Blessings Blogfest

While I pull together the results of the Out of This World Adventure, I'm participating in Tyrean Martinson's Blessings Blog fest. Tyrean has been posting her daily blessings for a whole year! I have found her posts to be inspiring and uplifting and they always make me smile. To celebrate the end of her 365 days of blessings, Tyrean is hosting the Blessings Blogfest. Here are my ten blessings for today:


1. The response to the Out of This World Adventure. I'm really pleased with the number of people who read and entered.

2. Summer has begun! The weather may not agree, but the kids are out of school and the summer fun can begin.

3. Went to a great convention over the weekend. Met lots of people and learned lots of great stuff.

4. Going out with my husband last night. We saw Thor and then had a yummy dinner.

5. My husband. He knows computers, he plays piano, he cooks, he washes dishes, he lets me go to conferences...

6. Writing. I am about to start a new novel, and that's always so exciting! =)

7. Writing/blogging friends. I have gained so much love and support from you guys.

8. Mindflights. I have learned so much from editing there, and associated with some really terrific people.

9. The power of prayer. I couldn't get through the day without it.

10. God's tender mercies. I experience more than I can count each day.

Tyrean always includes a scripture blessing, so I am too:

1 Corinthains 2:9: But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Be sure and check out the other entries too. And stay tuned for tomorrow's announcement of our Out of This World Adventure winners!

Last Day to Enter!

Happy Memorial Day! Today is the last day to enter the Out of This World Adventure Giveaway. You have until midnight tonight (wherever you live) to enter. I'll announce the winners on Wed. June 1. Good luck! Here are the links:

• Aubrie Dionne hosts "Fidelity"
• Stephanie McGee hosts "Sacred Places"
• Shallee McArthur hosts "Blessing Stone"
• Elizabeth Mueller hosts "Among the Silent Stars"
• Danyelle Leafty hosts "Soul Singer"
• Todd Hunter hosts "Ripped"
• Janyece Swineford hosts "Brierly's Lilies"
• David West hosts "Highway Songs"
• Terry Ervin hosts "Getting Colder"
• Ali Cross hosts "Casualties of War"

Stick around for later this week, when I'll talk about the great things I learned at CONduit.

A Few More Days!

Don't forget you still have a few days to enter the Out of This World Adventure if you haven't already. Contest closes on Monday, May 30 at midnight. Check out the sidebar for all the links!

Tomorrow I'm off to CONduit, a science fiction convention in Salt Lake City. I'm on  a couple of panels. "How to add flavor to your vanilla character" on Friday, and "How to give and receive critiques" on Saturday. Should be a fun weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing some friends.

So, I hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend! I'll be announcing the winners on Wed. June 1!

There have been issues with leaving comments on blogger the past few days, so if you tried to leave a comment on one of the contest posts, but weren't able to, please email me and let me know, and I'll make sure you get entered!

Fourth Grade Writing Advice

Last week, I went to my son's fourth grade authors party where we got to celebrate all his writing for the year. Super fun! He even had two of his stories published in hardbound books. Pretty neat. During the party, all the kids stood up and offered their best writing advice for incoming fourth graders. They gave the best advice! So, I thought I'd share it with you. I'm just going to paraphrase because 1) Some of them don't talk very loud and I couldn't hear them. 2) This was last week, and I didn't write it down at the time, so you know... This is what I remember of the fourth grade writing advice:

Use good word choice. Like, "He dashed," instead of, "He went."

Create great characters by using people from real life.

Always be thinking of ideas. Write them down

And the best piece of advice from many of the students:

Don't give up. Keep trying. The more you write, the better it will be.

Pretty wise ten year olds, don't you think? They have an amazing teacher.

Then I made my son sign his books for me. That's what author parties are for after all!

Our Last Stop on the Out of This World Adventure!

It's time to wrap up our adventure with our last stop at Aubrie Dionne's blog. She's hosting the story, "Fidelity." Aubrie is fantastic writer of science fiction and fantasy with many published works and recently signed a three book deal with Entangled Publishing! Good for her. She is also a talented flutist and sometimes posts her flute performances on her blog too. I love that.

Head on over to Aubrie's blog to read "Fidelity" and enter to win the Grand Prize Drawing!

PLEASE NOTE: Though this is our last stop, you still have until midnight May 30 to read and comment on any of the stories. The more stories you read, the more times you're entered into the drawing!So, if you're new to the adventure, don't worry. There's still plenty of time to read the stories and get entered. Enjoy the adventure!

Don't forget to check out our other stops:

Ali Cross--"Casualties of War"
Terry Ervin--"Getting Colder"
David J. West--"Highway Songs"
Nisa Swineford--"Brierly's Lilies"
Todd Hunter--"Ripped"
Danyelle Leafty--"Soul Singer"
Elizabeth Mueller--"Among the Silent Stars"
Shallee McArthur--"Blessing Stone" 
Stephanie McGee--"Sacred Places"

2nd to last stop on the Out of This World Adventure

Today we stop by Stephanie McGee's blog. She is hosting my story "Sacred Places." Stephanie writes fantasy/urban fantasy, and she's also a fantastic photographer. Her blog posts are always informative as she shares her journey toward publication.

