace in the Sisterhood’s mountain temple.

But a visit from the tyrant Rajah Tarek disrupts Kalinda’s life. Within hours, she is ripped from the comfort of her home, set on a desert trek, and ordered to fight for her place among the rajah’s ninety-nine wives and numerous courtesans. Her only solace comes in the company of her guard, the stoic but kind Captain Deven Naik.

Faced with the danger of a tournament to the death—and her growing affection for Deven—Kalinda’s only hope for escape lies in an arcane, forbidden power that’s buried within her.

In Emily R. King’s thrilling fantasy debut, an orphan girl blossoms into a warrior, summoning courage and confidence in her fearless quest to upend tradition, overthrow an empire, and reclaim her life as her own.
 
So starts one of the best books I've read this year. Why? Why is it one of my favorites? I got sucked into the book, characters, story and couldn't pull myself out. Heart-pounding adventure, romance and intrigue.

Unraveled: A Tale of True Love by Julie Daines

 When sickness swept through Bronwen’s family, it took the life of her father, brother, and sister, and left her permanently crippled. On the stormy eve of her sixteenth birthday, a faerie-witch gifts her a pair of enchanted shoes. Bronwen slips them on and is healed--but only when the shoes are on her feet. Her grace and beauty catches the eye of the king’s son--Urien, a handsome young man who prides himself on having everything perfect.

When Rhys, an old acquaintance and Captain of the Guard, recognizes Bronwen, he threatens to tell Urien her secret. Desperate to keep her deformity hidden and not to lose the love of handsome Urien, Bronwen quickly finds herself tangled in a web of lies and deceit. After all, she can't wear the shoes forever

 This is such a sweet story of being your true self and finding the person who loves you just as you are.

The Thief (The Queen's Thief #1) by Megan Whalen Turner

The king's scholar, the magus, believes he knows the site of an ancient treasure. To attain it for his king, he needs a skillful thief, and he selects Gen from the king's prison. The magus is interested only in the thief's abilities.

What Gen is interested in is anyone's guess. Their journey toward the treasure is both dangerous and difficult, lightened only imperceptibly by the tales they tell of the old gods and goddesses.

Another series that I LOVE! Oh my word, Gen is so complex. This is one series I reread because the twists made me want to go back and read everything that led up to the twist. It was awesome! (The 2nd and 3rd books were my favorite.)




Edenbrooke by Julie Donaldson
 
 Marianne Daventry will do anything to escape the boredom of Bath and the amorous attentions of an unwanted suitor. So when an invitation arrives from her twin sister, Cecily, to join her at a sprawling country estate, she jumps at the chance. Thinking she'll be able to relax and enjoy her beloved English countryside while her sister snags the handsome heir of Edenbrooke, Marianne finds that even the best laid plans can go awry.

From a terrifying run-in with a highwayman to a seemingly harmless flirtation, Marianne finds herself embroiled in an unexpected adventure filled with enough romance and intrigue to keep her mind racing. Will Marianne be able to rein in her traitorous heart, or will a mysterious stranger sweep her off her feet? Fate had something other than a relaxing summer in mind when it sent Marianne to Edenbrooke.

I'm gonna gush.  I love a good, clean, smart book. Throw in romance, a dashing gentleman and lady who can laugh at herself and I'm sold.

 The Kiss of A Stranger (The Jonquil Brothers) by Sarah M. Eden

When Crispin, Lord Cavratt, thoroughly and scandalously kisses a serving woman in the garden of a country inn, he assumes the encounter will be of no consequence. But he couldn't be more mistaken--the maid is not only a lady of birth, she's the niece of a very large, exceptionally angry gentlemen, who claims Crispin has compromised his niece beyond redemption. The dismayed young lord has no choice but to marry Miss Catherine Thorndale, who lacks both money and refinement and assumes all men are as vicious as her guardian uncle.

Trapped between an unwanted marriage and a hasty annulment, which would leave his reputation tainted and Catherine's utterly ruined, Crispin begins guiding his wife's transformation from a socially petrified country girl to a lady of society. Their unfolding relationship reveals encouraging surprises for both of them, and privately each of them wonders if theirs may become a true marriage of the heart. But their hopes are dashed when forces conspire to split asunder what fate has granted. As a battle of wits escalates into a life-threatening confrontation, will it be possible for Crispin and Catherine to live happily ever after?

So many of Ms. Eden's books are worth a mention! But I went with my first one and the one I love. Loved, loved this book. Who doesn't love a good, clean romance? And a Regency Romance is even better.
 


