tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230621512024-03-13T11:28:39.590-04:00Six LDS Writers and A FrogSariah Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06606312014221875944noreply@blogger.comBlogger1461125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-89190971675084182082011-05-15T22:37:00.002-04:002011-05-15T23:35:56.188-04:00So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen...It just wouldn't be official unless my last blog was a day late and a dollar short, right? (And at least I posted, Wells.)<br /><br />My oldest son received the Aaronic priesthood today. Exactly 182 years after Joseph Smith received it (May 15, 1829). It wasn't planned that way - his birthday was on Friday and today was simply the Sunday following his 12th birthday. But the coincidence seemed sort of profound to me, as I thought about how those two events were connected. How one couldn't have happened without the other. How a beginning for Joseph Smith made this beginning possible for my son.<br /><br />So here we Frog Bloggers stand at a new beginning. A door is closing, but another door stands wide open, and I'm excited at the possibilities. But that excitement is tempered by the sadness and loss I'm also feeling.<br /><br />Looking back to when the blog started, it was unique. Now there are many multi-author blogs, but back in the day, in the LDS market at least, it was just us. I had belonged to a message board where I had gotten to know Rob and Julie, both of whom were already published. Julie kindly read my first chapter and then gave me some pointers, and Rob gave me advice on where to submit (he strongly encouraged me to submit to Covenant. And I don't know if those two know this, but I included them both in my acknowledgments of my first book). Jeff and Stephanie also posted on the board, but I hadn't interacted as much with them. I got to know Jeff better when my manuscript was accepted, and we shared the same amazing editor, and Jeff had lots of advice and recommendations when it came to the LDS industry. <br /><br />I approached Jeff, Julie and Rob with the idea for a group blog. They all seemed interested, and I thought we should get a couple more authors to give us each one day to blog. Rob immediately recommended Stephanie, because he was a fan and thought she was awesome, and Jeff thought we should add Candace Salima because of, among many other things, her marketing know-how. Candace stayed with us for a while until she had to leave (darn real life!), and fortunately it wasn't too difficult to choose her replacement - it seemed like just about everyone wanted to nab the amazing Kerry. <br /><br />I'm so grateful to Jeff for his knowledge, his willingness to share it, his words of encouragement and his example. I've been the beneficiary of his compassion, kindness and wisdom. He rocks.<br /><br />I'm thankful for Rob, for his humor, for his advice, for his dedication to LDS writers (Whitney Awards, anyone?), for his success. On my writing path, he's probably the person I've most related to. He also rocks.<br /><br />I'm grateful to Stephanie, for her talent, for her sweetness and peacemaking abilities, for her wit, for not making me too jealous over the adventures she's had and awards she's won, and for thinking of me during one of my hardest trials. She is another who rocks.<br /><br />I'm thankful for Julie, for her writing ability, dependability (the only one of us to blog every single week on her day!), for her ability to do it all and do it well, for her putting up with me when Hotmail wouldn't let her emails through, and for being such an incredibly nice and helpful person. She similarly also rocks.<br /><br />I'm grateful for Kerry, who even while she was MIA, was still with us in spirit. Who has so much love for her fellow man, and has been such an incredible example to me. I'm thankful for her self-deprecating humor, for being so humble, for her strength in adversity. When I grow up, I would like to be Kerry Blair. She rocks hard, as well.<br /><br />I love this eclectic bunch. Which feels a little strange, considering that I've never even met any of them in real life. I'm grateful that I met them online, that I got to work with them, and through them got to know so many of you. I'm thankful to all of you, who put up with my complaining, who posted words of encouragement when the light got dark, who said prayers for me and mine, who bought my books (yay!), who reviewed them (double yay!), who have followed our ups and downs and have stayed with us through it all. Gah, I actually just got teary. I never do that.<br /><br />It's not good-bye. I will see you all in cyberspace, and this is probably going to force me to go to the next Storymakers conference, although I will no longer be cool as I won't have the Frog Blog to back me up. You can find me on Twitter (@sariahwilson) and sometimes I post on Facebook ("sometimes" being a lot less often than I blogged).<br /><br />I'm going to start a personal blog, that I will probably post to sporadically (although my intentions will be to post regularly), but I have to pick a name. Something clever. Any suggestions?<br /><br />On a final note, we're not taking the blog down. So I leave you with this wealth of their knowledge (and my complaints) and thank you again for traveling this road with us.<br /><br />Thank you.Sariah Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06606312014221875944noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-39966290537647838572011-05-13T15:30:00.004-04:002011-05-13T15:57:07.886-04:00Final Friday Frog Fblog (Of Course it's the 13th)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wDDkiUIdaMorWdBphxQ9JRQ8VOmWVWC4Li-mtBFtf8LQcVsUFj_FctbamPKzTEX3v5GI4hFwQObuVBTIwiRMHJTDIBxMZ8JL1SSFe8kRtfDht43USXIXJQm6vRwF3kpwrCkepg/s1600/frog+murder.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606290770897217330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wDDkiUIdaMorWdBphxQ9JRQ8VOmWVWC4Li-mtBFtf8LQcVsUFj_FctbamPKzTEX3v5GI4hFwQObuVBTIwiRMHJTDIBxMZ8JL1SSFe8kRtfDht43USXIXJQm6vRwF3kpwrCkepg/s400/frog+murder.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:Calibri;"><em>by Kerry Blair</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Calibri;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Just for the record, I would like to state <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">unequivocally</span> that I had no part in the heartrending scheme to drain the frog blog and/or discontinue the Frog’s Blogging. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Lower those skeptical eyebrows, please. It is true! Sure, I admit I quit blogging before everybody else . . . except maybe Rob. (We’re probably tied for Blog Shirker of the Last Half Decade.) I was, however, honestly and truly in the midst of a family crisis at the time of the aforementioned fateful plot. By the time I returned home and got around to turning on a computer the vote was cast. The deed was done. The blog was done-for. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span></span><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">But I was not involved! (Nor is The Frog dead; last I heard he was touring the country doing Mystery Dinner Theatre.)</span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Nevertheless, I <em>am</em> taking this harder than anybody. (Possibly everybody.) I am even now huddled in my armchair, feeling exactly as one does when her best friends decide quite suddenly to move away—and all at once. I can assure you my rather extensive frog collection will never even come close to filling that gaping, you-shaped hole that is left behind.</span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Besides emotional baggage, I still have all this <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">stuff</i>. My goal for this weekend is to go through comments posted since the anniversary celebration, sleuthing for enough contact info to foist <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Froggie</span> memorabilia off on as many innocent blog bystanders as I can possibly identify. (If you actually <em>want</em> a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">souvenir</span>, please write to me asap; everything is going out Monday morning.) I also have an e-certificate for Pat for our last game, and a book of my own—you’ll have to brush off the cobwebs and separate the moldering pages—to send to whoever’s name Jeff drew after the Follow Us Contest. (I think I missed the announcement of winners.)</span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">I can probably manage to clean up all that kind of stuff, but what in the heck will I do with all the <em>rest</em> of the blogging remnants I have left laying around? My drawers are stuffed full of ellipses, exclamation points, and em dashes. Parentheses and semi colons are forming punctuation drifts around my feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And let’s not even think about the thousands of adverbs and adjectives I’<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">ve</span> stored up!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Tell me, who can I get to take all these beloved <em>italics</em> off my hands? I’<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">ve</span> already flipped over my soapbox to use as a packing crate, but I ran out of room before the first metaphor! In fact, some of my similes and favorite trite phrases—like “in fact”—are already leaking out the bottom.</span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Alas.</span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">For what it is worth, I can almost guarantee that is the last time you will come upon “alas” in a blog.</span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Unless.</span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Believe it or not, I have a blog of my own. No, really I do! I excavated it myself just a few minutes ago. It <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">wasn</span>’t buried all that deep. After all, I last posted in May. (Of 2009.) There are caves in France with writings older than that. The remarkable thing about this blog—at least to me—is that people have stumbled into it without me having to set traps. I have twelve followers. Who knew? I only know one of those poor people, but I have a compelling urge to write to each and all and say: “No! Wait! I spend my life traveling at light speed but mostly in concentric circles. Whatever you do, don’t follow me!”</span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">That said, if any of <em>you</em> would ever possibly want to maybe even consider dropping by my new/old digs to say hello, I’ll leave the lights on and the door open. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>I’m at kerryblair@blogspot.com. (How’s that for originality?) And don’t tell me you can’t find it. According to an arcane set of Blogger <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">statoids</span> I just perused I have had drop-ins from France, Armenia, Iran, and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Sri</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Lanka</span>. Possibly the hit from Iran came when my son was stationed there, but I don’t know precisely where <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">Sri</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">Lanka</span> even <em>is</em>. But I do know the what the point is. It is: if you can get to my blog from <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">Sri</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">Lanka</span>, you can get there from Utah. Or Idaho. Or California. Or . . . you get the idea. And if/when you do, please leave an address so I can visit <em>you</em>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">I have never been much of a writer, but I am one of the world's great readers. There are great writers out there everywhere, but none greater than those who have stopped by here over the years.</span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">This is where I would get all gloppy if I were to continue writing. I won't. I will only say I have come to love, admire, and rely on so many of you. I have no idea how I will cope now that you've all moved away. Nor do I have any idea how a reunion might be held at a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">cyberblog</span>, but please let's do it someday if it is possible!</span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">In the meantime, God be with you in all your many amazing endeavors. You have in many ways been the light on the hill in some of my darkest days. Thank you for reassuring me time and again that through it all, faith manages. </span></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-40263060959013160242011-05-12T10:07:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:21:44.969-04:00No Goodbyes, Just See You Laterby Julie Coulter Bellon<br /><br />At the conference last week I spoke to Stephanie about how sad I was that the Frog blog was ending. I’ve loved being associated with these five people for the last five years. It was such an eclectic group, I think it made our blog completely unique. We had Jeff the teacher, Rob the comedian, Stephanie who kept it all real, Kerry the inspiration, and Sariah the researcher (who knows a lot about everything.) I am still in awe of the authors in this group and how much I’ve learned from them. I’m just so sad that it’s all coming to a close. <br /><br />I’ve been using my emotions, however, and working really hard for a week and a half on a “secret project,” just to see if I could really do it. You see, I’ve posted every Thursday for five years on this blog, and when next Thursday comes around, I don’t want to be sitting in my chair thinking, “oh yeah, I don’t have anywhere to post anymore.” <br /><br />So I started my own blog, <a href="http://ldswritermom.blogspot.com/">LDSWriterMom.blogspot.com </a><br /><br />I’ve been posting there since May 4th (May the fourth be with you, haha) and am excited at how well it’s gone. Mondays are my LDS Mommy Musing days, talking about organizing, taking care of kids, getting ready for FHE or prepping for my Sunday RS lesson, fitting writing time in between chores, anything Mom-related. <br /><br />Tuesdays are my TV and books day where I’ll talk about my fave shows, Castle and Dancing With The Stars, and review books (or interview other authors). <br /><br />Wednesday is What I’m Working On where I will have some accountability for what I’ve gotten done (or still need to do) on my work in progress for that week. <br /><br />Thursdays are Thinking Thursday where I talk about writing and the things I’ve learned (and am still learning) as I go through the process of publishing.