Writing. Editing. Website maintaining. Blogging. Networking. Preparing. Stressing. Worrying.

I have been so busy for the past few months in preparation for my book release that I have nearly forgotten why I feel compelled to write. As I was doing some site maintenance this evening, I came across a recent comment from one of my blog followers. I hope she doesn’t mind me bringing attention to her comment, but Krista said: “Angel’s Song gave me chills”. That statement really grabbed me.

I had just recently finished editing that story with my editor at Valor, Tristi Pinkston, and so the mechanics of it were still in my mind. Why did the story affect Krista that way? I wondered.

So I went to my website page to were it is, and I read it. This time for enjoyment. Funny thing–it gave me chills too. Why? Because it is an extension of my own testimony or witness of Christ. The feelings which I felt and wanted to convey when I wrote the story, flooded back to me.

I know that Christ lives! There is no doubt in my mind that He, under His Father’s direction, created this Earth and the universe in which we find ourselves. He is my King. He is my Savior. As a hen which gathers and protects her chicks under her wings, He loves me, and He loves you.

For all of the self-important biblical “scholars” out there, those few who deny His divinity, who claim that the Bible is merely a historical document full of fable telling of men who are long since dead, and also for all the others who deny the very existence of God because they have forgotten what it feels like to hear His voice in their hearts . . . I say to you: You are wrong. Christ lives. He paid the debt of the Fall, and performed an eternal, infinite, Atonement. He took up His body, now glorified and perfected beyond all description, never to lay it down again.

If you no longer feel His comforting presence in your lives, it is not because God is dead. It is because YOU left HIM. But His arms are stretched out still, and He calls to you to come back into His fold.

Is there any wonder why children easily believe? Coming from the presence of God into this life, they are not yet too far removed from that prior existence to forget. It is the youth and the adults of the world who crush that innate belief. Through sin and disobedience and denial, they smother the very lights of heaven which had previously touched their souls.

I believe in Christ. I trust Him. He always keeps His promises. As the God of the Old Testament, even the Great Jehovah, Christ has always cared for Israel, His children. He has said that His children, those who He calls the children of Israel, are those who are willing to covenant with Him. His children are those who believe and keep His commandments. It really is that simple. Have you forgotten what His influence feels like? Then test Him. Believe. Follow. Try to keep His commandments. Then you will once again feel His influence in your life.

This is why I write what I do. It is because I believe.

I know who my readership and audience will be. My books . . . my stories . . . are written from my heart. They are a written witness to what I believe in my heart, even down to the depths of my soul. I hope that they will touch the hearts of many, especially the youth of this world, who are desperate for clean, uplifting stories which can help them to know who they are, why they are here, and where they are going.

This is why I write.

Thanks be to the Lord for His grace and His love for me, and for the talents He has blessed me with. May I always be worthy of His help in this fantastic journey.

I wasn’t sure what to call this post. Part of me finds it easy to justify my complete lack of attention to my blog. Another part of me insists that I shouldn’t let the other part of me which likes to come up with lame excuses get away with it. I am going to let the lamer win. At least for a moment.

My reasons:

1. The Holidays: I really enjoyed spending time with family through the Christmas season. We played games a lot, and ate way too much food. On New Year’s Eve, my son, son-in-law, and myself stayed up playing Settlers of Catan (with most of the expansion packs) until 5am. I regretted that later, but it was fun while I was awake.

2. A new addition: For the last 4 weeks I have been called Grandpa. My little granddaughter has been over almost every single day. I forgot what babies are like. They smell so good. They are fun to cuddle at nap time. One Sunday afternoon I fell asleep in the recliner with her resting in the crook of my arm. Slept for an hour. She never budged. Of course, my arm fell asleep, but it was worth it. Now that I think about it, this shouldn’t actually be a lame excuse. In fact, I am quite pleased with this one.

3. Twitter: I think social networking has become my bane. I am fascinated by it and repelled by it at the same time. Conflicting viewpoints abound. Some say an author should have twitter so fans can “connect”. Some say it is a waste of time. I am not yet sure. But my twitter activity certainly has outweighed my blogging.

