Rebecca Shelley

Dragonbound: Blue Dragon

2012-01-28T19:29:00.000-08:00

Here's the preliminary art for the cover of the new dragon book. I'm super excited!!!! And here's a preview of a rough draft of the first chapter that I promised to post today.

Dragonbound: Blue Dragon

Chapter 1

Heart pulsing, Kanvar pushed his way through the cloth door of the herbal shop out onto Daro's busy street. His left leg dragged behind him. It had been twisted and crippled since birth. His left arm hung at his side, half as big as a normal arm with only two fingers and a thumb. But he couldn't let his deformed body slow him down. His brother's life depended on him getting home quickly with the healing herbs.

The afternoon sun radiated from the clay brick buildings and beat against Kanvar's face. He ducked through the crowds of people in head coverings and long cotton robes. Raised voices filled the street as shoppers bartered with the shop owners. The scent of spices and herbs made the back of his throat itch.

He tied the pouch of herbs to a leather thong and hung it around his neck, tucking it deep under his robes, flat against his chest, where thieving hands in the crowd would be least likely to get at it. The herbs had not come cheap, but Kanvar's family was part of the elite dragon hunter jati. They could afford them. They had to, to save Devaj's life.

Limping down the street, Kanvar tried to hurry, he made slow progress through the crowd. He grew impatient with himself and tried to walk faster. Each step took thought and effort. Sweat soaked his skin, and the blowing sand caked against it. He kept moving, leaving behind the shops and stepping into a square where members of the farm jati sold fruits and vegetables in a maze of stands. Itchekins squawked from cages, clawing at the wooden bars and rubbing their scaly hides against the wires that held the cages together. Itchekins laid soft sweet eggs, and thoughts of cooked itchekin made Kanvar's mouth water. Of all the lesser dragons, Kanvar liked the taste of itchekin best.

A camdor and its rider barreled through the square, most likely carrying an urgent message across town for the All Council. The camdor's four massive legs propelled its lizard-like body through the press of people. Its tale snaked out behind it. Kanvar kept well away from the camdor and its rider. Though the camdors were tamed lesser dragons, their sharp claws could kill a child if one accidentally strayed in its path.

Kanvar kept moving. His mother feared Devaj would not survive the day without the herbs.

"Look what we have here?" an older boy saw Kanvar and followed him across the square to the street on the far side. "A cripple. Untouchable, pile of dung. What did you do in your past life, murder innocent children?" The boy spit into the dirt behind Kanvar.

Kanvar whirled to face him. "I belong to the dragon hunter jati. My grandfather was Kumar Raza, the greatest dragon hunter who ever lived."

"Raza?" the boy's eyes widened. "You lie. Besides, I heard Raza went in search of the Great White Dragon and never returned. He's probably dead, so that makes him the worst dragon hunter that ever lived."

Kanvar threw himself at the older boy, tackling him to the ground, and pummeling him with his good hand. The older boy tried to block Kanvar's blows, but he belonged to one of the farmer jatis and hadn't been trained in fighting like Kanvar had. "Never insult my grandfather again." Kanvar gave the pathetic boy a kick in the ribs for good measure then set out once more for home. He pressed his hand against his chest to be sure the herbs were still there.

He reached his home street and entered the building which stretched the entire length of the block. It had four floors. Since Kanvar's family was elite, they lived on the top floor. That meant they got fresher air and more sunlight and were free from many of the scaly ground vermin that raided food stores and carried disease. Kanvar kicked a kitrat off the stoop and pushed through the cloth doorway.

Devaj always made climbing the narrow stone staircase look easy. Kanvar gasped for breath as he hauled his body up each flight. Nothing physical came easy for Kanvar, but he didn't let his crippled leg and arm stop him from doing everything anyone else in his jati could do. Sometimes it just took him longer.

Kanvar pushed through the bright blue cloth with gold stitching that covered the doorway into his home. Inside he found a Unani doctor hovering over his brother. This doctor had gray hair and looked old enough to be the head of the Unani jati.

Kanvar's mother stood close by, her face puckered with worry, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. She acknowledged Kanvar's entrance with a questioning look. Had he gotten the herbs? Kanvar nodded and pressed his hand against the pouch he wore around his neck.

Sweat drenched Devaj, soaking through the sheet that covered him, and plastering his golden hair to the sides of his face. He tossed and moaned and muttered about dying of emptiness and flying away.

The Unani lifted the sheets, revealing an angry red rash marked with scaly white skin sloughing off. The Unani's eyes flashed angry and hard. "Three weeks of this fever you say?"

"Yes. Kanvar has brought herbs from Stonefountain. I think they will help."

"I think not," the Unani said, letting the sheet drop back over Devaj.

"The rash is new," Mother said. "Surely there is some kind of treatment for it?"

"Yes, I have a treatment."

Kanvar didn't like the coldness in the Unani's voice. The Unani opened his outer robe to reach into one of the pouches he had secured around his waist. "Bring me some hot water, Mani," he ordered Kanvar's mother.

Mani retreated to the other side of the screen that separated the cooking area from the rest of the house.

While he waited for her to return with the water, the Unani elder paced to the wide open window that looked out across the city to the bay and the ocean beyond. The blazing gold sun looked down on the baked bricks. The Unani stared out into the empty blue sky as if looking for something until Mani returned with the water.

While the Unani mixed his medicines, he questioned Mani. "Can you recite your ancestral line?"

"Of course I can," Mani said. "It is the most renowned dragon hunter line in all of Varna." She started listing names until the Unani waved her to silence.

"Can you recite your husband's ancestral line?"

There was silence for a moment. Mani's face flushed. Kanvar realized with horror his father had never made him memorize the required ancestral line. All the other boys he knew could cite their ancestors back at least twenty generations.

"Amar isn't from Varna," Mani spluttered. "My father met him on a hunt in Kundalin. Amar has killed dozens of dragons. He's been in Kundalin hunting dragons this past month. He's well-known for his hunting abilities and an accepted member of our jati."

The Unani took the cup of medicine to Devaj's side. "Ah, but has he ever killed a Great dragon?"

Mani plucked up her courage and marched over nose to nose with the Unani. "Very few men have ever killed a Great dragon."

The Unani held out the cup to Mani. "Give this to your son."

Mani took it, sat down on the bed with its iron frame, and ran her fingertips across Devaj's sweat-soaked forehead. She started to lift his head up to drink, but she sniffed the medicine cup, and her eyes widened. "This smells like snakelily. That's poisonous. It could kill a grown man in minutes."

"Yes," the Unani said, rubbing his hands on his robes. "A quick and painless death. Your son is doomed one way or another. This is the most merciful way."

"No," Kanvar shouted. He would not sit by and let this merciless Unani elder kill his brother. He hobbled forward and threw himself across the bed, blocking his mother from administering the poison.

"I don't understand," Mani said. She held the cup away from her in horror.

"Do you not?" the Unani said. "Then I will be very clear. Your husband is a Naga. The boy has dragon sickness. He must bond with a Great dragon or he will die a slow painful death. His very existence is a curse to humanity. By our laws he must be killed before he gets a chance to bond with one of those monsters. If you do not give your son that drink, I'll take his case to the All Council. They will send men to hunt and kill him as well as your husband."

"It can't be." Mani's hands shook so the poisoned drink sloshed over the sides of the cup. "My husband is a dragon hunter, not one of the dragonbound, not a Naga."

"Suit yourself," the Unani said. He straightened his robes and headed for the door. "I'll be back with the Naga hunters to finish the job. If you have a singing stone, I suggest you get it ready to use against your husband when he returns. He is a Naga. He has controlled your mind and forced you to love him so he can breed more of his evil kind."

The Unani pushed his way past the door cover.

Kanvar eased himself off of his brother. Devaj moaned and blinked up at Kanvar. "So empty," he cried. "So alone."

"No," Kanvar said, gripping Devaj's hand. "You aren't alone. Mother and I are here with you."

Kanvar looked up at his mother. "What are we to do? The Unani must be wrong."

Mani set the cup down on the dragonhide-covered table beside the bed and went to a locked chest she kept in the corner. It was grandfather's chest. Kanvar had been allowed to look inside once or twice. It held grandfather Raza's dragon armor, his spear, sword and crossbow. And grandfather's singing stone. All his tools for hunting dragons.

"Your father's ship is back from Kundiland. It came into port a few minutes before you arrived. He could be home at any time." Mani lifted Grandfather's heavy crossbow out of the chest. Raza was a big man and had designed and built the double-firing crossbow himself.

Straining, Mani cranked the handle to cock the bow. One string first, and then the other. She fitted two of the steel bolts into the grooves. The crossbow bolts were sharp and strong and could pierce dragon scales.

Kanvar had spent many a pleasant afternoon practicing with the smaller crossbow his father had bought for him. But that was only a toy compared to Grandfather Raza's bow. Now Kanvar tensed as he watched his mother ready the crossbow. He couldn't understand why she would need it. If father had returned, he could recite his family lines and prove that he was not a Naga. The All Council's men would leave Devaj alone.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and a deep voice called out. "Mani, I'm back. You won't believe the hunt we had."

Mani winced and moved the crossbow behind her back while she reached into the chest and grabbed the little iron box that housed Grandfather's singing stone.

Kanvar's father pushed his way past the curtain into the room.

"Father." Kanvar limped over and wrapped his arms around his father.

"Greetings, little one," Father said, returning the embrace and then peeling himself free of Kanvar. He caught a look at Kanvar's frightened face. "Are you crying, boy?"

Kanvar wiped the moisture from his eyes and backed away.

Mani remained across the room where she stood stiff-backed in front of Raza's chest. "Amar, thank goodness you're home. Devaj has a fever. The Unani thinks he's going to die."

"A fever?" Amar's face lit with a bright smile. "Devaj? Are you sure?" He strode across the room to the bed where Devaj lay pale and sweat soaked.

"Why are you smiling?" Mani's voice shook. "I just told you our son is dying."

"No. Not dying." He stroked the hair back from Devaj's face.

Without a sound Mani moved the crossbow out from behind her back.

Amar whirled to face her.

"You read my mind," Mani said, flipping open the little iron box with her left hand. "Deceiver. You are a Naga." She aimed the crossbow at Father's chest.

Kanvar cried out in alarm. It seemed insanity had dug its sharp talons into his world.

"Now, Mani, put the bow away," Father said. "You don't need it. I'm your husband. I love you, and you love me."

"Don't try to use your mind control on me." Mani grabbed the singing stone from the box and let the box clatter to the floor. She held up the glowing blue stone.

A painful rush of singing voices filled Kanvar's mind.

Amar reeled against the bed, and Devaj cried out in pain.

Mani took aim and fired a crossbow bolt at Amar's chest. The weight of the bow and her shaking hands let the bolt go astray, and it sliced across Amar's right shoulder and buried itself in the wall behind the bed. Amar turned with the momentum of the shot and grabbed up Devaj from the bed. He raced for the open window.

Kanvar, run! Kanvar thought he heard his father's voice in his mind, like a faint echo behind the painful cut of the singing stone voices.

Mani's second bolt hit Amar in the back just as he reached the window. The bolt slammed him out the window. Carrying Devaj, he fell. A blinding flash of gold light brightened the sky beyond the window, and Kanvar heard the beat of heavy wings on the wind.

"Unbelievable, a Great Gold." Mani swore.

Kanvar stood frozen, staring in disbelief at the sky outside the window. His blood throbbed in his veins while his mind tried to process what he'd just seen, or hadn't seen. Grandfather Raza had told him the Great Gold dragons were nearly invisible in direct sunlight. Their golden scales wrapped the sunlight around their bodies, hiding them unless they moved. A trained dragon hunter would recognize the shimmering flash of gold from the dragon in flight, where other folk wouldn't. Kanvar had seen the flash, and surge of wonder went through him. The sheer amazement at seeing the dragon vanished quickly to the thought that his father had fallen out the window, shot twice with bolts that could kill a lesser dragon with one shot.

Shot by his own wife.

Why?

Because he was a Naga. A human bound by blood to a dragon—the Great Gold, most likely. The Nagas were human traitors who joined the dragons and used their power to fight against other humans. They had the power to talk to the dragons telepathically. The power to read human minds. The power to control human thought and actions and manipulate human emotions.

Kanvar had grown up hating the Nagas above all else.

Yet, how powerful his father must be to trick Kumar Raza into thinking a Naga was a human dragon hunter and take Raza's daughter as his bride. A good bet Raza's disappearance had something to do with Kanvar's father. Kanvar was old enough to realize his grandfather wouldn't have gone after the Great White without all his gear. He'd questioned his mother about that before, but she hadn't been able to give Kanvar a reason. Until now.

His mother stood at the window, the empty crossbow in one hand and the singing stone in the other. She turned away from the empty air, and her eyes fell on Kanvar.

"Kanvar." She held up the stone and crossed the room toward him.

With each of her swift steps, the rush of song in Kanvar's head intensified. He cried out and pressed his hands to his ears, but it did nothing to stop the music.

"You too?" his mother said. "I should have known. Deformed as you are. Dragon blood runs in your veins."

She set the stone down on the table and lifted the cup of poison, holding it out to Kanvar. "Drink this now. Hurry, before the All Council's hunters get here."