<br /><br />Friday is First Page Friday. I was in a class last week where the agents said they pretty much only read the first page of a manuscript before they decide whether they’ll keep going or just reject it, so I thought that on Fridays I’d have readers submit the first page of their manuscript and I would critique it, in the hopes of making it stronger. I also have my editor friend who works for a national publishing house back East who said she would love to help critique as well. And we already have a doozy for tomorrow’s entry.<br /><br />So there you have it. While I will miss the Frog blog, and everyone associated with it, I know this blog is the reason I’m interested in continuing at all. So, thank you. To the bloggers, to the commenters, and everyone associated with the frog blog. It has been a great run. I hope you’ll follow my new blog and keep in touch with me. <br /><br />Housekeeping Item<br /><br />I asked some opinions a few weeks ago on covers and my cover designer has decided to go with the map one, but add a shadowy figure in it for suspense purposes. So I drew a name from the hat of people who had chosen the map one, and the winner is<br /><br />PrimaryMary!!<br /><br />If you will send me your snail mail info at juliecoulterbellon@gmail.com I will send you a copy of On the Edge. :)<br /><br /><br />Thank you Frog Blog people. From the bottom of my heart—thank you. I’m sort of looking around thinking there should be a little band playing as I finish this post. Maybe TAPS or a twelve gun salute or something. I can’t imagine not posting here anymore, but I have some really great memories and I’m very grateful for that. <br /><br />I don‘t think I’m going to say goodbye to all of you, and it’s getting hard to type through the tears, (I know, I know, I’m a baby) so I think I’ll just say---see you later. And hope that I do.Julie Coulter Bellonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07695605817809301518noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-34805581384232508352011-05-11T11:26:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:21:44.749-04:00Thank You, and Farewell, My Beloved Froggie HomeTo Jeff’s beautiful comments, I want to add my personal thanks to everyone who has supported Six LDS Writers and a Frog over the past five years. Thank you for taking the time to read our posts; thank you for all the comments. I’m so grateful for the connections I’ve been able to make through the blog.<br /><br />I love and admire my fellow frog bloggers—Jeff, Rob, Julie, Kerry, and Sariah—and I am so grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to get to know each of them through the blog. These are amazing, talented, wonderfully nice people, and it’s been an honor to rub shoulders with them. Thank you to Sariah for founding the blog, and thank you to her husband and to Jeff for taking care of technical matters. It’s been a huge privilege to be here in the Frog Pond. <br /><br />Aww, man. It's sad to see it ending. We’ve had a great run (hop?) and it's strange to think of being frog-pond-less. But as Jeff said, we’ll still be around. I’m starting my own blog--yikes, my own blog! Right now, my blog is in a fairly primitive state. I never had a hand in any of the blog design here, so I’m a newbie. But it’s up and running with an introductory post that consists mainly of a picture that amuses me (involving J<a href="http://www.jamesdashner.com/">ames Dashner)</a>. Please please pretty please come follow <a href="http://stephanieblackink.blogspot.com">my blog</a>. It would be great to have some company as I leave the safety of the frog bog and step out in the big, wide world. The new blog is titled Black Ink (my sister suggested the title—thanks, Di). <br /><br />Again, a huge thank you to all of you for being part of the Frog Blog. This has been a great blessing in my life and I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity I had to ribbet here on Wednesdays. And, um, I'm kind of sad at the thought of clicking "post" on my last post, after five years of blogging here. I kind of want to drag this out a little . . . um . . . okay . . . I'm sorta crying now. Didn't realize I'd cry while finishing up my last post. Love you, Frog Blog! Thanks for everything!Stephanie Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848784501386694887noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-38701964155371562532011-05-09T00:31:00.000-04:002011-05-10T00:34:12.401-04:00The Corner of Bitter & SweetThis last weekend was absolutely amazing. Those of you who have not been to an LDStorymakers conference absolutely need to put it at the top of your must do list next year. It was an incredible time. So many great classes, wonderful teachers, and just plain good people. Both those who have published and those who soon will publish, rubbing shoulders, and talking everything from writing to families.<br />
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I have made so many good friends over the years through this conference. Then my wonderful wife and I had the chance to attend the Whitney Awards dinner. Again, just awesome people. Rick Walton is a stud, and I’d love to be able to say at some point in my career that I’ve helped a tenth of the writers he has. Susan Evans McCloud was so inspiring. In fact even before she came up to accept her award, I was in awe just from the incredible intro Michele Holmes gave.<br />
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I didn’t win any awards this year. But it was okay, because A) I had already told my wife I knew who would win in both of my categories and I was right. And B) The people who won were so deserving. It was such a thrill to see Annette Lyon, who I have known nearly as long as I have been writing, and who has been such an awesome friend win. Julie Wright, who is a pure sweetheart, and an awesome friend too, totally, totally, earned her award. And our very own Stephanie Black won for Cold as Ice, which is an absolutely incredible book. And she is the nicest person ever.<br />
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And in case anyone thought the Whitney Awards would only go to LDS publishers, or longtime Storymaker, or even only inspirational religious books, a 900 page epic fantasy published by TOR and a book about a serial killer tied for best novels of the year. Quote of the night goes to Dan Wells, who walked up to the podium after hearing his novel, Mr. Monster had tied for best novel of the year, and said, “What’s wrong with you people?!”<br />
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And that doesn’t even include my good friend Ally Condie’s novel Matched that won for best YA speculative. Or the many, many other incredible winners. <br />
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I am truly honored and inspired to see how many LDS authors are out there and all the great things they are doing. And to put icing on the cake, the very same Julie Wright who won for best romance talked up my horror novel so much, that an editor at the conference gave me her card and asked if I would send it to her. “UM, yeah.”<br />
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It was such a wonderful night that the next thing I have to say is so hard. If you haven’t noticed, the Frog Blog has become more and more hit and miss over time. Of course Stephanie and Julie have been total studettes, posting regularly and well. But we recently got together and decided that maybe after five years, we are starting to struggle for new things to say. <br />
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I personally have found myself searching old posts, sure I am repeating myself, or posting not because I have something exciting and new to say, but because I feel so guilty for not posting the previous week, or two, or three.<br />
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So after much discussion and soul-searching, we at the Frog Blog have decided to wish our readers goodbye. Oh we’ll still be around, twittering and posting on our personal blogs. But this week will be the last week of the Frog Blog.<br />
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I’ve loved being part of this, and I hope I’ve made you smile, or laugh, or think. I’m positive the others here have. And I’m proud to have joined them here. There are lots of other great LDS author blogs around, but this one will always be closest to my heart. <br />
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So farewell and ribbet. I hope all of your dreams, writing related or otherwise come true. Jeff Savagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308834117176284991noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-54476318713794053062011-05-06T00:25:00.002-04:002011-05-06T00:33:06.583-04:00Happy Cinco de Mayo!!by Julie Coulter Bellon<br /><br />Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! I've spent today partying with all the LDStorymakers and boot camp attendees at the 8th annual LDStorymakers Conference. I was a boot camp instructor which means I had three people at my table and we critiqued fifteen pages of their writing. Of course, I had the most incredible ladies at my table and we had a great time tweaking and rewriting and generally just talking shop. Then I got to go to the Storymakers Meet and Greet and all my writer friends were there laughing and visiting and we had such a great time. I can't wait for the rest of the Conference this weekend. Tomorrow is going to be amazing. I can feel it! If you're not going to be there, you should totally make plans to come next year. If you are going to be there, come find me! I totally want to visit and talk with as many frog blog commenters as possible.<br /><br />I also want to tell you about Carole Thayne Warburton's book, Just Shy of Paradise. It is a new release and I can hardly put it down. She has woven such a great story with flawed and lovable characters, I can't wait to see what happens. I want to do a full review of it soon, but not when I'm so crazy happy tired. I want to make sense so you can get the full effect. <br /><br />Anyway, I hope you had a great day as well, and that you have something fun to look forward to this weekend. <br /><br />Happy writing!Julie Coulter Bellonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07695605817809301518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-69558400163052142922011-04-28T16:59:00.004-04:002011-04-28T17:17:23.768-04:00I Need Your Opinionby Julie Coulter Bellon<br /><br />I have some wonderful news. Great news. Stupendous news. Well, okay, not stupendous, but still pretty good.<br /><br />I have been working with Encore Editions to put my backlist on Kindle, Nook, etc. and my first book, <em>Through Love’s Trials</em>, is now available <a href="http://www.ldsebookstore.com/romance/Through-Loves-Trials-Julie-Coulter-Bellon">here</a> (for Nook, Kindle, and any other ereader) and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004XNZTS8">here</a> (Amazon, Kindle readers). I love the new cover and I even still love the story. But that’s not the news.<br /><br />My second book, <em>On the Edge</em>, is about to be available on both of those same sites, but here’s the thing, my cover designer (love her!) has designed two wonderful covers and I can’t decide which one I love the best. So, because I couldn't decide, I sent it out to ten of my most trusted author friends, and ten of my extended family members. And, you guessed it, ten people liked the first cover and ten liked the second. It was dead even! <br /><br />So I still want some input. <br /><br />If you are so inclined, I would like you read the backliner below, look at both covers, and tell me which one you like the best and why. After the final cover is chosen, wouldn’t it be fun to put everyone who voted for the chosen cover into a drawing for a copy of <em>On the Edge</em>? I think so.<br /><br />So here’s the backliner:<br /><br /><em>Dylan Campbell, a Canadian Security Intelligence Service agent, is recovering from a gunshot wound and looking for a new direction in his life. Armed with his newly found testimony in the LDS Church, he soon embarks on a routine fact-finding mission to Africa.<br /><br />While there he befriends Elizabeth Spencer, a beautiful American working to ease the suffering in Uganda. Their relationship is just beginning to deepen when Dylan discovers that a biological weapon has been manufactured in the private hospital where Elizabeth works. He realizes the terrorists plan to infect millions of innocent people across Canada and the United States.