LDS Publisher – Page 13

What’s Hot by Sara Megibow

I brought home 18 books from the recent RWA National Conference in Anaheim. … I also have TONS of great submissions from the pitch sessions and author meetings.

Here are the notes I took over the course of the conference. Of course, Kristin and I are looking for good stories, well-told, but here are some additional behind-the-scenes requests from editors:

Small town, sweet, contemporary single title romance

OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon for the young adult reader (no, not a re-telling, but rather an epic romance for YA that tells the story of a love-that-will-know-no-bounds and perhaps have a paranormal or time travel element to it)

20-45K word stories, preferably with tie-in capability or that can be linked together, to be made as ebook originals

More contemporary young adult with a strong romance (and yes, you heard me cheering from California – I adore contemp YA!)

Historical romance in time periods other than Regency (although I had several requests for Regency also)

No one specifically asked me for “more funny,” but when I said, “I’m personally looking for books with a good sense of humor,” everyone said, “Ooooo, YES!”

Smokin’ hot and unique paranormals – everyone was talking about FIRELIGHT by Kristen Callihan (Book 2 in her Darkest London Series, MOONGLOW, debuts this month)

We all agreed that authors who are members of RWA tend to present more publication-ready manuscripts. Personally, I find that RWA does a great job of educating writers, so I say join up!

Happy writing to all!

Cheers,
Sara

Sara Megibow is an Associate Literary Agent at the Nelson Literary Agency. This article was taken from their most recent newsletter and posted with permission. To get more great industry news, subscribe to their newsletter. Follow Sara on twitter at @SaraMegibow.

Starting Week 4 of SBT12!

Here we go into week 4 of the Summer Book Trek. I am having so much fun seeing all the books we’re reading! Woot-woot!

To answer just a few questions:

YES! You can still SIGN UP and be eligible for PRIZES!

YES! You can still ADD YOUR BOOK as a sponsoring prize!

YES! All prizes will be given away! If there are leftovers at the end of the month, I’ll do random drawings until they’re done.

That (#) by the winners’ names indicates the random number that was chosen as the winner using random.org.

And now for last week’s lucky winners…

August 13:

Elizabeth J. (925) — My Forever
Brooke B (559) — Long After Dark

August 14:

Shelly B. (1127) — Dispirited
Caterpillar (491) — **Send me your choice ASAP!**

August 15:

Melynie M. (950) — Dangerous Favor
Karlene B. (971) — Billy: Messenger of Powers

August 16:

Melissa N. (1177) — The Guy Next Door
Susan J. (1157) — Millstone City

August 17:

Elizabeth J. (1124) — Hidden in the Heart
Shauna W. (921) — Daughters of Jared

*Yes, Elizabeth J. won twice last week! Lucky woman!

We earned 450 points last week, for a total of 1,384; read 38 books; nominated 7 books for Whitney Awards.*

Books Read as of August 19, 2012

Carribbean Crossroads – Connie E. Sokol
Chimney Sweep Charm, The – Marcia Lynn McClure
Code Word – Traci Hunter Abramson
Cold Justice – Kathi Oram Peterson
Edenbrooke – Julianne Donaldson
Everneath – Brodi Ashton
Faith, Hope and Gravity – Merrill Osmond & Shirley Bahlmann
Farewell to Charms – Lindsey Leavitt
Fire of the Covenant – Gerald N. Lund
Gift, The – ??
Guardians of the Hidden Scepter – Frank Cole
Hatter – Daniel Coleman
Heirs of Southbridge, The – Jennie Hansen
High Country – Jennie Hansen
If I Should Die – Jennie Hansen
Jacob’s Journal of Doom – Kenneth Pike & Isaac Stewart
Journey of Promise – JoAnn Arnold
Left to Love – Jolene Perry
Lost Curse, The – T. Lynn Adams
Loyalty’s Webb – Joyce DiPastena
Michael Vey – Richard Paul Evans
My Loving Vigil Keeping – Carla Kelly
Not Your Average Fairy Tale – Chantele Sedgwick
Of Grace and Chocolate – Krista Lynne Jensen (2)
Out of Nowhere – ??
Outer Edge of Heaven, The – Jaclyn Hawkes (2)
Prince Tennyson – Jenni James
Princess of the Midnight Ball – Jessica Day George
Reality Check – Karen Tuft
Regally Blonde – Heather Horrocks
River Path, The – Jennie Hansen
Some Sweet Day – Jennie Hansen
Tangled Hearts – Roseanne Evans
Twitterpated – Melanie Jacobson (2)
Undercurrents – Traci Hunter Abramson
Unearthed – Lara Stauffer
When Hearts Meet – Anita Stansfield
Within These Hills – ??

Nominated for Whitneys

Becoming Bayley – Susan Auten
Code Word – Traci Hunter Abramson
Left to Love – Jolene Perry
Out of Nowhere – ??
River Path, The – Jennie Hansen (2000, doesn’t qualify for Whitney)*
Savage Grace – Bree Despain
Twitterpated – Melanie Jacobson

*Remember, to be eligible for a Whitney award, a novel must be published in the current year.

Writing Prompt: Fan Fiction

Fan fiction is when an author writes about characters or settings from an existing work. Usually fan fiction takes the form of a short story, although some have been developed into books and movies. Creating fan fiction is a way to practice your skills as a writer without having to take the time to build an entirely new world or fully develop a character. (Just don’t try to publish it without permission from the original author/publisher.)

Consider the following ideas for stories:

What trouble could Luke Skywalker get into before the Imperial stormtroopers arrive and kill his aunt and uncle?

How did Zafrina become a vampire? And how does she feel about that?