4. Plotting: I did plot out the major arcs and characters for both book 2 and 3 in my series “The Chronicles of Gan”. I am very excited about what I came up with. But I am also quite worried about it too. I wonder if I can pull it off again. The first book was SO MUCH WORK. Yikes.

5. Preparing for signings: I have a ton of things going on right now in preparation for my book release. I have a training seminar I am going to on Friday and Saturday. I have been trying to figure out what I am going to do with my website. I have been wondering what to do about business cards and book marks and such. I have been trying to figure out if I can pull off a tour to promote my book since the publisher wants me to go for a longer time period than what I have vacation for… so unless I have a bunch of donations come in to cover the time-off-without-pay, I am not sure I can do the entire thing.

6. LDStorymakers Conference: I have been working with some friends who will be presenting with me at a “Website Design” class at the conference. We have a lot of work ahead of us. And we are not anywhere near ready.

7. Reading: I have been reading books in the late evening. Some books for enjoyment, other books because I promised the authors a review. And there are more to come. I have at least 3 more reviews I will be doing by March. A year ago if you would have told be I would be doing blurbs and reviews for books, I would have thought you were looney. Well, even today, I may still think you are looney, but that is beside the point.

8. Galleys: I did actually complete this one, but since it took a fair amount of my time, I am listing it. I need to take credit for getting at least one of these things completed!

9. The day job: This one pays the bills. Can’t get rid of this one yet. Somebody help me to sell 300,000 copies, and we’ll talk about this one again.

10. Google Reader: I think I have signed up to follow too many blogs. And that keeps me from maintaining my own. Or so goes the excuse.

11. FEAR:  I am nervous about what I have gotten myself into. I hear folks who are full-time authors talk about how hard it is to balance everything and get done what they need to get done in time for deadlines, etc. And I have a day job… AM I NUTS? What is wrong with me? I can’t believe that I am doing this, actually. I need to sleep. I need to work. I need to read. I need to write. I need to play games with my family. Gotta figure this one out or my family will disown me.

OK, so I admit that some of my problem… most of my problem… all of my problem… is that I have not yet figured out how to manage my time effectively. I wish I knew what the most important things were to be successful, then I could do those, and nothing else. Whew. This is going to be a very, very busy 6 months. I hope I make it through without going bonkers.

And for those of you who know James Dashner, don’t get on my case for not being able to count to ten. He does top-ten lists all the time, and can’t count either… and he used to be an ACCOUNTANT.  :P

This post by Jeff Scott Savage was too good to not share. For those of you who are writers, and perhaps are participating in the NaNoWriMo challenge, here is a link to a super pep-talk.

http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/2009/11/you-have-to-convince-yourself-first.html

Enjoy!

And keep writing!

Hey folks, I am going to the Valor book launch party tonight. Are you? Details below!

****

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Mark L. Shurtleff, Utah State Attorney General and author, will be joined by Lynne Jackson and recording artist, Alex Boye’, on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Salt Lake City’s Gateway for the national launch of his new book, Am I Not a Man; The Dred Scott Story, published by Valor Publishing Group.

Candace E. Salima, president of Valor Publishing Group, has planned several activities for the book launch party and hopes to attract a wide spectrum of new fans for Shurtleff “We are so excited for Mark and hope this becomes an opportunity for the public to know him on a different level.”

Musical tributes by the Calvary Baptist Choir of Salt Lake City will be featured, with a special performance by Alex Boye, dedicated to the memory of Dred Scott. Lynne Jackson, the great-great granddaughter of Dred Scott, will be a guest speaker at the launch party. In addition to the performances and presentations, Valor Publishing Group has commissioned baker Cindy Parvizi of CakeFlake to create two specialty cakes for the occasion.

Mark Shurtleff’s historical novel details the story of Dred Scott, a freed slave who was forced back into bondage, and his fight to regain his liberty. Scott is arguably the most important figure in the 18th century struggle for freedom from slavery. His tragic case against the U.S. Supreme Court emboldened the abolitionist movement of the time and became part of Abraham Lincoln’s presidential platform and key reference for the historical, the Emancipation Proclamation.

