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

Tags: Book Reviews, Manuscript, Miscellany

I begin this post with tears in my eyes–tears which have welled up as my heart has been taken on a journey of both pain and hope in the reading of this magnificent book. Let me say a few words about that journey.

First of all, in the spirit of complete disclosure, this book is being published by Valor Publishing Group, LLC, the same publishing company which is publishing my own novel in March of 2010. I received the Advanced Readers Copy free of charge. A few months ago, I was asked if I wanted to be part of the Blog Tour by Tristi Pinkston, Senior Editor at Valor, and I eagerly accepted. I am under no obligation to like the book. I am under no obligation to say nice things about the book, even if I do like it. I made no promises of any kind to Tristi or to Valor except for one: I would write a review, and I would be honest. If I were to hate the book, I would say so.

Second, I want all who read this review to know, I struggled with the book at first. The way that the chapters are laid out, with a painfully frequent jumping from one scene and place and year to another, and then back again, and this done several times, made the book a difficult read. I talked with Tristi about my concerns and was told two important things:

1. The final version of the book will have a chronology in it so that the reader can more easily figure out where they are on the timeline, and not get lost in the history.

2. When I asked about certain methods of style employed by the author in the writing, I was encouraged to consider the novel more of a “Dramatized Historical Narrative” than a Historical Fiction Novel. That encouragement helped me to look past the point-of-view changes which I found at times to be confusing.

Now, with those two points in mind, I will give my overall impression of the book.

I found Mark Shurtleff’s writing to be beautifully descriptive, the story enjoyable to read, and the characterization believable. There are times which I felt the book read more like a history textbook than a novel, but I believe that fits well within the description of being a Dramatized Historical Narrative.

The history contained in the book is utterly fascinating. As I read, I kept asking myself, “Why did I not know this? Didn’t I learn about Dred Scott in school?”. Yes, I believe that I did learn a little about him. What the history textbooks wanted me to know, at least. And much of history contained in textbooks since I was a kid is either glossed over, or revisionist with the intent to distort the facts, in my opinion. But I am not here to talk about my conservative political views.

No book is perfect. Even this book, I am sure, has its flaws and incorrect historical facts. It would be an education in itself to try and find them. But, I don’t have the background or the time to research it so that I might verify every single point, and there are thousands of such history facts in this book. Let me say this, if even eighty percent of this book is historically spot-on, the book would then be a treasure trove. And I get the feeling the percentage is much, much higher.

Aside from all of this, I do want to share what the book made me feel…

Dred Scott is a national hero, or he should be.

The pain I felt as I read about his incredible journey through life brought tears to my eyes.

The wonder I felt as I realized that with all of the complexities of men’s lives–intertwining, affecting each other, hampering at times and helping at others, and the barriers which wicked men place in front of those who have a right to seek liberty–that God could still work his wonders through men, whether they realized they were instruments in his hands or not, deeply impressed me.

The admiration I felt as I learned about Dred, his family, the Blows, and the people who wanted to help him, made me to feel the burning fires of patriotism even stronger than I did before, and forever solidified my feelings towards Dred Scott to be the same which I have always felt for Abraham Lincoln: That these men were blessed by God, which blessings in turn, blessed us all.

My final word about the book… Wonderful. I encourage anyone who has a desire to experience the fires of freedom burning within their heart to read this book, one which I believe is destined to be talked about for a good long time. Congratulations to Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff: Well done!

Tags: Book Reviews

Glenn Beck’s Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government, Inspired by Thomas Paine by Glenn Beck

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book GREATLY impressed me. And it made me very, very angry about the corruption in our government. So much so that I attended the Tea Party gathering at the state capital building today (9/12/09), something I have never done before. Rallies and protests are not generally in my nature. But I have had enough.

I have a word to say to every Senator and Representative in this country: A sleeping giant is awakening. In 2010 and 2012, every single one of you who will not uphold the Constitution, who insists on turning a blind eye to corruption in our government, who refuses to force the Federal Government to stop spending away the futures of our children and grandchildren — WE ARE GOING TO GET RID OF EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU. I hope you like your new job flipping burgers or running a taco stand.

LONG LIVE THE REPUBLIC!

Glenn Beck: Keep up the good work!

