Crusty Old Broads

Priming the Pump!

2011-05-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

Priming the pump, gassing the engine, greasing the wheels; what ever metaphor you choose, every author knows what it's like to need a jump start when in a slump. I can't think of a better to get one than to attend a well run, well rounded, professional writer's convention where authors learn new concepts, are reminded of things they already know, and are encouraged by presenters and attenders alike to hone their craft.

LDStorymakers recent convention (see http://ldstorymakers.com/) for photos and reviews) hit the mark on all categories. The available classes ranged from beginner level to 2 hour master classes that engaged and informed us. Classes I attended that were eye-openers were "Researching and Writing Credible Historical Fiction" by LC Lewis, "Creating Your Character Bible" by J. Scott Savage and Deanne Blackhurst, "The Six Core Competencies of Successful Storytelling," Larry Brooks, and "Building Author/Editor Relationships That Build Careers" with Kirk Shaw.

LC Lewis (laurielclewis.com) took us neophyte researchers on a guided tour of what to research for a historic setting, how to do it, and how to document the results. This class was so informative that I would like to see it made into a master class next year including a list of the most helpful research sites compiled by participating authors.

Classes by Scott Savage (http://www.jeffreysavage.com/) are always a delight and we were swept along by his enthusiasm not to mention the huge amount of insight he give on creating three dimension characters, protagonist and antagonist as well secondary characters and walk-ons. Doing the exercises in his class led me to a slew of new discoveries about the main character of my next book. I thought I knew her. I know her so much better now. Thanks Scott and Deanne.

Larry Brooks( http://storyfix.com/)brought a highly structured interpretation of storytelling to his masters class. The thirsty left side of my brain sucked up the information like a clean sponge just out of the clothes dryer. Since my approach to just about everything is random abstract, I was surprised and pleased when the revelation of seeing the writing process from Larry's point of view unexpectedly created a blue print in my brain like the pigeon holes in an old post office. The storylines and character developments that have been floating around aimlessly in my head suddenly have a destination and are happily filing themselve where they belongs even as I write this blog. Fabjous day indeed!

As the youngest and least experienced writer in our trio of writing partners I have often bemoaned being the low dog on the totem pole when it came to writer/editor relationships. Kirk Shaw's ( http://kirks@covenant-lds.com )class was a clear call to be proactive in developing the an appropriate healthy relationship with any future editors I work with. I appreciated his explanation of what editors in today's market can and cannot do. Thanks for the insights, Kirk.

The best critique for the conference came from a friend who was attending for the first time in preparation for writing her first historical novel based on ten years of research. She was so excited and energized by the classes the first day she wanted to skip the second and get on with her writing. Wisely she held to the course and got full benefit from her attendance. As a university teacher of LDS literature she was also very impressed the the large variety of works available by LDS authors in the bookstore.

So hats off to all the fine folks who made the convention such a rousing success! The experience gave me the information I needed as well as the encouragement to pursue my next writing project. You did a fantastic job. I am already looking forward to next year.

The Rains are Here!

2010-07-22T08:02:00.000-07:00

What makes Arizonans different from other people? When it rains, others go inside—but we go outside!

Rain is a miracle. We love the feel of those huge monsoon raindrops, the sight of mist rising from the streets as cold water hits hot tarmac, the way the desert smells after a rain. And I get a kick out of hearing the splay-toed frogs, who come out only after a monsoon rain. They sound like itsy-bitsy goats bleating.

This year the miracle was late in coming. June 15th was the official beginning of the monsoon season, like June 21st was the first day of summer, but those dates don't mean a lot when the rains don't come until mid-July and the temps have hit triple digits already in May.

I came back to Green Valley July 18th after spending ten days in Idaho for Gary's 50th class reunion and two family reunions, and I was stricken by how horribly dry everything looked. My area of Arizona is in the Sonoran desert, which gets more rain than the Mojave--Green Valley really is green. But we're in a drought that's lasted 10 years now, and every little bit of rain is precious.

So I was hoping that the rains would have come while I was gone, but no luck. When even the cactus start withering, it's bad.

Then Monday afternoon, I could smell rain in the air. Someone was getting blessed moisture, but not my neighborhood. Later in the evening I heard the first splats of rain on my skylights. What a delightful sound! I crossed my fingers, hoping it would continue for more than just a few minutes. It did, for several hours, which is not usual for the monsoon. Those rains are usually localized, hard, and short.

We heard on the morning news that our area had gotten almost an inch and a half. So Gary and I jumped in the car shortly after six to go see if there was water in the Santa Cruz river. It's dry most of the year, so seeing water running is a real thrill.

I'm happy to say that on Tuesday, July 20th, there was water in the Santa Cruz! And you've seen the photo to prove it.

Wednesday, and the Rally's over

2010-07-07T13:01:00.000-07:00

Interesting how life goes. We plan something, anticipate it, enjoy it while it's happening—and then, before we we're ready, it's over and in the past.

Wednesday morning's agenda was short: breakfast and the closing ceremony, including acknowledgements, video presentations of inspiring words, and a fantastic video roundup of the rally. It was a fitting finale to a wonderful time.

Many thanks to the planning committee and others for making the rally so memorable. We were impressed by the organization of events, the quality of the entertainment, and the venue. Our only complaint was that we could never find the hotel elevator until the last day. Too late for the knees by then.

In the end, Nancy and I were most impressed by the members of the TRA. We made many new friends, I got reacquainted with a Bev Cozzens, whom I knew from my one year in Byron, Wyoming, and Nancy saw a side of neighbors Tom and Elaine Kenny she'd never seen before.

There are events in one's life that stand out, that will be remembered with fondness and, perhaps, longing. For Nancy and me, the 2012 Temple Rider's Rally is one such event.

Tuesday at the Rally

2010-07-03T11:07:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was packed from early morning until past midnight.

Nancy and I got up early so we could enjoy a leisurely breakfast before going to the temple in time to be part of the 9:00 chapel session. It was a great privilege to be going with these people who were strangers only a few days before, but who were all supporting me with their love and prayers.

The session following and the few moments we spent in the celestial room afterward were made extra sweet because we were in their company.

From the sublime we went to the... Harley-Davidson store for a barbecue lunch. Nancy and I got back to the hotel in time to change before going there. Nancy rode behind Carol Lindsey on her pretty green Gold Wing trike, and I got to ride in Kim's fancy-schmancy red sidecar.

I have to say it tickled me no end to see the folks who didn't have time to change pull up wearing their Sunday clothes--the men in white shirts and ties, the women in skirts and heels. What a hoot. I missed getting the photo I really wanted, one of a clutch of gray-haired ladies admiring the black Harley trike that was in front of the store.

That evening, we went to the Starlight Mountain Theater for supper and a performance of Thoroughly Modern Milly--and got rained out. Not only that, the bus Nancy and I were couldn't get traction on the wet grass, so we had to wait for a big tow truck to get the bus on the road.

Did we mind? Not too much. We were in the best company in the world.

Monday at the Rally

2010-07-03T07:35:00.000-07:00

What a day! I got to go on one of the rides, thanks to Dave Harris taking me on his Yamaha (his wife, Jan, rode her Harley).

It was a relatively short ride going through prairie and farmland, from Boise to Mountain Home, then to Nampa and back to Boise, with stops at Emu-Z-Um, a family-owned frontier town with an amazing range of collections, and a pizza place for lunch. I felt very comfortable, even on the freeway. Actually, I loved the trip. I'm thinking I missed my calling as a Motorcycle Mama!

That evening, Nancy and I had a chance to address the group during the Family Home Evening. Nancy spoke about the creative process and had the audience laughing when she went through a series of "What Ifs" using the fictional Big Jim Beattie Bridge as a starting point. (What if Big Jim Beattie was really little?)

I decided to speak on a topic suggested by Mike Simmons when he issued the invitation: What miracles happened during the writing of the book, Leaning into the Curves? When I asked Nancy if she could name one, she said, "That we're still talking!" (More truth to that than you might think.) But for me, the real miracle had to do with temple attendance.

I hadn't been to the temple--hadn't even wanted to go--for a quarter century. But listening to Frank Reece (founder of TRA) and others talk about their love of temple work, I felt--for the first time in a quarter century--a faint urge to attend a session. Other nudges followed, and by the time I told the group this story, I could say that I had a temple recommend in hand and that I would be going with them the next morning!

Following our remarks, Brother and Sister Lundgren of Boise gave a very inspirational presentation on what The One can contribute--a single, small act of service can affect thousands in ways we can't begin to imagine.

All in all, iIt was a wonderful evening, and I'm happy to say that the response to our part of the program was very positive, especially after it was announced that every participant couple and individual would receive a copy of our book.

Landmark Places, Landmark Days

2010-06-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

There are landmarks places and landmark days. Since we last blogged we've found one and experienced the other.

While hunting down Deseret Book store Saturday for our book signing, we relied on the instructions we thought we had and the memory Carroll was sure she had to get us there. Neither proved 100 % reliable.

One thing we knew for certain was that the book store was somewhere in the vicinity of the Boise Temple. I can't tell you how glad we were to finally see those landmark spires rising along Cole Road. With the fine directions from a hotel near by we arrived at DB with minutes to spare, enough to take a big breath and enjoy a frozen yogurt next door. We had a great time. The staff at DB were both charming and accommodating and we had the opportunity to connect with a variety of interesting readers.

Saturday evening we were entertained completely by the company at our dinner table and by the wonderful performance of Del Parkinson, classical pianist and professor. We were treated to both the terrific renditions of well loved solos and engaging narrative about the composers and Del's experiences as a performer and teacher. It was a lovely ending to a delightful experience.

