Cathy W - Story Painter

I Nephi

2012-01-28T13:41:00.000-08:00

I Nephi is a wonderful historical novel, rich with description of the mountain country around Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Born into a polygamous family, Nephi struggles with his father's decision to take on extra wives. He doesn't understand his brother Alma's desire to get all tied up with a girl and start a family. He is full of mischief and when he gets an itch to pull a prank, he makes it a memorable one. Nephi is a character you won't soon forget.

You can find I Nephi at Barnes and Noble in paperback.
I Nephi on Amazon is offered in paperback or for the kindle.

You can connect with Karen at her blogs Satin and Swords and Country Eating.

Whether read as an e-book or actual page by page, I'm sure you will enjoy this heartwarming biography.

Goals for the New Year

2012-01-02T20:47:00.000-08:00

Here we go again, a new year and a new set of goals to tackle. I look at it as a fresh start. Sure, sometimes our goals can fizzle, but doesn't it feel good to get them on paper and have a list to focus on. Lists are what I thrive on. If I don't write it down I am doomed. Doomed I say.

My family sat down last night and we divided our goals into four categories - Spiritual, Educational, Financial and Personal.

So here is my list:

Spiritual - 1. Read scriptures daily. 2. Personal prayer morning and night. 3. Personal Journal weekly.

Education - 1. Two writing conferences per year. 2. Take a family history class.

Financial - 1. Do the Family Financial Workshop. 2. Organize our home office and set up a better mail system.

Personal - 1. Finish my YA novel 'Loom of Dreams'. 2. Revise a story for the FRIEND. 3. Continue writing and illustrating for Stories for Children Magazine.

Writing things down is key for me to actually getting them done. Does this work for you? Are you a goal setter? What's your system?

Transcendent - Tales of the Paranormal

2011-12-17T07:24:00.000-08:00

Looking for your fix of sirens, vampires, angels and things otherworldly? These eight short stories will delight you with touches of humor and a shiver or two. These stories have it all, if you like romance, suspense, and a good old dose of spooky this is the book for you.

You can find Transcendent on Amazon
Transcendent is on Goodreads and Facebook .

You can win a copy of Transcendent just by posting a comment on my blog. Be sure to leave me a link so I can find you.

If you just have to have a book in your hands, try winning a hard copy of the book over at Wendy Swore's Blog.

For more chances to win, visit all these great sites on the blog tour:
1. 15th ~ Canda Mortensen
2. 16th ~ Heather Justesen
3. 17th ~ Cathy Witbeck
4. 19th ~ Deanna Henderson
5. 20th ~ Rita J Webb
6. 21st ~ Jamie Manning
7. 22nd ~ Laura Bingham
8. 23rd ~ Cheri Chesley
9. 26th ~ Donna K Weaver
10. 27th ~ Mormon Mommy Writers
11. 27th ~ Ali Cross
12. 28th ~ Tristi Pinkston
13. 29th ~ Karen Hoover
15. 30th ~ Rachelle Workman
16. 30th ~ Elizabeth Mueller
17. 31st ~ Christine Bryant

Tales From The Hollow Tree

2011-12-08T06:24:00.000-08:00

Tales From the Hollow Tree is a delightful collection of short stories. Each tale is infused with imagination and attention to detail.These girls know how to write. I think of this book as a a box of bon bons. Each of them is sweet, but until you take a bite you won't know what flavor to expect.

In Lisa Asunama's story 'Trickster', a young girl faces the cunning Trickster, who deceived her grandfather and brought shame to her family. She has a secret he is itching to know. She challenges him to perform three services in order to learn the answer.

In Lisa Santiago's story 'The Final Sacrifice', a man yearns to spend more time with the sweet young lady who makes his life more bearable, but at what cost?

At three or four pages to a story, treat yourself to a yummy reading indulgence.

Isabel and Lisa began this book on a blog - Hollow Tree Tales
. Each friday they post a free fiction story. Tales From the Hollow Tree is a collection of some of these stories.

Tales From the Hollow Tree is now available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can read and write great reviews about Tales From the Hollow on Goodreads..

To celebrate the release of Tales From a Hollow Tree, the authors are having a giveaway for a pdf copy of the book. To win a copy on my blog, please leave a comment about why e-books appeal to you. One winner will be picked at random.

On Friday, The Hollow Tree Tales website will have a giveaway for some of Lisa's amazing notebooks. To win you must know the keywords from blogs who have been blogging about Tales From the Hollow Tree this week. My key word is - Jessi -.
Good luck, and enjoy this awesome book.

Totally Cliched

2011-11-17T19:53:00.000-08:00

Check it out. My story 'Mirage' is part of the Ebook Totally Cliche. You can download it to Kindle, Nook or your computer to read as a pdf. A whopping 99 cents will get you 11 fun stories that use cliches like there is no tomorrow. I'm not going to let the cat out of the bag, you'll have to read the stories. You can find it on Smashwords and Amazon.

El Cuco

2011-10-28T06:01:00.000-07:00

In the rocking chair, Lita held her newborn son. She brushed the baby’s downy curls across his forehead and kissed his smooth cheek. “You have Carlos’ chin,” she thought, “but you have my nose,” Placing his tiny form in the crib, she tucked his blanket securely around him.

Leaving the door to his room cracked open, she jumping when thunder rattled the window pane and lightening flashed in the hallway. Distored shadows of tree branches writhed across the walls. She tried the light switch. Dead. She pulled her shawl tighter across her shoulders. “Duermete nino, duermete ya . . . que viene el cuco y te comera. “(Sleep child, sleep now . . . or else comes the cuco to eat you) an image of a ghostly figure with a pumkin head filled her mind. Where did that come from? She hadn’t thought of El Cuco in years. Ridiculous really, just a story parents used on small children to get them to stay in bed at night. I am no longer a child, besides, I must keep the candles lit for Dia De Los Meurtos (Day Of The Dead).

A loud bang came from the front of the house. The wind, she thought, her heart pounding. Rushing into the front room she could smell the potent aroma of marigolds covering the ofrenda she had decorated that morning. Candles flickered around portraits of her abuelos (grandparents) and the younger brother she had lost. Sugar skulls, fruit and candy were scattered among the flowers, frames and candles. Nothing seemed out of place.

A sudden cold draft whispered across Lita’s neck and her hair stood on end. A warm yellow glow came from behind her and she froze in place. Lita, a voice whispered. Whimpering with fright, Lita slowly turned to find a luminous pumpkin head floating in the air, with the face of evil etched in it’s skin. Lita screamed in terror and struck out with fear and fury to protect her child. The pumpkin head flew across the room and crashed into the wall, smashing into a mash of meat and shell.

For the first time Lita saw Carlos standing there. He looked shocked. “Lita,” he said, “my cousin taught me how to carve that pumpkin. It’s what they do in America.”

The Scarefest Blog Hop is A'comin

2011-10-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

Get ready to read some spooky stuff. Several authors are participating in Jordan McCollum's blogfest. The theme is FEAR. We must write a short scene about a character who is not just afraid, but scared, no terrified, even petrified. Sounds like fun.

Book Reveiw - The Knife of Never Letting Go

2011-10-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Knife of Never Letting Go is a story about a boy who begins his life surrounded by men who hear each other's thoughts. It has always been this way for him. He even hears the thoughts of animals, including his dog.

One day Todd and his dog find a place where there is silence, no noise. They can't hear thoughts there. It scares them and they don't know what to do. They want to keep it a secret, but how do you keep a secret in a place where everyone can read your mind?

Todd finds himself in danger and he and his dog have to run for their lives.

This story moves at a fast pace and has a very original plot.

View all my reviews

The Ghost in Me - Book Review

2011-09-29T13:38:00.000-07:00

Do you have middle grade kids who love spooky stories. The Ghost In Me could be just what you are looking for.

Like any other fourteen-year-old, Myri Anna Monaco has problems she doesn't know how to deal with: a crush on her best friend's boyfriend, a mother who's dating her science teacher, and a "punishment" for a science-project-gone-wrong that lands her in the last place she wants to be--in auditions for the school play. But most girls don't have what Myri has--a ghost named Wren, who not only lives at home, but who is willing to "trade places" whenever she is needed. Although Myri is reluctant at first, Wren's offer becomes a quick and easy solution when her problems collide. However, this brief experience in ghostly possession soon takes Myri's life to new levels. How much will Myri lose to avoid the problems mounting around her? How much will Wren take to fulfill her own desires?

This story was not only suspenseful, it was laugh out loud funny to read. Shaunda Kennedy Wenger has a great sense of humor which translates to her writing. I found myself rooting for characters who were believable and well developed.

The plot was quite unique and with several story threads and it moved along at a good pace. Situations the characters faced were realistic (except for the possession thing) and well thought out.

You can find The Ghost in Me on Amazon at this link http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Me-Shaunda-Kennedy-Wenger/dp/0615432875/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

The Good Carma Giveaway

2011-09-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

Some amazing books are about to be born. Bound by C.K. Bryant, Become by Ali Cross, Exiled by RaShelle Workman, Breathe by Melanie M. MucCullough and Pigments of my Imagination by Angela Kulig. These adorable bundles will hit the pages on November 11, 2011. But before they arrive the authors are celebrating with a giveaway. It's kind of like a baby shower. Celebrate the arrival of their babies and win prizes.

To get in on this fun giveaway, click on the Dark Carma Tour button.

We have a winner!

2011-09-25T05:34:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Laura H. of Kansas who is a huge Jayhawks fan. I hope you enjoy Witch Child.

Come back in October for another Spooktacular Blog Hop!

Blog Hop - Win Witch Child

2011-09-22T06:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the September blog hop. I'm already gearing up for October with a spooky book you can win called 'Witch Child'.

"Hidden until now in the pages of her secret diary, fourteen year old Mary's story begins as she flees the English with hunts to settle in an American colony. But how long can Mary hide her true nature from the Puritans? How long can she keep running?"

Would you like to win this book? If you would, there are two things you need to do:

1: Become a follower of my blog.

2. Leave me a comment and tell me why you like spooky stories.

Done. Wasn't that easy. The contest ends Saturday September 24th at midnight and I will contact the winner asap. Please leave your e-mail address with your comment so that I can find you.

This is a blog hop. There are so many other prizes to win and blogs to see, so get hoppin'.
September Blog Hop Participants

1. Tristi Pinkston, LDS Author
2. Joyce DiPastena
3. I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
4. Mandi Slack
5. Michael D. Young
6. Six Mixed Reviews
7. Pam Williams
8. Laurie Lewis
9. Kristy Tate
10. Marilyn Yarbrough
11. Stacy Coles
12. Kristie Ballard
13. Lynn Parsons
14. Pushing Past the Pounds
15. Sheila Staley
16. cindy Hogan

17. Jamie Thompson
18. Jaclyn Weist
19. Cathy Witbeck
20. Secret Sisters Mysteries
21. Tamera Westhoff
22. Tina Scott
23. Lynnea Mortensen
24. Danyelle Ferguson aka Queen of the Clan
25. Jeanette A. Fratto
26. Bonnie Harris
27. Melissa Lemon
28. Mary Ann Dennis
29. Stephanie Black
30. Jane Still
31. Janice
32. Laura Bastian

33. Tamara Bordon
34. Betsy Love
35. Maria Hoagland
36. Amber Robertson
37. Debbie Davis
38.
39. Christy Monson
40. Carolyn Frank
41. Rebecca Birkin
42. Melissa Cunningham
43. Emily L. Moir
44. Ronda Hinrichsen
45. Lisa Asanuma
46. Joan Sowards
47. Jordan McCollum
48. Diane Stringam Tolley

Learn more about September Blog Hop here.
Get The Code

Fall - Book Review

2011-09-15T08:23:00.000-07:00

If I said you had a heavenly body would you hold it against me? Yes, these are actual lyrics. In the book ‘Fall’ Julia Halstead meets two brothers who are heavenly beings. Of course she doesn’t realize this right away. Not until dark forces combine to battle for her soul.

