My Coolness Factor Just Skyrocketed!

Before I start with all the photos, let me just say that I am the most un-photogenic person I know. Sorry about that.

But these photos of me with my totally cool peeps at the LDStorymakers Conference are just so cool that I had to post them.


First, I got to meet a couple of bloggers that I love and who love me back. (I hope.)

Kymberly—Oops! I put the question mark in the wrong place.
It's Temporary? Insanity

Dan Wells' book is out in the UK. Will be here in the US soon.
(And no, we're not related.) (My maiden name was Wells.)

Luisa is not only a great blogger, but also a gifted writer.
I know. I've read some of her stories. You can too, HERE.

I also got to take some photos with authors who
I am so pleased and grateful to call friends.
Because they are so talented.

Cindy is a soul-sister. I love her to death.
I first met Lori when she designed Cindy's book cover for Rosehaven.
She is a wonderful woman.

Stephanie writes incredibly twisted suspense.
She was one of my first blog friends. I'm so glad she won a Whitney.
Heather (yes, I know her well enough to call her Heather, instead of H.B.)
has done signings at Provident Book.
AND, she loaned me a library book and trusted me to return it on time.
See? I'm not just a groupie. We're friends.

Just before the Whitney Gala, I was pulled aside
to be part of a podcast for LDSWBR.

The podcast isn't posted yet, but I'll let you know when it is.

Shirley Bahlmann was one of the conference photographers.
She is also a great writer. I've read several of her books and liked them—
especially Walker's Gold.
(And yes, Shirley, I spelled your last name without looking it up. :)

Not sure how the photog (Shirley's son) did this
but he's got skillz.

And speaking of Shirley's sons. . .
Bron has a book coming out soon.

Dean Lorey wrote the Nightmare Academy series.

Also several movies and TV shows. (I actually saw My Boyfriend's Back on TV!)

He was the speaker during Friday night dinner. Hilariously funny.
He was very nice. He even SPOKE to me—
we had a couple of (short) conversations during the evening.

James Dashner signed my copies of his books.
I love his 13th Reality series. It won Best Youth Fiction.
I tried not to fawn.

I bought five of Janette Rallison's books. I "discovered" her at last year's conference.

My Fair Godmother sold out at this conference before I could get one. :(
I attended her class and it was great. She inspired me past a plot snag in my WIP.

The coup of the evening was this photo.

I admit, I don't "know" Brandon Sanderson.
(Uhm, I didn't really know Dean Lorey either,
but all the others I know well enough to approach if I saw them at the mall.)
I own ALL of his books. I like them—especially the Alcatraz series.

Normally, I don't stalk authors, nor do I ask complete strangers for photo ops.
But I couldn't help myself.
Plus, I wanted to impress my SIL.

There were so many others I wanted to get photos with—J. Scott Savage, Jessica Day George, Angela Hallstrom, Sarah Eden, Tanya Parker Mills, Nancy Allen, Tristi Pinkston, Julie Coulter Bellon, Kerry Blair, Candace Salima, and many, many more. But they saw me coming!

And P.S.: Did I really wear the same outfit this year as I did last year??? Apparently, yes, I did. But my hair looks much better this year, doesn't it?

© 2010 It's a Book Affair

Whitney Winners

I just finished up a fabulous weekend at the LDStorymakers Writing Conference. It was great and I'm inspired and committed again. I'll be posting a little about it later.

But the breaking news is...the Whitney winners. Some of my picks won, but not in the category I chose for them. The only one I got right was the Youth category—because I picked all of them.

Best General Fiction

Best Historical:



Best Speculative:



Best Youth Fiction:



Best Mystery/Suspense:



Best Romance



Best Novel by a New Author



Best Novel of the Year



© 2010 It's a Book Affair

My Whitney Picks

The LDStorymakers Conference and the Whitney Gala are this weekend and I'm so excited to be going. My writing has sort of stalled out—once again. I'm starting to think I'll never write a complete book. Perhaps I'm a better editor/polisher, than I am a creator. Whatever. Anyway. I know this weekend will be totally inspiring and I'll come home determined to be a writer again.