Sunday was landmark day in itself, starting with breakfast from 5:30 to 6:30 am so we could arrive back at the temple (the one place in Boise we were sure we could find) by 7:00 am to attend sacrament meeting at the stake center next door. We walked in to the sounds of the TRA choir (you heard right--these bike riding, full armor of God warriors for the cause have a choir, and it's a good one, too) practicing "America the Beautiful" with skill and patriotic fervor. Carroll and I looked at one another with eyes already tearing at the spirit present in the chapel. She made a b-line for the podium and a supply of tissues.

We needed them to get through a meeting that called into remembrance the blessing of living in this country, the blessings of our faith, and the sacrifices our soldiers and our Savior and why their lives have been and are being given for us.

After we stood the sing "Star Spangled Banner" and listened to the closing prayer, Carroll turned to me and said she had never been to a better sacrament meeting. We were both filled to the brim.

The feelings of that meeting alone could have made the whole day, but the TRA don't do things in small measure. We returned to the hotel to have a joint priesthood and relief society meeting on the topic of being our Savior's hands on earth, followed by a small break and a two hour sacrament meeting.

That was all before 12:00 noon. After lunch, a nap, and a quiet walk along the river with a few moments to play our flutes, we dressed in our Sunday clothes again for dinner and a fireside with guest speaker Lloyd Newel, BYU professor and the voice of the Spoken Word & Tabernacle Choir. Brother Newell entertained us, informed us, and enlightened us with his tales of working with the choir. At one point he urged us to develop an abundant mentality, and even in times of trial to look for reasons to praise and not withhold.

That's what I call a landmark day!

This morning Carroll is off on her ride behind a TRA member, dressed in borrowed leather duds and tight fitting helmet. I am looking forward to the trike ride around the parking lot--an activity more in my comfort zone.

Tonight we're the speakers as part of the TRA Family Home Evening, the warm up act before the musical performances of Tom and Janell Lungren. We hope we do the TRA proud.

Is Less More? It just might be.

2010-06-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

While researching for our book, Leaning into the Curves, a lady Harley rider, Cindy Gillman of Scottsdale, said she'd done some research on handcart pioneers and learned that they could bring along only 17 pounds of personal items. So on one road trip she limited herself to that amount of things. That was very interesting, so we had our main character, Molly, try to keep to that amount when packing for her first long motorcycle trip.

It worked really really well in our novel. But we didn't think of doing the same ourselves when we packed for our road trip to Boise, where we're attending the Temple Riders 2010 rally. Oh, no. We packed suitcases, garment bags, computer bags, bags of snacks, emergency supplies, and Native American Flutes and songbooks. To say nothing of Audubon reference books and binoculars. And then there was the DVD case, the CD case, and the cooler of Dr. Pepper and diet Coke.

Oh, yeah. I shouldn't forget the case of bottled water!

We didn't think there was anything odd about this until we passes a string of TRA riders on the freeway about a half hour away from Twin Falls and realized how man had managed to pack everything they needed in the hard cases on their Gold Wings and other cycles. Granted, some did have tagalongs--cute little matching trailers, but we might have had trouble fitting our load in the smallest of the trailer.

As we passed the line of cyclists, we wonder what in the world we'd been thinking. Okay, we wanted to be sure we had the perfect outfits and accessories for travel, our book signing, church and temple attendance, planned social activities, speaking, and going to an outdoor theater. But looking at the couples who didn't have trailers, it was obvious we'd overdone it big time.

We spent the next fifty miles laughing at ourselves and the overabundance of things we felt we needed to bring. That brought up some questions:

What did we really need?

What did we need to be prepared and comfortable?

Since we just arrived last night, we're still wondering how much of what we brought we'll actually use. We have already used both of our computers. Nancy has played her double flute, one that provides a drone to the melody. We've changed clothes once, and are glad we've got jammies and clean underwear. And when we go to see Thoroughly Modern Milly in Garden City, we'll be glad to have our jackets and the lap robe that was in the emergency box.

The thing the TRA people brought with them that has impressed us the most--wonder cycles aside--is their joi d'vivre.

Oh, the things Nancy didn't bring that we're really missing..... driver's license (we think it may have been stolen), two credit cards (also under investigation), and the jack for her new Kodak camera that has to be charged. So much for pictures to accompany our blog.

None of the above, whether what we have or what we're missing, is going to change our thorough enjoyment of our day. The TRA folk are off on rides. We'll be working on current projects and signing books at the Boise Deseret Book. The sun is shining, and life is good.

We're hitting the road!

2010-06-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

If you've read (or heard about) our book, Leaning into the Curves, you probably realize that Nancy and I spent considerable time talking to and about members of the Temple Riders Association--the group we fondly call a "Mormon motorcycle gang."

We'll, the board of that wonderful group has invited us to attend their rally in Boise the last week in June! We're very excited to be part of the great lineup of activities they have planned. We'll have a chance to speak on Monday night, go on a couple of rides (Nancy will be driving her jeep), participate in the temple service/community service day, and get to know some great people.

Plus, we'll be signing books on Saturday from 2 to 4 at the Boise Deseret Book store on West Overland Road. If you happen to live in the Boise area, come on down! If you don't, but know someone who does, send them the info re: the signing.

We'll be updating our blog every day starting Thursday, when I'll arrive in SLC, and Nancy and I will start signing the 100 copies of our book that will be going to rally participants! Drop in on us and be part of the fun.

Leaning into the Curves Goes on Tour!

2010-05-31T01:57:00.000-07:00

That's right ... put on your helmets and get ready for a wild ride around the Internet! Follow the list of blogs to your right. On the posted date, visit that blog and read what the reviewer has to say about "Leaning into the Curves." Join the celebration of this fun new release!

Lael reviews Imprints by Rachel Ann Nunes

2010-05-19T18:45:00.001-07:00

I’ve always loved paranormal books and have even written some myself, so I was excited when Rachel Ann Nunes announced the publication of her new book, Imprints. She very graciously sent me a pdf and I dived in, reading at breakfast, lunch, in bed, and even at church during a High Councilman’s talk (but only a couple of pages).

I was absorbed by the story of Autumn Rain,who has a gift of being able to pick up emotions or imprints from objects she handles. She even sees scenes of events that have taken place around the object. At the beginning of the story she is asked to help locate Victoria, who has gone missing. When she touches a pendant that had belonged toVictoria, she sees the girl talking with a young man who wears a white T shirt with navy blue lettering proclaiming Only Love Can Overcome Hate, which she recognizes as the standard dress of a nearby commune. She now has a clue as to where to begin looking for Victoria.

Then she becomes involved in a second search, this one for Marcie, the widowed and severely depressed sister of Ethan McConnell, a private eye, who has not had any success in finding her. Autumn senses that Marcie, too, might be with the commune. Attracted to Ethan, as he is to her (a sprinkling of romance is good for almost any story), Autumn agrees to search for Marcie as well as Victoria.

Autumn, child of hippie parents Winter and Summer, has other talents, including being an antiques expert (she runs an antique shop to support herself) and having a wide knowledge of herbal remedies. These interests play into the story, as does hunky, dreadlocked Jake, who runs the herbal shop next door. Jake has been a long time friend, and Autumn is disappointed that apparently friendship is as far as he wants their relationship to go. Oh well. There’s always Ethan . . . .

Using her knowledge of herbs as an entree into the commune, Autumn joins the group at the vast farm they run to support themselves. Jake, good friend that he is, insists on accompanying her. But they must not reveal they know each other or someone might suspect their true purpose in being there.
Now questions begin to arise. Is the commune really the congenial group of lettuce growers they purport to be? Are people free to leave at will as Autumn is told they can? Are the dark underground cellars on the farm merely for the storage of the vegetables and fruit, or could there be a more sinister use for them? And how did a dead body come to be in the woods?

Autumn’s quest to find the missing women, aided by her ability to sense imprints on objects, leads her and Jake deeper and deeper into the life and the secrets of the commune until they find they are in real jeopardy. I told her over and over that she was going to get into trouble if she went to that farm, but did she listen? Of course if she hadn’t gone, there wouldn’t be a story. But I worried about her. I won’t tell my worries because you’ll want to build up your own list when you read this unusual and compelling book.

Finding your Voice

2010-05-17T07:21:00.000-07:00

And have they ever! From bottom to top, Keleen Miskin, Keri Anderson Hughes, and Meghann Gavin, Tuesday Divas of the extended Atlanta, Georgia, area each have a voice individually and within the group that is unique and beautiful. Their recent well received concert "With a Song in My Heart" performed May 7 & 8 at the New Dawn Theater in Duluth, Georgia, include old favorites like "Almost Like Being in Love", Lerner & Loewe, and new like "Spark of Creation" from Children of Eden by Stephen.

The amazing thing about Tuesday Divas is that while all three singers are professionally trained vocalists with singular styles of their own, in numbers like the haunting "Lullaby" , Gorben, Mattews, & Van Der Saag, they blend into near perfect harmony. Like their voices, their personalities vary and merge through the loose story line and witty dialogue that holds the program together.

"When I Fall in Love" from Fiorello!, Harnick & Bock, was performed with a sense of wonder and realization by Meghann Gavin that brought the tender song to life. Keri Hughes's poignant rendition of the ballad "I'll be There", from Ordinary Days, Adam Gwon, went straight to the heart. And Keleen Miskin's "Grateful", Jeff Bucchino, brought the house to its feet. The concert was truly about finding the remarkable facets of each individual voice and styling and then bringing them with dedication, polish, and a delicious sense of humor in a well rounded package to an eager audience.

Finding your voice was the topic of after performance conversation as well centered around a former student of two of the vocal coaches who is currently working her way onto the national stage as a singer/song writer. When a nationally known vocal trainer, who had also worked with the singer in question, was asked what her chances were, he answered (and I paraphrase), it all depends on her willingness to do the work it takes to find her authentic voice both on stage and in her compositions. And the only way to do that is to have the discipline to keep on singing and to write, write, write.