So I'm not going to put the obvious ones on this list.  Like: Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Wives and Daughters, Romeo and Juliet.  But this next one is a favorite spin off of Pride and Prejudice.

An Assembly Such As This (Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman #1)
 

And so the question has long remained: Who is Fitzwilliam Darcy?

In An Assembly Such as This, Pamela Aidan finally answers that long-standing question. In this first book of her Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman trilogy, she reintroduces us to Darcy during his visit to Hertfordshire with his friend Charles Bingley and reveals Darcy's hidden perspective on the events of Pride and Prejudice. As Darcy spends more time at Netherfield supervising Bingley and fending off Miss Bingley's persistent advances, his unwilling attraction to Elizabeth grows—as does his concern about her relationship with his nemesis, George Wickham.


 This is such a fun spin off from Darcy's point of view.  The middle book is a little wonky but the first and third are great.




 And lastly, I'm going to add the Timeless Romance Anthologies. I know they aren't "books" per se, but I love these quick reads from talented authors. There are so many to choose from! I'm only putting a few covers here:

Wednesday Writing with 2 Felines ~ Kit Reed

Kit Reed

Wednesday Writing with 2 Felines

N.K. Jemisin

Wednesday Writing with 2 Felines ~ Advice on ending your story

Sometimes this is what I want to do all day. haha Doesn't she look comfortable and relaxed and happy? 

But I'm determined to get this book done and query soon.

This post came through my email and it resonated with me. I'm at the end of my story, trying to finish it.  I try and write Monday through Friday from 9 am to 2 pm. Having a couple of writing buddies helps keep me on schedule and writing. 

Do you have daily writing goals? What are they?


Linda Goodnight on How to Finish That Novel


Here are the points:

1. Set daily goals and keep them. Start small. Writing one page per day will give you a nice fat novel at the end of the year. Each day, five days a week, I tell myself I have to write five pages. If I surpass that goal, and I often do, I’m super pumped. If not, no guilt involved. Either way, I’m moving forward on the manuscript.
2. Discipline. Allow yourself no excuses. If you truly desire to be a writer, you will sit down and write. People find time for what really matters to them. I’m amazed at the number of people who tell me “someday” they’ll write a book. Someday is now.
3. Spend a few minutes visualizing the scene and feeling the character’s emotionabout the scene before you begin. You’ll be amazed at how fast and how much you can write when you allow your subconscious those few moments to warm up.
4. Let the story out without censor or editing. Yes, this is hard. Shut off the part of your brain that says the writing stinks and allow yourself to write badly. Vomit the story onto the page and clean up the mess later. First drafts are never the finished product anyway.
5. Each day, begin 10-15 pages back, lightly editing as you move up to the blank page. By the time you get there, you should be back in the flow of the story.
6. Stop writing in the middle of the action. Tomorrow, it will be easy to pick up there and keep going.
7. Have a set time and place to write. As with any habit, the subconscious mind responds to triggers. Once you establish a routine of sitting down at the computer at a certain time and in a certain place, the writing machine in your head will know to turn on.
8. Limit distractions. This may mean turning off the television, the internet, your phone, and even arranging with your family to give you this quiet time. Protect the work from life’s interruptions.
9. Know the end of the book and write toward it.Better yet, use an outline. Even if you don’t plot, you need to know at least two or three big turning points in your novel. Write in to and out of those major events. This gives your writing direction and will keep you moving when the way grows weary.
10. Plan to reward yourself when the book is finished. Promise yourself anything you can afford that you would really enjoy. A new pair of shoes, a day off, dinner and movie, a weekend away. A friend of mine buys herself a piece of jewelry, her passion, after every book is sent to her editor. Find a computer photo of whatever it is and hang it over your work space. Look at it when the going gets tough. Use whatever dangling carrot will keep you motivated.

And there you have them, ten tips to keep you moving and motivated toward that final page. You have a marvelous story inside you, so stay the course, be strong and fight through to the end. The reward of a finished manuscript is a powerful feeling that many aspire to and few accomplish. Be the exception.

Wednesday Writing with 2 Felines ~ Ray Bradbury

Wednesday Writing with 2 Felines ~ Garth Nix

Garth Nix "Keys to the Kingdom"

I need to get me a magic ring!!

Wednesday Writing with 2 Felines ~ Joss Whedon

Kill your darlings!