Like last year, I read all the Whitney nominees. Unlike last year, it was a lot harder to choose winners. There were only a few books that I felt didn't quite deserve the nomination they received, but most of them were very, very good. In most of the categories, it was pretty easy for me to narrow it down to two books but then I was stumped because I could justify either one as a winner. In the Youth category, I wanted them all to win—in a five way tie!

However, after much, much deliberation, here are my picks, with short commentary:




Best General Fiction: My two favs were Bound on Earth by Angela Hallstrom and The Reckoning by Tanya Parker Mills. The Reckoning was a very solid book with a great story. Bound on Earth had a wonderful writing style, examining a family structure and the way their challenges bound them together. Although, in my opinion, it is more a collection of short stories, rather than a novel, I still went with Bound on Earth as the Best General Fiction.





Best Historical: I liked all five of the nominees. They each had a few little weaknesses I'd change, but then, I'm an editor and I was born to pick things apart. This category winner was a tough call. I loved Isabelle Webb's cleverness; I loved the strength of testimony and love shared between Abinadi and his wife; I loved Charlie Mae's spunk; I loved Marie's courage. But the one that really caught me up was the story of Jesus' "adopted" brother in Master by Toni Sorenson.



Best Speculative Fiction: Hands down, The Host by Stephanie Meyer. While I'm only a moderate fan of the Twilight series, I am a raving fan of The Host. I absolutely loved this book. It's on my list of all-time favorites. I loved the slow building romance, the story of two species colliding, and the examination of the human race through the eyes of its conquerors. Please tell me there will be a sequel.




Best Youth Fiction: Of all the categories, this was the hardest to judge and I'd really be fine if any one of the five nominees won. I loved every. single. one. The 13^th Reality by James Dashner was fabulous. I loved how Tick has good friends and a stable family. Alcatraz vs. The Scrivner’s Bones by Brandon Sanderson was a fabulous story. The chapter beginnings were hilariously funny. Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague (Book 3) by Brandon Mull had such good (but highly entertaining) lessons about good vs evil and the consequences of our choices. Far World: Water Keep by J. Scott Savage has a handicapped main character, which alone is a huge plus. And the theme of the magic being inside was just great. Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George was written in such a beautiful voice. All of these books had wonderful, interesting characters, solid and unpredictable plotting, great pacing, great dialog, great. . . everything! How to choose? How to choose?

Okay, I choose either The 13^th Reality or Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow . Or Alcatraz vs. The Scrivner’s Bones. No, wait. I choose Far World: Water Keep. No, Fablehaven. No. . .aarrgh! I give up.




Best Mystery/Suspense: Another hard category. I liked all of them. I had to get nit-picky about these. First, I ruled out Above and Beyond by Betsy Brannon Green because I didn't think this sequel quite lived up to the first volume. I also ruled out Royal Target by Traci Hunter Abramson because I think it's first a romance, and second a mystery, and was mis-categorized. I really liked the basic idea behind Do No Harm by Gregg Luke but I felt it needed a little tighter edit. That left Fool Me Twice by Stephanie Black and Freefall by Traci Hunter Abramson—both of which I absolutely loved. But I chose Freefall because I'm saving Fool Me Twice for—oops! spoiler.





Best Romance: This is the category that I usually like least but I was even pleased with the selections here. They are what they are, and if you're looking for a good romance, I think you'll like all of them. If Royal Target had been in this category, it might have been a harder choice for me, but as it was, Seeking Persephone by Sarah Eden was the clear winner for me. It reminded me some of Jane Austen's work. It was charming and not completely predicatable. Loved it.





Best Novel by a New Author: Although I think Traitor by Sandra Grey will probably win, I'm choosing The Reckoning by Tanya Parker Mills. It was a great story that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It wasn't perfect, there were some issues with timing and the ages of the characters that I felt were off. But over all, I was impressed with Mills' handling of the realism, the strength of her characters, and the story line.