Stop by Stephanie's blog to read "Sacred Places" and enter to win the Grand Prize Drawing!

You have until midnight May 30 to read and comment on any of the stories. The more stories you read, the more times you're entered into the drawing!

Don't forget to check out our other stops:

Ali Cross--"Casualties of War"
Terry Ervin--"Getting Colder"
David J. West--"Highway Songs"
Nisa Swineford--"Brierly's Lilies"
Todd Hunter--"Ripped"
Danyelle Leafty--"Soul Singer"
Elizabeth Mueller--"Among the Silent Stars"
Shallee McArthur--"Blessing Stone"

Have You Seen These Prizes?

Here's a reminder of what you could win in my Out of This World Adventure:

THE GRAND PRIZE PACKAGE:

A $25 Amazon Gift Card, which I hope you will spend on books!

An 8x10 print of the view from the writing chair. (An out of this world view don't you think?)

A science fiction themed mug rug to hold your mug of--whatever you like in your mug. Donated by the talented Lindsay of Linz Sews

And a copy of my all-time favorite out-of-this-world adventure, Ender's Game!

Pretty awesome, eh? The last two stories will be posted in the next few days. You'll have until May 30 to enter. Here are the stops so far:

May 9: Ali Cross hosts "Casualties of War."

May 10: Terry Ervin hosts "Getting Colder."

May 11: David West hosts "Highway Songs"

May 12: Janyece Swineford hosts "Brierly's Lilies."

May 14: Todd Hunter hosts "Ripped."

May 16: Danyelle Leafty hosts "Soul Singer."

May 17: Elizabeth Mueller hosts, "Among the Silent Stars."

May 18: Shallee McArthur hosts, "Blessing Stone."

 

Don't miss your chance to enter! Tomorrow, Stephanie McGee hosts "Sacred Places."

Next Stop on The Out of This World Adventure

Today we travel to Shallee McArthur's blog. She is hosting the story "Blessing Stone." Shallee writes YA science fiction. I've had the privilege of reading one of her manuscripts and it was fantastic! Shallee also raises money to help children in Ghana get an education. That's awesome.

Go check out Shallee's blog to read "Blessing Stone" and enter the Grand Prize Drawing!

You have until midnight May 30 to read and comment on any of the stories. The more stories you read, the more times you're entered into the drawing!

Don't forget to check out our other stops:

Ali Cross--"Casualties of War"
Terry Ervin--"Getting Colder"
David J. West--"Highway Songs"
Nisa Swineford--"Brierly's Lilies"
Todd Hunter--"Ripped"
Danyelle Leafty--"Soul Singer"
Elizabeth Mueller--"Among the Silent Stars"

Today's Stop on The Out of This World Adventure

Today we head on over to Elizabeth Mueller's blog. She's hosting the story, "Among the Silent Stars." Elizabeth's first novel, Darkspell, a paranormal romance, will be released this fall! How exciting is that? Elizabeth is also a fantastic artist and I love her deeply honest and emotional blog posts.

Pop on over to Elizabeth's blog to read "Among the Silent Stars" and enter to win the Grand Prize Drawing!

You have until midnight May 30 to read and comment on any of the stories. The more stories you read, the more times you're entered into the drawing! Enjoy the Adventure!

Don't forget to check out our other stops:

Ali Cross--"Casualties of War"
Terry Ervin--"Getting Colder"
David J. West--"Highway Songs"
Nisa Swineford--"Brierly's Lilies"
Todd Hunter--"Ripped"
Danyelle Leafty--"Soul Singer"

A new week, a new stop on our adventure!

Today we head over to Danyelle Leafty's blog. She's hosting the story, "Soul Singer." Danyelle is a beautiful writer and a fantastic friend. I just love her to pieces! She writes fairy tales with unusual twists and turns and I always love reading her thoughtful and insightful blog posts.

Stop by Danyelle's blog to read "Soul Singer" and enter to win the Grand Prize Drawing.

You have until midnight May 30 to read and comment on any of the stories. The more stories you read, the more times you're entered into the drawing!

Don't forget to check out our other stops:

Ali Cross--"Casualties of War"
Terry Ervin--"Getting Colder"
David J. West--"Highway Songs"
Nisa Swineford--"Brierly's Lilies"
Todd Hunter--"Ripped"

Next Stop on The Out of This World Adventure

I hope you are all enjoying the adventure as much as I am! Today we stop by Todd Hunter's blog, The West(ern) Chronicles, where he hosts the story "Ripped."

Todd writes space adventures about space pirate Aston West. He has two novels, a novella and dozens of short stories. They are fun and adventurous tales about a space pirate with a heart, probably more of a heart than he sometimes wants to have. I really enjoy reading his work.

Stop by Todd's blog to read "Ripped" and enter to win the Grand Prize Drawing.

You have until midnight May 30 to read and comment on any of the stories. The more you read, the more chances you have to win!

Don't forget to check out our other stops:

Ali Cross--"Casualties of War"
Terry Ervin--"Getting Colder"
David J. West--"Highway Songs"
Nisa Swineford--"Brierly's Lilies"

We Interupt This Adventure...