View all my reviews >>

Tags: Book Reviews, Patriotism, Patriotism and Politics

Agent in Old Lace by Tristi Pinkston

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book was a good, fast read. The only thing I didn’t connect with in this book was the kidnapping at the beginning. Perhaps it happened so fast that I didn’t have time to feel the suspense of it build up. Or maybe I was just in a weird mood that day and a nuclear bomb wouldn’t have even phased me. At any rate, my favorite part(s) involved “the agent” having to dress up as the main character’s aunt, and he wasn’t very good at it. Those situational difficulties provide some very funny scenes in the story. I would recommend the book to anybody who likes an fun romantic suspense novel.


View all my reviews.

Tags: Book Reviews

I believe I have proven to myself that there are no rules in publishing. Books are published in any ol’ fashion the publisher’s editor wishes to publish it. The publisher can allow the author to reuse words over and over and over and over again in a short amount of space (if you didn’t see the inside joke up above, I am sorry). Can format the page in any way they want. Can be picky about the punctuation and grammar (or not). And can permit any other rule, written or unwritten, to be ignored.

I have a book on my Goodreads list that I have gotten stuck on. I am not going to name it because I am going to give it another chance when I get the time. The reason I got stuck was “head hopping”. There are POV issues with it. When the reader gets sucked out of the story because the Point of View changes between characters in the same scene, and the change is not handled very cleanly (in other words, the reader has to go back and re-read a few paragraphs so they can figure out who is thinking/talking/acting), then the POV shift is a problem.

Now, you may think that I know what I am talking about here. Perhaps I do, just a little bit. I started reading this un-named book right about the time that I finished an UGLY edit on my own manuscript. I had been fixing POV problems. Danyelle Ferguson, Tristi Pinkston, and Matthew Buckley, each of whom had read either all or some of my story, were the ones who pointed out the specific examples to me. I thank them for their help!

Anyway, they pointed the problems out, and I read a lot about POV Shifts, and I practiced, and I listened to their suggestions, and then all of a sudden the light went off. Rather on. The lightbulb over my head is usually off, and when it goes on, it really gets my attention. I digress . . .

*sigh*

Yep. I had a pretty good idea as to what a POV Shift was. And this un-named book had one. And then another. And then possibly another. I WAS STUCK. I couldn’t finish the book. I started to think, “Hey, this isn’t fair. This book has POV issues. And yet it is published. WHY did I just spend about 80 hours fixing all of the issues in my book? Some of my chapters required an entire re-write because of them.”

Yep. That is what I thought. So I put the un-named book down.

On Monday I finished a well known book, a New York Times Bestseller. “The Alchemyst – The Secrets of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel” by Michael Scott. Guess what: It has POV shifts, mid-scene, MANY times. It freaked me out. Last week I had started another book, “One Last Chance” by Jerry Borrowman, and found IT has POV shifts. There is a courtroom scene near the beginning of the story where we go back and forth between several characters participating. It is almost dizzying. To the authors’ credits, in both books the POV changes are done in such a way that there is no mistake as to which character is in charge at that moment. I am not done with “One Last Chance”, but I presume the writing will continue to keep me on track.

So what is the deal? I thought POV shifts were a no-no. I did read that epic fantasy used to do it all the time. But then I read that editors wanted writers to get away from doing it. There are a couple of places I remember reading about the LDS publishing market and how POV shifts are particularly annoying to these editors. Doing so can get your manuscript rejected.

These were the reasons, in addition to the recommendations of three authors I respect a great deal, that I went to all the trouble to fix those shifts in my own work. Don’t get me wrong, I am glad I did. It made the book much stronger. In fact, I hope I didn’t miss any.

Maybe I just don’t understand the rules?

Let me know what you think.

A side note: The picture for this post was done by a very good friend of the family (one of my adopted daughters), Stephanie Haven. Check out her blog if you get a chance: http://stephaniehaven.blogspot.com/
_

Tags: Book Reviews, Manuscript, My Writing Life

Here is the review I did on Goodreads:

Because of a great plot idea, interesting characters, and a well written story, I blew through the book in 2 days. Compared to third-person past-tense stories, there are fewer first-person present-tense stories out there, and I have not read many. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I did. And so I was on high-alert when I started the book. Would the author do it right? I must say, after a page or two, I completely forgot about the person/tense being used because the author did such a good job with it. And I don’t recall being distracted during the read. Just my opinion . . . one of the best parts about the book: It was clean.

