Week of Book Love CONTEST - Day 3

Maya stone carving at Tulum, Belize

It's Day 3 of the CONTEST celebrating my upcoming debut book, Secrets of the King's Daughter, and we absolutely need a romance day. The book, after all, is billed as a Book of Mormon romance.

In writing "Secrets", I didn't focus on genre as much as including all the elements I wanted in the book. I wanted Karlinah's personal journey, her struggle with faith, some danger and adventure, and a love interest. So, when my publishing team called it a romance, I was a little surprised. Even with all these other elements going on, it does fit the romance formula where something keeps the couple apart but they have a happy-ever-after ending.

One of Princess Karlinah's potential love interests is a stone artisan who gives her a simple lesson in chiseling stone. From the book: 
Karlinah watched them for a moment. "How do I hold it?" she asked Cumroth.
"It will be easier if you let me guide you." He bent over her shoulder from behind and touched his hands to hers. Their cheeks were less than a hand span apart. It sent a shiver through her. She tried to stay steady while Cumroth seemed intent on the task.

For today's question, leave a comment on my author Facebook page or blog about your first crush--how old were you, did they like you back, did your crushes change every other week, etc. It's okay to go back and answer a previous day's question that you missed until the end of the contest.
CONTEST RULES: Each day February 15-20 you will have the opportunity to learn something new about my book and enter to win a signed copy. Simply visit and "Like" my Author Facebook Page and leave a comment there or on my blog that answers the question of the day. Sharing this post is optional but appreciated. One comment per question will go into the drawing for the prize. That's a total of six opportunities to enter to win!
 

Week of Book Love CONTEST - Day 2

Monkey in Tree, taken in Belize

It's Day 2 of the CONTEST celebrating my upcoming debut book, Secrets of the King's Daughter.
Here's a snippet from the book about how Princess Karlinah is not so easily convinced by the words of missionary Ammon:

"Abish beamed at Hepka for a moment before turning toward the eyes she felt penetrating her. There stood Karlinah with arms crossed. Her head tilted to one side, and the familiar skeptical twisting of her rosebud mouth appeared. Abish’s heart sank. Her favorite member of the king’s household had not been converted."

The story takes us through Karlinah's journey of faith, romance, and adventure. When her youngest brother follows the monkeys and becomes lost in the jungle, Karlinah relies on prayer for the first time. Today's question: Have you ever been lost, and under what circumstances?
CONTEST RULES: Each day February 15-20 you will have the opportunity to learn something new about my book and enter to win a signed copy. Simply visit and "Like" my Author Facebook Page and leave a comment there or on my blog that answers the question of the day. Sharing this post is optional but appreciated. One comment per question will go into the drawing for the prize. That's a total of six opportunities to enter to win!

Week of Book Love CONTEST- Day One

Legendary Indian Worry Dolls

Don't worry, be happy!
Riding on the tails of Valentine's Day with its theme of love, this CONTEST celebrates a love for books and a glimpse at a very special book to me--my upcoming debut book, Secrets of the King's Daughter, arriving in a couple weeks. Each day February 15-20 you will have the opportunity to learn something new about my book and enter to win a signed copy.
HOW: It's easy to enter. Simply visit and "Like" my Author Facebook Page and leave a comment there or on my blog that answers the question of the day. Sharing this post is optional but appreciated. One comment per question will go into the drawing for the prize. That's a total of six opportunities to enter to win! Ready?

Today we'll learn something about the book's title, Secrets of the King's Daughter. Fictional Princess Karlinah is the eldest daughter of King Lamoni, a Lamanite king from the Book of Mormon in about 90 A.D. She hides a secret that causes her great worry. From the back liner: "She is not so easily convinced by the words of Ammon--especially when repentance means confessing her crime." What part does Karlinah play in her young husband's demise? That is an intriguing secret indeed.

The first question involves worry. Karlinah worries that repenting may be cause her own death. She worries about whom she will have to marry. And more worries. Karlinah needs a Worry Doll (pictured above). There is a legend amongst the Highland Indian Villages of Guatemala that if you have a problem, you share it with the worry doll. Before going to bed, tell one worry to each doll, then place them beneath your pillow. While you sleep, the dolls will take your worries away. So, what worries you? Silly or serious, share a worry by making a comment. Perhaps you will feel lighter too!

Changing Genres, Blogs Revamps, and Contests--Oh My!

Notice any changes around here? Yep, I've got some new pages up, a new background photo, colors, etc. I hope you like it. Feel free to do some exploring.

While you're here, I want to announce my "Week of Book Love" giveaway February 15-20 right here and on my author Facebook page. I'll give you the details next week.

Finally, I'll leave you with a few thoughts on changing genres. I've been writing novel-length LDS scripture-based fiction for a while now, but recently I've begun a contemporary LDS romance novella. (Check out my PROJECTS tab.) You'd think it would be easier, but any kind of change sets those gear cogs into a different wheel slot, and we have to re-adjust.

Now I can use contemporary words and draw more from real-life experience. But I also have to keep the plot moving quickly. The pages I'm writing for this joint project take up one-fourth of the book and complete my characters' story. It's a different animal. What I'm finding is that the process goes smoother when I have at least jotted down the basic events I want to happen. And I can't forget that feedback and revisions are some of my best tools, especially when I've already scrapped a few paragraphs.

Oh wait. The need for those two things--advanced planning and doing rewrites--they never change. I might have to redirect my brain, but the writing process is basically the same. So, change? Yeah, we can do that.

Join me next week for contest time!

My Sixty Seconds of Fame - Cover Reveal Success

Surreal. Like an out of body experience, watching the numbers from a distant place. Like becoming known to strangers for one minute of their life. I'll take it. That's what my first author online event was like for me. 
 
My publisher sponsored a Cover Reveal and giveaway this past weekend. (Great cover, eh?) My job was to repost and create interest. I did that through some posts and emails.
 
My biggest disappointment was a closed group on Facebook whose administrators must have been off for the weekend. The post will probably still be pending after the contest closes. My biggest thrill was seeing dozens of comments from strangers who loved the cover and wanted to read it. Definitely a good kind of surreal.

There's a learning curve to all this marketing stuff. I'm certain there were things I could have done better, but nothing worth losing sleep over. And I did pick up a few ideas through reading comments. My biggest survival tip: Have something else to busy yourself during the event so that you don't go crazy counting Shares and Likes. (I did some next-book revisions and went to a home and garden show.) Most of all, I'm grateful for the marketing rep who led the contest, that I might find a measure of success and learning. Thank you to all who participated and lended support!