2008 LDStorymakers Conference & Whitney Awards

I spent this past Friday and Saturday at the LDStorymakers Conference. It was wonderful. I had gone to one day a couple of years ago and very much enjoyed it. I'm so glad my body cooperated and let me attend all of this one. (I only had to sneak off for a rest a couple of times.)

Annette and Heather were the queens and organizers of the conference. They did a great job. Rob was in charge of the Whitney Gala which was absolutely wonderful. Thank you to all of the workshop leaders and others who worked so hard to make this a great event for all of us.

I got to meet a few bloggy friends who I've never met in person (Stephanie & Janet), and say a quick hi to a few other friends and associates who I mostly know from our online association (Ali, Anne, Brillig, Candace, Karen, Keith, Kerry, Heather J., Jeff, Julie B., Julie W., Josi, Marcia, Rebecca, Shirley, Stephanie, Tristi, Wendy—I know I'm forgetting some of you, sorry!).

I also got to hang out with my dear friend Cindy Bezas who lives so far away in Florida. Didn't get to spend nearly enough time with her.

Me & Cindy (author of Powerful Tips for Powerful Teachers)

Meg and I played groupies and had our photos taken with a couple of authors. That was fun.

Megan with Julie Wright
(author of My Not So Fairy Tale Life, etc.)

Megan with Rachel Nunes
(author of The Independence Club and Fields of Home, etc.)

Karlene and Rebecca Shelley (aka R.D. Henham)
(author of Red Dragon Codex)

Megan and Stephanie Fowers
(author of Meet Your Match, etc.)

And Tristi Bunny
(author of Season of Sacrifice, etc.)

The Whitney Awards Gala was also wonderful. Here are the winners with my commentary. (You can see my guesses here):


Best Novel of the Year: On the Road to Heaven by Coke Newell
This one surprised me. Not because it wasn't a good book but because I really didn't think a more literary type novel by a small press would win. Glad I was wrong on that one. I had picked Dragon Slippers because, all things being even, I am a fantasy junkie and will always choose the fantasy story, but I quite liked this book too.



Best Novel by a New Author: Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
Yes! I'm so glad she won this. (See note above about being a fantasy junkie.) Jessica Day George spoke at the conference and she is just hilarious. (See 5th photo down.) Meg and I tried to stalk her for a photo but the crowd around her was just too big. I am now a Jessica groupie. I bought her newest book, Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, at the conference and will buy the sequel to Dragon Slippers as soon as it comes out later this year.



Best Romance/Women's Fiction: Counting Stars by Michele Paige Holmes
Yes! Right again. I, a confessed romance hater, loved this book. I bought a copy when it first came out and gave it to a friend for her birthday. She let me borrow it to read (my review). I had to buy my own copy at the conference—and yes, Michele signed it for me.



Best Mystery/Suspense: Sheep's_Clothing by Josi Kilpack
I'm so glad Josi won. This category was the hardest for me to pick. Sheep's_Clothing and Hazardous Duty were neck and neck for me. I finally picked Hazardous Duty just because it had more action and was more fast-paced. But I am just as equally happy that Josi won. Yea, Josi!



Best Young Adult/Children: Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull
Yes! I really liked this book. My second fav in this category was Janette Rallison's, How to Take the Ex Out of Ex-Boyfriend. I liked these two books equally well. It was hard to pick because they are so different—one a fantasy, one a humorous teen romance. But once again, the fantasy addiction reared it's head, so...



Best Speculative Fiction: Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
This was not my personal favorite (sorry, dragons always win with me, hands down). But I do like Shannon Hale and I was not disappointed too badly when she won this award. I loved the book—and she's hysterically funny. I thought this was the best book she's written. I liked it even better than Goose Girl.



Best Historical: Out of Jerusalem #4: Land of Inheritance by H.B. Moore
Although I picked a different book to win, the book I chose was not really a true historical—that was just the best category for it to go in. This book, however, is a true historical epic spread over four volumes. Heather uses very descriptive writing. She definitely paints a scene and makes you feel like you're really there. I like Heather and I'm glad she won.

© 2010 It's a Book Affair

Fool Me Twice by Stephanie Black

Fool Me Twice
by Stephanie Black

LDS Suspense
softcover
Target Reader: LDS Adult

Covenant
978-1598115277
Release date: March 2008



From the publisher:

When it comes to pleasing her twin sister, Megan O’Connor is an easy touch. She’ll do just about anything to gain Kristen’s approval, including trading places with her. After all, Kristen’s plan promises to get Megan out of a dead-end job and make them both rich. It will be a nice reward for a little genealogical investigation--something that couldn’t have happened without the help of Kristen’s new LDS acquaintances. And who could blame the twins for using a tiny bit of deceit to manipulate an inheritance out of someone as demanding as their estranged aunt Evelyn?

All Megan has to do is pretend to be Kristen, move into Evelyn’s house, and take care of the wealthy old woman until her failing health kills her. It shouldn’t take too long. It shouldn’t be too difficult. Megan’s the nice one. Except for the lie, the task is a natural fit. Everything would be perfect if she could just ignore the guilt--a feeling that only grows stronger as she spends more time with the new friends Kristen arranged for her.

But soon Megan discovers there is more to worry about. She’s living in a house of illusions where she isn’t the only one playing a part. Someone has developed a new plotline that ends with a death scene--and in this version, the victim won’t die of natural causes.

Beneath the surface of the sleepy New England town of Britteridge, deceit weaves a deadly web where turnabout is anything but fair play.

Read an excerpt.

That Stephanie Black is one twisted sister! Fool Me Twice is her second novel published by Covenant. I loved her first one, The Believer, but I love, love, love this one! I cannot believe the twists and turns in this book.

This is an LDS suspense thriller. There are some religious elements to it but no one gets baptized in the end. I found that very believable. It's not preachy and Stephanie doesn't beat us over the head with the Book of Mormon stick. If you're not LDS, I think you'd still enjoy the story and not be offended by the LDS references.

There are also some romantic overtones, but I loved the restraint Stephanie showed. The end of the book is the beginning of a relationship; Megan and Trevor do not declare their undying love for each other and rush off to the temple after only knowing each other for a couple of weeks. Kudos for that.

This book was very well written. The action was clear throughout the book. Sometimes in books like this, you can get lost in the fast action at the end, where the hero/heroine is about to bite it but is victorious in the end. The wrap up here was fast, but I could picture every step of it it clearly in my mind.

The twists and turns kept me guessing throughout—who's the bad guy and how bad are they, really? Even when we know who the creeps are (and one of them is extremely demented), it was minute to minute wondering how Megan was going to get out of it alive. I found it all incredibly believable.

This book gets 5 out of 5 from me and I've already nominated it for a Whitney Award!

Plot:

Characters:

Ending:

Cover:



Content Ratings

Language:

Violence: There are some murders and other violence, but it's not too bad.

Drugs/Alcohol:

Immorality:

Values/Themes:

Age Appropriate:

Writing Mechanics:


© 2010 It's a Book Affair