Courting Miss Lancaster by Sarah M. Eden

The back cover of this book reads -

Harry Windover adores blonde, green-eyed Athena Lancaster, but alas, a penniless man like himself has no hope of winning a young noblewoman’s hand. To add insult to injury, Athena’s brother-in-law and guardian, the Duke of Kielder, has asked Harry to assist Athena in finding the gentleman of her dreams. But the lovesick Harry is cunning as well: as the weeks pass, he introduces Athena to suitors who are horrifically boring, alarmingly attached to their mothers, downright rude, astoundingly self-absorbed – nothing like the loyal, gentle friend she’s found in Harry. But how long can Harry’s scheme be hidden before it is discovered? And what will Athena do when she uncovers Harry’s deception? Escape into a charming regency world in this delightfully romantic comedy of manners that will entertain you to the very last word.

After reading the first books I had to read this one. I was not dissappointed. I love any story that has anything to do with history. I could tell Sarah had done her research on the way things were done in England during the early 1800’s. It was interesting to watch as Athena was introduced into society by attending the many balls so she could find herself a suitable gentleman. Harry was charming and I wondered as I read what method of deceit he would use next to keep the men away from her. I loved the humor and enjoyed the book. I was sure the two were made for each other, but neither of them could see it. All Athena could see was that Harry was a good friend and all Harry could do was claim he was a fortune hunter. I really did wonder if they would ever come together.

Contest and Interview

Today it is my turn to do an interview with C. L. Beck and D. N. Giles about their book, Mormon Mishaps and Mischief, but first I need to tell you about their FANTASTIC GIVEAWAY going on! They're running a blog tour, with a terrific prize ... a $150 advertising package in the YourLDSNeighborhood.com Newsletter . This is a great prize because you get to advertise your product/self/blog/books/what-have-you for a FULL year for FREE if you win.

If I were you, I’d enter now. As you can see today is the last day of the blog tour, and if you’re anything like me, you might forget and miss the deadline which is May 16.
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The Mormon Mishaps and Mischief Giveaway and Blog Tour!

In celebration of Mothers, and all they do for us, Mormon Mishaps authors C.L. Beck and D.N. Giles have put together a giveaway in conjunction with a week-long blog tour. If you aren’t interested in winning a fantastic advertising package valued at $150, you can stop reading now.

Wait, you’re still reading. That must mean you want to hear about our prize package, correct? Well. Okay then.

Let me first tell you a little about our sponsors, yourLDSneighborhood.com and YourLDSradio.com.

yourLDSneighborhood.com is an online shopping mall which features innovative products and LDS-based services, and great ideas for your home, all without the worries of questionable content. Shopping categories include Clothing, Music, Preparedness, Family Entertainment, Scrapbooking, Books and Art, Health and Food, Travel and Recreation, Weddings and more! Visit yourLDSneighborhood.com today.

Your LDS Neighborhood Newsletter is a free online newsletter that comes three times a week right to your email inbox. It provides topical stories and insights that set the tone for your day. The newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources, and interviews from around the world, all with an LDS focus. Sign up today by clicking here!

YourLDSradio.com commits to bringing you the best in LDS Music – all day, every day and it is totally FREE to listen! Make them your web-surfing companion. It's free and easy to use and makes for the perfect online companion. Listen for yourself at yourLDSradio.com!

Okay, and now for the prize!

Your LDS Neighborhood has offered a YEAR LONG advertising package which includes space on the Neighborhood website as well as tiles in the newsletter. Were you to purchase advertising with them, this package would cost $150.

Here’s the best part. You don’t have to be LDS to advertise with the Neighborhood. As long as the business, blog, or product you’re promoting is family friendly, this advertising package will benefit you. Neighborhood ads are viewed daily around the globe, and by thousands of people.

So how do you win?

Entries will be accepted between May 4th and midnight, MST, May 16th. On May 17th, (or as close there about as possible) the winners will be chosen and announced on the LDS Humor blog. Although it's not required for entry, please take a minute to read the Mormon Mishaps and Mischief review/interview I've posted. Then, you must do the following four things to enter (but don't worry, they aren't hard):

1. Follow my blog, here.
2. Leave a comment here, at this blog.
3. Follow the LDS Humor blog.
4. Follow the Your LDS Neighborhood Newsletter blog.

Extra entries:
1. Blog about this contest, then come back and leave either a url address or a link in a comment.
2. Follow me on Twitter. (Bloggers, you can hyperlink this to your twitter page if you’d like, or include your twitter username.) And then tweet the contest. (Make sure to mention this in a comment.)
3. Facebook the contest. If your Facebook page is private, and I’m not your friend, I can’t see that you’ve done this, so you’ll need to friend me.(Same goes here.) Be sure to leave the link to where you've FB'd the contest in a comment.

All of these options can be mentioned in a single comment, and you can enter at all the participating blogs, as long as you follow and leave a comment for those bloggers so they know you love them.