Wednesday Writing with 2 Felines

The bigger the issue, the smaller you write. Remember that. You don't write about the horrors of war. No. You write about a kid's burnt socks lying on the road. You pick the smallest manageable part of the big thing, and you work off the resonance. —Richard Price 

NaNoWriMo pep talk from Brandon Sanderson

I LOVED this writerly pep talk from Brandon Sanderson! I totally needed this today. Now go flame the spark...

Pep Talk from Brandon Sanderson (2014)

Brandon’s Website
Brandon’s Books
Writing StoryBundle

The toughest moment in my writing career came in 2002. I had just finished my 12th novel, but so far hadn’t been able to sell a single one of the things. Earlier that year, I had been rejected by all 13 MFA programs I’d submitted to.

I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs since—including books that topped the bestseller list and others that crashed and burned—but no moment in my life has been more poignant than sitting with the latest in what seemed like an endless stack of unsold novels, wondering what I was doing with my life.

What I didn’t know was that the process had already begun—the spark had dropped onto the grass, and a fire was smoldering that would change my life forever. A year earlier, in 2001, I’d submitted my sixth book to an editor. Eight months had passed with no communication, other than a short follow-up I’d sent about three months after the submission. (The editor replied that he’d gotten the manuscript, but said nothing else.)

That book, Elantris, was still sitting on the editor’s desk. He hadn’t looked at it. He wouldn’t until April 2003, after which he’d call me in a frenzy after reading all night, demanding to know if the manuscript was still available. He made an offer on the spot.

But in 2002, I sat there, contemplating my future with despair, completely unaware that within months I’d have a major book deal. Ultimately, I shook off the discouragement and started work on my thirteenth novel. But I do sometimes wonder what my life would be like if I’d given up, moved on, then gotten that phone call eight months later with an offer from an editor.

You could be writing the book that changes your life. You could have already submitted it, or self-published it. The spark could be starting a fire for you as well. You don’t know, and you can’t know. That is the thrill of being an artist, of working for yourself, and of telling the stories you want to tell.

Don’t give up. Keep your eyes on the project you’re working on right now, and make it the best that it can be. More importantly, love that process. In the end, that’s what made me stand up and get back to work on book thirteen: the realization that I loved telling stories. No stack of unpublished novels, no matter how high, would change my enjoyment of this process—no more than a finished set of dives would make a scuba enthusiast feel discouraged about diving again.

Maybe that fire has been sparked for you, and you don’t know it. But even if it hasn’t been, you should write as if it has. Because this thing you’re doing isn’t about publication, bestseller lists, or reviews. It’s about you, your story, and the victory inherent in completion.

Playlist cont. Imagine Dragons- Demons (Official Video)

Here is a song that I listened to often while writing my WIP:

"Demons"

When the days are cold
And the cards all fold
And the saints we see
Are all made of gold

When your dreams all fail
And the ones we hail
Are the worst of all
And the blood’s run stale

I wanna hide the truth
I wanna shelter you
But with the beast inside
There’s nowhere we can hide

No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come

When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
Don’t get too close
It’s dark inside
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide

At the curtain’s call
It's the last of all
When the lights fade out
All the sinners crawl

So they dug your grave
And the masquerade
Will come calling out
At the mess you made

Don't wanna let you down
But I am hell bound
Though this is all for you
Don't wanna hide the truth

No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come

When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
Don’t get too close
It’s dark inside
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide

They say it's what you make
I say it's up to fate
It's woven in my soul
I need to let you go

Your eyes, they shine so bright
I wanna save that light
I can't escape this now
Unless you show me how

When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
Don’t get too close
It’s dark inside
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide

Social Media and Author Platform

How many ways can you be on social media now? Here is a lovely picture to give you an idea:

(Do you recognize all of the symbols?)

There are different opinions about writers having their own platform. Some experts say YES! you need one while others say "do whatever you want".

I guess the question is what do you want? And the follow-up question: how much time do you have?

Social media can be confusing. Which place is better to send out launch dates or updates? Where is the best place to post pictures from book signings? I don't think there is one right or wrong answer. It comes down to what you are comfortable with and how much time you are willing to invest.

Here is a breakdown I found of a few popular sites that might help:

• Facebook is for people you know, like from high school, college and family. 
• Twitter works for 140 word observations.
• Google+ tends toward passions like photography.
• Tumblr is full of pics and gifs.
• Pinterest is used for pinning recipes or ideas that you want to find later.
• LinkedIn is for business connections and finding a job.