For an Out of This World announcement!

But first some housekeeping issues: Due to Blogger's blackout, if you commented on Nisa's post yesterday, those comments are gone. =( Please go over there and comment again!

Okay...now for the announcement:

My science fiction adventure novel, tentatively titled Defenders of the Covenant will be published by Walnut Springs Press later this year!

You may now resume adventuring... Our next stop will be Todd Hunter's blog. Watch for the post tomorrow!

Today's Stop on The Out of This World Adventure

Today's stop is Nisa Swineford's blog Wordplay, Swordplay. Nisa is hosting the story, "Brierly's Lilies." Nisa is a great writer and friend. She writes epic fantasy and she has lived all over the world. Her blog is interesting and honest.

Head on over to Nisa's blog to read "Brierly's Lilies" and enter the Grand Prize Drawing.

You have until midnight May 30 to read and comment on any of the stories. The more stories you read, the more times you're entered into the drawing!

Don't forget to check out our other stops:

Ali Cross--"Casualties of War"
Terry Ervin--"Getting Colder"
David J. West--"Highway Songs"

Next Stop on The Out of This World Adventure

Today we head over to David J. West's blog Nephite Blood, Spartan Heart. David is hosting the story "Highway Songs." David is the author of Heroes of the Fallen, a great Book of Mormon adventure/fantasy novel, as well as numerous short stories. He writes terrific, sword-swinging action.

Pop on over to David's blog to read "Highway Songs" and enter the Grand Prize Drawing.

You have until midnight May 30 to read and comment on any of the stories. Each story you comment on gets you an entry into the drawing.

Check out our other stops:

Ali Cross--"Casualties of War."
Terry Ervin--"Getting Colder."

Today's Stop on The Out of This World Adventure

Today, we head over to Terry Ervin's blog Up Around the Corner. Terry is hosting the story, "Getting Colder."

Terry Ervin is a fellow editor at Mindflights and author of the novel Flank Hawk. I loved this book. It's got dragons, zombies, panzers, stukas, a necromancer... Lots of fun and adventure. I'm anxious for the sequel to come out.

Pop on over to Terry's blog to read "Getting Colder" and enter the Grand Prize Drawing.

You have until midnight May 30 to read and comment on the stories.

Don't forget to check out the other stops:

Ali Cross--"Casualties of War"

First Stop on the Out of This World Adventure!

It's time to start our adventure! I hope you are as excited as I am. Our very first stop on our Out of This World Adventure is the fabulous Ali Cross!

She is my hero. A great writer and a great friend. I love reading her blog. And you should check out the DoJo where she and her ninja friends support each other with month-long challenges and frequent ninjachats. You could be a ninja too!

But today, Ali is graciously hosting my short story, "Casualites of War." Pop on over to her blog to read it and enter the Grand Prize Drawing.

You have until midnight May 30 to read and comment on the stories. Enjoy the adventure!

I'm Off!

I'm off to Boot Camp this morning. Five hour critique session with five of us and a professional author. This was such a valuable experience for me last year, I'm really looking forward to it.

Then Friday and Saturday is the Storymakers Conference. Can't wait to see some of my great writing friends!

And don't forget...only four days until we launch the Out of This World Adventure!

See you on Monday...

Get Ready for The Out of This World Adventure!

Buckle up and get ready to launch into an out of this world adventure!

That's right. From May 9-30 I'm holding a blog tour and contest for my short stories. 

THE GRAND PRIZE PACKAGE:

A $25 Amazon Gift Card, which I hope you will spend on books!

An 8x10 print of the view from the writing chair. (An out of this world view don't you think?)

A mug rug to hold your mug of--whatever you like in your mug. Donated by the talented Lindsay of Linz Sews

And a copy of my all-time favorite out-of-this-world adventure, Ender's Game!

Wanna know how to enter? Here's where the fun starts. During the Out of This World Adventure, some awesome blogs will be hosting my short stories. To enter the contest, visit each stop on the Adventure, read the featured story and leave a comment on the post. For every story that you read and comment on, you'll get an entry into the grand prize drawing. It's that easy! Plus, one commenter on each blog post will win a Milky Way candy bar. You know you want that!

So, get ready for lift-off starting May 9! The contest will run through May 30 and winners will be announced on June 1.

Here are our Out of This World destinations:

May 9: Ali Cross hosts "Casualties of War."

May 10: Terry Ervin hosts "Getting Colder."

May 11: David West hosts "Highway Songs"

May 12: Janyece Swineford hosts "Brierly's Lilies."

May 14: Todd Hunter hosts "Ripped."

May 16: Danyelle Leafty hosts "Soul Singer."

May 17: Elizabeth Mueller hosts, "Among the Silent Stars."

May 18: Shallee McArthur hosts, "Blessing Stone."

May 20: Stephanie McGee hosts "Sacred Places."

May 23: Aubrie Dionne hosts "Fidelity."

Visit the destinations anytime before midnight May 30 to enter. So, now let's have some fun!

(P.S. If you display my blog button (on the sidebar) on your blog, I'll give you an extra contest entry. Comment here to let me know if you have the button.)