LDS Publisher – Page 20

Étude by Melinda R. Morgan

The cold rain drummed the memory of the horrible crash into my mind—Mom dead, my hand ruined. Then a year later, coming out of a coma to realize my full-ride scholarship was gone and I’d never play the piano again. But the worst of it was nobody believed me—the voices, someone holding me in the mangled car, Mom being ripped away from me.

So here I am in Anderson, Wyoming, living with Uncle Connor while Dad’s on assignment in Europe. School started and I met Jonathan, amazingly handsome Jonathan. He made me feel like life was beginning again—until I discovered that Mom’s death wasn’t an accident, that a supernatural realm was trying to draw me into a coterie hundreds of years old, and that my friend Eric wanted to destroy me.

Not the easiest way to begin my senior year..

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Title: Étude

Author: Melinda R. Morgan

Publisher: Silverton House Publishing

Release Date: April 2, 2012

ISBN: 978-1600650109

Size: 456 pages, 5.5×8.5, softcover

Genre: YA Paranormal

Is There a Market for LDS Spanish Language Picture Books?

Hello, I have some questions that you may be able to answer. I am a graphic designer and I write books for children. I live in [South America].

I have produced the gospel “translated” for them with short texts and nice drawings. So far I have finished the fourth book but I have more than 60 in mind.
I was wondering if I could show you the things I have done, (I write, draw, diagram and desing the whole book). If it is not you whom I should contact, would you please tell me who is that I can write to?

Do I have any possibilities to do this with a book publisher in the US from here?

First, no you can’t send samples of your work to me. I keep a strict divide between my anonymous blogging self and my day-job publishing self. If someone sends a manuscript to “LDS Publisher” I delete it without reading it. Sorry, but this is one of the conditions I have with my boss.

Second, yes, there is a market here in the United States for Spanish-language books that teach gospel principles to children. The fact that you live outside the U.S. shouldn’t be a problem. What is a problem is that children’s books don’t sell as well as books for adults, and picture books are more expensive to publish. (See more on this HERE.)

Also, some publishers may allow you to illustrate and design your books but most will want to do that in-house, having you provide the text only.

What you need to do is send a query to the various LDS publishers to see if they are interested. Here is a list of LDS publishers in the U.S. I’m not sure how up to date it is, so you’ll need to go to the various websites and carefully read their submission guidelines. The big ones to contact are, of course, Deseret Book, Covenant and Cedar Fort.

Deep Blue Secret by Christie Anderson

California teen Sadie James thinks her life couldn’t get any better. She has great friends, an energetic mother she adores, and the beach practically in her own backyard. But her carefree life is turned upside down when she’s rescued by a mysterious and strangely familiar boy who won’t even tell her his name.

Each time the boy appears, Sadie’s unexplainable attraction to him deepens along with her need to unravel his secrets. The boy is there to protect her, but as wonderful and exciting as it might be to have an irresistible boy with crystal green eyes protecting her every move, every minute of the day . . . why does Sadie need one?

As Sadie finds answers, she realizes her life isn’t as perfect as she thought. Not only is she caught in a world of dangerous secret agents she never knew existed, but it turns out her true identity may be the greatest secret of all.

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Title: Deep Blue Secret

Author: Christie Anderson

Publisher: CreateSpace/Self

Release Date: April 14, 2012

ISBN: 978-1463768591

Size: 351 pages, 5.5 x 8.5, softcover

Genre: YA Paranormal

Trouble Blows West by Monique Bucherger

Putting her body in motion before her brain is in gear creates a mountain of problems for 12 year-old Ginnie West. She is certain that defending her twin brother, Toran, from the biggest bully in sixth grade was the right thing to do. But Ginnie couldn’t be more wrong.

She quickly figures out that Toran doesn’t appreciate being rescued by a girl any better than Charlie likes being knocked down by one. When Charlie seeks revenge on Ginnie, Toran sets aside his anger and helps her plot a playback prank at Charlie’s house.

Sadly, Ginnie learns that Charlie has a reason for being a bully when she sees his dad drop him to the floor like a ragdoll with one awful blow to the chest. Realizing he’s a boy in big trouble, Ginnie switches gears and decides to be his ally, even if he won’t let her be his friend.

