Writing Journey & Randomness

I began chronicling my writing journey something like a year ago (wowzers), and we're basically up to present day. I've talked about submitting the chocolate cookbook. About a week ago (not on the Journey series) I announced it had been officially accepted but that we don't haven an official release date.

So that's just about as current as you get.

I'll continue to give updates and talk about what I'm working on and how things are going.

As I've written the series, I've collected a list of questions that readers have dropped into the comments about writing and publication issues, and I decided to use them for future parts of this series. Plus, there are lots of things I never did talk about, and I may discuss random things that come to me. (One topic: audio books. Oh, heaven help me. I never did describe the hideous torture of abridgment. I will soon.)

As a reader or an aspiring writer, if you have any questions for me, please drop a note, whether in the comments or via e-mail (see my profile), and I'll put them in my queue. I've known some things about the publishing industry so long that I forget that ten years ago I didn't know this, that, or the other and that someone else might find it interesting. So ask away!

Here's what I'm up to right now and in the near future with writing:

• Waiting to get my edits for Band of Sisters. I should have them in hand any day now.
• Doing lots of freelance editing work.
• Entering writing contests.
• Writing some freelance articles.
• I recently resubmitted a manuscript somewhere because of something a little bird told me. That's all I'll say about that right now. If I get good news, I'll be sure to announce it.
• After I get my edits done, I'll be focusing on finishing up revisions on my murder mystery. If all goes well, since it's already written, I'll turn it in by the end of the year.
• After the new year, I plan to revisit the Finnish folktale manuscript. I need to do some additional polishing on it, but with that whole Summer of Chocolate thing, the folktale sort of got sent to the back burner.
• Come March, Band of Sisters will be released! (So come December/January, I'll be doing proofing and all that fun stuff.) I'm sure there will be much celebration (and promotion) in the land. Actually, I hope to use the book to bring attention to families with a deployed parent and help support them. I've got a neat charity I've been watching with that in mind. Stay tuned for that.

Announcement

On Saturday, December 19, I'll be doing ONE book signing for All Is Bright, the collection of true Christmas short stories I'm part of. I believe Heather (H.B.) Moore and possibly Julie Wright (also with stories in the collection) will be there as well. We'll be at the Spanish Fork Seagull from noon to 2:00.

Whitney Awards

Last year I got to be on the Whitney committee. It was a great experience, and one I'm so glad I had. This year, since I have a book published (and hence am eligible for an award), I'm not on the committee, but I do get to be a category judge, which is fun. So I've been doing lots and lots of reading of nominees in my two assigned categories.

Reminder for all readers: This is a reader-driven award program. No book gets nominated unless a reader does it, and a book needs FIVE nominations to move on to the judges. It's that time of year; we have just a month and a half left. If you love a particular book by any LDS writer (that includes nationally published writers as well LDS market writers), be sure to jump over to the Whitney site and nominate it by December 31.

This isn't a personal plug. Thanks to a few insider connections, I happen to know that Tower has enough nominations to move on to the judging stage, so there's no need to race over to nominate it. Just remember to nominate your favorite books. Don't assume they're nominated. Every year there are some books people just assume have been nominated that haven't been.

Randomness

It's official; I'm old. Years ago, my husband and I taught a sweet little class of kids in Primary who were 9 going on 10. At the time, our oldest was learning to crawl. (Our son is now in 9th grade and is taller than I am, so yeah, it was awhile ago.)

One of those class members is one of my Facebook friends, and it's been fun to watch him posting things about his life as a returned missionary, a college student, and so on. Today he posted a song he and a friend recorded.

The song is about a boy named Taylor and a girl named Amber . . . making out. First I laughed. It was definitely a song university students would make up. And then I wondered . . . where did my innocent little Primary boy go?

Apparently, he grew up. Which means I'm a fossil.

Brady, I hope you don't mind me posting this for the world to hear. It was just too funny not to.

Listen to the song HERE. Laugh and enjoy. Brady's the one doing the harmony.

Reminder

Don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY for the footrest! Contest closes Sunday night, and I'll announce the winner Monday.

One more benefit I've discovered:

As I use the footrest, it keeps my body more balanced and squared. As a result, I've discovered that I have a tendency to lean left while typing. I never knew that. With my feet planted on the footrest, I've been more aware of that, so I correct it and sit straighter more often. I have to think the footrest will help with my posture and headaches the longer I use it.