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Most people desire to be free from fear or want, and they wish for freedom of speech and belief. To me freedom means a person has the ability to act according to his or her own will. It also suggests that I can stand up for liberty. The fight between good and evil on earth will never end, but here in the United States of America I have the right for freedom.
The war between good and evil started in our pre-existence, our life with God before we were born. The scriptures are full of events concerning noble, righteous deeds. There are also many examples of wicked, malicious men, as well as decent, respectable men. My hero is Moroni, a strong and mighty man in the Book of Mormon, who rallied his people to defend their religion. He sought after the glory of God, and the welfare of his country. Moroni stood up and fought for liberty and the freedom of his country.
In 1626, some of my courageous ancestors boarded the Mayflower and left the old world behind for a new land where they could worship God after the dictates of their own hearts. A hundred-fifty years later, their children fought for freedom in the Revolutionary War. What they did for us was not without cost. Thousands of people gave their lives for this country because they wanted the right to choose. It is my belief that you are only free if you have choices. Those people didn't want a king. Instead, they wanted new laws. Just like Moroni, they wanted liberty.
It makes me angry to see so many people sit back and take what they have for granted. It's almost as though they don't want independence. Maybe they are afraid of liberty, because having freedom means responsibility. Many people fail to vote, and they don't take an interest in their community or the things going on around them. They only live life for what it can do for them, giving little of themselves or their time. I believe that everyone owes it to those in upcoming generations to give back something so that freedom carries on to the next generation.
I'm grateful for the privilege of citizenship in this great country. Here I have the power to make decisions without constraint. Because of my ancestors and millions of other people, I can and do vote for those leaders that I feel will lead our country down the correct path so that everyone living in the United States has the right for freedom.
Monday, October 26, 2009
I Won
I'm still in shock, but really excited.
Valor Publishing Group wrote -- "The Winner of the "Cry for Freedom" Contest is Connie Hall, "Standing Up for Freedom". Connie has won dinner with Mark L. Shurtleff at the Market Street Grill and a free copy of "Am I Not a Man? The Dred Scott Story".
To enter, Connie and many others submitted 600-word essays on the concept of Freedom. We were very pleased with the number of entries in addition to the many different viewpoints on what freedom meant to so many people. We thank each of you for entering the contest. The top three entries were only one point apart, so congratulations to all of you for a job well done.
Connie will be reading her winning essay aloud at Mark's Book Launch Party on November 3, 2009 at Barnes & Noble at The Gateway in Salt Lake City."
I, like so many other writers, didn't believe in myself. I didn't think my essay was good enough. I had a real battle with myself, and almost didn't submit it. The last thing I expected in my inbox last week was an announcement from anyone telling me I had won something. It was a pleasant surprise, and it taught me that I shouldn't underestimate myself.
Valor Publishing Group wrote -- "The Winner of the "Cry for Freedom" Contest is Connie Hall, "Standing Up for Freedom". Connie has won dinner with Mark L. Shurtleff at the Market Street Grill and a free copy of "Am I Not a Man? The Dred Scott Story".
To enter, Connie and many others submitted 600-word essays on the concept of Freedom. We were very pleased with the number of entries in addition to the many different viewpoints on what freedom meant to so many people. We thank each of you for entering the contest. The top three entries were only one point apart, so congratulations to all of you for a job well done.
Connie will be reading her winning essay aloud at Mark's Book Launch Party on November 3, 2009 at Barnes & Noble at The Gateway in Salt Lake City."
I, like so many other writers, didn't believe in myself. I didn't think my essay was good enough. I had a real battle with myself, and almost didn't submit it. The last thing I expected in my inbox last week was an announcement from anyone telling me I had won something. It was a pleasant surprise, and it taught me that I shouldn't underestimate myself.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Sorry
I’m sorry that I’ve haven’t written anything for the past month because life has been crazy. There have been some good moments and some not so good times.
My mother passed away on the evening of September 22. During the month of May, I wrote several tributes to her. We had to wait for more than a week to hold her funeral services – I have a brother who is a long-haul truck driver and he was about as far away as he could have been.
We’ve had lots of company this past month. Some friends from Boise visited with us for a couple of days prior to their going to the MTC before leaving to go to Nauvoo on a mission. My son and his family (6 children) came to stay with us prior to my mom’s funeral for about 5 days. This past weekend a friend from high school who now lives in Oregon came to visit for 3 days. I can’t remember the last time I had so much company.
I’ve also been away for a couple of days. My youngest sister and I drove my brother to Nevada so he could pick up a truck and get back to work.
I promise to get back to writing on this blog right away.
My mother passed away on the evening of September 22. During the month of May, I wrote several tributes to her. We had to wait for more than a week to hold her funeral services – I have a brother who is a long-haul truck driver and he was about as far away as he could have been.