After I finished the book, I found myself thinking about it several times during the next two days. Even though the book itself was worthy of additional thought cycles, there was something else about it which intrigued me. Something outside the story. Something which made me think about other stories. Other movies. Similar plots.

When my thoughts were gathered and molded, I decided that I wanted to write about this “something else” which had gone through my mind. But I realize there are those people out there which won’t give a hoot about the contrast I am about to highlight (especially since it is a religious concept), so I will take that conversation to my blog. If you are interested in the idea, you can find me on:

http://lachish-letters.blogspot.com

Otherwise, I will end here with a solid recommendation: Great book. I look forward to reading the sequel.

And now my continuation:

Because I wanted to do something quite unique with this review, I read a few other reviews on The Hunger Games to get a feel for what people were saying. For the most part, reviews are very positive. I did find that some reviewers detested the book, saying it was a plagiarized plot line, or world, or concept. Several of them also claimed that other authors did the story-line so much better. But since I have not read any of the books cited, similarities to other works didn’t bother me at all. After all, most books written these days bear some resemblance to other works which are already out there. Plots and characters are similar because they all come from the human experience we share.

So just like the other reviewers, this book also reminded me of many books and movies which I have already read or seen. Certainly not exactly the same. Just similar. Rather than name those which I have experienced, I want you to think about some general themes. Which ones do you recognize? Which have you read or seen?

Post-apocalyptic survival. Degenerate peoples. Governments or organizations which think they have arrived at the highest pinnacle of progress and civility, but in reality are corrupt and depraved. Peoples who are oppressed by those governments/organizations. People who want to escape because they are prisoners of the system. Futuristic places which are described so well and in such a way the reader wonders if that is exactly where we are headed. Stories which are placed in a setting of planet-wide calamity, typically the kind of destruction that mankind brought upon itself.

Do you see the themes? These are themes within The Hunger Games. Already done. And yet I loved the story.

But here is the contrast . . .

I am here to tell you, no matter how bad it gets, The Hunger Games (or any other popular post-apocalyptic title you wish to insert here) is not the way the story ends. Children will not be forced to kill each other for sport under the watchful eye of a post-American government after a widespread calamity.

I am not saying the calamity won’t happen. What I am saying is that after the calamity, there will NOT arise a corrupt government to torment people from a gleaming Capital which outwardly looks like heaven on earth.

It ain’t going to happen.

Take a look at this:

Isaiah 54:11-14
11 O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.

Ah, yes. Do you see the foundations? For more description of the capital city, go read the chapter 21 in the book of Revelation. It will truly be a beautiful city. And instead of an arena for child gladiators, “great shall be the peace of thy children”. And this is what we will find:

Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Don’t you love that? PEACE. TRUTH. NO FEAR. NO TERROR. NO PAIN. NO TEARS. And all of those thoughts about the total destruction of the human race: Those ideas will “pass away”.

That is the contrast. That is the way it will really happen.

So, although I enjoyed the book immensely, it is just a story. I know how it will really end.

And this ending will be so much better.

Let me know what you think.

Tags: Book Reviews, Spiritual Thoughts

While at the LDS Storymakers Conference, I was talking to Tristi Pinkston, and right next to her was sitting the famous Lu Ann Staheli. I say famous because it seems as though I have seen her name in many, many places in the LDS blogosphere. Have I said that LDS Storymakers is the best conference I have ever been to? SUPERB. I met so many cool people there. But I digress . . .

Tristi asked me to do a review of an ARC she had with her, which made my heart skip a beat. Another review? Thank you Tristi! But then, shock of all shocks with which I have ever been shocked: Lu Ann said, “Daron, would you like to do another review?”

Good thing I didn’t fall on the floor dead right then and there. That would have been embarrassing.

Well, Lu Ann, here is the review I just posted on Goodreads. You are a fantabulous writer.

***
When Hearts Conjoin

This is one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read. Even though I knew what the outcome of the story would be as I turned the pages, I was pulling for the Herrin family, especially Erin, as I read about their struggles over all of those long, trial filled years. She is one tough woman. Congratulations to both her and her husband Jake for their beautiful family and the happiness they have found together. What a wonderful testament to forgiveness, love, and miracles. I am sure that Heaven has many special blessings yet in store for them. May God continue to bless the Herrin family!

And as for the co-writer of the book, Lu Ann Staheli, I was mightily impressed by her skill in weaving the tale. This is the first work of hers I have ever read. Only a driving need for sleep allowed me to put the book down, and then only until I knew I had time to finish the other half of the book in one sitting.