Those are short answers that can be expounded into lengthy posts. You can use one or all of these to build your platform, but how you use them and the relationships on them will be different.

So back to my earlier question. What do you want to do?

Just remember:

Be careful what you put out into the great Internet universe because it can come back and hurt you.

What social media outlets are you on?
Do you look for authors online? Are they using social media?

Armchair BEA and my intro

Since we can't go to NY together to experience Book Expo America, let's join in the fun from our armchairs!

Thanks to all the sponsors. Seriously, you should click HERE and see all the goods up for grabs.

Welcome to my blog, Taffy's (that's me) Writings (all things writerly).  I've been blogging for about five years. I mostly started this blog to record my writing journey and to put up my reviews.

I love to read. I mostly read young adult but I've read many genres just this year. My favorite book? How can a reader choose one? I'm looking forward to the next book in The Grisha Series by Leigh Bardugo though. I think I read more YA because there is always hope. Hope in life, hope in love and that first flush of excitement when That One boy calls.

I'm also a writer.
I don't have anything published yet but there's always hope. My manuscript is out at a couple of agents. It's a story about a seventeen-year old girl who can't remember how any of her friends died, even though she was there for each of them. I mostly write young adult.

Over on my sidebar I have links to most of the social media that's important. Let's be friends! I'm excited to meet you!

Here is a picture of my armchair:

What is your favorite book so far this year?

Critique groups and partners

Do you have a critique group or partner? Why or why not? 

My stories always sound good in my head. I just don't always have the patience to make it sound good on paper. I gave my first story to a friend to read. She was kind and helpful. She pointed out that the dog in the story, a very important dog, didn't have a name or breed. 

"Can't you read my mind?" I asked.

"Nope. And neither can your readers."

I'm totally embarrassed by that no name dog now BUT my friends critique made me realize my story baby isn't as cute as I thought. I needed other writers to see the problems and help me fix them. I needed a critique group. 

At a local writing conference, Josi Kilpack presented on critique groups and how they work. This had to be a sign! I was pumped up and ready for a group after her talk. But I was still a newbie to the writing community. How do I find a group?

The answer was: another writing conference. 

I can't remember how our group started. From LDStorymakers? Yamile Mendez got us all together. Jaime Theler was the only published author at the time. Now we have three published books (thanks to Julie Daines) between the five of us, with many more to come, I'm sure. 

We are a support group for everything from writing to rejections. Each person in the group has a critiquing strength. And a writing strength. I love reading all their stories. I am lucky to be in such a good group.

We have five in our group. We try to upload and meet in person every month. One week, we upload, two weeks later, we meet. We get about forty or more pages done in a month. We have tweaked things over the five years we've been together. 

This is my critique group (minus the token guy, Scott Rhoades), Sharks & Pebbles.

Jaime, Yamile, Taffy, Julie at LDStorymakers

 I'll post the video soon that inspired our name, Sharks&Pebbles, sometimes shortened to, S&P.

Foto Friends Friday

Shout out to Erin Summerill, Jessie Humphries and Julie Donaldson. 

Julie won a couple of Whitney awards. 

Erin took hundreds of pictures.

Jessie rocked her two day book launch.

Amazing ladies, gifted women.

Did I mention fun and funny? No? Will, they are. Julie hates this pic and I don't blame her. When you are close to your due date and feeling huge and really, really hurting, it's hard to smile and laugh. She's a good sport and genuinely kind. Her acceptance speech is gracious and full of gratitude to a love Heavenly Father. Classy.

You know you're going to have a crazy time whenever you spend time with Summerill. From theme-coded outfits to crazy pictures and lots of laughs, Erin keeps me smiling. And bonus that she's a sweetie who loves her family and friends. We should see her books on the shelves in no time.

Jessie is the token Vegas friend. LOL. Long legs, shiny hair and kicking butt like nobody's business, she's hot. And not just in looks and brains. Her writing is hot. Read. Her. Book. It's hot. KILLING RUBY ROSE.

P.S. There is only one person who is prego in the above pic...

Writers on Wednesday ~ Rebecca H. Jamison

Welcome Rebecca!



Thanks so much for interviewing me!

1. Give us your elevator pitch for EMMA

 Publisher's Weekly calls Emma: A Latter-day Tale "a funny, well-paced Mormon-themed take on Austen's often retold classic." Emma is a life coach with a knack for match-making. She meets a lonely nanny and decides she wants to help her out. But the more Emma tries to help, the worse things get. Through the course of the book Emma has to face her own perfectionism and realize that she needs a coach more than anyone else. She also learns that the best match she can make is the one she makes for herself.

