Events & Links

Events, Links, Tips

Events!

Shirley Bahlmann will be story telling at Ephraim, Utah Scandinavian Festival on May 24, 2008.

Links to LDS Authors

Jewel Adams ∙ Author of Elise’s Heart and Mercedes’ Mountain.

Linda Paulson Adams ∙ Author of the Thy Kingdom Come series: Progidal Son and Refining Fire. Amongst the best in Last-days Fiction.

Tara C. Allred ∙ Author of Sander's Starfish a compelling fiction book about mental illness.

Michele Ashman Bell ∙ Author of the Latter Day Spies series, Forget Me Not and many, many others.

Julie Coulter Bellon ∙ Author of Through Love's Trials and On the Edge, both in the romantic suspense/mystery genre.

Elizabeth Petty Bentley ∙ Author of In a Dry Land and also the owner/operator of Parables Publishing.

Kerry Lynn Blair ∙ Author of the brand new hysterically funny Mummy's the Word, as well as The Heart Only Knows, The Heart Has its Reasons, and my personal favorite of hers, This Just In, a hilarious book about what happens when an image-conscious anchorwoman gets lost out in the desert.

Trina Boice ∙ Author of Easy Enrichment Ideas, Sabbath Solutions, and more.

Anne Bradshaw ∙ Author of the coming-of-age Terracotta Summer and Chamomile Winter. Lose yourself in the British flavor of Anne's books.

Cheri Crane ∙ Author of The Fine Print and the Kate series.

James Dashner ∙ Author of the amazing Jimmy Fincher Saga: A Door in the Woods, A Gift of Ice, The Tower of Air and War of the Black Curtain. Move over Harry Potter!

Loralee Evans ∙ Author of The Birthright and The King’s Heir.

Stephanie Fowers ∙ Author of Rules of Engagement.

Willard Boyd Gardner ∙ Author of Race Against Time and Pursuit of Justice.

Chris Heimerdinger ∙ Author of the wildly popular Tennis Shoes series. Visit his online bookstore for books published by LDS Storymakers.

Dean Hughes ∙ Author of The Children of the Promise, Hearts of the Children series, Hooper Haller, and many, many others.

Janet Jensen ∙ Co-author of The Booklover’s Cookbook. If you saw a food mentioned in a novel, chances are this book will have the recipe.

Christine Kersey ∙ Author of the suspense novel No Way Out.

Josi S. Kilpack ∙ Author of the emotionally rewarding books To Have and To Hold, Starstruck, Tempest Tossed, Surrounded by Strangers, and Earning Eternity. Josi tackles the tough issues and shows that even the most difficult of challenges can be overcome.

Erin Klingler ∙ Author of Love Beyond Tomorrow, a romance with a message of faith and staying true to yourself."

Crystal Liechty ∙ Author of The First Year.

Annette Lyon ∙ Annette Lyon, author of Lost Without You, At the Water’s Edge, and her newest release, The House on the Hill, a historical fiction novel set during the construction of the Logan temple.

Marcia Lynn McClure ∙ Author of the romantic The Heavenly Surrender, as well as Dusty Britches, Shackles of Honor, and Visions of Ransom Lake.

Sherry Ann Miller ∙ Author of The Search for the Bark Warwick and its sequel, and others.

Heather B. Moore (HB Moore) ∙ Author of the Out of Jerusalem series.

Carroll Morris, Nancy Anderson and Lael Littke ∙ Authors of Almost Sisters.

Robert H. Moss ∙ Author of Through Deepening Trials, The Nephite Chronicles, and more.

Tamra Norton ∙ Author of the delightful Molly Mormon?, Molly Married? and Molly Mommy? books. A wonderful collection to add to your Young Adult library.

Rachel Ann Nunes ∙ Author of the Ariana series, Secret of the King, Daughter of the King and many, many more.

Alison Palmer ∙ Author of the children’s music series, Sharing through Song.

Katie Parker ∙ Author of the young adult fiction book Just the Way You Are.

Lisa J. Peck ∙ Author of the delightful CTR For Kids series, the harrowing Escaping the Shadows and the inspirational Mothers of the Prophets series. You may also find out more about Lisa's work at www.escapingtheshadows.com, www.ctrclub4kids.com, and www.mothersoftheprophets.com.

James Rada ∙Author of October Mourning, Between Rail and River, and more.

Janette Rallison (Sierra St. James) ∙ Author of What the Doctor Ordered, Masquerade, and Timeriders.

BJ Rowley ∙ Author of Mysterious Ways, What Makes Guys Tick, a must read for every young woman, 16 in No Time, Sting, and the utterly fantastic Light Traveler series.

Gordon Ryan ∙ Author of the historically rich Spirit of Union series and Threads of Honor.

Candace Salima ∙ A motivational speaker and talented author of Out of the Shadows . . . Into the Light, 13 and 0: Reflections of Champions

Jeffrey S. Savage ∙ Author of Cutting Edge, Into the Fire, and a new mystery series starring spunky detective Shandra Covington

LeeAnn Setzer ∙ Author of Gathered: a Novel of Ruth, and the Sariah McDuff series.

Eric Swedin ∙ Author of The Killing of Greybird.

Carole Thayne ∙ Author of the suspenseful A Question of Trust and False Pretenses.

Jaime Theler and Deborah Talmadge ∙ Authors of Parenting the Ephraim’s Child.

