Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Winners #1, Questions #3

First, the today's giveaway winners.

Selected by using Random.org:

1) The 2 oz. bottle of "Tabitha" perfume, donated by Karlene of Urban Botanics, goes to Mindi at The Battraws!

2) The cookbook by Luisa of Novembrance, Comfortably Yum: Food for Body and Spirit goes to Sandra of Sandra's Dance!

3) And Sherrie Shepherd's pre-release CD, Solitude goes to Cheryl at Happy Meets Crazy!


Congratulations, everyone!

Stay tuned for more winners tomorrow! (You do have all 13 entries you're entitled to, right? Check the giveaway post to see how to get them all!)


Now for more reader questions:

AmandaD asked: What other LDS authors do enjoy reading?

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are some I enjoy:

LDS Market:
Michele Paige Holmes (Counting Stars)
Josi S. Kilpack (Her Good Name and others)
H.B. Moore (Abinadi)
Julie Wright (My Not-So-Fairytale Life)
N. C. Allen (Isabell Webb: Legend of the Jewel)
Robison Wells (The Counterfeit)
Sandra Grey (Traitor)
Angela Hallstrom (Bound on Earth)

And from the national market:
Janette Rallison (All's Fair in Love, War, and High School)
Brandon Sanderson (The Mistborn series)
Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game)
Jessica Day George (Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow)


I could go on, but that's a pretty good start. :)


AmandaD also asked: What are your favorite movies?

Much Ado about Nothing, A Knight's Tale, and some of the old Hitchcock greats like Charade and Wait until Dark. I also love old musicals like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and The Slipper and the Rose.

JustRandi asked: If you could write and be successful in any genre, would you choose a different one?

Ideally, I'd love to write in three or four genres. My next book is a slight genre switch, going from historical romance to contemporary women's fiction. I have really enjoyed writing historical fiction, but some day it would be fun to branch out into murder mysteries or young adult fantasies.

She also asked: When your husband isn't coming home for dinner, do you still cook?
Rarely. The kids are old enough now to cook a bit themselves, so I let them have at it with pancakes or macaroni and cheese.

QueenMemory asked several questions:

Who is your favorite actor?
One of my favorites was Heath Ledger (hence A Knight's Tale being in my list of top movies). I also love Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, and Kenneth Brannaugh.

What is your favorite family activity?
I love a good family game night. The few times we've gone camping or have just gone up the canyon for a campfire and dinner have been awesome too.

How did you meet your husband?
We were cha-cha partners on one of BYU's summer ballroom teams. I wrote all about it here.

Who is your favorite fan?
My mom. I love how everywhere she goes, she brags about me and my books, even in the most obscure places. She's bragged in the streets of Jerusalem and at a health food store in Helsinki. It's awesome.

Do you teach knitting?
Not unless you're my eleven-year-old daughter, and even then, it's a frustrating experience!

Luisa asked:
Have you gotten fan mail? If so, how have you handled it?
I get some, but not tons. I try to answer every letter or e-mail I get. I also keep them all. Writers tends to swing between great self-confidence and absolute despair so often that I need to read something positive when I'm feeling like I'm kidding myself.


Amelia's questions:

What was the process of getting your first book published?
Lots of writing, submitting, getting rejected, networking, getting critiqued, and not giving up. Part II and Part III of my Writing Journey series cover most of the story of my first book.

How do you handle criticism from an editor/publisher?
I've been in a critique group for over nine years, so I've got a pretty thick skin. I will say it's easier to take criticism from my group (since I know and trust them implicitly, thanks to our long history together) than others, but my editors have always been great too.

As a writer, you have to reach the point where you know in your heart that criticism from editors is not a personal attack. In my experience, it's always been aimed at improving the work. How could I not welcome that? I may not agree with everything, but I don't get upset over suggestions and criticism, and we always find common ground. I've been very lucky with the editors I've had; they're both excellent at what they do.

Who are your favorite authors?
Aside from the LDS writers I listed above, of course there's L. M. Montgomery. I also love Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Harper Lee, C. S. Lewis, and John Steinbeck.

And for the record, I despise Faulkner.


Today's tour stop:
Novembrance

25 comments:

Erin said...

Why are all of the cool giveaways the week I'm going out of the country? Bummer.

But I enjoyed reading this post. I'll have to look up some of those other authors I had never heard of until now.

Kristina P. said...

