Book Review - Hope's Journey

I love this from the beautiful front cover: A life-changing mistake. A soul-changing journey. From the back blurb:
A couple since their sophomore year, Sydney and Alex are looking forward to graduation and a bright future together. Sydney is a straight-A student trying to decide between college shcolarships, and Alex is a quiet jock preparing to serve a mission. Both active members of the LDS Church, their hopes and dreams painfully fade when they learn that Sydney is pregnant. The very foundations of their faith are shaken, as is their relationship. Separately, they venture through confusion, self-doubt, and failure as they learn the value of forgiveness and try to piece their broken lives back together.

  We've all made mistakes of differing magnitudes. This story took me into a situation no one wants to be in but curiosity and good, realistic writing compelled me to learn how it would be handled. I not only enjoyed reading Stephanie Connelley Worlton's book, I consider it an important read for teens, their parents, and leaders of youth. Clues are given about self-worth and spending time alone in relationships, extending our awareness to prevent such situations and of the way we treat those in such difficulties. It was interesting that the same reasons the couple fell into trouble were the things that also drove a wedge between them.
  I loved the realism, bantering dialogue, the perspectives of both main characters, lessons learned, and Sydney's journey in particular. There is so much to be gained by reading this interesting, heartrending yet hopeful book. For me, it drove home the importance of instilling self-worth into the youth. You can read the first chapter, reviews, or order Hope's Journey on Worlton's blog: http://www.stephanieworlton.blogspot.com/  She also has some giveaways to check out!

Book Review - Promises

Hattie is a curious, level-headed twelve-year-old who wants enough courage to follow through with the promises she makes. This reminds me of the time I taught a group of young women Hattie’s age. I had two sons the same age or a bit older than these girls and the topic came up of what girls my sons were interested in. No spoken promises had been made that prevented me from telling the answer, but it was a matter of keeping confidences. Like Hattie, some promises stay inside you but you know you need to keep them anyway. I told the girls, “Do you think I would be able to keep your secrets if you knew I was telling theirs?” Keeping promises and confidences are a way of building trust.
From the back cover: Promises is a heart warming story of friendship with a touch of mystery and adventure set in the days before Bryce Canyon became a national park. Drawn from the memoirs of Hattie Adair Jolley and her children, it is a realistic glimpse into the past and a delightful story for readers ages eight to eighty.

   What I thought: It took me a short shifting of gears to get into the middle grade language and style, but I found myself enjoying this delightful story. Author Carolyn Frank includes the necessary elements key to a girl of twelve: fitting in with friends, the first flutterings of a crush, internal secret hopes, and more. She includes the flavor of the times and setting in a story that comes full circle as we see Hattie grow into a young woman. There’s also a lesson or two that can be learned. I believe the book is most appropriate for girls 10-14. Eight is a little too young unless they read above their grade level or the story is read to them.

   You can enter to win a full-sized puppet stage and puppets, value of $290 by participating in Carolyn’s blog tour giveaway. Check out her website or blog for more details. http://franklycreative.blogspot.com/2012/03/promises-giveaway-contest.html. In conjunction with Frank’s book tour, check out Cindy Hogan’s new release, Protected, at http://cindymhogan.blogspot.com/p/blog-tour-for-protected.html.

My Hometown -- A 200 Word Essay

Today I'm sharing a sample of my writing for a hometown grocer essay contest. Enjoy! 

The smell of popcorn and cotton candy, barbeque ribs and peach cobbler fills my nose. Squeals of delight escape metal contraptions that twirl to music and blinking lights. Barkers beckon with midway game prizes. I bite into a fresh cob of corn after waving to a neighbor across the way. It’s Peach Days in all its glory.

Once a year my town puts on a celebration to be remembered. Neighbors leave errands behind to gather on Main Street for the parade. They trade hellos across a back fence and lines at the grocery store for cheers to 10-K runners and lines at vendor booths. The Chamber of Commerce works all year to make Peach Days great.

Not many towns can boast quadruple population swells where former residents make up their share of the visitors. This is a town that folks are proud to call home, whether a local or making the annual pilgrimage. It’s where they went to school, hiked to the “B”, bought peach ice cream and stole their first kiss. It’s where mothers plan neighborhood park days and young men shovel walks for the elderly.

Around here, you’ll frequently find a smile on my face.

Nearing the Finish Line

A writer is a person for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people. – Thomas Mann

That’s what my revision process feels like. One tweak affects another and so on. It's not a race, but I have to keep working to get where I want it to be. (Imagine that!)

I’ve been trying to make my full manuscript, The Seventh City, the same quality as my award-winning first chapter and it’s taking FOREVER. But it’s all good. Wouldn’t want it to be anything but my best. “My best” has changed since a year ago as I have learned more and am trying to execute and implement those skills.

I actually like revising, but it does take me a long time. The only difficult part is knowing every place that need edits. Some of these are obvious. Some are discovered with a good comb-through. There are lists and helps to revising. Beside what I find on my own, I rely on my critique group. They’ve been invaluable.

This is their second time reading through my story and they’ve had some great comments and suggestions for a few changes that make the story stronger. But since they only see ten pages nearly every week, the process is slow. I’m a few chapters ahead of them and my goal is to finish by the end of the month. Then I’ll turn it over to some beta readers while I work on my nonfiction Bishop’s Stories. Getting so close I can taste it!

That’s what’s going on in my little corner of the universe. What’s up in your writing world?

Passion and Motivation - Not Just Luck

  There's no luck of the Irish when it comes to writing. It takes hard work. But (luckily and happily) there are some helps. Find one below to work on or share another favorite in a comment.
  A couple of writer friends spoke with me about their struggle to write. One doesn’t crank out pages like she used to, with busier-than-ever circumstances that pushed writing into the background. The other has been distracted, maybe even disconnected to her story. Each time they sit down to write, they have to reread to figure out where they left off, remember what was to come next, and get into the mood of the scene to seamlessly flow back into the story. A difficult task that wastes precious time, makes the writer feel almost like a beginner again, and who knows if the muse will show up? Where’s the fun in that?
Today'sTips:
1. Passion. Work out your plot or character ideas to the point that you love what’s going on in your story. Fix or delete whatever you don’t like. Believe in it; find passion for it and the work turns into fun.
2. Time. Think about what time can do for you instead of against you. Prioritize and cut out the unnecessary. Short but regular frequency increases your ‘jump right back in’ abilities more than farther-spaced chunks of time. Be flexible. Remember that other things sometimes must come before writing and deal with it. Set aside a time slot and stick to it unless an interruption must take priority. Don’t get frustrated. You can always reschedule your writing time and try again. Recognize that success will probably take much more time than you wanted, but your best work is worth it.
3. Non-time. Use dead non-writing time. Thinking/imagining/planning time when you can’t write can sometimes be dovetailed with other less brain-intensive activities (like when captured in a car, waiting in lines, gardening). Keep a notebook to jot down you’re a-ha moments until you can get to the computer. Watch the people around you to dream up new characters or mannerisms and to get inspired.
4. Support Group. Let others know how important your writing time is. The son who must practice the piano or work his pitching arm so he doesn’t look like a fool can understand that you need some practice time too. Have someone to report to, who asks you how your goals are going or gives constructive, knowledgeable critiques.

  What helps you to keep writing?