Julia, who goes by J.D. finds herself in the quiet little town of Torrey, Utah as the project manager to remake an old school house into a bed and breakfast. It’s a big project, and Julia can’t wait to show her grandfather that she can handle it. Construction is in her blood. This is something she has always wanted to do. But when vandalism and mysterious occurrences threaten the project, Julia turns to Matthew Rigo, her demolition contractor for help. At first he seems to be an answer to her prayers, but then the nightmare begins.

Jennifer has written a story with great characters. Julia is a tough, tool toting construction gal who still caters to her feminine side. She improves her yellow construction boots with hot pink and black leopard print. She has a soft spot for the grandfather who raised her after her mother abandoned her and struggles with how she feels about her place in a family.

Liu, an elderly Asian woman who runs the towns grocery store is a great supporting character. She offers care and advice when J.D. needs her.

I won’t tell you about the men in the story, suffice it to say there are rippling muscles and meaningful glances aplenty.

Fall is a paranoramal romance even your teenager could read. No cursing or intimate scenes in this book.

You can visit Author Jeniffer Hurst’s Blog at http://jenniferhurst.wordpress.com/.

To purchase Fall go to http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/71705

You can also purchase Fall in paper back on Amazon here http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Jennifer-Hurst/dp/1463632770/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316293958&sr=8-1

Jenniffer is having a great contest to go with the release of her book. The winner will receive a gift certificate for a night’s stay at the actual bed and breakfast where the story takes place. Other prizes include an autographed copy of Fall, and 3 contestants will be randomly selected to have their names used in the sequel to Fall. They will receive a copy of the sequel when it is published.

Each blog in the tour will have a different set of questions you can answer, so enter often. Once per blog site please.

It’s so simple. Get the book, read it, answer the questions and email them to Jennifer at mailto:fall.jenniferhurst@gmail.com

Here are the questions:

Which town is the hospital located?

What is the Name of the National Park outside of Torrey?

What kind of Cat did JD see while out running?

The other sites on this blog tour are included below. Good luck!

1. Hallie Chandler with Hallie Chandler on August 14, 2011

2. Fabulous Reads with Karen Pellet on August 15th

3. Can’t Put It Down with Jennifer Goehl on August 15th

4. Elly’s Book Shelf with Elly on August 25th

5. Fire And Ice with Heather Gardner on August 30th

6. Mudrock and Pink Nail Polish with Mandi Slack on August 31st

7. My Life in a Laptop with Michelle Jeffries on September 1st

8. Stitch Read Cook with Aislynn Thompson on September 2nd

9. What All the Kids are Reading with Tonya Christensen on September 6th

10. Cindy M Hogan with Cindy Hogan on September 7th

11. Imaginary Reads with Kris Chen on September 7th

12. Cami’s Books with Cami Checketts on September 8th

13. Writer’s Mirror with Cindy Williams on September 10th

14. Chasing Dreams with Tamara Hart Heiner on September 12th

15. A Writer’s Reality with Melissa Cunningham on September 14th

16. Debbie’s Inkspectations with Debbie Davis on September 15th

17. Write by Candlelight with Jennifer Debenham on September 15th

18. Fabulous Reads with Stephanie on September 15th

19. Crack a Spine Book Reviews with Rachel Shaw on September 16th

20. Cathy Witbeck Story Painter with Cathy Witbeck on September 17th

21. Queen of the Clan with Danyelle Ferguson on September 19th

22. Book Reviews And More Kaylynn England on September 20th

23. Musings from an LDS Writing Mom with Gaynell Parker on September 23rd

24. Pink Ink with Jewel Allen on September 26th

25. Latter Day Woman Magazine with Heidi Durant on September 27th

26. Of Writerly Things with Valerie Ipson on September 28th

27. Kaylee Baldwin with Kaylee Baldwin on September 29th

28. Queen of Chaos with Autumn Weber on October 1st

29. Best Authors Read with Theresa Sneed on October 2nd

30. Frankly Creative with Carolyn Frank on October 3rd

31. A Writer’s Eyes with Keith Fisher on October 3rd

32. J Lloyd Morgan with J Lloyd Morgan on October 5th

33. Star Crossed with Nichole Giles on October 5th

34. Heather Justesen with Heather Justesen on October 7th

Double Deceit - Book Review

2011-08-31T06:35:00.001-07:00

Elaina has started a new life. She's been reunited with her sister, started a new job and found the support of old friends. And just as it seems to be coming together she gets a letter from her dead husband . . .

Double Deceit is a romantic suspense novel that will have you turning the pages till the wee hours. This is author Stephanie Humphreys second book and the girl knows how to set the pace. The story moves along at a good clip. I read it over two days. It's one of those books where the kids keep saying, "Mom, mom," and you hardly hear them (ouch). Laundry goes untouched, dishes pile up, etc. So be prepared before you start, because you won't want to stop.

The story takes place in windy southern Alberta. I can attest that her scenes are accurate having grown up there. In fact it made me a little nostalgic. The country I miss, the wind I do not.

In Elaina you will find a young woman who has suffered loss, but is ready to move on. She meets a cast of supporting characters who are well defined. The plot keeps you guessing right to the end and has quite a twist.

You can purchase Double Deceit on Amazon. And you can visit Author Stephanie Humphrey's Blog and enter the Awesome August Blog Hop contest. Be sure to visit the other sites reviewing Double Deceit listed below:

August 15 - Maria Hoagland

August 16 - Heather Gardner

August 17 - Rachelle Christensen
August 18 - Jane Still
August 19 - Deborah Davis
August 22 - Renae Mackley
August 23 - Cindy Hogan
August 24 - Matthew Tandy

August 25 - Taffy Lovell
August 26 - Kathy Habel
August 29 - Don Carey
August 30 - Teri Rodeman
August 31 - Cathy Witbeck
Sept. 1 - Shelly Seele

Sept. 2 - Tristi Pinkston

The Latter Rain - Book Review

2011-08-23T21:42:00.000-07:00

The Latter Rain is in a much different Genre than books I have reviewed in the past. Having said that, I must say I quite enjoyed it. Now I’ll tell you the complete title. ‘The Latter Rain – Using the Book of Isaiah as the Key to Unlock Bible Prophecies That are Relevant Today’. This is the part where you say, “Isaiah, you read a book about the prophecies in Isaiah and you enjoyed it?” Actually, yes.

James M. Conis has laid out this book in a format that is easy to follow and understand. He uses a mix of scriptures from the Old and New Testament alternating with his interpretation of what they say. He invites the reader to pray for wisdom and understanding to know if the insights are correct. His desire is to lead people closer to God and bring them a clear perspective of what the ancient prophets are saying about what is happening in our world today.

To make an understanding of the bible more simple, Conis breaks down relevant types and symbols that are prevalent in the scriptures. Rain is symbolic for the word of God or revelation. Much of his book is devoted to a discussion of the former rain period, when prophets were present on the earth, separated by a famine period when there are no prophets and ending with the latter rain, when prophets are again present on the earth.

Though I did not agree with everything in ‘The Latter Rain’, I found the book to be informative, entertaining and well written. To purchase this book go to this link http://www.thelatterrain.net . As a special promotion, when you put TOUR in the coupon code, you will receive 20% off your order.

Weekly Writing Tips

2011-07-31T06:19:00.000-07:00

Tristi Pinkston is a writer extraordinaire. Not only does she write in several genres, but she takes the time to write weekly writing tips. These tips are a great way to learn little facts you might not know about writing. Just an extra little boost to get you closer to the top of the slush pile. If you are interested in receiving Tristi's tips you can email her at http://www.tristipinkston.com/. Tristi has an author newsletterthat is full of her book signings, book releases and other fun stuff. It will come to you once a month if you sign up for it at pinkstonnewsletter@gmail.com.

Independence Day Flash Fiction Blog Fest

2011-07-15T07:49:00.000-07:00

I'm participating in Ali's Flash Fiction Blog Fest.

The theme is:It's Independence day and something unexpected happens . . .

Here's what happened in my twisted brain:

Lights flashed overhead in brilliant cascades of red, blue and green, the crowd yelled and cheered, but I didn’t hear anything but my own panicked heart. “Logan,” I cried, searching through a sea of faces all bent to the sky. The touch of his little fingers in mine was still there. How could he just disappear? Panicked, I pushed through the crowd. The sound of rusty hinges from a park swing pulled me toward the playground.

“Ma’m is this your son?” someone said. I swung around to see a young man in military clothing holding Logan’s hand.

“Oh Sweetie,” I cried. I clutched his little body to mine and he hugged me just as tight. I looked up with tears in my eyes to thank the boy, but he was nowhere in sight.

Standing, I said, “Logan, where is the man who brought you

to me?”

“Right over here, Mommy,” he said, leading me to a statue of three soldiers saluting the flag.

Interested in reading other entries. The other blogs are listed in the side column. Have fun.

Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers

2011-07-11T18:08:00.000-07:00

In June I was thrilled to attend the afternoon session of Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers. It is a wonderful conference with some seriously talented people teaching the classes. For example, I attended classes taught by Holly Black (author of Spiderwick), Kathleen Duey (Author of Skin Hunger), Martine Leavitt (Author of Heck, Superhero) and Jed Henry (Author/Illustrator of I Speak Dinosaur). Ally Condie was the keynote speaker and the classes were organized by no other than Carol Lynch Williams. So you can see the level of amazing people we were surrounded by.

There were also two editors, Alyson Heller and Lisa Yoskowitz as well as an agent, Mary Kole. They all spoke and gave us information about what they were looking for and how to contact them.

This was a great conference. For anyone that missed, plan on next year. They hold it at the Waterford School in June although registration is much earlier.

As a side note, James Ducket is having a contest on his blog. http://www.jamesduckett.com/2011/07/50-follower-contest.html

He has 50 followers and is shooting for 100. Check out the details and the great prizes that include an Amazon gift card or a Cold Stone Creamery gift card.

Book Review - Nia by Mella Reese

2011-06-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

If you are interested in reading a good clean medieval romance this summer, Nia could be the book you are looking for. With compelling characters, a quick pace and a well thought out plot, this novel sets you in a historically accurate setting, to the degree that making dinner seems a nuisance. Just let the cook throw together some fresh breads, meat and cheese, and you can ride out to the meadow to dine in the shade (Back to reality – hit the drive in at McDonalds, let the kids play in the park and keep reading).

Nia is the only daughter born to a family of royalty. She is also a healer, following in the footsteps of her late mother. Sadly, healers are sometimes looked upon as those who practice the black arts. This couldn’t be further from the truth, but it’s a stigma they have to bear.

It seems that Nia’s father, King Cadell is always at war. In the first chapter, he has won a battle. Nia is attending to the wounded when a foreign soldier interrupts her, telling her that he has sworn an oath to be her guard for the rest of his life. His words, “Your blood is now my blood. Your world is now my world. Your life is now my life.” At first Nia is annoyed by his constant presence, but later she comes to understand just how much the gift of his oath to her means.

So much goes on in this story as the characters of Nia, Garreth (the solider), King Cadell, and others are explored and we begin to understand the motivations behind the actions that they take.

You can purchase this lovely book on Amazon at this link http://www.amazon.com/Nia-Mella-Reese/dp/1612960103/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1305562205&sr=8-1

The author, Mella Reese, has a site that you can visit at http://mellareese.com/ and you can visit her blog at http://www.authormellareese.blogspot.com/ .

Although this story could stand alone, you will be happy to know there will be a sequel to Nia. It’s called Nia, Queen’s Exhile and should be coming out in 2011.

Three Eagles

2011-05-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

Three Eagle awards in one year. This has been a busy place. I'd like to say that I helped a whole lot, but it was actually my scouting driven hubby that lead the charge. He's my hero.

Brad made backboards for C.E.R.T., Tom made tables for P.J.'s Forgotten Children (a charity for families group), and Adam made wood duck boxes for homeless wood ducks in Utah.

In the photo, Brad (18) is on the left, Adam (14) on the right with Tom (16) sitting in the middle. Tom had to sit because the boy is six foot four. People ask us what we feed him. We tell them, "Anything he wants."