Fantastic. Go get this book.

Tags: Book Reviews, Conferences

Ok. Now I am weirded out. I am at the 7th Annual Young Writers Conference by the Nebo Reading Council with my youngest daughter. She had to twist my arm really, really hard to go. OK, that isn’t true. I jumped at the chance. We have seen Brandon Mull, Will Terry, Kim Williams-Justeson, Nathan Hale, Emily Wing Smith, Paul Genesse, Chris Crowe . . . and many others.

No, they don’t all weird me out. Authors and Illustrators are better than rock stars. What got me was this cute middle-school girl who followed us into a classroom session.

“Excuse me?”

“Yes?”

“Do you know who J. Scott Savage is?”

“Yes, I do!”

“Well, you look alot like him!”

Then she left.

Speechless. I look like a rock star? Really? How stinking cool is that!

Let’s check this out:

I have no idea. I think I look like me. Perhaps the resemblance is we both wear button-down shirts. Does Jeff have gray hair? I will have to find out at the LDS Storymakers Conference next month.

So why did a teenager track me down, approach me, a stranger (I am sure she had no idea how strange), and tell me that?

Maybe I am starting to look like a writer. I am ok with that. As long as I don’t look like Samuel Clemens. Yet . . .

Tags: Book Reviews, My Writing Life

“The Forgotten Warrior” by Kathi Oram Peterson

Forgiveness has never been an attribute of sixteen-year-old Sydney Morgan’s. Loyal and loving to her mother and sister, a crisis forces her to find her absent father, which in turn begins a chain of events leading her to the last place and time she would have ever expected.

The Forgotten Warrior follows Syd as she is transported back to Book of Mormon times by touching a mysterious clear stone. She meets Chief Captain Helaman; nursemaid, Mariah; and the stripling warriors. They believe Syd to be a boy, and worse yet, Helaman’s second-in-command, Tarik, thinks Syd is a Lamanite spy and threatens to kill her.

Come follow Sydney as she desperately tries to find her way back home, fights to gain Helaman’s respect, and despite herself, falls in love with Tarik.

***

I am very appreciative to Kathi and also to Tristi Pinkston (organizer of this Virtual Blog Tour) for letting me get my hands on a crisp copy so I could participate as a reviewer.

No matter how hard I tried to resist (it was an almost conscious resistance), I was pulled into story right away on account of great characters. But I resisted! I resisted because I was waiting for the “time-travel” moment with bated breath. How will Kathi pull this off? I asked myself.

Will it be a re-hash of the old get-lost-in-a-cave, then fall-into-an-underground-river, and then miraculously-fly-back-into-time trick? I have read several books in Chris Heimerdinger’s “Tennis Shoes” series. For that matter, Chris and I are almost brothers. Just like Chris, I grew up in Cody, Wyoming. I have been in the Spirit Mountain Cavern (although I never got sucked back into time). Still: The cave is real. I have been there. So, I have convinced myself that Chris was sucked back into time. How else could he describe how the characters in his books traveled back in time?

This brings me to my point. I also know those clear, white stones existed. The brother of Jared had them. Does anybody know what happened to them? It seems to me that Kathi knows. She must have one of the stones. There is no other explanation.

I declare this a conspiracy! We now have another author who has a way to travel through time to visit the peoples of The Book of Mormon, and she has not volunteered to share her new vacation spot with the rest of us. I demand an investigation.

Where did she get the stone? How long has she had it? What other places has she visited? Why won’t she share? I would like to go! Can we purchase time-shares?

All kidding aside, I enjoyed the book. There are some great characters set in a fun storyline. I really only had two very minor gripes with the book:

1. I found a couple of errors which were missed or introduced in typesetting. With Kathi’s English degree, I am sure she was annoyed too.

2. I hated the ending. Well, hate is perhaps WAY too strong. I was “put out”. I like Syd. I wanted her to march right back into the fray, kick (literally) some more Lamanite butt, and rescue Tarik.

*SIGH* I will have to wait until the next novel in the series. Want a fun read? Go get her book.

If you would like to learn more about Kathi Oram Peterson, or her book, please visit her website:

http://www.kathiorampeterson.com/

or her blogsite:

http://www.kathiswritingnook.com/

Tags: Book Reviews