Happy Release Day!

Today is the official release date of A Timeless Romance Anthology: Winter Collection

It's been an exciting journey to work on this project with other historical novelists, Sarah Eden, Heidi Ashworth, Annette Lyon, Joyce DiPastena & Donna Hatch. They are all excellent writers, so it was wonderful when everyone submitted their stories and I got to read them for the first time. I'd read books by all of the authors, except for Donna Hatch. I loved reading her story and now I have to go and get her other books :-)

I'm not a big short-story reader, or a short-story writer either. But over the summer, I've read several short stories and have really enjoyed the quick reads. The pacing seemed a bit faster and the plots less complex, but there are those days & weeks in which I don't have time to read a full book, yet, I still like to read something and have a quicker resolution.

We hope that readers will get a chance to read an author they haven't heard of before . . . discovering new authors is one of my favorite things!

This is an ebook release only and sells for $3.99 on Amazon, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble.

There will be many more anthologies coming, all with a different line up of authors (well, some of us might stay the same).

Here's the Timeless Romance Anthologies blog if you want to stay up-to-date:

Covers for DAISY & A SISTERHOOD OF STRENGTH

The moment of seeing a cover of your book is one of the best parts of the publishing journey. Your manuscript finally looks like a book and feels real.

DAISY by Josi S. Kilpack will be out in May 2012. It's the 2nd book in the series I am co-writing with Julie Wright, Josi Kilpack, and Annette Lyon, called The Newport Ladies Book Club. The first book is OLIVIA, and it recently came out. The first four books in the series will all be out in 2012, released every few months. We are currently writing the next four books, so that the readers will have a complete book for each of the 8 women in the book club.


*****
This next book is by author Diony George, who put together a compilation of essays about how service between women has the power to change lives. She asked me to submit an essay and I couldn't decide between two stories, so I sent them both. Diony ended up using both stories. I can't wait to read the other contributions. This book will be out August 2012:

Upcoming Events

Most Exciting:
Julie Wright, my c0-series author, is having her book launch for OLIVIA, the first book in the Newport Ladies Book Club Series. February 18, Fort Union Deseret Book, 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Very Exciting:
The Writing Snippets podcast is doing a book giveaway for ABINADI. Details here.

Next Most Exciting:
March 3, 2012 - Join my editing team for a Live Critiquing Workshop

March 28, 2012 - I'll be teaching a writing workshop at the Utah Valley Chapter, League of Utah Writers, Provo Library, 7:00 p.m. Free to public

May 4-5, 2012 - I'll be teaching a workshop on Writing Historical Fiction at the LDS Storymakers Conference
in Provo, UT.

June 18-22, 2012 - I'll be teaching at the Writers for Young Readers & Illustrators Conference

September 20, 2012 - I'll be teaching a workshop as part of The Professional Writers Series hosted by the PG Library Board, 7:00 p.m., Pleasant Grove Library

November 1-3, 2012 - I'll be the "writer-in-residence" at the ANWA Women's Writer Retreat in beautiful Puget Sound, WA.

February 2013 - I'll be a guest workshop lecturer at the 2013 ANWA Writer's Conference in Phoenix, AZ. Dates TBA.

Congrats to the 2011 Whitney Finalists!

The Whitney Award Finalists have been announced! Check out the list of finalists.

If you are an LDS author and would like to be part of the voting academy to choose the winner contact: whitneyawards (at) gmail (dot) com

Reviewers needed: OLIVIA

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

Submission letter for Adam and Eve

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

December updates

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

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!).

Updates & Conferences

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!

Review for The Woman He Married by Julie N. Ford

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.

Sorry . . .

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.

My Publishing Journey--Part 3

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.

If "Alma the Younger" had a song

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

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.

Far World is . . . BAAAACK!

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).

Whitney Nominations and 2 more reviews

Thanks to Cheri Chesley, aspiring writer, for her review of Alma here. She read Alma first, then Abinadi (as I saw on GoodReads). So it can be done :)

Also, thanks to author Tristi Pinkston, who also reviewed Alma here. I've really enjoyed all of Tristi's books and you can see my review of her mystery, Agent in Old Lace, here.

Okay, so I read a lot of books, and I review quite a few. Mostly I just rate them on GoodReads. It's been a very handy tool to find out what my "friends" are reading and what they recommend. It's easy to put together a "to-read" list and then to print it out and stick it in my purse. I often make purchase requests at my library or I buy the books through Amazon, Costco, sometimes Target. Reading has always been a passion of mine, and I really credit reading to starting my journey to becoming a published writer.

The Whitney Awards is an academy that recognizes excellence in fiction written by LDS writers (not to be confused with the LDS genre, but it encompasses that as well). Anyone can nominate a book by an LDS writer by going to http://www.whitneyawards.com/. There are several categories, including Suspense, Romance, Speculative, Historical, General, YA, etc. etc. The deadline to nominate is December 31, 2009, so I am assessing my list of books that I still have to read. A complete (and continually updated) list of books by LDS writers can be found on the LDS Publisher blog.