Kanvar sucked in a pained breath. The mind-piercing song from the singing stone left no room in his brain for him to think clearly. Still, the truth settled over him and interwove with the music. His mother wanted him dead.

"Kanvar, now. Drink it!"

How could she? His own mother who had loved and cared for him all his life. Who had been so proud of Devaj's fighting skills. Who had hung on his father's arm and looked at Amar with adoration. In only a few moments she'd turned against them all.

I don't want to die, Kanvar thought. But he knew he should die. By all laws and all sense of right, he knew he must die. Better that than become a Naga. Better that than betray his own people. With a shaking hand he reached out and took the cup from his mother. It felt warm against his palm from the heated water the Unani had used to dissolve the poison. The sour scent of snakelily wafted from the drink.

Kanvar lifted it to his lips. But could not force himself to drink it. The cup slipped through his fingers and clattered to the floor. The poisoned drink splattered his robes and soaked into the clay bricks.

Mani rushed back to the chest and grabbed more crossbow bolts.

The faint message his father had put into his mind before vanishing with Devaj, finally melted its way past the singing stone's music into Kanvar's consciousness.

Kanvar run!

He turned and fled. Speed had never come easy for him. He counted the seconds it would take his mother to ready the crossbow while he hurtled down the stairs, not striving for any balance, just throwing himself downward and hoping, between his good arm on the wall and his good leg on the steps, to get to the bottom without breaking his neck.

When he reached the final flight of stairs he heard his mother start down after him.

He redoubled his efforts. Gasping for breath. Imagining the fire off the crossbow bolt as it took him in the back like it had his father. His father had gone. Left with Devaj and the dragon. Abandoned Kanvar to his mother's furry. The taste of betrayal mixed with fear on Kanvar's tongue as he brushed aside the door covering, limped into the dusty street, and turned toward the harbor.

But it wasn't his father's fault, was it? Mother had shot him. Shot him! He might not have gotten far with a crossbow bolt in his back. He could have died in flight with the gold dragon. Then the dragon would have died too. And Devaj would have fallen. Dead. They were likely all three dead. His father had pulled Mani's attention away from Kanvar and told him to run. Run while he had the chance. Kanvar cursed himself for waiting so long to act. If Mani caught him, it would not be his father's fault, but his own.

"Kanvar, you'll never get away," his mother called from behind.

Kanvar rushed headlong down the street, not caring that his lame foot dragged against the stones, scraping his skin along the side where his sandal couldn't protect it.

He heard the twang of the crossbow and tensed his shoulders.

The bolt hit the building beside him, sending splinters of brick into his face. He cried out in fear and twisted around the corner just as the second bolt whizzed past him.

She'd missed. Somehow she'd missed both shots, but then she was using Grandfather's crossbow, which was much too heavy for her.

Kanvar continued his run down the hill toward the port. She'd have to go back up and reload now. That meant he had time. Not much, but a little. Time to get to the water. Time to barter the herbs for passage across the channel to Maran where the All Council had no power. The Maranies were Varna's arch rivals. The two nations were at peace for the time being, but peace never lasted long between them. Kanvar could hide there. He hoped. As long as the Maranies never found out that his father was a Naga.

Family Christmas Activity

2011-12-15T15:33:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for a great Christmas activity for your family at an affordable price, check out the Academy of Ballet Arts production of the Nutcracker. I think it's one of the best Nutcracker productions in the valley. But then I'm biased since my daughter is dancing in it. Plus, many of my books will be for sale at a special Christmas discount in the boutique at the performances. The full sales price of the books will go to supporting the dance studio. And of course, I'll be around during the intermission to sign copies.

Performance Schedule:
Saturday Dec. 17, 2:00 pm
Monday Dec. 19, 7:00 pm
Tuesday Dec. 20, 7:00 pm
Wednesday Dec. 21, 7:00 pm

Location:
Elk Ridge Middle School
3649 west 9800 South
Salt Lake City (South Jordan) Utah

Ticket Price:
$6 Adults
$3 Seniors
$3 Students ($2 with student ID)

Great Books by LDS authors for Christmas

2011-12-12T09:39:00.000-08:00

Great news for anyone looking for good books by LDS authors to purchase for Christmas. A bunch of us authors have gotten together and put up a book catalogue. Now you can see all the great new books by LDS authors in one place. Check out the Eclectic Books catalogue.

http://www.eclecticbookscatalog.com/

Christmas for Free

2011-11-28T08:46:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas. As a special gift, the 6th book in the Smartboys Club is now free until the end of the holidays.

Free on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/All-Christmas-Smartboys-Club-ebook/dp/B005S6KTIE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322498384&sr=8-1

Free on Barnes & Noble

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-i-got-for-christmas-rebecca-shelley/1106039373

Free on iTunes

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/all-i-got-for-christmas/id478048833?mt=11

Free in All formats

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/93598

Merry Christmas

A Terrific New Fantasy Series

2011-10-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Rasann is a world in dire need. The net of magic that has held her together for eons is eroding and the magi can’t patch it fast enough to prevent disaster. Volcanoes spew, waters rise, famine and flood and desolation threaten the world as they desperately await the coming of the Wolfchild to heal their home.

Three women begin quests for identity and freedom from the ties that have held them: Ember, from her overbearing and prejudice mother; Kayla, from the rigidity of the caste that has oppressed her family; C’Tan, from her dark and evil master, the Guardian S’Kotos. One will discover she is the first white mage born in three millennia, another will become guardian to the a keystone, the sapphire flute, and throughout it all the third will try to destroy them both.

Ember has been accepted into the mage academy, but not without cost. She has gained a new enemy, ancient and dark, whose entire purpose is to destroy all white magic and her along with it. After nearly losing her life in a brutal attack, DeMunth is assigned her guardian, and the keystone he wears, The Armor of Light, begins the transition that will make it a true power. Kayla has lost most everything of importance to her—the people, the prestige, and all she fought for the past ten years. With nothing left to lose, she continues her search for the birthplace of The Sapphire Flute and the Wolfchild she believes to be its player. Her journey will take her to strange, foreign, and often dangerous places, and everything she had thought to be true will be proven wrong. In a showdown full of betrayal and heroic loss, Ember and Kayla finally meet on the battlefield, fighting a war on two fronts—against C'Tan and her people, and the mysterious enemy bent on destroying all magic—the shadow weavers. The story is full of power, betrayal, hope, and love. The elements of the universe are coming together, and none can know who will stand in the end.

I just finished reading Armor of Light by Karen E. Hoover. I really enjoyed it. It's a terrific fantasy with a perfect mix of action and romance, magic and danger. The main characters stole my heart, and I very much wanted them to succeed.

Halloween

2011-10-17T16:02:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine has a great post about Halloween memories. Check it out http://rghart.com/memories-of-halloweens-past/comment-page-1/#comment-357

The Hidden Kingdom

2011-10-11T16:14:00.000-07:00

The dark enemy never rests. But neither do the Heroes of the Highest Order. So when a magical playground whisks Dan and Page into the Hidden Kingdom, a skinny giant quickly registers them for hero training camp. There, they must gain skills, earn powerful treasures, and walk in the footsteps of a real pioneer hero.
I just read this great book by Ronda Hinrechsen. It's a sweet story for young readers. The first in a series. I can't wait to read more.

All I Got For Christmas

2011-10-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

All I Got for Christmas is now out.

Oh No! Principal Green says Santa can't come to the school Christmas party.

Monkey needs a plan to get Santa to come. Too bad Monkey's ideas get him on Santa's Naughty List. It looks like all he'll get for Christmas is a bucket of coal.

But when a blizzard knocks out the power lines and buries the roads, it's up to Monkey and the Smartboys to save Christmas for everyone.

But Wait!

In a couple of weeks the publisher will be making this book available for FREE between now and Christmas. What a great Christmas present. Thanks Wonder Realms Books. I'll post links here when it goes free.

Halloween Discount!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-10-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

In honor of Halloween, I'm putting I Lost My Head on sale for just $ .99.

In the Smartboys Club Book 4, the Smartboys get a strict substitute teacher who gives the class a haunted puzzle. The fate of Monkey’s head depends on the Smartboys solving the puzzle before the school Halloween party.

Buy for Kindle
Buy for Nook
Buy for iPad, Sony, Kobo and other formats.

The Top of King's Peak

2011-08-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

I know Matthew already posted this on Facebook for me, but I figured I'd better report in here on the blog as well.

On my author profile it talks about me loving to go adventuring in my youth. Despite growing a tad bit older, I still love to get out in the wilderness whenever I can. This past summer I spent nearly every week backpacking in preparation to climb King’s Peak, the tallest mountain in Utah at 13,528 feet. It’s a three day excursion totaling 34 miles.

I’m glad to say I made it. I’m not a fast hiker anymore, so it took me a long time to get to the summit and a long time to get back down. I didn’t arrive back to the base camp until well after dark. But I made it, despite my age.

While we were gone hiking up the peak, some crazy ninja squirrels raided our food. We had the food in food bags suspended high up between two trees where “supposedly” the squirrels couldn’t get to it. But somehow they did. The funny thing is all they ate was the Starbursts and Salt Water Taffy. I guess they have a sweet tooth.

Those who are paying attention might note that the picture on the main page of this blog is also of me at the top of King’s Peak. I like that one better because I don’t have any gray hair in it, and I’m a lot skinnier. Not to mention it has better resolution. LOL.

Just thought I’d post these new pictures to prove real adventure is for everyone no matter the age!

My Stomach Explodes

2011-07-17T08:23:00.000-07:00

Great news. The 5th Smarboys Club book will be available sometime the beginning of next week. Here's a sneak peek.

In the Smartboys Club Book 5, the Smartboys visit a Plymouth Reenactment Park where they get to dress, work and play like Pilgrim children.

Too bad Monkey's worst enemy, Eric Dripp, also comes to the park.

As if doing tons of chores isn't bad enough, Eric and Monkey end up lost in the woods where William Bradford's warning that they must work together or die takes a turn for the real.
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Chapter 5

A Big Pile of Poo Goes Splat

I watched while Art drew back his arm and chucked the first pebble at the round green target on the road. The pebble landed at the edge with a little plop.

"Here, Monkey, you try." Art handed me the next rock.

I looked at that target, gauged the distance, the necessary speed, and the trajectory. Then I hucked that rock as hard as I could in the opposite direction.

Art glared at me. "Oh, Monkey, you coward."

"Ever read The Charge of the Light Brigade?" I said. "I bet those guys were afraid of being called cowards, and most of them ended up dead."

Art let out an evil laugh and pelted the target with a third pebble. This one smacked into the cow pie right in the center. It splashed a bit but didn't come anywhere near us. Taking courage, Bean picked up some rocks and threw them at the target.

Not even close.

Just then Eric and Bartholomew came walking up the street. Eric watched Bean try to hit the target a couple of more times and laughed. "You losers. Let me show you how it's done." Eric picked up a great big stone and hauled it across the street to stand right overtop of the cow pie.

Bartholomew's eyes got really wide. He tried to choke out a warning, but I spoke up first.

"Bad idea, Eric," I said.

Eric glared at me. "If you want to make a big splash, you have to use real ammo." He dropped the stone square into the center of the cow pie.

The poo exploded in a shower of green splatters, covering Eric from head to foot.

"Lovebird!" Eric screamed. My real name is Johnny Lovebird, in case you didn't already know.

"I'm going to kill you." Eric rushed toward me.

Now Eric would maybe or maybe not have killed me, but even if he just tackled me, I'd be slimed with stinky cow excrement. I did what any sane boy would do.

I ran.

How I Plan to Get in Shape

2011-04-20T18:38:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have noticed my picture on this blog and on my website shows me sitting on the top of a mountain. That mountain is in fact King's Peak, the highest mountain in Utah, 13,528 feet high.

I've climbed it twice in the past, back when I was a bit younger than I am now. Now I'm in my forties, and it seems I gain an extra 10 lbs with each decade. LOL. Two years of consistent diet and exercise have not changed that fact. What's a woman with now 75% gray hair to do. Give in an accept my age, or . . .

Anyone who knows me well, knows I'm not exactly the giving in type. So here's my plan.

I've put my scale away in the closet. How much I weigh is no longer the goal. My goal is to get into shape. I figure if I can climb King's Peak again, I'll be in the same shape I was thirteen years ago when I last went. I'm working hard now to build the muscle, endurance, and lung capacity to climb that mountain.

Somewhere around here I have more pictures from the last trip. As soon as I can find them, I'll post them along with updates on how I'm doing with getting in shape.

At the moment my exercise regime includes relandscaping my yard. Pulling out 2200 square feet of sod and putting in natural forest xeriscape. We've been pulling out sod for almost a week now, and it's still not all gone. Yesterday the kids and I spread 9 tons of 1" gravel for an extra parking pad. Needless to say, every muscle in my entire body hurts. A great start to a terrific fitness program!

Bees in My Butt Illustrations

2011-03-11T08:41:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited about getting Bees in My Butt ready to print. We've got a terrific illustrator, Abby Goldsmith, to do the illustrations. Check out her website at http://abbygoldsmith.com/.