J is for Juxtaposition

2011-04-11T15:41:00.000-07:00

What the heck does this word mean. It is the act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.

Yeah, that happens in writing. Don't we place the hero and the villain together for contrast. Sometimes it's as simple as child vs parent, or even friend vs friend.

What do you juxtapose in your writing to give it contrast?

F is for Focus

2011-04-07T06:23:00.000-07:00

What do you focus on the most in your writing. Is it dialogue, character, scene or plot? If you read your work and you find that you focus more on one than all the others, then you need to work on a balance.

Right now I'm working as the stage manager for a play. My focus is on the cast and crew. I haven't been focused on my family. I feel unbalanced.

Tonight the play starts. I won't be blogging for the next few days. So for tomorrow, G is for Goodbye till later, then on Saturday H is for Hallelujah we're almost done and on Sunday I is for Incapacitated, cause that's when I crumble into pile of jelly. Wish me luck.

P.S. The play is put on by our Stake and is an LDS production called "Savior of the World". You can find it on LDS.org.

E is for Emotion

2011-04-06T07:09:00.000-07:00

I took a class on Emotion in Writing by Carol Lynch Williams. She told us that your writing needs to touch your reader. How do you do that? You make the character real. Write your character's history. Give them quirks that make them unique. As you are writing, borrow emotion from yourself. Ask yourself how you would feel in a situation and give your character those feelings. Use the senses. How would things look, sound, feel, smell, and taste. Here is a link to a list of descriptive words for these senses -http://www.stress-relief-tools.com/types-of-imagery.html .

Ask yourself why the reader is reading your book. Williams says that teens read to find out who they are. They want a book that will speak to them. In conclusion, she said, good writing is about telling the truth.

Strengthen your characters and scenes with emotion. Your story will be better for it.

D is for Dash

2011-04-05T10:35:00.000-07:00

The alphabet post thing looks like fun, so I'll give it a whirl.

D is for Dash.

Wendy Swore encouraged me to use an em dash in my last story. I had to figure out how to type it on my computer and though I'm sure Annette Lyon had talked about it scores of time in her grammar classes, I had to look it up again. The Chicago Manual of Style says "The em dash is used "to denote a sudden break in thought that causes an abrupt change in sentence structure."

On my Mac, I can create an em dash by pressing down the alt key and the minus key. I don't know what your computer does. Good luck.

An en dash (which sounds pretty much like em dash and so confuses poor hapless fools like myself), "is used to connect continuing, or inclusive, numbers -- dates, time, or reference numbers." Taken again from the Chicago Manual of Style.

The difference between the two dashes is the length of the dash. An em dash is the size of an m or three dashes and the en dash is the size of an n, or three dashes.

Then there's dine and dash, which refers to eating and running. The rash dash, which is done when one has made a rash decision and has to flee. The rash dash of course could have a dermatological meaning, for example the dash to the E.R. after a person has fallen in poison ivy.

No pets or people were harmed in the writing of this post.

It's Pysanky Time

2011-04-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

What is a pysanky you may ask. The correct question would be, what is a pysanka, Alex? Pysanky is the plural form for Ukrainian Easter eggs, and a pysanka is one egg.

If you are into decorating these colorful, intricate creations, now would be the time to start. It's almost Easter, and in homes all over the world people are getting out their dyes and heating up their kistky. A kistka is a tool with a long handle ending in a brass funnel that is used to apply wax to an egg to keep dye from adhering to the shell. This 'wax resist' process allows you to layer colors of dye from lightest to darkest and finish with a beautiful pattern of all the shades at the end.

To see some phenomenal examples of art on an egg, visit the site of a dedicated Canadian artist named So Jeo, http://www.sojeo.com/galleries/index.html .

If you are interested in trying this fun art formhttp://www.sojeo.com/galleries/index.htmlyourself, here are a few places where you can order supplies, http://www.ukrainiangiftshop.com/ and http://www.pysankyusa.com/shop/.

If you have questions about the process or the history of Ukrainian Easter eggs or want to take classes, a great site to go to is http://www.learnpysanky.com/. I am listed as one of the teachers in Utah there.

It can be as simple as wax crayon on the egg you are dipping with your kids egg kit, or you can try the real thing with a kistka and beeswax. It's a great way to spend time with your kids, or nurture your creative side. Now's the time. There's only a few weeks till Easter. Get crackin'. (Oops, bad egg pun).

Book Review - Star Scout Rising

2011-03-01T13:48:00.000-08:00

I recently read Star Scout Rising, First Trail written by Gary Darby. It is pure Sci-Fi and right up my alley. Mr. Darby creates an interesting universe in which a Junior Star Scout, Del Baldura, joins with his team mates to work toward becoming a full fledged Star Scout by passing the rigorous No-Notice test. But in the midst of tracking an alien life form, one of their team mates is kidnapped. While Del and his crew race to save his team mate, evil forces are combining to plot against him and his family.

Peller, the leader of the Gadion Faction, is one nasty dude. “His eyes narrowed to slits as he studied the star path. There was absolutely no doubt that they were marching closer and their trail was leading them to this part of the galactic spiral arm where an unsuspecting and vulnerable Earth glided peacefully along in its orbit around Father Sol.

This Suited Peller Perfectly.”

Del’s Uncle, Jak McCarel, knows the truth about the past and the possible danger that Del could be facing. Unfortunately, Del doesn’t know Jak exists.

Twists and turns with alien life forms, system failures, crew member interactions and one evil villain, keep you turning the pages. Some, but not all questions are answered at the end, leaving it open to an upcoming sequel.

You can find Star Scout Rising for purchase at http://www.amazon.com/StarScout-Rising-First-Gary-Darby/dp/0982301723/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297726243&sr=1-2

Contact the author or take a look at his blog at http://starscoutrising.blogspot.com/

What is a Storybird?

2010-11-18T07:42:00.000-08:00

Recently, I blogged about 'Using Art as Inspiration for Writing' on the LDS Writer's Blogck. I have just become aware of a great website where some very talented people are implementing that idea. Storybird, http://storybird.com/, was created as a place for collaborative storytelling. In their words, 'Storybird reverses the process of visual storytelling by starting with the image and "unlocking" the story inside.
Artist's are invited to go there and submit their artwork. There are no fees. You retain all copyrights and control of your work, and you get the satisfaction of watching kids write stories inspired by your artwork. Booyah!
Storybird has no specific age range, but the designers suggest that is is most appropriate for ages 3-13. With Storybird, families and friends can build stories together, whether they are sitting together at the same computer, or across an ocean from one another. The idea is that one person starts with an image, adds some words and passes the story on to be completed.
When the story is complete you can print it, or share it with your network.
I'm excited about this great new resource. It looks like a lot of fun for both artists and kids who want to be inspired to write.

November 11th. What does it mean?

2010-11-11T10:34:00.000-08:00

What is the significance of November 11th and why are all those Canadians wearing poppies? Americans call it Veterans Day. Canadians call it Remembrance Day, but it all adds up to a day to remember the amazing men who fight for the freedom of our countries.

During World War 1, after losing a friend in the second battle of Ypres, Dr. John McCrae, a Canadian military doctor, wrote this poem.

In Flanders Fields

by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

I can’t think of November 11th without associating it with poppies and this poem. In Elementary School we all memorized it and recited it each Remembrance Day. I hope it will mean as much to you as it does to me. It still makes me stop and think.

To eBook or Not to eBook

2010-09-22T18:32:00.000-07:00

I have recently discovered the decedant world of eBooks. Electronic books at the tips of your fingers. So many to choose from and it's so easy, you can download with the click of a button. You hardly feel the cash slipping effortlessly out of your account.
Apps like ibooks, amazon kindle and borders ebooks make it easy to download oodles of books. In the mood for a classic? There are apps loaded with classics, some of them are free. 'Classics' by Andrew Kazmierski has the best rating and comes recommended by Apple. It has realistic page turning visuals and sounds. Of course most of the book apps like amazon and borders offer free classics as part of their package.
I have found that reading on my i-phone is a little frustrating because the screen is so tiny. A kindle would probably be better. The advantage is that I can hold it in one hand. I can read in a restaurant and not have to balance the book. Finding the page is fast too, but where do I put my cute bookmarks?
So, when you publish that book of yours, will you go the ebook route? I think I would. I always check to see if a book has that option now. I'm not saying that my regular books are history, I'm just looking to the future.

Worms in the Fridge

2010-09-09T05:56:00.000-07:00

There are worms in my fridge. I find it disturbing. It's not because of bad hygiene and rotting food or anything uber-disgusting like that. It's just that my husband has become all consumed with a passion for fishing. Thus we have worms.

In the past month we have eaten walleye, perch, bass, bluegill and carp. When will the madness end. Frankly, I don't think there's much hope. I may start a fish based recipe site. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Have You Won The Versitile Blogger Award?

2010-08-18T07:08:00.000-07:00

I opened my email this morning and found an e-mail from author/editor Virginia Grenier giving me the Versatile Blogger award. I have to admit, it made my day.
Viriginia is currently in the process of getting Stories for Children Magazine up and on it's feet again. It's a great place to take your stories or articles if you write for kids. Virginia is a writer on
http://thewritingmama.blogspot.com/. She is a busy mom of three kids and a published author as well.
As with most of these awards, the way it works is that you pass it on. I would now like to give this coveted, prestigious award to these people.
Cindy Beck-http://bythebecks.blogspot.com/ Rashelle Workman-http://rashelleworkman.blogspot.com/, Rebecca Talley-http://rebeccatalleywrites.blogspot.com/, Wendy Swore-http://wendyswore.blogspot.com/, Elizabeth Mueller-http://elizabethmueller.blogspot.com/, Lori Nawyn-http://forethoughtandpurpose.blogspot.com/, Ali Cross-http://alicross.blogspot.com/, Connie Hall-http://clhall.blogspot.com/, Tina Scott-http://totallytinascott.blogspot.com/, Karen Dupaix-http://karendupaixwrites.blogspot.com/, Carolyn Frank-http://franklycreative.blogspot.com/, Weston Elliot-http://www.wendword.blogspot.com/, Sarah Southerland-http://livinglifeatwarpedspeed.blogspot.com/, Jaime Theler-http://jaimetheler.blogspot.com/ and Shawna Tenney-http://www.shawnajctenney.com/
The next part of the award is totally up to the recipients time and enthusiasm level. If you wish you may participate. If not, sit back and enjoy knowing that you are loved in a bloggy way.
1. Thank the person who passed the award on to you.
2. Share seven things about yourself.
3.Present this honor to 15 other bloggers.
4.Let them know why they have recieved this honor.
You may have noticed that I included blogsites. Check them out. They are awesome.
Here come my seven things:
1. This year is my 25 wedding anniversary.
2. I am a certified dental assistant (does that make me certifiable?)
3. I am addicted to Wendy's frostys.
4. We didn't have indoor plumbing till I was four.
5. I really like to paint cows.
6. I live with a kids who are 13, 15, 17 and 18. Certifiable probably fits.
7. I almost always wear socks.
Again, thanks to Virginia for this award, and Kudos to those to whom I passed it on. You rock.

Colorful Cow

2010-08-14T14:55:00.000-07:00

Now that's a lot of color. What you see is the computer version (from photoshop). I'm still working on the actual painting in acrylic. After playing on the computer I think I am going to simplify what I attempted with the wheat. I like just a few stalks front and center. In the painting I'm working on I tried to fill in with background stalks and leaves and it got way too busy. I like acrylic. You can paint over your mistakes. It's like a giant eraser. Yay for erasers.

Cows Are Us

2010-08-12T13:27:00.000-07:00

Good art doesn't go with your couch, but does it go with your bedspread? I just put a new bedspread on my son's bed that has a border edged in wheat. It is this big bold, out there kind of wheat. I just had to paint a cow to go with it. Will it give the cow indigestion? Will my 15 year old complain? Not sure, but it was one of those things that just had to be done.
More to follow as color hits the canvas.

Things That Make You Go Hmmm.