2. What’s your favorite snack?

I like Nature Valley oats and chocolate granola bars. They're chocolate, but they're healthy. I also like chocolate Cheerios and mint chocolate Luna bars.

3. What is your most memorable high school experience?

During my senior year, I went to Russia and the Ukraine with some students from my government class. It was 1988, right before the fall of the Soviet Union. I'd never traveled outside North America before, and it gave me such a different perspective. I saw how peace-loving the Russian people were, compared to the way they're portrayed in movies. Similarly, the Russian teens I met felt sorry for me because I lived in such a violent place. (They'd also gotten the wrong idea from Hollywood.)

4. Is there one book or author who changed your life/viewpoint/writing?

I was very blessed to study creative writing at Brigham Young University, so the authors who made the most of a difference in my writing were also my teachers--Leslie Norris and Doug Thayer. They're both excellent writers who use vivid, honest descriptions and dialogue that speaks from the page. What they did most for me, though, was to encourage me to write and share my writing.

5. What was the first book that turned you into a reader?

My mom read me all the Little House on the Prairie books when I was in first grade. I fell asleep every night imagining that my bed was a covered wagon.

6. Are you a night owl or early bird?

I'm a night owl, but I'm learning to be an early bird. I get so much more done when I wake up early to write.

7. What is your favorite meal?

Pizza. I have two sons on a gluten-free diet, so anything with bread in it is bound to please me.

8. What do you never leave home without?

I'm a minimalist. I figure 90% of the time I'll be better off without lugging a bunch of stuff everywhere. But I do like to have my watch, keys, wallet, sunglasses, Burt's Bees tinted lip balm, and Almay mascara.

9. What is one piece of advice you would give aspiring writers?

Read a lot of good books in the genre you're writing.

10. What are you goals for 2013?

I'm kind of like Emma in my book. I make too many goals. This year I started out with a big, long list of goals. Then a series of unfortunate events threw me off balance. I ended up with these:
Help my oldest son get his license and his Eagle scout award.
Help my next son get his Eagle project going.
Read books about organizing and saving money.
Study the topics from BYU Women's Conference and Education Week (since I couldn't go to either one this year.)
Do cardio intervals three days a week and strength training two days a week.
Get a physical.
Write every weekday.
Read bedtime stories to my younger kids.
Go on a date with my husband every week.

THANKS, Rebecca!

Amazing August Author Event!

I think I could get some Christmas shopping down on Saturday. (Hope to see you all there!):

Writers on Wednesday ~ Jenn Johansson

This week we welcome J.R. Johansson or Jenn as most of us call her. Jenn is awesome and funny cute. And a soon to be a published author! Her book, INSOMNIA, looks scary cool.

Enjoy Jenn's interview!

Give us your elevator pitch.
Parker is a 17-year-old boy who spends every night trapped in the dreams of the last person he made eye contact with, and it's killing him. Until he meets Mia. In her dreams he can finally get true sleep, but when someone begins stalking her, everyone believes it is Parker. He must learn who is truly to blame and clear his name before the stalker makes good on his threats to end her dreams forever.

What’s your favorite snack?

I love licorice...Red Vines, Twizzlers, even the Good & Plenty with the black licorice centers. I think I could live off of licorice and Diet Coke. :)

What is your most memorable high school experience?

In high school, I did a lot of performing in choirs and musicals, but my most memorable experience was probably when I learned to play the drums for the sole purpose of being in the band for the all-male performance choir. But hey...it worked. I had a date to every dance that year. ;-)


What was the first book that turned you into a reader?

That would have to be A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. It's still one of my absolute favorites.

Are you a night owl or early bird?

Oh, I'm such a night owl. I'm not even able to communicate in full sentences until noon most days. Me in the morning = not a pretty thing


What do you never leave home without?

My phone. I'm fully addicted. It's a little sad.


Do you have any pets?

I have two cats. A girl - Cleo - and a boy - Phoenix. They're cute, cuddly, and extremely social. Phoenix is now fully grown and seems to believe he's a parrot. He loves to try to perch on my shoulder while I'm writing. Maybe I should have named him Muse.

What is one piece of advice you would give aspiring writers?

Keep writing, no matter what. No matter where you are in the process, this is crucial!

Foto Friday ~ Journeys