Here's a few of my favorite illustrations from the book.

I Lost My Head

2011-03-08T19:55:00.000-08:00

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Whohoooo!!!! Final the fourth Smartboys Club book is out in ebook. I Lost My Head.

The Smartboys get a strict substitute teacher who gives the class a haunted puzzle. The fate of Monkey's head depends on the Smartboys solving the puzzle before the school Halloween party.

I had a fun time drawing some pictures for the secret notebook for this book.

This is the library ghost Art draws in the story.

This is a picture of Ichabod Crane

This is Art's picture of Bill Russell

It feels strange to be doing a Halloween book in March, but in the chronology of the series that's what comes next. LOL.

Valentine's Blog Fest

2011-02-14T08:11:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

In honor of Valentine's day I've joined a group of writers in a blog fest. We're all going to post a scene we've written where love interests first meet. If you click on the picture above, it will take you to a blog that lists all the other writers' blogs and their scenes.

Here is my scene. It's from my YA paranormal, Divided.

    The enclosed back porch creaked as Carla stepped into it in front of her mother. The washer and dryer rattled with laundry. Because of the rain, the house smelled more like mildew than usual. Carla's mother waved to the policemen, closed the door and locked it.
    Water dripped from Carla's clothes onto the floor as she watched them out the window. They swept flashlights around the yard one more time and then headed around to their car.
    Carla leaned on the windowsill and stared out into the pouring rain toward the root cellar. The person in the cellar couldn't be dead. He had to have gone in during the short break when her mom went inside to call for help sorting out the chickens. She barely had time to make that call before the policemen arrived. That poor chicken must have gotten its foot caught in the door as it shut behind whoever it was.
    Carla wiped the wet hair out of her face. There had been so much blood. If that person was still alive, he wouldn't be for long without help.
    "Come away from the window." He mother grabbed a towel out of the dryer and rubbed her dripping hair. "It's not safe. We should go to the center of the house, away from windows that someone could shoot through."
    "Good idea," Carla said. "There aren't any windows in the bathroom. Why don't you get a shower and dry off, and then I'll go next. I trust the policemen will catch this guy before he ever gets to our house."
    Her mom nodded. She had dark circles under her eyes and looked more scared than Carla felt. Mom grabbed a robe from her room and stumbled through the kitchen into the bathroom.
    As soon as she closed the door, Carla raced to the stack of unpacked boxes. Three down from the top, she found one marked medical supplies. The tape rasped as she tore it off the box. Digging inside she found sterile gauze pads, scissors, medical tape, antibiotic ointment, and bottles of distilled water. She pulled them out then opened a box labeled bedding and went for the thick army blanket they always took with them camping.
    She wrapped the medical supplies in the blanket, tucked them under her arm, grabbed a flashlight, and bolted out the back door. Her mother always took at least half-an-hour in the shower, lingering under the hot water, sometimes singing. Carla hoped that would be long enough.
    The rain pounded her as she dashed across the yard, through the back gate, past the barn and the pump, and halted in front of the root cellar. Balancing her bundle with one hand, she reached to the ground, and grabbed the door handle. Again the shock of power went through her, but she ignored it and pulled open the door.
    The body had moved. Only bare earth showed now in the square of half-light from above.
    Carla dropped the blanket into the hole, found the steps, and followed them down, letting the door close above her, cutting off the light. In the darkness, cobwebs brushed against her face and arms. She heard ragged breathing--probably her own frightened lungs, desperate for air, gasping in the earthy scent of blood and open grave.
    Her hands shook against the plastic flashlight, and she fumbled to turn it on.
    The beam pierced the darkness, illuminating a narrow room twenty feet long and ten feet wide. Roots dangled from the ceiling, crawling with centipedes and spiders. Lumpy bags of old potatoes and onions sat against the walls.
    The body of a young man lay face-down in the center of the floor. A crisscross of long slashes covered his back as if he'd been whipped. Carla gasped. Blood trickled from the whip wounds and oozed from a hole in his lower back, dripping onto the muddy ground. The boy's body expanded and contracted with ragged, pain-filled breaths.
    Grabbing the blanket, Carla rushed forward and shook the boy. He was bigger than her, older.
    "Hey," Carla said, shaking him. He didn't respond.
    She spread the blanket on the ground next to him, and rolled him onto his side. In the glow of the flashlight, she saw that it was the boy from the mall, the one with hair shaved on the sides and back, and long platinum bangs that covered half his face. The one who had smiled at her. The boy who had protected Sira with his own body. Both of his hands were pressed against his gut, and his eyes were closed.
    "Wake up," Carla said, shaking him again.
    He groaned, but didn't open his eyes.
    "I don't have very long." She got out the scissors and cut his torn shirt away from his back. "I'm not a doctor or anything, but I'll do what I can. We should call 911 and get you to a hospital, but then I guess the police would find you."
    She threw the blood-soaked shirt to the side and used the distilled water to wash the mud off his back. It was bleeding and wouldn't stop. Afraid he'd bleed to death, she squirted the antibiotic ointment onto the pads and pressed them against the whip marks and oozing hole. It took almost the complete box to cover his back. Her hands shook as she tried to tape them in place. In her mind she counted the minutes until her mother stepped out of the shower.
    The boy moved, reaching out a blood-covered hand to grab hers. "It's no use." His voice came out in a gruff whisper, and his face twisted with pain. "My back's not the problem."
    A hot tingle went through her at his touch like it had at the mall, only wilder this time, intoxicating. It flashed through her and vanished as the boy's hand dropped from hers back to his gut. Blood seeped from between his fingers.
    "What is it?" Carla pried his hand away for a look at this other wound--an ugly bullet-sized hole. "What happened?" Carla cried. The thought of a bullet tearing through his gut, made her dizzy and her stomach churn.
    "Those trigger-happy twins," the boy said through gritted teeth. He opened his eyes to look at Carla. They were deep ocean blue, awash in pain. "Wouldn't listen to me. I just wanted to talk to DeWheat. But they won’t believe me. Thought I'd come to assassinate him."
    "Assassinate?" Carla grabbed the last of the gauze pads and pressed them against the hole in his gut. "I can't treat a bullet wound. You've got to go to the hospital. You'll die."
    "I'm already dying. It's too late."
    "No it's not." Carla pulled her cell phone from her pocket, but the boy snatched it from her hand.
    "Don't." His eyes flashed a dangerous look, and he tossed the phone against the wall. "It's better this way. Believe me, far better."
    "No." Carla tried to go after the phone, but he grabbed her ankle and dragged her back.
    She rolled onto her knees to face him, and he released her. His hair had fallen back over his eyes. She reached out, brushing it behind his ears. A wild tingling filled her at the touch of his skin.
    "What are you?" she whispered. "What am I feeling?"
    The boy grimaced and closed his eyes. "My name is Shadowheart, but friends call me Shade." It seemed to take more effort for him to speak this time. "I am Aos Si, but how can you sense that? Most humans can't." He shuddered.
    "Aos Si? What?" Carla asked.
"The Fair Folk in your language." Shade sucked in a gurgling breath and coughed.
"I don't understand," Carla said, but Shade couldn't answer through his deep racking coughs. Blood flecked his lips. His hand that held the gauze pad against the bullet wound fell away.
    Carla reached out to replace it. She held the pad against his hot gut and pressed her other hand against his chest. "Breathe," she whispered. "Please breathe. You can't die."
    He let out a gurgling laugh and went back to coughing. Blood stained his lips. The tingling continued to build in Carla where her hand pressed against his chest.
    "Live," she cried. "Please, please live." She'd done the same when she’d found the cat, chest blackened from the car tire. And again when Meg had said she only had a few months to live. “No. You can’t die.”
    The passion of her desire built inside her, filling her with a rush of molten gold, spinning her mind in a heady sensation of power.
    She let the golden flow explode from her hands into him. It penetrated the bullet hole and wrapped his body in its dazzling glow, bright as the sun, hot as its fire. The power shook her, sweeping her away with it. Her soul tore apart in agony. It hadn’t been like this before.
    "NO!" Shade yelled. He jerked up, grabbed her and pressed her against his cold chest. He caught her soul before it slipped away. A cool blue mist enveloped her, shielding her from the flow of power. “Too much,” he cried. “You should never pull that much power.”

Black Dragon is Now in Ebook

2011-01-31T09:21:00.000-08:00

I am super excited to announce that my middle-grade book, Black Dragon is now out in ebook format.

Twelve-year-old Weldon is a gifted artist, but when his drawings of fairies and dragons come to life, he finds himself caught between some deadly criminals and the jewels they want. Only his dedication and imagination can save him and his friends.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Black-Dragon/Rebecca-Shelley/e/2940012098146/?itm=5&USRI=black+dragon

This is a book that is really dear to my heart. For years now I've had in my bio on my website the mention that I love dragons and fairies. This is the first book where I was able to combine both of my loves and really bring the fairies to life.

In a few months I'll have a second fairy book out, Fairy Tome, which is a YA fairy story with a lot more powerful and intense fairies. In contrast, Black Dragon is middle grade and has pixie type fairies who still manage to get into their share of trouble.

Black Dragon is targeted for the 9- to 12-year-old children whose reading has advanced beyond chapter books, those children who are ready for a little bit longer and more compelling stories. It's still not too long though, shorter in fact than my Dragon Codex books. So it should be a quick and fun read.

Black Dragon's main protagonist, Weldon, is African-American, so it took me months and months of research to attempt to produce a book that would reflect the culture and language in a hopefully correct and positive light.

One of the things I try to do with all my books is learn about cultures other than my own and help convey the beauty and diversity that they add to the world. In Heroin Guns I got to learn about the Afghan culture and religion. In Crystal Coffin I learned about Korean and Chinese cultures. In the Smartboys Club series, the main characters come from an array of different backgrounds. Even one of the main themes in Red Dragon Codex is racial diversity and how all races have something good to offer to the world.

I think, of all the books, Black Dragon was the most intimidating to write, because of the pervading feeling that a white person can not fully know what it is to be African-American. I can't argue with that. That is why the purpose of Black Dragon is not to explore what it means to be African-American, though I enjoyed all the research I did for the book. The main purpose of Black Dragon is to tell a fun and entertaining story that children will want to read. I hope the book will be taken in that light, and that I will be forgiven for any cultural or linguistic mistakes I might have made.

I love this story, and I love the characters--humans, fairies, and dragons. Hope you all enjoy it too.

Rebecca

LOL

2011-01-18T09:19:00.001-08:00

Okay, was number #2. Now it's dropped to #3. but hey, what a great moment. :D

Smartboys Club Sales Ranking

2011-01-17T17:44:00.000-08:00

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Terrific news. Bees in My Butt, my first Smartboys Club book has hit the number 2 spot on the Barnes & Noble nookbooks for kids http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?CAT=833709&store=EBOOK

I knew I'd been selling a lot of copies, but this is just fantastic! Who'd have thought such a silly book would sell so well.

:)

The Third Smartboys Club Book

2011-01-17T17:40:00.000-08:00

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Whohoooo, my newest ebook is out!

In book 3 of the Smartboys Club, the Smartboys get a mysterious new class member. She has a secret, and Monkey is bent on finding out the truth about her. But the Smartboys are in for a surprise when their class takes a suit-and-tie field trip to Symphony Hall, no burping allowed.

2011-01-17T17:37:00.000-08:00

Heroin Guns is now available in Print on Amazon.

A personal nightmare.

A ruthless drug lord.

A country torn by war.

President’s Special Forces agents Vince and Cat go undercover into Afghanistan to do the impossible—shut down the flow of heroin from Kabul. But the mission turns deadly right from the start, launching Vince and Cat into the most harrowing adventure of their lives.

Daily Positive Thought #49

2010-12-09T19:39:00.000-08:00

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The road to success is rough, but worth it.
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Daily Positive Thought #48

2010-12-08T21:00:00.000-08:00

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If you totally mess up today, there's always tomorrow.
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Daily Positive Thought #47

2010-12-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

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The journey is the reward.

I got the proof copy of Heroin Guns yesterday. Since it's the first print book Wonder Realms Books has done, I figured it wouldn't be perfect, but it would give me some indication of what I need to make the next proof better. Of course Wonder Realms won't release the book until it look wonderful, however many proofs it takes to get there. More formatting today, and Heroin Guns is back off to the printer. Fingers crossed the next proof will be terrific.

When I started this publishing company, I knew it would be a long journey, and not everything would go smoothly. But I am enjoying it. I do believe the journey is its own reward.
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Daily Positive Thought #46

2010-12-04T21:48:00.000-08:00

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Thank goodness for family and friends. They always seem to be around to pick you up when you need it.
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Daily Positive Thought #45

2010-12-03T21:48:00.000-08:00

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You can't do everything at once. You can do one thing now.

My three daughters are all dancing in the Nutcracker ballet this year. I've been very overwhelmed with their dance class and rehearsal schedule, which between the three girls takes up almost every minute of my time after school on weekdays and all day on Saturday. At times I've wanted to throw in the towel, because I just can't do it all. The positive thought for today has been the only thing that's kept me going. I don't have to worry about everything on the schedule every moment of the day. I only have to do one thing at this moment, then worry about the next thing next.