Same song writers everywhere sing. Finding our unique and authentic voice in our stories takes the same discipline and practice. We write until we begin to purge from our writing all the phrases carefully structured to sound like our favorite author, the banalities, the pretty scenes that have nothing to do with moving the plot along, the tired phrasing, and the endless descriptions filled with ly words. Then we write some more. Somewhere along the line, if we're very lucky, our own unique and very personal voice will emerge, an authentic voice that can tell the stories that haunt us in a way no other voice can. Knock on wood and speed the day!

For an example of a unique and engaging voice already out there on the market check out Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella. This book takes a look at family ghosts both figurative and literal in a delicious romp through solving a mystery, finding a missing treasure, and burying one little know and unloved member of the family. Without giving away the twists and turns, let me say it is one of those stories that leaves you feeling as though you've just tasted the perfect chocolate and all you can say is, "Oh, yeah!"

Another one-of-a-kind voice is presented by Leif Enger in Peace Like a River. This remarkable story about family, faith, and the true nature of miracles is told as though a dear friend is handing you the intimate details of his life as a gift. "Make of it what you will," Rueben, the main character, tells us. I finished this book feeling as though I, too, had been given a gift.

Four out of four star recommendations for both books and another four for Tuesday Divas and the gift of their music.

Yippie Ki-u and a Happy Dance too!

2010-05-09T09:16:00.000-07:00

Finally, after all the kafuffle of getting releases for our new release, everything is turned in and Leaning into the Curves is on the shelves just waiting to brighten your day and give you a giggle.

Take a peak at our first review and author interview featuring what it means to be a co-author by Kelly Bryson, Atlanta, at http://bookreadress.blogspot.com/2010/05/interview-with-carrol-morris-and-nancy.html

What's Your Twist?

2010-05-03T07:25:00.000-07:00

"What's your twist?" is a new phrasing of the old writer's question, "What's your hook?" It's the question many of the presenters at the recent LDS Storymakers conference asked. What makes your story different enough to catch the eye of an agent or editor? Boiling down half a dozen different lectures and discussions resulted in this advice. Find an ordinary experience your target audience can identify with, wrap it in layers of the extraordinary and increase the stakes for your characters.

Examples included Stephenie Meyer's top selling vampire romances. While teenage romances filled with temptation and angst aren't unusual in today's market, even ones where the hero is a vampire, Meyer's hero is a sparkly vegetarian vampire with remarkable self control. That's quite a twist. More than romance is at stake in these stories, lives lie in the balance.

The Harry Potter stories are all about the familiar experience of going to a new school and making new friends set in the unusual frame work of a boarding school and a magic boarding school at that. And the stakes couldn't be any higher. It's not only about keeping Harry alive and out of the clutches of Voldemort but it's all about saving the world.

Laura Rennert (Searching for Harry Potter: Key Elements of YA and Crossover Fiction) brought Monsoon Summer to our attention, a mother/daughter relationship story played out against the background of helping the poor in India. Aprilynne Pike (Faeries & Vampires, Oh My! Writing and Selling Fantasy for the Young Adult Market) mentioned 13 Reasons Why, a coming of age story dealing with death and loss, but told from both the antagonist's and protagonist's point of view.

Bree Despain (Paranormal Fiction: Delving into the Unknown) pointed out a new trend in paranormal fiction, telling the story from the boy's point of view. It's a twist that's beginning to sell.

I applied this criteria to a recent reads and two old favorites. Lovely Bones was easy to break down. It is the story of surviving loss of a loved one, a universal experience we all can relate to, told from the point of view of the murdered child, a poignant twist.

In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe four siblings struggle to find their places in the family structure during their parents absence, a scenario easy to identify with. The intensity of that conflict evolves into life and death proportion when a simple game of hide and seek leads them into the war torn fantasy world of Narnia.

Even successful picture books meet this standard. Take Cat in the Hat for example. Every child knows how hard it is to resist the temptation to misbehave when left home alone. Throw a giant talking cat in a striped red hat bent on mischief into the mix and the mundane becomes magical and mystifying mixed up with the well recognized fear, what will happen when Mom comes home?

Whether you're writing for children or adults the formula for finding that hook or twist to catch the agent or editors eye is the same. Choose a universal experience that your audience will identify with, wrap it in layers of the extraordinary, and create stakes high enough for your protagonist that your reader will feel compelled to turn the page and find out what happens next.

Crusty Old Broads Go to College

2010-04-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

[From NewsitemStorymakers Post]
by Lael Littke

"Nancy, Carroll, and I are dazzled to learn that the first book of our Company of Good Women trilogy, Almost Sisters, is on the assigned reading list for a class titled The Literature of Mormon Women at Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California. A note in the class syllabus adds, "You'll want to read Three Tickets to Peoria and Surprise Packages as well." The class is taught by Claudia Bushman, adjunct professor of history in the recently established Mormon Studies Program of the university. Prof. Bushman and her husband, Richard (author of the definitive biography of Joseph Smith, Rough Stone Rolling, published by Knopf in 2005) both recently retired from teaching at Columbia University in New York. Richard is the first holder of the Howard Hunter chair in the Mormon Studies Program, and Claudia is pioneering the LDS women's studies field. Our trilogy deals with the friendship of three women from different parts of the country over the course of 25 years. And by the way, Crusty Old Broads is a complimentary appellation, rising from an incident in the early part of Almost Sisters."

Lael sent each of us the announcement as well as the syllabus from the class. Questions students were asked to consider in the syllabus included: "Who is the audience for this book? What do the authors say of the LDS community? What do we learn of the author? How has she interpreted LDS life? If she writes of a past (or future) time, what does her interpretation say about the relationship between the period of writing and the period written of? What skills does the writer display? What are the tensions in the book and how do they reflect LDS life?" (The Literature of Mormon Women, Claudia Bushman, Syllabus, Spring 2010)

I would love to be a fly on the wall during those discussions. Our Lovely Miss Lael has been invited to join the class at the end of the semester. We'll look for a more detailed report then.

A few of the other books and authors included in the reading list were The Giant Joshua by Maureen Whipple, A Little Lower Than the Angels by Virginia Sorensen, Lighten Up by Chieko Okazaki, and Goodbye, I Love You by Carol Lynn Pearson. We feel honored to be in such company.

Releases for our New Release

2010-04-20T09:27:00.000-07:00

For those of you wondering where our newest release Leaning into the Curves (Deseret Book)has been, it's been waiting in the warehouse for Carroll and me to get all the releases necessary sent to our product designer from people we quoted, a real organization whose name we used, and living individuals featured in our story.

It's been an adventure and an education in the legal hoop jumping to get this book on the shelves. We learned some important steps to take when building fiction around living private persons and registered or tradmarked organizations.

First, know you legal responsibility and liability. A careful reading of your contract with your publisher is a good place to start. Ours clearly stated that obtaining all the needed written legal releases was the authors' responsibility. Verbal permission isn't enough!

Next, keep a running list of the name of every living person you use in your manuscript other than recognized public figures, every statement quoted, and every trademarked or registered name mentioned. Make sure that list is complete. One legal staffer recommended even story lines most loosely based on real life experiences of someone other than the author should begin with obtaining the written permission of such usage. Know how to contact everyone on your list.

Get in touch with your publisher's legal department for copies of the forms needed. We suggest you send each participant two copies, one for them and one with a SASE for you. Upon receipt of the original signed document, make a copy for your own files and forward the original to your publisher.

It's easier than it sounds. When everyone we contacted realized how positive the image portrayed was, they were delighted to provide us with the needed forms and we eager for the novel to be a success. But we were lucky. The book had already gone to print and they could have as easily said no.

So don't take the risk. Don't wait until you have the galley in hand to start the process. Believe me, nothing, no reassurances, no electronic facsimile, no he said she saids will get those books out of the warehouses and on the the shelves until the publishers have the original releases on file. So stay ahead of the game and do the legal hoop jumping when you start your stories.

Carroll's Christmas Eve Posole Rojo

2010-01-17T09:15:00.000-08:00

In 2003 we moved to Green Valley, Arizona, just 40 minutes north of the border. That year, we started a new Christmas Eve supper tradition: tamales and posole. So many people have asked for the posole recipe that I decided to post it for you to enjoy.

The most important ingredient is Red Chili Paste made by the Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Company. There is a very big difference between "red" soups and sauces that use tomatoes as a base and those that have red chili paste as a base. FYI, this chili paste isn't hot, just very rich and aromatic.

It's not possible to achieve the wonderful flavor of this posole without this paste, so if you can't find it in your grocery store (it comes in a jar), go to www.santacruzchili.com, click on Products, and order a jars or two. If you make a lot of Mexican dishes, you won't regret it.

Okay, here's the recipe. Don't be put off by how long it is. Because the soup is best made the day before, on Christmas Eve all you'll have to do is prepare the vegetables you serve with it.

Carrolll's Christmas Eve Posole Rojo

Step 1:
4 pounds country-style pork ribs
6 cloves of garlic

Put ribs and garlic in crock pot. Sprinkle liberally with ancho chili powder and a little cayenne pepper. Cook on high until pork is done enough to shred. Drain liquid inter gravy separator, pour off fat, and reserve liquid. Shred pork. Mash garlic and reserve to put in soup.

Step 2:
In a large soup pot, put the following ingredients and let simmer to develop flavors. Tastes best if made a day ahead of time.

1 quart chicken broth
8 cups water
1 jar Santa Cruz Spice Co. Red Chili Paste
2 tbs. ground cumin
1 tsp. Mexican oregano
1 small can diced green chilis
2 28-oz cans of white hominy
Shredded pork, smashed garlic, and reserved juice
Correct seasoning with additional chili powder, cumin, and salt
This is especially important if you decided to add more liquid. I usually do, because what we all love is the broth!