2010-08-12T08:07:00.000-07:00

At Cedar Breaks National Park, I saw a guy with this saying on his T-shirt, "The opposite of poverty isn't wealth." It's one of those things that make you go hmmm.
I discussed this with my 17-year old. You have to decide what wealth is. Is it happiness, knowledge, an abundance of friends and family.
Conversely, what is poverty. Can you live in a palace and still be poor. I'm sure there are people who are struggling in this economic depression who would beg to differ.
What do you think?

Paint What You Know

2010-07-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

I know, it's supposed to be write what you know. But when I go home to the farm and I'm surrounded by views of things that I know and love, my fingers itch to paint what I know. Maybe that's why half of what I end up drawing seems to be cows. What inspires you?

Personal History

2010-06-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have been writing my personal history and both of my parents personal histories to prepare for their 50th anniversary celebration. It has been illuminating. I found that as I wrote I gained a new level of appreciation for my parents. They are stellar individuals. The choices that they made even before I was born have made a profound difference to my life. Both of them are such good people with clear values, goals and aspirations. Writing about their lives made me want to redefine my own goals and strive for better things.
Writing my own personal history has also been an interesting journey. I kept thinking of things to add and thinking of things that maybe I didn't want to add. Do I really want my kids to know about the weird things I did in high school? Maybe some things are better left unsaid. What do you think. Do you air all those skeletons for future generations, or do you let them gather dust and hope they quietly crumble away?

Who Invented the 'Senior Trip' ?

2010-06-11T17:32:00.000-07:00

I just got back from taking my daughter and a couple of her friends on her 'Senior Trip'. We did the road trip to California thing with days at the beach and a couple of amusement parks. The girls had fun and I played chaperone/photographer. What I really want to know is, who invented this 'Senior Trip' scam anyway?
When I graduated from High School the attitude was, congratulations kid. Here's your diploma. Now go get a job.
Today I hear kids saying "What did you get for graduation? Where are you going on your Senior Trip? A sense of entitlement maybe?
So why did we give in and let her go to California? 'Cause we didn't want her to go to Mexico.
What's your take on the whole 'Senior Trip' thing. Did you go? What will you do when your kids come to you asking about where they get to go?

SFC Newsletter for Writers

2010-05-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

Stories for Children Magazine may have taken a hiatus, but Stories for Children Newsletter is alive and well. It has been voted one of the 101 best websites for writers by Writer's Digest. This newsletter is not only for children's writers, it's for anyone who loves to write. If you sign up, you will get a free monthly e-mail in PDF form with tips on writing, how other writers started down the road to success through trial and error, success stories on being published, contests, writing markets, and much more.
To subscribe to this newsletter, simply go to this site: http://storiesforchildrenpublishing.com/SFCNewsletterforWriters.aspx#ThankYou
Here is what one reader said about the newsletter:
"I read the first two newsletters and you offer a nice selection of articles for writers of children's stories, as well as a great source of markets, contests, etc." --Marcia Berneger
Great information coming to you monthly for free. You can't beat that.

A Great Way to Self Critique

2010-05-10T17:53:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have times when you look at your writing and think, what now? It seems to flow when I read it. I don't see any grammatical errors. I'm sure there is something I could do to improve this piece, I'm just not sure what it is. I have a friend who is the diva of critiquing (you are dying to know who it is aren't you, it's Karen Mittan). She gave me a gem of a critiquing tool the other day and since I'm feeling generous, I'm going to share it with you.
For each of your paragraphs get a three by five card and write down the questions who, what, where, when, why and how. Ask questions relevant to your paragraph. For example: Who is affected in this paragraph? How did I show what my character was feeling. Where was he in this scene? What was he wearing? Was I descriptive, did I need to be? Why did my character say what he did? When did my character suddenly sit down?
Each set of questions will be different for each paragraph, and they will help you dig a little deeper into what makes each paragraph work, or not work. They may even help you to make your paragraph work better.
Thanks Karen.

SCBWI Illustrator's Gallery

2010-04-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators has a great new venue, an illustrator's gallery. That's right, you can put your work on display. You don't even have to be a member of SCBWI to look at it. Just scroll down to their link (under links for illustrators). When you bring up the site, click on the box that says 'for illustrators'. Next click on 'The SCBWI Illustrator's Gallery'. How easy is that. To look up an illustrator there is an option to either put the name in a search bar, or look them up alphabetically. I just added my name this morning, but you have to be a member to add a portfolio.

When you are looking at a portfolio, you can click on an image to enlarge it, thus seeing more of the incredible detail.
Putting your work on display like this is a great way to share your work with other illustrators.

On an SCBWI Illustrator's blog, I found the following quote by Patrick Collins, the Creative Director at Henry Holt Books,“A portfolio should include about 10 pieces of your best work. Be selective. Don’t include more than 20 pieces. At least 3 of the works should show characters, people or animals, in scenes or poses that tell a story. The characters’ faces and body language should express emotion and attitudes in such a way that the image establishes a mood and tells the story. Portraits, landscapes and florals don’t do the job in this business.”

So here is the challenge to all you artsy types. Get out there, join SCBWI and get your work up where people can see it. I did.

The Naked Writer

2010-04-16T16:37:00.000-07:00

Driving in my van (Vanessa), this afternoon, I dug around in my purse for a notebook, in case I had any ideas I needed to write down. Alas, I couldn't find even a scrap of paper. "I'm naked!" I screamed. And that's actually how I felt. It's a good thing I didn't have any kids in the car. Although at this point, they probably would have taken it in stride.
How would you feel as a writer without a pen or a pencil and something, anything to write on. Writing is darn well addictive. You have to do it. And when the urge strikes, what ever is available will do.
What have you written with or on that wasn't conventional?

Mrs. Fix It

2010-04-14T07:14:00.000-07:00

Here's my list for today.1- Put up a new light fixture outside our kitchen door. 2- fix the kitchen drawer that fell in on itself. 3- Drill a hole for a knob on the cabinet door I replaced a few weeks ago. 4- Put a new screw in the little decorative shelf that fell off the wall. 5- Sew buttons on several skirts and pants. 6- Hem the bed skirt that is about an inch too long for our bed. 7- Finish the laundry because the boys have run out of socks.
Where the heck do I fit writing in there. Life is full of so many demands on our time.
What do you do to balance 'The list' with your writing time?

Pysanky

2010-04-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

Pysanky
Easter weekend and my kistka was flying. A kistka is the tool that you use to make pysanky (Ukrainian Easter eggs). Yes, I know it’s not exactly illustration, but it actually is a form of story telling. Did you know that the work pysanky comes from the latin word pysaty – to write. So these eggs are in fact written eggs. They are eggs with a message. The colors and symbols on the eggs have different meanings to them.
Some basic color meanings are: White – Purity, Yellow – Kindness, Orange – Endurance, Green – Spring, Blue – Truth, Red- Eternity.
Symbols are divided up into animals, plants, geometric patterns and religious symbols. A few of their meanings are: Spider – Patience, Grapes – Fellowship, Horse – Prosperity, Fish net – Bringing men to Christ.
The eggs are made with a wax resist process. The kistka which is a brass funnel on the end of a stick, is heated over a candle flame. When it is hot, you fill it with bees wax. I love the smell of bees wax in the morning. You use the kistka to draw thin lines of bees wax on your egg where ever you want to leave white lines. Then you dip it in a light color of dye. You go from the lightest color to the darkest, adding more wax and then dipping progressively in darker colors. At the end, you melt off the wax, varnish the egg and blow it out.
Be careful, this is an addictive craft. Once you start you will find that you want to try more and more patterns.
The best place to find supplies is http://www.ukrainiangiftshop.com/. They have an extensive supply of what you will need and they ship it in a timely fashion with very reasonable prices.
If you have any questions there is a superb website http://www.learnpysanky.com/. It has lots of great information, even places in Utah where you can take classes. You will find me listed as an instructor.
So next Easter try something new. Or better yet, don't wait. I make pysanky all year round.

Blogs Dedicated To Writing

2010-03-22T06:55:00.000-07:00

Did you know that there are some stellar blogs out there that are specifically about writing? I am aware of a few of them. Here are the ones that I know of.
Nathan Bransford is a literary agent who gives all sorts of information about writing and publishing on his blog.
Cynthia Leitych Smith is a writer who has an agent. She shares a wealth of knowledge with readers who check out her blog called Cynsations.
Scott Rhodes has a blog called Scott Rhodes Writing Tools. He shares a bunch of free writing tools for your computer to aid with your writing.
Stacy Whitman's Grimoire is a blog done by a gal from Utah whose new imprint, Tu publishing was just purchased by Lee and Low books. Cool, eh. She has oodles of advice on things like writing, publishing and finding an agent.
Another great source for writing inspiration is The Utah Children's Writer's Blog. It is constantly updated with great information about writing topics by talented writers.
You will find these blogs listed under Links for Children's Writer's in the right hand column of my blog if you want to check them out or copy them to your own blog.
Well, I shared mine. Do you have any writing blogs that you enjoy. I'd love to hear about them.

Where do they get this stuff?

2010-03-16T07:02:00.001-07:00

This morning I took a look at my twelve-year-old and told him I thought it was time for a hair cut. He turned to me and said, "A really good hair cut can change your DNA and make you truly sexy fine."
How do you respond to that. The kid is twelve. And where did he come up with that line.
As to what to do with it, I say, write it down. Save it for a writing reference. Use it as an idea to start a story or build a character. It's too precious to let fizzle.
Kids say stuff all the time that you can work with. When one of my kids was about three he was eating his breakfast and he looked up and said, "Mom, who invented fried eggs." I made up a story about a caveman accidentally dropping a pterodactyl egg on a hot rock and he was happy.
Are you taking advantage of your kids when you take their lines or questions and use them to further your writing? According to my husband, it doesn't matter. We only had them so we would have some one else around to do the dishes.

What do you do with words that inspire you?

2010-03-12T08:33:00.000-08:00

So what do you do when you are reading along and you find a passage that just sings to you. In the past, I would have just thought, wow, I want to write like that. After talking to a friend of mine, I know what I would do now.
When Karen finds a line or a scene that touches her that way, she writes it down. She doesn't ignore it, she dedicates a little time to it. She told me if the writing was that good, she wanted to remember how it was written. In writing it down, she does two things. She keeps a copy of writing that inspires her, and she studies how the words were written.
Smart girl.
Thanks for the tip, Karen. If your goal is to write as well as some of the authors whose books you simply breathe in, could be a notebook of words that inspire you might be the way to go.

Where do I go from here?

2010-03-10T07:28:00.000-08:00

This is it. Stories for Children Magazine has officially printed its last issue. Ouch. I feel so lost. These guys were my life-line. I was getting an art assignment a month from them and now I feel set adrift.
My last assignment was an illustration of a girl playing volleyball for a youth poem. You can see it posted on my blog.
I will miss the challenge of having a new story, article or poem to inspire me.
So what do I do, now that I no longer have SFC? I do have an illustrated picture book that has been on the back burner waiting to be finished. Perhaps now is the time to dust it off and see what I can do with it. I have posted a sketch from one of the pages on my blog above the volleyball picture. What do you think? Watercolor, acrylic, colored pencil? What medium would you use, and would you make any changes?

Mormon Mishaps and Mischief Blog Tour and Contest

2010-02-10T08:31:00.000-08:00

Here is What USA Today had to say about Mormon Mishaps and Mischief:In chronicling various true, humorous anecdotes, "Mormon Mishaps and Mischief" exposes Mormonism for what it truly is: a religion made up of normal people. From ecclesiastical foot-in-mouth moments to tender yet humorous moments of youthful innocence, Giles and Beck have compiled an easy-reading treasure trove of humorous vignettes.
I would have to agree. This book is full of witty anecdotes that give you a boost of laughing juice. Just what is needed in todays hectic lifestyle. It's a great gift for Valentines Day, an anniversary, birthday, or just if you are in need of a chuckle. It's great for stress relief or joy-uptake.
This incredible book can be purchased at these fine locations - Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders, The BYU Bookstore or Deseret Book.

