Heather Justesen Gives Away Prizes

A Week FILLED with Giveaways!
So to celebrate the release of her new book, and to round out her blog tour she has put together a week of giveaways. Two things each day. Visit her blog at http://heatherjustesen.blogspot.com/.

Tuesday - autographed copies of Tristi Pinkston's first two books, Nothing to Regret, and Strength to Endure, both historicals taking place during World War II. Nothing to Regret is about a man who is sent to the Japanese internment camp in the desert. He has to give up finishing college and leave nearly everything behind when he and his parents are forced to move there. During the course of the book he enlists and goes undercover in Japan. Strength to Endure is set at the same time, only in Germany. Strength To Endure expertly portrays the consequences of war and the ability of the human spirit to conquer all.

Wednesday - Heather is giving away a copy of Missing, donated by new author, Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen. This mystery/suspense story with romance elements will keep you gripping the edge of your seats! Or Mike McPheters' book, Agent Bishop about his true story of being an FBI agent moonlight as a Mormon Bishop.

Thursday - Valerie Ipson offered to donate a $15 gift certificate from Vinyl Expressions. Or a book by Steve Alten's called The Shell Game!

Friday - Kristi's Creative Cakes (based out of the Salt Lake Valley) offered a free edible image using your photo or image and shipped to you (within the U.S.) free. If you live on the Wasatch Front and need a whole cake, she's willing to credit the winner $15 toward the price of a finished cake (which is at least half again what the edible image is worth, even shipped!). Or Reiyalindis a YA fantasy by Cory Poulson.

Saturday - Bone Warriors, by Bron Bahlmann, the fifteen year old who has already broken into the publishing business. This adventure/fantasy is sure to keep you hooked. Or Anne Bradshaw’s newest offering, Famous Family Nights, with stories from much beloved personalities such as Allen Osmond, David Glen Hatch, Josi Kilpack, Suan Easton Black, and many more.

I am also going to try to post so you can see her trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncq3Z7Cm20k

Surprise - I am a winner. I finished writing on November 20 - 10 days early. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but I'm not sure it's something I want to do every year. One good thing is I do have a written novel. Yeah, it's going to take a lot of editing because I don't usually write so long without looking at what I've written. I do a lot of editing along the way. I'm almost afraid to look at what came from my fingers so fast.

I Won

I actually won the contest to win the CD from James Loynes. Anne Bradshaw has another great contest going on, so if I were you I'd look into this one. The book she is giving away is amazing, and if you haven't read the newest book by Rhonda Hinrichsen, you are missing out on a fun adventure. I'm sure I've already said too much so you need to go see the rules for winning on Anne's blog at http://annebradshaw.blogspot.com

Anne Brandshaw Give Away

Everyone should enter the give-away for James Loynes' Christmas album, His Name Shall Be Called Wonderful. Anne says it is a touching reminder of the true meaning of the holiday season.
James also has a blog at jamesloynes.blogspot.com/. This give-away runs until this Wednesday, November 25th. The winner gets chosen from the comments, and the prize comes direct from James in England. To enter go to http://annebradshaw.blogspot.com/ and follow the directions.

National Novel Writing Month

I was one of thousands who accepted the challenge to write 50,000 words in one month. The month of November is the dreaded month. It is probably one of the busiest times of the year for most people. It was a goal that I accepted, and when I set out to do something I usually accomplish what I aim for.

Today, November 20th, at about 7 pm I reached my goal. It was a big relief and one I wasn't sure I would reach. I like to write, but never have I tried to fit so much writing time into my life before. Usually, I'm happy if I get a blog written and maybe 1,000 words in a day.

I could not have accomplished this without the encouragement and help from many people. My husband allowed me space and time to write whenever I wanted. I'm sure he was as relieved as I was went the goal was reached. My daugher Annette kept asking me how I was doing. Many friends asked how many words I had written, and encouraged me to keep going. The Authors Incognito group really made me push. I didn't want to be behind anyone, and so I pushed harder than I normally would have. It was great having so much support.

I'm happy to say that I'm done. I doubt that I'll ever try this again, but now I know I can do it.

The LDS Humor committee just announced that, Mormon Mishaps and Mischief is going to press. They told us to expect it to be available in the stores around the second week of December.

So why am I telling you this? Because my name will be in print in an actual book. They told those of us that wrote short blurbs that we could announce this happy news on our blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and any other social networking site or place where we feel it's appropriate. I can announce to the world that I’m going to be published. They also encouraged us to point out what a great holiday gift this little book would make. Everyone wants a smile for Christmas. I’m going to buy several.

More Pictures

Nichole took some pictures of Mark Shurtleff's book launch party so I'm showing them to you.

Missing

One of the best books I’ve read this year is, Missing by Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen. Even though I had read the beginning of this book, I needed to see what happened next, and then it was difficult to put down. After each chapter, I had to keep going. This story kept my attention until the very end. Yes, I would buy this book for my teenage granddaughters and other people on my Christmas list.

During a musical performance, Stacie saw a kidnapped child in the audience, but the girl disappears. Stacie had the courage to pursue the child even when no one except a handsome Matt believed her. He helps her in the search, while she tries to resist the attraction she feels for him. Stacie puts her own life on the line to find this child and bring her to safety. Even though Stacie faced many difficult trials in her life, she still listened to the whisperings within her own heart. The characters in the book were real and I could picture each scene. I would recommend this book to everyone who likes a good mystery and romance. This is an amazing book, and I give it a big 10.

Mark Shurtleff's Book Signing

My daughter accompanied me

Mark Shurtleff and myself

Here are some pictures that I took at Mark Shurtleff's book signing on Tuesday, November 3, 2009. I think the book signing went very well. I have only had his book for a few days and I'm only into it about 120 pages, but I LOVE IT!

Candace introducing me

The program was pretty close to the following schedule:

5:30 to 6:00 p.m. Calvary Baptist Choir
6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Booksigning
7:00 p.m. to 7:05 p.m. Alex Boye' Performs
7:05 to 7:10 p.m. Reading of "Cry for Freedom" Winning Entry
7:10 to 7:20 p.m. Lynn Jackson (Great-great granddaughter of Dred Scott)
7:20 to 7:25 p.m. Alex Boye' Performs
7:25 to 8:00 p.m. Reading and Q&A with Mark L. Shurtleff
8:00 to 8:30 p.m. Booksigning


If you haven't purchased the book yet, you really should. It's great.












Keith, me, Daron, and BJ

Russ, Me & Cindy

Many more friends were there, but I didn't get a picture with everyone. I think Nichole took some pictures, but I haven't seen those yet.