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Title: Trouble Blows West (A Ginnie West Adventure)

Author: Monique Bucherger

Publisher: True West Publishing

Release Date: April 13, 2012

ISBN:

Size: 212 pages, softcover

Genre: Middle Grade

Ginnie West Series: The Secret Sisters Club (bk 1)

Fire Gate by Pendragon Inman

In a world where a Mystic’s torn flesh is worth more than six month’s wages and death-auctions are whispered about in every Okoru city, seventeen-year-old Mystic twins, Wyan and Lor, are determined to change it all—and survive.

Despite straining beyond his physical limits (not to mention his all ready thin patience), Wyan never inherited his Mystic abilities, and so mastery of Lor’s element would mean sanctuary for both of them. But when Lor’s plan unravels, Wyan is forced to take action on his own before the last of their kind—and his family—are sold to their graves.

Within a land of unforgiving Fire and Ice, Wyan must find the one ally and master-warrior he never would have trusted before: himself.

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Title: Fire Gate (Shenehah Saga, book 1)

Author: Pendragon Inman

Publisher: Self

Release Date: April 9, 2012

ISBN: 978-1468038019

Size: 356 pages, 5.5 x 8.5, softcover

Genre: YA Dystopian

Writing Prompt: Old Woman

We haven’t done a writing prompt here for a long time. As I’ve said before, I firmly believe that writing well is a SKILL. Yes, some people are born with more innate talent than others, but anyone who wants to learn to write well can do so.

Like any other skill, writing takes PRACTICE. In my opinion, you should be writing something every day. It doesn’t have to be a novel and it doesn’t have to be good. Just write something. Minimum 250 words. Consider it practicing your scales.

So here’s a prompt that I did with a writing group several months ago. It was really fun to read the different variations, especially from those who picked the same photo.

Let’ start with old women. I love the faces of older women. I got these off the internet. (If you ever need an interesting face, visit www.harrycutting.com. Awesome!)

PROMPT: Pick one of the faces below. This is your main character. Write a short scene with them in it. Any genre goes.

Be brave. Post your writing on your blog & include the photo that inspired it. If you want, encourage your blog visitors to participate and link back here to this post.

Here’s the super challenge: If ten of you do it and post the link to your writing in the comments so we can go read it, I’ll post mine.

Ready, set, write!

Desert Intrigue by Linda Weaver Clarke

When Julia’s brother announces that his dude ranch is haunted, she believes that someone is trying to sabotage his place and force him to sell.

The mysterious happenings have to do with Superstition Mountain, the lost Dutchman’s goldmine, and the great Thunder God. Is it possible that the legend of the Thunder God is actually true?

After a terrible thunderstorm, everyone begins to wonder. John and Julia quickly head to Mesa, Arizona and discover a few mysterious events.

Will they find out who is behind these disasters before Uncle Kelly’s dude ranch is ruined?

While Julia’s daughters, Sharlene and Faith, are busy helping their uncle save the ranch, April and Matthew are planning their wedding but everything seems to go wrong.

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Title: Desert Intrigue

Author: Linda Weaver Clarke

Publisher: CreateSpace

Release Date: March 27, 2012

ISBN: 978-1470084219

Size: 246 pages, 5×8, softcover

Genre: Mystery

John and Julia Evans Series: Anasazi Intrigue, Mayan Intrigue, Montezuma Intrigue

Defining Greatness by Michaelbrent Collings

Some people ask me, “What do you think makes a great book great?”

Some people also ask me if I think polar bears should be allowed to marry penguins. Which tells you what kind of people I hang with.

But back to the other question. The first one. About the writing thing. I guess it’s not too surprising that people ask me things about books. I mean, I AM a writer. My books RUN and Billy: Messenger of Powers have both been bestsellers on amazon.com, I’ve written two movies that are coming out next year, and I’ve been told my birthday cards are to die for. So I do get my opinion asked for fairly often. And, to be frank, even when people AREN’T asking for my opinion… I still give it.

So what DOES make a great book great?

There are a lot of things. But first and foremost, I think, is simply this: a great book is one that people want to spend time with. And I’m not just talking about the time they put in reading it. A great book is one that we think about even when the covers are closed, one whose characters we wish we could meet well after the last chapter has been finished. It’s one that lives within us, and becomes not merely a part of what we have done, but a facet of who we have become.