Step 3:
Serve with the following accompaniments:
Diced avocado
Thinly sliced cabbage
Chopped green onions
Diced radishes
Dried hot pepper flakes
Grated cheese
Lime wedges--a squirt of lime in Posole is a must!
Tortilla strips or chips

Step 4: Enjoy!

By Carroll: Review of The Dred Scott Story

2009-11-17T06:21:00.001-08:00

"Am I not a man and a brother?"

These words scroll underneath the figure of a slave in chains, hands held up in supplication, on the cover of an anti-slavery broadside published in 1837. The image and words are also used to great effect on the cover of the new book, Am I not a Man? The Dread Scott Story, by Mark L. Shurtleff.

Dred Scott, born into slavery as Sam Blow, was 38 years old when the broadside was published. Nine years later, with the help of former owners and others with anti-slavery sentiments, Dred began his battle for freedom. For the next eleven years, his case made its way through the Missouri court system and finally to the United States Supreme Court.

The decision in Dred Scott v. Sanford held that slaves were not protected by the constitution and could never be citizens of the United States, therefore they had no right to justice through the courts. The decision galvanized anti-slavery forces—one could say that it lead directly to the establishment of the Republican party, the election of Abraham Lincoln, and the Civil War.

Who was this illiterate slave whose desire to be free set into motion events that formed our country? What conjunction of personal history with people, events, and ideas made his desire for freedom even seem possible? What kind of heart beat in his chest as he persisted in his quest for eleven years, despite discouraging setbacks?

The answers to those questions are in the pages of this engrossing book. Shurtleff's knowledge of Dred's life and times is amazing, but the real power of the book lies in the way he makes us care about Dred, his family, and other characters. The scenes he creates to bring the facts to life are interesting and often touching. One comes away with a new understanding of the profound struggle, both personal and national, that led to the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery.

Given the complexity of the story, a listing of major characters and a timeline—especially of court actions—would be very helpful. This is especially true in the beginning of the book, where the action jumps forward and backward, introducing a dizzying cast of characters. I found Shurtleff's storytelling most compelling and readable when it was chronological (Part VII onward).

I was also surprised that Shurtleff began the book with the crucial scene when Scott learns that the 1850 decision granting him his freedom has been overturned. His cry, "Am I not a man like you?" lacks the emotional impact it would have if it came in chronological order. By then, readers caught up in the story and full of admiration for Dred would feel the devastation of the moment with him.

However, these are minor issues in a book that is well worth reading. It will introduce countless readers to a most remarkable man, a bright human spirit whose fight for freedom changed the course of history.

By Carroll: Review of Alma by H.B. Moore

2009-11-08T17:41:00.000-08:00

People read scriptures in different way at different times. They read them to study and absorb the word of the Lord to his prophets. To find inspiration and answers to questions. To enjoy understand the timeline and historical context of familiar stories.

Heather Moore has obviously read and studied the scriptures for all of these reasons. She has also read them with the mind of a writer, wondering about the story behind the story and the unmentioned men and women who are part of it.

And asking the question all writers ask when a story idea niggles in the back of their minds: What if?

The result of her study, thought, and imagination is Alma, the second book in a new series based on the Book of Mormon. The novel begins as King Noah demands that Amulon track down Alma and other believers who have fled into the wilderness following the death of Abinidi. From then on, one fraught situation follows another in this fast-paced read.

Moore uses details of ancient Mesoamerican culture to create a believable world. She paints a three-dimensional picture of Alma as a man haunted by his past but uplifted by his faith, a man who also longs for love and a family of his own. And she populates her story with an interesting cast of women who have pivotal roles in the story.

As someone who always wonders about the women behind the men in scripture, I appreciated these strong, courageous women who risk their lives to join Alma and the community of faith. (I'm very eager to read Moore's non-fiction book, Women in the Book of Mormon, which will come out this spring or summer.)

Pick up Alma for an enjoyable read that will have you going back to the correlating verses in Mosiah with heightened interest. My only caveat would be to start with Abinidi first. Because I hadn't, I initially found it hard to keep the characters straight.Happily my confusion got cleared up as I continued to read.

To learn more about Heather, go to her blog: http://mywriterslair.blogspot.com or her website: www.hbmoore.com.

By Carroll: Agent in Old Lace

2009-07-03T22:45:00.000-07:00

The phrase, “It started with a bang,” has been used to describe the beginning of all manner of things, from the universe itself, to movies and, of course, to books. It’s meant as a positive description—except when used in tandem with, “and it ended with a whimper.”

Tristi Pinkston has avoided that pitfall in her new suspense novel, Agent in Old Lace. It starts with a bang as the object of Shannon’s affection, Mark, kidnaps her with the intent of killing her. It has plenty of action and suspense throughout, and it delivers a surprise at the end, which readers always enjoy.

The part of the plot that has Mark bilking many of Shannon’s clients through a Ponzi scheme (think Bernie Madoff) is timely and believable. When Mark escapes, an FBI agent (Rick) is assigned to protect Shannon. He has to show up in drag to do so, hence the title, Agent in Old Lace. While I found this plotline not so believable, it provides many opportunities for humor as well as some sweet exchanges that move Shannon and Rick’s budding romance forward.

I liked Shannon very much. She’s a gutsy character who doesn’t let circumstances take over her life. I only wish I’d had the chance to know her better up front. The downside to a writer jumping headlong into action is that readers haven’t been given the chance to develop empathy for the characters.

If Tristi had started the book with scenes showing Shannon meeting Mark, becoming impressed by his business acumen, and falling in love with his charming side, I would have felt how devastating his betrayal was rather that reading about how devastating it was.

That aside, I found Agent in Old Lace an enjoyable summer read. Congratulations to Tristi, who is known to readers for her historical fiction, for making a successful transition into the suspense genre.

By Carroll: The Gathering of Good Women

2009-06-25T22:02:00.000-07:00

In 2003, my husband and I moved from the Minneapolis area to Green Valley, Arizona. It was the right move for us, but adjusting to being in a new place wasn’t easy for me. Even after we’d been there over four years, I didn’t feel like I had a community of women friends. Then I started seeing Diann for massage, and she began introducing me to people she’d connected with over years of living and working in Green Valley.

These very interesting and talented women were also very busy. I decided if I wanted to spend time with them, I would have to make it happen. So I invited some of them over for potluck and evening of conversation. We enjoyed each other's company so much, we decided we should meet again the next month.

That was the beginning of The Gathering of Good Women, an almost monthly evening featuring potluck and some kind of activity or sharing. (Yes, the inspiration for that name came from the title of our series, The Company of Good Women.) Last year, our meeting ended up being the same night of one of the presidential debates, so we included husbands. They enjoyed it so much, we invited them again a couple of months later. Once in a while, the evening is more properly entitled The Gathering of Good People!

While the group of women (and people) who come to my home the last Thursday of the month varies, we always have a wonderful time. Here’s some of the activities we’ve done.

Walked the labyrinth at a local church
Made Zuni-style fetishes from self-hardening clay
Dressed up in 70s clothes and watched Mama Mia
Fixed Indian food and discussed vegetarianism
Collaged the future we wanted to create for the new year.

In May, we had The Great Giveaway. Everyone brought things they no longer needed or used, including jewelry, clothing, books and household items.We put those items on display, and after eating our supper, we looked over what others had brought to see if there were things we could use. I tell you, items flew off the jewelry table and the clothing rack!

Buy the end of the evening, everyone had found things they were thrilled to have, and we all felt lighter for having cleared some space in our own homes. The books that weren’t claimed went to a garage sale being held by a local church. The remaining clothing will go to a local Indian tribe, the Tohono O’Odham, People of the Desert. (The photo is of Ramona, who'd just claimed a beautiful coral necklace that went perfectly with her outfit!)

I’ve been hosting The Gathering of Good Women for almost two years, now. Those evenings have brought a wonderful spirit into our home and has helped me find my community and feel at home in Green Valley.

If you’ve read this whole post, consider hosting a Gathering of Good Women yourself. And if you do, please let me know!

Lael on Writing for Young Readers: How to Get There

2009-05-15T07:33:00.000-07:00

After spending the last few months getting two creaky knees replaced, I'm excited to be teaching at the BYU Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers Workshop from June 8th to the 12th. For more info, click here.

I will be teaching the principles I learned from the best writing teacher in the world, Helen Hinckley Jones, who taught an ongoing extended day classs at Pasadena City College, and after retirement a class in her home for a chosen few. I studied with her for over twenty-years, until her death. After that, a group of twelve of her students continued to meet twice a week. Out of this group has come over 600 books for children and young people (as well as a few women’s novels).

One of the wisest things Helen, whom we called our ‘literary mama,’ ever said was, “Remember in writing for kids that they don’t want to look at the forest. They want to meet the bear.” She said that in writing for kids you get to the action immediately. Forget about beautiful descriptions. Bring on the bear!

Whenever one of us started a new book, Helen insisted that we be able to state the story question in one sentence. Why is Carlene having memories of a town where she has never lived? Will Robin discover the secret of the haunted dress? Will Selene be able to choose between her two families, the one that raised her and the one she was kidnapped from thirteen years before? “The story question is your roadmap to where you are going on your journey through the book,” Helen said. “It keeps you focused.”

Some rules were made to be broken if you write well enough, Helen admitted. But one of her inflexible rules was that the character must solve his/her own problem. The stakes must be high. What is the dreadful alternative if the character can’t solve the problem?

We, her students, came week after week after week, learning from her. She was hard on us and didn’t let us get away with being lazy about our writing. But we loved her classes. I told my brother once that her class was the highlight of my week. His face bunched up with sympathy. “You poor thing,” he said. And my husband said, “You women get together at least twice a week. Don’t you ever run out of things to talk about?” No. Any writer worth his/her salt will understand that.