<br /><br />Dylan must catch up with the terrorists in Greece to stop them from taking the weapon to North America. However, he is captured before he can act, and it takes every ounce of Dylan’s physical and spiritual strength to stay alive.<br /><br />Can Dylan trust his heart and accept Elizabeth’s offer of help? Will he learn the true identities of his enemies in time to stop the biological weapon from being unleashed?<br /><br />From the wilds of Africa to the ancient ruins of Greece, this book takes you to the edge of civilization and will keep you on the edge of your seat</em><br /><br /><br />Here’s cover #1<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifh696kAJB48iId3hJPtTFiDQuj0-nIWRDPoLmnxSqem_gBM7ylCMvmVYVRHmvSuFfKSuhZoR4yiLVax3NnCEZUJnhHm72labvPdXQHYuuaF_cZTHagyw2P5Px9q5KPAMI17Z1jQ/s1600/OnTheEdge_Vial.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifh696kAJB48iId3hJPtTFiDQuj0-nIWRDPoLmnxSqem_gBM7ylCMvmVYVRHmvSuFfKSuhZoR4yiLVax3NnCEZUJnhHm72labvPdXQHYuuaF_cZTHagyw2P5Px9q5KPAMI17Z1jQ/s400/OnTheEdge_Vial.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600743688207505714" /></a><br /><br /><br />Here’s cover #2<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxJwjrr239ptUn5fGqNF3iEWd-N3FAKCNkmXwHY0ga48jIfUFx76s_SbYVbO7u3-ZxK1MuBTs39_gPvRR_skkLihteDbppJXg0JsFndoPm9gRhoHANU1Bc0eA00y53if9Nn1MqA/s1600/OnTheEdge3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxJwjrr239ptUn5fGqNF3iEWd-N3FAKCNkmXwHY0ga48jIfUFx76s_SbYVbO7u3-ZxK1MuBTs39_gPvRR_skkLihteDbppJXg0JsFndoPm9gRhoHANU1Bc0eA00y53if9Nn1MqA/s400/OnTheEdge3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600743888098893602" /></a><br /><br />I won’t say anything else about them because I don’t want to sway anyone’s opinion, so go ahead and comment and be sure to tell me which one you like best and why.<br /><br />And if it's dead even again . . . well, maybe I'll just tell the designer to flip a coin. Or have her throw a dart and whatever one it lands on is the winner. Hmmm . . .Julie Coulter Bellonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07695605817809301518noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-75424070034343586322011-04-27T22:03:00.003-04:002011-04-27T22:42:23.142-04:00Storymaker CountdownIt's only a week until the <a href="http://ldstorymakers.com/conference/2011-conference/">LDStorymakers Writers Conference!</a> I'll be super excited as soon as I'm done being freaked out at everything I need to accomplish between now and then. I'll be teaching a class on fiction writing basics, as well as being one of the instructors in a Publication Primer class, which is like an advanced boot camp. I am SO not ready for my classes yet, but I have accomplished one thing--I found a dress for the Whitney gala. My daughter (who just got home from BYU) was my personal shopping assistant, which was very handy. Not only did she help choose a bunch of dresses for me to try on, but she'd put them back on hangers while I tried on the next dress. I found one I really liked (and it was on sale--woot!). And it matches my book cover, in the sense that it's black (okay, that means it matches all my mystery book covers, but it still counts, right?). (No, I really don't choose Whitney clothes on the basis of whether or not they match my covers--that sounds way too hard. I was just happy to find a dress I liked and that wasn't too expensive). <br /><br />Will you be at Storymakers and/or the Whitney gala this year? What are you you most excited about? Any class or event that you're particularly looking forward to? It's going to be awesome all around, but the thing I'm the most excited about is seeing my writer friends and making new writer friends. So I hope to see you there and meet lots and lots of new people! <br /><br />(Sorry for another bloglet, but time is marching WAY too fast, and there is not one single thing in my life that I'm currently on top of. I'm behind on Storymaker prep, behind on girls camp prep--even the library books are overdue. Sigh).Stephanie Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848784501386694887noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-70212549058053945502011-04-23T23:51:00.004-04:002011-04-23T23:53:51.553-04:00Happy Easter!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6nbXJuY6zmkNuQEvcoiKS8E1rlZ85AyWOwwF7mKoKq6KnAgycPziIXazEPETKtG3jvnbix48WwRH5IYyrx9OI_0KPvs0k2uHXp4zqHLGzBA1zfvqpf15ToBpxBnK_tbCSVNt/s1600/happy-easter.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6nbXJuY6zmkNuQEvcoiKS8E1rlZ85AyWOwwF7mKoKq6KnAgycPziIXazEPETKtG3jvnbix48WwRH5IYyrx9OI_0KPvs0k2uHXp4zqHLGzBA1zfvqpf15ToBpxBnK_tbCSVNt/s1600/happy-easter.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />We'll be going to church, then we'll have our Easter egg hunt down here in our basement, going upstairs afterward to have one with the grandparents, then driving out to Provo to have yet another hunt and dinner with the in-laws.<br /><br />How are you spending your Easter Sunday?Sariah Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06606312014221875944noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-71757785706865077132011-04-21T20:01:00.002-04:002011-04-21T20:09:21.875-04:00Review of Blackberry Crumbleby Julie Coulter Bellon<br /><br />Well, it’s over. I was able to read enough Whitney finalists to vote in four categories. I’m pretty proud of myself because that’s the most I’ve ever done for the Whitneys. I know I probably won’t be able to read every finalist (because there is one category that has books the size of Bibles!) but I’m feeling really good about how I did this year. I am so interested to hear who won because there were two categories that could easily have a three way tie, there were just that many good fiction novels this year. Of course, I’m most excited for historical, because I get to announce the winner! Yay! <br /><br />In order to clear my mind after doing all of that Whitney reading, I decided to do some . . . well . . . more reading. I finished Josi Kilpack’s Blackberry Crumble (even reading the title had my mouth watering. Who doesn't love a good blackberry crumble?). For those of you who aren’t familiar with Josi’s Sadie Hofmiller series, this is the fifth book and honestly, I think it’s her best one. I heard about this series from one of my friends who had really liked it, but I wasn’t sure it was going to be my cup of tea. I read Lemon Tart in two days and was immediately hooked. Her characters are so charming, normal, and fun, and the mystery part of it is very well written. In Blackberry Crumble I was completely surprised as to who the killer was. I was totally on the wrong track! It was definitely worth the read. If you haven’t gotten this series yet, you don’t have to start at the beginning, but I recommend that you do, just so you can have the full flavor of the Misadventures of Sleuthing Sadie. And of course, that is sort of punny, because there are yummy recipes included in each book. (Full flavor, recipes, get it?) (I know, I know, groan.)<br /><br />So here is the backliner for Blackberry Crumble. This book receives a very enthusiastic two thumbs up from me. Run, don’t walk, to your nearest Deseret Book (or surf on over to the Kindle store) and buy this book. You won’t be sorry. (If you don’t believe me, Sharon Haddock gave it a great review in Mormon Times. You can read that <a href="http://www.mormontimes.com/article/20460/Blackberry-Crumble-is-a-satisfying-experience">here</a>). <br /><br /><em>The word is out about Sadie Hoffmiller's amateur detective work, but it's not exactly the kind of publicity Sadie wants. In the newest culinary mystery from bestselling author Josi Kilpack, Sadie accepts her first investigation-for-hire and travels to Portland, Oregon, at the request of a woman who has suspicions about her wealthy father's untimely death. Putting her detective skills to the test, Sadie delves into a past business partnership that didn't end well, discovers some unsavory family secrets, and exposes more than a few motives for murder. When the investigation leads to threats against her safety, Sadie pretends to crumble under the pressure. But secretly, she is more determined than ever to uncover answers that seem to be buried in shocking scandal, insatiable appetites, and pure greed.</em>Julie Coulter Bellonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07695605817809301518noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-38610500822404934812011-04-20T11:10:00.003-04:002011-04-20T11:39:35.523-04:00Deadline!Today is the deadline for submitting Whitney Award ballots. Since I still have a book to finish before I'll be ready to vote, this is going to be a tiny blog, because by gum, I'm going to FINISH THAT BOOK. After getting this far, no way am I going to miss finishing book #35--I want to be able to vote for Best Novel of the Year! <br /><br />Today's micro-blog is a poll for blog readers (and I'd love it if our lurkers popped up to comment too--it would be fun to get a broad perspective). Will you be voting (or have you already voted) in the 2010 Whitney Awards? If so, how many categories did you vote in? And whether or not you're an Academy voter, did you read any 2010 finalists (<a href="http://whitneyawards.com/wordpress/2011/02/01/the-finalists-have-been-announced/">here's</a> the list) that really impressed you? Or that were books you might not have picked up otherwise but that you ended up loving? Or that introduced you to authors you hadn't tried before? I'd love to hear any and all thoughts our blog readers have about the Whitney Awards.Stephanie Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848784501386694887noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-89172443633351193942011-04-15T09:05:00.005-04:002011-04-15T09:25:06.997-04:00'Tis the Season for Reruns<strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Let's Play a Game!</span></strong> <br /><div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">debuted Friday, March 9, 2007: surely you've forgotten in <em>four years</em>! </span></div><br /><div><em>by Kerry Blair</em> </div><br /><div>It's a gorgeous spring day. (At least it is here in Arizona.) Nobody in their right mind wants to sit at a computer reading a boring blog. (And I know very well you were almost doomed to a very boring blog because I just finished writing/polishing/dumping it.) I mean, come on. If you're stuck at a computer somewhere instead of out frolicking in a dog park with your best friend (your best friend is a dog, I hope) you deserve a little fun. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>One of my favorite games (after <em>Clue</em>) is something my son bought called <em>Bestsellers</em>. The game comes with four pads of paper, four pencils, an hour glass that measures three minutes of time, and a stack of cards with faux book covers. Players look at the picture and then have exactly three minutes to begin writing the "bestselling book" to go with the cover picture. When the timer runs out, you must stop writing, no matter if you're in the middle of a paragraph, a sentence, or a word. The players then share what they came up with and vote for the best effort. Winner of that round gets the book cover. The person who collects the most covers by the end of the game is the over-all winner. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Now, since were playing this in cyberspace, you must provide your own paper, pencil (or computer) and hourglass. Otherwise, the rules are the same. Look at the picture below and then take exactly three minutes to write your entry. If this were a book cover, what would the book be about? You can write in any genre, of course, and anything goes -- as long as it goes in three minutes. (You have three lousy minutes, right?) </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>We'll keep the game open through Thursday and vote for a winner next Friday. Person with the most votes gets a $10 e-gift card to Amazon or B&N -- their choice -- to buy a bestseller of their choice! </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Ready? Set? GO! <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 92px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 144px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595798963448346226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrzYWSKl39rj7mS779piFBIQcJIcjO37oDTbrFBjabxhrBU8EW-P7sU1UqiH_000htIwe9ve8ceR9JUvuZ22T-kzOWVQv7QmdEnbfODrYLzKHpBD8CMcQPnbNLV9G85_qjmahLw/s400/rabbit+proposing.jpg" /></div><br /><div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-34755516247410876612011-04-15T00:28:00.002-04:002011-04-15T00:31:58.101-04:00The Balancing Actby Julie Coulter Bellon<br /><br />I gave a presentation at the Ephraim’s Writer’s Conference last Saturday on Finding Time to Write and part of my presentation was having an audience member come up and pretend to walk on a balance beam. I asked them before they started, if they were at the Olympics, in front of the world, and being asked to walk across the beam without falling off, what would be the first thing they would do?<br /><br />Of course, my volunteer said the first thing she would do, would be to focus. Then she would put one foot in front of the other and slowly move across. She put her arms out, and said that she probably would try not to look down.<br /><br />I think this is exactly what we have to do as writers, when we’re trying to carve out time for ourselves to write. When we get those precious minutes in front of the computer, we need to focus. We can’t be distracted by Facebook, email, Twitter, or surfing in the name of research. We need to sit there and actually write. Get into your scene or dialogue. Get out your idea book, read the last page you wrote, and then go from there. If you’re like me you have scenes and snippets of dialogue going through your head all the time, and once you get in front of the computer it’s just a matter of getting it all down. But it does require focus.