We know about Rilla, but what about Diana Blythe, one of Anne Shirley’s twins? What was her life like? Did she find her one true love?

For today’s prompt, pick a character from an existing work and write a short scene or story about them.

If you participate, leave a comment and let us know how it went. If you’re really brave, post your writing on your blog and share your link with us. If you want, feel free to encourage your blog visitors to participate and link back here to this post.

Editing Fiction by Rebecca Talley

“I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter.” – James Michener

That’s editing in a nutshell.

Some writers prefer writing the rough draft and feeling the creativity as it flows through their fingers. Other writers enjoy the editing stage and believe that’s where the real magic lies. Which do you prefer?

Writing the first draft can be fast and furious. You may find it difficult for your fingers to keep up with your brain as your brilliance pours out on the computer screen. Unfortunately, for most writers, the first draft isn’t always brilliant. In fact, very few writers can produce a saleable first draft. That’s when editing becomes a writer’s best friend.

Once that story is down on paper, or on the computer screen, it’s time to edit it. How? There are as many ways to edit as there are to write. No one way is right for everyone and you must find what works best for you.

Here are some different ways to edit:

One Pass. Some writers get their first draft down as quickly as possible and then let it rest for a few weeks, or a month. After the rest period, they go back and edit every single word, phrase, and paragraph to make sure it says exactly what they want it to say. This pass through their manuscript is grueling, but it only takes the one time and then it’s ready for submission.

Several Passes to Add Layers. Other writers edit their manuscripts multiple times. In each pass, they specifically add a layer to the story. When they feel they’ve added enough layers, they’re finished and ready to submit the manuscript. Some writers may edit their manuscript dozens of times.

Edit While You Write. Another possibility is to edit while you’re writing. Some writers won’t go to the next scene until they feel the previous scene is in its final format. These writers want to get each sentence right before they move on to the next sentence. When they’ve completed their manuscript, it’s ready for submission because they’ve spent so much time editing while writing.

Which works best? It depends on your own unique writing style. The important aspect is to make sure that the final manuscript is the best that it can be before you submit it to a publisher. Whether that takes you one pass or many, or you edit as you go, it doesn’t matter which process you choose as long as you find the process that allows you to submit the very best manuscript you can.

Rebecca Talley grew up in Santa Barbara, CA. She now lives in rural CO on a small ranch with a dog, a spoiled horse, too many cats, and a herd of goats. She and her husband, Del, are the proud parents of ten multi-talented and wildly-creative children. Rebecca is the author of a children’s picture book “Grasshopper Pie” (WindRiver 2003), three novels, “Heaven Scent” (CFI 2008), “Altared Plans” (CFI 2009), and “The Upside of Down” (CFI 2011), and numerous magazine stories and articles. You can visit her blog at www.rebeccatalleywrites.blogspot.com.

Dangling Participles by Annette Lyon

Dangling participles!

They’re loads of fun . . . really! They’re easy to giggle over . . . at least when you find the mistake in someone else’s work (or before yours gets in front of an editor).

So what is a dangling participle?
It’s a modifier, usually noun, pronoun, or phrase—basically any descriptor—that’s in the wrong place for what it’s supposed to be describing. Often that means it’s too far away from it, or at least that something else is in the way.

Sounds confusing, so let’s just ignore the definition for a minute and show some examples. They’re the best way to learn anyway, right?

Try these sentences on for size:

Joe went on the ride with my sister called The Raging Flame of Death.
Hmm. That’s not a sister I’d like to hang out with. Oh, wait! The ride has that name. In that case:

He went on the The Raging Flame of Death ride [or the ride called The Raging Flame of Death] with my sister.

Other funny examples:

Two computers were reported stolen by the high school principal.

(That’s one unethical principal . . .)

The anchor reported a coming lightning storm on the television.

(Get AWAY from that television!)

Please look through the contents of the package with your wife.

(Must be one huge package if she fits in it.)

James hadn’t meant to let it slip that he wasn’t married, at least to his boss.

(Wait. His boss is Mrs. James?)

Quiet and patient, her dress was simple, yet stylish.

(Let’s hope her dress wasn’t loud and impatient.)

At the age of five, her mother remarried.

(Um . . . doubt that’s legal in any state. And she certainly wasn’t a mother then.)

These little nasties are painfully easy to drop into your work without you even knowing it. They happen when you’ve used an action and then the subject that belongs to the action is put into the wrong place.

The result is most definitely a meaning you didn’t intend.

One of the most common forms is relatively easy to spot: look for sentences that open with an “ing” phrase:

Turning the corner on a bike, a huge dog startled him.

(Apparently that’s a dog with serious coordination skills.)

Driving through town, the grocery store appeared on the right.

(Freaky store. And just how big is its car?!)

And here’s one of my favorite dangling participles (which I found in a New York Times bestseller that shall remain nameless, even though it was just too funny):

Being my father, I thought he’d be more upset.

(Now THAT is one amazing genetic trick . . .)

You get the idea.

Dangling participles can sound scary and intimidating, but in reality, they’re easy to fix. Just make sure the action in your sentence is really attached to the person or thing doing it.

For the writers reading this, it’s something you don’t need to worry too much about in the drafting stage. It is, however, one of those things you should try to catch in the revision stage.

One great way is to read your draft aloud. The stresses and pauses will make you recognize when something doesn’t quite sound right. Pick some trusted readers to ferret out these kinds of bloopers as well.

Your future lack of embarrassment is most definitely worth the effort.