Huh! That LDs author list seems to be a little shorter than I expected. ;)

And I can't believe you didn't visit me yesterday! I know you want to win a Snuggie!!!

Kimberly Vanderhorst said...

Ooo...that stretching feeling...I think...yes...I think my To Read list just grew again. Ouch.

Love learning more about you!

Lara Neves said...

Hmm....there are a few on your list that I haven't even heard of, much less read. Will have to look them up.

Also, I just blogged about your giveaway and I put the button on my sidebar.

LisAway said...

I love that you don't cook when your husband's not eating. Probably few women do. Those are scrambled egg nights at our house.

Congrats to the lucky winners! Off to Novembrance

Jan said...

Congrats to the winner. And that list is impressive. Isn't it exciting that you are actually on that list too? Seriously Annette. A dream for a lot and you have accomplished it. Yippee to you.

Cheryl said...

YAY! I won something! I rarely win, so this is nice --especially since it's piano music (I'm a pianist myself, yo).

I rarely cook unless hubby will be there, either. I think it's strange --don't my kids deserve a good meal? But then I realized, my kids don't WANT a good meal. They want chicken nuggets. So, perhaps having dad around makes all their dinner nightmares come true... :)

Charlie Moore said...

Sorry ladies, just jumping in for a second. Actually, I like cooking a good meal for my wife once in a while ... really.

Charlie

TheOneTrueSue said...

Hi Annette! I'm curious - is your contemporary women's fiction manuscript for the LDS market?

Shelle-BlokThoughts said...

there is nothing better than a good Jane Austen book...once you get your mind to think that way! :)

in time out said...

okay...this seems fun to engage in. I will be back to check it out.

If you get a chance I think you would enjoy reading a long post that I co wrote with my aunt. It tears at your heart in both good and bad ways. Let me know what you think. We, well, she wrote to heal. I wrote to thank her for helping me heal. Thanks for reading if you can.

http://womendoingmore.blogspot.com/2009/03/anthony.html

Anonymous said...

You're like my internet twin! I love Much Ado about Nothing, A Knight's Tale,Charade, Heath Ledger, Kenneth Brannaugh, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, & C. S. Lewis

Kenneth in Much Ado makes me laugh my head off. "Ca-caw!" =]

Julie Wright said...

I'm on your lds author list!!! Can I tell you I'm giggling right now over that with delight and glee? Does that make me immature? Ah well. we are who we are. I love you!

Julie Wright said...

And I was comment number 13 . . . that made me giggle too. :)

Annette Lyon said...

Julie, Um, DUH. Of course you're on the list! You made me me laugh and cry.

Sue, Yes, the contemporary women's book is for the LDS market. I didn't start out writing it that way, but then next thing I know, I have scenes with Enrichment meetings and priesthood blessings. It works best in this market. It'll be out next spring. (Thanks for asking!)

Brillig said...

Hey-a, gorgeous! It was so fun reading through your answers here. You've given me, like, 12,000 more reasons to adore you. :-D

3 for school said...

I despise Faulkner too.

The quarter that I had to read more of his works than I ever wanted to was sheer drudgery. Thank goodness my other lit classes were much more pleasant!

Alison Wonderland said...

I'm not sure I've read enough Faulner to have an opinion but I hate Dickens so there you have it.
(Actually I think that Dickens wrote some of the most fantastic and interesting characters in fiction. I just have a lot of touble with his delivery.)

Just SO said...

I love that your mom is your favorite fan. How awesome is that? I had Steinbeck's East of Eden here at home but never got the time to read it. I need to check it out again.

Janette Rallison said...

Thanks for including me in your favorites! You rock!

And I'm not a Faulkner fan either. Great minds thinking alike again . . .

Luisa Perkins said...

I'm so sorry that my tour piece went up late! Thanks for being patient.

Little GrumpyAngel said...

Congratulations to the winners! Very fascinating Q and A. I'm glad we share 3 favorite authors.

I got to go check out the blogs on the tour now to get some ideas so mine won't end up lame (I hope).

Beth at Aunties said...

I watched you video for your new book and can't wait to read it! The Manti temple means a lot to me:) I hope when all gets together for lunch next time I will bea ble to meet you!

I am a bit behind because I am not understanding what others are talking about the tour piece...?

Jo said...

I need to get a thicker skin. You and I share many of the same favorite authors. Good taste I say!

Heidi said...

We have almost all the exact same favorite movies---I rarely meet anyone who has even heard of Slipper and the Rose! Woo hoo!

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