We all went through hard times. An astute writer named L. Rust Mills has said, “The sinister thing about writing is that it starts off seeming so easy and ends up being so hard.” But Helen never let us give us during the hard time. “Persist,” she said. “That’s the secret.”

We persisted. And succeeded. Over 600 books attest to that fact.

And so I hope to encourage my class in June to persist. Learning the rules, as taught by Helen, will help. Although Somerset Maugham said, “There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”

But we will have fun talking about what is a passion with all of us writers -- writing.

Book Review by Carroll and Lael: A Future for Tomorrow/Surviving Anorexia By Haley Hatch Freeman

2008-10-30T12:43:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to imagine a teenager standing 5’9” and weighing only 85 pounds, but that’s the state Haley Hatch Freeman reached when she was at the low part of her terrifying struggle with anorexia. In "A Future for Tomorrow," Haley bravely recounts her journey to the brink of death and back again in a way that is both touching and inspiring.

This struggle began with Haley not feeling good enough, pretty enough, or loved enough. She was surrounded by loving friends and family, but when they told her she was pretty or loved, she discounted what they said: “Oh, they’re just saying that to be nice.” Haley also suffered from body dysmorphia. She had a distorted image of her own body, which led her to see herself as fat even when she was skeletal and in danger of losing her life.

The frankness with which Haley describes her journey is remarkable. She opens her heart and mind to her readers because she feels called to let others know how devastating anorexia nervosa can be. Part of the book is told in excerpts from her journal. showing her progess—or lack of it. Before we read this book, we didn’t understand what young women suffering this disease go through, but now we both feel as if we’ve been through it ourselves.

Eating disorders are on the rise, even among young men. This is not surprising, given the mostly unattainable images of beauty we see in the media. Reading Haley’s book gives adults insight into behaviors which might be early warning signs that young people are in danger of becoming anorexic. "A Future for Tomorrow" is a wake-up call for readers of any age.

The first ten chapters of the book are told in an unusal way. It starts with January 27, 1997, and moves backward until July 17, 1996, at which time it starts moving forward beginning with May 7, 1997. We couldn’t see a reason for this convuluted telling and would have preferred a straightforward story. Nevertheless, the impact is not lost as we move with Haley into despair and then hope and then healing. The pictures at the end of the book are very reassuring, the final one being her wedding day in November 2002.

Much happiness, Haley. You have earned it.

To learn more about Haley, click here to visit her blog.

A Wedding, Vertigo and Unexpected Benefits

2008-10-16T07:19:00.000-07:00

I realized this morning that the blog I thought I'd posted about the big trip my family took to Europe last month existed only in my head! So here I am, the morning after the last big presidential debate, blogging about life, love, weddings and how an event that seems unfortunate can have unexpected benefits.

Gary and I started planning for this trip when our daughter, Lisette, who lives in Germany, announced that she and York Hagmeyer were going to get married on the 13th of September. Getting that kind of news is always exciting, but for us it had extra significance. In the years since my husband was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, we've learned that having an event to look forward to changes how one lives in the present. And what better event to anticipate than the marriage of our daughter to a fine man we were proud to welcome into our family.

The celebration was truly an international event. In addition to Lisette and York's friends and family in Germany, four of Lisette's high-school friends from America were in attendance, plus York's host family and friends from when he'd been an exchange student in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I got such a kick out of watching York's exchange mother carrying on an animated conversation with his mother, Heidrun, when neither understood the other's language!

The love that was present during the ceremony in the city hall in Goettingen was palpable, and it carried over to the celebration held in the square in front of the city hall and later to the reception held in a restaurant in Werretal. Even the servers commented on what a wonderful event it was.

I was so proud of my family that night. Gary's toast to the bridal couple was so sweet and touching, many guests told Lisette they wished they had a father who would say something like that at their wedding. David sang a song in German while Lisette and York danced the first dance. Then Gary, who at times during the day had been using canes or a wheelchair, actually danced with me--and I have the photos to prove it!

The party was still going strong when Gary and I finally went to our room after midnight, wrapped in the glow of love, friendship and fun. The plan was to visit a park in Kassel the next day and leave for Rome the day after.

But the next morning, I woke to find the room tilted and sliding to the right. Rats! It was vertigo, which I'd had problems with off and on for years. I closed my eyes for a moment and carefully opened them again, hoping the room would be mercifully stable. No such luck. I stayed in the hotel during that day, thinking by resting I would be in shape to go to Rome. But the next day, it was even worse. Gary, Mattie, John, and David left for Rome, and I left for the a doctor's office.

I never did make it to Rome. Instead I spent the week with York and Lisette at their apartment in Kassel. It was a disappointment not to be with the rest of the family while they toured The Eternal City, but there was something very sweet about being able to spend more time with my daughter and new son-in-law. Once I was feeling better, I had the opportunity to get a picture of what their life in Kassel was like--going to the Saturday market, walking in the city park, and seeing the clinic where Lisette works.

I treasure that time. In fact, I wouldn't want the trip to have turned out any other way. Now we're back to our normal routine, enjoying the glory days of SE Arizona in the fall. Life is good.

Have Pencil, Will Travel

2008-09-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

Ever since my husband died several years ago, I’ve been traveling to all of the countries we’d planned to visit together after his retirement. (He died suddenly the morning after he brought home his retirement papers.) Whenever I tell people I’m going to Ukraine or China or Poland, some of them say, “Oh, you’ll find a lot to write about there.” I smile and nod, but the truth is what I’ll write about will be things I learn and observe from the people I travel with.

One of the great Southern writers -- it may have been Faulkner -- said once that he could spend his entire life writing about a square foot of land in the town where he grew up. I’ve written extensively about my home town, the small farming community of Mink Creek, Idaho. Most of it is fiction, but I get my inspiration from the history and customs of that little village, and especially the people, whom I love dearly, both past and present. And so, when I travel, I watch and listen to my companions. I hear their life stories, the way they speak, their attitudes, their comments about the country we’re in and the towns they came from. I observe their mannerisms and how they relate to other people. I make notes in the little pad I always have with me. They, or something about them, may appear in my next book. Very likely they wouldn’t recognize themselves, because the characters I create are usually a synthesis of several people. Sweetie Farnsworth in my Blue Skye was an amalgamation of a warm-hearted woman I knew back in Mink Creek and a Scottish lady I met on one of my trips. Reanna, in Lake of Secrets,was in reality a flighty young woman I knew in high school with a dash of a girl who was part of my tour group in the Czech Republic.

That’s not to say I don’t use the countries themselves in my books, or rather events that happened in those countries. In the trilogy of books I wrote with co-authors Nancy Anderson and Carroll Morris, we had our three characters vacationing together in Williamsburg, Virginia, at the time the World Trade Center was destroyed. Nancy, Carroll, and I had actually vacationed in Williamsburg, but three years before 9/11. On the actual day, September 11, 2001, I was with a small tour group in St. Petersburg, Russia. We were to fly out the next morning, and we were attending a farewell dinner at one of the Romanoff palaces when we passed a vendor’s table and saw the first plane fly into a tower. The commentary was in Russian, so we didn’t know what was happening. It seemed to be an accident, so we went in to dinner. It wasn’t until afterward that we found out it was no accident. We asked the vendor what happened, and in broken English he told us New York was under attack.

Back at our hotel we flipped through the TV channels, trying to locate one we could understand. Finally we found a broadcast from Germany, with English subtitles. We sat there stunned, watching the horror play and replay. We heard that the United States borders had been closed. What was to happen to us? We were shut out of our own country. We would not get home the next day.

The hotel staff wept with us and put up a sign expressing their sorrow and sympathy. Luiba, our wonderful Russian guide, said she would make sure we’d have a hotel to stay in when we got to Warsaw, which was as far as we could go. She hugged us all the next day when she took us to the airport.

The small hotel near the airport in Warsaw had just opened, and the rooms were beautiful. The staff surrounded us with love and concern. The week that followed would have been a pleasure if there hadn’t been such horror going on back in the U.S. The hotel manager gave us a van and driver to take us around the city free of charge. We saw the triumphant rebuilding of the Warsaw city center, which the Nazis had totally razed in World War II. We saw the U.S. Embassy, surrounded by hundreds of people, many of them weeping, and mountains of flowers they’d brought. And we saw the lovely Latter-day Saint chapel, where several of us went to church on Sunday and found peace of mind and the assurance that we would get home safely. We were charmed and touched that one of the Sunday School classes was in English so that we could understand without the missionaries translating.

In the second book of our trilogy, Three Tickets to Peoria, Nancy, Carroll, and I had our characters going through the same emotions that I’d felt when they are stranded in Williamsburg. They can’t get home. But their solution was easier than mine; they simply changed the destination of their rental car and drove to Florida where one of the characters was living.

One need not travel to find inspiration for characters or ideas for events. To paraphrase Faulkner, or whoever it was, I could find enough to write about the rest of my life right here on my own block. In fact, one of my neighbors made an appearance in my book Shanny on Her Own as independent and crusty old Aunt Adabelle. You can tell her if you want to, but she’d deny it. She doesn’t see herself as I see her, and besides I stirred in a hefty measure of my own Aunt Mahalia.

Review of The Santa Letters by Stacy Gooch Anderson

2008-09-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

This handsomely presented book begins by giving the reader a glimpse of a happy family -- William and Emma with their three sons and small daughter -- enjoying their time together. But in the second chapter, everything has changed. William has been killed by a hit-and-run driver, and the family is plunged into loss and pain and darkness. Emma, immobilized by grief, wants nothing more than to huddle in the comforting warmth of Grandma’s quilt and think of the past when William was still with her. Christmas is coming, but the joy of the season has died with her husband, as far as she is concerned. She pulls herself together enough to hold down the job she must take to provide for her family, but she feels her life is in total disarray.