Annette Lyon is a Whitney Award winner, the recipient of Utah’s Best of State medal for fiction, and the author of eight novels, a cookbook, and a grammar guide, plus over a hundred magazine articles. She’s a senior editor at Precision Editing Group and a cum laude graduate from BYU with a degree in English. When she’s not writing, editing, knitting, or eating chocolate, she can be found mothering and avoiding the spots on the kitchen floor. Find her online at blog.annettelyon.com and on Twitter: @AnnetteLyon.

Need a little extra grammar help? Get Annette’s grammar book, There, Their, They’re: A No-Tears Guide to Grammar from the Word Nerd.

More SBT Winners & Updates

Our next batch of Summer Book Trek Winners are listed below. (Click here to see previous winners.) All winners have been emailed. Most have already responded. You can see which books have been chosen and which are still up for grabs, here.

August 7:

Emily F. (189) — The Kissing Tree
Cindy W (11) — Table for Two

August 8:

Tarrah (337) — The Next Door Boys
Taffy (104) — Tres Leches Cupcakes

August 9:

Jennie H (618) — Tangled Hearts
Kate P (534) — Loyalty’s Web

August 10:

Cathy J (683)—Left to Love
Stephanie W (530)—Abish

And since the last report, we’ve had 6 more people join, for a total of 23. We’ve now earned 410 additional points, for a total of 934, and picked 8 more winners. This is pretty awesome!

The lists below are books we’ve read and/or nominated for Whitneys between 8/8 & 8/12.

Books Read as of August 12, 2012

Alcatraz vs the Shattered Lens — Brandon Sanderson
Caller ID — Rachelle Christensen
Choosing Charity (3) — Terri Ferran
Code Word – Traci Hunter Abramson
Daughters of Jared — H.B. Moore
Dangerous Favor — Joyce DiPastena
Dead Running – Cami Checketts
Dragon Flight — Jessica Day George
Edenbrooke – Julianne Donaldson
Family by Design — Heather Justesen
Finding Faith (2) — Terri Ferran
Freshman for President —Ally Condie
Heirs of Southbridge, The — Jennie Hansen
Hidden in the Heart (2) — Roseanne Wilkins
Icefall — Matthew Kirby
Infinity Ring, The — James Dashner (how did you get a copy??? Won’t even be released until 8/28)
Jacob’s Journal of Doom – Kenneth Pike & Isaac Stewart
Journey of Honor — Jaclyn M Hawkes
List, The — Melanie Jacobson
Most Important Catch, The — Jaclyn M Hawkes
Next Door Boys, The—Jolene B Perry
No Angel — Theresa Sneed
Of Grace and Chocolate — Krista Lynne Jensen
Princess Academy — Shannon Hale
Reality Check – Karen Tuft
Rent Collector, The — Camron Wright (again, not available yet!)
Royal Secrets – Traci Hunter Abramson
Run Away Home — Jennie Hansen
Secret Sisters — Tristi Pinkston
Servant of a Dark God — John Brown
Shudder — Jennie Hansen
Table for Two – Sheryl Johnson
Turning Pages — Tristi Pinkston
Whispering (??)

Nominated for Whitneys

Edenbrooke – Julianne Donaldson
Friends and Foes – Sarah Eden
Funeral Potatoes — Joni Hilton
Next Door Boys, The (2) — Jolene B Perry
Precious Cargo — Jean Holbrook Matthews
Rent Collector, The — Camron Wright
Turning Pages — Tristi Pinkston
Twitterpated — Melanie Jacobson

Writing Prompt: Point of View

Write a short story or scene from the point of view of a kitchen appliance—microwave, blender, toaster. You choose.

The Most Important Thing Ever by Michaelbrent Collings

When asked what is the most important skill to learn as a writer, I always say the same thing: turning water into gold.

However, because most people have failed to take their required alchemy classes at the local community college, I often have to start over and come up with something that any ol’ muggle can do.

And that secondary skill, the skill that comes only after the ability to turn base metal into precious, is this: any writer who wants to sell books must know how to create suspense.

“But,” you say, “I am writing a YA fantasy!” Or perhaps, “My magnum opus shall be a romantic comedy in the vein of the great Jane Austen!” Or even, “I just need to make my werewolves sparkle and I’m all good.”

Well, to you folks, I have this to say: WRONG.

Suspense isn’t just something that horror writers or people who write thrillers about whether a nuclear weapon can be stopped en route to its intended target use. Suspense is (and I hope you write this down) the driving force that gets any reader to finish the book.

Suspense is more than just worry about life and limb. There doesn’t have to be a ticking clock, or an oncoming car, or a serial killer looking after someone. Suspense is used to create import in these situations, yes, but suspense is so much more… and so much less.

Suspense, is, quite simply, the creation of a critical question in your readers’ minds: “What happens next?”

My novel The Haunted is a straight-up ghost story. It’s received numerous accolades from readers and critics alike. And the truth is, it’s scary. But the scary is less important than the fact that people stick around to read the whole thing! Because is a scary book really scary if no one cares to read it past page 14?

If you just heard a popping sound, that’s your mind. ‘Cause I just blew it, man.

So remember, no matter what genre you are writing – even if you’re writing nonfiction – the first skill you must master is the creation of suspense. You must tease your readers with information, set up questions that they know only you can answer. And you have to do this from page one on. The worst books aren’t the ones that people hated reading. The worst books are the ones that no one could be persuaded to finish.

Don’t let that be you. Suspense. It’s the only way to write.

Michaelbrent Collings is a novelist and screenwriter. His newest bestseller, APPARITION, is scaring people all over the place. Which is awesome. He hopes someday to develop superpowers, or, if that is out of the question, then at least to get a cool robot arm. You can follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/MichaelbrentCollings or check out his website at http://michaelbrentcollings.com

SBT12 Reads

We’re a week into the Summer Book Trek and I thought you might be interested in a run-down of how it’s going.