<br /><br />The second thing is to put one foot in front of the other and slowly move across. Do some writing every day. Plod along. If you write one page a day for a year, you’ll have 365 pages which could be a novel and a half. And, you know, that’s 365 more pages you would have than if you didn’t do any writing at all while you were waiting for that big block of writing time to come. You’re slowly moving across, getting your novel out there, one step at a time.<br /><br />The next thing she did was to put her arms out. This is important when you’re trying to carve out time for writing. Put your arms out and ask for help. Ask your older children to babysit the kids for half an hour. Have your family cook dinner one evening so you can write. Join a neighborhood coop and trade babysitting. Ask your co-workers to understand if you take your lunch hours at your desk to write instead of socializing. Don’t be afraid to ask for others’ support.<br /><br />The last thing she did was to not look down (or back) and that is big. Don’t get down on yourself if you miss a day of writing or if you write a scene that has to be deleted later. Writing is a learning process and the more you do it, I believe the better you become. Beating yourself up with regrets isn’t helpful. Just do better today than you did yesterday.<br /><br />It’s all a balancing act and some days we’re better at it than others. If you fall off, get up and get back on. Slowly make your way, one foot at a time, with your arms out, and with your eyes focused. Don’t look down, look straight ahead, and see the success within your reach.Julie Coulter Bellonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07695605817809301518noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-36699188209084425872011-04-13T14:00:00.003-04:002011-04-13T14:22:18.153-04:00How to Write a Negative ReviewI got a Goodreads review the other day that included a mild criticism of one aspect of my book. The review was an excellent example of <a href="http://blog.nathanbransford.com/">Nathan Bransford’s</a> <a href="http://forums.nathanbransford.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=2723&start=0">“sandwich rule</a>” that he requests people use when critiquing someone’s writing on his blog or forum—a positive comment, followed by “very polite constructive feedback,” followed by a positive comment. This particular piece of criticism was specific and thought-provoking, something for me to consider while writing subsequent books. I may or may not end up changing anything because of it, but it was an insightful observation and worth pondering. And I appreciate the way the reviewer presented it, sandwiched between two positive comments. <br /><br />When someone reviews a book, usually they’re writing for other readers, not to give the author feedback. But in this day of Goodreads and Google Alerts, there’s a good chance the author <span style="font-style:italic;">will</span> see the review. Should you keep that in mind while writing a review? That’s not a rhetorical question; I’d like to know what you think. <span style="font-style:italic;">Do</span> you think a reviewer should consider that the author might very well read her review—or should that be completely irrelevant? Please feel free to express your opinion in the comment trail. I’ll express my opinion right here (and you’re welcome to disagree with me):<br /><br />My answer is yes, the reviewer should consider that the author might well read her review. Shocking huh, that an author would feel that way (no, I don’t pretend to be a disinterested party in this discussion). But here’s how I see it: when you’re reviewing a book, you’re reviewing the work of another human being. While you don’t have to like the book or praise it, and you should definitely feel free to give your honest opinion (how helpful is a book review if the reviewer is fudging on what he really thought just to be nice?), I think there are <span style="font-weight:bold;">more</span> thoughtful and <span style="font-weight:bold;">less</span> thoughtful ways of presenting a negative opinion. And I mean thoughtful in two senses: 1--You really think about what in the book didn’t work for you, as opposed to tossing off the equivalent of an easy “This book was awful.” 2--You consider that another person is involved here who will be affected by what you say and how you say it. Hence, two suggestions:<br /><br />1-Be specific<br />2-Be polite<br /><br />Specific criticisms are far more interesting and helpful (both to readers and authors) than general criticisms. <br /><br />General criticism: “The characters were flat.” <br /><br />Okay. Clearly the characters didn’t feel like real people to you, but why? What about them didn’t work? <br /><br />Specific criticism: “The main character was too good to be true—her perfect beauty and total lack of personality flaws made her seem flat and fake. And the secondary characters had no distinguishing characteristics—I kept forgetting who was who.” <br /><br />Now the people reading your review know why you felt the way you did. And the author has specific feedback to consider and something to possibly improve on in future novels. The author (and other readers) may or may not agree with your opinion—reactions to fiction are very subjective, and if an author tried to reconcile the differing opinions of every reviewer, her authorial brain would implode. But you’ve given the author something to think about, not just something to cringe over. <br /><br />General criticism: “This book was boring.” <br /><br />Specific criticism: “The story developed too slowly. There were several chapters at the beginning of the book where nothing happened to advance the plot.” <br /><br />General: “This book was poorly written.” <br /><br />Specific: “Some of the sentences were awkward; I had to read them twice to figure out what they meant.” <br /><br />General: “The dialogue was unrealistic.” <br /><br />Specific: “The main character spoke in a stilted, formal way that didn’t ring true. It sounded like he was always making speeches, not having casual conversations.” <br /><br />Being specific about what in the book didn’t work for you leads to a much stronger review than just general statements about how the book was lousy. It also gets you to stop, think, and analyze.<br /><br />As far as politeness: yeah, I have a sarcastic streak too. But when you’re writing a review, I recommend resisting the urge to indulge in snarky wit at the author’s expense. “This plot was so corny that the author could pop it and serve it with butter and salt.” “I wanted to run this book through the shredder and use it to make New Year's Eve confetti. At least then I'd get some enjoyment out of it.” You’ve made your point, but you’ve done it in an unnecessarily mocking way. Snarky comments can bring a dash of cruelty instead of candor. Is that really what you’re going for? <br /><br />Give some thought to Nathan Bransford’s sandwich rule. I’m not saying I think every review has to follow that critique format exactly, but I do think book reviewers should look for ways to include positives with the negatives. Chances are you didn’t think <span style="font-style:italic;">everything</span> about the book was rotten. Was there a plot twist you liked? A character you related to? Some beautiful writing? A well-executed climax? Even if your overall opinion of the book is negative, you can mention some of the positives you found along the way. You can write a negative review of a book without mocking it or slaughtering it. <br /><br />Be careful if you’re not well versed in the genre you’re reviewing. If you’re not familiar with the conventions of a genre, you might be inclined to criticize something as a flaw when regular readers of the genre would have no problem with it. I think (feel free to disagree) that it doesn’t hurt to offer a disclaimer in this situation: “I’m not usually a romance fan” . . . “I don’t read a lot of LDS fiction” . . . “I haven’t read a mystery in years” . . . something to alert the reader that your review—while valid and worthwhile in expressing your opinion on the book—might not reflect the viewpoint of the majority of fans of that genre. If I were reviewing a romance and offered a criticism like “The outcome was so predictable—I knew right from page one that Joe and Jane would end up together”—the savvy romance reader would stare at me in disbelief; of <span style="font-style:italic;">course</span> you knew that. Having the hero and heroine end up together is a requirement of the genre. On the other hand, if I said, “There were no surprises in this book—at every turning point, I knew exactly what was going to happen next”—that would be a valid criticism, and one that wouldn’t make readers go, um, you don’t read much romance, do you? <br /><br />To sum up: I hope I’ve made it clear that I do not for one instant think that reviewers shouldn’t write negative reviews of books. But I think there are ways to be both graceful and honest in expressing opinions.Stephanie Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848784501386694887noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-982188963593967982011-04-10T22:12:00.003-04:002011-04-10T22:56:23.680-04:00List of Grievances/Happy Fun TimeThings that are annoying me this week:<br /><br />I don't know if this is just a Utah thing that I don't understand (like leaving church to go to parties for a baby blessing), but what is the deal with people standing right behind you at the supermarket as you're checking out? Every single time I go to Wal-Mart, as I'm loading up the bags into my cart, the person behind me pushes their cart right up to where the bags are. So I have to wait for them to move in order to use the machine to swipe my credit card. See that little stand next to the machine? That's for me to interact with the cashier. I like to put my purse and my coupons there. Don't stand in front of it, please. I don't get why people do this, but it literally happens every single time I go to the store. <br /><br />Living in a basement. I remember reading this article last year about a family who took advantage of the recession to downsize their too large home and move into a much smaller one. It had made them unbelievably happy and they loved all their togetherness. Yeah, I'm not that family. Everybody here is starting to go just a tad crazy. It's really hard living in a space this size with no heat (and another subgripe - seriously? It's mid-April, and it's snowing here like it's December. What is up with that? It's 84 degrees back where we used to live. /rant off) and my kids are cramped and not able to go anywhere and run around and be loud and that's hard. We're all getting grouchy about it, and being confined indoors is not helping it at all.<br /><br />Reviewing other authors. On a bigger level, this isn't a problem. Rob commented on Twitter not too long ago that nobody's ever told him that Konrath and Hocking's books are good. I couldn't dispute that because the one book I'd read of Konrath had a hysterically bad ending (although I do heart the guy and adore his blog - and I'm sure his other books are much better, but he's a Stephen King type writer, and I don't so much like the blood and gore and swearing and horror stuff). The one I read, "The List," had a great premise - people were cloned from famous historical figures and branded with a tattoo, and then they start being killed off. His Abe Lincoln character was fantastic, and the hero's detective partner was probably the best part of the book. I won't spoil it for you if you're interested in reading it, but the ending involves, and I'm not kidding, lobotomized killer clones (which would be a good name for a rock band). I can see why the book didn't get published (he shopped it for a while). Then on to Amanda Hocking - she's a great storyteller. I read her Trylle Trilogy, and got completely sucked in to the first two books. (SPOILER ALERT - STOP READING IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED!!!!) But the third one I actually returned to Amazon because I was that angry. She set up one guy to be the hero, and he was the hero and love interest for 2 1/2 books. Then halfway through the third book she decides to make the heroine love somebody else (that we didn't even get introduced to until the end of Book 2). I'm not sure if this was meant to be a twist or to make it more realistic or something, but I was flaming angry. You have to make me pretty upset to get me to return a book (and a digital one at that!). She completely destroyed the series and undermined everything she'd done up to that point by making the heroine flaky and unlikable, having her fall for a guy who was smarmy, immoral and arrogant as opposed to the noble, selfless, moral one. <br /><br />When it comes down to it, Konrath and Hocking don't care what I think. Hocking just raked in another $2 million and Konrath's made approximately $73,000 over the last six weeks. And being that big, it doesn't matter if I don't like the work that I've read. <br /><br />But what about the authors that are your peers? I recently read one that I thought was not all that great. And not just in a it's not the genre I prefer or not the story I'd typically like, but as in things like characterization and writing style. How are you supposed to review a book you didn't really like all that much? You're going to hurt someone's feelings. <br /><br />Things I'm liking this week:<br /><br />"Breaking In" - This is a new sitcom on Fox that stars Christian Slater (finally in a role that makes full use of his charisma) and Bret Harrison (from "Reaper" - a very, very funny show that never got the audience it should have - witness this YouTube clip that still manages to make me laugh every time I see it: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WcMszzZQFs">Reaper clip</a> ) Anyway, back to "Breaking In" - it is seriously one of the funniest shows I've watched in a very long time. I laughed out loud through the entire show (not something I typically do). Fox has got it up on their website if you're interested.