Marsha Ward ∙ Author of the exciting Man from Shenandoah and Ride to Raton.

Robison Wells ∙ Author of the hilarious Wake Me When It’s Over, On Second Thought and The Counterfeit. Robison also keeps tabs on the reviews we get and has an index of them at the LDS Fiction Review Database.

Julie Wright ∙ Author of thought provoking and delightful novels such as My-Not-So-Fairy Tale Life, To Catch a Falling Star and Loved Like That.

WRITING TIPS

	Writing Tips If you have a desire, then that means you have the ability somewhere inside you to carry out your desire. The level of achievement you reach will depend on your stick-to-it-ivness, and whether you posses a driving desire that pulses to the rhythm of your own heart beat, or are simply entertaining a pleasant daydream. And just between you and me, daydreaming is very fulfilling! I do it all the time! I highly recommend it.
	Ideas Ideas are absolutely everywhere; in the paper, on TV, in the faces of people you pass on the sidewalk, bits of overheard conversation, or an odd thought that crosses your mind. Anything that makes you look twice, laugh out loud, or shake your head in wonder is worthy of exploring for possible plot development. You can take a single incident, real or imagined, and think it into a book over the course of a few weeks.
	Method Write every day. I choose not to write on Sunday, except in my journal. I begin with prayer. Don’t worry about what you write. No one has to see it but you. Write what you like. Don’t let someone else tell you what you “should” write. You’ve got to like what you’re doing, or what’s the point? This is not to say that you won’t have times when you’re tired of your project and might even be tempted to drop it. Don’t! Make yourself finish, even if it just sits in a file folder as a first draft. There is an indescribable boost to your spirit for having completed a manuscript, even if it never receives a final polish. Get to the end. Allow yourself room to let the characters do what they want. I once had a character that was wrestled to the ground and was supposed to drink some water from a canteen held at the ready. It was all there, written out on my chapter cards, plain to see. Yet he fought off his attackers, struggled to his feet, and lumbered away without getting his dose of H2O. I stopped typing, threw my hands up in the air, and yelled. “Where are you going? You’re not supposed to do that!” But I let him go, rewrote the scene so that the canteen was empty anyway, and reworked the subsequent chapters. He’s a richer character for having been allowed to act impulsively. Your inner voice is true. Don’t be afraid to let your story tell itself. I like to write my book all the way through before I let others read it or even discuss what I’m writing with anyone. If I keep it all inside me, then it’s more eager to get out, and I find an inner motivation compelling me to keep writing until it’s finished, and the page on the screen is the only confidant I allow until the first draft is done. I print my writing out in hard copy and file it, because I don’t trust the electronic medium to keep it safe. Then I tuck the manuscript away for a minimum of six weeks (it usually sits longer than that!) and I work on something else. Then when I pull it out again to re-read it, I can see it with fresh eyes, and make more intelligent revisions. Tell the story as simply as you can. Leave out the fancy words that people have to look up in the dictionary or the descriptions that last for a page and a half. Have your storyline be the compelling force that pulls people along from page to page.
	Polish I actually enjoy re-writing. I don’t have to wonder about where the path is going to take me, or how I’m going to build a bridge to get from one thought or scene to the next. Rather, it feels like walking from the cottage to the castle, planting flowers and pruning branches along the way. When I’m comfortable with what I’ve written, I take it to my proofreaders. In return for their time, I put their names in the “Acknowledgements” section of the book and give them a free copy. When I first recruited proofreaders and handed them my manuscript, it was with a plea that because they loved and cared about me, they should be brutal. I wanted them to wear out their red pencils in marking anything and everything that pulled them out of the story, was unresolved, or dragged them to the point of boredom. Because they cared, they would do me a great kindness in helping me make my story the best it could be by being completely honest. Some of them were hesitant at first, but when I went through the manuscript with them, smiling and begging, “What else? Tell me more!” they soon realized that our friendship was not in jeopardy by anything they said about my writing! I take my proofreader’s finished copies and compile all of their comments onto one master copy, using different colors of ink for different people. This way, I can see when everyone points out a place that needs work, and I fix it without question. In other places, maybe one or two of my readers will have had a problem with a particular situation. Then I read their suggestions and think it over and decide if I want to change it. Sometimes it takes a couple of days to percolate, but when I quiet myself and listen, I always know what to do. Don’t be afraid to cut what you’ve written if it ’s boring, unnecessary or redundant. A longer book is not a better book. Your book should be just long enough to tell your story. On my final re-write, I always read the book aloud. There is something about the spoken word that catches awkward phrasing and stiff dialogue like nothing else I’ve found. It takes time, but it’s worth it. There is such a thing as re-writing a manuscript to death. There is always something you could change. You’ve got to ask yourself if the changes you’re considering are going to make that much difference to the story. If you’ve got a solid tale that evokes emotion in you, the writer, and carries you along as you read on a smooth road without interruption in the story flow, and if you feel a sense of accomplishment at the end and can attach your name to the cover of the book with pride, then it’s finished. My final word of advice if you are seeking to be published is to present your manuscript in the attitude that you have something worthwhile to contribute, and you know that your work is good. If you are turned down, see it as the result of lacking a good match. Your work is not diminished. Send it off again, and work on something else in the meantime. Harry Potter was rejected nine times before it found a publisher. Tom Clancy and Wayne Dyer couldn’t find anyone to publish them, so they self-published their work. Write what you love, believe in yourself and the value of what you do, and you’ll be a success.