my writer's lair

Reviewers needed: OLIVIA

2012-01-17T08:38:00.005-07:00

Jan 23 update: We have enough reviewers for OLIVIA now. Thanks! If you would like to be a reviewer, please stay tuned for my next review request for Christ's Gifts to Women. Will post in February.

Yes, I'm looking for reviewers for Julie Wright's book OLIVIA, because she is my co-author in The Newport Ladies Book Club series.

But this request is a bit different. I'd actually like to find 10-15 reviewers who are willing to review the WHOLE series. Every three months, a different book will be released. So I'll send you each book as it comes out.

Books will be:
OLIVIA by Julie Wright (Feb 2012)
DAISY by Josi S. Kilpack (May 2012)
PAIGE by Annette Lyon (Summer 2012)
ATHENA by Heather Moore (Fall/Winter)

For more information on this unique series, visit The Newport Ladies Book Club blog.

Reviews need to be posted on your blog and review sites such as Amazon, Goodreads, Deseretbook.com, Seagullbook.com, etc. (it's really easy to cut & paste once the review is written).

Please let me know if you are interested, and I'll send you more details.

heather @ hbmoore (dot) com

Cover Reveal: Daughters of Jared

2012-01-11T09:29:00.004-07:00

I'm excited to post the cover for my upcoming novel, Daughters of Jared. Release date: May 2012.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Daughters of Jared

From the Book of Ether comes a haunting story of two royal sisters. The elder sister, Ash, will do anything to bring her father, King Jared II, back to the throne. The younger sister, Naiva, only wants to save her family from destruction. Greed and the quest for power blend together in H.B. Moore’s volatile new novel, Daughters of Jared. The bond of sisterhood becomes precariously fragile when one man . . . named Akish . . . falls in love with the younger sister, Naiva. Yet he chooses to marry the elder sister.

The sisters’ hearts are divided. And when Ash becomes queen, seduced by the promise of power and wealth, Naiva watches her world crumble away. She sees only one way out. But it will require forsaking all that she holds dear.

Serialization of Women of the Book of Mormon

2012-01-09T09:29:00.004-07:00

Meridian Magazine is doing a serialization of some chapters from Women of the Book of Mormon.
You can read the first chapter, on Sariah, here.

Also, in other news, Land of Inheritance (Whitney Award Winner, 2007), is now in paperback!

My editing company is hosting another LIVE CRITIQUE workshop on March 3, 2012. More details are on the PEG Workshop blog. Instructors include Lu Ann Staheli, Annette Lyon, Josi Kilpack & Julie Wright.

Submission letter for Adam and Eve

2012-01-06T14:30:00.002-07:00

Below I've posted my submission letter for my latest manuscript: Adam & Eve. It will give you an idea of the submission process.

January 6, 2012

Dear [Editor],

I’m pleased to submit my new historical novel, In the Beginning: Adam & Eve, complete at 82,000 words.

Many questions have been asked and speculated upon pertaining to our first parents, Adam and Eve, and what may have transpired in the Garden of Eden. Answers are difficult to come by, but in all my research I have sensed one thing more clearly than any other. Eve made an informed and intelligent choice. Does this mean that she and Adam understood all the ramifications of eating the forbidden fruit? Perhaps not all, but enough that she knew the choice had to be made in order to bring about the human race.

In Women of the Old Testament, Camille Fronk Olson quotes Deborah Sawyer, saying, “Let us put to death the Eve of patriarchal fantasy, and raise up in her stead the Eve who, created in the image of God, takes responsibility for human progress, liberates herself and her husband from the playground of paradise and engages with the real world” (13).

It is with this objective in mind that I re-created the story of Adam and Eve in fictional form, with the intent to bring to light the true nature of Eve and her choice in the garden—a choice which became the second most significant event in humanity, second only to the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

I would also encourage the evaluators to read the Preface, it will explain some turns of plot that take place in the first 100 pages. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Heather Moore

First Cover of Newport Ladies Book Club series

2011-12-20T14:24:00.003-07:00

Christmas has come early!

Here is the fantastic cover of Olivia, book one in the Newport Ladies Book Club series. This is a series I am co-authoring with Julie Wright, Annette Lyon, and Josi Kilpack. One book will come out each quarter. Olivia will be out first, in February, 2012. It has been an incredible journey, with a lot of hard work. The four of us will be teaching a class about co-authoring at the 2012 LDS Storymakers Conference.

More details about the series are on the Newport Ladies Book Club blog.

December updates

2011-12-12T15:45:00.002-07:00

LDS Storymakers Writers Conference:

*Registration is now open for the 2012 LDS Storymakers Conference. It's a great conference and there are several agents and editors coming. It will be held at the Provo Marriott. The conference will also be followed by the Whitney Award Gala. If you've read any great novels by LDS author this year, be sure to nominate them at the Whitney Award website. The book doesn't have to be LDS in nature, just written by an LDS author.

Upcoming Releases:

February
*I'm really excited to start talking about The Newport Ladies Book Club series. This is a co-author project that I worked on with Julie Wright, Josi Kilpack, and Annette Lyon. The first book in the series: Olivia (by Julie Wright) will be out February 2012. More details are on the Newport Ladies Book Club blog.

March
*Next month I'll be compiling a list of reviewers for Christ's Gifts to Women. This is a short, non-fiction gift book that I've co-written with Angela Eschler. The release date is March 2012. So watch for the blog where I'll send out review guidelines.

May
*I've finished edits for Daughters of Jared, a historical novel that will be out May 2012. It still have to go through design and final copyedits and proofreading, but the bulk of the work (on my end) is done.

Articles:
*This month I had an article published on Mary, Mother of Christ in YourLDSNeighborhood newsletter. You can read it on YourLDSblog.

*Later this month, a chapter from Women of the Book of Mormon will be serialized in Meridian Magazine. I'll post the link on my Facebook page when it comes out.

Work in Progress:
I'm doing revisions on my new historical novel, Adam and Eve, which I hope to submit at the end of this week if all goes well. Then, hopefully, I can ditch the computer and face the Christmas shopping crowds.

U-turns . . . Literally

2011-10-12T09:44:00.012-06:00

A few weeks ago, several of my editors (for Precision Editing Group) and I went to the annual League of Utah Writers Conference. We had done manuscript reviews with several writers and were to meet with them in one-on-one interviews.

The editors coming happened to also be my co-writers for The Newport Ladies Book Club series, which includes Josi Kilpack, Julie Wright & Annette Lyon. So we were extra excited about not only getting together at a great writers conference, but to have the chance to go through some of our joint scenes.

Since it was a long drive, and Julie Wright would be passing my general location, we decided to carpool together. After about a 2 hour delay due to traffic and the now infamous Utah construction, Julie arrived, limping up to my doorstep. Because if you don't know, Julie tore her ACL. This began a weekend of me trying to do everything for Julie, and Julie telling me she was fine.

Despite the fact that it was pouring rain and a Friday afternoon, we cruised up to Logan. Well, almost to Logan. I knew we must be getting close to the Brigham City turnoff, but the freeway signs were announcing upcoming destinations for Pocatello (which is NOT in Utah at all).

I had a sinking feeling that I'd done it again . . . even with Julie driving. My kids know that when mom drives, we do a lot of U-turns. A freeway exit was coming up, and we decided to take it and call the direction-trusty Josi Kilpack. Who, by the way, Julie and I decided to blame because she was originally going to have us pick her up too. But since we were so late, she went on ahead. We could have definitely found her house without trouble (maybe).

The good news was that we'd taken an exit where there was an alternate canyon road leading to Logan. The bad news was the Julie was starving (she refused to eat the granola bars I brought, she said something about wanting real food. Granola bars are considered real food in my house . . .).

Josi also told us that our alternate choice of driving was a very pretty drive.

You can judge for yourself:

Not so pretty, Josi.

But I was just relieved to see this sign:

It meant that we were truly going in the right direction.

We met Josi and Annette Lyon for dinner at some delicious Mexican place (that met with Julie's approval for real food) with a very strange name. Julie hobbled to the table, and I offered to help her again, but she refused (stubborn woman).

After dinner, we left for our hotel, specifically asking Josi for directions. Just in case Josi was watching us leave, we purposely turned the wrong direction. But all was well. I mean, you can't get lost in the city of Logan, right? We made it to the hotel, and I bullied Julie into letting me do (most) the work.

Finally settled, we got some writing done and then I discovered that the Award Banquet, which I thought was the next night, had just concluded. I wondered how AMMON had fared, but I didn't know who was at the banquet to call/text. We took off to a place that Marion Jensen promised had great desserts (they were average, but I didn't really expect Marion to be a dessert connoisseur).

Upon returning to the hotel, I discovered that my book, AMMON, had won the Golden Quill award. And I had been upstairs in my room (writing, so that's not too horrible).

This picture was taken the next night, when the award was slipped to me:

So that was pretty exciting. I had forced Julie to stay with me at dinner because the second night, they were presenting the "writing" awards and I'd entered my YA ms, The Burning. Well, the category came, and I received 1st Honorable Mention. Julie started screaming and clapping like crazy. I tried to shush her, but her enthusiasm wasn't to be deterred. I found out that she thought I'd received "1st place" not "1st honorable mention." Well, as least I had one fan.

My fan club:

Fortunately, on the way home from the conference, there were no U-turns, although there were a couple moments of uncertainty of whether we took the right exit, and a moment of extreme pain for Julie on the way out of the hotel (my advice: get the surgery!).

Cover Reveal: Christ's Gifts to Women

2011-09-27T12:14:00.006-06:00

I’m extremely excited to post the cover of Christ’s Gifts to Women. (Cover Art by Howard Lyon) Like all books, this one has been in the making for awhile. It's almost exactly a year to the day when I was first approached by Angela Eschler about co-writing this book. I wish I could show you the interior since it is probably the most gorgeous interiors I have seen. There are 25 paintings inside. But you'll have to wait until release date, March 2012.

Below, I’ve included a rundown of the project and how it all came to be:

On September 25, 2010, Angela Eschler emailed me about a project she’d been working on for awhile. She’d already pitched it to her publisher (which was also my publisher), but because she’d had a baby and was running a home business, she was having a hard time completing the project.

I had great respect for Angela, and we’d actually worked together on one of my books before—she was my editor for a short time—but I had recently turned down other co-author projects because they weren’t a good fit for me. So I wanted to make sure it was a project I could be passionate about and not do it because I was flattered by the invitation.

I agreed to look at what Angela had done so far, and by the time I finished reading it, I knew 2 things. I could help her, and I was excited about the project. The focus was on the women who knew and/or interacted with Christ during His lifetime and had received special gifts from Him. Then the book would answer the questions of how those gifts can be embraced by women today.

We decided to organize the book into two portions. Angela focused on the Intro and the first two chapters, and I focused on the last three chapters. The book wouldn’t be long, only about 35 pages of text. We foresaw it as a gift book for women, something that would make a good Mother’s Day book.

The New Testament “year” was just around the corner as well. We thought it was probably too late to make an early 2011 release, even though the book was short, and even though the publisher was expecting the full manuscript soon. And of course we didn’t want to wait until 2015 (the next NT year). The solution we came up with was that it didn’t need a “New Testament year” push, but would focus on the women who knew Christ (who happen to be in the New Testament), and how their experiences could be applied to ours.

Right away, Angela and I started working on our chapters, trading emails and quotes back and forth. We worked together pretty quickly, and I was surprised that I did have some things to say about my assigned “gifts.” We finished the first working draft in October and sent to three readers to gain feedback. Overall, we were told the book was a great concept, and we just had to work out some of the nitty gritty details.

By the first of November, we were happy with our manuscript. We put together a cover letter explaining the book concept (of illustrations, singling out certain quotes, and how this book can now be a general release).

Below is the general outline of the book’s process (slow but steady):

November 2, 2010: Submitted to publisher, Covenant Communications

January 18, 2011: Committee requested revisions before contract can be offered

January 26: Submitted request to the LDS Church’s Intellectual Property Reserve for permission to use Church General Authority quotes

February 3: Submitted revision

March 24: Official acceptance; release date assigned: March 2012 (one whole year away!)

June: Final editing/copy editing with publisher

July 12: Permissions to quote Church General Authorities granted

September 27: Cover finished; interior ready for final proof

Where I was on September 11, 2001

2011-09-11T07:37:00.009-06:00

It doesn't seem like it has been 10 years, but in fact, my third child was only 1 yrs old in Sept 2001, and now she's a budding pre-teen.

On Sept 11, 2001, I had three little kids, 5 and under, and was mostly preoccupied with keeping my head above water and staying sane. I had committed to an early morning workout routine and when I'd arrive home, I'd usually find my 1 year old snuggled up with my husband, watching TeleTubbies or Barney.

I had just started my "first" novel that summer, and with the arrival of fall and the advent of a kindergartener and a preschooler, I hoped to get that novel actually finished during my baby's nap time.

It was early morning, probably 6:30 a.m. - 7:00 a.m. from what I remember, and I was driving home. The sun had just come up and it was a beautiful pre-fall morning. I turned on the radio and heard the news that a plane had hit one of the twin towers. I thought it must have been a small plane that lost some functionality. I worried about the pilot and maybe a passenger or two, and wondered if they were able to bail out. Here in Utah we have frequent small plane crashes. In my county, there is a training facility and a school for small plane pilots. When we hear about a crash, many times there aren't any fatalities. So that's where my mind was at when I got home.

My husband had the tv on upstairs and my kids were downstairs with cartoons on. I was soon to find out why. Sitting on the edge of my bed, I watched the footage live of the second plane hitting the second tower. It was then I realized that the plane was not a small plane, but a huge passenger plane. With reports of hijacking, I thought that a couple of hijackers had stolen a plane, but then it dawned on me they they had over-taken a plane that was full and probably had at least 200 people in it.

The horror kept escalating with reports of the Pennsylvania crash and the threat to the Pentagon. And then, of course, the worst event ever, when the towers actually fell. By then I knew that hundreds, if not thousands of lives, were ending before my very eyes. I hadn't even considered the daycares going on and all of the rescue teams involved.

It was like watching an end-of-the-world movie. But this was America and this was home. Even though I was very far away in Utah, it was completely surreal. My husband eventually left for work and I got the older kids to school/pre-school.

I'm not a tv watcher, but I couldn't take my eyes away. I didn't even want to get in the shower. The news just kept getting worse in my mind with each passing moment. I didn't even need to have the media expound.

As reports came in across the country about airports being shut down, it was scary to think that the attacks weren't over. I remember going outside a few times and just staring at the sky. I also talked to my mom several times since my dad was in the Middle East. With reports that airports across the world were being shut down, I was very nervous. My mom didn't hear from my dad all day. He was in Oman with a research group, and they were spending time in both Oman and Yemen, out in the deserts.

Reports were coming in that in some countries, Americans were considered unsafe, which, of course, included Yemen, where some people were rejoicing at the news, and it was also the hometown of Bin Laden and one of his wives.

We didn't hear from my dad for what seemed like forever, but was probably only 24 hours. They heard the news late when they returned to their hotel and switched on the television. Airports were already shutting down in Yemen, and in the middle of more than usual hositilities, they were able to catch one of the last flights to Germany. And finally back to NY after many delays.

My uncle was stranded back east with no way of flying back to California. He eventually hired a rental car.

And then my husband found out that one of his co-workers had been on the Philadelphia plane. The next days were sobering as media footage covered the families who were still looking for loved ones. It was incomprehensible that so many had died, and in such awful ways. It was even more sobering to see how the landscape of NYC changed, now missing the 2 towers.

Even though I grew up in the Cold War era and had lived in Jerusalem as a teenager where we went through regular bomb drills, I had never thought that war on American soil could be a reality.

When I took my kids to Jerusalem last year, we went through many many security measures. As we flew into Tel Aviv we weren't allowed to get out of our seats 30 minutes from the airport.

Sept 11 is simply unforgettable and brings a mixture of emotions each time I remember it, the pride of being an American and knowing that our soldiers are continually battling for peace, and the sorrow for a world in which bringing death to innocent people can be considered a badge of honor.

It wasn't hard for me to decide then that if I had a dream to live, now was the time to live it. I finished that first novel, and although it would be 3 years before I'd get a book published, I had no excuses to give up.

General Announcements

2011-09-06T10:23:00.006-06:00

Sorry, I've been a bit neglectful. But I promise it's not due to laziness. I have been keeping busy and out of trouble.

Some great news about my Co-Series here: Newport Ladies Book Club

Also, this past weekend, some of my backlist titles were put onto Kindle, including Abinadi, Alma,
Alma the Younger

Which of you are on Twitter? You can follow me at: heatherbmoore
Or you can follow my editing company: pegeditors

And, I was recently a guest on the Appendix Podcast with Marion Jensen & Sarah Eden, where we discuss: Is My Book Garbage?

Upcoming Events:

September 16-17, 2011 - LUW Roundup Writers Conference
Logan, Utah
A great writers conference. My PEG editors and I will be there as instructors.
Registration info on the LUW Website

October 1, 2011 - Ladies Night book signing @ Deseret Book
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Fort Union Deseret Book (Utah)

Upcoming Events for Aug/Sept

2011-07-26T10:30:00.004-06:00

August 13, 2011 - Live Critiquing Workshop
American Fork Library
Join me and the PEG editors to have the first 15 pages of your manuscript critiqued:
Registration info on our PEG Workshop Blog

August 17, 2011 - BYU Education Week book signing
1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. BYU Bookstore
I'll be signing copies of AMMON and whatever else they have in stock :-)

September 16-17, 2011 - LUW Roundup Writers Conference
Logan, Utah
A great writers conference. My PEG editors and I will be there as instructors.
Registration info on the LUW Website

Submission letter for ATHENA

2011-06-29T09:25:00.003-06:00

Below is my submission letter for ATHENA, my most recent book. It will give you an idea of how I pitch a project to my publisher. This project is unique in the fact that I'm co-writing this series with other authors. (We have a blog dedicated to the series called The Newport Ladies Book Club)

************************
Dear *Editor*,

I’m pleased to submit Athena, one of the books in The Newport Ladies Book Club series, complete at 66,000 words.

As a reminder, the first installment of this series includes four books, each written by a different author. The novels function as companion books that are interconnected, but don’t have to be read in any particular order. They can be read as stand-alone as well since each book finishes the story of the point of view character.

Subtitles will be the names of each of the characters:

Athena by Heather B. Moore

Daisy by Josi S. Kilpack

Paige by Annette Lyon

Olivia by Julie Wright

Overview of The Newport Ladies Book Club series:

The four books follow the same four or five-month timeline in which the characters go through their own character conflicts, then come together on the book group night. Over the course of each novel, each character’s conflict is resolved.

Paige (by Annette Lyon) is the only woman in the book club who is LDS. Her faith has a great impact on the other women in the book club, and each woman is touched one way or another. Women’s fiction is a major genre in the national market, but it’s very difficult to find any clean reads. We hope that this series will provide an excellent option for women and will also touch their hearts and minds with the spiritual growth and self-discovery each character goes through as she discovers the value of friendship through the book club.