<br /><br />Sam and Freddie kiss! You may not watch iCarly. Some of you, like me, may be forced into it as you have children who love this show. So I have to look for something to like (Jerry Trainor being among them - he's hilarious), and yesterday, Sam and Freddie finally kissed! The name of the episode trended worldwide on Twitter for several hours last night. I was sad that 1) I knew this and 2) that I was excited about a Seddie kiss.<br /><br />Kindle - A-ma-zing. I'm pretty sure I've read more books in the last two weeks than I have in the last year. I love my Kindle. Love, love, love it. I love that there's websites that let you borrow books on your Kindle (like Lendle). I love free e-books (and sometimes publishers put books up for free/cheap for a limited time - last night I picked up Aprilynne Pike's "Wings" for free). I love inexpensive e-books. I don't so much love the prices on the more expensive books, but I do love being able to get a book right when I want it. No more waiting for something to arrive by mail, no more running down to the bookstore because I've read the first book in a series and now must read the rest. All of it right at my fingertips - and I love it! If you don't have an e-reader, I would really recommend getting one. So far, I haven't seen a downside. Other than all the money I'm now spending on books.<br /><br />Anything this week that you've loved/not loved so much?Sariah Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06606312014221875944noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-69592673073761911062011-04-08T19:12:00.006-04:002011-04-08T19:51:28.462-04:00Green Acres ~ We Aren't There! (Yet)<em>by Kerry Blair</em> <br /><br /><span style="font-family:Calibri;">I firmly believe that avid readers find real life much more difficult than people who never crack a book and/or charge their e-readers. And if an avid reader is also a writer with a good imagination, well, in the eloquent word of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>latter-day philosopher Joe Garagiola: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>“Fergetaboutit.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Calibri;">While I have long believed the above hypothesis to be true, I recently set out to prove it. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Calibri;">First I must provide a little back story.* One of the first books I loved with all my little avid-reader heart was <em>Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm</em>. (While my family’s copy dates from 1903, please know it lay around a couple of generations before I picked it up.) Rebecca preceded both <em>Anne</em> (<em>of Green Gables</em>) and <em>Pollyanna</em>—both in creation and on my reading list—and remains in my view the superior of the three. At the beginning of the book a character says to orphaned Rebecca, “Why you poor little girl!” The eight-year-old replies, “I am <em>not</em> a poor little girl. I am very self-reliant.” She not only repeats those last five words throughout the book (Shirley Temple is adorable saying it in the movie!) she proves it time and again.</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-family:Calibri;">I have always identified with Rebecca, the spunky, self-reliant moppet who—despite an incredible talent and the promise of great fame and fortune—pined for an idyllic life on the family farm. (It is me all over, minus the moppet, talent, and guaranteed fame-and-fortune bits, I guess.) </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Sunnybrook Farm was only the first of the literature of my childhood that convinced me that farms are idyllic places of blue sky, fresh air, brightly-colored produce stands groaning beneath the harvest, and sweet-tempered farm critters, jovially whinnying, clucking, and purring their way into your heart. No place on earth could be better! (If you harbor any doubt, you have only to remember how anxious Dorothy was to get back home. Clearly, farms are fabulous even in comparison to <em>Oz</em>!)</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-family:Calibri;">After decades of pining, imagine my delight when my husband and I moved to our very own farmlette in Dewey, Arizona. I had open land, already developed corrals and pens, a well full of water—and virtually no zoning restrictions of any kind. My vivid imagination, bolstered by years of living vicariously in the country in countless books—went crazy. What <em>couldn’t</em> a very self-reliant girl like me do? Of course, fiction alone isn’t enough to bring about the dream. Knowing that, I started where every Avid Reader does, mortgaging the new family farm to buy every book, magazine and pamphlet ever published on homesteading. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Calibri;">I learned more than I have in any period of time since my senior year in college. For one thing, I learned that gardening is ridiculously simple . . . in February. In an armchair. In front of the fire. It’s when you run outside on the first sunny day in March, shiny new shovel in hand, and discover that concrete is softer and richer than that “loam” you settled onto that truth finally reflects upon your senses. That’s when you begin to discover as well, Avid Reader and Spinner of Stories, that there is a whole lot of fiction within the pages of nonfiction and that life does not imitate art nearly as well as you wish it would. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Calibri;">In stories, geese lay golden eggs and bean sprouts grow like magic. (Even in less fanciful books, seeds started in little pots indoors bring forth rows and rows of summer produce.) In reality, geese eat, honk, poop, and guard their eggs with greater enthusiasm than that guy trying to hold onto Tripoli. Beans of the non-magical variety sprout a quarter of an inch, lose interest in life, and fall over dead. Books suggest sagely the planting of spinach, cabbage and peas “when the daffodils bloom.” Reality comes along and dumps five inches of snow on your three-inch-tall plants. (Not to mention the stupid daffodils.)</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-family:Calibri;">I hate to belabor this, but one more caution is worth mention. When absolutely <em>everything</em> you know about living with a horse comes from the pages of <em>Pippi Longstocking</em>, you’re going to need more than a brand new copy of <em>Horses for Dummies</em> to successfully cohabitate with that new 1100-lb “pet” you didn’t think you could live without.</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Finally, do not get me started on goats. Not only have I read <em>Heidi</em>, I’ve recently perused almost o<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HT5GHZhJYWqMLuFjiggib7xwNsg9bFEsgII61q3biJ4JvisQwQMRMGdQv0P3_vXeabbxC18BZwHbOkyg6rusf2zABLnCCf2jZlVE9XbDijygixiHHY9hdjUBXMlxwjkqau-d_g/s1600/goat.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 125px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 85px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593360808521082146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HT5GHZhJYWqMLuFjiggib7xwNsg9bFEsgII61q3biJ4JvisQwQMRMGdQv0P3_vXeabbxC18BZwHbOkyg6rusf2zABLnCCf2jZlVE9XbDijygixiHHY9hdjUBXMlxwjkqau-d_g/s400/goat.jpg" /></a>ne thousand pages on the how-tos of caring for goats. I am here to tell you there is not one single line (let alone paragraph) within any of those pages that suggests what you should do when a 65-lb Nubian doe jumps up onto the hood of your mother’s shiny white car and refuses to budge.</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-family:Calibri;">So, that’s the Friday Farm Report from Dewey. I haven’t stopped reading, of course. I’ll never stop reading. I have, however, found a few farm-friendly uses for books that the authors probably did not intend. <em>Pleasures of a Handmade Life</em> is exactly the right size to plug a crack in a hen house. And, as it turns out, if you chuck <em>Raising Dairy Goats</em> hard enough at the beastie tap-dancing on the Buick, you do get its attention. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Calibri;"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">*This, Fellow Writers, is also known as “Info Dump.” Editors hate it. I can only hope that faithful follower Kirk Shaw is too busy editing Covenant superstars Stephanie and Julie today to lurk around a boggy frog blog.</span></em> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:85%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><em>FYI: The goat pictured is <strong>not</strong> my goat. I could not get my picture to load from my phone, so I borrowed one from the web. (My goat it cuter.) Alarmingly this goat-on-car problem is more wide-spread than I imagined. I think I'll write my own book about goats gone bad and the people who . . . um . . . love (?) them. </em></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-33859566145244418692011-04-07T22:42:00.005-04:002011-04-07T22:55:36.780-04:00The Cold Hard Facts & A Writer's Conferenceby Julie Coulter Bellon<br /><br />I am cold. Deathly white, frozen to the bone, cold.<br /><br />You see, today my son had a track meet. And for some extremely odd reason, track people are like the postal service---come rain, snow, sleet or hail, they will be running and jumping in it. And the track people fully expect their family members to be there to watch.<br /><br />So there I was on METAL stands, with the wind blowing so hard the flagpole looked like it was bending over, squinting through the rain to watch my son run around the track. I was trying to think warm thoughts to stop the shivering so I didn’t look like I was having a medical emergency, but it wasn’t working. I stood and jumped up and down a little, pretending I was a very enthusiastic parent cheering on her son, but it didn’t help. My legs felt frozen and my old frostbite injury was starting to hurt. I sat back down, but the metal that was warmer than an ice cube a minute ago was now colder than an icicle again and my bottom protested strongly at being pressed against it. Pulling my hood closer around my face, I pulled my hands into my sleeves and glanced longingly at my warm car a few hundred feet away in the parking lot. But then my son ran by, waving and smiling, and my heart melted as I knew it was worth it. Every cold and miserable second was worth it if my son knew that his mom supported him, believed in him, and would be there for him.<br /><br />Even when it started to hail.<br /><br />I think writing is sort of like that, in two ways. When you’ve finished a manuscript, you’re sort of like a runner who’s been training and is ready for the race. You start the preliminaries of finding an agent or a publishing house. That is when the wind of insecurity and the rain of rejection will most likely begin. You stand and jump up and down in the face of whatever is thrown at you, sometimes longing for the warm, sweet days of being swept up in your story and not in the race for publication. Then, one day, that agent or publishing house will smile and pick up your manuscript and your heart will melt because in that moment, it was all worth it. Every cold rejection, every harsh critique, every loss will all be made up when your baby wins the race. <br /><br />Of course, the second way is the most obvious one. Your mom will read your manuscript and tell you how brilliant it is. When you are rejected, she will listen to you cry, and tell you they’re just jealous of your work and obviously not intelligent enough to see your brilliance. She will always be there for you, supporting you, and believing in you, no matter what—through rain, wind, and hail.<br /><br />I’m still trying to warm myself up from my track experience today. I need a fire or something. Or warm soup. Or to just snuggle into a heated blanket or something. But I’ll be at the computer for a while yet because I’m putting the finishing touches on my presentation that I’ll be giving at the Write Here in Ephraim writing conference this Saturday. We have some amazing classes like Elements of Suspense by Gregg Luke and Book Promotions and Blog Tours by Rachelle Christensen, Becoming an Idea Factory, Children’s Literature, and lots more, all starting at 8:30 a.m. and going until 5:00 p.m. at 105 E. 200 S. in Ephraim, UT. There will also be panels with published authors on the publishing process, and twenty authors to mix and mingle with (listed below), so if you will be in the Ephraim area this Saturday, you have to drop by. I hope to see you there!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP788gzPV5w2KSNArBi3TRXID-2KZfoDvDYjSYXOTt3yHnDvyimymfICf-PFLIZjv0raPahB6B3Ohf_KASmC4idKkBOIdHmXTSX133zCsRcGqgaZAUnLTmycR6gVZWMLHSBi_6rA/s1600/Ephraim+Flyer.