So how to accomplish that?

Well, according to many high school English teachers, people should read books that they have shoved down their throats with pointy sticks. Sad but true. Sometimes I think that a great many “academics” believe that a book isn’t great unless it’s something that you can only “enjoy” after you’ve spent several years researching the author’s life. Incomprehensibility doubles as ability.

I don’t buy into that.

A great book IS one that lives on, year after year, generation after generation. Fine and dandy. But I also think that a TRULY great book is one that has, not only deep life lessons that transcend time, but also a pure enjoyment factor (and obviously, I’m talking about fiction here). I mean, if you look at Hamlet, it’s not only a classic examination of character, it’s a darn fine STORY, with ghosts, intrigue, thrilling fights, and other “fun” attributes that make it, not just “valuable,” but FUN.

Granted, if you’re looking at a “classic” book that’s been around for hundreds of years, there’s some work to be done. But that’s not because the stories are boring, it’s simply because language changes over time, so you have to be schooled in the way people of that era spoke in order to enjoy what they’re doing and saying. Just like some people don’t enjoy British humor, not because the English aren’t funny (because they are), but because they don’t understand that culture enough to GET the jokes. So there are legitimate examples of “great” literature that you have to prep for. But at their root, truly great books are an entertaining read.

I can remember, when writing RUN (a suspense/horror/thriller novel), I devoured a lot of Dean Koontz and Stephen King books. Similarly, when I was working on Billy: Messenger of Powers (a young adult fantasy), I read J.K. Rowling, Brandon Mull, and James Dashner. Some people actually asked me why I would “waste my time” on such “popular” fare. And the way they said “popular” it was clear they really meant to say “worthless.”

But I disagree. I think that “popular” is a valuable indicator of greatness in art. After all, what is Great Expectations but a book that has remained “popular” for centuries? What is The Three Musketeers but a book that has a story so fun that it has found an audience year after year after year?

Now, that’s not to say that I think everything that is popular is great. There are some books that are incredibly popular that are shallow, trite drivel. But those kinds of things don’t tend to STAY popular. They’re flashes in the pan. A moment where lighting is caught (perhaps accidentally), but cannot be contained.

The “greats” on the other hand, truly captivate us. They reach across time and space to do something that we as humans have sought after since man first began to communicate: to tell a story.

And the better the story, the “greater” the book.

Michaelbrent is a bestselling novelist whose books RUN and Billy: Messenger of Powers have been amazon.com bestsellers. He is also a produced screenwriter and member of both the Writers Guild of America and the Horror Writers of America. His blog is at http://michaelbrentcollings.com/blog2.html, and you can follow him on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michaelbrent-Collings/283851837365 or on twitter @mbcollings.

Lightning Tree by Sarah Dunster

The truth lies locked inside her dreams.

After surviving the tragic deaths of her parents and her baby sister and a harrowing trek across the plains to Utah, it s no surprise that Maggie’s nights are plagued by nightmares.

But after years of harsh treatment by her foster family and memories that seem to hint at an unthinkable crime, Maggie is forced to strike out on her own to separate the facts from the lies.

Read excerpt | Book Site | Trailer

Title: Lightning Tree

Author: Sarah Dunster

Publisher: Bonneville Books/Cedar Fort

Release Date: April 10, 2012

ISBN: 978-1599559599

Size: 384 pages, 5.5 x 8.5, softcover

Genre: Young Adult Historical

Need an LDS Writers Forum?

Hi, Publisher!

I’ve been following your blog for some weeks now, but I haven’t seen your name (or a moniker) anywhere mentioned, so I apologize if there is one. (LDSP is fine.)
I really enjoy your blogs and the info about LDS authors. I know how much work blogs are, so thank you for making the information available. (Thank you.)

I was wondering if you could recommend an LDS writers forum. I wrote a lot when I was in high school and university and I’m now looking to start again. I realize the importance of peer feedback and I’m looking for an online place for discussion, etc. If you have any recommendations, I’d appreciate that a lot.

Thank you!

Wow. Tough question. And Google is not my friend today.

There used to be an excellent LDS writer forum at latterdayauthors.com, but I think it’s sort of gone by the wayside. (Does anyone know anything about this forum?)