The books the group reads will also carry messages and help the women through their challenges. Reading one book will not give away the ending to all of the characters’ conflicts. For example, in Olivia’s story (written by Julie) we learn how Olivia’s marriage and relationship with her children turn out. We learn bits of the other characters as Olivia interacts with them (but only from her point of view), yet we have to read the other books to find out the resolutions to the other characters’ challenges. This way, one book won’t give away the ending of any of the other books. And the books can be read in any order.

Brief Character Sketches:

Athena Di Jasper (written by Heather B. Moore): Athena is a self-proclaimed bachelorette—it’s better that way—no one gets hurt. But when tragedy strikes, Athena realizes friendship and love is the only way she can pull through, and she must, for the first time in her life, risk opening her heart.

Daisy Martin-Davis (written by Josi S. Kilpack): Since becoming a mother at the age of 17, Daisy has looked forward to the day when she could check "motherhood" off her list of things to do. At the age of 46 everything seems to be right on track, until she suddenly finds herself facing a very different future then she planned on, and an uncomfortable evaluation of the past she thought she understood.

Paige Anderson (written by Annette Lyon): Young, divorced, with two children, Paige must come to terms with her husband’s betrayal, discover who she is as a woman rather than a wife, help her boys adjust to life in a broken home, and decide if love and trust will ever be a part of her future again.

Olivia Robbins (written by Julie Wright): Olivia has it all—and does it all—from motherhood, to being the perfect wife, to volunteering at the hospital. But when her marriage is threatened, Olivia must decide if she has the strength, or desire, to save it.

Marketing Ideas:

*Release of books relatively close together

*Blog for The Newport Ladies Book Club: http://thenewportladiesbookclub.blogspot.com/

*Appearances by all four authors for book signings and events

*Book Club book tour

*Conference calls to book groups across the nation

*Eventual companion cook book. The women bring homemade goodies to book group, so the cook book could compile those recipes along with highlighting recipes enjoyed by other book groups around the country.

If the four-part series is successful, we plan to write another companion four books on the minor characters in the first four books: Ruby (by Heather B. Moore), Shannon (by Josi S. Kilpack), Ilana (by Annette Lyon), and Victoria (by Julie Wright).

I look forward to hearing from you about Athena.

Sincerely,

Heather Moore

Best of State 2011--Alma the Younger

2011-06-17T07:17:00.012-06:00

I've neglected to post this for awhile; no excuses any more. To catch you up, my 2010 novel Alma the Younger won the Best of State Award in Literary Arts for fiction.

I was very surprised and excited. 2 years ago Abinadi won 2009 Best of State, so I was pleased that 2 very religious books could earn such great recognition. You'll also understand my extra excitement of Alma the Younger winning since there was some angst during the editing process that you can read here.

June 4th was the big night. After spending time at a "Brown" family reunion, I hurried home to get ready. I had set a hair styling appointment since I am very much hair-styling-challenged. Overall, the night was much less eventful than 2009--referenced here. No parking ticket, no hail storm, no crying children. Two years of growing up made a difference to my youngest.

Here is a picture of us just before I left. Notice the all-smiles. Her one question was, "Mom, are you getting a medal or a meadow?"

This year, my parents came, my father-in-law, as well as 3 of my sisters-in-law. We took up a whole table, and it was funny to see the sign as "Heather Moore." (I SWEAR I slouch in every picture!)

I looked around for Lu Ann Staheli, who is in my critique group, and who was accepting the Non-fiction award for her book The Psychic Madman. But didn't see her until we were doing "the walk". It was a huge honor to receive the fiction award on the night she received the non-fiction award. Lu Ann has been a huge mentor in my life and is one of my dearest friends.

The food was really great, but mostly the company was great. Each category has an overall category winner as well. In the Arts & Entertainment a 12 year old violinist won. She got up to perform an amazing medley. I laughed when Lu Ann texted me saying, "okay okay, I guess she can win the category."

For you basketball fans, Jimmer Fredette won a Best of State that night, with David Archuletta presenting. Kind of cool!

Some random pictures: My beautiful sisters-in-law:

My #1 fan, my husband:

My parents, who compete for that #1 spot (with my father-in-law coming in at a near-tie):

And really, what other time can you pose by a half-naked golden man (at least in Utah)?

Finally, and best of all, I could show my kids my new meadow, I mean "medal." Some were more interested than others.

Book Trailer for AMMON

2011-06-02T16:00:00.002-06:00

Let me know what you think!

Recent reviews on AMMON include:

LDS Women's Book Review

Meridian Magazine

Author Braden Bell

Author Julie Bellon

Updates & Conferences

2011-05-31T10:55:00.004-06:00

Lots going on.

Most significant. My "baby" turned 7 years old this past weekend. Her favorite present? A box of Lucky Charms all to herself.

Updates on my writing . . . last week I finished the first draft of ATHENA, part of The Newport Ladies Book Club series I'm writing with Annette Lyon, Josi Kilpack, and Julie Wright. We have a blog called The Newport Ladies Book Club blog, although there's not a lot on it . . . yet, but become a follower so that you can be updated at all times :)

Also, I'm getting editing notes back from my alpha readers for my YA speculative book THE BURNING. They are coming back very positive, with some great fixes as well.

This week my priority is to work on edits from my publisher for CHRIST's GIFTS TO WOMEN, which will be out Spring 2012.

AMMON should hit stores any day now. I'll be posting a list of signings very soon! I've received lots of great reviews, which are being posted on the side-bar, and I'm really excited to hear from all of you as well. BTW, AMMON will NOT be eligible for a 2011 Whitney. I'll be serving on the Whitney Committee this year, which means that any 2011 release is ineligible.

CONFERENCES:

Some exciting conferences are coming up.

THE Teen Writers Conference will be June 18 at Weber State University. If your teen is interested in writing, this is a great conference. Details HERE. *Seating is limited and the registration deadline is June 8.

PEG Live Critiquing Workshop: August 13, American Fork Library. This is sponsored by my editing company and will include a day of live critiquing by my senior editors. It will be fantastic and very hands-on. Details are on the PEG Workshop blog. We've already had a great response, so please sign up early--seating is limited!

2011 LDS Storymakers--Wrap Up

2011-05-11T10:09:00.014-06:00

I'm looking forward to reading reports from the conference this year.

My job on the committee was to host the visiting agents/editors with Laura Bingham. We started out with a few glitches that included one agent canceling, and another agent quitting his job as an agent (although he still ones one of the most popular agent blogs).

We also had to brown-nose Robison Wells a little to see if he'd invite his agent, Sara Crowe.

It was amazing how everything came together in the end and we landed three amazing agents, Sara Crowe of Harvey Klinger, Sara Megibow of Nelson Literary, Becca Stumpf of Prospect Agency, and fantastic editor, Marcia Markland, from St. Martins Press.

w.o.w.

Agents: Sara Crowe, Sara Megibow, Becca Stumpf

On Thursday afternoon, I picked up Marcia Markland from the airport. She is a sweet and gracious woman and marveled at the expanse of blue sky in Utah. We went for a small tour around downtown SLC and found that we had something in common--we are both directionally challenged (Marcia, I know the temple is here somewhere, let's turn this way)--something that James Dashner pointed out later when a group of us were in The Van going to dinner.

With Marcia Markland at the Whitney Gala

Fast forward a couple of hours and ANWA writer, Karen Dupaix, arrived at the hotel with agent Becca Stumpf. Moment of surreal-ness when Becca and Julie Wright realized they'd met before at a conference in NY. We all had dessert and Becca proved to be very delightful and very funny.

Laura Bingham had brought agent Sara Megibow in earlier that afternoon, but she had a couple of clients to hook up. Pretty cool that 2 of her clients were coming to the conference. I didn't get to meet Sara Megibow until the next day, but she is definitely an agent who doesn't mix words. She exuded confidence and enthusiasm in every aspect.

Agent Sara Crowe flew in close to midnight, so we were able to connect at the welcome on Friday morning.

Me with writer Christy Dorrity

Throughout the conference, I was told repeatedly how great each of our guests were. All of the agents, and Marcia, requested manuscripts and gave excellent advice all the way around. They all came to the Whitney Gala on Saturday night and it was cool that one of Sara Crowe's clients, Dan Wells, won Best Novel.

Speaking of the Whitney's, two of my "upcoming" co-authors won their first Whitney Awards: Annette Lyon for Band of Sisters in the General category, and Julie Wright for Cross My Heart in the Romance category. It was weird, but I think I was more excited when they won, than when I won in previous years. (No, Alma the Younger didn't win but a most excellent book, Trespass by Sandra Grey, did. We had fun talking about our historical faux pas that we hope our readers don't notice.)

Me with Annette Lyon & Lisa Mangum at the Whitney Gala

Taking Marcia back to the airport she commented that this conference was the nicest one she's ever been to. She loved the people and marveled that she'd been treated so well. So, a big shout out to the conference attendees. Thanks for doing the committee proud!

The Bitter & The Sweet

2011-05-03T12:58:00.005-06:00

Early this morning I spent time reading about a good friend of mine's new battle with breast cancer. She was recently diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer. Fortunately it hasn't spread to the rest of her body. She is journaling each day on a private blog and it's heart-wrenching to read it. How did she find out? A dentist wouldn't treat her because of a sore in her mouth and told her to see a doctor for an antibiotic. One thing led to another and she is now fighting the beast.

Her advice? If you are 40 or older and have no history of cancer in your family, get a mammogram each year. If you are under 40, with history, start earlier.

So, next Monday (after the craziness of the Storymakers Conference & Mother's Day), I'm scheduling a mammogram.

In other, much better news, I found out this morning that ALMA THE YOUNGER won 2011 Best of State in Literary Arts for Fiction. A couple of years ago, ABINADI won. My husband said to me, "Are we going to get another parking ticket?" Hope not! (for the torrid details of my last Best of State adventure, read here)

Looking for Blog Reviewers!

2011-04-25T11:46:00.005-06:00

Only 6 more weeks until AMMON is released!

I'm looking for 20 blog reviewers who can post on their blog, and other locations such as DeseretBook.com, Seagullbook.com, Goodreads, and Amazon. Also, I need the reviews to be coming in between June 1-Jun 30. If you know you can meet this deadline, I'd love to hear from you!

If you are interested, please send me your address: heather at hbmoore dot com

I'm also including a bonus book for those who can post a review before June 1st!

Thanks in advance!

Review for The Woman He Married by Julie N. Ford

2011-04-14T07:00:00.006-06:00

I don’t normally join blog tours with this particular blog, because this blog is all about ME, not someone else. Lol. But sometimes I must make an exception, and this one is for Julie Ford.

I first got to know Julie about 3 years ago when she was looking for an editor to help with her book, “The Curse of the Minivan.” As you know, the journey to publishing can be long and arduous and to Julie’s credit, she persevered, worked hard, and now she has three of her books contracted for publication. “The Curse of the Minivan” is now The Woman He Married and was recently released by Whiskey Creek Press. Her second book, Count Down to Love, will be released by Bonneville Books, July 2011.

Julie is a great writer, but she still had to go through the refiner's fire with lots of submissions, rejections, and constantly working on her craft. It was probably as exciting for me, as it was for her, to see her books pop up on Amazon and to realize she is now a real, bonafide, published novelist! Her books are available for order on Amazon.

My review of The Woman He Married:
Married 11 years, three children, part-time defense attorney, elementary school volunteer, are just some of the things Josie McClain Bearden precariously balances. When she starts to suspect that her high profile husband is having an affair, Josie's carefully juggled life starts to crumble.

The Woman He Married is a journey of self-discovery as Josie comes to grips with her newly-defined self and must determine what she really wants her life to become. She also must decide if she is willing to fight against the odds in a fading marriage, or if she'll let demons of the past gain the upper-hand. A compelling plot, a roller coaster of insightful emotions, dark humor, and the steady hope in human nature, all combine into a novel that's difficult to put down.

So I’m really excited to be a part of Julie’s blog tour! Julie is running 2 contests, so be sure to check those out (below).

Contest 1: Julie is doing a fun blog tour (April 8–18) where you can enter her contest and win a signed copy of the book plus a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card by leaving a comment on MY blog. You can increase your chances of winning by visiting Julie’s blog, Queries2Reviews, and get the link for the next review, click on other reviewers and leave comments. Every day there will be a new link for that day’s review.

The winners will be announced on Julie’s blog on April 20.

Contest 2: If you read The Woman He Married between now and May 28, you can go to Julie’s blog and vote for who you feel Josie should have chosen in the end. You’ll be entered into the 2nd contest to win a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card.

Book signing April 2

2011-03-31T14:27:00.002-06:00

I'll be doing Ladies Night at the Fort Union Deseret Book on April 2, 6:00-8:00 p.m. (Utah). It's an awesome store and they have tons of goodies and other authors/musicians there.

Also, some of you wanted an update on my interview with a Dial Press editor over the weekend. We spent about 20 minutes talking about my YA book, which was really priceless to me. She gave me some great feedback, but even better, she said the premise was intriguing and very cool. A few of my friends were worried that the market was saturated in this genre, but the editor said it has great potential, so my confidence was aided by her comments.

She said it felt like a cross between The Giver and All Summer in a Day (Ray Bradbury). So my plan is to do another read-through/revision with her suggestions in mind, then submit the manuscript and see what she thinks.

In other news, I finished the final proofread of galleys for AMMON. I was very happy to find that I really enjoyed reading the story. That's always a good sign, and now I'm more excited to begin the promotion phase. In the next couple of weeks, I'll make an official request for reviewers.

Last night at critique group, Michele Holmes gave us copies of her latest book. It's a really fun western romance (great Mother's Day gift, hint hint):

Good Day so far . . .

2011-03-24T15:02:00.004-06:00

In the writing side of my life, it's been a decent couple of days.

This morning I heard from my publisher that the non-fiction book I co-wrote with Angela Eschler was officially accepted. Not as the World Giveth: Christ's Gifts to Women will be released March 2012 in time for Mother's Day (unless the world comes to an end first).

Also, today I finished the 2nd draft stage of my YA Speculative novel and 'maybe' solidified the pitch. I was able to answer some of the bigger picture questions that were proving quite elusive.

Yesterday, I got a sneak peak at the cover for my next book: AMMON. It will be out in June. I'll be doing the final proofread pretty soon (which can be a painful process because I can't really change anything, just fix typos or formatting stuff).

In the next few weeks, I'll start to recruit reviewers for AMMON and come up with a several week giveaway leading up to the release date. Stay tuned . . .

Happy writing and reading everyone!

Sorry . . .

2011-03-21T15:04:00.004-06:00

I've been a lame blogger. But if it's any comfort, I've been doing a lot of writing.

I finished the first draft of my YA speculative book and now I'm doing some revision work before sending out to some alpha readers, whom I am feeling very sorry for in advance (since this is my first YA novel and I'm sure I still have a lot to learn). But this weekend I'll be meeting with an editor from a national publishing house, so I'll let you know if she loves the idea or hates it. (And now you know why I was pushing to have the first draft done by this week!)

I tried to write a pitch, but then it turned into a 3 page synopsis. So I tried again, and although I'm not happy with it yet, at least it's there in black and white. You can tell me if it sounds lame-o.

The Burning
YA Speculative
72,000 words

16 year old Jezebel has been taught to suppress her emotions at young age in order to avoid censure by the New Government. But when she discovers the truth behind her grandmother’s execution—the crime of falling in love—Jez realizes that the emotions she’s been battling put her in the same category as her grandmother. Jez becomes a dangerous liability in a dying world besieged by non-stop rain, where the survival of civilization is dependent on absolute obedience.

Upcoming Writers Conferences

2011-02-26T07:21:00.004-07:00

Writing update: This past week I turned in edits for AMMON, as well as the preface, chapter notes, and bibliography. I'll be working on the map next.

I recently went to the LTUE conference in Provo, Utah. A 3-day science fiction/fantasy conference with tons of authors, editors, and others in the community. I went to a reading by NY Times Bestselling author James Dashner where he read the first 3 chapters of The Death Cure. And we saw the cover (which is not public yet). I also attended a few panels and learned a thing or two. And it was great to chat with my own editor and others.

Here are some great conferences you might consider attending:

Award winning author Lu Ann Staheli's Writing Workshop: April 9, 2011 Confetti Books in Spanish Fork, UT

Storymakers Conference--May 6-7, 2011 in SLC, UT

Writing & Illustrating for Young Readers Conference, Jun 13-17, 2011 Sandy Utah

THE Teen Writers Conference--June 18, 2011 in Ogden, UT

In Loving Memory

2011-02-15T06:46:00.009-07:00

Today I'll be at the funeral of my grandmother (in-law). Even though she reached the age of 89 and spent the majority of her life, with the exception of the last couple of weeks, in excellent health, today is a sad day. It's also a day of joy in that my grandmother has completed her earthly journey, and, I believe, has lived a good life, fought the good fight, and came out victorious.

When my oldest child was born, both sets of his grandparents were living elsewhere, my parents in Israel, my in-laws in Hawaii. My husband and I lived a couple of streets away from great-Grandma and Grandpa Sjoblom (pronounced Show-blum). For the early part of my son's life, they were the grandparents he knew.

The obituary below sums up Grandma's life, but there are things that can never be fully described on paper. Her laughter, her humor, the scent of her perfume, the softness of her cheek, the way she always dressed to the nines, the stories she told, and "the loves" she gave her great-grandkids.

My six-year old said last night, "Why couldn't Grandma 'Shoulder' live until she was 90? Then we could keep visiting her." Agreed. But I thought of her husband, her siblings and her parents, all who have been waiting for many years to visit with her. The wait is finally over.

Marjorie Newbold Sjoblom 1922 ~ 2011
Our dear mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend peacefully passed away on Tuesday, February 8, 2011 from causes incident to age. Her passing was a sweet experience for all as her loved ones surrounded her and each took an opportunity to express their love and farewell. Marjorie was born January 17, 1922 to Charles Henry and Annie Ada Sadler Newbold in their Draper, Utah home. She was the youngest child of this wonderful family consisting of Verl Newbold, Eldred "Jeff" Newbold, Bernice Newbold Johnson, Ralph Joseph Newbold, Myrth Newbold Bills, Willis A. Newbold, and two other siblings who died in infancy. Her heritage, which included strong ties to pioneer roots, was very important to her. Mom's childhood and teen years were spent in Draper where she and her brother, Willis, were inseparable. They were both members of the Draper school band. Marjorie graduated from Jordan High School where she made friends easily throughout her school years, and many turned into lifelong friendships. She was a good student who participated in leadership roles and excelled in math and reading. She made learning her lifelong pursuit. She also enjoyed singing and loved the choir.