Then, to the surprise of all of them, they find a red envelope on their doorstep. Emma is tempted to throw it away. Her children have had enough ‘surprises.’ But the kids are too focused on the mysterious letter to simply dispose of it, so after dinner Emma opens it. The writer of the letter expresses sympathy for their loss and changed circumstances, and then talks about the Christmas season, telling how the word ‘Christmas’ combines Christ’s name with a Middle English word meaning ‘festival’ or ‘celebration.’ The letter goes on to say that a box will be left on their porch each day along with instructions about what the family is to do with the items inside.

The letter is signed, “Santa.”

Thus begins an adventure of mystery and realization and growth. One of the letters speaks of traditions, and inside the box the family finds tree ornaments with instructions to obtain a tree and decorate it as in past years. “Symbols, services, songs, sacraments--they all have withstood the test of time,” the letter says. Another day the letter is about the importance of laughter, with scriptural quotations about rejoicing. Inside the box are a comedy DVD, a box of popcorn, and root beer for all for a festive night at the movies.

And so it goes, with a Santa letter and a box delivered each day. But who is leaving them? There isn’t a clue. Emma is immeasureably grateful to whoever it is because she and her family are once again finding joy and fun in life. They have something to look forward to.

But will they ever find out who this ‘Santa’ is?

This book brings to the reader not only a touching story but also a whole education about Christmas and the Savior and the true meaning of “Santa.”

You can learn more about Stacy Gooch Anderson by clicking here and here.

Review of The Journey by J. Adams

2008-09-13T16:02:00.000-07:00

There’s an old saying that you can’t judge a book by its cover. But when I looked at the jacket of J. Adams’ book The Journey, I knew beyond a doubt that I was in for a good read, and I compliment the designer, Jonathan Pace. In a tranquil setting, he has inserted two eyes peering through the tangled underbrush with a hint of both curiosity and fear, which is how Ciran, the heroine of the book, views the new world she is sent to from the familiar kingdom where her father rules supreme.

As a child, I loved fairy tales. This book, to me, felt like a fairy tale at first, but as I progressed through it I found that, like any really good fairy tale, it has a number of levels. It can be read simply as entertainment. Or it can be looked at as a multi-level allegory, drawn from the greatest story of all, the plan of salvation. Right away, in the prologue, the reader is introduced to the ominous opposing force, so before we even meet Ciran, we fear for her safe passage. Then immediately we find ourselves in Krisandor, “a kingdom in which one longed to stay but inevitably had to leave for a time.” Ciran, like those before, had to leave it and go into The World With No Name in order to prove herself and progress. Her father promises that although he won’t be by her side, he will nevertheless be with her at all times. Her brother Sakriel will soon come to be with her, the father promises. “Since he has already made the journey himself, his knowledge will be a strength to you,” he says.

Thus begins this story of the unending battle between good and evil. It winds through scenes of breathtaking danger and temptation and treachery. But there is always the guiding star of love. It is up to Ciran to choose which way she will go.

J. Adams’ lyrical prose keeps the reader wondering if Ciran is truly up to the task of completing the journey, and if we, ourselves, can make the right choices in order to return to the father. The book is indeed a good read.

Virtual Tour a Great Success - by Carroll

2008-09-03T22:02:00.000-07:00

Nancy, Lael, and I had never heard of a virtual book tour until we went to the LDStorymakers writers conference last March. We were all amazed at the extent of self promotion authors can do these days, much of it via the Internet. Thank heaven for Tristi Pinkston, our good friend and guide in the world of technology! (See Lael’s review of Tristi’s book Nothing to Regret.) Tristi set up a virtual tour for us and Surprise Packages. Almost every day during the month of August a blogger with ties to the LDS community of readers and writers posted a review of the book and/or our answers to interview questions.What fun it’s been to visit those blogs and discover what the writers had to say, even when the comments weren’t completely positive.

Several reviewers hadn’t read the first two books, so they had a hard time picking up the story lines and getting the characters straight. We’d thought about starting the book with a Cast of Characters page—I’m not sure why we didn’t follow through. Maybe we can plead deadline denseness!

Others wished that we’d written more scenes rather than reporting events via e-mails and phone calls. We wanted to, but word count rules! I guess we could have made the series longer, but that would have had its perils, too.

And then there was a comment on less than stellar editing… No excuses for that.

Here’s a sampling of the positive responses:

Nichole said: We should all wish for a group of friends like this…. I saw parts of myself and my girlfriends in each of these women.

Shirley said: It’s like reading the big, fat, juicy family newsletter you always wish you had.

Karlene said: Not only a great read, but also surprisingly inspiring to me.

And from the two men who hosted us on the tour:

Don said: It reminded me of listening to my mom and her sisters catching up on each other's lives.

Keith said: Being a man, I’m not a big fan of women’s fiction, but I found it fulfilling. I love the blend of characters, the way they fit together in the narrative works well.

We’re amazed at the support that LDS authors give each other through the LDStorymakers group and through being willing to feature each other’s work on their blogs. This is a great community, and we’re honored to be a part of it. We’ll be returning the favor by reviewing new LDS books on this blog.

Book Signing at BYU Bookstore, by Lael Littke

2008-08-25T22:20:00.000-07:00

Nancy, Lael, and Carroll with new friends from Australia

Last Thursday, Nancy, Carroll and I signed our three-novel series, The Company of Good Women, at the BYU Bookstore--during Education Week! The final book, Surprise Packages, had been out a few weeks, joining its sister books, Almost Sisters and Three Tickets to Peoria.

Signing during Education Week is always an adventure, starting with finding a parking place near the Wilkinson Center. Nancy, who was our chauffeur, definitely had parking karma. She found us a spot just across the street from the WC.

Finding our table in the bookstore wasn't hard, either. It was marked by a big sign featuring each of our names. There were stacks of all three books on the table, as well as signing pens and the always appreciated bottles of water.

No sooner had we settled down than faces from the past--my past, mostly--came by. Cousins, former students, old friends, a man who'd grown up in my East Pasadena Ward, my Denver roommate from when we were career girls there. Nancy's niece and her four delightful children also stopped by.

Then there were new friends, one of whom we'd just shared a table and a Subway sandwich with. We were thrilled when someone would stop, snatch up a copy of Surprise Packages, and exclaim, "At last! It seems like I've been waiting for this forever!" And when readers who'd already purchased the book stopped to say, "I loved it--it was the best of the series."

A final delight just before we left was meeting a mother-daughter set from Australia. We were on our way out, but they heard us talking and recognized us from having seen the signs above our table. We stopped to visit for several minutes because they were so delightful. Books were sold, pictures taken, e-mail addresses exchanged, invitations given.

Then it was over, our fifteen minutes (actually a little over two hours) of fame. But from it we harvested new friends, great memories, and a vow to write another book together so we could do this again.

Firsts

2008-08-19T07:15:00.000-07:00

This summer has been a season of firsts for me: two grandbabies reaching their first birthdays, a first luxury vacation to Hilton Head—may it set a precedent please, a first broken water main when we returned—no precedent desired, a first virtual book tour, and a first LDS Book Sellers signing.

I was surprised by the whole convention setup, having no real idea of what it would be like when I arrived. What an amazing amount of interesting information was available to help book sellers succeed in promoting LDS literature and products. A whole week’s worth of classes and seminars were scheduled.

Lael Littke and I signed books for sellers on Friday as the conference was wrapping up. It was a delight to meet the book sellers who stopped by, especially those from the small independent book stores scattered over the U.S. who making an heroic effort to provide LDS material to the Saints in that area. Not to mention that they were all charming to talk to.

Lael returned to manning the Whitney Awards booth and I had a few moments to check out the booths before I had to be at another appointment. Among the “new on the scene” folks I had a chance to meet where the representatives from Silverleaf Press and their companion, Leatherwood Press. Between the two they hand everything from The Sacrament Meeting Time Coloring Book--I am a Child of God, by Madeline Elsey, and Secrets of Companion Planting, Plants that help, Plants that Hurt, by Brenda Little to books on how to be a Union or Confederate soldier.

Then I spent a few minutes with the Book of Mormon Tours folks and had a look at their terrific maps and the new updated Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon by Joseph L. Allen PhD, founder of Book of Mormon Tours.. Package tours and dates call 1-888-226-5205 o5 click on www.bookofmormomtours.com. Those are trips I would really like to take!

New on the music scene is Music for Worship, created by popular LDS arranger Brian Jensen. They are a young artists with a fresh new look at sacred music appropriate for Sacrament Meetings and other sacred settings. They currently have four series including vocal, solo, choir and keyboard. For more information, especially if you are interested in mp3 and PDF downloads contact Music for Worship c/o The Song of the Heart Distribution. PO Box 1255, Provo, Utah 84603 or get on line. Website: www.musicforworship.net and e-mail, contact@musicforworship.net.

My last stop was at Barbs Goodies and Gifts, www.barbsgoodiesgifts.com. What a treat. She gave us samples of pretzels dipped in caramel and white chocolate then drizzles in milk. We tasted round pretzels filled with English toffee topped with white chocolate and then white. And, my oh my, true melt-in-your-mouth-couldn’t-have-made-it-better-myself-on-my-best-cooking-day white chocolate popcorn. My daughter and I purely drooled as we savored the samples. To me the perfect Christmas treat is something that tastes better than homemade and it what I would cook and serve myself if I had the time. Barb’s treats at Barb’s Goodies & Gifts are exactly that! The information that I received listed only wholesale prices and purchases had to be made in batches of six. For retail distributors contact her at the website above or at 1060 N Kingswood Road, Kaysville, Utah 84037, or phone (801)-546-2491 or (801) 792-2621.