There’s also Authors Incognito, but you have to attend one of the LDStorymakers Conferences to sign up for that one.

And there’s the Nauvoo Workshop for LDS Writers. I don’t really know anything about that one.

Readers, help!!

Emerald City by Alicia K. Leppert

Olivia Tate is a broken shell of a girl haunted by the tragic events that fill her past. She has closed herself off from the world, each day grasping at something—anything—to live for. Convinced there will never be a way out, she seeks solace in the depths of her medicine cabinet.

When she wakes up days later in the hospital she is introduced to Jude, the quiet stranger responsible for saving her life. She never could have guessed then that her mysterious rescuer would end up saving her life a second time, while simultaneously turning her world upside down.

A modern-day romance with a twist.

Read excerpt Book Site

Title: Emerald City

Author: Alicia K. Leppert

Publisher: Sweetwater/Cedar Fort

Release Date: April 10, 2012

ISBN: 978-1599558646

Size: 320 pages, hardcover

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Reflexives!! by Annette Lyon

Thought that maybe if I put lots of exclamation points in the title, that reflexives would sound exciting!

Did it work? 🙂

Lara from Overstuffed brought up a funky English quirk with reflexive pronouns. I tried to dig around and ferret out the reason for the quirk, to no avail. So instead of explaining the history of the quirk, we’ll just discuss it!

Before we get to the quirk:

What the heck are we talking about?

Reflexive pronouns are ones where an action is being performed on the subject by the subject. For example:

Tommy can feed himself now.
While making dinner, Alicia accidentally cut herself with a knife.
They looked at themselves in the mirror.
You can help yourself to a drink.

And so on.

It’s important to use reflexive pronouns when they’re called for. Why? Because without them, you can create sentences that are grammatically correct but totally confusing.

The following sentence is from above but without the reflexive pronoun:

While making dinner, Alicia accidentally cut her with a knife.

See the confusion?

Did Alicia accidentally cut her sister or neighbor or some other female (her) in the kitchen? Or did Alicia cut Alicia? (Did she cut herself?)

Similarly:

They looked at them in the mirror.

We potentially have two groups. The group that is looking and the group that is reflected in the mirror. Or are they the same group? If it’s the same group, a reflexive pronoun takes away the ambiguity:

They looked at themselves in the mirror.

Are we clear on the basics of reflexive pronouns?
(I hope?)

Then let’s talk about the funky quirk!

All reflexive pronouns add “self” or “selves” to the end of another pronoun.

Some tack self/selves to the possessive form:

I / my / myself
we / our / ourselves

But other reflexives take the objective form:

he / him/ himself
(possessive form would be hisself)

their / them/ themselves
(possessive form would be theirselves)

We all know that hisself and theirselves are INCORRECT.

(We all know that, right? Please tell me you aren’t saying theirselves or hisself. My twitching eye thanks you.)

But I’d really like to know the reason behind it. Why do we say myself and ourselves but himself and themselves?

It’s just one more of ten thousand or so ways that English makes no sense whatsoever.

But we love it anyway.

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.

Elliot and the Last Underworld War by Jennifer Nielsen

WARNING:

If you care at all for planet Earth, you will pay very close attention to the lessons inside these pages. We usually ask you to run away from dreadful things. But now, you are warned to turn the pages as fast as you can read them. You must know what happens inside this book to learn whether Earth gets destroyed. Because let’s face it—that would be a bad thing.

As King of the Brownies, Elliot has battled Goblins, tricked Pixies, and trapped a Demon. But now, that Demon has escaped and he’s ready for revenge. Elliot will face a challenge unlike any he’s seen before.

The Last Underworld War is about to begin…

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Title: Elliot and the Last Underworld War

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen

Illustrator: Gideon Kendall

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Release Date: April 1, 2012

ISBN: 978-1402240218

Size: 208 pages, hardcover

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Series: Eliot and the Goblin War (book 1), Eliot and the Pixie Plot (book 2)

Dorchester Terrace by Anne Perry

Thomas Pitt, once a lowly policeman, is now the powerful head of Britain’s Special Branch, and some people fear that he may have been promoted beyond his abilities. He, too, feels painful moments of self-doubt, especially as rumors reach him of a plot to blow up connections on the Dover-London rail line—on which Austrian duke Alois Habsburg is soon to travel to visit his royal English kin.