Daily Positive Thought #44

2010-12-01T22:24:00.000-08:00

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This one from the brilliant and prolific writer, Dean Wesley Smith. Dare to be Bad. Check out his blog for the full explanation. It is terrific. http://www.deanwesleysmith.com
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Daily Positive Thought #43

2010-11-30T21:02:00.000-08:00

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The sun is still shining behind the clouds.

Hard to believe, I know. But it's up there. :)
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My Son's Eagle Project

2010-11-24T20:01:00.000-08:00

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I'm still trying to figure out how my little baby boy grew up so fast and is now taller than I am. And when he started in scouts and told me he wanted to be an eagle scout before he turned 14, I thought "no way."

Turns out he's a highly motivated guy. Tomorrow is his 13th birthday and all he has to do to get his eagle is finish his Fitness marit badge, do his eagle project, and put in the last of the required time as a Life Scout.

Since his mother is an author, he came up with a great idea dealing with books for his eagle project. Here's my son, Matthew, to explain.

My name is Matthew Shelley. I was born with a hole in my diaphragm. My stomach and intestines were up in my chest cavity, so my lungs could not inflate. I was flown immediately to Primary Children's Hospital. The doctors said I needed surgery and only had a 50 percent chance of surviving.

The great news is I lived, and now thirteen years later, I'm working on my eagle rank advancement. Because of my time at Primary Children's Hospital, I'm doing an Eagle Project that would benefit other children that may be staying at the hospital over the holidays.

I'm gathering donations of new children's books to wrap and take as Christmas presents to the children at the hospital. Check out my blog for more details and a link to donate.

http://www.matthewseagleproject.blogspot.com/

Thanks,

Matthew Shelley

Bees in My Butt Links

2010-11-22T16:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, I promised I'd post the links for where Bees in My Butt is for sale. Great news, it's up at the special promotional price of 99¢ for a limited time.

Here it is on Smashwords.

Here it is on Amazon Kindle store.

Here it is on Barnes & Noble.

Bees in My Butt: The Smartboys Club Book 1

Take Monkey, a literary genius with flatulence; Bean, a science and math guru; Vinny, a computer whiz who can’t keep her mouth shut; and Art, an artist who can shoot a basketball like a pro, confront them with a mess of fourth grade trouble, and watch the fun explode.

In Bees in My Butt, the first book of the Smartboys Club series, the members of the Smartboys Club use their skills to fight a group of crazed Ninjas that take over the school. And it happens on a day when Monkey has the worst case of flatulence imaginable.

Daily Positive Thought #42

2010-11-22T16:33:00.000-08:00

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Believe in yourself.

It's easy to question if your vision for your writing and your life is what it should or could be. Writers can't just attend a specific college, take a test, and get their published author certificate. Everyone has to find their own way into print. No two paths are the same. When we first start out we spend a lot of time asking other authors how they broke into the business. We try one idea than another. Since we refuse to give up, we keep trying and trying. I think that's the only consistent aspect--constantly trying something and never giving up. How do we do that through the months and years it takes to see something into print? We have to believe in ourselves. If you don't believe in your own writing, possibly no one else will. So go ahead. Be Brave. Believe.

Daily Positive Thought #41

2010-11-20T21:51:00.000-08:00

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Tell the people you care about that you love them. Do it now.

Big snowstorm here tonight. As I was driving home, the thought crossed my mind, what if I didn't make it home? What if my husband didn't get home safely? Truth is, we never know when might be the last time we see those we love. There's no better time than now to tell someone you love them.
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My New Ebook is Out

2010-11-19T17:39:00.000-08:00

Whooohoooo, my new ebook will be out tomorrow. Book 1 of the Smartboys Club.

Take Monkey, a literary genius with flatulence; Bean, a science and math guru; Vinny, a computer whiz who can’t keep her mouth shut; and Art, an artist who can shoot a basketball like a pro, confront them with a mess of fourth grade trouble, and watch the fun explode.

In Bees in My Butt, the first book of the Smartboys Club series, the members of the Smartboys Club use their skills to defeat a group of crazed Ninjas that take over the school. And it happens on a day when Monkey has the worst case of flatulence imaginable.

Tomorrow I’ll post the links. I’m super excited about this series.

In the Smartboys Club series, a group of fourth grade geniuses use their skills in outrageous ways to defeat the challenges that confront them. Many people mistakenly assume that only people good at math and science are smart. The Smartboys Club proves differently. There are many kind of geniuses, and working together they can solve a slew of problems.

Monkey leads the Smartboys, and his special genius is reading and history. Bean is the math and science guy. Art is the sports star and artistic genius. Vinny is the spelling queen and computer aficionado. Together they defeat a band of crazed ninjas that take over their school in the first book, and a bully who won’t leave Vinny alone in the second book. In the third book the Smartboys learn about musical genius and welcome Sandra to the club after solving the mystery of her strange disappearance.

The Smartboys Club books provide children with a fun read, great adventure, and characters they can identify with and love. It also gives children a boost to their self-esteem no matter what their personal genius is. The Smartboys Club shows that there are a lot of ways to be smart, and everyone is smart in their own way.

Parents will find that the Smartboys Club books will get their children wanting to read and learn, and will instill in them the notion that it’s cool to be smart.

The Smartboys Club series is great for teachers because the books will grab their student’s attention and in a fun way introduce a broad range of topics that are studied in school: science, reading, history, geography, social skills, math, spelling, culture, music, sports, art. As a special bonus, the secret notebooks included at the end of each book give teachers a chance to expand on the kernel of knowledge planted in the story and springboard into class discussion and learning.

Daily Positive Thought #40

2010-11-18T20:27:00.000-08:00

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Love your enemies.

LOL. Yes, it's been that kind of a day. Since my mother taught me that if I can't think of anything nice to say, not to say anything at all, I guess I should leave it at that. I've never had too much trouble forgiving people who have hurt me. But people who hurt my kids . . . Love your children's enemies too. I'm going to have to work on that one.
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Daily Positive Thought #39

2010-11-17T18:27:00.001-08:00

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The neighbors down the street have their Christmas lights up. I love the holidays.
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I know some people get mad when I start listening to Christmas songs before Thanksgiving. Believe me, I'm not skipping Thanksgiving; I'm enhancing it. I hate how dark it gets this time of year. The holidays baring light and decorations and music and all the wonderful things that make the long winter months bearable. Besides, Christmas lights are beautiful.
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Daily Positive Thought #38

2010-11-16T20:22:00.000-08:00

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Peer pressure can be a good thing.

Especially if your friends are pressuring you and each other to do good stuff. In this case write. It feels like all my friends are doing National Novel in Month this month. They're doing sprints together and reporting all their wordage, and I'm feeling highly pressured to come along for the ride. Like, I'm totally missing all the fun. Thanks everyone for working so hard and reporting all that work. You are the greatest. I may have to give up doing book polishing and editing, and jump in and write. Writing is tones more fun that line editing. :)
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Daily Positive Thought #37

2010-11-12T19:58:00.000-08:00

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Be true to your creative voice.

That is sometimes hard to do. Every once in a while I start to doubt if what I'm writing is any good, or will have a positive effect in the world. That's when I have to remind myself of my purpose. I have it written on a sticky note attached to my computer.

The purpose of my writing is to create joy in my life and in the lives of others.

Well, I hope my writing creates joy in the life of others, but I can't really know or tell that until long after a book is written and published. While I'm producing something new, I have to ask if it is bringing me joy. Perhaps that's the only real measure a writer has. Does the writing bring the writer joy? I believe that when we stay tuned to what we love, we will write books that others will love as well. That's being true to your creative voice.
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Daily Positive Thought #36

2010-11-11T22:11:00.001-08:00

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The more we try, the better we get.
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Daily Positive Thought #35

2010-11-10T21:05:00.000-08:00

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You're good enough. You're smart enough. And doggonit people like you (Stuart Smalley, Saturday Night Live).

Hey, we writers need to hear this once in a while, what with all the rejections and alone-time writing and worrying if we're good enough. Guess what. We are!
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Daily Positive Thought #34

2010-11-09T20:34:00.000-08:00

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Go all NaNo writers. You're doing a great job!
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Daily Postitive Thought #33

2010-11-07T18:31:00.000-08:00

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Gravity keeps us on our feet.

Sometimes I'm not too happy with gravity--when I drop a glass and it shatters all over my kitchen floor, or when I've been hiking up a mountain all day long and the gravity seems to drag my backpack down until it feels like it weighs a hundred pounds.

Gravity is, however, an important part of life. I've never been to the International Space Station, but I've watched clips of the astronauts up there and how hard it is for them to move around in a zero-g environment. It's gravity that makes it possible for us to stand easily, and sit and sleep and eat and do all the common stuff we don't usually think about. Though gravity seems like a drag sometimes, it is an important positive in our lives.

Sometimes hard things happen to us in life that seem to drag us down or shatter our world. A while ago when my husband got laid off, I thought my entire life was ruined. Looking back now I see that he'd been at a dead-end job at low pay for a long time. His lay-off turned out to be a great thing. Now he has a job doing what he really wants, making more money, working with an organization that appreciates him and gets along with each other very well. Like gravity, sometimes it is the hard things that make our lives better in the long run.

Daily Positive Thought #32

2010-11-06T20:38:00.000-07:00

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Whohooo! I just finished with the Galleys for Heroin Guns.
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Daily Positive Thought #31

2010-11-05T20:51:00.000-07:00

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Every day is a day closer to perfection.

While none of us are likely to reach perfection in this lifetime, we can still try each day to get a little better at something. A little better at writing. A little better at expressing love for our family. A little better at recognizing beauty in the world around us.
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What is the Audiance?

2010-11-05T07:18:00.000-07:00

I've had a number of people ask me about the intended audience for Heroin Guns. Since both my previous books, Red Dragon Codex and Brass Dragon Codex, were middle-grade books I know that could be the first assumption for Heroin Guns.

I guess I had better clarify. The publisher, Wonder Realms Books, will be publishing all of the books for adult audiences under the R. L. Tyler name and all of the Children's books under the Rebecca Shelley name. This was decided so that it might minimize confusion about intended audiences for my books.

Heroin Guns is definitely a PG13 book. Though I have picked up many YA books that have more swearing, more sex, and as much violence as Heroin Guns, I did intend the book for an adult audience. There are detailed depictions of knife fights, shootings, and the use of heroin; as well as explosions, car chases, and a faint innuendo once or twice.

So, to avoid confusion:

the Rebecca Shelley name will be on all the children's books

the R. L. Tyler name will be on all the adult books.

The YA books are a tough call. What do you think? Should I put them under the children's name, the adult name or under a separate third name?

Daily Positive Thought #30

2010-11-03T08:34:00.001-07:00

My new book is out!

Heroin Guns
Years after the US liberation of Afghanistan, war still rages in the tribal areas of the mountains. From the midst of the turmoil, powerful drug lords flood the world with heroin. World leaders scream for the US to act.

The president orders his two best agents, Vince and Cat, into Afghanistan to stop the flow of heroin from Kabul. They unwittingly expose a file that could destroy the Afghan government, topple the American president, and endanger millions of lives. Vince and Cat race into explosive danger in order to uncover the truth behind the file before it's too late.

Heroin Guns is available as an e-book now and will be out in print in a few months. Here's a special deal for all my friends and family.

The book is priced at $3.99 and I've got a coupon code from Smashwords that will make the book half price.

Heroin Guns half price on Smashwords
Promotional price: $1.99
Coupon Code: DS97Z
Expires: December 25, 2010
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/28854

I just had to share the good news. :)
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Daily Positive Thought #29

2010-11-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

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Diversity is a great thing. It makes the world more interesting.
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Okay, it's election day. I suppose that it is almost mandatory to blog about that. But I'm going to keep this short. I think it's wonderful that I live in a country where everyone can have their say and vote according to the things they believe in. Everyone sees the world in a different way based on their own experiences. I believe that diversity is a blessing. So go ahead and fight, people. Have at it. It's all fodder for my next book. :)

Daily Positive Thought #28

2010-11-01T21:22:00.000-07:00

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Modern technology is amazing.

I could write a very long post about this. Since it's late, I'll just say I love the whole e-book revolution.

Daily Positive Thought #27

2010-10-31T15:47:00.000-07:00

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It's good to have a day off once in a while.

Life has been crazy this month. Very very crazy, what with going out of town twice and all the a Halloween parties and stuff, and Nutcracker rehearsals. Yes, all three of my daughters are in the Nutcracker this year. That means that I have to be at the dance studio six days a week. Thank goodness for Sundays. I'm sure I wouldn't survive without them.
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Daily Positive Thought #26

2010-10-29T21:19:00.000-07:00

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Fall is a wonderful time of year.

I love making costumes and dressing up. The weather is just right: not too hot and not too could. I love watching the dry leaves skitter across the road, smelling the scent of new-fallen rain, and seeing the fantastic sunsets light the clouds with crimson and orange.
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Daily Positive Thought #25

2010-10-28T16:32:00.001-07:00

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Being Creative Makes you happy.