The national book launch and release will start at 5:30 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble Booksellers location in Salt Lake City’s Gateway open air mall. Festivities will end at 8:30 p.m.

Lynne Jackson will be available for interviews on November 3rd. Mark Shurtleff is available for interviews from October 28th to November 3rd.

Barnes & Noble Booksellers
The Gateway
6 Rio Grande Street
Salt Lake City, UT

5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Calvary Baptist Choir
6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Mark Shurtleff signs copies of his book “Am I Not a Man? The Dred Scott Story”
7:00 p.m. to 7:05 p.m. Alex Boye’ sings “Am I Not a Man and a Brother?”
7:05 p.m. to 7:10 p.m. Connie Hall reads her winning essay “Stand Up for Freedom”
7:10 p.m. to 7:20 p.m. Lynne Jackson speaks about Dred Scott
7:20 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Mark Shurtleff reads 1st Chapter and Q&A
8:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Drawing for Grand Prize and signing of any last books

Mark Shurtleff and Lynne Jackson are available for live interviews on November 3rd. Mark Shurtleff is available for interviews on other days according to his schedule.

For more information, contact:

Candace E. Salima
Phone: 801-358-6213
Email: candace@valorpublishinggroup.com
http://www.valorpublishinggroup.com

Mission accomplished. The book is done.

At about 1 a.m. this morning, I sent the final pages back to my editor (Tristi Pinkston at Valor Publishing) for review and inclusion in the master copy of the manuscript. Changes were accepted. I can finally say, the book is done!

Copy editing is the next step to get it ready for typesetting, but those changes are expected to be minor. During the edit, Tristi mentioned that I must really like water because of some of the imagery in my book. Yep, I do. It is calming to me. I have spent some of my best thinking moments on the banks of a stream or river. So, the image above of a peaceful lake seemed appropriate for this post.

And if I must say so myself, the book is quite good, better than I had ever imagined when I started out on this writing journey. I look forward to seeing comments from my readers when the ARCs are sent out!

Oh. I almost forgot. If you want to experience the satisfaction one can only experience through the creative process, sign up for NaNoWriMo. It starts tomorrow!

Happy Halloween, everybody. I’m going to go celebrate by robbing candy from my children this evening.

Note: The photo was taken by a friend of mine, or rather, adopted daughter, Stephanie Haven. She now has a website: http://stephaniehaven.com 

OH! ONE MORE THING!!! Don’t go yet!

Valor Publishing is having a HUGE book launch party for Mark Shurtleff at the Barnes & Noble in the Gateway Mall, Salt Lake City, on Tuesday evening. For details, please click on the Valor link above. Everybody who is anybody is going to be there. Even some who are nobody (like me) will be there. Come say hi!

In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, we learn that the answer to life is 42. Adams does not tell us what the question is, however.

But 42 as a meaningful answer to some question, might actually be true, in my case. At the age of 42, I will become a published author. The final product may not be out until about three weeks after my 43rd birthday, but at least the book will be available for pre-orders around January 16th. And ARC copies will go out before my birthday, I am certain. To celebrate, I plan to treat myself to membership with LDS Storymakers sometime in February, if they will have me.

SO . . . in my case, why is it an answer to life? Well, I have wondered for a long, long time what I wanted to be when I grew up.

I don’t wonder anymore.

I hope to have a book cover in the next two weeks, so come back later for a sneak peek. Then watch for “The Chronicles of Gan – The Thorn” in a bookstore near you!

During the last few weeks I have attempted several times to get public response to my short story, “WATER”.  I have submitted it to a couple magazines, blogged about it, put it on my website, sent emails to friends, etc., and have had some very favorable responses. For those of you who did take the time to read it, I thank you. Your comments truly warmed my heart.

But the other, more targeted attempts I have made in trying to get the story out there have met with even less than a sigh. Not even a whimper. It is like the world is dead and I am out here at my laptop thinking there are people hearing me, but there is no response. It feels like post nuclear war.