(No! It’s not too late to enter the reading challenge!)

We have 17 readers signed up as participants. (Although some of their links aren’t working right. If your link is one, please fix it.)

Altogether as of last night, we’ve read 37 books. That’s approximately 2.17 books each (although in reality, there are a couple who are reading like gangbusters and putting the rest of us to shame).

We’ve racked up a total of 524 points and notified 12 winners! Yay!

Now, if you do the math, you’ll realize that 17 people / 52 prizes up for grabs – 12 prizes already given away = gobs more chances to win free books!

So if you haven’t joined the Summer Book Trek yet, DO IT NOW!

I also thought you might be interested in seeing a list of titles read and/or nominated for a Whitney Award thus far.

Books Read as of August 7, 2012

Albrek’s Tomb — M.L. Forman
Alcatraz vs the Shattered Lens — Brandon Sanderson
Caller ID — Rachelle Christensen
Change of Heart (2) — Roseanne Evans Wilkins
Code Word – Traci Hunter Abramson
Devil’s Food Cake – Josi S. Kilpack (2)
Dead Running – Cami Checketts
Divinely Designed — Rachael Renee Anderson
Endlessly – Kiersten White
Farewell to Charms, A — Lindsey Leavitt
Golden Crown, The (Tennis Shoes series) – Chris Heimerdinger
Hatter — Daniel Coleman
Hidden Branch – GG Vandergriff
Hollow City, The – Dan Wells
Janitors – Tyler Whitesides
Kingdoms & Conquerors (Tennis Shoes series) – Chris Heimerdinger
Kiss of a Stranger, The – Sarah M Eden
Luck of the Draw — Rachael Renee Anderson
Northanger Alibi – Jenni James
Of Grace & Chocolate — Krista Lynne Jensen
Paige – Annette Lyon
Princess Academy — Shannon Hale
Most Important Catch, The – Jaclyn M Hawkes
Murder by the Way – Betsy Brannon Green
Sacred Quest, The (Tennis Shoes series) – Chris Heimerdinger
Secrets After Dark –Marie Higgins
Spellweaver – Lynn Kurland
Tower of Thunder (Tennis Shoes series) – Chris Heimerdinger
Twitterpated – Melanie Jacobson (6)
Untethered – Marcia Lynn McClure
Warriors of Cumorah (Tennis Shoes series) – Chris Heimerdinger

*Note to participants: It’s easy points if you rate & comment on the the books as you finish them!

Nominated for Whitneys

Becoming Bayley – Susan Auten
Big In Japan – Jennifer Griffith
Dead Running – Cami Checketts
Edenbrooke – Julianne Donaldson
Endlessly – Kiersten White
False Prince, The – Jennifer A. Nielsen
Friends & Foes – Sarah Eden
Hollow City, The – Dan Wells
Jacob’s Journal of Doom – Kenneth Pike & Isaac Stewart
Murder by the Way – Betsy Brannon Green
Reality Check – Karen Tuft
Seeds of Rebellion (Beyonders) – Brandon Mull
Table for Two – Sheryl Johnson

When the Publisher Says No by Kristen Nelson

[I know of several LDS authors who’ve been dropped—sometimes mid-series—not because their new manuscripts weren’t well-written, but because their books just weren’t selling quite enough for the publisher. What do you do? Digital publishing gives you options. Here’s what a national agency did for one of their authors.]

Maybe a metaphoric “thumbing one’s nose” at a previous publisher? I’ll let you be the judge. In 2005, NLA client Shanna Swendson debuted with a wonderful fantasy chick lit novel called ENCHANTED INC. It was the perfect hybrid between the two genres and the world was introduced to the charming Katie Chandler who is trying to make it in the Big Apple but is so ordinary, she’s extraordinary. She’s so ordinary, magic doesn’t work on her.

Consequently, the small town gal from Texas is recruited by a magical company called Magic, Spells and Illusions, Inc. to be their secret weapon.

Brilliant concept!

Three more novels in the series quickly followed to very solid sales. It used to be you could build an author’s career from there. Nowadays, sadly, it’s known as the dreaded mid-list and authors are often dropped by their publishers.

Much to our dismay, Shanna’s publisher declined to continue buying new books in the series. But get this. Shanna had a foreign publisher who loved the series and it had fabulous sales abroad. So Shanna’s foreign publisher contracted to have her continue writing the series. And she did. Meanwhile, for years I’ve been trying to convince her U.S. publisher to get back on board. No luck. The series still sells well but not well enough for the publisher’s bottom line.

I get it. It’s a business decision on their part. But hey, it’s 2012 and the whole publishing climate has changed. Just because the publisher said NO, doesn’t mean we have to stop. These books are amazing. Shanna can digitally publish them herself. Even have a physical edition available as well.

And that’s exactly what she’s doing!

The long awaited book 5, MUCH ADO ABOUT MAGIC, releases on August 15, 2012.

Rock on!

Kristen Nelson is President and Senior Literary Agent at Nelson Literary Agency. This article was taken from their recent newsletter and posted with permission. To get more great industry news, subscribe to their newsletter.

SBT12 Winners

I’ve listed the first batch of Summer Book Trek Winners below. Some of them have already sent me their prize requests. Still waiting to hear from others.

If you are a winner, I will send notification to the email address you registered with when you entered your points. Be sure to check that daily as we’ll have two winners every day, Monday through Friday!

To answer a few questions:

Yes! You may still enter the reading challenge any time this month.