Well, it makes me happy anyway. I spent the day working on graphic design. When I get involved with graphics, I lose all track of time and enjoy every minute as it rushes past. I forgot about the whole world including eating breakfast and lunch today. I was enjoying myself so much. Of course I don't get any writing done while I'm playing with pictures. But, Hey, I feel great.
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Daily Positive Thought #24

2010-10-27T09:56:00.000-07:00

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More snow! Snow all over. I'm glad I have a garage.
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Daily Positive thought #23

2010-10-26T15:39:00.000-07:00

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There is snow in the mountains!

Yippee for skiing and other fun winter sports.
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Daily Positive Thought #22

2010-10-23T21:03:00.001-07:00

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A clean home is a happy home.

That just about says it all. Easy to guess what I've been doing today.

Daily Positive Thought #21

2010-10-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

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Push yourself. To succeed, sometimes you have to get uncomfortable.

My darling daughter suggested this one. After many years of trying, she managed to do full splits all the way to the ground yesterday. Today, she's wandering around the house saying, "OW it hurts, OW OW OW!"

I'm right with her on this one. Not doing the splits, of course. No way. But adapting to the new digital book age has made me super uncomfortable.

My new publisher, Wonder Realms Books, is gearing up for a big e-book and trade paperback release of my spy thriller Heroin Guns. I am more excited than I can possibly say. They've already published my initial short story with the Heroin Guns characters,"Chasing Pirates in Never Land." (An agent in forced retirement investigates a string of brutal murders while coming to terms with his wife's death.) on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.

I'm excited, yes, but doing the final formatting on Heroin Guns for the publisher is making my head explode.

I learned to type on an old manual typewriter. Yes, the kind that actually had little metal arms that came up and hit an ink ribbon which made the letter mark on a piece of paper. You had to crank a return on those things at the end of every line. I've long since learned to let the computer wrap my sentences on its own. But up to this point, I've kept the use of the tab key to indent my paragraphs. And now I have to change over my manuscript from all the tabs to this First Line Indent thing. I have to learn about paragraph styles and a ton of other stuff. Ow, ow, ow. You younger folks are laughing. But its true.

I'm excited as can possibly be to see my stuff published like this. I've sent a letter to Santa Clause asking for an ipad for Christmas. But I do have to admit to being a bit uncomfortable. A good kind of uncomfortable. A stretching and succeeding kind of uncomfortable.

Daily Positive thought #20

2010-10-21T07:22:00.000-07:00

I'm happy when I'm busy.

And some of you are saying, "well, I hope so since you've missed posting a positive thought for a few days now." My apologies for that.

As the mother of four children, I wish I could clone myself. That way I could take them to all their different activities all over the valley all at once. This week I really could use a clone. Tonight I think I'm supposed to be like in five places at the same time. I just look at my schedule and shake my head in bewilderment.

But with all of that going on, I have to say I'm happy. No time to think negative thoughts. Only time for action. And when I look back after being busy and see how much I've accomplished, it gives me a great sense of satisfaction.

Will you look at those four sets of fairy wings my daughters and I constructed, painted, and decorated for Halloween costumes. Those look totally awesome. I did that. :) And today, I have to help my son construct and paint a pair of gauntlets for his Lord of the Rings Witch King costume. Oh, but that's going to be the easy one. He just wants that costume for a class party. For the real Halloween he wants to be Gollum.

Doing stuff makes me happy. Creating stuff makes me really happy. This is a wonderfully fun time of year.
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Why fairy wings? I'm working on a book called The Fairy Tome, so I bought a bunch of cheep fairy wings from the dollar store and stapled them to my office walls. I've got fairy dolls, fairy statues, and fairy wall stickers everywhere in here. So of course my girls wanted to get in on some fairy action as well.

It's turning out to be a very fun book to write.

Daily Positive Thought #19

2010-10-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

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I'm Still Alive!

What can be more positive than that thought. I'm still breathing, eating, thinking, and dreaming. I have one more day to love my family and pursue my writing. I think I take this very basic fact for granted too often. So, today I'm glad to be alive.

Daily Positive Thought #18

2010-10-16T11:09:00.000-07:00

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Consistency has great power.

I'm sitting in our workshop room in the hotel on the beach in Lincoln City. Through a huge bank of windows I have a perfect view over-looking the sea. The waves crest and splash down on the pristine white beach. Those waves over time have worn the rocks down into smooth sand. All the time I've been sitting here, the waves have never ceased to roll in--continually, always. That kind of consistency is awe-inspiring, powerful, and beautiful. As a writer, I'd like to have the consistency in my writing as the ocean waves.

Daily Positive Thought #17

2010-10-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

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It's great to have a furry friend to pet.

Daily Positive Thought #16

2010-10-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

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Publishing's brightest days are yet to come.

I remember watching Star Trek and Battlestar Gallactica when I was growing up, and being so entranced by all the gadgets. It seemed so wondrous amazing that they could talk to each other with these little communicators and even better yet have video conferencing. They carried around little data pads from which they read stuff. All casual like as if it was as common as breathing. Now I watch my daughter with her real life modern day gadgets and every once in a while it gives me a little chill--like I've stepped into those TV shows. So much of what was only imaginary has become reality.

To us older people, changes in the publishing industry seem to be coming alarmingly fast. An end-of-the-world sense of fear and foreboding seems to hover over us and seep into offices and work spaces. What will we do? What is the publishing world coming to?

And yet to the children, carrying around a personal device; which they can use to talk face to face, or just using audio, or texting; which they can use to take pictures and record video; which they can use to download and read all sorts of content, including books; isn't strange or wonderous at all. The technology is as natural as breathing to them.

Those folks who say that children read less because they spend all day watching TV and playing video games, perhaps haven't watched children closely the last few years. The amount of pure text children devour on their gadgets any given day is staggering. And as books become one of those things that are instantly accessible, I believe there will be an explosive growth in the number of books published and sold. The future I dreamed about as a child has arrived. And I believe in the next few years, publishing will see a higher growth than many can now imagine.

Now I'm just waiting for the transporters. The hand-held medical scanners. And those cool instant broken bone knitting machines.

Daily Positive Thought #15

2010-10-13T18:56:00.000-07:00

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This world is beautiful!

I'm on the road again, headed up to the Oregon coast for a writer's workshop focusing on New Technology and how authors can take advantage of it. It's a healthy drive from Salt Lake to Oregon, along some of the most scenic country in the US. I passed through desert and hills, fertile farmland and stately pine forests. The sun lit up the dazzling blue sky and kept me awake an entranced with the beauty for many long hours.

Living in the city, I find it too easy to forget that there is an endless beautiful world beyond the buildings and foul air and rush hour traffic. I'm very grateful that a couple of times a year I get out of the city for a long drive across the countryside.

Daily Positive Thought #14

2010-10-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

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Spending time with good friends rejuvenates your spirit.

I had the great opportunity to meet with my novel critique group last weekend. We meet once a year and critique novels that we've been working on during the year. Because we're all Odyssey alumni, the quality of critiques is wonderful. This year was our fifth year doing this. I came away uplifted, excited, and ready to implement the changes everyone suggested. I am so grateful to these friends and their excellent help with my novels. Big hugs to Laurie, Jenn, Brian, and Susan. Thanks for letting me spend time with you.

Daily Positive Thought #13

2010-10-08T08:23:00.001-07:00

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Colors are amazing.

Fall has arrived. I can look up at the mountain slopes (when it's not raining like today LOL) and see an array of dazzling reds and yellows. The leaves on the trees in my yard are just starting to change. What a wonderful time of year. The world and its colors provide so much beauty. It makes me happy.

Daily Positive Thought #12

2010-10-07T11:01:00.000-07:00

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When you can't find an ending to your story, take a nap.

Now, that might sound like a strange DPT. Almost like giving up. But that's not what I had in mind. In writing and in life, sometimes things don't go as planned. We make up an outline for where we want to go and what we want to accomplish, and then everything comes crashing down. That's when it's very tempting to give up. I've found myself thinking, this whole book stinks. I should just chuck it out and start something new. Something better. That would be giving up.

Of course there's the old adage, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." True.

BUT!

Even the toughest, if they don't take a break, rest, recharge, won't make it to the top of the mountain. Those who are tough, know that pacing themselves is important. They don't try to sprint the whole distance of a marathon.

So today's DPT is a reminder (for those of us workaholics who have a hard time doing this naturally) to take some time for yourself to relax and regenerate. Taking a nap once in a while isn't a sin. And many has been the time when I've been completely stuck on a story and after racking my brain for hours I've let go of the conscious struggle, lain down for a nap, and woken with the answer staring me in the face. Rest can do that. In writing and in life. After a rest we can come back to the problems at hand with a new and better perspective.

Daily Positive Thought #11

2010-10-06T08:45:00.000-07:00

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Learning is Fun!

My twelve year old son will argue with this vehemently. He says school takes away time from playing and should be avoided at all cost. I have an ongoing argument with him on the matter. I love learning new stuff. I think life would be so boring if I were stuck in the dark ages drudging through the daily grind, unable to read and learn about the world around me.

We live in amazing times. I have information about any topic only a few clicks away. I love doing research for my books. Some days I get carried away with research and forget to write at all, but hey, I learn important things like the awesome features of a Mercedes-Benz S550--Infrared Nigh View camera--how cool is that? How much a pair of AG Adriano Goldschmied "Angel" Bootcut pants cost at Bloomingdale's. And the absolutely vital information that the JFK International airport Port Authority General Aviation Terminal doesn't have a pilot lounge. I mean, really, if someday I were piloting a private jet into that airport, I'd need to know this stuff.

Or more likely, my characters fly into JFK on a private jet. And while they head off to Bloomingdale's in the Mercedes to buy clothes, the jet and its valuable contents get hijacked. Days worth of research just two write a couple of chapters. And I'm loving every minute of it. Learning is a ton of fun.

Daily Positive Thought #10

2010-10-05T09:23:00.000-07:00

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I have hands for typing my stories, holding my children, planting a garden, and painting a picture.

What a blessing to have two hands to do all the things I have to get done every day. I must remember not to take them for granted.

I'm Excited

2010-10-05T08:33:00.001-07:00

I'm so excited.My friend Chris York's new book is finally being released. Check out this trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-n2CqII-nQ

Daily Positive Thought #9

2010-10-04T06:40:00.001-07:00

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If you fall down. Get back up!

Daily Positive Thought #8

2010-09-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

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The sun came up this morning.

Yes, I know it does that every morning. That's my point. No matter what happens, the sun comes up. Sometimes I feel like if everything doesn't go just right it's the end of the world. the truth is, no matter how bad things seem to get, the sun keeps rising. A new day comes. Life moves on, and each new day brings the promise of better things to come. Thank goodness for the sun.

Daily Positive Thought #7

2010-09-29T22:32:00.000-07:00

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Books are your friend.

I can't say how many times I've been hurt, confused, lonely, board, or otherwise feeling miserable and have picked up a good book that has swept my cares aside as I leave my life behind to experience the world of the book. I love that. This world would be a much more miserable place without books. What great friends to have around.

Daily Positive Thought #6

2010-09-28T16:46:00.000-07:00

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You have a unique story to tell and the world needs to hear it.

Every person views the world a little differently. We've all had different life experiences. The same topic expressed in one person's story is bound to come out totally different in another's. That's what makes literature so deep and vibrant. Don't be afraid to tell your stories in your own way. It brings variety and enjoyment to the world.

Daily Positive Thought #5

2010-09-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

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You've worked hard. Reward yourself.

In a regular job you go to work, clock your hours, and get paid. Within a couple of weeks you get monetary reward for your hard work. Not so for writers. We write and write and rewrite and submit, and even after something is accepted for publication it can take months before we ever see the first advance check. Delayed gratification is the name of the game. So, as writers we need to keep ourselves motivated. I've found that if I reward myself for little goals along the way, I do a better job of waiting for the big checks later on.

After a good day's work, give yourself a pat on the back. After achieving a writing goal, reward yourself by going out with friends. Or hey, try one of my favorite rewards, Chocolate! Of course I'm on a diet now, so I've relegated that to sugar free hot chocolate. But the effect is the same. I reward myself for doing a good job. You can to. It feels great and helps us to keep going.

Daily Positive Thought #4

2010-09-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

It's never too late to start writing.

LOL. A perfect thought since It's after 9 PM here, and I just remembered I hadn't done my thought for today. Obviously I have a little way to go before this becomes a good habit.

I met a lot of people who say they want to write a book (or a journal, or poetry, etc.). The older I get, the older my acquaintances get. I like to tell them if you want to write then do it. Most look at me rather glassy eyed. I can see their mind just screaming, "It's too late. I haven't managed it my whole life. How can I possibly start now?"

The Truth is, there is only one moment in life. Now. Now is all that really exists. Yesterday and tomorrow are only in our minds. It doesn't matter how many yesterdays there have been. We can't know how many tomorrows there may be. All we have is now. If you want to write something, start now. Type something in a blog. Tweet. Scribble something on the back of an envelope. Or open a Microsoft Word document and start a book. Now is the beginning of all of our lives. You are never too old. Now is the time to write.

Daily Positive Thought #3

2010-09-25T14:48:00.000-07:00

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No one succeeds alone.