Why would anyone destroy an entire train to kill one obscure Austrian royal, or are the rumors designed to distract Pitt from an even more devastating plot? He must resolve this riddle at once, before the damage is done.

Meanwhile, in a London sickroom, an old Italian woman—at the end of a romantic career as a revolutionary spy—is terrified that as she sinks into dementia, she may divulge secrets that can kill. And a beautiful young Croatian woman, married to a British power broker, hoards her own mysteries. Apparently all roads lead to the Continent, and Pitt suspects that between them these two fascinating women could tell him things he desperately needs to know. But as the hours tick by, it seems that the only woman Pitt can count on is his clever wife, Charlotte.

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Title: Dorchester Terrace (Thomas Pitt #27)

Author: Anne Perry

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Release Date: April 3, 2012

ISBN: 978-0345510624

Size: 352 pages, hardcover

Genre: Mystery

The Marshal’s Prize by Rebecca Winters

Abandoned as a baby, federal marshal Mitchell Garret doesn’t know his family history, or even his given name. But he’s made an impressive identity for himself: hero, protector, Marine, and most recently, private investigator. Which is how he falls into Heidi Norris’s life. Someone’s been stealing secrets from Heidi’s family-owned doughnut dynasty, SweetSpuds, and she suspects it’s a relative.

Before Mitch returns to the Marshals Service, he’ll take this one last case. Besides, going undercover will get Mitch closer to Heidi and her lovable son, Zack. Temporarily, that is. Mitch is ready to reclaim his life, and that means finding his real family…in Florida. Only for this P.I., what he really wants is in the last place he expects.

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Title: The Marshal’s Prize

Author: Rebecca Winters

Publisher: Harlequin

Release Date: April 3, 2012

ISBN: 978-0373754021

Size: 224 pages, 4×6.6, softcover

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Precious Cargo by Jean Holbrook Mathews

Last time Julia Wentworth visited the Philippines, she barely escaped from a terrorist group. Now, four months later, she is again called to visit the tropical archipelago to find out why some microloan cooperatives her company financed are falling apart. This time, she promises her boss she will stay out of harm’s way and tries to convince herself that there will be no danger involved in this simple, fact-finding trip.

However, when she arrives in Manila, Julia discovers that danger is the reason the coops are failing. The young daughters of one of her clients have been kidnapped, and the family has decided that repaying their loan is no longer a priority in case a ransom is demanded.

Determined to find the girls, Julia recruits an old friend to help, a detective affectionately known as Monty. As the investigation unfolds, along with their growing attraction for each other, the pair uncovers a crime ring much more elaborate and dangerous than they could have ever anticipated.

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Title: Precious Cargo

Author: Jean Holbrook Mathews

Publisher: Covenant

Release Date: April 2, 2012

ISBN: 978-1621080763

Size: 212 pages, 6×9, softcover

Genre: Suspense

He Said, She Said: Dialogue Tags by Rebecca Talley

Many new writers complain that using “said” is too boring. They want to liven up their writing with new and different tags. The problem with using tags other than “said” is that 1) they call attention to themselves and draw the reader out of the story, and 2) they tell instead of show.

For example:

“You can’t mean that,” she shouted.
“But, I do,” he laughed.
“How can you be so cruel?” she questioned.
“It’s easy,” he intoned.
“I thought you loved me,” she cried.
“Never,” he exclaimed.
“But I love you. Please give me another chance,” she begged.
“Not interested,” he declared.

So what do you think? Don’t those tags call attention to themselves? Wouldn’t it have been easier to read if I’d used “said” instead? “Said” is a tag that virtually disappears. Readers don’t stumble over it. You can occasionally use, “asked” or “replied,” but do so sparingly.

The main problem with these tags is how they tell the reader what is going on in the story as opposed to showing what’s happening. This exchange seems to be between two people who are dating. A better way to show that dialogue might be:

“You can’t mean that,” she said as she brushed a tear from her cheek.
“But, I do.” He stepped to the side and she could hear a muted laugh.
“How can you be so cruel?”
“It’s easy.” He turned to face her, his expression void of emotion.
She swallowed the lump forming at the back of her throat. In a soft voice she said, “I thought you loved me.”
“Never.” The intensity of his voice startled her.
“But, I love you. Please, give me another chance.” She reached her hand out toward him.
“Not interested.”