Yes! Authors may still donate prizes any time this month.

Yes! Authors may participate as readers.

Yes! It is possible to win more than one prize, so keep reading and entering your points.

Keep track of your own reading. The only place I need to know what you’ve read is when you enter your points for it. If you want to blog reviews (and I definitely think you should) go ahead and do that on your blog.

Aug. 1:

Suan W (32)

~T~ (158) — Become (print)

Aug 2:

Caterpillar (74) — Hooligan

Megan (100) — Twitterpated

Aug 3:

Emily D (123) — Not Your Average Fairy Tale

Shauna W (217) — Ribbon of Darkness

Aug 6:

Melissa (255) — The Heirs of Southbridge

Tara (84) — Dispensation

*Winners were chosen using random.org.

August 2012 Prize Sponsors

Last month’s prize winners
announced HERE.

This month, we’re doing something different.

The Summer Book Trek prizes will take the place of the usual monthly prize sponsors.

We have 40 books—print & ebooks—and counting!

It’s easy as 1-2-3 to enter to win.

1. Sign Up Here

2. Earn Points for Prizes Here

3. Oh, wait! There is no #3. See? Super Easy.

And if you’re an author or publisher:

Sponsor the Book Trek Here

Prizes will be given away daily. The first two have already been notified via email. As soon as they select their prize, I’ll announce it.

In September, we’ll go back to a monthly prize.

July 2012 Prize Winners

Here are the randomly selected winners of last month’s “Win These Books!” Contest.

Thanks again to our sponsors. Please take a moment to read their info here.

Winner: Erin Spencer

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Winner: Cindy Rogers

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Winner: Brooke Berry

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Winner: Amy Rose

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Congratulations! I will contact each of you via the email address you used to enter for the contest. You will need to send me your mailing address by Friday, August 10, 2012.

Click here to learn how you can win a copy of one of our sponsoring books.

Click here for details on sponsoring the LDS Publisher blogs.

Upcoming Events

Do you know of a writing conference in your area or an open call for submissions that would would be of interest to LDS writers? If so, please email the information and link(s) to meto be included in next month’s post. Event posts go live on the last Friday of each month.

Note: This listing does not constitute an endorsement by LDS Publisher. It’s for your information only.

Writing Conferences

Write On Con, August 14-15, 2012
Online Writers Conference
More info at: www.writeoncon.com

LDStorymakers Midwest Conference, September 15, 2012
Holiday Inn, Olathe, KS
More info at: ldstorymakers.com

Heritage Writer’s Guild 2012 Writer’s Conference, October 12 & 13, 2012
850 South Bluff Street, St. George, Utah
*Can’t find a website for it but here’s the announcement at LinkedIn
More info at: http://linkd.in/NbMvmB

Call for Submissions/Writing Competitions

Writers Unite to Fight Cancer
Theme: Courage to Thrive
Submission deadline: August 15th, 2012
More info at: writersunitetofightcancer.com

New Multi-Author, Multi-Genre Book Project: Cardinal Directions
Needed: Four authors to help me with an experimental type of series that will include six books.
Submission deadline: ?
More info at: www.writermike.com

Four Centuries of Mormon Stories Fiction & Art Contest
Fiction and artwork depicting Latter-day Saints in the 19th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd centuries.
Submission deadline: September ?
More info at: www.everydaymormonwriter.com

Our Voices Online Magazine
Accepting article submissions for inspiring stories from you, the reader. Have you had an experience or trial where you learned some important lessons? Have you witnessed some miracles in your life? How about a humorous story? Chances are there are many who will benefit from and be inspired and uplifted by your story.
Submission deadline: Ongoing
More info at: http://ourvoicesmagazine.com/

Miscellaneous

Camp NaNoWriMo, August, 2012
Write 50,000 words in one month
More info at: campnanowrimo.org

Villains We Love to Hate by Tristi Pinkston

Like a great many other people, I’ve been watching Downton Abbey recently. Well, not so much watching it as inhaling it. Sure, it has some soap opera elements to it, but I’ve been absolutely fascinated by the interactions between the characters, and how the choices of one person ripple out and affect everyone around them, so much like they do in real life.

There’s one character I absolutely cannot stand – Thomas the footman. From the minute he stepped onto the screen in the first episode, he just … ugh. He’s insolent, prideful, disrespectful, rude, and at times downright evil. I’m sure the actor is a very nice young man, but the character just inspires total hatred in me, and I’m not used to feeling that way. I’m a very loving person as a general rule, but this guy brings out sides of me I didn’t even know I had.

That is the very successful marriage of an excellent actor and an excellent script.

Throughout season one of the show, we basically just hate Thomas all the way through. But in season two, we are introduced to some of his insecurities and some of his fears. We see the things he’s willing to do to survive. These added dimensions make him more real, but rather than lessening our hatred toward him, they make him someone to be pitied, someone who has chosen a life of manipulation to cope rather than trying to do things the right way.

First of all, I have to say this is absolutely brilliant. If I had the chance to speak with the writer of Downton Abbey, (Julian Fellowes) I would soak up everything he had to say about the craft of writing characters. There must be a balance between what we see them do and the reasons why they do it in order to create a well-rounded character that evokes these types of emotions in us. I hate Thomas the footman, but I love Bates the valet. I don’t just dislike one and like the other – my emotional attachment goes much deeper, and it’s the combination of their actions plus their motivations.

Far too often, I see books where the motivation is left out. The character will perform an action of some kind, but we don’t know the reason behind it, and the action either comes across as flat, or it will seem so random that it doesn’t make sense. When we know the motivation behind the action and what the character was thinking or feeling when they did it, the whole thing becomes so much richer.