Best Novel of the Year: This was a very hard category. All of the books were so good. For me, it came down to Fool Me Twice by Stephanie Black and Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George. I loved them both. Fool Me Twice had a wonderful twisty-turny plot line that kept me totally engrossed in the story, the characters were great. I just couldn't put it down. Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow had such a beautiful voice. It's my favorite retelling of this particular fairy tale, and one of my favorite retellings of a fairy tale, period. However, in the end, I went with Fool Me Twice because it just plain takes a genius to come up with something that twisted and warped.

And that's it for me. We'll see how close my predictions were on Saturday.

© 2010 It's a Book Affair

Confessions of a Bookaholic

I was gifted money for Christmas (thanks Mom & Dad). I bought a few "grandma toys" but saved most of it, waiting for the Whitney finalists to come out, because I knew I'd need to buy more books. I also had one Twilight themed Borders gift card that my sister gave me which I was saving specifically for Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George.

So yesterday, with $60 and gift cards in hand, I headed out to buy as many books as I could. I was hoping I could find most of them on sale because I had 16 titles on my shopping list (15 Whitneys and the aforementioned Princess book).

First stop, Deseret Industries because sometimes I can find gently used LDS books there. After 45 minutes of browsing, I left with Free Men & Dreamers: Dark Sky at Dawn by L.C. Lewis because I already have book 2 but haven't read it yet; Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver because I really liked The Poisonwood Bible; The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas (Read this several years ago and loved it. It's a mystery that I not only didn't figure out until it was revealed, but I was totally shocked by it—in a good way.); and Murder Among Friends (a collection of short stories by various authors) because it looked cool. Okay, so none of these books were actually titles on my shopping list, but they were cheap and...well, cheap.

Next I went to Seagull. (Shhh, don't tell my boss.) I love hitting their discount table in the back of the store. I found a board book called In Grandma's Arms by Jayne C. Shelton and Baby Einstein See & Spy Counting—both titles were only $1.99 and I had to get them because, well, I'm a grandma. Then I got Royal Target by Traci Hunter Abramson. (Yea, check one off the Whitney list.) While there I also got Ghost of a Chance by Kerry Blair because I just read her book, This Just In and LOVED it. I also got a copy of Farworld: Water Keep by J. Scott Savage. (Yes, I have the ARC but I wanted a copy with the illustrations in it.) Last, I got Lemon Tart by Josi S. Kilpack. I'm sure Lemon Tart will be a Whitney finalist for 2009, so I'm simply starting early. So, I left with six books, only one of which was on my shopping list, but they were ALL on SALE! I refuse to feel guilty about that.

Then I went to Deseret Book. I scored there. They had Leven Thumps and the Eyes of the Want by Obert Skye for only $1.99! Cool! Yes, I know there's a newer one out, but I'm behind in that series. I also got Pillage by Obert Skye for 50% off. Yea! Oh, wait. Neither of those were on the list. But still. $1.99??? How can you pass that up? And if you average that with Pillage, that makes them what, 75% off each one? Isn't that smart shopping?

Last, I went to Borders to get the Princess book. Not. In. Stock. What??! It's an "online only" title. That is just crazy. I was informed that they could special order it for me or I could order it online and have it shipped to the store for no extra charge. That's nice. It would cost me the same in gas to go pick it up. I was so frustrated! They didn't have any of the remaining 14 books on my Whitney list either! I almost left in a huff but then I remembered I had a gift card and I had to spend it here. So I browsed and browsed, and I found a copy of Peeps by Scott Westerfield that I've wanted to read for a long time and my library doesn't carry it and I've never been able to find it in stock at any bookstore. They had one copy so I snagged it. I still have $10.13 left on the card, so I guess I'll be forced to shop at Border's one more time.

By this time (four hours later), I was pooped and my feet hurt. I came home, jumped online and did some price checking. I ended up ordering three titles from Amazon: Princess of the Midnight Ball (only $11.55; $5 less than stupid Borders); Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card ($9 cheaper than Borders); and Alcatraz vs the Scrivener's Bones by Brandon Sanderson ($5 cheaper than Borders). AND FREE SHIPPING TO MY HOUSE! Hah! What do you think about them apples, I'm-too-lame-to-stock-your-books-Borders?