How’s the second example? Does it show you more of what’s going on with these two people?

You don’t always have to use a dialogue tag if the reader knows which character is speaking. When you do use tags, make sure you use the invisible “said” for most of them.

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.

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king’s long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner’s motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword’s point — he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage’s rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner’s sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.

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Title: The False Prince

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Release Date: April 1, 2012

ISBN: 978-0545284134

Size: 352 pages, 6×8, hardcover

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Steamship to Zion by Jerry Borrowman

It is the spring of 1850, and the Chandler family is quietly leaving England for a well-deserved vacation earned by family patriarch Henry Chandler, a clerk for the Cunard shipping line. The holiday is a pretense. In actuality, the family does not plan to return to their home. They have recently joined the Mormon Church and are journeying west to join the Saints in Utah. But as they prepare to board ship, they encounter a desperate young woman attempting to travel alone.

The Chandlers graciously offer to chaperone Gloria Palmerston to New York City. Little do they know this strong-willed young lady holds a dangerous secret. Upon arriving in the United States, the Chandlers’ passage west is unexpectedly interrupted and the family is forced to work on a steamship bound for Panama as they inch closer to their goal of the Great Salt Lake valley.

With hopes of reaching the Zion of the West through a San Francisco route, the Chandler family and Miss Palmerston embark on a heroic undertaking as they face stormy seas, dishonest confidants, unending toil, strife, and betrayal, but also the helping hands of the famous Sam Brannan and Porter Rockwell. But there are some things worth sacrificing everything for.

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Title: Steamship to Zion

Author: Jerry Borrowman

Publisher: Covenant

Release Date: April 2, 2012

ISBN: 978-1621080176

Size: 246 pages, 6×9, softcover

Genre: Historical

My Lucky Stars by Michele Paige Holmes

High-powered, highly pampered Tara Mollagen couldn’t imagine a worse start to the holidays than boarding a crowded plane. A stolen wallet and lost suitcase later, she finds herself stranded in unfamiliar territory, Salt Lake City, after being rerouted to avoid a Colorado blizzard.

With her temper running as wild as her red curls, Tara realizes her only option out of town is with Benjamin Whitmore, her reluctant knight in shining armor, er, overalls. For being a nice guy, Ben is rewarded with one aggravating situation after another with sassy, spoiled Tara. While doing his best to bring her pride down a notch, he begins to see another side to her, and a side of himself he’s not overly fond of. When tension between them reaches a crescendo, he takes matters into his own hands and Tara into his arms.

Unable to forget her experience with Ben, Tara returns to Seattle and long-time friend Jane, who offers possibilities Tara had never even considered. But change is difficult, and she’s not so sure she has what it takes to make that leap of faith, or if she has the courage to leave her old life behind.

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Title: My Lucky Stars

Author: Michele Paige Holmes

Publisher: Covenant

Release Date: April 2, 2012

ISBN: 978-1621080350

Size: 314 pages, 6×9, softcover

Genre: Romance

Series: Counting Stars (book 1), All the Stars in Heaven (book 2)

April 2012 Prize Sponsors

Last month’s prize winners announced HERE.

There are new guidelines and entry requirements for winning one of these books. Please take a look at the updated Official Rules.

A big thank you to our Prize Sponsors! Please take a moment to learn more about this month’s wonderfully generous sponsors.

Defenders of the Covenant by Angie Lofthouse
Hannah and her friends have been warned about the danger lurking outside of their secret refuge from the alien invaders who devastated the Earth years before. Their leaders have raised them in the Latter-day Saint faith, teaching them to trust God, but when McKenzie and her rebellious boyfriend, Jeremy, decide to run away, Hannah and Derek follow, determined to bring their friends home.

Once outside, the four teens soon realize they cannot return to the refuge without endangering everyone there. Captured, enslaved, and separated, Hannah, Derek, and McKenzie each learn the unique role they must play in liberating the Earth. The friends must battle with android soldiers and attack vessels, and face their own inner struggles to overcome the invaders. After all, not even an alien invasion can stop the work of God.