This is especially true of villains. It’s not enough to know that Bob is setting a bomb to go off in the building. We need to know that his girlfriend is in the building and she’s been cheating on him, and he wants to see her dead. But we also need to know that he was abandoned as a baby by a mother too drunk to care for him and he was rescued from the side of the road by a truck driver, who took him to the authorities. Then Bob was passed from foster care home to foster care home until adulthood, essentially being abandoned by women in his life since the very beginning, and he just can’t take it anymore. Which story is more interesting? Man setting a bomb, or a deeply troubled, tortured soul setting a bomb? And would it help to know that he plans on being inside the building when the bomb goes off so he dies too?

The point is this – when we write a villain, it’s all very well and good to show the evil actions they take. But every evil action has a thought process behind it, a deep emotional need pushing it forward. If you tap into that deep emotional need when you write your villain, you create someone the reader will fear even more because they are so very real.

Now, if you’ll pardon me, I need to go take a nap. I was up far too late last night watching Downton Abbey …

Tristi Pinkston is the author of nine published books, including the Secret Sisters mystery series. In addition to being a prolific author, Tristi also provides a variety of author services, including editing and online writing instruction. You can visit her at www.tristipinkston.blogspot.com or her website at www.tristipinkston.com.

Summer Book Trek Prizes

The books pictured below are prizes for the 2012 Summer Book Trek Reading Challenge. (Lots more coming soon!)

Pssst! You get 18 POINTS if you read one of these books!

Scroll down below the book images to read the what & how of winning these books.

Susan J	Shelly B	Megan R	Jennie

Elizabeth J & Jennie/Mindi	Emily F	Megan R	Shauna W

Your Choice	Tara C	Tara C	Caterpillar

Shauna W	Cathy J	Tarrah	Elizabeth J

Elizabeth J	Emily F	Shauna W	Kate P

Melynie M	Melynie M	Cathy J	Brooke B

Karlene B	eBook*	~T~	Your Choice*

Taffy L	Emily D	Melissa N	Shelly B

Cathy J	Shauna W	Susan J	Suan W

eBook #2	Tarrah M	~T~	~T~

Cindy W	Suan W	Emily D	Stephanie W

Allan O	Melissa N	Brooke	Melissa

Your Book Here	Your Book Here	Your Book Here	Your Book Here

WINNERS:

Winners will be randomly chosen and notified by email. Odds of winning dependent upon number of prizes and entries. It is possible that someone could win multiple prizes.

Winner may choose their prize. Prizes are labeled by the format of the book (Print, eBook, or Your Choice). Once a prize has been claimed, the winner’s name will replace the label.

Additional book prizes will be added throughout the reading challenge.

Sponsors have the option to send prizes as they are awarded or to ship prizes at the end of the challenge.

Winners have one week after the close of the reading challenge to send me their mailing information. Challenge ends on August 31, 2012.

LABELS & LINKS

“Print” = a printed book; may be paperback or hardback. Available only to winners with a U.S. shipping address.

“eBook” = a digital ebook that will be emailed to the winner.

“Your Choice” = sponsor will provide a printed book (U.S. shipping address only) or an eBook. Winner’s choice.

To find out more about a title, click the image. It will take you to an online store where you may read more about the book.

*Click here for full list plus special notes about some books.

Want to be a sponsor? Click here for details.

Be a Summer Book Trek Sponsor

There are some special rules for 2012 Summer Book Trek Sponsorship.

Books for prizes MUST be authored or co-authored by an LDS author.

Books MUST be fiction.

Book prize may be either print or ebook.

You may sponsor with as many books as you want.

Books may be published by a traditional publisher or self-published.

Book must be currently available for purchase online.

Sponsor will ship or email the prize straight to the winner. Print books will be shipped to U.S. addresses only; ebooks will be emailed worldwide.

YES! Sponsors may participate as readers in SBT12. Please sign up!

Sponsor provides one or more prize(s) in the form of one print copy or one digital ebook copy of their book to be shipped at sponsor’s expense to a prize winner selected by LDS Publisher.

Sponsor receives the cover of their book posted here with a link to where the book may be purchased online.

Sponsoring book covers are posted in the order that I receive the request for sponsorship, with first books at the top and later books at the bottom of the post. (Although if there are a lot from one source, I may spread them out a bit.) There will be no sidebar images or author bios included.

SBT12 participants get DOUBLE POINTS if they read one of your books!

Prizes will be awarded regularly throughout the reading challenge.

Winners will have up to one week after the close of the challenge to send me their mailing information. I will forward this information to sponsors via email. Please keep this information private.

Sponsors should ship books to the winner in a timely manner.

Sponsors may also participate in the reading challenge and are eligible to win prizes.

No! It’s not to late! Accepting Sponsors through the end of August.

Sponsor Request E-mail:

Please include the following information in your sponsor request email.

Book Title and Author Name

Format of prize (print, ebook, or winner’s choice)

Link to image of book cover

Link to where book may be purchased online

2012 Summer Book Trek

Welcome to 2012 Summer Book Trek!

Look at that artwork?

<——— Isn’t it cute?? (And guys, don’t feel left out. I have buttons for boys, too!)

Who: Calling all fiction readers!!! (If you’re under 18, you have to have your parent’s permission.) You do not have to be LDS to participate.

What: A summer reading challenge! Read books by LDS authors. (Need ideas? See the list in the sidebar or hover over the LDS Fiction tab at the top.)

Set your goals and track your progress. No goal is too small; no ambition too great. Feeling overwhelmed? Make a short list. Finish early? Add more books (or not). Change your mind on a title? Drop it. No pressure, no minimums. Make changes to your list as desired.