If you would like to have your book signed by one of it's awesome authors, you can attend a book signing at one of these events,

Feb 11, Thurs., 11:45a-1:00p.
BYU BOOKSTORE
Wilkinson Center
BYU, Provo, UT

Mar 9, Tues., 3:00-7:00p.
Santaquin Library Fundraiser
20 W 100 S
Santaquin, UT
A portion of all sales will go to help the library!

And now, what you have all been waiting for...THE CONTEST!
From now, until February 19th, you can enter to win a $20 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble. Here's how. C.L. Beck and D.N. Giles will draw a random winner from all of the stops on the blog tour. For more chances to win, visit the LDS Humor Blog to see the other blogs participating or go to the list at the bottom of this page. Winner to be announced Monday, February 22nd.

Leave a comment on my blog each time you enter the contest. Here are the steps:
1. Become a follower on my blog. I'm so lonely.
2. Write a wonderful review of the book on one or all of these sites: Amazon, Deseret Book, Goodreads, Shelfari, or other review sites. Leave a comment for each and a link to your review on my blog so I can read your inspiring words.
3. Blog about the book and the contest. Link back to the LDS Humor Blog and the Mishaps Website.
4. Tweet or FB this review.

Blog Tour as follows
Feb 5th ~Rachelle Christensen: Rachelle Writes
Feb 6th ~Ronda Hinrichsen: The Write Blocks
Feb 9th ~Connie Hall: C.LaRene Hall
Feb 10th ~Cathy Witbeck: Story Painter
Feb 11th ~Dan Olsen: Dan Olsen's Weblog
Feb 12th ~Danyelle Ferguson: Queen of the Clan

You can click on these blog links and the link to LDS Humor Blog and the Mishaps Website under blogs I like to visit.

True Story

2010-02-05T14:31:00.001-08:00

Sometimes the best stories are the ones that you find right in your own family history. In this month's issue of Stories for Children Magazine there is a true story about my father-in-law's experience with a young Dutch boy during the second world war. I had to call his brother to get details for the story, because my father-in-law passed away last year. Luckily, his brother was there with him in the same unit and knew the story well. It was one of the stories that Dad actually liked to tell the grandchildren because it showed a positive side of the war, and there wasn't much of that.
The story is called 'The Mess Tin' and it is written from the point of view of the little boy. I hope I got most of what happened right. I think the emotions are pretty well summed up.
The illustration is on my blog. It was fun to do. I had my sixteen year old pose for it. The toughest part was that stinkin' fence. Later someone pointed out to me that there probably wasn't chain link in WWII era, it was most likely chicken wire. My land, try to illustrate that.
If you are interested in checking the story out, go to http://storiesforchildrenmagazine.org/default.aspx and take a look at February's issue. I also have a thrilling article on keeping your teeth clean. Booyah.

Where Do You Go To Find Good Children's Books?

2010-01-12T07:59:00.001-08:00

There is an awesome blog which has recently changed it's name. It used to be 'Deliciously Clean Reads',now it is called 'Homespun Light'. The purpose of this blog is to recommend and review books that are free of sex, profanity and graphic violence. Homespun Emily, the creator of the blog, welcomes reviews as long as the book fits the criteria mentioned.
In a column on the left hand side of Emily's blog, there is a list of categories that you can refer to. Those that would be of interest for children or teens would include - Adventure, Christian, Classic, Coming of Age, Family, Fantasy, High School, Historical Fiction, Humor, Non-fiction, Mystery, Picture Books,Pre-Tween, Read-Aloud, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Teen and Tween. Click on any of these and you get a list of reviews of books in that category.
What a great place to go and find a book. If you are concerned about the content of what your child is reading, check out 'Homespun Light' at http://homespunlight.blogspot.com/.

Opera Gerbil

2009-12-03T10:19:00.000-08:00

As an illustrator, sometimes I get images stuck in my head until I put them on paper. My church choir director is an opera singer and she can sing with the force of angels. In an attempt to teach the soprano's how to hit their high notes, she has been convincing us that we have to use the muscles of our face to make our voices cooperate. Thus, we do gerbil faces. We pull up our lips, hit our high notes and sing our little hearts out like opera gerbils (we do not go so far as to wear the viking helmets).

Kids Who Want To Write

2009-11-24T07:28:00.000-08:00

What do you do if you are a kid who wants to write? My advice would be do it. If you feel like writing, then write. Write letters, write poetry, write in a journal, write stories. Any kind of writing is good practice if you want to be a writer. And read, a lot. Read the kind of books that you want to write. You need to become familiar with the flavor of what you want to write.
Of course it doesn't hurt to read other genre's too. Get lots of information crammed inside that head of yours. You may love science fiction, but give a historical novel a chance.It doesn't hurt to have lots of insight into other things to glean from. Historical facts, biology, science, language, geography, astronomy, mythology, all these subjects and more can be helpful in writing. Learning is great adventure. Barbara Streisand in her movie "Yentl" sang,"The more I learn, the more I realize -the less I know." I believe what she meant is, every time you learn something, you realize that there is so much more to learn. Then take what you learn, use your imagination, put a new twist on it and tell a story that no one has ever heard before. Albert Einstein, one of the greatest thinkers of our time, said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”
So get out there and write. I dare you.

An Angel on Main Street by Kathi Oram Peterson

2009-11-20T10:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I read 'An Angel On Main Street' by Kathi Oram Peterson. It was a delightful little Christmas story that takes place after the Korean War. Having lost her husband, a young widow moves her family to a small town in Idaho for a fresh start. The fresh start is for Micah. He's a good boy, but hanging out with the wrong crowd got him in trouble in the last place they lived in.
To complicate things, Micah's little sister, Annie, is very sick after having rheumatic fever. When a manger scene begins to mysteriously begin to appear one piece at a time on main street, it seems to give Annie hope. Micah vows to find the the baby Jesus and bring it to Annie before she gets any weaker.
If only Micah can accomplish his goal without the interference of the pesky town sheriff who seems to keep butting into their lives and making goo goo eyes at his mom.
Written from a young boys point of view, this sweet story of courage and determination will give you a good dose of the holiday spirit, no matter when you chose to read it.
An Angel On Main Street is available on Amazon and at Deseret book at this link http://deseretbook.com/item/5030490/An_Angel_on_Main_Street
View the book trailer at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTrKWOhKY9k
The Author, Kathi Oram Peterson, is also having a contest on her blog this month. It's called 'An Angel In Your Life Contest'. To enter, simply write about an experience where someone was an angel in your life and e-mail your story to Kathi at kathiorampeterso@yahoo.com by Dec.15th. Winners will announced on Kathi's blog www.kathiswritingnook.com.

Do You NaNo?

2009-11-11T13:41:00.000-08:00

Well yes, I am in the depths of the NaNo WriMo experience. What is NaNo WriMo you ask? It's National Novel Writing Month, and it's intense. You are supposed to write 1000 words a day. You aren't supposed to do any reasearch or re-read what you have written. There are a lot of rules on the official NaNo website http://www.nanowrimo.org/ but for most of us, the main thing is just to write like crazy and let the creativity flow.
The idea is to get a whole novel written in a month. I have heard that a lot of people have done it. I don't know who these super hero writing fiends are, but after only a few days of trying to meet my word quota and failing miserably, I must say I admire those who actually follow through. But I have to ask, where are your kids? C'mon did you send them to boarding school for the week. What about your husband? You sent him on a brother's only cruise, right. Even the dog wants my attention, sheesh.
So I made a bookmark for all you intrepid NaNo WriMo participants. Drop me a line and I'll send you one. If you can't quite see the quote, it says : To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan, and not quite enough time. Leonard Bernstein

Tu Publishing

2009-10-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

Who is Tu Publishing? Tu Publishing is a new publishing company with the goal of publishing multicultural fantasy and science fiction for children and young adults. The founder, Stacy Whitman, believes that if we increase the number of children’s books with multicultural characters and settings, we can influence the multicultural world of tomorrow.
The word “tu” means “you” in many languages. It is the mission of Tu publishing by reaching out through the many cultures of the world to then reach the “you” in each reader. If you are interested in learning more about Tu publishing, check out their excellent website at http://www.tupublishing.com/mission/.

On Critiquing

2009-09-12T09:03:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt the frustration of having someone read your story for you, expecting a thorough critique and getting, I really liked it, it was really good. When you are asked to critique a story for someone there are certain things that you should be watching for.
Characterization – Do the characters have depth? Are they believable? Do they have understandable motives?
Dialogue – Does the dialogue sound real? Does the conversation flow smoothly? Could you imagine people you know talking that way?
Setting – Details are important. If the scene is about a tropical island, you have to be able to see, smell, hear, taste, touch, what the character does. If the the scene is in the lap of luxury it will be a whole new set of images. Your reader has to be able to place themselves in the location of the character that they are reading about and be able to feel like they identify with him.
Point of View – What is your point of view. In first person your character is limited to his own thoughts and opinions. In third person, the narrator can tell the opinions of other characters. It is important that POV stays consistent throughout a story or the reader can get confused.
Development – Is the development of the story logical? Do the changes progress in a way that makes sense or are they so random that the reader gets lost?
Pacing – How quickly does the reader get pulled into the story? Is there action right away, or is it qradual? Is the story based more on character development or action scenes?
Text – Are there lines that are too long or too short? Are there enough paragraph breaks? Are there places with too much description and not enough action to keep the reader engaged? Is it too wordy, or are all the words put to good use? Are there unnecessary adverbs such as “In fact”? Is it written in active or passive voice?
Mechanics – Watch for problems with sentence structure, verb agreement and aspects of basic style. Check for misplaced modifiers, mixed metaphors and dangling participles. (For me this means go back to University)
A walk in the park, right. I believe it is one of those things that gets easier the more you do it. You will come to recognize things that are out of place as if they were a button missing on a favorite sweater. Okay, they might not be that obvious, but you get the picture.
So go ahead and critique. Be honest, but don’t be brutally honest. Remember how you would like to have your own work critiqued. As a bonus your editing skills will get better each time you critique another writer’s work.

A Great Website If You Write For Children's Magazines

2009-08-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

If you want to write for children’s magazines, there is a website that has oodles of information. It is called Kid Magazine Writers and can be found at KidMagWriters.com. There is now a link on my blog. This site lists kid’s magazines alphabetically and when you click on them you can learn more about the magazine and usually find submission guidelines or at least contact information.
Under Market Info, you will find a special in-depth report on one of the magazines on their site. A section called Inside Markets lists new kids magazines, and the Dead Zone lists magazines that are no longer functioning.
The Working Day section has a section called Fresh Ideas that is an inspirational writer boost. There is a Technique section with headings like That’s a Fact, Storytellers, Meter Readers (poetry trivia) and Word Wizard.
There is also an archive section where magazine there are two headings: Editors speak and Special Report. You can hear what the editor from a particular magazine has to say or look at an html of a special article.
The Writer’s Digest has deemed Kid Mag Writers as one of the 101 best websites for writers. It’s higher than that on my list. It makes finding magazines that fit what I like to write a much simpler task.