My best wishes to all these new kids on the block. Try them out!

Impromptu book signing

2008-08-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

Knowing that Gary and I would be in the Jerome/Twin Falls area for two family reunions the end of July/first of August, I called Deseret Book to see what I might be able to set up to promote Surprise Packages. I was scheduled for a "meet and greet" at the Boise Deseret Book store (such nice people!), but was told there wasn't a bookstore in Twin Falls.

(True--there is no Deseret Book store there. But as I was to find out, there are two independent LDS bookstores!)

Since I did know about the Barnes and Noble at the Twin Falls mall, I stopped by there to introduce myself and sign the books that were on their shelves. They had Surprise Packages, but not the first two books of the series. The associate I talked to immediately got online and ordered copies of the other two! Reason enough to be glad I dropped in.

Later, Gary's cousin Janet mentioned she'd gone through the recently completed Twin Falls temple and that the open house was continuing. Would we like to go? Of course! Although she wasn't LDS, Janet called her good friends who were, and the four of us went through the temple together. It's an incredibly beautiful edifice, with amazing workmanship evident at every turn.

Afterward, the couple drove us to Bell's Family Bookstore, a small independent LDS bookstore they knew of. I signed some copies and talked to some customers , much to the delight of the woman manning the store. (It's so fun to know people love your work!) Having visited Barnes and Noble and this store, I figured I'd done what I could re: promotion.

But on Monday, the day before we were supposed to leave, we were directed to another independent LDS bookstore, Crowley's, a pocket store on the opposite side of the mall from Barnes and Noble. Okay, I thought. I'll drop in for another meet and greet. Not!

It's hard to describe the welcome I received from Richard Crowley! He'd put a lot of effort into getting writers to his store during the temple open house, because he was anticipating a lot of business. He'd asked DB for help in this regard, but they were understandably too busy getting ready for the LDS Booksellers convention to respond to his request. So he was thrilled to have a DB author show up on his doorstep—even if it was on a Monday morning. And he wasn't going to let this opportunity pass by.

Before I knew it, he'd set up a table near the entrance and talked me into staying for a hour-long impromptu signing! I felt sort of silly. Who would stop by on a Monday morning? But I had a delightful time. Who wouldn't when a reader comes looking for Surprise Packages and is totally thrilled to meet one of the authors! I also met someone who knew Lael from her Mink Creek days. And I know that from establishing this personal connection, Richard will direct readers to our series.

Oh, re: the reunions: We had a wonderful time with picnicking with Barga relatives at the Jerome city park. The next day we were at the park again to enjoy spending time with Morris relatives. What nice people they all are. I'm lucky to be part of their family.

How to start a novel: write first or outline first?

2008-07-25T15:10:00.000-07:00

In March, I gave a seminar at the LDStorymakers writer's conference entitled, Creating Your Inner Writing Team. One point I discussed was the way one's natural preference (right brain or left brain) can affect the process of writing. While most people have and use both sides of their brains (hee, hee), our natural preference affects how we go about a project. I gave the example of folks who find it easy to outline a paper and then write it following the outline and folks who are frozen at the prospect of beginning with an outline. They have to write the paper first, then the outline!

So now Nancy and I are working on a project (Lael's writing a YA novel for the national market), and the question of how to begin raised it's head. When writing my earlier novels, I had an idea, and then sat down in front of the typewriter or computer and started writing. I often only had the vaguest notion of what characters besides the protagonist would populate the novel and what the plot points would be.

For example, when I wrote my first novel, The Broken Covenant, I wanted to explore why and how a "good" LDS woman would move from being a devoted wife to having an affair. I had no idea how to begin, so I started writing the conversations I knew this character would have. With the man in question, her husband, her children, the bishop, etc.

I followed much the same process with my other novels. However, working with Nancy as co-author requires a different plan. Outlining and plotting first! Oy vey! Nancy came up with a great idea. Through brainstorming, we knew who the main characters were and what the general plot line would be (a road trip/development novel). But we had to go far beyond that so we wouldn't waste time going down paths that were unproductive.

Luckily, about that time I got a copy of The Writer's Journey/Mythic Structures for Writers by Christopher Vogler. What a fascinating book. Basically, Vogler shows how every successful work of fiction--humorous, epic, whatever——has a character arc that can overlay classic idea of The Hero's Journey. There's been much discussion, for example, of how The Hero's Journey can be seen in the Star Wars trilogy.

So I used the points on the character arc that Vogler outlines in the book as a scaffolding to begin plotting the new novel. The points are,

1. Limited awareness of a problem

2. Increased awareness

3. Reluctance to change

4. Overcoming reluctance

5. Committing to change

6. Experimenting with first change

7. Preparing for big change

8. Attempting big change

9. Consequences of the change

10. Rededication to change

11. Final attempt at big change

12. Final mastery of the problem

I was amazed at how working with these points opened up all sorts of possibilities. Before long, I had a basic structure on paper. Now Nancy and I can have fun filling it out and refining it.

Of course, even with this outline, new ideas and unexpected plot turns will come up in the writing itself. I'm looking forward to seeing where we'll end up, but happily we have a good idea of where we're going!

Book review

2008-07-11T21:26:00.000-07:00

I’ve set myself a goal for the next year to read as many books by LDS authors as I can. I started off with Tristi Pinkston’s book Nothing to Regret because I’m thinking of doing something myself concerning one of the World War II Japanese relocation centers. Here is my review of the book:

Tristi Pinkston knows how to get a story started and keep it rolling. She begins her book Nothing to Regret with the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7, 1941. Ken Sugihara, her protagonist, has been happily attending Berkeley, but the events of that day totally change his life. He is Nisei, an American of Japanese ancestry. Much to his consternation, he and all other people of Japanese ancestry on the west coast are suddenly outcasts, looked upon with suspicion and suspected of spying. Almost before they realize what’s happening, they are interned in various “relocation centers” throughout the west. Ken and his family are sent to Topaz, Utah, where they are virtually prisoners.

Life is monotonous in the camp, so when Ken, who speaks fluent Japanese, has the opportunity to go on a very dangerous mission as a American spy in the heart of Japan, he accepts, knowing that serving his country in this way is fully as dangerous as being in the front lines of the war. Thus begins a saga which the author keeps moving at a fast pace until the surprising ending.

The author sustains reader interest throughout the book through unexpected twists and turns. She has done her research well so that it has the feel of authenticity. I recommend this book for all World War II buffs as well as those who just simply like a good story.

Review by Lael Littke

Writing and Weddings

2008-06-29T10:02:00.001-07:00

A look through our garden gate the night of the Tropical Twilight Reception.

Planning an garden wedding reception and a plotting a novel have a surprising amount in common. Theme, pacing, overall arc, and effect. The theme, both in novel writing and in planning this reception, set the boundaries and demanded certain elements be included or excluded in the overall architecture.

The theme for the wedding reception we hosted in our back yard on June 21, was Tropical Twilight. When we heard, we knew instantly that it would include tiki torches marking the paths, glittering lights on trees, fence lines, and the rocks walls of the garden, and splashy plantings of brightly colored flowers in coral, hot pink, reds, yellows, and purples. Even the menu was defined by the theme, sauteed chicken with peanut sauce, fruited rice, strawberry and spinach salad, and those wonderful Polynesian rolls baked in a sauce of sugar and coconut milk.

We structured the set-up to keep the guests flowing from the reception line to the buffet to the dining set-ups in the three teak wood gazeboes in the middle of the yard and then on to clusters of intimate seating to encourage long conversations and relaxation.

Pacing the activities to keep the energy flowing took as much care as planning peaks in a plot. Start the live music before the guests arrived to entice them in from yard (joined by a side gate) to yard. Cut the cake when there is a lull in the receiving line. (There never was.) Have the bride and groom take their dance early so that everyone will feel free to hit the dance floor (in this case the basket ball court).

And finally, make the ending short and sweet and don't drag out the clean up.

The creative process takes place everyday in our lives. Whether it's in more recognizable ways like plotting a novel, planning a painting, and designing a garden, or in more subtle circumstances; solving a problem, adding missing elements to a relationship, or parenting a child, we thank the good God who made us for imagination, the ability to forcast possible outcomes and the reason to make choices.

The Writer's Desk—to Clean or Not to Clean?

2008-06-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

That is the question, especially for this writer's desk.

In the months prior to the completion of Surprise Packages, my U-shaped desk collected many piles of papers. Some had to do with the book, others with parts of my life not directly related to writing: family, home, church, travel, caregiving group, etc.

Now that the book is at the printers, I have no excuse for not tackling those piles. But it's so hard to begin! For years, I've bought books on organization in the hope that if I discovered the perfect system, I could lick the problem of the cluttered desk once and for all. But I haven't found one yet designed for a procrastinator who is also a right-brained visual organizer.

The thing about visual organizers (I'm not the only one) is that out of sight really is out of mind. If I can't see it, it doesn't exist. And in an odd way, my piles do work for me--I almost always know which pile holds the particular information I'm hunting for, even how far down it is.

But since those piles are getting out of hand, I have to take some action short of putting items in a folder and filing them in a drawer, which would be tantamount to tossing them down a black hole. My plan is to sort the piles by project or domain, tossing papers that are no longer useful. The writing projects I'll put in individual totes. Papers having to do with domains will go in their own wire basket.

Finally, I'll put a calendar and a HOT list of tasks by my computer where I can't avoid seeing them. And I'll spend a few minutes every morning and evening identifying what most needs to be done.

I hope this plan will work! Now I just have to get off my duff and get started.

Hobbling Through Zion

2008-06-15T18:05:00.000-07:00

It's hard navigating the dictionary to find words to describe the canyons of Zion National Park, even for a writer. It's even harder navigating the paths if you're a writer hobbling along in orthopedic sandals supported by two canes and a patient husband. But here I am! Nearly at the mouth of the Narrows on the River Walk at the top of Zion Canyon.