I spent a number of years in my early life writing and never really showing anyone what I wrote. During that time my writing didn't really grow or improve.

It wasn't until I started taking classes, joining writing organizations, and attending conferences and workshops that my writing gained strength and I rallied the courage to submit. I could spend days trying to name everyone who helped me along the way. Every mentor and writing friend I've rubbed shoulders with has moved me forward.

As Ken Rand, one of my first mentors, always said, I can't pay them back. There is no way. The only thing to do is pay it forward to others I meet. So a great BIG THANKS to everyone who has helped me on my road to success. And I hope I can do the same for others.

Daily Positive Thought #2

2010-09-24T11:57:00.000-07:00

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What looks like a dead end might hide a secret road to success.

Daily Positive Thought

2010-09-23T08:58:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about doing a Daily Positive Thought for about a year now. For my own self, mostly. I need a shot of positive thought on a regular basis to keep me going as a writer, a DPT booster you might say. An inoculation against rejection, distraction, and self-doubt. But the intimidation of coming up with a positive thought to post each day has kept me from starting. Crazy, as if thinking one positive thing a day should be so hard.

So, today I'm going to start sharing one positive thought a day with my friends. If I fall off the horse and miss a day or two here and there, I'm not going to try to make it up. I'll just start where we are and go on.

DPT #1: Starting to write each morning is like jumping into a cold pool. Sometimes you just don't want to do it, but once you get in and going it feels pretty go. So, go ahead. Take the plunge.

Hidden Cabin

2009-07-27T21:46:00.000-07:00

In the book I'm working on right now. The main character hides out in a hidden cabin in the mountains. I got the idea from a place in the Wasatch Mountains. My ever-so-great-grandfather Green discovered a basin long ago, which was named Green's Basin after him. It has a beautiful meadow with a kaleidoscope of sweet smelling mountain flowers. In the pines on the far side of the meadow is a hidden dug-out cabin. It's really hard to tell it's there except at a certain angle. Here are some pictures.

West side of cabin.

East side of cabin.

Front of cabin.

Step Back in Time

2009-07-22T17:09:00.000-07:00

I spent all morning at This is the Place Heritage Park. It is a wonderful place in Salt Lake where they've got authentic pioneer houses and cabins. Yes, the actual ones used by the pioneers that have been preserved and moved up to the park along with authentic furniture and tools etc. It's like a living pioneer village including a blacksmith, barbershop, carpenter shop, print shop, hat shop, shoe shop, grist mill, gardens, livestock, houses and more.

As a fantasy writer I find it an excellent place to do research because it provides all the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feel of pre-technology life. I go there often, and always learn something new. Here are some pictures from today's visit.

The general store.

Pioneer kitchen

Some of the animals.

Carding wool.

Spinning.

Weaving.

Plants used to dye the wool.

Super Fun Vacation

2009-07-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a great vacation to the Oregon Coast. The weather was sunny and cool, just perfect for time at the beach, boating on Devil's Lake, fishing, and attending a wonderful contracts and copyrights workshop. Here are some pictures. :)

Devils Lake where my son caught a beautiful (and tasty) rainbow trout.

The Beach Haven House we stayed at for a week.

The Newport Aquarium we visited.

The beach on a beautiful day. Not crowded. We had this whole section pretty much to ourselves. Flew a kite, built a sandcastle, found a bunch of seashells.

A sea otter at the aquarium. They were so very cute.

BYU Writer's Conference

2009-06-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

This past week I attended the BYU Writing for Young Readers Conference. It was totally awesome. I got to attend a class taught by Tracy and Laura Hickman. I learned so much from them. We talked about the Campbell Monomyth and Dramatica Structure.

The other students in the class were terrific to work with and wonderful writers. I enjoyed every moment with them.

Here's a picture of me with Tracy and Laura and also a picture of my friend Janice Kidd with them as well.

Super Cool New Dragon Book

2009-06-02T08:18:00.000-07:00

I'm super excited!

My friend, Clint Johnson's book is coming out the end of this week!!!!!

I've already gotten my hands on it, and it is an awesome book. For those of you who have read my books, Red Dragon Codex and Brass Dragon Codex, and loved them, you won't be disappointed with Clint's Green Dragon Codex. It has all the adventure, excitement, and lovable characters as other books in the series. I think I'd go so far as to say this is one of the best Dragon Codex books of all.

Here's Clint's announcement about his launch signing and more info about the book:

For those who don't know me, my name is Clint Johnson. My first nationally published children's novel, Green Dragon Codex, is releasing June 9th.

I just wanted to let you all know that my first book signing will be Saturday, June 6th, from 2:00-4:00 pm at the King's English in Salt Lake (1511 South 1500 East). I'll date all books as well as sign them, documenting that the signature comes from my first ever signing. I've included a press release about the book below.

For more information see my web site, http://www.clintjohnsonwrites.com/. If you know someone who might be interested, please forward this on.

Thanks! Clint

Green Dragon Codex
A huge new fantasy adventure with an even bigger question—
are dragons good or evil, and do they have a choice?

“So much fun to read…I love the humor in this book, the adventure, and the many twists and turns. And most of all I love the characters and how real they become. Highly recommended.”
---James Dashner, author of The Thirteenth Reality and The Maze Runner Series

Master scribe R. D. Henham is back, this time with assistant Clint Johnson, revealing another untold story of dragonlore: Green Dragon Codex (Mirrorstone, hardcover, $9.95, 978-0-78695-145-1). A playful romp mixing mystery and adventure in the best-selling Dragonlance realm, Green Dragon Codex makes real every child’s dream of having their own dragon—only this baby dragon comes with secrets, powerful enemies, and one terrible truth: he is destined to be evil.

The book follows Scamp Weaver, a boy too different, curious, and creative not to trip upon adventure some time in life. But when he discovers a dragon’s treasure chest it launches him upon a journey in which he, his brother Mather, and best friend Dannika debate whether an isthmus is where pirates bury their treasure, summon a chicken from other dimensions, and even drop a cow on a dragon—and in the meantime dare to address the basic question of good and evil: is our nature predestined or do we chose who we become, and can even dragons make that same choice?

Study and curriculum guides developed according to Granite District curriculum are available at www.ClintJohnsonWrites.com, along with chapter annotations, information on school visits and other resources for teachers, and much more. (Some material not available prior to release.)

Green Dragon Codex hits store shelves nationwide June 9th, 2009.

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About the Authors:
R.D. Henham returns in a unique series on dragonkind, The Dragon Codices, a tie in to the New York Times best-selling A Practical Guide to Dragons. The author is a master scribe at the Great Library of Palanthas and (rumor has it) a wizard of terrifying power and unstable temperament who finds having a few ogres at hand useful.

Green Dragon Codex is assistant scribe Clint Johnson’s first published novel. He is a college writing tutor who has conducted over 2,500 individual sessions in his career, mostly with students who were not ogres at all. Mostly.

About the Book:Green Dragon Codex
By R.D. Henham (Clint Johnson)
Published by Mirrorstone
On Sale Date: June 9, 2009
Price: $9.95
Distributor: Random House
Hardcover, 256 pages
ISBN: 978-0-78695-145-1

Evil Overlords of CONduit

2009-05-25T08:57:00.000-07:00

Evil Overlord #1: Paul Genesse (seen here with me at our book signing)

Paul had his book release party for The Dragon Hunters on Friday night at the convention. In true Paul style he held it up on the 15th floor where he could look down through the clouds into the Void and ponder what winged monsters might come up to attack him. I feasted on Pizza, chocolate, and cookies while I waited in the eternally long line of his rabid fans waiting for a moment to bask in his evil overlordly presence (and get a signed copy of his book).

More Evil Overlords: Paul Genesse (again. He truly is evil), Howard Taylor, Dan Willis, L.E. Modesitt, Dave Wolverton.

Howard Taylor had his book launch party at CONduit as well. More pizza. More cookies. More chocolate. He even had this fluffy little eclairs that tasted like heaven. Two thumbs up from me. And his newest book. Scholck Mercenary: The Scrapyard of Insufferable Arrogance is terrific. I loved every page of it.

I really enjoyed Dan Willis's panel, On Writing. He had a lot of great material to share, and I can't wait to implement it in my own writing.

Dave Wolverton did the Main Address on Saturday where he talked about stories that appeal to the collective consciousness because of genetic memory. Way good stuff.

Late Saturday night a bunch of us got together, and I got to hang out and listen for scraps of wisdom from L.E. Modesitt. Truly an icon in the field.

On Saturday, I got to be on a fun panel about marketing YA/MG fiction with my editor Stacy Whitman and a bunch of my favorite YA/MG authors: James Dashner, Mette Ivie Harrison, Julie Wright, Dan Willis, and Sandra Tayler. We had a great time.

Sandra has a terrific new picture book out called Hold Onto Your Horses. The best picture book I've read in a while. Check out the website.

I also got to do a reading along with Aleta Clegg whose new book will be coming out soon. And then I got to do a book signing with Paul. A lot of fun there. Of course you never know what's going to happen when Paul is around.

Quite a memorable weekend.

I'm Doing a Reading

2009-05-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

Great news. I'm going to be attending ConDuit this year Saturday May 23 at the Radisson Hotel, Downtown Salt Lake City, 215 West South Temple. Here's my schedule.

1:00 pm--Reading (From Red Dragon Codex and Brass Dragon Codex)
2:00 pm--Panel: How to publish and market your YA/MG book.
4:00 pm--signing

I'm pretty excited for this. Lots of my writer friends will be there. I look forward to a great convention.

Utah YA/MG Writers

2009-05-15T08:11:00.000-07:00

I've been promising to put this list up for a while. Here it is finally. An incomplete list of Utah YA/MG writers in no particular order. Anyone that I've missed, feel free to speak up.

David Farland-Of Mice and Magic
Jessica Day George-Dragon Slippers
Brandon Mull-Fablehaven
Paul West-coming soon
Sydney Salter-My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters
Kristen Landon-Life in the Pit
Shannon Hale-Goose Girl
James Dashner-The 13th Reality
Tamra Norton-Comfortable in My Own Genes
Kristen Chandler-Wolves Boys and Other Things That Might Kill Me
Katie Parker-Just the Way You Are
Jannette Rallison-It's a Mall World After All
Randall Right-coming soon
BJ Rowley-Light Traveler Adventure Series
J. Scott Savage-Far World
Rebecca Talley-Heaven Scent
Julie Wright-My-Not-So-Fairy-Tale-Life
Elise Rasband-coming soon
Anna del C. Dye-Trouble in the Elf City
Wendy Tolliver-Secret Life of a Teenage Siren
Bree Despain-The Dark Divine
Rebecca Shelley-Brass Dragon Codex
Clint Johnson-Green Dragon Codex
Paul Genesse-The Dragon Hunters

I feel very lucky to live in a state with such a great writing community. :)

Dragons Coming Soon!

2009-05-13T16:51:00.000-07:00

The Dragon Hunters, Book Two of the Iron Dragon Series by Paul Genesse is set to release this May 15th. Two days and counting. I'm so excited.

In the first book, The Golden Cord, The Drake Bloodstone had to choose between protecting his own people and leaving them to pursue a perilous quest against the dragons. Both ways his life and very soul faced destruction as he tried to fight off the forces of evil.

In the second book Drake and an elite bank of dragon hunters take up the hunt for the evil dragon, Draglune. But danger and betrayal await at every turn. Friends could be enemies, and enemies might be friends.

I got to read a review copy of Dragon Hunters. It is even better than the first book. Paul has done a wonderful job of creating a complex and terrifying world.

For anyone living near Salt Lake, Paul's book release party will be Friday May 22 from 3:00-6:00 Pm at the Radisson Hotel Downtown in Salt Lake City, 215 West South Temple at the "Con Suite" located in the back of the lobby. The ConDuit Science Fiction & Fantasy convention will be going on in the hotel, but anyone can attend this release party as well as go into the art show or dealers room for free.

Hope to see a bunch of you there.

My Website is Down

2009-04-16T09:32:00.000-07:00

Hey all, I just found out my website is AWOL. I've called in some technical support and hopefully it will be back up soon. Sorry for the trouble.

Reviews of Brass Dragon Codex

The Brass Dragon Codex is a truly enjoyable book. It was a fast and friendly read, enjoyable for both me and my son.If you love dragons as much as I do, love a good story with the thrill of adventure, then you'll love R.D. Henham's Brass Dragon Codex. (Ali Cross)http://grrlinawhirl.blogspot.com/2009/02/book-review-brass-dragon-codex.html

The action goes on and on. And so, too, does the reader's interest. I'd definitely recommend this book to young, fantasy loving readers. (Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen)http://thewriteblocks.blogspot.com/2009/02/what-they-did-right-rd-henham-rebecca.html

In my wanderings through StoryLand, it's far too seldom that I find a book I want to absolutely rave about.This is one of the few! I loved it and I would whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone! (Wendy Elliot)http://wendword.blogspot.com/2009/02/review-brass-dragon-codex-by-rd-henham.html

This was an easy, fun read, which is very understandable, as it is aimed for ages 9-12. Still, part of the reason I read it in one day was it was hard to put down. There was a lot of action and conflicts from so many areas, (Annaliese Lemmon )http://storyengineer.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/review-brass-dragon-codex/

. . . it was a very fun book to read. I mean, hey, how can you not like a book with a lovable, free-spirited dragon and a cute little gnome? :o) I'm definitely going to read the rest of the books in this series. (Jewel Adams) http://www.jewelsbestgems.blogspot.com/

Author Extravaganza

2009-03-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Pleasant Grove Library Book Festival Fundraiser

This is an event you don’t want to miss!

