In Case You Haven't Heard . . .

. . . there's a great internet service for readers and writers called LDSbookcorner.com. Anyone can stop by, browse their store, and purchase books directly from them. But what I think is the best part of this service is every week, all those who've signed up for their mailing list, receives via e-mail, the first chapter or so of a different book over the course of each weekday. For example, MISSING will be featured this week, beginning December 28th. That means that each day, subscribers will receive a portion of MISSING in their inbox, have the opportunity to read it, and then if they like, purchase it. What a great way to find out if you like a book before you purchase it. Anyway, if you haven't already signed up for this service, I encourage you to do so--soon!

Signing at Confetti Books in Spanish Fork

One of the best parts of book signings is getting to know and associate with good people, and I wasn't disappointed when on Friday, the 18th, I travelled to Spanish Fork to take part in an event held by Confetti Books and Antiques. I was there during the early hours, so only a few customers stopped by the store, but among them was Nichole Giles, a fellow member of Author's Incognito and co-author of Mormon Mishaps and Mayhem.

There were also two other authors signing that morning/early afternoon with me. A self-published author, Tom Davis, and the well-known, LDS author, Gale Sears. Gale's most recent book is The Route. Tom has had a full, well-rounded, interesting past that has provided him with many stories to share. Gale is a kind-hearted, "real" person. I immediately liked her, quickly admired her goodness, and look forward to meeting her again.

Promoting and Writing

About Promoting:
Since the release of MISSING, most of my posts have been related to promoting my book rather than to writing. I don't feel bad about that, because much of my work as an author is the promotion of both my work and myself. However, I have always believed that the first step in promotion was to write the best book I could. After that, my goal has been to get as many people as I can to read my book. Hopefully, they will like it enough that they will tell others about it, and hopefully some of them will buy it, like it, and tell others and . . . word of mouth takes over. That's my hope. That's also my advice to aspiring writers.

So with that introduction, I'll now promote MISSING by letting you know I will be signing copies of MISSING at Confetti's Antiques and Books in Spanish Fork, UT on Friday, December 18, 2009, from 10 a.m.-noon. If you're in the area, please stop by. I'd love to see ya.

Also, MISSING reviews have been popping up all over the web. When I come across them, I add them to my sidebar. Why don't you take a look at some of them?

About writing:
Writing doesn't end when promotiong begins. They work hand in hand. In fact, although I'm busily promoting MISSING, I am also tweeking/marketing my second novel and gathering information and ideas for my third. It's a lot of work, but for me, it's the life I've always dreamed of. :)

AMAZING NEWS Plus Another Winner and Contest

Guess what? I recently found out MISSING is the #1 Best Seller at the bookstore, Reflections of Utah, in Brigham City and #2 next to "Hunger Games" in Box Elder Middle School's library. Amazing! It's hard for me to believe, and yet I know it's because so many of you have spread the word about my book. Thank you.

I also learned that Heather Justesen's great give-away contest has come to a close, and we now have another winner of MISSING. It's Chris and Laura Zemp from Nevada. Congratulations!

And then, just tonight I learned that another writer, Marta O. Smith, reviewed MISSING on her blog and is also running a 12 days of Christmas contest where a copy of MISSING is one of the prizes. Go check out her blog and leave a comment. That's all you have to do to enter. :)

More MISSING Contests

This week must be contest week, for along with Anne Bradshaw's contest, readers have two more chances to win a copy of MISSING . One from Heather Justesen on Wednesday, December 2. She has a bunch of other great prizes, too. And another at LDS Fiction--this one runs through the entire month of December. Check them out. Even if you've already bought a copy, you might like to give one or more as Christmas presents. I've heard from several people that that is exactly what they're doing.

Happy reading--and giving! :)

Contests and Another Book

TOMORROW, November 25th, Anne Bradshaw will begin a week long give-away contest for my novel, MISSING. Check out her blog for details. But TODAY (or maybe early tomorrow) is the last day to enter this week's contest for a free copy of James Loynes' Christmas Album. I definitely hope I get this one. As you might be able to tell from my novel, I love Christmas and especially Christmas music. If you'd also like a chance to win this album, hop on over to Anne's blog and check out the details.