The Great Depression years had a profound impact on her. As a teenager, she worked at Rasmussen's Market. She learned the importance of hard work, frugality and effectively managing family financial affairs. She prided herself in always having a savings, being able to meet the family's financial obligations, and in paying her bills on time. She was never late on a single bill in all her years! Mom married her childhood sweetheart and fellow Jordan High Beetdigger, Boyd Robert (Bob) Sjoblom. Bob set several high school records in track and football, and Mom was always there to cheer him on. Their marriage took place in 1942 and was solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple on June 11, 1951. Prior to Bob's passing, they celebrated 57 years of marriage. Her family was the focus of her life. As the children married, Dad and Mom added a large family room with a fireplace for ongoing family gatherings. These were joyful times with good food, games and, most importantly, family bonding. Mom was a great cook. Her lemon pies and "melt in your mouth" rolls are still legendary. Sunday at Mom's included a tender roast beef dinner with the best gravy in the state. Every holiday and monthly birthday celebration was a memorable and joyful experience. Especially meaningful to her were Easter, Pioneer Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. These gatherings created family traditions which are still observed by her family which humbly began with two and presently totals over 100. Mom supported her children in their school activities and took joy in their accomplishments. She was especially proud that her three oldest daughters were all crowned Miss Draper.

As her children became older, she worked at Bowen's Dry Goods in Draper. She was reliable, honest and had a stellar work ethic. She loved associating with many wonderful customers. As the family grew and the children moved away, Mom was still always there to support them in times of grandchildren's birth, sickness and emergencies. Mom was a devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served in the Draper 3rd and 7th Wards as a member of the Primary presidency, and in Relief Society and Sunday School organizations. She taught the same age group for over 20 years. Her Sunday School boys were special to her, as she was to them. Many of her former students continued to visit her on a regular basis to express their love and respect. Generously and compassionately, she quietly helped many in need. In later years, she and Dad served as ordinance workers in the Jordan River Temple. She was very supportive of her nine grandchildren who served honorable missions throughout the world. She was also able to see her three oldest great-grandsons (Dane, Cooper and Bo Smith) enter the Missionary Training Center and are currently serving in different parts of the world.

Mom is survived by five children: Becky Smith, American Fork, Utah; Margene "Jeanie" Moore (Lester), Draper, Utah; Judy Gay Bowthorpe (Dale), Midvale, Idaho; Boyd Eldred Sjoblom (Brenda), Draper, Utah; and Paula Bowthorpe (Michael), Sandy, Utah; 23 grandchildren and 38 great-grandchildren. Marjorie was preceded in death by her husband, Bob (died December 16, 1999), parents, siblings, and grandson Damon Robert Moore. The family extends their deep gratitude to the staff and residents at The Wentworth in Draper, who loved her and cared for her as though she were their own. Also to the Eastridge 10th Branch Presidency and members, and the kind members of the Draper 7th Ward who provided warm friendships. We also appreciate the sensitive and nurturing care provided by Alta View Hospital's doctors, nurses and health group (hospice care) in her final hours. A very special thank you goes to Paula and her family for the continuous and loving care they gave to Mom in the past 11 years of her life. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 11:00 am in the Draper 7th Ward building located at 600 East 12300 South in Draper, Utah. A viewing will be held there prior to the funeral from 9:30-10:45 a.m. and also on Monday, February 14, 2011 from 6-8:00 p.m.at Goff Mortuary located at 8090 South State Street in Midvale, Utah. Internment will be at the Draper, Utah Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, friends and family may make donations to Primary Children's Medical Center. Condolences and memories may be expressed online to the family at www.goffmortuary.com

Writers Conferences--Not to Miss!

2011-02-10T07:28:00.004-07:00

The Storymakers Conference committee is holding a great contest this month called "Show Your Love"--prizes will include a 30-page manuscript critique from agent Sara Megibow (Nelson Literary Agency), a reserved seat next to agent Sara Crowe (#2 National best-selling YA Agent), reserved seat next to James Dashner (New York Times Bestselling author who is really cool), reserved seat next to Marcia Markland (Senior Editor at St Martins Press--agents are great, but editors make the decisions!), and more!

So I'm not entering the contest, since I know all of these people, but yeah--you should! Check out the contest rules on the Make Me a Story blog and also find out more about the Storymakers Conference here.

Another great upcoming conference is the 3-day LTUE at BYU. Cost is minimal and there are many incredible speakers lined up!

And, if you are tired of the freezing cold weather, ANWA is holding their annual writers conference in a couple weeks in Phoenix. Author Chris Stewart is the keynote. Check it out here!

2010 Whitney Finalist!

2011-02-03T07:22:00.006-07:00

I'm excited to announce that Alma the Younger is a 2010 Whitney Finalist!

To read the complete list of finalists, go to the Whitney Award website. Also, Annette Lyon wrote up an excellent post of the evolution of the Whitneys on her blog, The Lyon's Tale.

Amazingly enough, three others in my critique group are finalists as well, all in different categories! Sarah Eden for Courting Miss Lancaster; Annette Lyon for Band of Sisters, Jeff Savage for A Time to Die and The Fourth Nephite. Also, former critique group member, James Dashner, is a finalist with The Scorch Trials. Congrats my awesome critique group.

If you read my Publishing Journey post about my experience with a copy editor, you'll know why this Whitney honor means a little extra to me. I'll venture a guess that Alma the Younger did NOT kill my series as the copyeditor predicted. Not to mention that the next in the series, Ammon, will be out this June.

In other news: The Daughters of Jared was officially accepted by my publisher--release date will be 2012. I'll keep you posted!

My Publishing Journey--Part 12

2011-01-12T16:05:00.004-07:00

Read Part 11 here

My Publishing Journey

Part 12

Okay, this will be the final entry in My Publishing Journey. I think I pretty much caught everyone up and while the saga continues, it’s best saved for another time.

In January 2010, I saw a book called “Abish” by KC Grant on the shelves. I immediately bought it to read. I was a little worried that my publisher wouldn’t be interested in my book on Ammon since Abish is in that story—and here they’d published a whole book on Abish by another author. I emailed the managing editor to see if my idea might receive some “pre-approval” before I started writing. The committee gave me the green light, so in March I started drafting Ammon. I wrote through the spring and most of the summer since I wanted to get it turned in before September. I was worried that if I turned it in later, it would miss being a spring/summer book and be a fall release. This would make it 15-18 months between releases.

In April, I had a new story idea—different than anything I’ve attempted before. I could see it as both a YA or an adult novel, but thought the appeal would be greater if written as YA. I wrote down the premise, then shoved it in a drawer. I couldn’t deal with any new ideas yet. You’ll see why when you read below.

My first non-fiction book (Women of the Book of Mormon) came out in April 2010 and to my surprise it was a fast seller. In two weeks the first print run sold out. I was doing plenty of signings at Costco and other places. My first Costco signing took place in my hometown of Orem. I was deathly afraid that I’d run into someone from high school, but that didn’t happen.

I had skipped a meal, which usually happens when I schedule too much in a day, and so I was hungry by the time I arrived at my book signing. At the Orem Costco, the author table is set up quite close to the large refrigerators. So I sat there all night salivating over the chocolate mousse pudding that was front and center. I did have one lady who came up and was disappointed that my book was on the “Mormon” women since we are “so oppressed.” A very interesting conversation to say the least.

I also had a book signing in St. George at the Costco there. It was kind of strange to see polygamous families milling about. Of course, they wouldn’t come close to my table. They are very strict on what they are allowed to read and my book would probably be considered scandalous to them.

Soon after the crux of book signings, I took my kids on a trip to Israel. My parents were living in Jerusalem at the time, and it was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity to take my children. I’d lived there as a 7 year old and later as a teenager so it was neat to show them around and let them get to know more about my childhood.

Back home, Alma the Younger was just being released. When I asked about doing book signings for the novel, I was told that the stores were dead in the summer. So I guess I wondered why my book was being released at such a “dead” time. But really, I didn’t have any complaints and was very grateful to have the novel coming out. I did a couple of signings around Father’s Day Weekend, and then later during the fall season.

I finished Ammon by July and let my alpha readers read through it. After edits, I turned in Ammon in August. I fully planned to take a break, but some readers had planted a seed in my head about writing of the “women” in the Book of Mormon. I decided to try my hand at a shorter novel, women’s fiction, first person, from the point of view of the daughter of Jared (which takes place in the Book of Ether). The daughter of Jared is a truly evil woman and plots to kill her grandfather. I didn’t want the book to be too dark, or too much of a downer, so I decided to give her a younger “good” sister. I wrote in the younger sister’s point of view.

I selected my alpha readers carefully. I wanted readers who were familiar with my other books, but who were also adept at writing and editing young adult fiction. The Daughters of Jared has a decidedly young adult approach, although I would officially categorize it as “women’s fiction.”

The three readers all came back with great fixes, as well as compliments. Two of them said it was their favorite story of mine so far. I turned that book in just after Thanksgiving.

Also, in October I went to the Bouchercon Conference in San Francisco. A few years ago I wrote a thriller based on the hunt for the Queen of Sheba’s tomb. I finally got an agent, but the selling process has been going very slow. I wanted to meet some editors from national publishing houses, and San Fran seemed like the closest place to do it. I had 5 publishers ask for the book and when I got back to my agent, she thought 2 of them were good choices. So we submitted to 2. One rejection has come in so far. If the other publisher says no as well, we might submit to some smaller publishers. So, even when you have 8 books published, rejections still come!

I dabbled a bit with my YA novel idea and wrote maybe 45 pages over a couple of months, slow paragraph by slow paragraph. I don’t know if anything will come of it. But I would like to get it roughed in, then polish the first few chapters and see if I can get any interest.

In the meantime, I had my former editor ask me if I was interested in co-writing a book with her on Christ’s Gifts to Women. She’d started the first couple of chapters, but had a baby . . . and you know the story from there. I read through what she’d written and really liked her vision. So I told her I’d finish the book. Several weeks later, we turned it in. Yes, I took the “non-fiction” plunge again, but this one wasn’t as intimidating. Maybe there really is something to co-writing! Time will tell if Daughters of Jared or Christ’s Gifts to Women will be accepted, but I think my readers will be happy if they become available.

My Publishing Journey--Part 11

2010-12-29T16:15:00.003-07:00

I hope you all had a nice holiday. Now let's get back to business! BTW, I'm teaching a 6 week novel writing class in Northern Utah County starting in January.

Read Part 10 here

My Publishing Journey

Part 11

2009 was a banner year as far as writing awards. Abinadi won the Whitney for Best Historical and also Best of State in Literary Arts. I was surprised on both accounts, first on the Whitney because the competition was quite fierce (and I had won the Whitney the year before, so I thought voters would be looking for a fresh author), and on the Best of State because of the religious and very “LDS” nature of the book.

When I had tried to buy a radio spot for Abinadi on the local radio station, KSL, and have the radio host, Doug Wright, do the live read, I was told my book was “too religious” even for the Utah market. I could have a commercial produced and aired, but not read by Doug Wright or it would sound like he was endorsing a religious book. Pretty ridiculous if you ask me. So I guess having it win Best of State was a bit of a victory in that light.

In the summer of 2009, I also received the good news that my non-fiction book, Women of the Book of Mormon, had been accepted. There was a clincher though—it would be released for the next “Gospel Doctrine Book of Mormon” year in . . . 2012.

My publisher’s reasoning was that it would sell better when it was aligned with the proper Gospel Doctrine year.

I don’t know how many of you have seen the movie “2012” but it’s quite clear that the world is coming to an end around that date. I emailed my editor and in a semi-joking manner said that I might be dead by 2012. Or even worse (or better, depending on how you look at it), the world would end and Women would never be published. Also, (I continued to state my case) who really goes to Gospel Doctrine? For me, personally, I’ve been in primary or Sunday School for at least a decade and I’m sorry to say, I really don’t follow the Gospel Doctrine lessons. BUT . . . I do read the Book of Mormon regularly, by myself, and with my children, no matter what “year” it is in Gospel Doctrine.

I don’t know if my editor appreciated my humor, but she said I had great ideas and she’d sent them to the managing editor. (Wait! I didn’t really expect that and then started second-guessing myself. Oh well. Too late.)

The fall passed and I finished writing Alma the Younger and turned that in. On the third week of December, the managing editor called me and told me that they’d accepted Alma the Younger and it would come out in June (instead of the regular fall release I’d had for 6 years). That was a surprise. I took a gamble and asked if “Women” was still coming out in 2012. No, she said, it was coming out in April. 4 months away! It turns out that I found out before my editor did.

This meant that the design department was putting in holiday hours to get permissions on all the artwork that would go into the book (12-13 paintings). Press deadline was the first week of January. I spent Christmas Eve going through copyedit revisions while my husband took the kids out.

I never received the official answer for the early release date (by 2 years!), but I was VERY grateful when Women sold out of its first printing in 2 weeks. That was a record for me, and my publisher was very excited as well. It also proved to me that the Book of Mormon is a subject that can be sold regardless of the Gospel Doctrine schedule.

On a funny note, for those of you who think it’s glamorous to be a mother and a writer, I dropped in at my publishers just as the Design Director got back the proof sheets for “Women”. She saw me in the lobby and came out to show me them. They were made up of 3’x3’ sheets of paper with the book laid out—I can’t remember what she called the proofs. I had left my 2 girls in the car for a couple of minutes, and apparently, they started arguing. While I was standing around a host of editors and designers, marveling at my new book, my five year old suddenly stepped inside, calling out in a very loud voice, “Shut up!” to her sister, who’d remained in the car. (#4 kid gets away with a lot more, that’s for sure)

I put a big smile on my face and said, “I’d like you all to meet my daughter!”

My Publishing Journey--Part 10

2010-12-08T08:03:00.004-07:00

Read Part 9 Here

My Publishing Journey

Part 10

A few months before Abinadi came out, I was sitting around doing nothing (kidding). But I did decide that now that I had 5 books almost out, perhaps I had developed enough of a platform to write on a non-fiction topic: Women of the Book of Mormon.

I often have readers tell me that they are grateful I’ve used women characters in my book since we hear so little about the women in the Book of Mormon. I agreed, but was I the one to do the research? Yes, I’d researched Sariah and a couple of the other women for various presentations I’d given, but was it enough to write an entire book?

Later, when I told my tax accountant that I had a book coming out on Women of the Book of Mormon, he said, “What is it, 5 pages long?”

The book ended up about 75 pages in manuscript form, and it took my nearly a year to write and research it. When I took the first chapter to critique group, they said it was reading rather dry. So I knew I had to make it more into a storytelling style—or essay style and not just a list of facts. So I got to work. I turned in the book the summer of 2009.

While slowly researching and writing “Women”, I worked on Alma. I ran into a snag while writing Alma, which is kind of interesting. Writers call it “writing into a corner” where you don’t know how to get out of it. I finally found a way out, but the plot had to get pretty creative. Originally I had the title for this book as Alma the Elder, but the publisher decided to have it plain “Alma” since he didn’t have any children born yet to make him an “elder”.

Alma was scheduled for a Fall 2009 release, and as soon as I got “Women” turned in, I started the next novel, Alma the Younger.

Alma the Younger was a bit of a different process. Yes, there would be the plot to follow in the book of Alma, but I had to make some character decisions about Alma the Younger. The book would ultimately turn out to be a character-driven book. I knew that some of my regular reviewers wouldn’t like the story angle, and I was right. In fact one reviewer posted on Goodreads why she wouldn’t be reviewing the book in her regular column. Researching Alma the Younger showed that he was a truly wicked and vile man, and I didn’t gloss over any of his wickedness. This book was darker than my other books, and harder to write for that reason. It wasn’t a happy “feel-good” book and covered some very difficult issues. It was writing about an antagonist who was also the protagonist of the story. I had one lady at a book signing say that she didn’t want to read about the redemption of a prophet, but just about the good things he did—not about the struggles it took him to get there. She didn’t want to have any bad thoughts about him.

But I was okay with that. The point of telling about Alma the Younger’s fall into the dark abyss and his eventual rise to become a righteous leader is perhaps a beacon of hope for many of us who might find ourselves in the depths of despair. And I’d already heard the worst on the book from a copyeditor. (A copyeditor is one of the final editors who proofs the manuscript for typos, grammar, and inconsistencies.) Going through the copyedit, I immediately sensed she didn’t care for the story. I discovered I was right when at the very end of the edit she proclaimed, “This book will kill your series.” (Which, by the way, statements like that are NOT in the job description of a professional copyeditor.)

I think it gave my editor pause—she second-guessed herself, wondering with all the work she’d done, she had been missing something. I said to my editor, “What was your first impression when you read the story?” She said, “I loved it.” I said, “Let’s go with that.”

Whatever the struggles I had with Alma the Younger, they were all completely erased when this review (by a non-member, no less), came in.

My Publishing Journey--Part 9

2010-12-01T06:21:00.002-07:00

Some updates: I turned in my next manuscript today (Daughters of Jared). Also, check out my holiday book signing schedule on the sidebar.

Read Part 8 Here

My Publishing Journey

Part 9

Writing the next book proved to be an interesting experience. For those of you familiar with the story of Abinadi, he is a man who is asked by God to preach to a group of wicked people. Abinadi warns them that if they don’t repent, the Lord will destroy them. They, of course, throw him out of the city and King Noah threatens his life. 2 years later, the Lord asks Abinadi to return. Abinadi knows it’s a death sentence and is eventually captured and executed. Not a cheerful story to tell.

I had planned all along to write in the point of view of Alma (high priest in King Noah’s court) as well. I had planned for him to take up a chapter here and there, but as I started writing, he really nosed his way in and tried to take over the book. His character became an equal secondary character with as much storyline as the main character, Abinadi.

I also didn’t know who Helam was until about 200 pages into the story. I decided to make him Abinadi’s brother and so had to go back through the book and weave his character in. Helam ended up becoming quite pivotal to this book, as well as the sequel (Alma).

Several changes were in the works when I turned in Abinadi. I had a new editor and the book wasn’t coming out in hardcover. Also, my publisher wanted to move away from “series titles,” so although Abinadi would technically be the beginning of a next series, it would be promoted as a stand-alone book.

I was now on my 3rd editor. Ironically, my 2nd editor became the contract editor on Abinadi (even though when she was my editor, a contract editor did “Land of Inheritance”).

There was no real debate on the title for Abinadi. It was going to stay plain and simple. The editing process went very smoothly and there were no real glitches. During 2007-2008 you might remember that the economy took a massive plunge (due to those high gasoline prices). This trickled into all industries including the publishing industry. Reports were coming in that Simon and Schuster had laid-off 125 employees. It was felt by everyone and trickled into the smaller presses as well. Many friends of mine were having book contracts canceled or release dates pushed back.

I was lucky enough that Abinadi retained a 2008 release date, but only barely. It was pushed to November. This wasn’t so fun for promotion since I really only had about 4-5 weeks of promoting before the holiday season ended. So I went out on a limb (money limb) and purchased an ad on the local radio station (KSL). I first paid for the radio personality to do a live read of the advertising copy. Then I was told that he couldn’t do a live read because my book was too religious (translate “too Mormon”). I guess even in Utah, that becomes an issue. So the radio station produced the commercial instead of the live-read.