You may enter this contest here, as well as on any of the tour posts at the following blogs:

May 4th Rachelle Christensen
May 4th Shirley Bahlmann
May 5th Karlene Browning
May 5th Heather Gardener, Fire and Ice Book Reviews
May 6th Kellie Buckner
May 6th Rachel Rager
May 7th Shauna Chambers
May 7th Heather Justesen
May 10th LDS Humor Blog
May 10th Keith Fisher
May 11th Tristi Pinkston
May 11th Rebecca Talley
May 12th Taffy Lovell
May 12th Kimberly Job
May 13th Connie Hall
May 13th Ali Cross

To purchase Mormon Mishaps and Mischief click here.
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For those of you who haven’t heard about this book on the back jacket is says: This collection of humorous anecdotes from celebrated LDS authors shows off Church members at their finest. From Primary pranks to cheeky comments made by Zion’s youth to high priest hijinks, no age group is immune to the potential for humor. Though it might not be in the official Word of Wisdom, laughter really is the best medicine. Whether you’re a senior missionary or an eight-year-old graduating to senior Primary, you’re bound to get a kick out of these silly stories.

Some statistics about this book are listed below:
* 200 stories in the book.
* 78 are written by Cindy.
* 48 are written by Nichole.
* The book took six months to write, and another year and a half to publication with Cedar Fort Inc.

Now for the interview –
Q. What prompted you to write Mormon Mishaps and Mischief?

Cindy: The moon was full, Aquarius was on the cusp, and the chickens were molting, all of which combined to make this the right time for a book of humorous anecdotes. Well, that and the pantry was empty, so a book that might actually sell a few copies seemed like a good idea.

Nichole: What Cindy says might be true. Or it could be that one sunny spring morning, one of us woke up and said, “I think I’ll write a book of humorous anecdotes today.” Then there was email involved. Lots of email. And brainstorming and collecting and chocolate eating. And maybe some Twinkies. Thus, the proposal for a book of humorous anecdotes was born.

Q. What’s your favorite story in the book?

Cindy: There’s this fantastic story about a crotchety old man who gets visited by three ghosts at Christmas, and by the end of the story, he vows to keep Christmas … oh wait, that’s Charles Dickens’ stuff. All right then, my next favorite is “A Good Impression” contributed by Cathy Witbeck. It’s about a little girl who gets all decked out for Easter and puts something interesting into her purse to take to church. (But I’m not going to tell you what, because it would ruin the fun.) On the other hand, I do have to tell you that because they’re all so funny, my favorite story changes about every five minutes.

Nichole: I’m with Cindy. Choosing just one favorite would be like playing favorites between my children. Which I’ve never done. Ever. I’m a good mother. I promise. Oh, but speaking of motherhood, there are several stories about children doing funny things, like licking worms and bringing a head of lettuce to pray. Love all of those.

Q. Where do the stories come from?

Cindy: From the demented … er … I mean, the creative genius of our minds. And from the funny events that we, and our contributors, saw happening at church, home and everywhere in between. Rest assured, however, that all contributors to the book signed a statement that the stories were true, and so even though real names were seldom used in the anecdotes, the situations actually happened. Which means if you think you recognize your bishop in there, well … we’ll never tell.

Nichole: None of them came from my current ward. They all came from other people’s wards, which I visited while wearing my invisibility cloak. So if you happen to be in my ward and recognize a story or five or twenty, well I didn’t see those things or write them down in my handy-dandy notebook. Er. Um. I mean…I plea the fifth?

Q. Thank you for letting me interview you. Do you have anything you’d like to add?

Cindy and Nichole: It was our pleasure! Readers can visit us at our website, MormonMishaps.com, or laugh with us at our humor blog at ldshumor.blogspot.com. In addition, there are our personal blogs—follow Nichole at nicholegiles.blogspot.com or Cindy at bythebecks.blogspot.com.

We really like having followers. It makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Plus, we like to post funny stuff and make you laugh.

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Mormon Mishaps

Today, I'm going to be a part of a blog tour for the humorous book, Mormon Mishaps & Mischief by D. N. Giles and C. L. Beck. At the end of my blog I will tell you how to win a $20 Gift Card to Barnes & Noble!

This book contains about two-hundred short stories, and it’s a quick read. One thing I like about this book is you don’t have to read the entire thing at one sitting. After one short minute you can put it down, that is if you want to. I didn’t want to and I read the entire book in just a short time. While preparing a talk for church, if you’re looking for something short and humorous this book will help. Almost anyone would love to receive this inexpensive gift for Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

I am including three short anecdotes that I really liked.

Swimming Stress by D. N. Giles
At the baptism of a family member, six-year-old John became overly agitated when the divider was opened and the full baptismal font was revealed for all to see. When his mother south out the reason for his distress, he cried, “I didn’t even bring my swimming suit. Why didn’t you tell me they had a pool at the church?”