We’ve had lots of company this past month. Some friends from Boise visited with us for a couple of days prior to their going to the MTC before leaving to go to Nauvoo on a mission. My son and his family (6 children) came to stay with us prior to my mom’s funeral for about 5 days. This past weekend a friend from high school who now lives in Oregon came to visit for 3 days. I can’t remember the last time I had so much company.
I’ve also been away for a couple of days. My youngest sister and I drove my brother to Nevada so he could pick up a truck and get back to work.
I promise to get back to writing on this blog right away.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Saving Madeline by Rachel Ann Nunes
Today I’m dedicating my blog to one of my favorite romance authors, Rachel Ann Nunes. She has not disappointed me with her newest novel, Saving Madeline. It’s a story about a hard-working, dedicated defense attorney, Caitlin McLoughlin, with daily challenges in her professional and personal life. Her new client, Parker Hathaway, is charged with kidnapping his four-year-old daughter, Madeline. He claims he did it to protect her from her mother’s carefully concealed drug use. Can Caitlin find the proof she is looking for before it’s too late, or will her client go to prison?
This was a fast-paced story and drew me in immediately. I highly recommend it to everyone, but suggest that you don’t start reading it late at night. If you do, you may not get any sleep because you’ll have to keep turning the pages to see the next surprising plot twist. It’s a story with plenty of suspense, and romance.
I was touched when I realized Rachel received inspiration for this novel after reading newspaper headlines concerning an infant’s death after ingesting meth she had found in a plastic bag on the floor of her home. Weeks earlier, her father had forcibly taken her across state lines, hoping to protect her from her mother’s substance abuse. Authorities found the child, and placed her back with the mother and sent the father to jail. I’m so glad that this and other true-life experiences inspired Rachel to write such a compelling book. She did an outstanding job telling this story concerning difficult choices.
I had a short email interview with Rachel.
C. LaRene: Which book was the hardest for you to write?
Rachel: Of all my novels, the hardest to write was A Heartbeat Away, which tell the story of a kidnapping. I wrote it right after several girls in Utah were actually taken from their bedrooms during the night, and though that didn't happen in my book, as I researched for the novel, my eyes were really opened to the terrible things people do and how many missing child cases are unsolved. I ended up enduring five months of sleepless nights as I wrote the book because I worried constantly about my own children, especially my young daughters. I had to keep making sure they were sleeping peacefully in their beds and double check all the doors and windows. I eventually alarmed the entire house, though that was after the novel was out. I started sleeping again once I'd turned in the book.
C. LaRene: How do you determine your writing goals?
Rachel: I've always hit about 2,000 words a day because that's what I can write in two or three hours, which in the past has really been all the time I've had at the computer. Now that my children are all in school, that might go up, but I've been rewriting instead of drafting and that's a different thing altogether, so I'm not sure where I'll end up with drafting goals. Basically, I stay as long as I can at the computer without neglecting my family or other important duties. It's a fine line to walk sometimes. You must set priorities.
Saving Madeline, is published by Shadow Mountain Publishers, and is scheduled for a mid-September release. It will be available on Amazon.com, at Deseret Bookstores, and at the stores listed in the following link: http://www.ranunes.com/whereToBuy.php.
If you comment on this review, your name will automatically be entered to win a personalized copy of this novel. The winner will be chosen after the last review is posted tomorrow, and the winner can be found at http://www.rachelannnunes.com/ on Sept. 26.
This was a fast-paced story and drew me in immediately. I highly recommend it to everyone, but suggest that you don’t start reading it late at night. If you do, you may not get any sleep because you’ll have to keep turning the pages to see the next surprising plot twist. It’s a story with plenty of suspense, and romance.
I was touched when I realized Rachel received inspiration for this novel after reading newspaper headlines concerning an infant’s death after ingesting meth she had found in a plastic bag on the floor of her home. Weeks earlier, her father had forcibly taken her across state lines, hoping to protect her from her mother’s substance abuse. Authorities found the child, and placed her back with the mother and sent the father to jail. I’m so glad that this and other true-life experiences inspired Rachel to write such a compelling book. She did an outstanding job telling this story concerning difficult choices.
I had a short email interview with Rachel.
C. LaRene: Which book was the hardest for you to write?
Rachel: Of all my novels, the hardest to write was A Heartbeat Away, which tell the story of a kidnapping. I wrote it right after several girls in Utah were actually taken from their bedrooms during the night, and though that didn't happen in my book, as I researched for the novel, my eyes were really opened to the terrible things people do and how many missing child cases are unsolved. I ended up enduring five months of sleepless nights as I wrote the book because I worried constantly about my own children, especially my young daughters. I had to keep making sure they were sleeping peacefully in their beds and double check all the doors and windows. I eventually alarmed the entire house, though that was after the novel was out. I started sleeping again once I'd turned in the book.