Earn points throughout the month. More points = more chances to win books!

When: August 2012

Where: The blogosphere.

How: Three Easy Steps.

1. Post your reading list on your blog*.
Use one of our SBT2012 buttons in your post and/or on your sidebar. Link back here so your friends will come play too. (Use this URL in your link: https://ldspublisher.com/2012/07/2012-summer-book-trek/)

2. Join up using the Simply Linked form below.
This lets everyone know you’re playing along. Join anytime between now and August 25^th. Put your name in the Link Title field. Include your email address so I can contact you if you win a prize. Link to your reading list.
DO THIS: https://ldspublisher.com/2012/07/2012-summer-book-trek/
NOT this: https://ldspublisher.com/

3. Rack up the points to win prizes!
Use the Rafflecopter form HERE to collect points throughout the entire month of August. (Start adding up points now!)

Why: We need a reason to read?!? Says who???

Prizes: Prizes will be books (print and/or ebooks) provided by LDS authors, their publishers, or others. Prizes will be shipped/emailed to the winners by the sponsor. Some prizes may be limited to U.S. addresses, depending on the sponsor.

Spread the word: Let your blog readers know about SBT12 so they can join the fun with you! (Bonus points for blogging, facebooking & tweeting.) Click here for blog buttons.

Okay, that’s it. Go post your list and let’s get reading!

*Don’t have a blog? I twisted the arm of a friend of mine and she created a blog that you can use to play. Simply e-mail your list to her and she’ll post it and link you up, making you eligible for prizes.

Summer Book Trek: Rack Up the Points!

Use this Rafflecopter form to earn points during the 2012 Summer Book Trek reading challenge.

More Points = More Chances to Win!

(Get a jump start on earning points NOW!)

Click Here to Sign Up for the Trek!

NOTE 1: You MUST, MUST, MUST Sign Up/Link Up here first, or your points won’t count. (Yes, I will be checking.)

NOTE 2: You can start reading a book now, but you don’t get points for reading unless you FINISH the book in August.

NOTE 3: Yes. The three reading points are cumulative. So if the book is by an LDS author (+3), AND it’s a 2012 Release (+5), AND the book is a prize sponsor (+10), you get a total of 18 points for finishing that book!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Points you can earn:

1 = Sign up/Link up: This is mandatory. You have to do this one first to get to the other points.

1 = Like LDS Publisher on Facebook (if you’ve already done this, go ahead and give yourself the point)

2 = Rate a book on this site using the Star Rating scale at the bottom of each book post

2 = Leave a thoughtful comment on any post on LDS Publisher site

2 = Blog about the Summer Book Trek (can do once a day) (Use http://bit.ly/MSXYJ8)

2 = Facebook about Summer Book Trek (can do once a day) (Use http://bit.ly/MSXYJ8 and #SBT12)

2 = Tweet about the Summer Book Trek (can do once a day) (Use http://bit.ly/MSXYJ8 and #SBT12)

3 = Read a novel by an LDS Author (get points for every book you finish)

5 = Read a 2012 Release novel by an LDS Author (get points for every book you finish)

10 = Read a novel by a Trek Sponsor (get points for every book you finish)

10 = Review a novel on your blog that you read during the Trek (get points for every book you review)

5 = Nominate a Whitney. You don’t have to have read the book you nominate during the Trek, but you have to nominate it during the Trek. And it has to be legit. No nominating everything just to get the points. (get points for every book you nominate)

SBT12 Buttons

First, I have to give a huge shout out to Kass Miles who designed our logos for the SBT 12 (aka Summer Book Trek 2012). Go check out her awesome website and blog. She is amazing! I love her style—and she is so easy to work with. (And if you talk to her, let her know LDS Publisher sent you!)

Kass has given us several button options. Pick the one that works best for your blog/website. Simply copy the code in the box beneath the image and size that you want (there are 8 options) and paste it into an HTML widget in your sidebar.

**For some reason, WordPress is converting my html straight quotes to these curly quotes (” “). To get it to display on your site, paste the code in your widget box, then replace all the “. (And does anyone know how to fix this???)

Girl Chevron Standard Sidebar Button (220px)
(Works best against a white or light background)

Girl Chevron Small Sidebar (125px)
(Works best against a white or light background)

Girl White Standard Sidebar Button (220px)
(Works best against a colored background)

Girl White Small Sidebar (125px)
(Works best against a colored background)

Boy Chevron Standard Sidebar Button (220px)
(Works best against a white or light background)

Boy Chevron Small Sidebar (125px)
(Works best against a white or light background)

Boy White Standard Sidebar Button (220px)
(Works best against a colored background)

Boy White Small Sidebar (125px)
(Works best against a colored background)

Or if you need more control and/or want to do it yourself, right click on these larger images and download to your computer. Then resize as needed. Please link the images back to this URL: https://ldspublisher.com/2012/07/2012-summer-book-trek/

NOTICE: All images are protected under a Creative Commons license. You may use these images for non-commercial use without modification (other than resizing). Please credit Kass Miles at www.kassmiles.com as the original creator.

Summer Book Trek Sponsor List

Listing of prizes in alphabetical order. If sponsor is other than author, it’s listed in parentheses.

Books marked with * have a special note.

CAUTION: Although all the authors are LDS, not all of the characters live LDS standards. Do your research before selecting your prize.