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 314px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP788gzPV5w2KSNArBi3TRXID-2KZfoDvDYjSYXOTt3yHnDvyimymfICf-PFLIZjv0raPahB6B3Ohf_KASmC4idKkBOIdHmXTSX133zCsRcGqgaZAUnLTmycR6gVZWMLHSBi_6rA/s400/Ephraim+Flyer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593039007704337314" /></a>Julie Coulter Bellonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07695605817809301518noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-48730487119200329612011-04-06T13:44:00.003-04:002011-04-06T14:11:01.422-04:00The Goose that Lays the Golden EggIt would be wonderful to have huge piles of money to use to support every good cause in existence, but I’m not sure even Bill Gates has THAT much money. The vast majority of our donations are unsolicited and go to a source that we know absolutely will use the money wisely. Most of the time, I turn down phone requests from various groups asking for money, but once in a while, I’ll go ahead and donate in response to a phone request. And on an unfortunate occasion, I found that not everyone has quite gotten the message about not killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. You remember that Aesop’s fable, right? The farmer and his wife have a goose that lays a golden egg each day. They get greedy and cut the goose open to get their paws on all the gold they think must be inside, all at once—but they just find normal goose innards, and now their source of gold is dead. Oops. <br /><br />Case study: I donated to an organization I won’t name—okay, I can’t remember the name, but even if I could, I wouldn’t name it because I’m not out to slam anyone’s group. I’ll just say it seemed like a worthy cause, and I donated. Then I got calls from similar organizations (and, I think, the same organization). And more calls. And MORE calls. AND MORE CALLS. It got ridiculous, and I’m now to the point that I will <span style="font-style:italic;">never</span> donate to a similar organization again. My goose is gone, baby. When I agree to send money to support a worthy cause, that’s what I want to do—support a worthy cause. Not get my information passed along so I can get more and more requests for money. That’s an effective way for an organization to rid itself of a potential golden goose. <br /><br />Now for the comparison relevant to writers: I’ve been on Twitter for almost a year now. I’m far from being a Twitter expert, but I’ve been there long enough to realize some things that, as a writer, I definitely don’t want to do when I’m tweeting. <br /><br />If a writer starts following me on Twitter, I always go check out their tweets. If I find that the tweets don’t look too spammy or what all, I’ll follow back. But if that person then proceeds to tweet what amounts to ads for their book EVERY day—or even more frequently than that—I’m going to start getting annoyed. I’ve unfollowed a couple of writers for that reason. They had me as an audience—I was following them; I was willing to see what they had to say—but then they lost me. Goose gone. <br /><br />I’m not saying writers shouldn’t promote their books on Twitter. Of course they should—let’s be frank; what are we doing there in the first place? As an author, it’s not just about having fun with social media; it’s about networking, connecting with potential readers, spreading the word, letting people know who we are and what we write. But in my humble opinion, you don’t make the desired connections by bombarding people with tweets like: “Want a great spine-tingling mystery? Read Whitney Award finalist COLD AS ICE!” Over and over and over again. I’ve got an audience ready to hear me—but instead of gently cultivating that audience, and trying, through personal, entertaining, interesting tweets, to generate interest in my work, I’m going for all the gold right away: Buy my book! Buy my book! And in doing that, I’m risking losing my golden geese—people who might have become interested in my work because of our Twitter connection. <br /><br />When a writer talks about his/her book on Twitter, I want to feel like I’m hearing fun, interesting news—not like I’m listening to an advertisement. It’s fun to hear a writer tweet excitedly about a new book being accepted, or a new release, or a great review, or a new cover, or what have you. I <span style="font-style:italic;">do</span> want to hear book news--definitely. I like connecting with authors and finding out about their work. I just want to hear about it in a fun, personal way.Stephanie Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848784501386694887noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-1788420483485551842011-04-05T01:21:00.001-04:002011-04-05T01:21:43.051-04:00Thanks, Rob, and Book Prices.<p>First, let me say thanks to all the frog bloggers and to you, our friends. It has been so fun having everyone blogging and reliving the last half-decade. Good times! Good times!</p> <p>I’ve spent every minute since I got off work moving stuff, putting together stuff, and cleaning stuff in preparation for my oldest son returning from his mission next week. It is definitely an ibuprofen moment.</p> <p>Which is to say that I haven’t actually done the drawing from all of your wonderful comments, but I absolutely positive will tomorrow morning. I’ll let each author decide what they want to give away, but my giveaway will be from the way back machine. Either Cutting Edge or Into the Fire, which are both long out of print.</p> <p>Second, I want to wish a truly happy birthday to Rob. I can’t think of a better success through perseverance story, or a more deserving person to have it happen to. Hope your day was great, Rob. </p> <p>Of course after all the goodwill and resurgence of energy, I couldn’t  skip my first post 5 year blog.  So I thought I’d throw out a question. Recently I read a blog where a person was complaining about people selling their books on-line for $0.99 – $2.99. This author felt it devalued books to sell them that low.</p> <p>And yet, right now, I can hustle down to the local Red Box and watch a movie that cost millions to make for a paltry $1. Does that devalue the movie? Should you be able to watch a well made movie for a buck? </p> <p>Now, admittedly, you don’t get to keep the movie. It doesn’t have the same quality or sound of a full theater experience. And you have to wait until after the movie is out of theaters. </p> <p>Could any of this apply to books. Publishers want to make more money. Many authors have found they make more money by selling a higher quantity at a lower price. But many publishers are still keeping prices higher to keep from cannibalizing their hardback sales.</p> <p>As a reader, would you be willing to “rent” an e-book for, say two weeks if the price was a buck or two? Would you be willing to wait several months after the hardback was released to pay significantly less? Would you pay more for a copy that had special features—author notes, deleted scenes, short stories?</p> <p>As an author, I’d be happy to take my million bucks in a million one dollar sales or a hundred thousand ten dollar sales. But if I was only selling a few thousand books, I have to admit I would be pretty ticked if each copy only sold for a buck.</p> <p>I hear people all the time complain about e-books from big name publishers not being cheap enough. But in the same breath they want the e-book the same day the hardback comes out and with all the bells and whistles. What do you think? Pay more for getting it right away and with special features? Pay less, but after waiting a few months or renting? Or do you want it all? Low price, all the goodies, and immediate release? </p> <p>And how much lower does the e-book have to be than the print copy to work for you?</p> Jeff Savagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09308834117176284991noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-25630404206121941172011-04-03T21:07:00.002-04:002011-04-03T21:21:39.130-04:00Five and CountingAs the song says, life is what happens to you while you're making other plans, right?<br /><br />Looking back on five years, I'm sort of amazed at the twists and turns my life has taken. <br /><br />Five years ago I had two children. The oldest had a diagnosis of autism and I spent most of my time shuttling him back and forth between different therapists (occupational, speech, behavioral). My second was four, and attending preschool. I had one free-and-clear hour in my day, every day, to write. He would enter kindergarten in the fall, and I would suddenly have several hours. <br /><br />I was excited at the prospect. I started planning out my days for kindergarten and then first grade the year after. Eight hours or so a day just to write? I couldn't even imagine.<br /><br />It wasn't the plan I wanted. I desperately wanted more children. But it was the reality I had.<br /><br />Then something miraculous happened, and in 2006 I was pregnant with my daughter. In 2008 I became pregnant with my son. <br /><br />Two absolute miracles, two babies who came into this world healthy and normal when there had been loss after loss after loss. <br /><br />I remember a moment where the Spirit warned me that by choosing this path, my writing would suffer. I didn't care. I wouldn't trade my babies for even J.K. Rowling's money. Maybe I'll never be as successful as I might have been. And I'm okay with that. <br /><br />I can see where that warning from the Spirit came true. Miracles and joy that they are, they're also still babies. All my creativity, all my excitement about writing, everything got sucked out the window. All my time and energy got focused on these new additions to our family. You know this, because you read my blog and you've heard me complain about it for nearly four years now.<br /><br />But the tide is turning. My daughter's in preschool; my son will join her this fall. I now live near my sisters and sisters-in-law, and I'm already making plans to trade off times with our kids - for them to have a break, for me to have time to write. <br /><br />I'm excited by new pathways in publishing. I'm excited to find the time to get back to committing words to paper (keystrokes to Word?). I'm excited to see where the next five years will take me.Sariah Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06606312014221875944noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-74293880548293231272011-04-01T11:53:00.004-04:002011-04-01T12:01:01.239-04:00PS: Blast From the Past!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbUl2MHVZ2cpSB3lOLSFN6G68AZmitPtJyR0RO8y2sOwSioNyQpdV5VaK4ziNFhicL_04208QKDvsIUzsi1lmaAOD9RpWaOQC5Xlvw7G2WfGvQh_Ml4ZJ1Yya5NsnYALyS-JKZA/s1600/frog+fun+pack.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbUl2MHVZ2cpSB3lOLSFN6G68AZmitPtJyR0RO8y2sOwSioNyQpdV5VaK4ziNFhicL_04208QKDvsIUzsi1lmaAOD9RpWaOQC5Xlvw7G2WfGvQh_Ml4ZJ1Yya5NsnYALyS-JKZA/s400/frog+fun+pack.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590645464948371458" /></a><br />Anybody remember those fantabulously fun Frog Surprise packs we used to send out? <br /><br />I didn't think so.<br /><br />Nevertheless, I simply could not bear to part with my box of all things Froggy, so I moved it here to Dewey where it continues to take up space. Before it becomes any greener (from mold) I want to give it all away! So...in the comment section, tell us your fondest memory from the Frog Years Thus Far. (Make sure there is some contact info somewhere so I can track you down for a snail-mail address.) I'll send out prizes as long as they last -- or until my husband notices how much I'm spending on postage, whichever comes first.<br /><br />We do so appreciate each and every one of you!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-80739395255102158832011-04-01T11:05:00.011-04:002011-04-01T12:21:51.246-04:00I Blame Jeff<em>by Kerry Blair </em><br /><br />I thought I’d retired from blogging. <em>You</em> thought I’d finally run out of metaphorical Karo syrup . . . or died . . . or . . . whatever it is you thought. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>(This would be the three of you who noticed my recent, um, sabbatical.) But here I am again, celebrating the Frog Blog’s anniversary, albeit sheepishly. (How did sheep get in here? Let’s just say I feel like a toad and leave it at that. <br /><br />I blame Jeff for getting me to come back. (Which is not to say it is his fault; merely that I blame him.) <br /><br />Although the blog began in March of 2006 it was April (May?) when I received the e-mail inviting me to take over Fridays from the amazing Candace Salima. (I never did replace that woman, but nobody could.) I was befuddled. Truth be told, I had never seen the word “blog” before it popped up in that e-mail. It wasn’t in my dictionary.* A little research revealed that “blog” is a contraction of “web log.” Ah, ha! I knew what a captain’s log was from <em>Star Trek</em> and, bright girl that I am, extrapolated from there. And what a great little word to get to know! Blog can be a noun, a verb—someti<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNAfgi-Pzvjzz2A-wbhq4IusW701r_ilyhVE2GtqP_76UaruIOsHsAQV2CFb0fSoPlZ989oNWcCPCSoHL97Zuc9ftovolKU6OLp9UX0t4G9oJ54NKBV6_lxLqXfbU8bxEVhxBbQQ/s1600/frog+and+mean+aunt.jpg"></a>mes even an adjective—all in the same sentence! What’s not to love about four letters that can do all that? <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIAFmm00_B-ajm7BHXdHgdoeVBIJAvQ3yKBGYKLFevApe8-RYCt15P4Tm6Ha0oCrHkH7HTE5TMJxQc2QSR015AfdRgXrlQwS66gvIhV3Kdv8CYtle4Vcm5H7tvd325f_CC708g6Q/s1600/frog+in+tux.