The only thing that really caused me a bit anxiety with Abinadi was the cover image. It was literally not finished until a couple of days before the book was released. How can that be so? It seems that a book can go to press, then later the cover is glued on. But I never had the cover image in advance to do any sort of pre-promotion.

My editor asked me for character descriptions because they were thinking of photographing live models for the cover. In my opinion, it would have resulted in poor sales, since it would either look like a YA novel or a Romance novel. That same weekend I was at a book signing and browsed through the covers. I found a couple of other historical novels that had live model pictures and asked the employees if the men picked up these books and bought them. The resounding answer was “no.” My publisher and I had gone to all the work of changing my name to H.B. Moore to attract the male audience, and now with the Abinadi cover, there was potential to alienate them.

So about midnight that night, I wrote my editor, telling her all the reasons why I didn’t want Abinadi to have live models on the cover. They ended using one, but it was just the “tied hands” and looked great. I guess I just needed a little more confidence.

Abinadi would eventually go on to win a Whitney Award for Best Historical (which was a shocker since I’d won the year before with Land of Inheritance), and it also won 2009 Best of State in Literary Arts.

My favorite reader response about Abinadi came from my son who was 14 at the time. When he told me he finished the book, I asked what he thought. He didn’t look too happy. He said, “Why did you have to kill Abinadi at the end?” I said, “Because that’s what happens in the Book of Mosiah.” He said, “So? You could have changed it. You made everything else up!”

My Publishing Journey--Part 8

2010-11-17T12:02:00.011-07:00

Some good news. Last night I received the first edit back from an alpha reader on my work-in-progress: Daughters of Jared. (Pitch letter here) She said: Heather, honestly, I have loved all of your books, but this . . . this is my favorite. Yay, so that is a major hurdle for me to overcome to get that first bit of feedback in.

Read Part 7 Here

My Publishing Journey

Part 8

My fourth book was hard to write. It wasn’t that I didn’t have the motivation, but I knew one of the main characters in the story would have to die. So I guess subconsciously I wanted to put it off. I even started writing a few chapters of a different book (Abinadi), but that one wasn’t much better because the main character in that book dies as well. So I had to talk myself out of procrastinating and take the dive.

I was able to finish the manuscript and get it edited, thanks to my always great alpha readers, and turn it in at the end of November. This meant that I actually got some holiday shopping done in more than one store. I was able to revise my motto of “If Costco doesn’t sell it, then don’t put it on your Christmas list.”

In mid January of 2007, I found out that book 4 had been officially accepted. I was excited to be close to the completion of the Out of Jerusalem series. Little did I know that I was about to enter the toughest road of editing I had ever experienced.

Maybe a disclaimer here would be good. With my publisher, I was on my second editor because my brilliant first editor had decided to go into another career. My second editor had worked with me on book 3, and she was wonderful to work with. But for book 4, she was swamped and I was assigned to a contract editor. It became pretty clear from the beginning that we weren’t on the same page (no pun intended). So the story that follows in no way reflects on my publisher whom I owe a huge debt of gratitude for investing in me as an author. In fact, when all was said and done, my regular-but-too-busy editor took my side 100% and all was made good. Sharing this experience is in no way to belittle or bash any editor, but I think it’s a good learning experience for any of you out there who are aspiring authors. In other words, sometimes (and only sometimes), the editor is wrong. I’ll call the contract editor Ms. X.

Having spent 5 years in a grueling critique group with esteemed writers such as Annette Lyon, Michele Holmes, Jeff Savage, Lu Ann Staheli (and would eventually include James Dashner, Rob Wells, Sarah Eden), I felt I knew a thing or two about crafting a story. And, I always paid my due diligence by taking my chapters through my critique group and also going to outside alpha readers who specialized in various things that pertained to my particular books, such as ancient history, Book of Mormon doctrine, etc. So for whatever I lacked in writing, it was certainly made up for in the editing process—this all before I submitted to my publisher.

Ms. X asked me to do several things with Book 4 (Land of Inheritance) that went completely against the rules of fiction writing or would affect the purity of my series.

1. Cut the first 80 pages and put the death of the central character into a flashback.

If you have ever attended a class taught by Jeff Savage, you will know that he would have never spoken to me again if I started my book that way.

2. Get rid of the scenes that follow the scriptural account. Everyone knows what happened and it’s boring to read about.

Of course I couldn’t do that because that was what my whole series was based on. Book 4 wasn’t just Book 4, but a continuation of the previous 900 pages (of volumes l-3). So really it was pages 900-1200 in a series and if I suddenly changed methods of storytelling, the series would lose its niche.

3. Focus more on the suspense. Don’t write overlaying points of view where we know Jacob is safe, and then we are in his mother’s point of view, not knowing he is safe.

This is one that I might have paid some attention to, but I decided that I wasn’t writing a suspense novel, but a historical adventure, which didn’t need the cliff-hanger aspect that a suspense novel has.

When I started to state my case, I was surprised at how quickly the “debate” turned personal, and Ms. X said that only a handful of readers would appreciate what I was trying to do--and those were only made up of a few scholarly types such as my dad. (So obviously she knew who my dad was.)

I remember calling my super-busy-editor and asking for advice. Thankfully, she understood where I was coming from and asked me to do what I felt was best. Of course I was nervous about taking such a strong stance, so in the meantime, I begged two readers to do an emergency read of the first 100 pages over the weekend. One was a best-selling historical novelist, the other a well-respected historian. Both came back with encouragement to stick to my original story.

The payoff came when the reviews started coming in. They were literally overwhelming to me. My favorite being from AML reviewer Andrew Hall, who said, “In the first three volumes of her Book of Mormon historical fiction series, Heather B. Moore showed that she could create a view of an ancient world that combines the best scholarship with a lively imagination. She does a fine job of walking the tricky line of faithfulness to the scripture and creative storytelling. She opened up the hearts of her characters in ways both remarkably touching and authentic. In this fourth and final volume she does all of that, as well as writing one of the most exciting adventure tales that I have read in a while.”

The final payoff came when Land of Inheritance was nominated as a finalist for two Whitney Awards: Best Historical and Best Novel. It won the Best Historical category, validating that I had made the right choices, and that, yes, sometimes an editor is wrong.

My Publishing Journey--Part 7

2010-11-10T14:13:00.005-07:00

Read Part 6 Here

My Publishing Journey

Part 7

Doing book signings for my 2nd book was a bit more exciting. People started to show up who had read my first book. Also, my book signing table looked more official when I had two books instead of just one. I was starting to feel more like a real author. And better yet, I was well into writing book 3 and had put together a reasonable writing schedule.

Of course no matter how well you plan, life gets interrupted. One of my greatest challenges became focusing on the writing time I had set aside. Not checking emails, not answering the phone, not getting side-tracked. Writing time varied from early mornings, nap times, and late nights, with snatches in between.

While researching book #3 (Towards the Promised Land), I realized that my series was not going to be a 3-volume series, but would need a 4th book. For those of you who are familiar with my Out of Jerusalem series, book 3 is about the time when Nephi builds the ship in Bountiful then sails to Mesoamerica. When I learned that building the ship took 2-3 years, I didn’t want to skim through it in a couple of chapters. My publisher agreed to the idea.

I continued with my critique group, meeting almost weekly. I also joined the LDS Storymakers writers group during this time. Some of the people I met that year through Storymaker events would soon become important parts of my writing-life, such as Tristi Pinkston, Rachel Nunes, Josi Kilpack, Julie Wright, and James Dashner.

One of the amazing things about meeting other authors, who live in the same type of zany world of imagination, is that friendships become valuable because we authors tend to write in isolation. Who else can I chat with about character motivation? Who else can give me advice on making an opening hook stronger? Who else to commiserate about a bad review?

Writing a book (or should I say, completing a book) is a lot like going back to college. There is a lot to re-learn, because, let’s face it, I wasn’t really paying a lot of attention to synopsis-writing in high school. I never thought at the time I might have to write one for a publisher and that a design team would use it to create the cover and backliner for my book. Not only do we have to learn to transfer the idea in our head and make it into a cohesive story on paper, but we need to learn to promote ourselves. We need to understand the business and how to position ourselves as an author. We need to know what we can write off on our taxes, and how best to invest and divide our time between writing and promotional stuff.

Book 3 done and turned in November 2005. Then the wait began.

Book 1 took 11 months to get accepted.

Book 2 took 3 weeks to get accepted.

I didn’t hear back from my publisher on book 3 for 3 ½ months. I was getting a bit nervous, but apparently, the person who was supposed to call hadn’t. So I found out from my editor a bit after the fact. Not that I wasn’t worried . . . :-)

My Publishing Journey--Part 6

2010-11-03T15:06:00.003-06:00

Writing update: Yesterday I turned in a non-fiction book with my co-author, Angela Eschler. We are really excited for the book to go through the evaluation process. It's called: Not as the World Giveth: Christ's Gifts to Women.

Read Part 5 here.

My Publishing Journey

Part 6
I started writing “Of Goodly Parents” (my first book published) in the summer of 2002. It came out in the fall of 2004.

27 months.

It sounds like forever. But it’s the business. Some of my manuscripts wouldn’t be published, others would take much longer than 27 months, my 2010-release novel (Alma the Younger) was as short as 11 months from first word to release date.

The difference between writing my “first” book (as in the book that was actually published) and my “second” book was the timeline and the feeling of pressure. My first book was all self-motivated, with a deadline in mind, but very open-ended. My second book was the opposite. Every word written and every hour spent on research was with a deadline facing me. And with the thought of “someone will be reading or editing the paragraph I’m now writing.” That thought was very surreal. Now that I had experienced the creation of a novel from start to finish, it was pretty amazing to begin the process all over again.

It also took a lot of motivation and patience. Motivation to crank out my daily and weekly writing goals, and patience to know that eventually the few pages I was able to write each day WOULD become a full-length manuscript in a few months.

You’ll be happy to know that I did meet my Dec 1 deadline, but Christmas shopping would have to wait. I was called as Primary President in my ward right before Thanksgiving. And as you know, December is probably the busiest month for that assignment. I remember one comment from a lady at a ward Christmas party was, “I guess you won’t be writing books anymore since you’re primary president.” I don’t think the lady knew I’d just spent two months getting up at 4 a.m.

I survived December (and January! Which is also busy) and did so for the next four years. Serving as Primary President did keep me busy, but it also kept me serving, which is always a good thing.

Edits for book two came around, and luckily I had the same editor for my second book as my first. One of the first things he said to me was to cut down the number of points of view in the novel. I had 9 and he wanted 4. I think I ended up keeping 5 points of view, but it was a major undertaking. It didn’t change the plot or the characters, but it took time to go into each scene and revise so that we were in a different point of view.

Now, looking back, point of view is a very important writing tool. The point of view character in each scene should be the character who will be the most effected in that scene.

My Publishing Journey--Part 5

2010-10-27T06:26:00.005-06:00

Read Part 4 Here.

My Publishing Journey

Part 5

For the first nine months of 2004, it was pretty exciting to know my first book would be out in September. At times it seemed surreal to think about. The editing process began, and I had my first experience working with an editor. One of the first things he told me was to change my epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter. He wanted them to be all from the Old Testament. Then I had to write chapter notes, a bibliography, a preface, and acknowledgments. All of which I’d eventually become well versed at, but for the first book, it was a lot of work that I wasn’t expecting.

I also had to “tone down” a few things, something I expected because my publisher is very strict on content. For my first book it wasn’t too much, but in future books, it would become more of a trial to find that balance.

The publisher also decided to switch my series title with the volume title. My original series title was “Of Goodly Parents” because of Nephi’s famous line, and the reader would know right away that it was a series on Nephi. Then the volume title was “Out of Jerusalem” (with subsequent volumes as “Into the Wilderness,” etc.). I wasn’t sure about the switch. I asked a few friends, and they liked my publisher’s decision. So I decided I could live with it after all.

Everything would be wrapped up in May, which was good timing since my baby was due the beginning of June. The final project was to have an author picture taken. I was nine months pregnant, but it was only of shoulders, up, right? The photo session went well and I had high hopes until I received the proofs back. The woman in the photo wasn’t me—or at least she wasn’t who I saw in the mirror. I asked my editor, “Can I NOT have an author picture in my book?” Thankfully he said I didn’t need to have one.

Just before the cover was designed I had a strange phone call from my editor. “We were wondering if we could change your name. We’d like to use your initials: H.B. Moore.” I thought of the years I’d spent writing, the rejections, and finally having a book published . . . and now no one would know it. My editor explained that it would broaden my target audience and men would be more willing to buy my book if they didn’t automatically think it was a romance. And if I decided to write in another genre, then they could use Heather Moore (it would take me 8 books to get to that point, and not having an author picture in my first book further perpetuated my secret identity as HB).

My top 5 best moments in publishing:

1. Acceptance of book
2. Seeing cover for the first time (and loving it)
3. Holding actual book in hand
4. Having someone you don’t know at all tell you they liked your book
5. Finding out your book went into a second printing

More good moments would come, and they are all tempered with challenges (which you’ll all get to hear about eventually).

Back in the day, my publisher scheduled book signings like crazy—weeks of Saturdays filled with multiple signings. Eager and ready to be an author, I jumped on board. Problem was, I had four little kids at home, and my son was playing flag football on Saturdays (which would turn out being NOTHING when my daughters started soccer).

Also, I was nursing a 3 month old baby.

If the book signing was a fair distance (everything is far away when you are nursing), my husband and kids would drop me off, then pick me up two hours later. I’d nurse the baby, then go to the next book signing.

One of the first things people would ask me is “If this is a series, when does the next book come out?” I’d say, “Next fall.” But then I decided to ask my publisher about it. I emailed the managing editor: “If I want my next book to come out next September, when do I have to turn in my next manuscript?” Her response: “December 1.” I looked at the calendar. It was the middle of September.

To write, to research, to edit, took me about 6 months on my first book. I had 2.5 on my second book. Yes, I had about 50 pages drafted, but a long way to go. I couldn’t imagine how I’d meet the deadline with four little kids, and one of them 3 months old. But I had made a commitment when I first got my acceptance that I’d turn in a book a year. I set my alarm for 4:00 a.m. for the next 6 weeks and worked from 4:00-8:00 a.m. and then a few snatches throughout the day. Sleep had become a thing of the past.

My Publishing Journey--Part 4

2010-10-20T07:55:00.005-06:00

Had a great time at Bouchercon (Writers Conference) in San Francisco this past week. It was hard to be in a hotel, so my husband and I escaped quite often to go sight seeing.

Now, onto continuing my Publishing Journey series:

Read Part 3 Here

My Publishing Journey

Part 4

In Feb 2003, I started submitting my third manuscript, a historical novel set in 600 BC Arabia, main character Nephi. My first manuscript—WWII historical—had received plenty of rejections. My second manuscript—kidnapping mystery—had received three rejections, but my heart wasn’t in the story enough to go through revisions. First publisher submitted to: Deseret Book. Two weeks later I received a rejection letter. It was nicely written, but really a form letter. Upon first glance it looked pretty customized, but I’d received rejections from DB on my other books so I recognized the wording. One thing that was different was: “We don’t publish any Book of Mormon fiction.”

I felt my options were really quite limited as far as publishers went for this book. There were three more publishers that were possibilities: Covenant, Cedar Fort, and Granite (who were still publishing fiction at the time). I submitted to Covenant next. This was the end of February and the next response I heard from them was in August. I received an email that it had gone through the evaluation process and the consensus was that they wanted to see more of Lehi in the book (Nephi’s father). I went through the manuscript and changed some more scenes into Lehi’s point of view, then resubmitted.

A small break in my writing career happened in the fall. I was published in the Rose & Thorn literary magazine with a fiction excerpt from my WWII novel. I forwarded the publication to the managing editor at Covenant to show, hopefully, that my writing was viable and competitive.

To stay sane, I was also working on another book: a paranormal set in Puritan New England, 1840’s.

The week before Christmas, the managing editor, Shauna Humphreys, called me. The news wasn’t good.

Covenant was worried that my series would compete with another series they were publishing. Both series were set in the same time period, but they had different main characters. So of course I didn’t agree. There had been other Book of Mormon novels published, and I was certain there would be many more, all by different authors.

I had waited ten months on one publisher only to be rejected. We discussed my WWII novel and Shauna asked if I’d considered making any of the characters LDS. No, I told her. That would have completely changed the main character’s journey. We talked about my paranormal book, but it wasn’t a genre Covenant was seeking. So the phone call ended on the note that Covenant really enjoyed my writing, but the project wasn’t for them.

Well, as you can imagine, I was devastated. 2003 was a year to forget. I had lost a baby that summer and my book I had fully believed would be my debut novel had just received a rejection from possibly the only publisher who could properly publish my series.

So I asked my husband what I should do. He wasn’t nearly as bummed out as I was (probably since he hadn’t written the dang thing). But he’s a sales guy and his response was “When a deal goes south, that means it’s a real deal, and it’s your job to get back in there and close it.” He told me to set up a meeting with Shauna and present a marketing plan that explained all the reasons my book would sell and all the reasons readers would be buying it.

But this wasn’t software, this was a novel! Plus it terrified me to think of pitching my book like a sales person. I had been fired from a clothing store because they told me I wasn’t outgoing enough with the customers (another story—in my stubbornness, I ended up working in retail for several years and becoming a store manager). Then I realized I did have my stubbornness on my side. So I decided to take another shot and set up a meeting with Shauna after Christmas. It would give me a week to put together a marketing plan. Worst case, I would still be rejected, best case, they might reconsider or they’d be open to another book from me down the road.

I met with Shauna, feeling pretty nervous, and I was surprised at how absolutely nice she was. Not that I didn’t think an editor could be nice, but Shauna was a genuinely sweet person. I wondered if she was like this with everyone or if, perhaps, she really did like me. We went over my list of how my series was different from what they were already publishing and how I felt there was a place for it in the market. She seemed impressed with my ideas. Again, I wondered if she was just being nice. But she did promise to take my ideas back to the committee.

When the phone rang on January 7th and I saw Covenant Communications on the caller ID, I barely had time to think of what it might mean before I answered it. I had a house full of little kids since I was babysitting the neighbor’s kids, so I stepped into the freezing cold garage to take the call and have some privacy.

Shauna told me the committee had reconsidered and decided my series would complement their line-up instead of compete. They were worried that I wouldn’t be able to deliver a book a year, but I assured her I would (of course!). She said the release date was set for September 2004 and would come out in hardcover.

After hanging up with her, I was elated. I didn’t know what to do first. But my feet were freezing. I called my husband and then called my parents. Nine months seemed forever to wait for my book to come out, but I had crossed a major threshold. I was also pregnant again. 2004 was definitely looking up.

My Publishing Journey--Part 3

2010-10-13T05:00:00.001-06:00

Good news! I've finished the first draft of Daughters of Jared. A copy of my pitch letter to my publisher is HERE. I'll take a week off and then start on the second draft process, then off to alpha readers. I hope to turn it in by December.