Angie Lofthouse has published a dozen sci-fi and fantasy short stories in such publications as NFG, AlienSkin, Amazing Journeys, The Sword Review, Dragons, Knights and Angels, Irreantum, and Unparalleled Journeys. She is an editor for Mindflights Magazine.

Her sci-fi adventure novel, Defenders of the Covenant, will be out in March 2012.

She lives in a little canyon in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains with her family of writers, artists, singers, composers, illustrators and musicians.

Dispirited by Luisa Perkins
Cathy sees things that are invisible to everyone else. Her new stepbrother’s bizarre behavior. A ghostly little boy. An abandoned house in the woods. But she doesn’t see how they’re all connected. And what she doesn’t see might just kill her.

Luisa M. Perkins writes speculative fiction, specifically contemporary dark-ish fantasy. She is the author of Dispirited, published by Zarahemla Books in March 2012, and co-author of the novel The Book of Jer3miah, forthcoming from Shadow Mountain in August 2012. Past publications include the cookbook Comfortably Yum and the LDS YA novel Shannon’s Mirror. She has had numerous short stories and essays published in print and online. She has been a member of the Whitney Awards Committee for the past two years.

Luisa has been married for 22 years to Patrick, an absolute prince of a man. They live with their six lovely children and an insane cat in a tiny town on the east bank of the Hudson River. Her passions include reading, gardening, knitting, cooking, eating, and musicking.

In the Mirror by Ann Best

When Ann Carbine marries Larry Best in the Salt Lake temple in 1961, she’s certain their marriage will last forever. Eleven years later, she learns that he’s been having affairs with men. She wants to help him. She wants to save their marriage.

However, powerful emotions pull Larry away from his family, just as AIDS is beginning its relentless march through the gay community. As a single parent, Ann is faced with four grieving children who don’t want to leave their father and their home in Utah.

But Ann needs to start a new life in a new place. In the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, she at last makes peace with the past.

Ann Best: At age 71 (May 2011) I published my first memoir, In the Mirror: A Memoir of Shattered Secrets that’s selling well on Kindle. One of the “characters” in it is my brain-injured daughter who can’t walk. I’ve been her full-time caregiver for 25 years. But she’s easy-going, and with the help of an aide I have lots of time to write. I just self-published a novelette for the Kindle: Imprisoned: Svetlana Garetova’s Memoir, the story of a Russian woman who came to Utah to visit a friend, not knowing that she and her young son would be like a prisoner in his house. I also self-published a short story: An Ozark Memory of Grace Votaw Duniven. I have three other children and seven grandchildren. I grew up in Salt City, Utah but have settled in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Over the years, I’ve taught literature at the college level, been a proofreader, tutor, and editor, and have published and won awards for stories, poems, and essays.

No Angel by Theresa Sneed
Jonathan is an angel with an attitude. He’s not at all happy about having to return to earth as a guardian angel, but it’s required of all post-mortal spirits to fulfill at least one angel guardianship. Fortunately, on the Guardians Unlimited application, he had the good sense to request a client with Early Marked Death status, so he believes that while his stay on earth will be most unpleasant, at least it will be short. What he doesn’t know is that a spirit with an Early Marked Death status can choose his or her time of death! Jonathan’s client, Celeste Knight, has a mind of her own and refuses death at every turn, leaving him stuck as her guardian angel―in a place he only wanted to forget.

Theresa Sneed: Growing up in the woodlands of Maine and spending most of her time climbing trees and looking for snakes under rocks, author Theresa Sneed has a wealth of childhood experiences and a lively imagination from which she creates her magical stories. As a mother of six, a grandmother of four and an elementary school teacher, she enjoys weaving stories of fantasy and adventure that bring about moments of wonder and reflection.

Twitterpated by Melanie Jacobson

Jessie Taylor is furious when her roommate secretly posts her picture on the dating website LDS Lookup — furious, that is, until she spends all night instant messaging Ben Bratton. Their first date is a smashing success (literally), but Ben’s overall awesomeness can’t save Jessie from having to deal with Craig, her competitive coworker.

Jessie spends long office hours finishing projects and putting out fires, but while her performance wows her boss, it only makes Ben skittish— after a failed engagement to an up-and-coming lawyer, he’s not about to pair up with someone who’s married to her job.