On April 3rd, 2009 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Pleasant Grove Library, Provident Book and Humdinger Toys, Scholastic books, and fourteen authors are uniting together by appearing at the Festival and selling their books and other merchandise to help raise funds for the Pleasant Grove Library.

There will be author readings, door prizes, music, and more! All the proceeds from the Festival will go toward our library and its programs. This is definitely a family event so tell your friends and family to come meet their favorite author, do their spring book and toy shopping and show support for literacy and the library in our community!

Some of the authors that will be appearing: Rachel Ann Nunes, Julie Coulter Bellon, J. Scott Savage, Tristi Pinkston, Julie Wright, GG Vandagriff, Suzanne V. Reese, H.B. Moore, Christy Hardman, Jewel Adams, Rebecca Shelley, Elodia Strain, Anne Bradshaw, and Stacy Gooch Anderson.

Yep, even I will be there along with Redclaw the destroyer and her very tasty hoard of chocolates. I look forward to seeing everyone there.

The library is located at:

Pleasant Grove Library
30 East Center
Pleasant Grove, UT 84062
Phone Number: 801-785-3950

Book Signings

2009-02-26T20:40:00.000-08:00

For all those who asked. Here is my schedule for book signings and presentations.

I'm having a book signing in Salt Lake at the Jordan Landing Barnes & Noble (7157 South Plaza Center Drive, West Jordan, UT 84084) Saturday, March 7 from 2:00-4:00 PM. I'm hoping to have some helium balloons for the kids.

I'm also signing at the Pleasant Grove Public Library April 3, from 7:00-9:00 pm.

I'll be presenting a workshop on researching and submitting to the national market at the Provo City Library room 201 from 7:00-8:30pm on April 22.

In addition I'll be at the LDStorymaker's conference April 24 and 25. At the Provo Marriot.

Most likely I'll be at ConDuit May 22 and 23. And MountainCon in the fall as well.

More Brass Dragon Reviews

2009-02-26T07:25:00.000-08:00

From the first page, I was hooked. Who wouldn’t love a quirky little dragon that not only talks to inanimate objects, but gives those same objects a voice in order to take away some of his loneliness? This well written story drew me right in. As the story progressed, I found myself so deeply involved with the enchanting tale, that I lost track of time. (Christine Bryant) http://christinebryant.blogspot.com/2009/02/book-review-brass-dragon-codex.html

I found the characters lovable and flawed—great qualities in any story—and the plot was always moving, each chapter left me wanting to read more. . . . an excellent book for any age reader, (Nichole Giles) http://nicholegiles.blogspot.com/2009/03/book-review-brass-dragon-codex-by-rd.html

If you like dragons and gnomes, Brass Dragon Codex is a book with plenty of action. (Connie Hall) http://clhall.blogspot.com/2009/03/review-of-brass-dragon-codex.html

There are a lot of really crazy situations in this book, and I can only imagine how funny The Brass Dragon Codex will be to parents reading it out loud to their delighted kids. (Paul Genesse: author of The Iron Dragon Series)http://writerssymposium.blogspot.com/2009/03/brass-dragon-codex.html

I not only got to read a great book, but I got to read Brass Dragon aloud with my son and that’s one of my favorite things to do. Bonus points were also awarded to Brass Dragon Codex on the merit of actually holding my special needs son’s attention past chapter 1. (Alison Palmer) http://alisonpalmer.blogspot.com/2009/03/brass-dragon-codex-by-rd-henham.html

Book Signing and Blog Tour

2009-02-23T08:14:00.000-08:00

I had a terrific time at the BYU Life the Universe and Everything Symposium this past weekend. I love getting to spend time with so many writer friends. I always learn so much from the panel discussions. Tracy and Laura Hickman were the special guests. Wonderful. Just wonderful main addresses from them. The conference was especially great since my editor, Stacy Whitman, was there. Here's a picture of us together at my Saturday book signing.

Note, my new hair-do, special for the occasion. My husband took one look at me and asked if I was having a mid-life crisis. LOL (I will not mention what age I'm turning very soon on my birthday). I think the stylist did a terrific job. Now if only I can manage to get my hair to go like that on my own. The odds aren't good.

Well, Brass Dragon Codex has launched and is doing very well. I've got a blog tour going. Here's excerpts and links to the first few blogs. More will follow.

Reviews of Brass Dragon Codex

My New Book Coming Out

2009-02-07T16:25:00.000-08:00

I'm super excited. Brass Dragon Codex releases this Tuesday (February 10, 2009)!

For those who are close to Utah, I'll be doing a book signing at the BYU Bookstore in Provo Saturday, February 21 at 2:00 PM and a reading at 5:00PM the same day as part of Life The Universe and Everything conference(upstairs in the Wilkinson Center I think). I'll also be on two LTUE panels on Friday at 1:00pm and 2:00pm.

I'm also having a book signing in Salt Lake at the Jordan Landing Barnes & Noble Saturday, March 7 from 2:00-4:00 PM. I'm hoping to have some helium balloons for the kids.

Most likely I'll be at ConDuit in the summer and MountainCon in the fall as well.

Brass Dragon Codex was a really fun book to write. I'm very happy to see it finally hitting the shelves. :)

Writing Once Again

2008-12-27T08:07:00.000-08:00

Well, I've survived Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas and am finally moving from writing short stories back to starting a new book. Wrote 41 pages yesterday. If I can keep up that pace I'll have a very rough exploratory draft done by the end of the year. Of course if I'm writing in this blog, it means I've hit a spot in the book that I don't quite know what happens next. I guess that means it's time for some kind of battle. LOL. I feel really good starting a new book.

Brass Dragon Codex cover

2008-09-26T07:16:00.000-07:00

Good news. I finally got the cover for Brass Dragon Codex which is due to come out January 2009. It's kind of the comical adventure for the series. In this picture the young brass dragon, Kyani, sits on a valuable painting, trying to decide if he's going to eat it or not. But what he's really hungry for is companionship.

Kyani's search for friendship leads him to the gnome, Hector, who ventures across the desert to complete an invention that will fulfill his life quest. But Hector's new invention is far more valuable and dangerous than he realizes, and many forces plan to take it out of his hands--dwarves, knights, a clever thief, and a colossal blue dragon. Hector and Kyani must work together to complete the invention before they lose everything, including their lives.

Surprise Packages

2008-08-27T15:11:00.000-07:00

Hey all, I got to read a review copy of the newest book in the Company of Good Woman series. It was quite a read. The authors have done a great job of showing the challenges and triumphs in the lives of three everyday women. Of course I'd like to give them each a sword and magic powers and see how they fare against a horde of invading fairy monsters, but all books can't be fantasy, I guess. And I have a feeling that the three women in Surprise Packages would probably make out heroically in whatever setting they end up in. Sometimes just living a good life is more heroic than anything else.

Here's some more info about the book and an interview with the authors.

In an unusual approach to novel-writing, Nancy Anderson, Lael Littke and Carroll Morris each wrote from a single character’s point of view. Seamlessly knit together, their characters’ compelling stories have made the first two novels in the series Deseret Book bestsellers.

Surprise Packages (Deseret Book, $17.95, Softcover) begins fifteen years after Deenie, Juneau and Erin meet at Education Week at BYU. Deenie, now living in Gainesville, Florida, wonders if "a new where calls for a new who.". Juneau's feelings of guilt come to a head when a secret from her childhood resurfaces. And Erin takes a risk when she has a second chance for love—with surprising results.

Surprise Packages is the best book of the series! —Erma Carrier

I’m inspired by the character's spiritual strength and real-ness. —Vicki Wright

The Company of Good Women series is an endearing tribute to women and every kind of love they experience—times three. —Ginger Franz

Interview Questions forAnderson, Littke, Morris

Surprise Packages is the last in your trilogy, The Company of Good Women. Tell me what makes your trilogy unique.

It’s the story of three women in three different parts of the country and their quest to become Crusty Old Broads—written by three women from three different parts of the country who are self-professed Crusty Old Broads! Readers praise it for offering a realistic—but hopeful—view of the issues faced by LDS families.

Where are you from? 

Lael is from Pasadena, CA; Nancy is from Sandy, UT; and Carroll lives in Green Valley, AZ.

How did you come up with the idea of writing together?

We were vacationing together in Moab, Utah, when Nancy said, “Why don’t we write a book together?” We sat down right then and brainstormed about what we wanted the themes of our novel to be. We still have the notes that Carroll wrote in aqua ink!

What experience did you have that made a novel a feasible project?

Carroll is the author of several fiction and non-fiction books published by Deseret Book. Lael as over forty YA books (Deseret Book and national publishers) to her credit. Nancy, though at the time unpublished, had been working on some book ideas.

How long did it take until the first book came out?

We got the idea in 1998 while on vacation in Moab. We wrote “at it” for several years—we finally got serious when Deseret Book expressed interest in what we were doing. The first book in the series, Almost Sisters, was released in July of 2006, about eight years after we first got the idea.

What were the biggest challenges you faced as co-authors?

1. Merging files and making corrections. On the first book, Lael was the manuscript master. For the last two, Carroll took on that job.
2. Literary liposuction. The story of each character—told completely—would have filled its own book. So cutting the text without gutting the story was a challenge.
3. Writing the third book of the series. We knew where we were going in the first two books, but none of us had written ahead in book three. We had only general ideas about where it would go. 4. Making the series add up to something. We wanted our readers to finish the series feeling that they’d been changed by the time spent with Deenie, Juneau and Erin. We hope they will periodically read the series over, like visiting old friends.

What is your personal favorite part of Surprise Packages?

Lael: Gradually bringing Juneau and her husband, Greg, closer so that eventually they “speak the same language.”
Carroll: The romance between Erin and Vince Gerlach. Much of the Erin material is quite serious and dramatic, but the romance was fun to write.
Nancy: Deenie discovering that being a Mormon woman raised in Utah doesn’t make her better than other people. She learns a lot about herself and other as she sees life with this new self-awareness.

How did you come up with the title Surprise Packages?

That comes from a talk the three of us heard when we were vacationing in Sedona. The speaker said that when we make a decision, we’re wrapping up a package that we open in our future. In book three of the series, the three women open the packages created by the decisions they—and others—made in books one and two.

Are the characters and events in the novel based on someone you know or events in your own life? 

Lael: Many incidents are loosely based on my own or a friend's experiences, but I changed them to suit my purposes.
Carroll: As authors, we throw everything we’ve experienced, heard about, read about, wondered about, and imagined, into the great stew pot in the back of our minds. As it bubbles away, all those elements emerge in a new form—fiction that’s as real as life itself.
Nancy: It’s true that we start with what we know or know about, but then the characters take over. Some plot lines are the result of our characters refusing to go where we want them to!

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? 

That no matter what situation a person is in any moment, the story isn’t over yet. Never, never, never give up—on others or on yourself!

Are there any similarities between you three and the three characters in the novel?

There are some superficial similarities. For instance, Carroll and Nancy (actual sisters) met Lael (their virtual sister) at a Women’s Conference. Deenie, Juneau, and Erin meet at Education Week. The three authors have vacationed together every year since then; they drew on their experiences to describe the vacations the characters go on together. Nancy actually appliqued denim jackets for herself and the other authors. They wore the jackets when they were on vacation in Moab—and they did stop traffic, just like the characters in the book!

It sounds like you three have vacationed togeter a lot. What’s your favorite vacation spot?

Our favorite place is Carlsbad, CA, but Moab, Utah, and Sedona, Arizona, are right behind.

Do you three have a new project in the works?

We have an idea for a book that will have the same format as the series—we’ll each write from the viewpoint of a character. It’s a stand-alone novel set in Powell, Wyoming, during World War II. But it is on the back burner while we’re working individual projects.

For more information visit http://www.crustyoldbroads.blogspot.com and http://www.virtualsisters.net/

Blog Tour Hosts:

August 1st: Candace Salima

August 1st: Tristi Pinkston

August 1st: Shirley Bahlmann

August 2nd: Traci Abramson

August 2nd: Keith Fisher

August 4th: Don Carey

August 4th: Alison Palmer

August 4th: Jewel Adams

August 5th: Lynda Bennett

August 7th: Nichole Giles

August 8th: Karen Hoover

August 8th: Karlene Browning

August 15th: Stephanie Humphries

August 18th: Jen Lords

August 20th: Kim Thompson

August 21st: Heather Moore

August 22nd: Alison Palmer

August 23rd: Heather Justesen

August 26th: Marsha Ward

August 27th: Stephanie Black

August 28th: Rebecca Shelley

August 28th: Anne Bradshaw

August 29th: Carole Warburton

August 30th: LuAnn Staheli

August 30th: Tristi Pinkston

Breaking Dawn

2008-08-07T07:29:00.000-07:00

Of course I read it. Actually, I read it out loud with my 12 year old daughter. We finished up Sunday night. Didn't do anything but read Saturday and Sunday except attend church. My daughter is very bright and figured out much of what would happen early on, so she didn't have too many surprises. That just made her happy of course, because things turned out the way she wanted them, with one exception at the end, which I'm not going to mention at this time so as not to spoil the story for anyone who hasn't finished it yet (I know there must be a few people in the world who haven't, because my sister was still reading last night and not even half way through).