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590639679297381090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIAFmm00_B-ajm7BHXdHgdoeVBIJAvQ3yKBGYKLFevApe8-RYCt15P4Tm6Ha0oCrHkH7HTE5TMJxQc2QSR015AfdRgXrlQwS66gvIhV3Kdv8CYtle4Vcm5H7tvd325f_CC708g6Q/s400/frog+in+tux.jpg" /></a> <br /><br />If I have a claim to fame (folly?) here on the Frog Blog, perhaps it is in, um, plasticizing The Frog. One of his earliest photo shoots was in Arizona in January of 2007 where he was snapped smoozing with Mean Aunt and her lovely daughter. A few months later he popped (hopped?) up again at another signing, this time in Cincinnati with two of Sariah’s sisters. He is most famous, of course, for posing with a rather befuddled-looking Stephenie Myer. Besides his much-acclaimed public appearances over the years, The Frog has written a couple of blogs, starred in a murder mystery, and gotten himself kidnapped by the mega-talented (if nefarious) Janette Rallison. <br /><br />As much as I’ve loved that Frog, my favorite part the whole blogging experience has to be the incredible, fascinating people we meet along the way. I hesitate to attempt a list our guest bloggers for fear of missing somebody somewhere sometime, but no retrospective would be complete without acknowledging that sometimes we only got by with a little help from our friends. (At least I did.) In gratitude, I spent five hours sloshing around the Frog Blog Bog archives—mostly by flashlight in the wee hours of this morning—so I’ll be astounded if I didn’t miss a name or three. (Please forgive me!) Here is my best effort at hats off to our guest stars who are, in no particular order: Janette Rallison, Michele Ashman Bell, Christy Gruber, Marnie Pehrson, Janet Jensen, Linda Weaver Clark, Jennifer Savage, Hilary Blair, Betsy Brannon Green, Jennifer Leigh, Tristi Pinkston, Annette Lyon, Marsha Ward, Matthew Buckley, Evil HR Lady, Delsa Anderson, Rachel Nunes, Joan Sowards/LizAnne Bayh, Tammy Daybell, Pat Taylor, Traci Hunter Abramson, Crystal Liechty, Debra Erfert, Julie Wright, Deirdra Eden Coppel, Jewel Adams, Anna Jones Buttimore, Bandit Blair, Marlene Austin, Cheri Crane, Meredith C. Dias, Michele Holmes, Jennie Hansen, Jon Spell, John Governale, Sheralyn Pratt, Stephanie Humphreys, Doug Johnston, Amy Black, Candace Salima, W. Dave Free, Jeri Gilchrist, Daron Fraley, Spencer McKay, Michael Cleverly, Karlene Browning, Scott Blair, Lynn Gardner, Bron Bahlmann, Gale Sears, Susan Corpany, Valerie Holladay, Nancy Campbell Allen, Deanne Blackhurst, Laura Bingham, and Julia Polakoff. <br /><br />Clearly, we have had impressive guests. More importantly, we continue to be visited by amazing readers/writers. I could never count the number of times I’ve perused the comments one of you left after a blog and thought, “I wish I’d said that!” or “If only I could express myself that well.” You are some of the most thoughtful, articulate, and creative people on the planet and I will forever be grateful that cyberspace (and Sariah!) brought us together. <br /><br />One more observation, really quick. (I’m approximately 350,000 words behind everybody else at this point, so you can’t blame me for trying to gain back a little ground.) When I joined the blog, family and friends began giving me frogs. (Although I suspect Moses “gifted” Pharaoh with a few more than I’ve received, I definitely have my share.) My veritable army of amphibians is stationed all around the yard and almost always draws comment from passersby. By far the most surprising—and meaningful—comment was from a new neighbor in Chino Valley who looked over my collection of little green men and said, "I just knew you were Christian!" <br /><br /><em>Huh?</em> <br /><br />As it turns out, in some circles of modern Christianity, <strong>FROG</strong> is a popular acronym for <strong>F</strong>orever <strong>R</strong>emember <strong>O</strong>ur <strong>G</strong>od or <strong>F</strong>orever <strong>R</strong>ely <strong>O</strong>n <strong>G</strong>od. Her revelation startled me. Not just the oddity of the God/frog (?!) thing, but the serendipity of it all. As Jeff and Rob and Stephanie and Julie and Sariah reminisced about the last five years of their personal and professional lives, I was struck again by the aptness of our mascot. These people are some of the most gifted and brilliant writers in their genres, but what I have long loved and admired most about them is that in each of their hearts the “writer” label will forever come after “LDS.” It is becoming increasingly rare to find so much truth and so much testimony in "mere" books and blogs and tweets. These people are beyond inspiring. I look back today with gratitude, seeing how much I’ve grown—just as a result of trying to fit in. <br /><br />Thanks, guys! (Yes, even Jeff. Maybe especially Jeff.) <br /><br />*It is <em>now</em>. I update dictionaries about as often as most top models update their wardrobes.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-16486145857428553842011-03-31T22:28:00.002-04:002011-03-31T22:33:26.524-04:00The Last Five Yearsby Julie Coulter Bellon<br /><br />I sort of wish there had been some sort of futuristic time capsule of the blog, or famous future sayings by each of the bloggers that we could pull out today. Perhaps, something like this:<br /><br />Jeff: You should definitely listen to me more, and I’ll tell you how it’s done. My character bible classes are going to be popular and I’ll let you be first in line.<br /><br />Rob: Those dang Canadians.<br /><br />Stephanie: I’m going to make you think I’m a sci-fi writer and then stun you and become a creepy mystery writer. No one will see it coming! Bwahaha!<br /><br />Kerry: Believe in yourself! You can do it!<br /><br />Sariah: They weren’t sheep! They were birds!<br /><br />I don’t know what mine would be. Probably, it’s Thursday so I have to blog. I don’t want to ruin my perfect record of making sure there’s a blog every Thursday.<br /><br />But seriously, it’s been really fun to go back and read some of my first blogs here. It’s so hard to believe it’s been five years. Five years ago in March I was awaiting the release of my third fiction novel with Spring Creek books and my first non-fiction book later that summer and I was blogging about finding time to be a writer with six kids. Crazy! Now, here I am, five years later, I publish with Covenant and have two more books under my belt, and oddly enough, I also have two more children, so I’m finding time to write with eight kids. Wow! <br /><br />If I could go back in time, knowing what I do now, and give myself some advice about things I’ve learned since then, it would be this:<br /><br />First, enjoy all the little moments more. Savor them. When that box of books arrives, take a moment to hold your novel that you’ve worked so hard on, and then grab a pen and write down everything you’re feeling in that moment. Someone, (I forget who, sorry!) told me once to write it in the front cover of one of your books so you’ll always remember that feeling.<br /><br />Second, don’t stress so much. The books will get written. The editor will answer your email. The dinner will get made. The kids will keep growing. Adding stress and worry doesn’t do a thing for you.<br /><br />Third, let people get to know the real you more. Be less of a hermit. Laugh and have fun with your friends, especially your writer friends. It adds such a richness to the writing experience.<br /><br />Fourth, don’t be afraid to stand firm about what is important to you. Editors and publishing houses are more flexible than you think. You won’t regret it.<br /><br />The last five years have been such a great ride for me. Like riding a unicycle on a tiny balance beam ledge. I found my groove and lost it. I wrote horrible limericks, crazy fanfiction, and silly short stories so I could laugh with my friends over them. I’ve written characters I loved and hated. I’ve changed publishers, editors, and jobs. I’ve presented in conferences, classes, book clubs, and libraries, and I’ve met so many wonderful people who have become friends. It’s been a journey, on a twisty, turny, road filled with both dark and sunshine, but it’s been one I can look back on and say I’m glad I took it. <br /><br />I’m so grateful to be part of this blog. I’ve looked up to all of these bloggers for years, and count myself lucky to be a part of this group. What a great five years it’s been and here’s to another five.Julie Coulter Bellonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07695605817809301518noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-56933220216363766092011-03-30T15:11:00.004-04:002011-03-30T15:36:34.416-04:00Five Years AgoFive years . . . wow. Five years ago, my youngest daughter was a toddler. Now she’s a first-grader, missing her two front teeth. My oldest daughter was a freshman in high school. Now she’s finishing up her second year at BYU. The kids have grown, but in an odd twist of reality, <span style="font-style:italic;">I didn’t get any older</span>. Weird, huh? No, those aren’t gray hairs. They’re . . . highlights. <br /><br />In 2006 when the Frog Blog began, I was just finishing up writing the sequel to my first book, <span style="font-style:italic;">The Believer</span>. In a blog post, I made this comment about manuscript submission: <br /><br /><blockquote>Up until the point that you submit the manuscript, you’re free to imagine whatever scenarios you want. The publisher will love it! They’ll snatch it up in record time! The first print run will sell out in a day! You’ll have so many fan letters that your e-mail server will crash! Your publisher will call you up, begging you to please, please write another book as quickly as you can because the world needs your unique and unparalleled genius. People will send you chocolates! <br /><br />But once you submit the book, you’ve applied for a reality check. And so the panic begins. </blockquote><br /><br />Turns out that in this case, the panic was warranted. In June 2006, on the day we were leaving to drive to a family reunion in Utah, I found out that the sequel had been rejected--not because my publisher didn’t like it, but because they feared it wouldn’t sell well enough at that time to be a good move for either them or me. Turns out that sequels don’t tend to sell as well as first books in a series, so unless you have really strong sales numbers for the first book, a publisher will be skittish about a sequel. I didn’t know that, nor did I know what constituted strong sales numbers, so the rejection came as a shock (I’m happy to report that now in a letter every author receives, my publisher talks about the particular challenges associated with sequels and advises authors on how to proceed).<br /><br />This rejection was by far the most painful thing I’d experienced in my writer’s journey. I felt like I’d walked full-speed into a brick wall. The Believer had gotten great reviews. People were waiting for the sequel. And now, I had nothing to offer them. I felt like a failure. All around me, authors were churning out books right and left. All the other Frog Bloggers had new or upcoming releases. And I’d published one book and then fallen flat on my face. <br /><br />But I didn’t blog about the rejection (sort of a Twilight Zone thing, I guess. I blogged about finishing this manuscript and then submitting this manuscript and then it sort of . . . disappeared). Experienced author friends had cautioned me not to cry about it in public; people who didn’t understand the industry would get the wrong idea and think if my publisher rejected the book, it must not have been good enough. Recognizing this as wise counsel, I was careful about what I said publicly. So why am I not afraid to blog openly about it now? Well, I figure I’ve accumulated enough of a track record that people won’t automatically assume the book was lousy. But five years ago when I blogged about that disappointing day, I referred to the rejection only as an unnamed source of stress as I discussed our vacation:<br /><br /><blockquote>Our anticipated drive time to this year’s family reunion was about twelve hours, but we decided to do it the easy way—half and half. We stopped at one in the morning to spend the night, or what was left of it, in Winnemucca, Nevada. (Winnemucca is a truly snappy name for a city). I’m grateful we didn’t decide to attempt the whole trip at once—halfway was more than enough for that night. I’d had a rotten day anyway, the sort of day where you get smacked with stress that turns your brain to mashed parsnips. Thank heavens I’d made the packing list prior to departure day and had already packed a good portion of the clothes, or who knows what we would have ended up with. My kids would have gone to get dressed and found I’d given them only three socks, pajama bottoms and an onion. </blockquote><br /><br />It sounds almost cliché to say it, but I gained a lot from that painful experience and what followed. Here are some things I learned: <br /><br />*My publisher really supported me. While I was vacationing in Utah, I was able to meet with my editor and members of the acquisitions committee. These busy people took over an hour of their time to sit and answer any questions I wanted to ask. It was very plain to me that even though they didn’t feel it was the right time for this book, they valued me as one of their authors and wanted me to succeed. <br /><br />*When you get knocked on your rear end, you (vent in your journal and moan to family and trusted friends, cry, get frustrated, feel discouraged, and then) jump up, dust yourself off, and get writing. Perseverance is vital to success. <br /><br />*It’s important to be flexible. I enjoyed writing futuristic fiction, but if I wanted to keep writing sci fi at that time, I needed to find another publisher. On the other hand, if I wanted to keep writing for the same publisher, I needed to write something different for a while. There was no one “right” choice—the question was which track I wanted to follow, and a different author in that situation might have made a different decision. For me, I wasn’t married to futuristic novels—I also really enjoyed contemporary mystery/suspense. I decided to put the sequel on the back burner and focus on something in a more solid genre for the LDS market. I pulled up a suspense novel I’d started a few years ago and got to work on it. That book became my second novel, <span style="font-style:italic;">Fool Me Twice</span>. <br /><br />*Sometimes an answer you don’t like can turn out to be a great thing, setting you on a new path that leads to new opportunities. It hurt when I found out the sequel had been rejected, but once I got moving again, I’ve really enjoyed my writing journey over the past five years, and have released three contemporary novels with another on the way. I enjoy writing in this genre, and winning a couple of Whitney Awards for mystery/suspense was a huge highlight in my writing career. Sure, someday I'd like to write sci fi again, and I will--there's time. (And by the way, the door is still open with my publisher for the possibility of the sequel to <span style="font-style:italic;">The Believer</span>—not right away, but who knows what will happen in the future?).