I know I won't be able to read every book, but I'm trying to make a dent so that I can nominate the best of the best for 2009.

Just for fun, here is a list of the books I've read so far this year that qualify for the Whitney nomination. My reviews of these books are on GoodReads or LDSReaders. I haven't turned in my nominations yet, because I think there are still about 6-7 must-reads before I make a final decision.


Far World 2: Land Keep by J. Scott Savage

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Hunt for the Dark Infinity by James Dashner

The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum

Tower of Strength by Annette Lyon

The Last Waltz by GG Vandagriff

All the Stars in Heaven by Michele Paige Holmes

Lemon Tart by Josi S. Kilpack

English Trifle by Josi S. Kilpack

Methods of Madness by Stephanie Black

Agent in Old Lace by Tristi Pinkston

The Forgotten Warrior by Kathi Oram Peterson

Eyes Like Mine by Julie Wright

Everything is Fine by Ann Dee Ellis

Dragon Spear by Jessica Day George

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale

Forest Born by Shannon Hale

The Chosen One by Carole Lynch Williams

Pursued by Lynn Gardner

Illuminations of the Heart by Joyce diPastena

The Sister Pact by Cami Checketts

Torn Apart by Diony George

Trail of Storms by Marsha Ward

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Heroes of the Fallen by David West

Alma by H.B. Moore (of course!)

The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Christmas Jars Reunion by Jason F. Wright


On my immediate to-read list, I have:
Shudder by Jennie Hansen
Saving Madeline by Rachel Ann Nunes
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison
The Ball’s In Her Court by Heather Justesen
The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans

I know that books are still coming out--what are the books that you think are must-reads? I will add them to my list!

10 Week Book Giveaway--Week #10

Last week for the giveaway. Don't worry though, I'll be announcing the official blog tour for ALMA next week and you'll still have a chance to win a book.

Answer today's question in the comment trail, and on Friday, I'll announce the winner:

What class in high school or college do you think helped the most in your day-to-day life now?

I had to take accounting as one of my business minor courses in college. At the time it didn't really apply to much of what I was doing, except for maybe balancing a checkbook, but anyone could do that, right? Anyway, I've used a lot of principles from that class to set up and run my editing company. I've put together a finance plan and also deal with receivables and payables, as well as payroll and taxes. I'm still learning as I go, but taking that accounting class was a good start. My only complaint about that class was it started at 7 a.m.

Week #9 Winner & LDS Women Book Review Podcast

I can't believe there is only one more week of this contest left!

For details about this contest visit here.

This week's winner is: Cheri Chelsey! She runs a couple of blogs, one is an Author Blog, another called Ravings of Intentional Motherhood.

Cheri, just email your address to heather at hbmoore dot com and I'll send you whichever book you want. Next question will be posted on Tuesday, then winner will be announced the following Friday.

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In other news, Annette Lyon and I did a podcast with the lovely ladies of the LDS Women Book Review. You can listen to it here. (we are Episode #35)

10 Week Book Giveaway--Week #9

For details about this contest visit here. But basically, all you have to do is answer this week's question in the comments and on Friday, I'll choose one of the names and announce the winner.

Okay, so my question today is:

What is your favorite Sunday/leisure dinner?

I grew up in a traditional household where we ate dinner every night as a family at 6:00 sharp. On Sundays, we'd have roast, potatoes and several sidedishes. During the summer, most of the sidedishes were from the garden, complete with a few grains of dirt in the lettuce.

This past Sunday, I cooked a roast, made mashed potatoes and rolls (my kids would say THEY made them), and we had corn on the cob, carrots, and I actually made a dessert (shocking). It was great. It took hours and hours, and tons of dishes and pans, and basically the preparation and clean-up consumed the whole day (put the roast in the crock pot at 8:00 a.m. and had the kitchen finally clean about 5:00 p.m.). The eating part? Maybe 20 minutes. But crazy as it sounds, I'll probably do it next Sunday and the one after that . . .

Week #8 Winner & 2009 LDSBA

Thanks everyone for your great questions. They were great! To see the Q&A, see this comment trail.

This week's book winner is Tamara. Congrats! You can see her Chasing Dreams blog for updates on the detective novel she is writing. Tamara, just email your address to heather at hbmoore dot com and I'll send you whichever book you want.

Next question will be posted on Tuesday, then winner will be announced the following Friday. For details about this 10-week book give-away contest and how you can be entered, visit here.

So this week I went to the 2009 LDSBA convention (LDS booksellers). This is where LDS booksellers come from all over the United States, and some are even from other countries, to view the new product lines of LDS vendors. For me, it's always fun to run into authors that I admire and also see how the industry is moving forward. Good friend, Julie Wright and I have the same publisher and our new books were on display together. So I snapped a picture. My book isn't out yet, so the publisher pasted the cover on another book for the mock-up.

I tried to get pictures with some of my favorite authors. Tristi Pinkston took several as well, and when she posts, I'll steal them from her.

Me with J. Scott Savage (FarWorld) and James Dashner (The Maze Runner). I hope Tristi's picture will turn out better!

Me with Jason Wright (The Wednesday Letters).