Will Jessie figure out how to be true to herself and take her big chance at love before it’s gone with a click of the mouse?

Melanie Bennett Jacobson is an avid reader, amateur cook, and champion shopper. She consumes astonishing amounts of chocolate, chick flicks, and romance novels. After meeting her husband online, she is now living happily married in Southern California with her growing family and a series of doomed houseplants. Melanie is a former English teacher and a popular speaker who loves to laugh and make others laugh. In her down time (ha!), she writes romantic comedies for Covenant and maintains her humorous slice-of-life blog. Her third novel, Twitterpated, hits shelves in March.

To enter to win one of these books, CLICK HERE . One entry per person per month. NO
PURCHASE NECESSARY. You must be 18 years or older to enter. Limited to
U.S. residents. Deadline to enter: April 30, 2012, midnight, Mountain
Time. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. CLICK HERE to read the Official Rules.

CLICK HERE for details on sponsoring the contest.

March 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.

Arizona Guy

Raymond Spitzer

Winner: Carol Haroldsen

The Frozen Trail

Lisa Dayley

Winner: Jeretta Lindquist

The Heirs of Southbridge

Winner: Marny Parkin

Winner: Megan Ruff

Winner: Loriann Peterson

Northanger Alibi

Jenni James

Winner: Leah Adkins

Someone Else’s Fairytale

E.M. Tippetts

Winner: Erica Campbell

Targets in Ties

Tristi Pinkston

Winner: Nancy Trahan

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, April 13, 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.

Into the End by Bonnie R. Paulson

America’s end is near.

After being weakened by countless natural disasters, America opens its airspace for aid. But instead, what is left of the devastated west coast finds itself nearly obliterated from above.

The key may belong to tests designed by a Pacific Northwest psychologist, Rachel Parker. Rachel loses the love of her life in a house fire as they escape with their children to the nearby Rocky Mountains following the first round of air raids. In refuge, she faces her husband’s best friend, Joshua, but doesn’t want to face his ill-harbored feelings or her own inability to face fear. Her sister, Brenda, escapes the fallen city, and, mistaken for Rachel, is captured.

Terrified and alone, Brenda is protected by the enigmatic Daniel even while he helps keep her captive. Through torture and mind games, Brenda discovers information about her sister’s work that could spin the free world into a tumultuous frenzy where the unknown is safer than reality.

Read excerpt

Title: Into the End

Author: Bonnie R. Paulson

Publisher: CreateSpace/Self

Release Date: March 31, 2012

ISBN: 978-1470142469

Size: 296 pages, 6×9, softcover

Genre: Speculative

The Sweetest Touch by Marie Higgins

Louisa wakes from a deep heavy fog, surrounded by strangers and horrified to discover she’s been the sole victim of a terrible buggy accident. Worse… she remembers nothing.

Trevor Worthington, Duke of Kenbridge, can’t trust women. Yet after nearly killing the amnesiac Louisa, he has little choice but to open his home to her. His heart softens to the straggly woman in beggars garb as he strives to help her regain her memory. As proof of Louisa’s scars, both physical and those lurking beneath the surface, come to light, Trevor finds himself more and more drawn to the mysterious woman. However he is hesitant to enter another nightmarish entanglement like his first marriage.

Louisa is all too happy to accept employment in the Duke’s household though it quickly becomes apparent she doesn’t fit in at all! For starters she speaks French and has no skills to speak of. Bits and pieces of conflicting memories flash through her mind, lending more confusion to the puzzle of her life. Fortunately the duke proves ever patient with her myriad of mistakes and Louisa finds herself falling in love with the kind, brooding man. As their budding relationship progresses from improper to scandalous Louisa’s memory begins to return. Dare she tell Trevor the horrible truths of her past? That she belongs to an evil man known only as Macgregor.

As the heartbreaking facts of Louisa’s past are exposed and decade old questions come to light, will the truth keep these lovers from happiness? Will Trevor be able to give love another chance? Or will Louisa’s sweet touch prove yet another forgotten memory…

Read excerpt

Title: The Sweetest Touch

Author: Marie Higgins

Publisher: Canyonland Press

Release Date: March 31, 2012

Size: eBook

Genre: Regency Romance

Brothers of Worthington Series: The Sweetest Kiss (book 1)