<br /><br />I don't know what my writing journey will bring--chances are, at some point, there will be another brick wall that I'll smack right into--but I hope I can remember that once the shock wears off, it's time to dust myself off and keep moving. Here’s to the next five years!Stephanie Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848784501386694887noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23062151.post-21714603114181192882011-03-30T03:49:00.002-04:002011-03-30T04:13:39.598-04:00Five Years of RobSince we're looking back at the history of Six LDS Writers this week, I figure I ought to blog (since, five years ago, I used to blog).<br /><br />It's really amazing what has happened in the last five years. I think all six of us have gone through some really serious life changes, some terrible and some amazing.<br /><br />I thought I'd go through some of my old posts--ones that I find particularly memorable or interesting or funny or whatever--and offer a little commentary. A Brief History of Rob, or Whatever.<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2006/03/never-make-eye-contact.html">Never Make Eye Contact</a>, March 14, 2006<br />This was my first post on this blog, and I think it's interesting for one big reason: the entire post is about how I hate marketing. Of course, what I meant was "self-promotion", but at the time I didn't know the difference--and I certainly didn't guess that five years later I'd have an MBA in marketing.<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2006/05/everyones-critic.html">Everyone's a Critic</a>, March 16, 2006<br />This is one I'd forgotten about, but it's interesting for two reasons: first, it's in response to the first significant kerfuffle I'd gotten into on this blog, and second, it's discussing my plans for the LDS Fiction Review Database (a database containing all reviews of all LDS fiction everywhere). For people who know the history of the Whitney Awards, you'll remember that this database was my first (and misguided) attempt at helping LDS fiction as a whole. When my mindset shifted from pessimism ("LDS fiction needs to be fixed") to optimism ("LDS fiction is good, and we need to highlight the best of it") the Whitney Awards were born. You can read <a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2007/06/whitney-awards.html">the first announcement about the Whitneys here</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2006/07/guest-blogging.html">Guest Blogging</a>, July 21, 2006<br />An important discussion of an email Stephanie Black sent me.<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2006/10/for-love-of-game.html">For Love of the Game</a>, October 10, 2006<br />It was with this post that I announced I had decided to return to grad school.<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2006/12/wow.html">Wow</a>, December 28, 2006<br />The announcement that Deseret Book was buying Seagull and Covenant. I added very little commentary here, but the discussion thread is really interesting in light of what has happened in the last four years. We were all afraid and unsure and speculating.<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2007/02/roid-rage.html">'Roid Rage</a>, February 28, 2007<br />This was the first of several blogs about my as-yet undiagnosed pneumonia. At the time this was written, the doctor thought it was asthma. Fun fact: it was this pneumonia (undiagnosed for three months) that led to much of the financial trouble I had in grad school, which in turn led to much of the financial trouble I had after grad school, which in turn led to me writing <span style="font-style: italic;">Variant</span>. It's a tenuous connection, certainly, but I still think it's interesting.<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2007/05/resistance-is-futile.html">Resistance is Futile</a>, May 8, 2007<br />After resisting for a year, I joined LDStorymakers, and then I dove in head first and tried to get everyone else to join. There were several blogs to this effect, but this is the best one.<br /><br />Fake Interviews:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2007/07/guest-interview-jk-rowling.html">Guest Interview: JK Rowling</a> This was the first of my fake interviews, which quickly became a popular feature on the blog. And then I stopped doing them, for some reason.</li><li><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2007/10/delving-deeper.html">Delving Deeper: Interview with Jeff Savage</a></li><li><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2007/11/annette-lyon-gets-socratic.html">Annette Lyon Gets Socratic</a></li><li><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2007/11/thanksgiving-forum.html">Thanksgiving Forum</a> (One of my all-time favorites.)</li><li><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2007/12/election-08-townhall-meeting.html">Election 08: Townhall Meeting</a> (Another all-time favorite.)</li><li><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2008/01/grapes-of-brands.html">The Brands of Wrath: Interview with John Steinbeck</a></li><li><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2008/03/2008-ldstorymakers-conference-insiders.html">The 2008 LDStorymakers Conference, an Insider's View</a>: Interview with Annette Lyon and Heather Moore</li><li><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2008/04/guest-interview-sariah-s-wilson.html">Guest Interview: Sariah Wilson</a> (Another of my favorites. Man, I have a lot of favorites. But this one especially so.)</li><li><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2008/05/enough-for-forever-interview-with.html">Enough For Forever:</a> An Interview with Edward Cullen </li><li><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2008/06/great-debate.html">The Great Debate:</a> A Debate Between Jeff Savage and Rob Wells </li><li><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah-palin-speaks.html">Sarah Palin Speaks</a></li><li><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2008/09/face-off.html">Face Off: A debate between Obama and McCain</a>. I got a lot of material out of the 2008 election. Well, "material". It's not like I ever talked about issues.</li><li><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-endorsement.html">My Endorsement. </a>I endorse The Phantom of the Opera for president.</li><li><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2009/06/social-media-marketing-interview-with.html">Social Media Marketing:</a> I teach Stephanie Black about social media</li></ul> Spencer McKay<br /><ul><li><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2007/07/guest-blogger-spencer-mckay.html">The Friberg Code</a> I started to blog about/in behalf of Spencer McKay. He started in the comment trail of one of Sariah's posts (I can't find it now), and quickly grew into a beloved(ish) character. Beloved by me, at least.</li><li><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2007/09/ineffectual-education-fund.html">The Ineffectual Education Fund</a>, a TV show Spencer created.</li><li><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2008/07/blog-touring-spencer-mckay.html">Blog Touring: Spencer McKay</a>. Spencer is back to talk about his latest literary masterpiece: <span style="font-style: italic;">Walked, and Other Things the Pioneer Children Did While They Sang.</span></li><li><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2008/07/honor-worth-defending.html">An Honor Worth Defending</a>. People claimed that Spencer wasn't real. My favorite part of this blog: I use the phrase "a literary Polkaroo".</li><li><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2009/06/great-mormon-novels-have-already-been.html">The Great Mormon Novels Have Already Been Written</a> Hint: Guess who wrote them?</li></ul><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2007/10/lovers-haters-and-swingers.html">Lovers, Haters and Swingers</a>, October 30, 2007<br />Once I was in business school, I started annoying everyone with business/marketing blogs. I still find them interesting, even if no one else cared.<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2007/12/2007-sixldswriters-christmas-letter.html">2007 SixLDSWriters Christmas Letter</a>, December 2007<br />This is one of my very favorite posts.<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2008/05/two-announcements.html">The Nephite Who Loved Me</a>, May 21, 2008<br />A photoshopped movie poster for Sariah's upcoming book.<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2008/06/minnesota-currently-giving-106.html">Minnesota: Currently Giving 106%</a>, June 2006<br />In the summer of 2008 I lived in Minneapolis while doing a brand management internship with ConAgra Foods (for Orville Redenbacher popcorn). I blogged about it several times.<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2008/07/architecture-and-books-or-how-i-learned.html">Architecture and Books -or- How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Tract Homes (and Harry Potter)</a>, July 29, 2008<br />This blog is notable for being the first time I used the phrase "who the hell cares?" in this LDS blog. But I was doing it in defense of a wonderful person when a moron criticized her taste in books.<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2008/08/billings.html">Billings</a>, August 19, 2008<br />I wrote this while stranded in Billings, Montana. I was broke and depressed. I followed it up the next day with this: On The Road Again<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2009/01/max-robison-wells.html">Max Robison Wells</a>, January 3, 2009<br />We had a little baby. He's rad.<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2009/01/barack-obama.html">Barack Obama</a>, January 2009<br />Even though I talk about politics a lot, I never really give much of an opinion. I did here.<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2009/03/annette-lyon-forgive-me-please.html">Annette Lyon, Forgive Me Please</a>, March 2009<br />I think this is my all-time favorite blog. Annette was blog touring and I'd agreed to write about her, but creating a graphic novel based on her covers seemed like more fun.<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2009/05/cry-for-help.html">A Cry For Help</a>, May 5, 2009<br />At long last, I finish grad school. I need a job.<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2009/06/you-can-never-go-home-again.html">You Can Never Go Home Again</a>, June 2, 2009<br />Because it was 2009, jobs were few and far between, especially for dorks who'd just graduated. So, I and my wife and three kids moved back in with my parents.<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2009/07/float-again.html">The Float</a>, July 2009<br />While living with my parents and being unemployed, I took over the creation of the Stake's parade float.<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2009/08/time-to-set-another-goal.html">Time To Set Another Goal</a>, August 25, 2009<br />This blog details my brother, Dan Wells, giving me the goal to write a sci-fi/fantasy book in two months, in anticipation of the World Fantasy Convention. It was this challenge that got me to write <span style="font-style: italic;">Variant</span>, which got me the deal with HarperTeen, which changed my writing career forever.<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2009/11/update-news.html">The News</a>, November 11, 2009<br />I announce that <span style="font-style: italic;">Variant</span> is now represented by Sara Crowe.<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-heart-is-breaking.html">My Heart Is Breaking</a>, December 9, 2009<br />This is the first blog in which I discuss my chest pain--pain that would plague me for the next six months and was (eventually) diagnosed as Tietze Syndrome.<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2009/12/end-of-seven-months.html">The End of Seven Months</a><br />After seven months of unemployment, I got a job! Hooray!<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2010/04/major-news-i-may-hyperventilate.html">Major News: I May Hyperventilate</a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Variant</span> sold to HarperTeen!<br /><br /><a href="http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2010/10/things-never-work-out-as-planned.html">Things Never Work Out As Planned</a>, October 10, 2010<br />I think this is about as good a place as any to end this 5 year recap. The point of this post was to explain how many of the things I'd expected--to get a great job right out of school, to not be unemployed, to not have major financial problems--hadn't happened. And yet, despite it not going to plan, everything has worked out splendidly. It's worked out differently, to be sure. And at times it's been painful and awful. But it's worked out nonetheless. I look back at Five Years Ago Rob, and he seems like such a different person; different goals and different plans. It kinda makes me wonder where I'll be in 2016.RobisonWellshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310316083080976885noreply@blogger.com9