As for me, I thought it was brilliantly done especially the tasteful way the more mature content was handled. I very much enjoyed the book, and probably will read it again on my very next day off.

What Have I Been Reading?

2008-07-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I signed up for a short story workshop, coming this September 2008.

The pre-work for the workshop is to read all the Asimov's magazines for this year. Alas, it has taken me three weeks to get through seven magazines. Not my usual reading speed since since I devour books like Twilight in one evening. But that's fantasy, and I'm very comfortable with fantasy. Science Fiction on the other hand . . .

The first story in the January 2008 issue, "The Perfect Wave" by Rudy Rucker and Marc Laidlaw is absolutely brilliant--setting, voice, characterization, all wonderful. I'm smart enough to know that, but the perfect wave drowned me. For the life of me I don't understand it. Some kids get on virtual surfboards and change the world. Don't know how. Some sciency stuff. Clearly I spent too much time in college studying Beowulf and not enough time studying science. Physics 101 just doesn't cut it. I could tell right then that it would take me a concerted effort to make my way from January all the way through July.

I'm glad to say that bit by bit I've come to understand the stories and articles better. You might be glad to know that I pretty much understood all of the stories in the July issue. I particularly enjoyed "26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss" by Kij Johnson and "Thought Experiments: When the Whole World Looked Up" by Kristine Kathryn Rush.

My other favorite stories were "Galaxy Blues" by Allen M. Steele, "The Room of Lost Souls" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and "The Egg Man" by Mary Rosenblum.

"Galaxy Blues" is about a guy named Jules Truffaut who ends up taking on a black hole. Can't tell you if he survives or not, because I wouldn't want to ruin the story for anyone who hasn't already read it.

"The Room of Lost Souls" is a sequel to Kris's December 2005 Readers' Award winning novella, "Diving Into the Wreck." The story is about a woman who works with teams of space divers to find and explore/recover wrecked space ships much like undersea divers do sunken shipwrecks here on earth. In "The Room of Lost Souls" she must face the most ancient dangerous wreck of all, the wreck that killed her mother and she alone survived.

"The Egg Man" is the story of, Zipakna, a Mexican aid worker helping poor unfortunate Americans. That thought just makes me smile. But Zipakna has good reason to go into the dangerous American desert. His wife vanished out there, and he hopes his efforts will someday bring him in contact with her once again.

So, despite the slow difficulty of the read for me and often feeling completely non-intelligent, I'd say it's been a great assignment. I've sure learned a lot.

Of course the next assignment is to write a science fiction story. It's been a loooot of years since I've done that, and of course science has changed so much since I was in school, no doubt about it after reading all those magazines. I admit to feeling a bit (okay a lot) intimidated. But I have a deadline. The story must be done and sent off by the end of next week. And deadlines have a wonderful way of forcing my creativity into action. I still don't have a clue what I'm going to write. But when I sit down to work on it Monday morning, I'm sure something will pop out.

Peter Pan in Scarlet

2008-06-30T06:57:00.000-07:00

I finally got a chance to read Peter Pan in Scarlet. I had high hopes for this book and wasn't disappointed. If anything, it was better than I thought it could be. Geraldine McCaughrean did a wonderful job portraying Never Land with all its wonder and imagination. The plot is superb. Characterization great. I loved it.

Emotion Check--Terrified, and excited. A publisher has asked to see the manuscript for a chapter book series I proposed. I've got it all outlined and just need to write it. But first I must polish up the proposal for the Blue Dragon Codex and send that off. My brain keeps bouncing back and forth between the two projects (which are on relatively opposite sides of the writing spectrum) and doesn't want to stay focused long enough on one or the other to get anything accomplished. This calls for CHOCOLATE. :)

Emotion Check

2008-06-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I committed to sharing my emotions once in a while online.

So, in a breakthrough effort I actually let myself laugh out loud at my husband's ridiculous jokes Thursday night. He was delighted by that. Then yesterday I was feeling quite aggravated about something his mother said. She is a very nice and wonderful woman, and I know she didn't mean anything by it, and I started to just push the feeling aside. It wasn't a logical emotion, though it was very strong.

Then I remembered my commitment to feeling emotion (boy what an author will do to get better at her craft). So, I let myself cry (in front of my husband even) and get upset and refuse to go to the family gathering. My poor husband had a heart attack. Where was the nice, even-tempered woman he'd spent the last 16 years with? I reminded him that we had talked about my expressing my emotions, and that I was choosing to do so. He loosened up a bit, kissed me goodbye and went off to the family thing without me.

I stayed home, cleaned up my house, and read a book called Heaven Scent by Rebecca Talley, a deeply religious book for the Mormon audience about a girl whose mother and brother die in a car crash. The book was soothing, and I enjoyed it. I felt tons better after cleaning and reading and slept very well last night.

Interview With Candace E. Salima

2008-06-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I promised I'd post this interview as soon as I could. Here it is. Thank you Candace for taking the time to answer my questions and share a bit of yourself with all of us.

Q: What gave you the idea to write Forged in the Refiner's Fire?

A: Elizabeth Cheever, my co-author, approached me while I was hard at work on “Dreams Die Hard,” the sequel to “Out of the Shadows . . . Into the Light.” Initially I resisted because I was so busy but there was something about what she wanted to do that tugged at me until I couldn't say no.

Q: Creating a book like this seems like a monumental task. How did you go about getting all the stories from such great authors, putting them together, and getting your publisher to publish the book?

A: We sent emails out to all our friends, family and peers asking for stories and then asked them to forward that same message to everyone they knew. Elizabeth wrote a series of questions which those who volunteered followed. In doing that, we were able to keep the message of the book fairly focused on the fact that trials can be overcome and there is One who always stands ready and waiting to walk with us through every step. Chad Daybell of Spring Creek Book Company immediately saw the power behind the message, published and released “Forged in the Refiner’s Fire” on February 1, 2006. The very same day my husband entered the hospital for a six-week nightmare stay in Utah Valley Regional Medical Center.

Elizabeth edited the stories for grammar, punctuation, sentence structure and flow, but left the voice and story of each writer up to the individual going through that trial or tragedy. All in all, as I read back over the book now, I am stunned at the power and motivation which literally leaps off the page.

Q: What is your greatest hope for the book?

A: My greatest hope is that “Forged in the Refiner’s Fire” will reach out to every trouble heart in the world and lift them up. We were never meant to walk the thorny path of mortality alone, for as I stated earlier, Jesus Christ is always waiting to lift us up. Truly, it may feel at times, although we are surrounded by loved ones, friends and co-workers, that we are at the loneliest point in our lives. It is my hope the stories in this book give others the strength to continue on, pushing through the ever growing darkness for the light which awaits on the other side. All of us go through trial and tragedy. All of us have weaknesses we need to overcome. Just like all of us are a son or daughter of God with untold gifts and talents to accomplish what we’ve been sent here to do. It is my hope this book reminds the reader of that.

Q: When did you start writing?

A: I really can’t remember. But I remember sitting in my bedroom after school one day looking out the window. I was in sixth grade, which made me eleven at the time, and we were living in Red Mesa, Colorado. Suddenly I decided I wanted to write a story, a real story with a beginning, middle and end. I’d been a voracious reader from the time my mother taught me and I knew it was what I wanted to do. I never really believed I’d ever be published, let alone in the position I am in now, co-authoring a book with one of my favorite entertainers and people in the world, Merrill Osmond. Sometimes what begins in a child’s room can grow to a dream so big it can scarcely be comprehended.

Q: What is your writing process?

A: Wow, every book or screenplay starts with a germ of an idea. I sit down and write a very basic, generic outline which I then break down into research tasks. Once the research is complete, then I write a detailed outline and get to work. Sometimes I’ve only got 15 minutes in a day to write, sometimes 14 hours. I really like the 14 hour days.

Every morning, when I pull up my document, I read over and edit what I’ve written the day before. That gets me back into the flow and ebb of the story and then I begin to write.

Once I’ve completed the manuscript, first and second drafts, I then send it out to 20 people of different sexes, faiths, cultures and backgrounds. I send a questionnaire with it and then adjust the story accordingly. Then I send it to my final editors, Tristi Pinkston and my mother, and then it gets popped into the mail to the publisher. Then I bite my nails like everyone else waiting for that acceptance or rejection.

Q: How has having a book(s) published changed your life?

A: It’s made me more confident in my writing skills. Not in my voice or storytelling ability, but in my ability to use proper grammar, punctuation and sentence structure. It’s given me the opportunity to travel the nation speaking on literacy, freedom and the gospel. It’s given me the opportunity to spend my days doing what I love instead of slogging away at a job I’d kill to quit. All in all, it’s been a wonderful thing.

Forged in the Refiner's Fire

2008-06-18T16:25:00.000-07:00

I can't begin to express how Forged in the Refiner's Fire by Candace E. Salima and Elizabeth A. Cheever has impacted my life.

I came at it a bit trepidatiously at first. I love fiction, especially fantasy, and Refiner's Fire is a book of true life experiences about people who have faced overwhelming challenges and how they overcame them. This isn't fiction. It's sobering reality. Despite that, the stories hooked me right from the start and wouldn't let me go. I read the book straight through. I laughed. I cried. I did a lot of soul searching and came out with a better understanding of myself and of God and how he works in people's lives.

The wide range of stories in this book give something for almost every reader to connect with. Seeing how other people have overcome their challenges has given me two wonderful things, and another surprising serendipity. First, I realize I am not alone in my own personal refiner's fire. Others have walked the same path I'm on and come out better in the end because of it. Second, I realize how good my life really is. All the little things that I think are so hard seem slight in comparison to some people's trials. I'm left with a profound sense of gratitude for my life.

The third thing was rather a surprising little shock, not something I'd really anticipated from reading Refiner's Fire. I'm also a writer, and for several years now have been getting the same feedback from editors, my agent, and other writers. I stopped even taking my stuff to critique groups, because I already knew what they were going to say. I needed better characterization, deeper characters, more character development. Okay sure, I get it. I know what I need, but the knowing and doing are two different things. So for a long time now I've been on a quest to study and learn and read and practice and try somehow to deepen my characters. Plot? I've got it, no problem. Deep meditative characters? Ack.

It was a day after reading Refiner's Fire that I had my little revelation. The book had made me feel things incredibly deeply, and I was still struggling to deal with those emotions. It was like a window opened up in my mind, and I realized I was repressing the whole thing. Discounting the emotions, numbing them out, pushing them down, whatever. And it was like a little voice said to me, "You're doing it again." And I realized that I have always, for as long as I can remember, been terrified of expressing my emotions.

I refuse to cry in front of people. I refuse to let myself get angry, or hate someone, or be jealous or irritated. Somewhere I figured out these were "bad" emotions, and so I wouldn't ever let myself express them. I read back through Refiner's Fire paying special attention to how people had not only felt and expressed these emotions, they'd even gone so far as to write about them in a book for others to read. For my part, I can't even bring myself to write about that kind of thing in my own journal where no one will probably ever see it. Just the thought of doing that brings me close to a panic attack.

Then another thought came very clearly to me. If I can't even allow myself to express my own emotions, how in the world do I expect to be able to give my character emotions?

Oh, there's a thought. The problem isn't my writing or my characters, it's me on a very deep level. Of course, the thought of expressing any really strong emotion negative or positive scares me to death, I've made a goal to admit that I have these emotions and try to find good productive ways to actually express them. So now I've shared my deepest confession online for everyone to read. Shudder. I'm making a public goal here, to try to express my emotions.

So right now today I am feeling . . . terrified that I'm actually going to post this. And extremely grateful to Candace and Elizabeth for writing such a wonderful book that has impacted my life so amazingly.

Here is a terrific interview with Candace about the book.

I've also sent her some of my own interview questions which I will post here as soon as I can.

The Sisters Grimm

2008-06-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading The Fairy Tale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm, Book 1) by Michael Buckley and Peter Ferguson. Now that was a fun book. I love reading twisted fairy tales where my favorite fairy tale characters come to life in our own time. very nice. Can't wait to read more of the books in this series.

A Really Funny Book

2008-06-06T07:58:00.000-07:00

I just read a really funny book. The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy by William Boniface.

Ordinary Boy lives in Superopolis where everyone has superpowers except him. He and his friends, Stench, Plasma Girl, Halogen Boy, and Tadpole take on the city's most dangerous supervillain as well as a crash course in supply and demand as they try to collect all 64 of the Amazing Indestructo Collector Card set.

I was reading the book out loud to my ten-year-old son, who thinks it's hilarious. Don't tell him I snuck off and finished it ahead of him. It was too funny to put down.