All told, I got sixteen books—three of which were actually on my list. Now I only have two questions:

1) Who can loan me some Whitney titles?

and

2) Which book do I read first?

© 2010 It's a Book Affair

Have I Got Some Reading to Do, or What??

The Whitney finalists have been announced. For those of you who've never heard of them, the Whitneys are annual awards given to outstanding LDS fiction titles published in a particular calendar year. The 2008s were announced this morning.

I thought I'd been doing pretty good reading LDS fiction this year. I've read 25 "LDS" novels published in 2008 (and about 6 that were older LDS fiction titles, plus a bunch of non-LDS, but I digress...) So anyway, I'm feeling pretty good about all the reading I've done, and then I look over at the LDS Fiction site and according to LDS Publisher, there were 136 titles published by LDS authors last year. I'm not real good at math, but I think that means I've read a little less than 1/5th. :(

Of the 30 Whitney finalists, I own 15 and have finished reading 11 of them. So that's...uh...HALF that I bought because I thought they looked good.

Does that mean I'm good at picking winners?

© 2010 It's a Book Affair

I Hate Seagull Book!

I have this problem. When I'm feeling stressed, I need to treat myself. In my town, there is a Seagull Book and a Wal-Mart right across the street from each other. As I head for a treat, I have to make a choice. I can turn right to Wal-Mart and get some chocolate. Or I can turn left to Seagull and get myself a book. Wal-Mart and the chocolate usually wins because 1) they're cheaper, and 2) chocolate gets into my blood stream and changes my mood faster than a book does.

But today, I was feeling guilty because my Wii Fit says I'm up 2.2 lbs this week and I know it's because I've been eating way too much chocolate. So I turned left.

Never mind that I can't afford a new book and I should spend that $15 on paying down business debt.

Never mind that I already have 40 books on my dresser waiting their turn to be read.

Never mind that I don't have time to read right now.

I was going to get myself a new book, gosh darn it!

But I would be responsible in my irresponsibility—I would limit myself to just one.

Then I walked into Seagull and the stress level just exploded because now I had to make a choice. There were all these books that I wanted to read and they were just sitting on the Seagull shelves, mocking me with their bright yellow percent off labels.

Which one do I get?


Do I go for David Woolley's new book, Day of Remembrance? (He won't let Sandra loan it to me, the brat.) I already own volumes 1 & 2. They're sitting on my dresser waiting to be read. And volume 3 is on sale too, but it's in paperback and all my other volumes would be hardback. Hmmmn. . .





Or do I get The Nephite Who Loved Me (currently mistitled as Servant to a King) by Sariah Wilson? I liked her first two books, Secrets in Zarahemla and Desires of Our Hearts, even if they do have a larger dollop of romance than I'll admit to liking. I forgive her because her heroines are feisty and don't put up with anything, even if they are married to prophets.



Do I get Farworld by J. Scott Savage, which I've already read? (Thanks for the ARC, J. Scott.) I really want the hardback copy with the map and illustrations in it because I want it to be available to my grandchildren (now ages 2, 1 & 10 mos.). But if I get a book I've already read today, that won't really satisfy my need to treat myself.






Or do I get Don't Cry Wolf by Clair M. Poulsen? I don't know anything about it but it has a really cool cover and the back liner notes sound interesting. I've read a few of his other books and liked them. Maybe if this one was about werewolves, instead of regular wolves. . .



Or do I get . . . Arrggg!!! Enough, already!


So I gave the saleslady at Seagull a full-on crusty and told her that I hated her store with its crowded bookshelves and mocking yellow discount stickers. She laughed, then rang me up and I walked out with . . .


Her Good Name by Josi Kilpack. Because Josi never disappoints. And we have our home mortgage with Countrywide. (Miss the news report? Click here.) But most especially, I picked this one because I wish I had a pair of gold shoes like the ones on the cover. Not that I could actually wear them, what with me being very old and having a bad back. But still. They would look lovely on my feet now that I wear sandals again.



Then, to help deal with the stress of leaving so many other wonderful titles on the shelf, I went over to Wal-Mart and got some chocolate.

© 2010 It's a Book Affair

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