Read Part 2 Here

My Publishing Journey

Part 3

As a teen I read everything that Mary Higgins Clark wrote. But her most inspirational book was called Kitchen Privileges: A Memoir. In the book she details the writing schedule she carved out for herself as a widow and working mother of several children. 5:00 a.m.-7:00 a.m. At the time, I didn’t realize how useful this sound advice would eventually become.

Around the time that I finished writing my mystery, which changed several times, and finally landed on the title 72 Hours (because, of course, it all took place in 72 hours), a young woman in Utah was kidnapped. The story of Elizabeth Smart made national news and became the focal point of media attention for many months, when finally, and miraculously, she was found alive. This took a bit of steam out of my kidnapping mystery. But the manuscript was finished so I decided to submit anyway.

1. Rejection
2. Rejection, but a long editorial letter detailing what I’d need to do to get the manuscript into shape

I had moved up in the rejection ladder. Writers understand that being completely ignored is the bottom rung , getting a form rejection is the next rung up, and getting a customized rejection with editorial notes is even higher. I was excited. I was devastated. I read through the two page letter and my heart sank further and further. I now couldn’t say—oh it just wasn’t for them—I now had everything that was wrong with my story and plot written out in black and white.

Without pulling it out and reading over the painful comments again, I do remember the basics. “I was really excited when I started reading this manuscript. Until about page 35 when things began to fall apart. It was obvious you hadn’t done your police procedure research. . .”

So, I was expected to interview a police officer? Sounded a bit out of my comfort zone. As I read the letter several times, I realized that my heart was no longer in the story. I didn’t want my novel to be seen as a copycat to the events surrounding the now infamous Utah kidnapping, and I didn’t know if I had the stamina to write in the mystery genre, and research all that needed to be researched.

I decided that since I’d written two full novels, only to receive rejections, I’d use another approach. I studied the smaller presses and read some of the books they were publishing. I looked for a niche that I might be able to fill for one of them—both to target their readers and to write something that I truly enjoyed.

Historical fiction has always been a great love of mine. Reading historical novels, or watching movies based on historical facts have always kept me enthralled. But one of the publishers I researched published religious books for the LDS market. I’m LDS, but I hadn’t considered writing and LDS book. The LDS novels I had read seemed too much like a Sunday School lesson. But two of my critique partners were writing for the LDS market. Jeff Savage had a suspense novel out and Annette Lyon a contemporary romance. And I really enjoyed them. So I thought there might be hope for me in that market. But what to write? I didn’t want to work more on the mystery. I didn’t want to turn the WWII novel into an LDS novel. What historical aspect did I have a true interest in that also connected with LDS readers?

There were a couple of big name LDS historical novelists, Dean Hughes and Gerald Lund. Neither had written anything on the Book of Mormon—a historical record of people who lived in b.c. Mesoamerica. Perhaps I could try it. The more I thought about it, the more the idea appealed to me. I had lived in Jerusalem as a teenager so I felt I had a bit of a connection to the culture that Lehi and his family grew up in (their story takes place in the first “book” of the Book of Mormon). But I was not a scripturian, in fact, far from it. I’d hardly been to Sunday School myself as an adult since I was always teaching in Primary.

But I had connections. My father, S. Kent Brown, was a scholar—specializing in the New Testament, but also very well versed in the Book of Mormon since he was a professor at BYU. I asked if he might be interested in co-writing a series on Nephi’s journey. After hemming and hawing a bit, he finally said no. He wasn’t interested in writing fiction. But I had my source in place. With my dad’s brilliant mind, I could ask him a question, and he could direct me to the most relevant source without me spending thousands of hours reading every bit of research. I only had to spend hundreds of hours.

I wrote the first five pages and brought them to critique group, feeling like I was finally going somewhere with a story idea.

The first thing they said to me after I explained my project was: Haven’t you read any of the Book of Mormon fiction that’s already been published?

To my dismay, I hadn’t realized there was any out there, which shows how “new” I was to the LDS market. But after reading my first chapter, my group assured me that my manuscript was unique in its own way and could stand on its own.

The journey writing “Out of Jerusalem: Of Goodly Parents” had just begun in 2002, and would take over 2 years to hit the shelves because of the many roadblocks were about to stand in my way.

My Publishing Journey--Part 2

2010-10-06T12:26:00.005-06:00

Good news! AMMON has been officially accepted and slated for release in June 2011!

Read Part 1 Here.

My Publishing Journey

Part 2

(Year 2001)
With my husband moving out of our home office, things quickly came together. I had an office, a computer, and an imagination. My grandmother had finally consented for “someone in the family” to write her personal history. That someone turned out to be me. I spent time with her each week going over questions and various aspects of her life. She was a young woman during the WWII era, and some of the things she shared catapulted me into my first story.

I wrote during naptime and in the evenings when the kids were in bed. My husband was currently traveling a lot, and my usual evening hobbies slowly disintegrated as I became more and more involved in writing.

Summer came and I signed up for a couple of creative writing extension courses through a local college. I had my degree, but not in creative writing, or English for that matter. The only thing that was holding my story together was my love for reading and general understanding of what made a decent book.

The first creative writing course was a let-down. The instructor began by telling the group of adults that we had little chance of getting published. He also told us that he was tired of the stay-at-home mother who thought she could make an extra dollar or two by publishing a novel.

Moving on. The next creative writing course was better. The instructor, Rachel Nunes, had actually published several novels (unlike the previous instructor) and was a mother as well. Part of her advice was how to balance family and writing time. My eyes were opened, and I came out of the workshop feeling very motivated.

I had no idea how to find a publisher. Through some internet searches, I discovered a book called The Writers Market. I spent time in the library writing down names and addresses and submission guidelines. Impatient, I finally purchased my own copy and proceeded to highlight all of the publishers I wanted to submit to.

I bought paper, envelopes, stamps, labels and started submitting. The rejections started coming in. Well, that wasn’t working so well. Another plan maybe. I decided to start smaller. I wrote a couple of short stories and sent them to magazines. One reply was, “This story is too sad.” Another reply was, “There is a glaring error in your work, and we don’t publish sub-standard submissions.”

Mostly the replies were form letters. Maybe I didn’t have what it took after all. I searched the internet again, looking for more workshops when I found the League of Utah Writers. It was November, and the next meeting wouldn’t be until January. I eagerly went to the Wednesday night meeting in January at the Provo Library. Jeff Savage was the speaker. Annette Lyon was the Chapter President who ran the meeting. Jeff shared how he got published. Little did I know but within a few months’ time, I would replace Annette as Chapter President and I would join Jeff and Annette’s critique group.

The one message I came away from Jeff’s presentation was that it was possible to get published if only I persevered. Jeff was published with a local publisher, Covenant, something I hadn’t considered before. So I decided that since I loved reading mysteries, I’d consider writing a mystery for the Utah market. I’d continue submitting my WWII novel, but I was willing to try other avenues as well.

So I began what I now call the great mystery-novel failure.

My Publishing Journey--Part 1

2010-09-29T15:58:00.006-06:00

Disclaimer: My blog has become boring. About a year ago, I was inspired by Annette Lyon when she posted her writing journey on her blog, one excerpt a week. I've thought about doing the same thing, but I've been slow to the punch. Each Wednesday, I'll post a new installment.

My Publishing Journey

Part 1:
What follows is a true story, mostly true, okay, 99.9% true.

Many of my author-friends grew up wanting to be writers. That was never really the case for me. I loved books. I read voraciously, and I probably wanted to just be a character in a book, more than the person actually writing it.

Many of my author-friends had mentors, teachers, parents or friends who encouraged them, told them to reach for the stars. That wasn’t the case with me. I got good grades in English and my love of reading propelled me to consider majoring in English in college.

But then I failed my AP English exam because of a low grade on the essay portion. I decided it was a sign and changed my major.

I cruised through college, as much as that is possible, and even added in a minor (Business Management) to my major (Fashion Merchandising). I decided that I’d work in retail and become a store manager of some fantastic boutique somewhere, perhaps even design a clothing line some day.

Along the way, I got married and soon after graduating from college, had a baby boy. For those of you who work in retail while raising a family, I salute you. Weekends + nights + holidays = Hard!

I became a stay-at-home mom, but life was suddenly very very frugal. You know those annoying sales people who call you on the phone and offer a free carpet cleaning if you’ll agree to listen to a short demonstration on vacuums? That was me. My biggest paycheck was $12.

Have you ever bought a “hand-crafted” stuffed bear from an exclusive catalog? Have you ever wondered who did the hand-crafting? That was me. My biggest paycheck was $30, after the bear was sent back TWICE for correction. Those embroidered noses are impossible!

I thought to myself: HELLO? I’m a college graduate and I turned down a job offer for $45k to make stuffed bears on my kitchen table?

Although I swear my mother tortured me into piano growing up, I realized that I was quite good at it. I decided to teach piano. We moved 6 months later, and I lost all of my students.

Things were looking up in our next home. My husband’s job paid a little more, and I was able to buy the brand-name cereal (when it was on sale). We bought a used couch to replace the plastic lawn chairs and splurged $400 on a dining table. Child #2 came along. Reading became my sanity. To settle with a book at night after a long day of kids-everywhere was heaven.

Fast forward another move, another house, and another kid. We were back in Utah now. I visited the library regularly with my kids and checked out book after book. My sister-in-law gave me a book by Richard Paul Evans to read. He is a Utah author, I discovered, and had made a huge name for himself nationally. Was that even possible, I wondered? My vision of authors was Mary Higgins Clark with her diamonds and pearls and NY accent. I read Evan’s book and came away with several things. First, there was no suspense, twists and turns, historical research, or literary descriptions. It was just a good story. And he was a NY Times Bestseller.

Imagine that!

The seed was planted. If Evan’s could do it, maybe I could too. Looking back, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. And little did I know, but Richard Paul Evans would actually become an important part of my career, a good friend, and I’d eventually share his same agent.

But I do remember sitting down to write those first few pages of a novel. It was love at first paragraph.

Winners of Book Giveaway & Updates

2010-09-21T09:55:00.003-06:00

Contest Winners:

Krista: KEY LIME PIE by Josi Kilpack
Andrea: CHOCOLATE NEVER FAILETH by Annette Lyon
Taffy: THE FOURTH NEPHITE by Jeffrey Savage

Email your address to heather at hbmoore dot com and let me know if you want them personalized by the author.

WRITING UPDATE:
I've been working on a new Book of Mormon novel that I've titled Daughters of Jared for now. (I'm keeping the running word count on my sidebar.)

Here is part of my pitch letter to my publisher. The committee has given me the green light on this project. Sigh of relief since I'm over 100 pages into the book.

September 14, 2010

Dear xxxxx and xxxxx,

Re: Daughters of Jared

In a similar vein as my Book of Mormon “prophet” books, I’ve decided to write a novel that focuses on the era of King Jared (#2). If you recall, in Women of the Book of Mormon, I included a chapter titled “The Daughter of Jared.” While researching that era, I was intrigued with the story that takes place in the Book of Ether and the cycle of kings’ rising and falling due to secret combinations.

Yet I wanted my book to not just be a story of warning, but a story of hope, and it has become both. For the main character Naiva, the younger sister of Asherah, is able to learn the truth even though she is raised in spiritual darkness. In sharp contrast to Naiva is Asherah, who is the eldest daughter of Jared (the one referred to in Ether 8–9). Ash will do anything to reinstate her father’s throne, and instigates plans to have her grandfather, the current king, executed.

The difference in this book, compared to my other historical novels, is the approach. I’ve written it in first person, all from the younger sister Naiva’s point of view. It could even be considered women’s fiction. I’ve tentatively titled the book The Daughters of Jared and intend for it to be stand-alone. Although it might be interesting to have a mini-series of “women” novels or “groups of women” from the Book of Mormon era, alternating release dates with my regular Prophet novels and/or non-fiction works.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best,
Heather Moore

Pre-Conference BOOK GIVEAWAY

2010-09-13T12:41:00.006-06:00

I'm SUPER excited about some great books I've been reading and want everyone to know about them. So, I'm hosting an ALMA THE YOUNGER "shout-out".

Rules to be entered:

Post a review/tweet/blog/facebook on something positive about ALMA THE YOUNGER in THREE (3) different places. Some of you have already posted reviews, so that's 1 down, and the rest should be easy. You can post the same review on different sites. Just let me know in the comments that you want to be entered into the drawing.

Possible review sites:
www.amazon.com
www.deseretbook.com
www.barnesandnoble.com
www.seagullbook.com
www.goodreads.com
www.shelfari.com

Winners selected: by random drawing for those who post comments to this blog that you have done 3 things.

DEADLINE: September 20th

PRIZES:
1st
Chocolate Never Faileth by Annette Lyon (cookbook comes out in Oct)

2nd
The Fourth Nephite by Jeffrey S. Savage

3rd
Key Lime Pie by Josi S. Kilpack

4th
Cross My Heart by Julie Wright (comes out in Oct)

5th
One of my books (your choice) by H.B. Moore

Upcoming Conferences & Signings

2010-09-10T09:33:00.002-06:00

Upcoming Conferences & Signings:

Sept 17-18, 2010 - League of Utah Writers Conference
Hampton Inn & Suites on Admiral Byrd Road in SLC, Utah. I'll be teaching the Friday intensive workshop with my Precision Editing Group Senior Editors--Lu Ann Staheli, Annette Lyon, Josi Kilpack, and Julie Wright. Topic: "From Plotting to Final Draft: Getting Your Manuscript to Compete". NY Times Bestselling author John Gilstrap is Keynote Speaker. Registration and updates here

Sept 25, 2010 - Celebrating Sisterhood at Spanish Fork Seagull Book
10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. Tons of promotions and in-store giveaways. I'll be signing books, and Sarah M. Eden will be there as well!

Sept 30, 2010 - The Book Academy Conference
Utah Valley University (Orem, Utah). I'll be teaching a workshop: "Life After the First Draft: Steps to Self-Editing". NY Times Bestselling author, Brandon Mull, is Keynote Speaker. Registration and updates here

Oct 2, 2010 - Ladies Night at Deseret Book
6:00-8:00 p.m. Join me on "Ladies Night" at the Ft Union Deseret Book. 1110 Fort Union Blvd, Midvale, Utah. I'll be signing copies of my books.

If "Alma the Younger" had a song

2010-08-31T09:57:00.005-06:00

I think this song by Aaron Shust perfectly portrays the character of Alma the Younger. What do you think?

You can listen on You Tube HERE, or read the lyrics below:

Lyrics from When Everything is Beautiful by Aaron Shust.

verse 1:

take my ashes take my dirt, and clay
take my pride and strip it off, away
take my mourning take my doubt, and fear
say the words i long to hear

chorus:

though your sins were as scarlet
they will be as white as snow
though they were red,
red as crimson
they will be like wool
when everything is beautiful

verse 2:

everything i tried to hide,
all the games I've been playing
every secret every lie,
all the shame I've been claiming
come and whisper in my ear,
say the words i long to hear

chorus:

though your sins were as scarlet
they will be as white as snow
though they were red,
red as crimson
they will be like wool
when everything is beautiful

bridge:

I'm alive with a hope of a bran' new day,
woa oh woa
I'm alive with a hope of a bran' new day

chorus:

ohh... though your sins were as scarlet
they've become as white as snow
though they were red,
red as crimson
they've become like wool

though your sins were as scarlet
they've become as white as snow
though they were red,
red as crimson
they've become like wool

and everything is beautiful...
everything is beautiful

BYU Display of Authors

2010-08-25T11:45:00.008-06:00

During BYU Education Week, the L. Tom Perry Special Collections opened a display titled "Literary Worlds: Illumination of the Mind." The display highlights 24 poets and novelists in various stages of their careers and writing processes. Manuscripts, letters, drawings, and various artifacts are on display, all of them fascinating.

I'm excited to be one of the featured novelists, along with many others, from Victorian to modern-day. My Alma the Younger novel is featured and the visitors can see the actual comments from my editor on various parts of the manuscript.

The display includes everything from handwritten editing notes from Orson Scott Card, to three sample beginnings from Janette Rallison where her editor kept encouraging her to "try again", and hand-written character cards from G.G. Vandagriff. Also featured is Charles Dickens, Walt Whitman, and Lewis Carroll to name a few.

My daughter, Dana, posing at the exhibit (above).

A catalog accompanies the exhibit and there is an excellent essay on LDS writers, including mentions of Annette Lyon, Josi Kilpack, Jack Weyland, Rachel Nunes, and many more.

Editing notes on Alma the Younger (you will see some back and forth debate)

The exhibit will be open for about 9 months and is located in the BYU Library, 1st floor, north side in the Perry Special Collections Department.

Ammon--Officially Submitted!

2010-08-20T20:06:00.003-06:00

AMMON is officially turned in! After some major computer woes that slowed me down, I was able to get through the final edits and I sent it to my publisher on Aug 17. Below, I included the cover letter I sent along with it . . .

Dear [Editor],

I’m pleased to submit my new historical novel based on the life of Ammon, a Nephite missionary who turns down his birthright as a king to serve and teach the Lamanites the gospel.

In approximately 94 BC, Ammon travels with his three brothers and several other missionaries into enemy territory. The missionaries separate, and Ammon is captured along the borders of the land of Ishmael. When he is brought before King Lamoni, Ammon doesn’t preach right away. Instead he sets out to prove his loyalty and desire to truly serve the Lamanite people. When Ammon is confronted by a band of rebels who have scattered the king’s flocks, Ammon is forced to defend his own life, as well as the flocks, and he kills several of the rebels.

The king and his court are astounded at Ammon’s strength and can only assume that someone as powerful as the Great Spirit can defeat so many men at once. Ammon denies he is the Great Spirit, and takes the opportunity to teach King Lamoni the plan of salvation. The king is touched by the Spirit and collapses to the ground, lying as if dead for three days. On the third day, he rises from his sleep and declares all of the joyous things he has been taught of the Lord.

Although a king and a queen are converted and baptized into the Lord’s church, Ammon’s challenges have just begun. Most of the people in the city are reluctant to give up their idols, their temples, their human sacrifices, and diabolical practices. A rebellion rises up within the city, claiming that Ammon is a deceiver and has tricked the king. Ammon must rely on the Lord as never before in order to fulfill his mission and bring souls unto Christ.

Ammon is approximately 100,000 words. Preface, Epigraphs, Chapter Notes, and Bibliography will follow.

Please see attached manuscript. Thanks for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Heather Moore

***************************************

Upcoming Schedule Stuff:

August 21, 2010 - Spanish Fork Seagull Book
2:00 p.m. -4:00 p.m. I’ll be signing copies of WOMEN OF THE BOOK OF MORMON and ALMA THE YOUNGER.