Writing A Novel Made Easy

2009-08-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

You go to all these writing classes and you think, gee, wouldn’t it be great if all this information was condensed into one little book. People, your wish has come true. The brilliant Weston Elliot, with sage advice from her wise side kick, Michelle Jefferies, has put together THE COMPLETE NOVEL WRITING WORKBOOK.
In a nutshell, this workbook is designed to help you write your novel. It begins with a section for world building, or the place where your story takes place. Pages are designated to helping you define your setting. For example, the first page, labeled ‘Your World’ is devoted to helping you define the names of places in your novel. The next page, Topography, helps you define landmarks, weather, and boundaries. . etc. There are pages for Sociology, Government/Military, Religion, Magic, Agriculture, Architecture, Language, Calendar, Technology, History, Education, Fashion and Commerce. Each of these pages asks its own questions to help you narrow down and define your answers. There is even a section for mapping, complete with grid lined pages and a legend with suggested icons of what a tree, river, and farmland area would look like, etc. This layout has been well thought through. All you have to do is fill it in. And there’s more . . .
The next section is devoted to character sketches. A page on point of view helps you define who will be telling your story. Turn the page and the stage is open to you to fill in your entire cast of characters. Several pages are devoted to main characters, then secondary characters, and finally incidental characters. Each of these pages gets you to delve into details that will help you to profile who your character is. What is your characters age, gender, weakness, fear, strength, talent, etc. All this information helps you to build characters that are vivid and full of detail. It helps you know who you are writing about.
In the last section you will be writing out the conflict and resolution of your story. Basically, you will be planning the plot. The importance of a timeline is stressed and a timeline table is provided. Chapter planning is explained and chapter outlines are provided for you to fill in. Thirty chapter outlines are provided, each with their own set of details.
This workbook makes writing a novel a ‘no brainer’ you just sit down and fill in the details. All the mapping out has been done for you ahead of time. Way to go, girls. I’m hooked, or should I say spoiled. Writing a novel will never be the same again.
To get your own copy of THE COMPLETE NOVEL WRITING WORKBOOK look under Blogs I Like to Visit and find Weston Elliot. You can purchase the book directly from her blog using PayPal, or you can contact her.

Stories For Children Magazine

2009-06-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

“Mommy I’m bored.” You’ve never heard that before, right. Hey its summer, that phrase goes with the season. If you need a creative outlet for your kids, here’s a great place to go, storiesforchildrenmagazine.org. Stories for Children Magazine not only has fun articles and poems for kids ages 3–12, it often has puzzles, coloring pages, mazes and other fun activities.
Not only does this awesome magazine write for kids, some of it is written by kids. Yes, they print stories submitted by young authors. What a great opportunity for your child to get their story published. They also publish the artwork of young illustrators. How cool is that?
This magazine is known for its fun contests that challenge both adults and kids to dig into their creative reserves and come up with something spectacular. Right now SFC has a contest called Amazing But True Nonfiction for adults and a Stanley Bookman Spooky Sounds contest for kids. For more details and contest entry information go to storiesforchildrenmagazine.org and click on contests, or just click on the link on my blog under links for children's writers and go directly to their site.

Crazy Eights

2009-05-29T19:07:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged. This time it's crazy eights. The rules are: Name who tagged you - Heather got me. Fill in the eights, and tag eight others.
Here are the eights.

Eight things I look forward to:
1. New books.
2. Vacations.
3. Naps.
4. Getting published.
5. Learning how to use my Wacom.
6. Going on a mission with my honey/hubby.
7. Learning another language.
8. Having grandkids (much later on)

Eight things I did yesterday:
1. Laundry...duh.
2. Ate oatmeal.
3. Unclogged bathtub.
4. Trimmed dingle-berries. (Don't ask)
5. Attended a funeral conducted by my hubby/Bishop.
6. Baptisms at SLC Temple with youth in our ward
7. Ate green spaghetti at a Peruvian restaurant.
8. Helped teenager with Spanish homework.

Eight things I wish I could do.
1. Fly.
2. Instantly go from one place to another.
3. Eat loads of cocoanut cream pie and not gain an ounce.
4. Read all day.
5. Write all day.
6. Paint all day.
7. Have a day that is longer than all day.
8. Have a marvelous cook, who also does the dishes.

Eight Shows I watch
1. Medium
2. Criminal Minds
3. CSI
4. NCIS
5. Ghost Whisperer
6. Numbers
7. Designed to Sell
8. House Hunters

The eight people I will tag are - Tina, Lori, Doug, Valerie, Kellie, Melissa, Randy, and Holly. Good luck.

Why I Write - Epiphany Poem

2009-05-27T06:51:00.000-07:00

Where has my little toddler gone?
I open the pantry door.
And there I see a chocolate face,
And pudding all over the floor.

A twinkle in his bright blue eyes,
The innonce of childhood.
He smiles at me through chocolate lips,
Looks up and says,"Mmmm, dood!"

I share the story with a friend,
She laughs and dries her eyes.
"They grow so fast, these little ones."
Then she gives me some good advice.

Be sure to write it down,
These are things you will want to share.
If you capture the image it won't get lost
And moments like these are rare.

Traveling through a mountain pass
I marvel at nature's scene.
A photo couldn't capture it all
But my notebook will tell where I've been.

My pencil is a paintbrush
With each word a vibrant hue.
To write is to paint a picture
Of all that is in my view.

On our way we stop for lunch,
I pause to write what I've seen.
A woman with silver bangles
And a caftan of neon lime green.

Her red hair is wrapped in a matching scarf,
Silver sandals wrap her feet.
She's a walking story that I must catch,
A character complete.

My husband watches my pencil fly
And he askes with eyebrows raised.
"You write about family and places we've been,
But why put that gal in a phrase?"

Suddenly the light comes on
And it couldn't be much brighter.
"I need to write this down," I say,
"Because I am a writer."

Why I Write

2009-05-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

I once wrote an epiphany poem called “Why I Write”. It was about a sudden realization that if I couldn’t paint with brushes, I could paint with words. I described the joy I felt at having an outlet for my creativity while my brushes were on hold. I talked about painting the scenery around me, the people I saw and the things they did. It turned me into a watcher and a listener, constantly picking up on bits of dialogue and characters that caught my eye.
The more that I write, and the more that I read, the reasons for writing have turned more outward. Reading has been such a big part of my world for so long. I can’t imagine a world without books. I can’t imagine a child not wanting to hear a story. I want to be a part of lighting up a young person’s imagination. I want to inspire a child to want to learn more, to do more, to be more. Can books do that? They did for me.

2009-04-26T20:29:00.000-07:00

A Blog For Kids Who Want To Write

2009-04-15T08:19:00.001-07:00

This month I taught a class on writing to a group of fourth grade kids at an elementary school. We talked about what it takes to make a good writer. The fact that if you want to be a writer you have to spend time writing. Also that good writers come from good readers. We talked about what they like to read and what they need to read in order to be good writers.
Later I was reading Karen Hoovers blog about her experience at American Fork Junior High School teaching students at a writing conference. She did a power point presentation on where writers find their ideas, or How To Become An Idea Factory. It sounded awesome. I’d love to see it. It sounds like the kids really learned from it. She also brought up how to use your senses to get inspiration, as well as music, pictures and memories. I wish I’d been there.
Something Shannon Hale said at the UVU conference has really been on my mind lately. I don’t remember her exact words, but the gist of it is that the writer is part of a team. Book sellers, librarians, teachers, writers… all of them working together to help kids to develop a love of reading. The writer is servant. In the end, the reader is the one who is important. I think we can apply this to teaching kids the love of writing as well. Karen Hoover, whom I just mentioned, and Ali Cross, have taken this seriously and created a blog devoted to helping kids become writers. The blog is called http://writersuniverse.blogspot.com/. There is a convenient link on my blog, imagine that.
This blog is devoted to giving kids the opportunity to share their work. It also has links to writer’s conferences for teens and writing competitions for kids and teens. It’s a great place for kids to get a confidence boost about their writing abilities.
As writers we are learning all the time. It’s great when we get the chance to share what we know with others, especially when they are the little guys who look up to us and say, “I want to be a writer like you.”

So You Want To Write For Children

2009-03-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

You want to write for kids, but you don’t know where to start… have I got a deal for you. Carol Lynch Williams and Cheri Pray Earl, both published authors, have teamed up to put together an awesome course geared toward teaching new authors the basics of writing for kids. I have personally been to one of their sessions and I can tell you that it is worth every penny. For a small fee, a few hours of time and a lunch - you bring the lunch,(Cheri would probably like it if you would bring her lunch too- I believe Taco Bell is acceptable), you come away with loads of information. This isn’t the kind of class where you sit and take notes and yawn. You are involved from start to finish. Your input is expected and appreciated. You learn as you brainstorm and interact. It is the kind of class that you could go back to, take over and over and still learn from.
These ladies know their stuff. If you are serious about improving your writing, go check out their website. Luckily, its link is here on my blog. What a happy coincidence. It is called The First Story and it is under 'links for children’s writers'.

The UVU Forum on Children's Literature - 2009

2009-03-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

The Forum on Children’s Literature this year was great, much due to the fact that Shannon Hale was one of the key speakers. She is such a kick. That girl had everybody giggling. She started off with a presentation about other authors that she knows well and presented it with photos that looked as if she had been stalking them. It included a photo of Shannon face down with an officer pinning her to the ground with hand cuffs. It was a very effective visual.
Shannon talked about her penchant for writing about girls in towers i.e. Rapunzel and Book of A Thousand Days. She said that she mainly picks the fairy tales that she will work on by the fact that there is something about them that really irks her and she can’t let it go.
In a later session, Ms. Hale said that she doesn’t believe in writer’s block. “Do plumbers get plumbers block?” she asked. She quoted Anna Quindlen, “People have writer’s block not because they can’t write, but because they despair of writing eloquently.”
Shannon said that she never gives up on a story. Her daily goal is 1000 words a day. There are lots of days that she looks at her laptop and thinks that she would rather be doing other things because writing is hard work, but she does find joy in it. She encouraged us to focus on the process and not the product at the end. Publication is only part of the journey.
We should recognize that we are part of a team. Along with book sellers, librarians and teachers, we are all about getting kids to love reading. Isn’t that why we started writing in the first place. She said, “The writer is the servant, the reader is more important than you are.”
As you can see, it was worth going to the conference just to hear Shannon. The classes were well done, and the agent, Abbey Ranger, although admittedly finding herself in culture shock, gave some great advice to all present. In Picture Book Gemology she said that great picture books are like gems. They should have a) clarity, b) precision, c) singularity, and d) symmetry. Of course there was a lot more detail, but you get the picture.
The gallery of illustration was incredible. Shawna Tenney and Manelle Oliphant (under my favorite illustrators link) both had a display. Mike Bohman and Greg Newbold also had incredible artwork there. The degree of talent at this conference was amazing.
If you couldn’t make it this year, mark it on your calendar for next year. You won’t want to miss it.

Contests

2009-03-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

Contests are a great way to jump start your writing. They not only inspire you to get busy, but there’s that added bonus of competition, the little adrenalin, I could win–thing. One of my favorite contests of the year is the one put on by the League of Utah Writers. There are many reasons why I like it. It is open to members and non-members. There are many categories to enter, from poetry to full length books. The entry fees are reasonable at about $3.00 - $6.00 per submission. When you get your work back, you get the added bonus of a professional critique telling you how to improve your work. Not bad for $6.00 bucks, eh.
After you win that contest, you have a nice little certificate to show for it and something to add to your list of credentials. Yes, that’s me, the writer, the woman that won 1st place for her stellar picture book, (can’t hurt, right).
If you are interested in the League of Utah Writers contest, just click on their link, which is here on my blog. The deadline is June 15th, so get cracking.
Other contests are easy to find if you Google “writing contests”. But don’t just jump into any and all contests that are out there. Some contests aren’t necessarily there for your benefit. To learn more about vanity contests go to http://www.sfwa.org/Beware/contests.html and become educated. Don’t get paranoid though, contests are still a good thing, just not all of them.

Sweet Dreamin' Baby

2009-02-26T07:54:00.000-08:00

I keep a notepad by my bed in case I have a stellar dream and just have to write down something that might be good for a story. Sometimes I wake up and see that I've actually written down something fun in the night. Other times I wake up, look at the pad and see something like ASPARAGUS! written in a bold scrawl and I wonder if it was just a really bad case of indigestion.
Last night I dreamt about a girl searching for her family. In her journey, she went into an antique store. The proprieter took her to a wall that was filled with doorknobs of all kinds. The handles were anything from simple brass to painted china. One faceted glass knob seemed to glow and I knew that if she chose that knob it would take her somewhere special. I woke knowing that it could be the beginning of an intriquing adventure if I could wrap my head around it. It made me want to go back to sleep.
In an interview, Stephanie Myer says that her book Twilight was inspired by a dream. Who knows, it could happen.