Can you tell by my smile that I felt like I was "all that and a slice of gingerbread?" The only thing that thrilled me more was seeing the golden columbine in full bloom hanging from the walls in the canyon. Where else but Zion can you find woodland flowers flourishing in the middle of a desert?

We ended our short jaunt by arriving in Las Vegas in time to see my five year old granddaughter perform in her dance recital. How's that for a perfect adventure? Two rare desert flowers in one day.

The Cover for Surprise Packages is Revealed!

2008-06-13T21:52:00.001-07:00

From the backliner:

Surprise Packages is the best book of the series! —Erma Carrier

This series is an endearing tribute to women and every kind of love they experience—times three. —Ginger Franz

Fifteen years after meeting at Education Week at Brigham Young University, the friends face new challenges. Deenie, now living in Gainesville, Florida, wonders if a new “where” calls for a new “who.” Juneau’s feelings of guilt come to a head when a secret from her childhood resurfaces. And Erin takes a second chance on love—with unexpected results. Through e-mails, phone calls, and visits, the three women support each other in the face of whatever life brings. But as they anticipate meeting to see if they’ve become Crusty Old Broads, events take a turn that puts the completion of The Pact in doubt.

This third book in "The Company of Good Women" series will be released to stores on August 6th. Stay tuned for more information on the Virtual Book Tour which will be launched July 1st, with stops all over the Internet!

TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG

2008-06-04T23:20:00.000-07:00

I was born in the era of manual typewriters. My brain was not even wired for electricity. Now I'm trying to impose computer stuff on it which it has struggled to handle, but when I asked it to understand blogs, it totally wiped out. I'm a techno dorkwad (I saw that term in a post from Tami Norton, and it fits so well that I've adopted it). Alas, poor Yorick! I may be joining you, if I keep pushing my mental machinery.

Floating My Fears Away by Lael Littke

2008-06-04T21:56:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a cruise to Alaska. Aside from the usual benefits, I found that I gained something else from the trip: I overcame my fear of deep water, just about the last of my lifelong hangups. As a child, I had a list of fears as long as my cat’s tail. In fact, the cat himself was on my list. I’d heard that if you let a cat sleep with you, it would take your breath. Exactly what that meant, I wasn’t sure. But it wasn’t true because the cat frequently slept on my chest and I let him because I loved him. If he took my breath, he gave it back each morning.

I was afraid of the tiger which lived under the porch. Hadn’t my brother pointed out its eyes shining in the dark? In fact, my brother said the tiger had eaten his playmate, George Harry Petey John. He said it was a bloody fight. Since I had never seen George Harry Petey John, I couldn’t say for sure. His playmate, he said, was something like the Holy Ghost, always there if you needed him but never intruding when you didn’t.

My brother alerted me to the Tree Witch who lived in the tall box elder in front of our house. She was there to snatch away children who missed the schoolbus or faked illness in order to skip school and then had the bad judgment to go outside and play. She was related to the Water Woman, a cruel prankster our mother warned us about who pulled little kids under the water of the creek that ran past our house if they got too close. (I wonder if that’s where I got my fear of water. That creek was at least eight inches deep.)

I was terrified of a tall girl named Letha at our small country school. She would peer over the door of the stall in the girls’ bathroom and snarl, “What are doing in there, you little twerp?” Most days I would try to wait until I got home to go.

I won’t go through the whole list, but one by one I conquered most of my fears, or simply grew out of them. But it took a while to overcome my fear of submitting a story in my writing class in New York City. I had taken every writing class offered at Utah State University, but we were mostly Mormons there and my mild little tales were well received. But after I was married and my husband and I moved to New York to pursue further education, I signed up for a class at City College of New York.

The students there were different from those at Utah State. They were sophisticated, jaded, blasé. They’d seen everything, done everything. They wrote stories of sexual perversions I’d never even heard of. How could I hand in my little yarns about Snookie, the shy young Idaho cowboy smitten for the new schoolteacher lady, or Grandma Feeney who saved her best dishes and linens for “company best” and thus never used them – until the day that . . . .

To my surprise, my classmates liked my stories and laughed in all the right places even though they regarded me as something of an anomoly there in the Big City. The teacher, a hard-bitten woman who wore a strip of adhesive tape on her forehead and down over the nosepiece of her glasses so they wouldn’t slide, called me to her desk one day. “Ms. Littke,” she said, looking over the top of said glasses, “you could be a selling author if you’d just write about reality.” “But I do,” I countered, shamefaced at being so country-girl. “What I write about is reality to me.” She stared at me for a long moment, and then said, “Ms. Littke you’re very lucky.”

So much for fears. If that old Water Woman was along with me on my Alaska cruise, I hope she enjoyed it as much as I did.

Good new post by Carroll

2008-05-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

I realized after posting Good News and Sobering Conversation that I didn't identify myself as the writer. Pretty important when there will be three of us Crusty Old Broads contributing. I'll figure this blogging thing out soon!

Additional information: For those of you who might not know, Gary and I live south of Tucson, about 45 minutes from the border crossing at Nogales.

Good news, sobering conversation

2008-05-30T13:18:00.004-07:00

Great news! Our editor has made the galley corrections on Surprise Packages, the cover photo will be shot this weekend, and the book goes to the printer on Thursday. Yippee!

Knowing our book was on its way, I started my morning walk feeling great. The sun was shining, the air cool and full of birdsong. But then I had a sobering conversation with a couple I met on the road. The wife had a pair of binoculars, so I asked her what birds they were hoping to see. (Our area draws birders from all around the world.) The woman said she had her binocs not to spot birds but to get the license numbers of vehicles picking up illegals at the Lutheran Church we were just passing!

These folks, who live backed up to state land not far from Gary and me, have often seen illegals passing behind their house, waiting at the drop site (sometimes in the church parking lot), or being picked up. They've also seen the shocking amount of trash that mars the desert--the coyotes who pick illegal crossers up make them leave everything behind so they can put more people in their vehicles.

All of this wasn't new to me--I've seen the trash myself when walking west from our development along a dirt road leading out to a pair of water towers. I've seen illegals waiting to be picked up and even a couple in Safeway. But I was surprised to hear that the border patrol had recently told the folks I met this morning not to walk out in the desert behind their home anymore--the coyotes smuggling people and/or drugs wouldn't hesitate to shoot anyone they thought might be a threat!

Until recently, I've not been too worried when walking around the water towers (I'm always with someone). But with the level of lawlessness and violence increasing, I think taking that walk even with companions might be irresponsible on my part. With things the way they are, I can't be sure that I will be safe in one of the most glorious parts of God's creation.

That's sad.

Welcome!

2008-05-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

So here I am, Carroll Morris, writing the first post for our blog, Crusty Old Broads. The other two women who make up the “Broads” in the name of our blog are my sister, Nancy Anderson, and our friend and writing partner, Lael Littke. We’ll be taking turns posting, so you’ll get to know all of us—like getting three for one!

I’m a newbie at this, so I’m imagining that I’m addressing friends as I write, people who are interested in the same things I am, or simply curious about what people are thinking and doing—and why.

That’s what interests me as a writer. My co-authors Nancy and Lael, too. Yes, the three of us have written not just one book together but a trilogy called The Company of Good Women.

I don’t know of any other novels written by a trio, so I guess that makes us unique. We started writing together after vacationing together for over ten years. One day when we were in Moab, Utah, my sister asked, “Why don’t we write a book together.”

It was a good thing we had no idea what we were getting into when we brainstormed about what the theme and story question of the book might be. We decided some things right then that became the basis of the trilogy. We would each write from the viewpoint of a female character. We would explore what it takes to heal the gulf between self and self, self and others, and self and God. Pretty lofty, but I think we accomplished what we set out to do. And told a darn good story in the process.

Anyway, that off-hand question became a commitment and then a driving force in our lives. As the amount of text we generated over the next several years piled up, it became clear that our story was going to be 1200 pages long—or a trilogy! When Lael e-mailed an editor at Deseret Book about our project, the response was immediate and positive!

The first two books in the series, Almost Sisters and Three Tickets to Peoria are available from Amazon.com and Deseretbook.com. The conclusion, Surprise Packages, will be out in July.

Although the books are not autobiographical, it is interesting that three Crusty Old Broads from different parts of the country ( Nancy from Utah, Lael from California and Carroll from Minnesota and now Arizona) wrote about three female characters from different parts of the country and their quest to become Crusty Old Broads!

I just sent off the corrected galleys for Surprise Packages on Monday. What a relief that was. Writing the conclusion to the series taxed all of us, because we wanted it to be satisfying to our readers, to mean something. I think we succeeded in doing that. Now we’re waiting to see what the cover will look like and have the book out on the shelves in July!

Now that you know a little about us as a trio of COBs (Crusty Old Broads), here’s a little about me.

I'm married and the mother of four adult children. My husband and I live in a retirement community south of Tucson. Three of our children live in the West, a daughter lives in Germany.

I love to travel. My husband, kids and I will fly to Germany in the fall for our daughter’s. Then we’ll spend a week in Rome. We’ve rented an apartment by the Spanish Steps—how cool is that!

I love to explore the Sonoran Desert in SE Arizona, vacation in Rocky Point, Mexico (Arizona’s beach), and watch the dramatic storms that come during the summer monsoon season.

Of course, I love to read (currently I’m reading Eat, Pray, Love).

Lately I’ve taken up making small Zuni-type animal fetishes out of self-hardening clay. So far I’ve fashioned a coyote, a buffalo, and a bear.

I love watching American Idol (yeah David Cook!), Dancing with the Stars, and Law and Order.

And I love turquoise—I don’t think a woman can have too many pieces of turquoise jewelry!