Sept 17-18, 2010 - League of Utah Writers Conference
SLC Airport Hilton Hotel in SLC, Utah. I’ll be teaching the Friday intensive workshop with my Precision Editing Group Senior Editors–Lu Ann Staheli, Annette Lyon, Josi Kilpack, and Julie Wright. Topic: “From Plotting to Final Draft: Getting Your Manuscript to Compete”. Registration and updates HERE

Sept 30, 2010 - The Book Academy Conference
Utah Valley University (Orem, Utah). I’ll be teaching a workshop: irport Hilton Hotel in SLC, Utah. I’ll be a workshop: “Life After the First Draft: Steps to Self-Editing”. Registration and updates HERE

My Alpha Readers

2010-08-09T19:38:00.003-06:00

Most of you know what Alpha Readers are. They're those pesky people who either a)beg to read your manuscript in advance so they can offer sage advice, or b) I beg to read my manuscript so that I have a better chance of getting it accepted and (hopefully) breezing through the editing stage with my publisher.

Last month I completed the first draft of AMMON. The first thing I did was take a couple of days off (writers like Allyson Condie take an entire month away from the manuscript).

When I can't stand the wait any longer, I start on the 2nd draft process. This is what I do:
-read through manuscript on the computer
-flesh out scenes that I left hanging
-research "holes" or "questions" I wrote to myself
-work on better transitions
-organize chapters so that there is an average of 10-20 pages per chapter
-track character introductions so that they have descriptions, etc
-combine sentences and get rid of passiveness where possible
-add commas

After the 2nd draft is ready, I send it to Alpha Readers.

For AMMON, I'm doing something I haven't done before. I asked three people who are not writers or editors to read the manuscript. I decided on three so that I'd have a good variety. They've read all of my books and have enjoyed them for different reasons.

Then I chose three more Alpha Readers who are excellent writers and excellent (although a bit nerve-wracking) editors.

This will give you a good idea of feedback I've received based on the type of Alpha Reader.

Alpha Reader #1: 28 comments
Alpha Reader #2: 859 comments

Can you guess which one is the editor/author?

Regardless of the number of comments, all of them have been helpful. I don't always take every bit of advice, but I do consider it, especially if I hear it more than once. So it's important to have the feedback of more than one or two Alpha Readers. (you always need a tie-breaker, right?)

And the best part is that I still love the story. I've hit burn-out on the computer, but not burn-out on the story. When I'm reading certain sections, I'm just as excited about it as I was when I was writing.

Just for fun, here are the cast of characters (names subject to change):

CHARACTER CHART for AMMON

Ammon: oldest son of King Mosiah

Aaron: son of King Mosiah

Omner: son of Mosiah

Himni: son of Mosiah

Muloki and Ammah: missionary companions

Lamoni: King of the Land of Ishmael
Son: Pacal
Daughters: Meztli & Romie

Moriah: King’s Clothier
Son: Zaman
Daughter: Elena

Abish: Servant to the Queen

Gad: Blacksmith

Loki: Brother of Gad.

Dedan: Friend of Zaman

Pahrun: King’s head guard and chief advisor

Kumen: servant

Corien: servant (brother to Kumen)

Sample Chapter of ALMA THE YOUNGER & Updates

2010-07-12T07:39:00.005-06:00

I've exceeded the first draft goal of AMMON, which was 80,000 words. AMMON is now 90,000 words (345 pages), and the story is still going. I see about 20-30 more pages to wrap-up. Then I'll go back and hopefully be able to tighten some. I've been posting the progress updates on the sidebar. I'm really excited about how AMMON is turning out. When I was about 65 pages into it I thought--this is sounding too lighthearted. It's no longer light-hearted, but it's much lighter than ALMA THE YOUNGER. It's been refreshing to write a hero that is good from the beginning of the book and remains so throughout--though there are plenty of conflicts. But Ammon is tough enough to handle them.

Speaking of Alma the Younger, CLICK HERE for a sneak peak SAMPLE CHAPTER.

My books aren't for kids

2010-07-09T10:09:00.004-06:00

Well, I do have some younger fans around 11 or 12. I even had a 10 year old tell me she enjoyed my books. But in general, I haven't written my historical novels to children. Just because they are LDS novels, and very "clean", doesn't mean I'd advise children to read them. There are certainly adult themes. Themes . . . say found in the Book of Mormon . . . if you know what I mean.

Sometimes when reading scriptures with my kids, I've glossed over parts because of my kids' sensitive natures. They become disturbed quite easily. Some of the events that take place in the Book of Mormon are hard to stomach (just as in the Bible). Ammon alludes to this fact when he talks about a particularly dark era in Lamanite culture when they delight in the shedding of blood and have spent their days in the grossest iniquities (Alma 26:24).

Other parts I can hardly dwell on, such as when the people were so horribly wicked that they offered up human sacrifices (Mormon 4:14) and practiced cannibalism (Moroni 9:7-8).

One thing I've been told time and time again, and have read in many reviews, is that the readers are grateful that I don't gloss over the unsavory portions of the events. I don't hide behind sweet words and brush past serious sin. Neither did the authors of the Book of Mormon.

So, if you are planning on listening to the audio in the car on a family vacation when you have young ears listening, I'd advise against it. Although there is no foul language, graphic descriptions of violence, details describing any harlotry practices, the events are serious and sobering. Redemption is a powerful theme in the Book of Mormon, and I've tried to emulate that in my novels. But before redemption, there must be a fall.

Out of Jerusalem: Of Goodly Parents: Covers 1 Nephi 1-16. In this book (as in the scriptures) Nephi's brothers try to kill him. Nephi kills Laban at the behest of the Lord.

Out of Jerusalem: A Light in the Wilderness: 1 Nephi again. Covers the journey through the wilderness which lasted 8 years. An attempt by Laman and Lemuel in killing their father and brother. Child birth situations.

Out of Jerusalem: Towards the Promised Land: 1 Nephi--events take place in the land of Bountiful when building the ship. Two more attempts on Nephi's life. (Can you say Laman and Lemuel belong in PRISON?)

Out of Jerusalem: Land of Inheritance: 1 and 2 Nephi. After the death of Lehi, Nephi finally leaves his brothers, taking those who wish with him. Because of the severe wickedness of Laman and Lemuel, they are cursed by the Lord.

Abinadi: You got it, this is about Abinadi, who becomes a religious martyr and is executed by King Noah for his beliefs. King Noah is a vile man who keeps a harem of harlots. Alma, one of his wicked high priests who partakes in the evil court of Noah, will eventually repent and turn his life around.

Alma: Continuation of previous volume. Alma is on the run with his followers from Amulon, who, according to scholar Hugh Nibley is the most wicked man in the Book of Mormon.

Alma the Younger: Takes place 20 years after "Alma". We learn about Alma's son, who is born into privilege of position, yet throws it away and turns against his roots. This is no teenager who skips Sunday school, but a man with passion, power, and influence, becoming an anti-Christ who leads hundreds of souls away from the church.

So I will leave the decision up to you, dear reader. As for my family, my two teens (13 and 15) have read my books. My 10 year old has not--I'd be okay with her reading the Out of Jerusalem series, but Abinadi/Alma/Alma the Younger will have to wait another couple of years.

LDS Fiction: Out of the Box

2010-06-23T07:41:00.003-06:00

Authors who are writing in the LDS fiction genre are often writing to a very specific target market. The plot and characters fall within that proverbial box of what is acceptable to LDS readers and what is marketable to LDS-specific readers.

Yesterday I received a review for Alma the Younger that I'm really excited to share . . . because it was written by a non-LDS reviewer. The review can be found on GoodReads, and is copied below as well.

**************************

Jun 22, 2010

Maria Zannini rated it:

Read in June, 2010

I asked to read Alma The Younger even though I am not Mormon, nor am I familiar with their teachings. I simply knew that I enjoyed Heather Moore's stories in the past, and wanted to review it from a 'secular' point of view.

You have to understand also that I read everything with a deep level of disbelief. I demand the author prove to me that s/he can tell a story and make me live it with them.

It came as a true delight that Heather Moore didn't whitewash anything. The main character, Alma the younger, is an antihero, and he was modeled so believably, I started to wonder midway how he was going to be redeemed.

I liked too that the reason for his anger and rebellion was completely plausible and even understandable. This was a thinking man, a man with a great emotional well for compassion for his fellow human beings. So when he did strike out, the reader could empathize with his anger. This wasn't a two dimensional character. This was a man of deep convictions.

Cassia, Alma's love interest is the perfect counterpart to all-too-serious Alma. She is so sweet and kind, a young girl stepping into womanhood and carrying that burden with amazing grace. The relationship she has with Alma was truly sensitive and beautifully painted. You could feel the tension in words not spoken and the great love neither could admit.

The story opens in the middle of a crisis and then goes backward in time to tell how it came about. This particular technique is very hard to pull off well, but Heather Moore had no trouble at all hooking me and keeping my interest throughout.

I will say that this story probably has more meaning to people of faith, but that does not limit it in the least in terms of scope or grand story telling.

The characters were so well described, I could envision them easily, and the pace was terrific. I am an impatient reader at best, and one of the telltale signs that a story has me hooked is my willingness to pick it up again after I've put it down. HB Moore accomplished this again and again. I had to find out what happened next. I had to know Alma's fate and those of his friends and enemies.

Do I recommend this book? Absolutely.

The writing is crisp, the pace is brisk and the characters are most certainly memorable. If I had any qualms about the story telling it's that I think Ms. Moore cheated me. LOL. I wanted to know much more about the world building.

Perhaps those of the Mormon faith already know this world too well, but I was so intrigued by the details, I was hungry for more.

Regardless whether you are a person of faith or not, the story stays with you. That is a testament in itself.

Book Signings this weekend

2010-06-18T10:07:00.002-06:00

I snagged this video from Annette Lyon's blog. It gave me LOTS of comfort since I have 2 signings this weekend :-)

June 18, 2010 - Father’s Day Book Signing
6:00-8:00 p.m. American Fork Seagull Book on 218 State Street, American Fork, UT. I’ll be signing copies of ALMA THE YOUNGER for Father’s Day.

June 19, 2010 - Father’s Day Book Signing
12:00-2:00 p.m. Redwood Seagull Book on 1720 So. Redwood Road, SLC, UT. I’ll be signing copies of ALMA THE YOUNGER for Father’s Day.

Israel Part 3

2010-06-14T12:31:00.014-06:00

Updates: 2 reviews for Alma the Younger are in! Thanks Krista and GG!

Krista Jensen: Author

Writer in the Cranberry Tower

Also, I'm doing a couple of book signings for Father's Day this weekend:

June 18, 2010 - Father’s Day Book Signing

6:00-8:00 p.m. American Fork Seagull Book on 218 State Street, American Fork, UT. .

June 19, 2010 - Father’s Day Book Signing
12:00-2:00 p.m. Redwood Seagull Book on 1720 So. Redwood Road, SLC, UT.

Israel Part 2

2010-06-07T08:07:00.010-06:00

Some exciting news: I picked up copies of my newest book a few days ago. ALMA THE YOUNGER is now available in stores. Just in time for Father's Day. You can also order on-line HERE.

More on the Israel Trip:

As I was loading pictures from my camera, I discovered that "someone" didn't do her full share of walking. Yes, we walked a lot and each day was filled to the brim . . . but STILL . . .

Hitching a ride in the "City of David"

Riding a camel in Bethany.

Catching a ride in the "old city"

Hitching another ride at the Church of the Nativity (Bethlehem)

The day we went to the "city of David" was really hot and there were a lot of stairs.

Catching a ride at "Hezekiah's Tunnel"

I guess my son really did deserve a nap in the Tel Aviv airport:

Israel--part 1

2010-06-02T05:11:00.006-06:00

I went to Leruselem wen I waz 5 (Excerpt from my youngest daughter's journal--she turned 6 while in Israel)

We returned yesterday from a trip to Israel. I took my four kids with me (husband stayed home). My parents are there on a work assignment. They figure they've lived in the Middle East for a total of 7 years if they combined all of their work assignments over there.

One of the reasons I wanted to take my kids to Israel is for the experience it would give them of seeing another part of the world. Specifically Israel because I went to high school there and it was a part of my youth, so maybe sharing a part of myself with them. And since we are Christians, visiting the sites where the Savior lived and ministered is hard to duplicate elsewhere. Also, since my parent are living there, they could be our escorts and things would be much more convenient (and it doesn't hurt to pay Grandma and Grandpa a visit).

Garden of Gethsemane:

The cost was an issue and my husband and I debated for almost a year about this, watching airline prices and looking at it from all angles. We debated who should go. All of us? Just me and the 2 older kids? Then I said I wanted them all to go, because even if our 5 year old didn't remember a thing, she'd be in all of the pictures and couldn't end up feeling left out. Also, she is a very independent child and I didn't anticipate any great deal of trouble from her. My husband and I spent several weeks in Israel when we were newly married and so he felt he'd had the experience. We ended up using about 15 years of accumulated sky miles in order to purchase 3.5 of the tickets. So that took the sting away just a little.

It's too hard to summarize a 10 day trip without posting a boring travel-log. So I'll be posting snippets here and there.

But this is a good way to sum it up for now:

I'm in Lewslum its warm at night and morning

Jerusalem!

2010-05-26T12:17:00.004-06:00

My kids: at Lazarus' Tomb in Bethany (Israel)

I finally figured out how to change Hebrew to English on Blogger, so now I can post.

I'm in Israel with my kids this week. Weather is hot! Will share tons more when I return. I'm faithfully keeping my journal, although Ammon has not seen the light of day.

Meanwhile, some great things have come in during my hiatus:

LDS Womens Podcast interviewed Josi Kilpack and I at the LDStorymakers Conference about our books, etc. HERE.

Thanks to JaNae Francis for her interview in the Standard Examiner HERE.

Nancy Allen Campbell reviewed Women of the Book of Mormon HERE. Thanks Nancy!

Looking for Reviewers for Alma the Younger

2010-05-16T19:53:00.006-06:00

It's that time again! I guess that's what happens when you have 2 books coming out within a couple of months of each other.

Most of you know I'll be going to Jerusalem in a few days, so I need to compile a list of reviewers in the next day or two before I leave. When I return, I'll mail out copies of Alma the Younger (no PDF's, but the actual book).

I'm looking for 15 blog reviewers who can post on their blog, and other locations such as DeseretBook.com, Seagullbook.com, Goodreads, and Amazon. Also, I need the reviews to be coming in between June 15-July 15th. If you know you can meet this deadline, I'd love to hear from you!

Please email me your blog address and mailing address at: heather at hbmoore dot com

If you email after Wednesday, you may not hear from me for awhile, but I'll be back the first week of June to finalize the list and mail out the books.

Thanks in advance!

Teen Writers Conference 2010

2010-05-12T06:52:00.002-06:00

THE TEEN WRITERS CONFERENCE

Pass on the information to teens in your area who are interested in becoming published authors.

My editing company, Precision Editing Group, is a sponsor of the annual Teen Writers Conference.

Registration Deadline is May 25, 2010. This year, space is limited, so please register asap.

For more details and registration information, visit the website HERE.

Guest presenters Janette Rallison, Dan Wells, and Lisa Mangum, as well as many other published authors.

Saturday June 5, 2010

Weber State University in Ogden, Utah

Classes on everything from writing a first novel to finding the right publisher for your book.

The popular Writing Contest is back!

Signing in St George

2010-05-11T10:55:00.004-06:00

Correction, earlier I had posted that I'd be signing Tuesday, but it's Wednesday, May 12th:

May 12, 2010 - Costco in St. George

Wednesday 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. I’ll be signing copies of Women of the Book of Mormon.

Thanks to Josi Kilpack for her review on Women of the Book of Mormon HERE.

In addition, two more reviews came in. Thanks ladies!
Jennifer Kindrick--Reviewer

Nicole Sorensen

Also, below is a picture of me, Alina, and Josi Kilpack (author of Devils Food Cake) at the Mother's Day Extravaganza at the South Jordan Seagull Book.

Far World is . . . BAAAACK!

2010-05-06T22:30:00.003-06:00

Talk about a nail-biting year for my kids. Two years ago they fell in love with Far World: Water Keep. Then, last year, they eagerly waited for the release of Far World: Land Keep, which they loved just as much, and I loved even more, than the first book in the series. In fact, below, I'm copying a post about my 11 year old daughter's reaction. It's so fresh and just so "her" that I still laugh when I read it. Even though she is now 13, and looks 17, she has the same personality, and definitely the same enthusiasm for FarWorld.

Recently, J. Scott Savage posted that Far World 3 is now under contract. There was some delay due to economic factors, etc.

FROM SEPTEMBER 24, 2008

My 11-year old daughter, the lone Ute fan in a house full of Cougars (yeah, that is JUST her personality). . .

I don't write about my family often on this blog, but this time I think it relates pretty well to the writing/reading world. Plus, the experience I had with my 11-year old daughter last night was a one in a million in my household. Let me preface this by saying, my daughter is a sports fanatic.

She plays soccer, softball, basketball, and volleyball--and she can't get enough of it. Last Friday, she told me she threw up at practice. I said, "Are you sick? Do you still feel like you're going to throw up?" She said, "If I tell you, can I still play in tomorrow's game?"

I loved sports too at her age, and imagined myself as the starting quarterback for the Broncos. But I also loved to read. And I read everything. My daughter won't read unless forced. She's what is termed the "reluctant reader."

Recently, I reviewed the new fantasy by J. Scott Savage here. So I was excited to pass on the book to my kids. The only books that my daughter has ever said anything good about is The 13th Reality and the Fablehaven series.

So I was hoping that she'd like Far World. Same genre and target group. Plus I loved the book.

Well, last night she called me on my cell phone (when I had told her only call if you HAVE to, since I was at book group). I answered, thinking she was upset over homework or something. But not so. The conversation follows:

"Mom, who's the author that wrote Far World?"

"J. Scott Savage."

"Don't you know him?"

"Yeah, he's in my critique group."

"You have to call him right now." (Note--she is not shy about her demands)

"Why?"

"Because you have to tell him to hurry and write the sequel."

"Why?"

"Because it's the best book I've ever read. It's sooo flippin good!"

"Okay, I can probably send him a text, but I think he's out of town."

"Do it right now."

"I can't, I'm at book group."

"And you have to tell him that I want to be the FIRST to read the sequel."

"All right." (laughing) "What about Twilight, aren't you reading that?"

"Sort of. It was too boring so I stopped."

"Why was it boring?"

"Because it was all about how Edward was so good looking, over and over. Like how he was so strong and like what his biceps looked like."

"So you liked Far World better?"

"It's the best book I ever read. Call him now."

"Uh, I'll talk to you when I get home."

"Okay. Hurry!"

Disclaimer: before you think I usually hand over romances like Twilight to my 11-year old, I was happy that she even ASKED to read it. All the while doubting she'd get very far. Even a major teenage bestseller would, I knew, be a hard sell on my reluctant reader (who refuses to read past Harry Potter 1 by the way).

Are Mormon Women Oppressed?

2010-05-05T06:30:00.008-06:00

I had an interesting book signing last night. I was at the Orem Costco, sitting right across the aisle from the Jello chocolate mousse. I'd eaten dinner, but the visual of all that food was making me hungry again. Otherwise . . . I had some very interesting conversations with people about the Book of Mormon, etc. The most interesting conversation was when a woman rushed up to me. She had seen my poster at the front door of Costco. It turns out she was looking for a book on "Muslim" women, not "Mormon" women.