Lemon Tart Contest

2009-02-23T07:26:00.000-08:00

Anne Bradshaw is holding a contest on her blog - Not Entirely British. The contest is for a copy of Josi Kilpack's new culinary mystery novel 'Lemon Tart'. The book sounds scrumptious, not to mention the recipes that are included. I could taste lemons as I read the review. Dang, where's a bakery when you need one. If you love suspense and pastry is on your list of heavenly confections, this book is for you. Carpe' crustulum - sieze the pastry.

Random Things

2009-02-18T07:21:00.000-08:00

Iv'e been tagged. This is a departure from the usual blog, especially since I've kind of fallen off the bloggin' wagon lately. But I've been asked to write 25 random things about myself, so here goes.

1. I broke my arm when I was flying a kite.

2. I went para-sailing from the back of a pickup truck in the bottom of a coulee and it took six guys to pull the truck down because a wind burst began to pull the wheels off the ground.

3. When I was three, I cut my hand on an old tin can when I tripped as I was chasing a mouse (for the cats) and had to get stitches.

4. My swimming pool was the pond, green and slimy. Chlorine wasn't an option, but we had some cool kyaks and a raft.

5. I didn't like to ride horses because Judy (a full grown mare) liked to scrape me off her back on anything available, the auger, the double dutch barn door, a tree branch. You get the picture.

6. I met my husband when he came to talk in our branch at the tender age of fourteen. I was enamoured because he knew his scriptures and he didn't shoot spitwads.

7. When one of our cats got it's ear caught under the fan belt, my little brother and I were the only ones home. Not knowing how to loosen the fan belt, I had my brother hold the cat, and I cut it's ear off with a butcher knife. We put some detol (disinfectant) on for good measure. The cat was never the same. We called it Uno.

8. When my husband was doing his residency at the Grey Nuns in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, I would drive past the hospital and the kids would say, "that's where Daddy lives."

9. We brought my infant son out to look at the full moon one night. Just then, a flock of geese flew over. Astonished, he looked at us and said, "Goggies." As if to say, "You never told me dogs could fly."

10. When we had our first child, we lived in low-income housing. The diversity of cultures was amazing. Our neighbors were Egyptian, Chinese, African American, Polish, Korean, just to name a few. One day, at the communal play area, my two year old son was playing with a little asian boy. Attempting to communicate, Max said, "Lrdl, lrdl, lrdl." The boys mother looked over at me with a smile and said, "your boy speak Chinese."

11. Taber, Alberta is a town of about 5000. We moved there for Teddy to do a family medicine residency. They had a KFC a McDonalds and a really good little Oriental buffet. Stacie was about three at the time. When I would ask the kids what they would like for supper she would always say, "Old macdonalds, chinese noodles, chicken and french fries." Honestly, we didn't eat out that much.

12. When Stacie turned four and Brad was three, I heard them in their room one day. Stacie was saying, "Do you hear that Brad, that's the Holy Ghost. He's telling you to help me make my bed."

13. When we moved to the United States it took us eight years to get our citizenship. The final question at the interview was, "How do you pronounce the last letter of the alphabet?" In Canada it's usually pronounced the French way which is Zed. Trick question, eh.

14. I graduated from a class of fourty. I became PTA president for an elementary school of 400. Talk about culture shock. Luckily I had a lot of help.

15. I can't eat chocolate. I can't wait for the day when my migraines go away. My mother-in-law swears that they will as I get older. I guess good things do come with old age.

16. I was born in the year of the Dragon. Supposedly this makes me creative, inventive and practical. Tell that to my kids.

17. I spend way too much time on the computer. Not productive time, daydreaming time. Didn't someone, somewhere suggest some goal setting?

18. I love my dogs. I didn't know I was a dog lover till I was coerced into getting our two little Lhasa-Shitsu's. Now I don't know what I'd do without them. They are simply delightful. They love unconditionally, and I love 'em right back.

19. I have four teen agers. Doen't that put me in the running for a saint-ship or something.

20. I can't grow anything but roses and they grow no matter what I do.

21. Ironing is the bane of my existence. If it ain't wrinkle-free, leave it on the rack.

22. I love to cook. We just remodeled our kitchen and I'm in heaven.

23. I can't decide whether I like illustrating or writing better.

24. I love making Ukrainian Easter eggs.

25. If I could go back in time or go to the future, I'd go to the future, cause frankly, indoor plumbing is a good thing.

2008-12-29T09:41:00.001-08:00

Illustration For Christmas

2008-12-29T09:30:00.000-08:00

A womens group that I am a part of, decided that we wanted to give an inexpensive gift to the ladies for Christmas. We were having a special Christmas program and the theme was "Wise Men Still Seek Him". Since I am the artsy one in the group, I got elected to make a bookmark with the theme on it for each of the gals. I went on line and looked at lots and lots of wise guys. The image that you see on my blog is what I came up with. My kids complained that the men didn't look more ethnic. They said one of the men should have looked way more Asian. Guess I missed that boat. On the other hand, the ladies in the group seemed to like them, so at least somebody was happy. Kids these days.

New Book and Contest!

2008-11-11T09:49:00.000-08:00

Anne Bradshaw has done a stellar review of Heather B. Moore's new book, Abinidi. To see this review and a contest which is closing on November 14th, go to Anne's website, Not Entirely British. The link is listed under blogs I like to visit.

Running Amok

2008-11-11T08:58:00.000-08:00

I’m at a point in my life where I can paint what I want, when I want. So I painted a bat for Halloween. Actually, I painted a bat and a scairdy cat and a pumpkin. It was fun. Nobody told me what size it had to be or what medium. I just painted for fun. Sometimes I think it’s important to just have a little time to let go and paint for fun. As an illustrator, you are often given limitations as to what you can do with a story, so I think that it’s important to occasionally let your creative self run amok (and Halloween would definitely be the time for running amok). It’s kind of like escape literature, where you read to run away and enjoy yourself. Do the same thing with your paintbrush and revitalize your inner artist. Every once in a while, if you can, give yourself a break from the limitations and run amok with your imagination. You might find it fiendishly refreshing.

Why Use a Character Chart?

2008-09-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever gone back and read a story you wrote and thought, I don't know these people. Not only that but I don't even care about them. Story killer. That's when it's time to get into the heads of your characters. If you don't care about your characters, your reader certainly won't. One thing that I have found to be helpful when writing about your characters is to do a write up about each one of them. Anita Stansfield makes a file about each character. She even picks a face from a magazine or a Hollywood icon to be the face she writes about. Now that's dedication. I have a chart that I can use to learn more about my characters. I may never use some of the information in the story, but it gives me a feel for who they are and what their motivation is.
Character chart
Name:
Date of birth:
Age:
Height:
Weight:
Color of hair:
Color of eyes:
Scars, handicaps:
Sense of humor and type:
Basic nature:
Ambitions:
Philosophy of life:
Hobbies:
Music, art, reading preferred:
Style of dressing:
Favorite colors:
What is in her purse or his wallet:
Educational background:
Work experience/occupation:
Best friend:
Men/women friends:
Enemies and why:
Family:
Description of home:
Strongest character trait:
Weakest character trait:
Sees self as:
Seen by others as:
Present problem:
How it will get worse:
Most important thing to know about character:
One-line characterization:
Character's paradox:
Character's deepest fear:
Character's goal:
Character's motivation:
Character's conflict:
How character will change:
Depending on what time period or setting your story is in, some of the questions may not apply, so adjust the chart according to your needs. This has been a useful tool for me, I hope that it can be beneficial for those of you who find yourself with a lifeless character in need of some animation.

Why join SCBWI?

2008-09-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I joined SCBWI, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Why did I take so long to do it? I guess because I never really felt like I was an illustrator before, and now that I am actually working as one every month, it fits.
What are the benefits of belonging to SCBWI? Well, there are many it seems. You should go to their website and take a gander, and it just so happens that there is a link on my blog, how handy. SCBWI has about 19,000 members worldwide and each of those members belongs to their own regional chapters, one of which is here in Utah. Our regional rep. is Sydney Husseman. Her e-mail address appears on the site if you would like to contact her about chapter information.
SCBWI holds two regional conferences per year, or you can attend the bigwig conferences in Los Angeles in August and New York in February if you have the time and the funds. All the conferences include great networking opportunities to meet with people in the children’s book industry. There are also in-depth classes taught on subjects that are well worth the time and the travel.
When you join SCBWI you will receive a bi- monthly newsletter with updates about the children’s book market, articles about writing and illustrating and a guide to SCBWI events.
Check out the Links section of the website and you will find Helpful Research Links, Industry Related Sites, Member Web Pages, and a site devoted to School Visits. Another website section informs you of awards and grants that are available to children’s writers and illustrators. There is even a section where you can log on for discussions with other SCBWI members.
Not only does SCBWI benefit its members, but it looks good on your cover letter. Apparently being a member means something. I think it means commitment to your craft. So go ahead, get committed. Join SCBWI and see what they can do for you.

Writing Down the Bones

2008-08-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

"It is odd that we never question the feasibility of a football team practicing long hours for one game; yet in writing we rarely give ourselves the space for practice." This quote comes from Natalie Goldberg in her book 'Writing Down the Bones'. In this book, Ms. Goldberg stresses how writing practice helps writers to learn to 'trust their own minds and create confidence in their own experiences'. She talks about taking our experiences and composting them like we do garbage, turning them over until they turn into organic soil.
One of her goals was to write a notebook a month. She mentioned that she had a pile of notebooks five feet high, just from writing practice. "It is a good idea to have a page in your notebook where you jot down, as they come to you, ideas of topics to write about." She advised, in one of her chapters. In the same chapter, she also listed topic ideas.
Ms. Goldberg talks about discipline and tricks to help yourself do your practice writing. She also stressed that it is important that you put your heart and soul into it. If you find that you are bored, go away for awhile and come back. You have to put energy into it to make it worthwhile.
The use of original detail in writing is important. "Using details you actually know and have seen will give your writing believability and truthfulness." Be aware of the details around you and when you have a moment write them down. Care about them.
There is a chapter called 'Don't Marry the Fly' where the writer is warned about getting caught up in honing in on a specific detail at the expense of your story. This chick is sharp.
There is a chapter on the importance of listening, and one on the use of verbs. Writers are encouraged to be specific. To learn about the topic they are writing about and speak that way. Don't just say flower, say geranium and know what a geranium is.
Ms. Goldberg gives a lot of practical advice, mixed with some zen type philosophy about how writing can be improved. I enjoyed this book and found some helpful tips. It may not be every ones cup of tea, but if you read it, and like it, Ms. Goldberg has since written other writing books, including 'Wild Mind: Living the Writer's Life, Long Quiet Highway: Waking Up in America, and Thunder and Lightening: Cracking Open the Writer's Craft. These books can be purchased on Amazon, or I'm sure you can probably find them at the local library.

Prismacolor

2008-08-21T08:46:00.000-07:00

For September's illustration for Stories for Children Magazine, I decided to try using prismacolor pencils. It didn't turn out too bad. They are much smoother to work with than regular pencil crayons and you can layer with them if you use them lightly. You can burnish them for kind of a polished effect at the end of your drawing if you wish. It depends on the strength of your paper, you don't want to burnish right through to the table. You'll want to seal your finished drawing with a fixative, the same as if you were drawing with charcoal or pastels. Prismacolor pencils can be pricey, but you can find them at a discount at places like Blick art supplies or CarpeDiemStore.com.

Writing Magic

2008-08-16T13:54:00.001-07:00

This week I thought I would share one of my favorite books on writing with you. It also happens to be by one of my favorite children's writers. The book is called Writing Magic and is by Gail Carson Levine. She is the author of a ton of fun books including Ella Enchanted, The Princess tales and the Two Princesses of Bamarre. If you haven't read any of them, I strongly suggest you do. Gail has a sense of humor that pervades her writing and just makes her stories a lot of fun to read. But I digress, I want to tell you about her book on writing, it is written for young writers, but anyone can benefit from her wit and wisdom. Each chapter begins with an explanation and always end in a writing prompt and a challenge. If you follow the book the way it was meant, you won't only read, you'll do a whole lot of fun writing.
Gail discusses the importance of details, character development, point of view, voice, showing and not telling, dialogue, humor, writer's block, etc. I've given this book to several friends because to me it covers so many important aspects of writing, in a simple yet straightforward way. If you are interested in taking a look, you can click on Gail Carson Levine's link under Links for Children's writers to see the cover of the book and suggested places to purchase it. You may be able to get a copy at the local library, or if they don't have one, request that they get one in.
Writing should be a magic thing to those of us who enjoy it. Hopefully this book will be helpful to any newbies out there with basic questions and a desire to learn.