C. LaRene: How do you determine your writing goals?
Rachel: I've always hit about 2,000 words a day because that's what I can write in two or three hours, which in the past has really been all the time I've had at the computer. Now that my children are all in school, that might go up, but I've been rewriting instead of drafting and that's a different thing altogether, so I'm not sure where I'll end up with drafting goals. Basically, I stay as long as I can at the computer without neglecting my family or other important duties. It's a fine line to walk sometimes. You must set priorities.
Saving Madeline, is published by Shadow Mountain Publishers, and is scheduled for a mid-September release. It will be available on Amazon.com, at Deseret Bookstores, and at the stores listed in the following link: http://www.ranunes.com/whereToBuy.php.
If you comment on this review, your name will automatically be entered to win a personalized copy of this novel. The winner will be chosen after the last review is posted tomorrow, and the winner can be found at http://www.rachelannnunes.com/ on Sept. 26.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The Winner Is
This past weekend I attended the LUW Writers Conference at the Homestaed. I can tell you about some of the things I learned, but nothing takes the place of actually being there. Conferences like this and mingling with others in the same field give writers the incentive to keep trying.
On Friday evening, following the banquet, Richard Paul Evans, spoke to evryone there. He spoke about how powerful books are. They give us the power to look beyond. Every "major" change started with a book. Books change history. He encouraged us each to be true to our self, and write what matters to us. He also told us to take chances, and remember that failure is part of the process. All of us must pay the price.
On Saturday, I had a table set aside so I could sell my book, Martha's Freedom Train. If you bought one, I entered your name in a drawing for a gift bag. This afternoon I used a rnadom select devise to choose the winner. The winner is RONDA HENRICHSEN. I appreciate those people who supported me in this. Thanks and congratulations to Ronda.
On Friday evening, following the banquet, Richard Paul Evans, spoke to evryone there. He spoke about how powerful books are. They give us the power to look beyond. Every "major" change started with a book. Books change history. He encouraged us each to be true to our self, and write what matters to us. He also told us to take chances, and remember that failure is part of the process. All of us must pay the price.
On Saturday, I had a table set aside so I could sell my book, Martha's Freedom Train. If you bought one, I entered your name in a drawing for a gift bag. This afternoon I used a rnadom select devise to choose the winner. The winner is RONDA HENRICHSEN. I appreciate those people who supported me in this. Thanks and congratulations to Ronda.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The Jump
Last week I blogged about my friend, Jill Vanderwood, and her Leap for Literacy, on Saturday, September 12. Yes, I was there. She didn’t just skydive from 12,500 feet – it was 13,000 feet. Below are some of the pictures I took of her before and after the jump, and some pictures from the video while she was in the air.
before boarding plane
On the plane
Flying through the air
At the end
This was a fun day and it's hard to believe I could watch something so spetacular. My husband bought me my birthday present early - a pair of binoculars - and watching it like that was unbelievable. Never had I seen people flying through the air before. Without the binoculars it would have just been little specks. They made the entire thing come alive for me.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Leap for Literacy
I'm very excited to spread the word--My friend Jill Vanderwood's book, What's It Like, Living Green has just won the National Teen Development Award--In the Pre-teen Nonfiction Category. This is in addition to the National Indie Excellence Award, earlier this year. This book is available through Amazon.com. It's a great book and I learned a lot about living green. I posted a blog about it earlier this year.
Please find the enclosed information sheet for Jill's Leap for Literacy, which will be held on Saturday, September 12. You can help a child or adult to read by making a donation for literacy, to the Literacy Action Center, or the Reading Tub.
http://childrens-literacy.com/2009/09/01/leap-for-literacy-take-your-reading-sky-high/
I'm going to be there lending my suffort to my friend Jill and to the Literacy program, as Jill makes a leap, 12,500 feet above Ogden this coming Saturday at 10 am. Jill hopes to make a difference for the next generation. You can learn more about Jill, her books, and her projects to make a difference on her author website.
Please find the enclosed information sheet for Jill's Leap for Literacy, which will be held on Saturday, September 12. You can help a child or adult to read by making a donation for literacy, to the Literacy Action Center, or the Reading Tub.
http://childrens-literacy.com/2009/09/01/leap-for-literacy-take-your-reading-sky-high/
I'm going to be there lending my suffort to my friend Jill and to the Literacy program, as Jill makes a leap, 12,500 feet above Ogden this coming Saturday at 10 am. Jill hopes to make a difference for the next generation. You can learn more about Jill, her books, and her projects to make a difference on her author website.
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