She said she didn't want to read about Mormon women because we were oppressed. She left Utah and returned 45 years later to find that Mormon women weren't respected. I don't know if I had my best thinking cap on but I replied, "If a woman demands respect, she'll get it. It doesn't matter what religion she practices."

I asked her what religion she was and she said she was Catholic. I told her she might be interested in my chapter on Eve since the LDS view of Eve is unique from all other religions. She said that she'd prefer to believe as the Catholics do about Eve. In the foreword of my book, Dr. Kaye Terry Hanson discusses just that--the differences between our viewpoint on the Fall and Eve's role in it versus the viewpoint that comes from other religions.

The woman went her way, but it left me thinking about our conversation all night. I wondered if the world sees Mormon women as oppressed for one reason or another. I don't feel oppressed. I've felt burned out at various times, but that's had nothing to do with my religious beliefs. I'm proud of being a woman, of being a Mormon, and of being an active member of the church. When I was at BYU Women's Conference last week, I climbed on a bus to ride from the parking lot to the Wilkinson Center. I didn't know a soul on the crowded bus, but everyone was smiling. I literally felt the power and goodness of these women and sensed that together they could accomplish anything. The immediate comraderie of these dozens of women was incredible, all coming together in one purpose, who had left their families and homes for a few days to learn about strengthening their families, developing new friendships, growing their testimonies of the Savior, and sharing their talents.

Brainstorming AMMON and this week's schedule

2010-05-03T12:22:00.005-06:00

Ammon Update: I'm about 120 pages into drafting my next book: AMMON. He's a compelling character to write about. I'd love to hear your comments about what you find most significant about Ammon's character. I think it's remarkable that he'd give up his kingship to be a missionary in enemy territory.

Questions I'm working on:

1. Do you think those he "slayed" with the slingshot were killed or just injured? Or was the only person he mortally wounded the leader of the Lamanite band?

2. Flocks--in my research, sheep weren't introduced until the Spanish came to MesoAmerica. So what are the flocks that are referred to during Ammon's time? Turkeys? Fowl? Ducks? It's weird to imagine herding any of these animals. In Ether 9, sheep and horses are mentioned, but that it the only place.

This is my signing schedule for the next two weeks:

May 4, 2010 - Costco in Orem

Tuesday 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. My first Costco signing! I’ll be signing copies of Women of the Book of Mormon.

May 6, 2010 - Presentation to Logan Book Club 1:00 p.m.

Lundstrom Park 1, 2, 3rd Relief Society Room. 1260 North 1600 East, Logan, UT

May 7, 2010 - Lunch hour at West Jordan Seagull Book

Friday 12:00-1:30 p.m. Join me at Seagull Book where I’ll be signing copies of Women of the Book of Mormon. 1625 W 9000 So, West Jordan, Utah.

May 7, 2010 - Costco in Sandy

Friday 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. I’ll be signing copies of Women of the Book of Mormon.

May 8, 2010 - Mother’s Day Extravaganza at SOUTH Jordan Seagull Book

Saturday 12:00-2:00 p.m. Join me at Seagull Book at the Mother’s Day Extravaganza where I’ll be signing copies of Women of the Book of Mormon. Authors Janice Kapp Perry, Josi S. Kilpack, Sarah M. Eden, and Rachel Castor will be there with me. 11531 South District Main Dr., South Jordan, Utah.

May 12, 2010 - Costco in St. George

Correction: Wednesday 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. I’ll be signing copies of Women of the Book of Mormon.

May 13, 2010 - LDS Fiction Extravaganza, St. George (Utah Library Association)

I’ll be speaking with two authors, Annette Lyon and KC Grant, on the afternoon of May 13. Conference is May 12-14, registration here: http://www.ula.org/

THANKS Everyone!

2010-04-28T16:19:00.005-06:00

Today Mormon Times reported that Women of the Book of Mormon climbed to #2 Bestseller on the Deseret Book Top Ten bestsellers list.

A big thank you to my blog followers for the reviews and word of mouth.

My editor told me that the book is going into a 2nd printing.

Below, I included a picture of my editor (Eliza) so she can get some credit. We are posing at the Whitney Gala that was this past weekend. Also, in the red dress is Danyelle Ferguson, who has her first book coming out in June, called (dis)Abilities and the Gospel.

The three ladies from the LDS Women's Book Review Podcast also chatted with me about the book. I'll post the podcast when it's ready. Below is Hillary, Sheila, Me, and Shanda.

Book Launch coming Friday!

2010-04-26T18:37:00.007-06:00

Some exciting news. Announcing my first ever book launch (it's about time!) for Women of the Book of Mormon.

Information in the beautiful invitation above.

There will also be refreshments!

AND . . . everyone who purchases a book will be entered into a drawing for a copy of one of the following bestselling books:

Band of Sisters by Annette Lyon
Devils Food Cake by Josi S. Kilpack
The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum
The Hidden Branch by GG Vandagriff
A Far, Far Better Place by Anita Stansfield
Dangerous Connections by Julie Coulter Bellon
The Ball’s In Her Court by Heather Justesen
All the Stars in Heaven by Michele Paige Holmes
Saving Madeline by Rachel Ann Nunes
Famous Family Nights by Anne Bradshaw
Spires of Stone by Annette Lyon
Winds of Hope by Anita Stansfield
Women of the Book of Mormon by Heather B. Moore
The Bishop’s Bride: The Honeymoon’s Over by Elizabeth Watkins
Worldwide Cookbook: Mom’s Best Recipes by Deanna Buxton
And MORE!

Also, Women is #7 on the Deseret Book's 10 Ten Bestseller's list today.

And . . . I attended the Storymakers Conference this weekend. No, I didn't win the Whitney Award, but it was great to be a finalist. A shout out to GG Vandagriff, author of The Last Waltz, who took the Whitney for Best Historical. You can read more about the evening HERE in which David Wolverton/Farland took the award for Best Novel.

I had a reporter, Michael De Groote, from the Deseret News in my workshop. Talk about intimidating. But his write-up was a riot. This is what he had to say HERE.

I also gave a briefing about hosting agent Laura Rennert from Andrea Brown Literary Agency HERE. I have a picture as well!

Tons of Reviews!

2010-04-19T14:44:00.002-06:00

Thanks so much to all of the reviewers that are posting this past week. They've been rolling in and it's been fun to see what each person likes in particular.

Rachelle Christensen--Author

Sheila--Why Not? Because I Said So

Queen of the Clan--Danyelle Ferguson

Women in the Scriptures

Lu Ann's Library

LDS Women's Book Review

Also, I'm getting ready for the LDS Storymakers Conference this weekend. Annette Lyon and I are running the early morning Boot Camp. I'm also teaching a workshop and moderating a panel. I'll be so glad when it gets going. All the preparation can be a bit stressful and I have lists all over the place, hoping I won't "forget" anything.

Also debating about what to wear to the Whitney Gala. I'm not much of a shopper, in fact, if it's not at Costco, I usually don't buy it. I did look on-line at used stuff, but it was too hard to commit without trying anything on. The best part about the conference is seeing old and new friends!

Book Signings this weekend

2010-04-15T06:59:00.002-06:00

Friday: April 16, 2010 - Lunch hour at Spanish Fork Seagull Book 12:00-1:30 p.m. Join me at Seagull Book where I’ll be signing copies of Women of the Book of Mormon. 1052 N. Main, Spanish Fork, Utah.

Saturday: April 17, 2010 - Signing at Clinton Seagull Book 2:00-4:00 p.m. Join me at Seagull Book where I’ll be signing copies of Women of the Book of Mormon. 1803 West 1800 North, Clinton, UT.

Today (April 15) is the LAST Day to register for the LDS Storymakers Writers Conference. No walk-ins this year. It will be a fantastic writers conference. I look forward to seeing some of you there. Make sure to stop me and say "hi"--there are 420 registered so far.

REVIEWS: Thanks to the following reviewers for posting their reviews of WOMEN:

Karlene--Inksplasher

Chantele--There is Always Something to Read

Lexie Hogan

Also, GG Vandagriff interviewed me for Meridian Magazine HERE. Thanks GG!

I appreciate the reviews and how it gets the word out! WOMEN should be in most stores by now and is also at Costco's in Utah.

PASSPORTS: I'm taking my kids to Jerusalem next month and all of our passports just arrived. Now it seems real! After the Storymaker conference I'll have to start thinking about stuff like . . . luggage. I don't think duffel bags will work.

AMMON Update: Not much writing done this week so far. I did the PEG Write-A-Thon last Thursday and wrote almost 5,000 words. So of course, I've had to do some clean-up from that. I proofed the final galleys for Alma the Younger, so that's a good excuse, and it reminded me of some things I needed for Ammon's character.

Cover is here--Alma the Younger

2010-04-07T09:59:00.006-06:00

Here is a sneak peek at the cover. Alma the Younger will be out in June. Cover art is by Gary Kapp.

I'll be announcing a blog tour for Alma the Younger in mid May. Stay tuned!

Also, many thanks for the reviews that have come in on Women:

Rebecca Irvine--Writer & Reviewer

Heather Justesen--Author

Queen of Chaos--Autumn Ables

Don Carey--Author

Julie Wright--Author

Cheri Chesley--Author

Taffy's Candy--Writer & Reviewer

I'm keeping a tally on the side bar of my Ammon update. I just used my 15 year old son to help with the scene in which Ammon gets his nose broken. My son was (accidentally) kicked in the face by his sister while boating last summer and had his nose broken. Probably didn't help that his sister is a soccer player and has a mean kick to begin with.

Also, CLICK HERE for the most updated list of my booksignings.

Write-A-Thon & Great Signings

2010-04-03T22:40:00.005-06:00

If you're a writer, you definitely don't want to miss out on this contest:

On Thursday, April 8, 2010 Precision Editing Group will be sponsoring a Write-a-Thon and we're inviting writers to show us how many words you can write in 4 hours! The winner will receive their choice of a $50 Amazon.com gift card OR a 50 page content edit by one of the Precision Editing Group Editors. Go HERE for more info!

This weekend, the book signings have been great. Mostly because "Women" was able to make it into the stores--thanks to my publisher for hand-delivering copies to the various locations. Also . . . non-fiction rocks. Why didn't I think of it before? Oh yeah, the research is incredibly hard :)

Here I am with Deanna Buxton (right), cookbook author extraordinaire, and one of her big fans (Patricia, in the middle)--soon to be one of my big fans (I just know it!). Deanna will also be signing with me at the official launch party for "Women" on April 30. Details HERE.

Writing Update: Ammon proposal got the "thumbs up" from my publisher. 7800 words into it. And I'm finalizing the audio guide for the audio recording of Alma the Younger. Cover coming soon!

Week #6 Winner & Book has shipped!

2010-04-01T12:37:00.006-06:00

Updated April 2, 5:45 p.m.

"Women" is in select stores now, so there will be copies at my Saturday Signing (see below)

1. Seagull Book (1720 South Redwood Rd, SLC, UT): I left tons of signed copies there.
2. Deseret Book: Downtown Flagship store.
3. Deseret Book: Fort Union Store (signing there Saturday night 6-8 p.m.)
4. Deseret Book: U-Village (East of University Mall in Provo)

Congrats to Rebecca Irvine--you are Week #6 winner! Email me at heather @ hbmoore dot com

Thanks for your great comments, everyone.

The 6 week contest is ending just in time. This morning I picked up a couple boxes of books at my publisher. My husband came with me to carry boxes. He opened a book and said, "Why is it so short?" Most people would be impressed that it's so long. LOL.

Here's my daughter holding a copy.

I have two book signings this weekend.

April 2, 2010 - General Conference Signing - Redwood Seagull Book: Friday 1:00-3:00 p.m. Join me right before General Conference at the Redwood Seagull Book where I’ll be signing copies of my books. 1720 South Redwood Road, SLC, Utah.

April 3, 2010 - Deseret Book Ladies Night at Fort Union: Saturday 6:00-8:00 p.m. Join me for Ladies Night at the Fort Union Deseret Book where I’ll be signing copies of my books. 1110 Fort Union Blvd, Midvale, Utah.

Sample Chapters for WOMEN here

2010-03-29T12:30:00.003-06:00

You can read the Preface and Chapter One of Women of the Book of Mormon HERE.

Thanks to the following reviewers who posted reviews for Women:

Stephanie Humphreys on Write Bravely

Kathi Oram Peterson on Kathi's Writing Nook

This is the FINAL week of the 6 week book giveaway! Which means . . . Women of the Book of Mormon is almost on the shelves!

To be entered:

1. You as the blogger make a comment and answer today's question.

2. Become a blog follower (if you aren't already)

3. On Thursday I'll pick a favorite answer or do a drawing if it's too hard to choose. I'll announce the winner here, and the winner can choose any of my novels as a prize.

Question of the Week #5:
What has been your favorite Mother's Day gift to give or receive?

I love books, of course, and I frequently buy book for my mom or mom-in-law. I always love to get anything homemade--a card or a picture from one of my kids. But my favorite was when my son got 3rd place in a 5k and won a gift certificate for a massage. He gave it to me for Mother's Day. I thought it was extra thoughtful of a 13 year old.

Week #5 Winner & Official Book Launch

2010-03-25T07:18:00.006-06:00

Congrats to this week's winner! Tamara of Chasing Dreams blog. Please email me at heather at hbmoore dot com

Stay tuned for next Monday for the final question of the 6 Week Book Giveaway

Updates:
1. Check out my recent article on Visiting Teaching at YourLDSNeighborhood
2. Finished copyedits for Alma the Younger this week
3. Spoke to a bookgroup in Tennessee--over the phone. I'm happy to do a conference call for any bookgroup!
4. Started writing the next Book of Mormon novel: Ammon (5,000 words so far)
5. A couple of weeks ago I bought plane tickets to Jerusalem--taking my kids over in May.

New Reviews for Women of the Book of Mormon:

**Kim Coates of Sometimes Hard, But Oh-So Worth It. Kim is an aspiring writer and I wish her the best of luck!

**Linda Garner of Paper and Parchment. Linda is the author of Some Secrets Hurt: A Story of Healing

**Kimberly Job of Scribbled Scraps. Kimberly's first book was just released! It's called I'll Know You By Heart and it's already receiving great reviews.

**Jewel Adams of Jewels Best Gems posted her review as well. Jewel is a popular LDS Romance author--with both print and e-books.

Thanks Ladies!

Upcoming Book Signings:
March 27, 2010 - Celebrating Sisterhood at Seagull Book
Saturday 10 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Join me for Celebrating Sisterhood at the North Orem Seagull Book (Center & State Street) where I’ll be signing copies of my books. For those who love WWII novels, Jerry Borrowman will also be signing with me. Lots of in-store giveaways!

April 2, 2010 - General Conference Signing - Redwood Seagull Book
Friday 1:00-3:00 p.m. Join me right before General Conference at the Redwood Seagull Book where I’ll be signing copies of my books. 1720 South Redwood Road, SLC, Utah.

April 3, 2010 - Deseret Book Ladies Night at Fort Union
Saturday 6:00-8:00 p.m. Join me for Ladies Night at the Fort Union Deseret Book where I’ll be signing copies of my books. 1110 Fort Union Blvd, Midvale, Utah.

April 30, 2010 - Official Book Launch Signing for WOMEN OF THE BOOK OF MORMON
Friday 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Join me for my first ever Book Launch Party. I’ll be doing this in conjunction with authors Deanna Buxton (Worldwide Ward Cookbook: Mom's Best Recipes) and Elizabeth Watkins (The Bishop's Bride: The Honeymoon's Over). Deseret Bookstore in Orem: 1076 South 750 East (east of University Mall)

6 Week Book Giveaway

2010-03-22T09:03:00.002-06:00

Wow, I can't believe we are on week 5 already.

Just FYI, two writers conferences are coming up.

LDStorymakers Writers Conference
April 23-24, 2010 Provo Marriott, Utah
I'll be co-directed bootcamp with Annette Lyon, as well as teaching a workshop.

Teen Writers Conference
June 5, 2010 Weber State University, Ogden, Utah
This is the 2nd annual Teen Conference, sponsored by my editing company, Precision Editing Group.

Nikki Wilson of Mormon Mommy Writers posted her review of "Women." Thanks Nikki! I got to officially meet her at a writers conference in February.

Contest rules: In celebration of my upcoming book, WOMEN OF THE BOOK OF MORMON, here are the RULES:

Each Monday, I'll post a random question here.

To be entered:
1. You as the blogger will make a comment (answer to the question of the week of course)
2. Become a blog follower (if you aren't already)
3. On Thursday of the same week, I'll pick a favorite answer or do a drawing if it's too hard to choose. I'll announce the winner here, and the winner can choose any of my novels as a prize.

Question of the Week #5:
Nikki's post made me think of some people who have inspired me. One of my challenges in life is managing time and responsibilities. My mother has been an inspiration in that way. She always manages to be actively engaged and plan fun stuff for kids and grandkids, while also doing things that she loves to do. She is always willing to serve and help others as well.

Who is someone in your life that's been an inspiration?

WEEK #4 Winner & TJ Bronley

2010-03-18T13:22:00.003-06:00

Congratulations to Krista! She is Week #4 winner. Krista, please email me at heather at hbmoore dot com.

Also, thanks to TJ Bronley, who posted his review of Women of the Book of Mormon here. He's the second "male" to read my book, and I'm happy that he enjoyed it even though it's primarily geared toward women. Thanks TJ!

In other news, I just returned from Monroe (Utah) where I did a stake fireside presentation last night. It went really great, and I was amazed at how many people turned out. I guess that the town of Monroe isn't so small after all--although they only have one church building. I have several ancestors buried in the Monroe cemetary because it's where my great-grandfather and other relatives lived.

6 Week Book Giveaway

2010-03-15T15:48:00.002-06:00

Thanks to Julie Ford who reviewed Women of the Book of Mormon HERE. She came to me for some editing help awhile back and we became fast friends. She recently signed a 2-book contract with a publisher. Pretty exciting!

And a quick announcement, my author friend Tristi Pinkston has a new book coming out soon, a mystery called The Secret Sisters. In conjunction with the book release, she is also helping a charity: collecting socks (and donations for socks) for The Road Home homeless shelter. Check out the details here.

So . . . onto the contest:

Contest rules:
In celebration of my upcoming book, WOMEN OF THE BOOK OF MORMON, here are the RULES:

Each Monday, I'll post a random question here. To be entered:
1. You as the blogger will make a comment (answer to the question of the week of course)
2. Become a blog follower (if you aren't already)
3. On Thursday of the same week, I'll pick a favorite answer or do a drawing if it's too hard to choose. I'll announce the winner here, and the winner can choose any of my novels as a prize.

Question of the Week #4:

Since I pretty much forgot to post today until about 2 minutes ago, I thought it would be fun to find out things that you've forgotten to do. A few years ago I forgot that I had a babysitter coming over so that I could go get a hair cut. When she called me to ask why I hadn't picked her up yet, it all came rushing back.