Lookybook

2008-08-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of Lookybook? Well now you have. Lookybook has been rated by Time Magazine as one of the top 50 new websites this year. It is a place that you can go and not only see the darling covers of children's picture books, but actually open the pages and read the darn things. Then after you read them, you can give them your rating, rant and rave about them, or tear them to bits, and build your personal library of children's books. Cool, eh. I would recommend this site to writers and illustrators alike. It's a great place to find awesome illustration and fun writing to boot. Books are new, new, new, and are what publishers are putting out right now. It's a great place for newbies to see what's out there. To find Lookybook, go to http://www.lookybook.com/ or click on Lookybook under Links For Children's Writers on my blog. Now go looky at some bookys.

What I Learned at the Writing For Charity Conference.

2008-07-28T10:33:00.000-07:00

On Saturday July 19th I was able to attend a Writing for Charity Conference at the Salt Lake City Library. It was so good. Shannon Hale introduced a panel of other writers who were there to mentor all the wanna be's and she did a great job with her quick wit and her fun attitude. The best part was that my good friend Ali Cross was there and I got to go to lunch with her and another friend (Jennifer Wilks) from our Authors Incognito group. We met new friends there as well, which is always a bonus at a conference like this one.
Some of the new things that I picked up were:

- When you get in a writing slump - Go back and read amazing writing - give yourself a word buzz.

- Really do your homework - Make your cover letter to a publisher stellar.

- The website cbcbooks.org can help you find what publishers are publishing and what is out there right now. On this blog, under Links for Children's Writers, you can go directly to cbc books by clicking on Children's Book Council.

- A publisher should be asking himself who will I sell this to, and why will they buy it. You should be asking yourself those questions when you write it.

- Cover all of your bases. Be aggressive. Send your manuscripts all over. Don't necessarily be daunted by the words unsolicited manuscripts only.

- Check the readability level of your manuscript.

- If you are writing a children's picture book, ask yourself "How many times can a parent stand to read this to their child out loud?"

- Look for ly words - they will show you when you are telling and not showing.
ie) Jeff ran out angrily. Change to - Jeff stomped out and slammed the door.

So there you have it. My two cents from the conference. And it even rhymes if you say it right.

Story Teller

2008-07-09T10:44:00.000-07:00

I just returned from Canada by way of the Black Hills. We stopped at Custer's Last Stand National Monument and heard the most informative, animated, storyteller. What an amazing account she told. She could have just read from a brochure or rattled off facts and figures, but she used her hands, her voice and her expressions to bring the telling of a great historic event to life. It was a good forty minutes long, but the time flew by. Her facial features were Native American and she used a good deal of Native American sign language to accentuate her story. Someone really got it right when they assigned her to be the message giver. She certainly got the message across. I guess there is more than one way to tell a story.

Way Cool Special Effects!

2008-06-26T10:59:00.000-07:00

I just got my new copy of Photoshop Elements 6. It has the neatest stuff in it that I have no idea how to access. No problem, I have a thirteen year old. Are these kids just born with a computer link in their brains? It's a little frightening. I asked him if he learned to do this stuff at school and he says "No, it's just so easy, Mom. It kind of tells you what to do." Computer link - I'm sure of it.
Anyhow, I scanned my drawing of a toy store and then opened it onto photoshop. After fooling around with the pixels and getting it to the dimensions I wanted, I added colors, changing them numerous times. I found that I had to go back and use the brush tool occasionally to finish lines so that spaces were completely blocked in, or I had a problem with the paint bucket washing color into places that I just didn't want it to go. It was so convenient to be able to change my mind about a color at the click of a button.
Once I had the colors I wanted, I began to wonder if there was something fun I could do about the glass window. Shockingly enough, under the tool area marked filter and then under distort, there was an effect called glass. All I had to do was click on the wizard tool and isolate areas that I wanted the glass effect to cover and voila, the computer gave that area a wavy glass look. Unfortunately, it looks way better blown up. With the small picture size that you see, it doesn't make much of a difference.
I will continue to experiment with photo shop. I have heard lots of friends say that they like to scan their sketches and play with color to decide what they will use before they paint. I can see how this would be a great time saver. For example, the first time that I tried the glass effect, I realized that I wanted the colors to be more muted behind the glass. Without having to spend hours repainting, I simply clicked on colors and redid everything in way less time. I'm not saying that I like the look of this photoshop picture better than other methods I have tried, and I know I have a lot more to learn that can greatly improve what photoshop can do, but it's a lot of fun along the way, even if I wasn't born with that instant computer link thing.

I Know Nothing, But I've Heard It's Good Stuff.

2008-06-17T14:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, here I am writing about something that I virtually know nothing about. We're all here to learn, right. Let us delve into the wonderful world of software together. In this month's Writer's Digest there is an article on Software for Writers. I read it and gleaned what I could that would apply to my computer. I have a PC. If you have a Mac, you may want to get a copy of the August 2008 Writer's Digest to analyze, because I didn't want to make this blog three yards long.

After looking through the article, I decided that a newbie such as my self would have to stick to the free or budget friendly software, so those are the ones I wrote about. I labeled them in the same format that the article did. First there is software that helps you tell your story. For about $55.00 smackers, New Novelist is a program that will help you develop your story by prompting you to track items such as character's physical and personality traits, as well as details of scenes.
Write It Now, for a similar price tag, includes a submissions log, and asks you to fill out details but in a more categorized manner.
Visually simple to use, YWriter is also free (bonus). This program helps you to structure your story by breaking it into chapters, with a word count for each. You can see whose viewpoint is used, the location, and a brief plot description. This makes reorganizing and editing easier.
If you have lots of random ideas floating hither and yon and you need a place to collect them all and organize them, that would be what an 'idea database' is for. Plotcraft was made for cataloguing ideas and best of all, it's free.
For character development check out Character Writer. It is based on a personality typing system and will cost you about $40.00.
Editing help can be pricey. Writer's Workbench at $100.00 or StyleWriter at $160.00 will analyze your work and and look for writing style problems. For a little less, Editor, at around $50.00 will help you learn good editing practices rather than finding them for you.
Can't be bothered with those outdated books, try Word Menu. For about $35.00 you can be the owner of a combination dictionary/thesaurus program filled with words you never knew you knew.
Write Track and Sonar are both free submission tracking programs, 'cause who has time to keep track of submissions, eh.
Last of all, don't forget to back up your baby. Syncback is a free program for backing up files. (the small print says SE version $30.00- sounds a bit cryptic). Norton Ghost will back you up for $70.00 or so. You can't see them, but they want to see some green.
Scott Rhodes has a great website with a section on writer's tools. I have put it under my Links for Children's Writers section. Under writer's tools you will find his list of free software. He has had much more experience than I have. Give his site a look it is a lot of fun, and good luck learning about how to use software for writers.

What's Wrong With My Painting?

2008-06-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

What happens if you ask your family what they think of your art work? "It looks really good," is the reaction you'll probably get. Not helpful, right. But with an art critique group, you hear what you need to hear. "What planet is that child from? Because I don't think that human children have arms that can do that." Maybe a bit harsh, but you need to know if your anatomical proportions are off. Other artists will tell you where to make changes and even suggest things that can be done to improve your work. If you are a newbie like me, those suggestions may be things you never even thought of. It may take a while, but after a few critiques you may find yourself learning to spot things that will help out your fellow illustrators as well.
An important thing about critiquing is that you learn to take criticism as a series of helpful comments that are intended to improve your craft. Don't go home feeling like you'll never get any better, leave knowing that you have just seen through someone else's eyes and you have a chance to make changes that will help you to improve.

If You Wish to be a Writer, Write

2008-05-29T12:53:00.000-07:00

I went to Butler Middle School to watch my son sing with 'The Nerds and The Chosen One' in his Ninth Grade assembly this morning. It was awesome. The drummer totally rocked and the guitar solo was screamin'. They sang Don't Stop Believing which is Brighton High's theme song this year. They did a great job.
Okay, enough rambling about my darling son. By the way he is my third oldest, but my first born (figure that one out).
In the last blog I talked about illustrating, so this time I'll focus a bit on writing. One of my favorite quotes is "If you wish to be a writer, write." I guess I like it because it's a good reminder for me. It's a bit of a kick in the behind because I get so busy doing other things that writing often falls on the very end of my list a lot of days. It is one of those things that if you are going to perfect, you have to prioritize.
I have a friend who gets up early, before her husband and kids, just to write. Now that's dedication. Many conferences I have been to have all said the same thing, make a goal and write it down. Whether it's fifteen minutes a day, half a page or five hundred words, give yourself something to work toward and then do your best to achieve it. Make short term and long term goals and reward yourself when you accomplish something relevant, like actually submitting an article, poem, short story, etc.
There are contests that you can flex your writing muscles on and they are great for receiveing critique feedback even if you don't get any kind of an award. Hearing how you can improve your writing still makes you come out a winner. The League of Utah Writers has a great contest with many categories that runs every year. Other contests such as the Writer's Digest writing contest can be found on the web. The Science Fiction and Fantasy website -swfa, has a warning and caution page that talks about contests and vanity anthologies that ask you to pay them for further editing and publishing help. Improve your writing, but don't get scammed in the process.
Now get out there, make a few goals, and write!

Photoshop aargh!

2008-05-23T06:13:00.000-07:00

The first time that I tried to shrink an illustration and send it to a magazine, I could not get photoshop to cooperate. I felt like a total idiot. I thought mabey it was all the brain cells I'd been doling out every time another adorable child came along. My illustration editor had previously told me that if I used the cropping tool I could plug in the pixel width, length and the right resolution and then the cropping tool would automatically give me the results I wanted. It took me forever to realize that the width and length were set at centimeters and inches and that is why the computer refused to respond to the settings I was trying to establish. Finally I tried putting in a setting of 600px (px refering to pixels) and it worked! Yeehaw! I'm not a cowgirl, but I play one on my blog.
The next issue I had was trying to send my editor the resized illustration. You're probably thinking, duh. I was thinking, huh. After many failed attempts, I finally found that with a right click on my mouse, the option of e-mailing directly out of photoshop came up and I was able to send the illustration straight to me editor.
The Illustration of the boy holding the owl is the one that I recently sent. It is a compilation of several photos. I went to the internet to find a good photo of a great horned owl. I went to our local elementary school to have a boy pose for me in front of a black board, and I used my son's face, although it didn't really turn out that way. I used watercolor and prismacolor pencil. I have found that when I scan pictures, I really have to go back and darken up light areas such as faces because they come across very dimly.
I had to blog this in hopes that it will help someone who has issues with photoshop, but mostly so that next month when I have to send in an illustration again I can look at my blog and see how I did it. Oh how soon we forget. Happy painting and or writing.

What can I say?

2008-05-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to day one, eh. My boys would appreciate that, being as we started out in the great white north. I chose the name Story Painter for my blog because I am an author and an illustrator. I can't write a story without seeing pictures running through my brain and I can't paint a picture without a story forming in my mind. Kind of schizophrenic in a way. I'm a bit new to the illustration part. I did have formal art foundations at BYU way back when, but I'm just starting to blow the dust off my brushes and try to remember how light and shadow can affect depth and all that technical stuff.

The best part about all of this is that I have two things that I absolutely love to do, and writing for children often brings them both together for me. I think there must be others out there who are wanting to write and illustrate, and I'd like to use this blog as a way to help them out as I learn things about illustration and writing.

Stick with me, I'll try to post at least weekly and do a little research along the way that might be of help to any newbies out there who are dying to learn how to write and paint for kids.