Let me explain why this is bizarre: I did some very extensive searches on the internet for places which hosted inspirational short stories. I also read a few of the works they had available to be sure my short story would be well accepted. Then I submitted by email or form according to the requirements site. I did this several times. These included sites hosted by other Christian authors, sites who promote writers of inspirational stories, sites for ministries, and even an LDS site or two. I also posted to Goodreads and sent out a note to some groups who talk about and write short stories.

But I got nothing. Not a single response. Not a peep. Hmmmm.

I made the effort to do this for 2 reasons:

1. It is a good story, in my opinion. It is very uplifting. So, I wanted to make it freely available to the public, no strings attached. I think it has the power to strengthen a person’s feelings for the Jesus Christ. That is why I wrote it. I was prompted to write the story many, many times. . . the idea would not leave me alone until I finally took the time to do it.

2. I do have to admit, I did hope that if people liked the story, they might also be interested in reading my book when it is released. That idea came to me afterwards, when it was turned down by the magazines I submitted to. I wondered what I was going to do with it.

Whether the story ever contributes to an awareness of my book, it doesn’t matter. I write because I feel compelled to write. And if reason number one listed above is accomplished, the short story has fulfilled its reason for being.

I know, I shouldn’t give up. And I won’t. But it strikes me as odd that nobody in those targeted searches responded. Not one.

I know better than to ask myself this question, but I couldn’t help it. With the prospect of having a book released in March, I am having some of those pre-publication jitters I have seen other writers experience. I am sure there is no cause for alarm. At least not yet. The question still comes to mind:

Will anybody actually care? 

If you are a writer, how did you overcome that question? What keeps you trying even though there is a chance nobody will ever read what you have written?

I think I know the answer for myself. I am just curious about what keeps the rest of you going.

In the last few days, I wrote about 500 words on book 2 and spent about 10 hours editing chapter 9 of book 1. Thank heavens my editor is patient. My brain is mush.

In celebration of this grand accomplishment, the time has finally come to use a picture taken while in Cozumel in May on a company trip (Yeah, I was spoiled, but I did get food poisoning the last day in Mexico, so don’t be too jealous).

This is my new excuse for all current and future writing mistakes:

 

No, he didn’t die.

He’s still writing and still tweeting as of this morning.

But I need to let you all in on a secret. You see, whether he knows it or not, James has been a huge support to me over the last year. We have been all over the internet together. As my picture has been smiling at the world on facebook, twitter, my website, my publisher’s website… James has been there in the shadows. Always supportive. Always making me feel strong. He has been there with me ever since I first met him at a book signing over a year ago at a local library. He signed my copy of “The 13th Reality, The Journal of Curious Letters” on that day. He joked with my kids who were with me. And we took pictures.

James is right there with me in the profile picture which I have used the most often in all of these internet places:

 

See how supportive he is being? What a trooper.

I liked this picture because I was actually smiling. My family accuses me of never smiling correctly (my smile usually comes out more like a smirk on the camera). James made me smile. Because authors are cool. James is cool. And he has some really cool books coming out soon.

But it is now time for me to move on. I need to stand on my own two feet. I need to smile by myself. Why not? I have a lot to smile about. I have a wonderful wife and six great kids. AND… I am going to be published.

I am going to be an author! My only hope is to someday be as cool as James.

I recently had pictures done by a soon-to-be-professional photographer and friend of the family, Stephanie Haven. Here is her college blogsite:  Haven Photography. I thought I would give her some props because I am now going to be using all those professionally done shots for my profile pics, and send the best of them (or rather my favorites) to Valor Publishing so they can use the pictures everywhere and put it in the back of the book and make banners and flyers and internet ads and posters and t-shirts and logos and gigantic representations of them on the side of my own private corporate jet.

Delusions of grandeur, I assure you. Valor needs it for the book.

So, here’s to James: Thanks for a great year. I’ll miss you. Until we meet again. Maybe at lunch. Because I am plugging your books. You can buy.

I’m kidding!