Also, I'm happy to announce that Mormon Mishaps and Mischief by Nichole Giles and Cindy Beck is now available for pre-order from Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. It will officially be available in bookstores on December 8th. I have a humorous anecdote in the book, the other entries sound like a lot of fun. I bet there are stories in it you could use as an attention getter in your next talk.

Rexburg Signing

I made a quick trip to and from my home town in Rexburg, Idaho a couple of days ago to do a book signing at BYU-Idaho. It was a lot of fun. Not only did I get to know many people I'd never met before, but a few "old" friends showed up, too. One was Marta Smith, a fellow member of Author's Incognito. Once again I was able to connect her with another writer-friend, Michelle Erickson, who also lives in the area. Michelle was actually my Laurel advisor years and years ago. We connected, in part, through our love of writing. Anyway, they're both in need of a critique group, so I'm hoping this association will help them.

The BIG SURPRISE, though, was a visit from a man I used to go to school with. He, along with several other boys, used to have a nickname for me--in teasing. I was never offended by it, but he took the time to apologize. I must say, I was quite impressed by the good man he seems to have grown into. I'd never thought anything bad about him in those days, but I was so glad to see extra goodness in him now. The funny thing? He wanted me to sign his book as "Thanks for the memories" and then sign it with their nickname for me. No, I don't think I'll share that information with you here.

I'll close with a bit of advise. If you go to BYU-Idaho, try to secure a temporary parking pass ahead of time. Otherwise, you might have to make a long walk. Generally, that's not such a bad thing. I usually enjoy the walk. But if you're wearing a dress and carrying a lot of supplies, it's not quite as fun.

Honestly, though, the signing turned out great, and the BYU-Idaho Bookstore staff couldn't have been nicer or more accommodating. The students, too, for that matter. I'd love to go back.

A Signing and a MISSING Review

Busy, busy. But it's a fun busy. On Saturday, I and three other authors, Heather Justesen, Linda Chadwick, and Aubrey Mace, participated in a book signing at the Sandy, UT Barnes and Noble. The store was running a charity book fair that day. I had fun talking with a few people I knew and developing relationships with new readers of my book. I'll post pictures on a later post.

I also just learned Connie Hall posted a review of MISSING on November 8 on her blog. This is one of my favorite lines from her post:

"The characters in the book were real and I could picture each scene." I, of course, also enjoyed comments like, "This is an amazing book and I give it a big 10," but that first line tells me I did my job as an author, and she was fully able to step into my story. That means a great deal to me. Thank you, Connie.

An Amazing Night!

As you can guess by my title, my Opening Night book signing for Missing went really well. Lots of friends, along with a few people I hadn't met before, showed up to buy books and help me celebrate. I had door prize drawings and a few refreshments, but the best part of the entire night was getting to talk to old friends and tell them something about how much they meant to me when I signed their books. I was grateful and humbled by their response. Even my best friend from my childhood, who I haven't seen in several years, made the effort to come. I am a very blessed woman to have so many good friends.

Here are a few pictures.

Members of my critque group, the "golden pens," from left to right. Josi Kilpack, me, Jody Durfee, Becki Clayson. They even took me out to eat afterwards. We went to a Chinese restaurant, since my character, Stacie Cox, investigates inside Victoria, BC's Chinatown.

Preparing for Opening Night

While I was on a walk this morning, one of my neighbors stopped her car next to me and said, "I read your book. It was good!"

I can't help but appreciate feedback like that, but it was especially buoying today, because the largest chunk of my writing time is still going toward my opening night book signing party at Reflections of Utah in Brigham City, UT. If you haven't heard yet, it's on Thursday, October 22 from 5-7:00 p.m. The address is on my website.

Besides putting together and sending out announcement postcards and working with our local newspaper to announce it, I've been gathering a few door prizes and planning the refreshments. All the items are related to Missing, so they make me smile. I hope my guests will like them, too.

I Won!

I can hardly believe it! After Friday's exciting news about MISSING's cover and approximate publication date, now this! On Saturday, I attended the League of Utah Writer's conference in Midway, Utah. There I learned I won 1st place in their full length novel contest for my newly written book, TRAPPED. I'm still grinning. Can this be real?