The Plea by C. L. Beck
Tired of sitting, a bored little girl began fidgeting and acting up during sacrament meeting. Seeing a potential for disaster on the horizon, Mom picker her up, tucked the youngster under her arm- with the little girl’s head sticking out behind-and got up to leave. As they hurried down the aisle, the little girl’s impassioned plea to the congregation trailed behind, “Save me! Somebody please save me!”

Read Your Scriptures by C. LaRene Hall
At stake conference, a speaker told how one night his daughter didn’t want to stay in bed. He firmly told her she had better not get up. Soon, he and his wife heard the youngster asking for a snack. Her mother told her no and tucked the girl back into bed with another warning to stay there. She soon returned, holding a paperback Book of Mormon, and said, “But what about Mosiah 4:14?”
The speaker looked at the children in the congregation and said, “The scripture reads, ‘And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry.’ I want you all to remember this scripture because you might need it someday.”
When the next speaker spoke, he said, “I want to do something similar. Will all the young women stand? When your dates pick you up, I want you to tell them this scripture. It is Mosiah 13:3, and it says: ‘Touch me not, for God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me.’”

Click on my sidebar where it says Giles/Beck and you can read a fun blog by the girls who put this humorous book together.

I asked both of them to do an interview with me.

Question – What inspired you to put this book together?

Beck – I love humor. I love to hear people laugh, to say things that make them laugh (although I'm not very good at being a stand-up comedian) and because of that, I'm always ready to laugh. Which means when something funny happens in church, I'm one of those who gets the giggles. It seemed to me to be a shame for so much humor to take place in the LDS culture and for it to be lost once people moved onto the next event in life, so I started writing down the funny things I saw happening. And it's my hope that people's spirits get a lift when they read the stories.

Giles – I love to laugh, and it occurred to me at some point that Heavenly Father does too. It gave me a whole new outlook on church meetings or activities and why they can often be so enjoyable--spiritually, emotionally and physically. If your stomach aches when you get home, you know you've had a great time.

Question – Will there be a sequel?

Beck – Let's hope so, because I need to pay some bills. Oh, you didn't mean for that reason? Okay, well, I already have copious notes and I'm sure Nichole does, too. And we have about 20 stories already sent in by contributors, so that's all there is to it. There has to be a sequel.

Giles – We're ready to write one as soon as the publisher gives us the okay.

Question – I notice you each have several short stories in this book. How did you come up with so many humorous things?

Beck – Observation, my dear Watson. Or is it dear Sherlock? At any rate, my ward sacrament bulletin is usually scribbled full of notes by the time church is over on Sunday, because people do and say the funniest things. For example, the other day during Sacrament meeting, a mom sent her little girl to the bathroom to get some TP, probably to blow her nose. The next thing you know the little girl comes running down the aisle in the chapel, with a long ...
Well, I'll save the story for the sequel, and you can read about it then. (Sorry Connie, I know you hate not knowing the full story. :)

Giles – I either witnessed them all, or had close family members or friends who were party to the stories. The truth is, I have a tendency to find humor everywhere. The trick was figuring out how to share it.

Question – How long did it take you to put this all together?

Beck – Hmm, I hope Nichole's answer and mine match here. Maybe we should have put our heads together before answering this one, huh? I'd been collecting stories for some time, but once we decided to write Mishaps, it took about 6 months to get all the contributors stories edited, our stories written and edited, and the manuscript ready for submission. From there it took almost a year and a half or so ... but it felt like ten ... to go through the publishing process.

Giles – From the original idea, to writing proposals, accepting stories, putting the book together, editing and finally publication--about two years. However, now that we have it down, the next one shouldn't be nearly as long of a process. I hope. Thanks Connie, for the interview and for contributing so many stories to the book. This has been fun.

Now for the good news – GIVEWAY –

Giles/Beck will have a giveaway for a $20 gift card to Barnes and Noble for one lucky tour commenter. How do you enter to win? Each time you leave a comment here telling me about what you did, I will enter your name in the drawing.

1. For your first entry, you can become a follower on my blog, and leave me a comment. If you’re already a follower leave me a comment telling me.

2. Post about my blog and this contest on Twitter or Facebook.

3. Blog about this contest and link back to my blog or the Mishaps website or humor blog.

4. Leave a positive review on Amazon, Deseret Book, Goodreads, or any other book-reviewing site – then leave me a link.

You may enter as many times as you like for the prize drawing. Just remember to always leave a comment here so I can keep track of all that is going on. You need to do this soon, because the drawing closes on Feb 19 and they will announce the winner on Monday, Feb 22.

You might want to check out the other stops on this blog tour, and maybe enter the drawing on their blog as well.

Feb 5th Rachelle Christensen
Feb 6th Ronda Hinrichsen
Feb 10th Cathy Witbeck
Feb 11th Dan Olsen
Feb 12th Danyelle Fergusen

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.