Abish: Faith Among the Lamanites – Brenda Anderson

Billy: Messenger of Powers – Michaelbrent Collings

Become – Ali Cross (Ali is giving away 2 ebooks & 1 print copy)

Change of Heart – Roseanne Evans Wilkins

Dangerous Favor – Joyce DiPastena

Daughters of Jared – H.B. Moore

Death of a Disco Dancer – David Clark (Zarahemla)

Dead Running – Cami Checketts

Desolate – Ali Cross (Ali is giving away 2 ebooks & 1 print copy)

Dispensation – Angela Halstrom, ed (Zarahemla)

Dispirited – Louisa Perkins (Zarahemla)

Gifted – Karey White

Guy Next Door, The – Kate Palmer *Release date mid-September

Haunted, The – Michaelbrent Collings *”Stiff PG-13″

Heirs of Southbridge, The – Jennie Hansen

Hidden in the Heart – Roseanne Evans Wilkins

Hooligan – Douglas Thayer (Zarahemla)

Hunting Gideon – Jessica Draper (Zarahemla)

Illuminations of the Heart – Joyce DiPastena

Kindling, The (Middle School Magic) – Braden Bell (Cedar Fort)

Kissing Tree, The – Prudence Bice

Left to Love – Jolene B. Perry

Long After Dark – Todd Robert Petersen (Zarahemla)

Loyalty’s Web – Joyce DiPastena

Millstone City – S.P. Bailey (Zarahemla)

My Forever – Jolene B. Perry *Release date mid-August

Next Door Boys, The – Jolene B. Perry

Nightingale – David Farland

No Going Back – Jonathan Langford (Zarahemla) *sensitive subject matter

Not Your Average Fairy Tale – Chantele Sedgwick

On the Road to Heaven – Coke Newel (Zarahemla)

Ribbon of Darkness – Julie Coulter Bellon

Rift – Todd Robert Petersen (Zarahemla)

Sharp Edge of a Knife, The – D. N. Giles (Ensign Peak Books)

Souls in Peril – Sherry Gammon *Release date mid-August

Table for Two – Sheryl Johnson

Tangled Hearts – Roseanne Evans Wilkins

Tree House, The – Douglas Thayer (Zarahemla)

Tres Leches Cupcakes – Josi S. Kilpack *September release date

Twitterpated – Melanie Jacobson

Wasatch – Douglas Thayer (Zarahemla)

Wolfhound – Kindal Debenham

Summer Book Trek Coming in August

Remember how a million years ago (or three) we did that Summer Book Trek reading thing? Yeh, it’s vague in my mind too and apparently I lost some posts when I transferred from Blogger to here because I can’t find them…

But whatever. It was lots of fun. And we’re going to do it again August 1st through 31st.

That’s only 10 short days away so you have plenty of time to plan for it. Right?

Oh, and I’ll want sponsors. LOTS and LOTS of sponsors.

A REAL challenge button and detailed details will go up soon, but in the meantime, here’s the short list.

READING PARTICIPANTS:

• Read as many (or few) books as you want but they MUST be by LDS authors.

• Bonus points if their book is on this site.

• Even more bonus points if the book is a 2012 release.

• And even more bonus points if you blog about what you’ve read.

Why do you care about bonus points? They earn you prizes!

SPONSORS

• You need to be an LDS author (or publisher of an LDS author) and provide a book as your prize (print or ebook).

• You are responsible for sending the prize to the winner & decide where you’ll ship.

• Sponsors will get a spotlight post & be listed on a special sponsor page.

• I’d love to be able to give away a book or three every day. So the more the merrier. Help spread the word.

If you want to sponsor, contact me ASAP and I’ll email details by Wednesday.

Oh, and if you haven’t already done so, please go take my survey.

Writing Prompt: Inciting Incident

You come home from a long, hard day at work and grab your mail from the box on your way into the house. You’re flipping to through the collection of ads and bills when an envelope in the middle of the stack makes you freeze.

Start from there. What is in the envelope? What happens next?

Writing for Children by Rebecca Talley

Many people make the mistake of thinking that writing for children is easier than writing for adults. That’s simply not true.

Children are much smarter than many adults think. They can spot a condescending tone, a sermon disguised as a story, or false notions wrapped in truth. Kids are savvy consumers and definitely know what they like and don’t like to read.

Writing for children demands the same kind of commitment to detail, dedication to research, and smooth writing techniques that adults expect. In fact, writing for children can be even more demanding because of the tight word counts and adherence to vocabulary/comprehension levels.

If you are interested in writing for kids, you might want to consider the following advice:

Spend time with children. You can do this by volunteering at a school, a Boys’ and/or Girls’ club, library, or after-school program.

Get to know the kids. Ask them questions and listen to their answers. Observe the kinds of books they read, the games they play, and the way they speak. Try to discover what issues concern them.

Read. In order to understand the children’s market, you need to be familiar with the books that kids read. Read from a variety of genres to see what is expected in each genre. Learn the vocabulary that populates children’s books and magazines. Determine what issues are acceptable for which age groups. Get a feel for the word count in each category of children’s books.

Share your writing with kids. Ask schools and/or libraries if you can read your story to their kids. You’ll be able to tell what works and what doesn’t when you read your work to your target audience. After you read, ask questions to determine how the kids understood your story. Apply what you learn to your work.

Observe kids. Take a notebook and go to a park. Listen to the kids play. Watch how they react to each other and their mannerisms. Pay attention when you’re at a restaurant, movie theater, or the mall.

Make a librarian your BFF. A librarian can tell you what books are popular, what the kids like to read about, and how they react to specific storylines. Take some time to pick a librarian’s brain and you’ll find she has golden nuggets of information.

Writing for children is as difficult as writing for adults, but it’s also very rewarding. Using your words to create a story that touches the life of a child is one of the greatest rewards of writing.