So, what's something you've forgotten lately (or not-so-lately)?

WEEK #3 Winner & Friends' Book Launch

2010-03-11T07:43:00.006-07:00

Congrats to TAFFY who is this week's winner! Taffy, email me at heather at hbmoore dot com.

Stay tuned for Week #4 question coming on Monday.

I have three friends who all have a new book out this month: Annette Lyon, Sarah Eden and Julie Bello n.

They are doing a triple book launch on Friday, March 12 at the Orem Deseret Book (1076 S. 750 E.) from 6:00-8:00 p.m.

I've read books by all of them and they are all fantastic writers!

I'll bringing my credit card!

6 Week Book Giveaway!

2010-03-08T10:38:00.005-07:00

PREORDER Women of the Book of Mormon HERE.

Contest rules:

In celebration of my upcoming book, WOMEN OF THE BOOK OF MORMON, here are the RULES:

Each Monday, I'll post a random question here.
To be entered:
1. You as the blogger will make a comment (answer to the question of the week of course)
2. Become a blog follower (if you aren't already)

On Thursday of the same week, I'll pick a favorite answer or do a drawing if it's too hard to choose. I'll announce the winner here, and the winner can choose any of my novels as a prize.

Question of the Week #3:

Easy this week . . . as you know, I love to read and I'm always looking for a great book or a new author to get hooked onto. This past week, I've been reading Nefertiti by Michelle Moran, which is, of course, about the Egyptian queen Nefertiti. This book was a Target Book Club Pick and since I've never read anything by Moran and the story looked intriguing, I decided to chance it. Moran's writing style reminds me a lot of Phillipa Gregory, but much cleaner.

So . . . What book/author have you been reading that you'd like to recommend?

WEEK #2 Winner & More stuff

2010-03-04T09:23:00.003-07:00

Congrats to Kim of Sometimes Hard, But Oh-So Worth It! blog. She is the winner of this week's book giveaway. Kim, email me at heather at hbmoore dot com. I really loved reading the ways your friends have helped you. Stay tuned for the Week #3 Question coming next Monday.

The very first review of Women of the Book of Mormon is HERE! Thanks to Michael Young, author of The Canticle Kingdom.

Visit Michael's blog Writer Mike here to learn more about his book and his other reviews.

Alma the Younger update: Final edit is into my editor and I'm finishing the chapter notes. Moving forward!

6 Week Book Giveaway!

2010-03-01T09:34:00.003-07:00

Contest rules:

In celebration of my upcoming book, WOMEN OF THE BOOK OF MORMON, here are the RULES:

Each Monday, I'll post a random question here.

To be entered:
1. You as the blogger will make a comment (answer to the question of the week of course)
2. Become a blog follower (if you aren't already)

On Thursday of the same week, I'll pick a favorite answer or do a drawing if it's too hard to choose. I'll announce the winner here, and the winner can choose any of my novels as a prize.

Question of the Week #2:
I've been reading Annette Lyon's Band of Sisters this weekend. Although I read it in pre-publication stage, it's even more fun to read the final book version. I forgot that it was a tear-jerker though (darn you, Annette!). But as I'm on the journey with the 5 Military Wives who are forming strong friendships as they meet each week for lunch (their husbands are deployed together in Afghanistan), I've been thinking of some of my close friendships that have helped me over the years.

Last fall I went to lunch with two friends, and we were chatting about the usual stuff. I don't talk about my books much with my non-writer friends because I don't want to always be focusing on "me". But that day my two friends seemed to have a lot of interest in my WIP, Alma the Younger. So it got me talking and we ended up having a pivitol discussion about their relatives who had fallen away from the church, then came back full force. This was exactly the journey Alma the Younger took, so it was incredible to hear personal stories. I am forever grateful for that one conversation with those friends in helping me characterize and establish motivations for Alma the Younger.

So, long story over, question of the week is: How has a friend helped you when you least expected it?

Week #1 Winner & Other Updates

2010-02-25T09:03:00.004-07:00

Winner for Week #1 is Michelle!! Congrats. Email me: heather at hbmoore dot com and let me know which book you'd like me to send.

The 6 WEEK book giveaway contest will continue on Monday, contest guidelines here.

Other Updates:
1. Visiting the Tax Man today. I've spent part of the week working on spreadsheets of expenses, both for writing, my editing company, my husband's consulting company, and various other write-offs. Crossing fingers for a refund :-)

2. Working on edits for Alma the Younger. It's pretty strange to have two books coming out so close together, thus going through the editing process back to back. Normally I'd probably be drafting something new, but that will have to wait.

3. I'm really excited for three books that are written by good friends of mine--all will be released in the next week. If you are looking for CLEAN books that are also well-written (a hard combination to find), I can guarantee these are books you can share with your friends, teenagers, and mothers. If you haven't read anything by these authors, I'll give a quick intro:

Josi S. Kilpack: I just call her Josi of course, but she is pretty adamant about keeping her "S" initial in her name. She is the Whitney Award winning author for the suspense novel, Sheep's Clothing, which is quite creepy. But she decided to lighten up her writing and wrote Lemon Tart, a culinary mystery--meaning that the main character loves to cook and solve mysteries. The next book in the series is English Trifle (equally delicious), and just out this month: Devil's Food Cake. I was able read book 4 in advance--it will be out in August, 2010 (Key Lime Pie).

Annette Lyon: Annette has been a mentor to me since the very beginning of my writing journey. Last night she gave me a copy of her hot-off-the-press Band of Sisters. The cover is awesome and although I've read the pre-published manuscript, I'm excited to read the book version. The story is one of Annette's best (which says a lot because she is a top LDS writer), and she has also won the Best of State in Fiction with one of her novels.

Sarah M. Eden: Another lady who uses an initial, but Sarah is just fine. She is a little newer in my arsenal of writer friends, but she's definitely a keeper. She has a great story of going from self-publishing to landing a book contract for Courting Miss Lancaster. It will be hitting shelves in two weeks, and if it's anything like the other books I've read of hers, I'll be in heaven. If you've ever wanted to read a Regency Romance that's both clean and well-written, this is the author for you. And if you haven't read Regency before, well, I hope we can still be friends.

6 Week Book Giveaway!!

2010-02-22T12:45:00.003-07:00

Since the time has literally creeped up on my for my next book's release date, Women of the Book of Mormon, we'll have to settle for a 6 week book giveaway.

So, in anticipation and celebration of my upcoming book, here are the RULES:

Each Monday, I'll post a random question here.

To be entered:

1. You as the blogger will make a comment (answer to the question of the week of course)

2. Become a blog follower (if you aren't already)

On Thursday of the same week, I'll pick a favorite answer or do a drawing if it's too hard to choose. I'll announce the winner here, and the winner can choose any of my novels as a prize.

Question of Week #1:

Since Spring Break is coming in April, I thought it would be fun to see what your favorite spring break vacation was, either with your kids or growing up. In Utah, we used to have short spring break's, but now they are a full week. Last year we went to Palm Springs with another family. It was great--read three books, did a lot of swimming and eating :) How about you?

Reviewers Needed for WOMEN OF THE BOOK OF MORMON

2010-02-16T10:03:00.004-07:00

You guys convinced me. I'm going to do a blog tour for my upcoming non-fiction book, Women of the Book of Mormon. I'm looking for about 20 reviewers who are willing to post a review on their blog between the dates of March 15 and April 30th.

If you'd like to participate, please send me an email here: heather at hbmoore dot com

WOMEN Blog Tour:

1. I'll be emailing a PDF for you to read and write your review from. The book is not very long--about 90 pages, and it does have pictures! (if that incentivizes you)

2. Reviews should be posted between March 15th and April 30th. You can let me know which timeframe is best for you. Then you simply email me the URL when your review is posted, and I'll link it to my blog as well.

3.The hardcopy of the book won't be out until the first week of April. As a thank you, I'll mail you a SIGNED COPY of the hardcover gift book. You can then give it to yourself or your favorite person for Mother's Day :)

Whitneys & Upcoming Marketing Ideas

2010-02-06T22:14:00.007-07:00

Those of you who are following the Whitney Award Nominees will know that ALMA was nominated as a finalist in the Historical Fiction category. I'm very honored! I'm glad that I forgot about the pending announcement and slept in that morning (my kids were out of school on Friday). I checked my phone for emails and saw something about the finalists being announced, so I had to, of course, go on my computer to discover who had made the cut. The small screen on my phone wouldn't suffice. Since Historical was the second to last category, I very slowly scrolled down, reading over the other categories to see if any of my predictions had come true. I was probably 75% on my predictions.

When I saw ALMA listed, I breathed a sigh of relief, then looked for several other books that I thought were excellent. Some made it, some didn't. It seemed every minute was a new revelation--what about this book or that book? I don't envy the judges in some of those categories. As you know, I've read quite a bit of fiction by LDS authors this year. Out of all the final nominees, there are only 9 that I haven't read.

Below, I've highlighted the books that I've read:

BEST ROMANCE: Counting the Cost, by Liz Adair; Illuminations of the Heart, by Joyce DiPastena; All the Stars in Heaven, by Michele Paige Holmes; Santa Maybe, by Aubrey Mace; Previously Engaged, by Elodia Strain.

MYSTERY/SUSPENSE: Lockdown, by Traci Hunter Abramson; Methods of Madness, by Stephanie Black; Murder by the Book, by Betsy Brannon Green; Lemon Tart, by Josi Kilpack; Altered State, by Gregg Luke.

YOUTH FICTION: Princess of the Midnight Ball, by Jessica Day George; Fablehaven IV: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, by Brandon Mull; My Fair Godmother, by Janette Rallison; Bright Blue Miracle, by Becca Wilhite; The Chosen One, by Carol Lynch Williams.

SPECULATIVE: Servant of a Dark God, by John Brown; The Maze Runner, by James Dashner; Wings, by Aprilynne Pike; Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson; I Am Not A Serial Killer, by Dan Wells.

HISTORICAL: Tribunal, by Sandra Grey; The Undaunted, by Gerald Lund; Alma, by H.B. Moore; The Last Waltz, by G.G. Vandagriff; In the Company of Angels, by David Farland (who is also Dave Wolverton).

GENERAL FICTION: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford; No Going Back, by Jonathon Langford; Gravity vs. The Girl, by Riley Noehren; The Route, by Gale Sears; Eyes Like Mine, by Julie Wright.

Winners of each category will be announced April 24th at the Whitney Award Gala. Also, the Whitney academy will vote in Best Novel and Best Novel by a New Author.

I already have my prediction, though that might change after I read the other nine books. I think these two books will be going neck and neck, although they are complete opposites, they are remarkable in their genres: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and The Chosen One.

Do you guys have any favorites going in?

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Marketing Ideas for WOMEN OF THE BOOK OF MORMON:

Vote on whether or not you think I should do a blog tour for this book. It's a more serious, religious type book (although still quite entertaining, especially the chapters on Isabel and the daughter of Jared) . . . so I'm wondering what my fellow bloggers think. If you'd be interested in reading non-fiction (90 page book with PICTURES) and doing a blog review, let me know in the comments. If I find enough interest, then I can start putting a plan together.

Sneak Peak: New Cover

2010-01-26T15:20:00.004-07:00

Just finished proofing the final galleys for WOMEN OF THE BOOK OF MORMON. Release date: April 2010 (just in time for Mother's Day. Hint. Hint.) And . . . if that weren't enough, I also have a jpeg of the cover. Check it out! By the way, do you notice anything different about my name versus my other books?

Cover image: A Vision of Mary--Impending Storm by Adam Abram

Reading, reading

2010-01-19T07:52:00.004-07:00

I've been putting off posting because I'm expecting a cover for Women of the Book of Mormon soon. It's not quite ready, so I'll update you on everything else.

Made it through the holidays (my son had pneumonia, so we were moving slower than usual) and through my birthday (still in my 30's, though just barely), and through edits on Women.

I've been doing a lot of reading. It seems I go in cycles. I read a ton of books in September, and now that I'm not actively writing anything new, I'm back to reading. It might also have something to do with volleyball season and the fact that I spend literally most of the weekend sitting in a gym (I'm not playing, my daughter is).

Here are two excellent books that I've read in the past couple of weeks that I think deserve mention. Both are either self-published or published with a small press (it's hard to tell without research):

Gravity vs the Girl by Riley Noehren

Counting the Cost by Liz Adair

Big Announcements!

2009-12-18T08:12:00.003-07:00

I usually don't have so much to announce, and it's not that I haven't posted for awhile (which is true as well), but that everything seems to happen in the same day! All good, though.

First, I'll be signing at 2 stores this weekend:

December 18, 2009 - Orem Seagull Book 1:00 - 2:00 p.m., Friday. I’ll be signing “Alma” and “All is Bright” (Christmas Story Compilation) during Friday Lunch Hour: 111 South State Street, Orem, Utah

December 19, 2009 - Spanish Fork Seagull Book 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Saturday. I’ll be signing “Alma” and “All is Bright” (Christmas Story Compilation) with Annette Lyon and Julie Wright! 1052 South Main, Spanish Fork, Utah

Second, my Alma the Younger book was accepted for publication! Release date will be Summer 2010 (instead of Fall 2010). So you won't have to be in suspense for too much longer. I'm really excited about this, but then I realize that I need to decide which book to write next since I usually have a bigger gap between books. I'm thinking of Ammon, but not set in stone. Any suggestions?

Third, my non-fiction book, Women of the Book of Mormon is slated for an April release! So this means that next week I'll be in final edits (yes, during Christmas). My editor was worried that it would make things too busy, but really, I see it as a Christmas present to myself. This book, although not long in length, took so much research, and has been a long time coming. So I'm really grateful that it will be out in April. Just in time for Mother's Day! And I can finally share some of the fascinating insights I've learned.

2009 Christmas Book List

2009-12-03T07:06:00.006-07:00

First, to kick off the Christmas season, I'm signing books on Friday, December 4, at the Lindon Seagull Book: 1:00 p.m.

Also, for those who live in St. George, over the weekend I stopped in the Seagull Book (Washington) and Deseret Book (St. George) and signed all of their stock.

Heather’s 2009 Book Recommendations

With the gift-giving season upon us, everyone on my list will be getting a fantastic book. Problem is, there are so many to choose from. Below I’ve included books that I highly recommend, published in 2009, and only ones that I’d consider “very family friendly.” There are more out there of course, I just haven’t read them yet.

The Actor and the Housewife – Shannon Hale (Great women’s fiction. This book has received some mixed reviews and controversy. But I love controversy)

All the Stars in Heaven – Michele Paige Holmes (Companion book to Counting Stars. Love Michele Paige Holmes)

Agent in Old Lace - Tristi Pinkston (For cozy mystery lovers!)

The Chosen One – Carol Lynch Williams (Powerful YA book. Unforgettable. You’ll have trouble sleeping.)

Christmas Jars Reunion – Jason F. Wright (Nice follow-up to Christmas Jars. True meaning of Christmas revisited.)

The Christmas List – Richard Paul Evans (Classic Evans. Must-read for holiday season.)

Dragon Spear – Jessica Day George (3rd book in Dragon series. Kids 10+ and adults will enjoy!)

English Trifle – Josi S Kilpack (Deliciously good. 2nd in Sadie Hoffmiller cozy culinary mystery series. A mouthful.)

Everything Is Fine – Ann Dee Ellis (Powerful. YA. Older YA recommended!)

Eyes Like Mine – Julie Wright (Wow. Compelling. Not what I expected.)

Farworld 2: Land Keep – J. Scott Savage (A favorite with my kids! C.S. Lewis needs to watch his back.)

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet – Jamie Ford (Can’t praise this enough. One of my favorite books of the year!)

The Hourglass Door – Lisa Mangum (Intelligent, romantic, exciting YA read)

The Hunt for Dark Infinity – James Dashner (My kids can’t get enough of this author. Book 2 in The 13th Reality series. Love Atticus Higgenbottom!)

The Last Waltz – GG Vandagriff (Timeless and breathless. I lived 3 lifetimes reading this.)

Lemon Tart – Josi S. Kilpack (Book 1 of the Sadie Hoffmiller series. It’s as delicious as it sounds.)

The Maze Runner – James Dashner (Again. Take my word for it. Hint: your teenaged son will love it!)

My Fair Godmother – Janette Rallison (YA fairy tale in a whole new twist. Hilarious and delightful. Favorite Janette Rallison book.)

Princess of the Midnight Ball – Jessica Day George (Had to read this—my favorite folk tale. Great job.)

Shudder – Jennie Hansen (Intense and captivating story about an abused woman.)

Tower of Strength – Annette Lyon (Brilliantly researched. Poignant and charming.)

Trail of Storms – Marsha Ward (Western classic at its finest.)

Warbreaker – Brandon Sanderson (If you haven’t read a Brandon Sanderson epic novel, this won’t be the last.)

Wings – Aprilynne Pike (Sweet debut YA. Cool science.)

When Hearts Conjoin – Erin Herrin and Lu Ann Staheli (True story of the conjoined Herrin twins in SLC. Fascinating.)

Alma the Younger--TURNED IN

2009-11-30T11:20:00.002-07:00

It's done. At least one of the many steps in the multi-layered process of taking a book from the first word to publication. I turned in Alma the Younger to my publisher, and now the wait begins :)

I copied my cover letter below so that you can catch a glimpse of the submission process.

Dear [Editor],

In the book of Mosiah, we learn that Alma the Elder has been made high priest over the land of Zarahemla. Life for Alma and his people is bliss compared to the previous years of near slavery in the land of Helam. Alma is finally able to worship the Lord openly and establish His church throughout the land with the blessing of King Mosiah. The years pass in relative peace, except for some disturbances and persecution among the non-believers and the members of the church.

As the protests against the church escalate, Alma makes a terrible discovery. His grown son, Alma the Younger, has turned into a “very wicked and idolatrous man . . . therefore he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities” (Mosiah 27:8). If there was ever a time for a father to pray for his son, this is it.

In the following manuscript, Alma the Younger is not depicted as simply a rebellious teenager, playing pranks or skipping Sabbath meetings to go fishing or hunting. He is a grown man, at the age of twenty-one, characterized as intelligent and well educated. But he is a sign-seeker, the embodiment of an anti-Christ, who refuses to truly believe in a God he cannot see. He is carefully led by Satan down a path of wickedness and idolatry, and his charismatic personality enables him to influence many and lead them away from the church.

His father, Alma the Elder, is heart-broken and powerless to influence him. So he turns to the one Being he’s depended on for years and offers up his pleas and prayers to the Lord.

The Lord answers in a fantastical way—He sends an angel to command Alma the Younger to stop destroying the church.

I’m pleased to present Alma the Younger, a story of hope and redemption, and sequel to Abinadi and Alma. This novel encompasses the scriptures found in Mosiah 26–28, depicting the downfall of Alma the Younger and his eventual change of heart. The manuscript is complete at 90,000 words, with the chapter notes still in progress.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Heather Moore