Famous Family Nights Winner – and Peek in the Past - Over the Garden Wall

Congratulations to Derisada, the winner of Famous Family Nights! Derisada, please send me a message by clicking on my website contact page HERE. I’ll pop a signed copy of the book in the mail as soon as I know your mailing address.

Many thanks to everyone who entered comments for this give-away. I read every entry and wish you could all receive a prize. May all your family nights be happy!

My last post on this blog ("The Bottomless Pond" for those who forgot already or never saw it), can be found by clicking HERE. Today’s flashback is to the same era. I know that sounds prehistoric, but it’s vividly current in my head :-) So here we go . . .

There was an old brick wall at the end of our garden (yard) in Knutsford, Cheshire, England. It was, of course, a magic wall leading to the mysterious world beyond. The top layer was weather-worn and crumbly, with several loose bricks. A few falls, scrapes, and scratches eventually taught me to take care when tripping along the top from one corner of our garden to the other. To me, it was a lookout post on my castle parapet.

When giant dogs or a handsome prince approached (or one of several boys on whom I had a crush), I jumped back down to the safety of our veggie patch, taking my giddy heart into the blackcurrant bush for refuge.

On the other side of that wall, the road curved in majestic sweep, and its surface was as smooth as stainless steel. It was my favorite place to roller skate. But I could only use it when no enemy was in sight.

When all was quiet, I tossed my skates over the other side, and scrambled after them, dropping from a great height onto the grassy ledge between tall beech trees. I clipped the skates to my shoe bottoms and turned into a skating champ.

I swooshed round that bend on one leg, on two legs, arabesque style, squatting, jumping, or flying backwards. Oh, for the confidence of youth. These days, the best I can do is stand on one leg while brushing my teeth.

More in two weeks. Tata for now.

PS
Feel free to join a Facebook group for Famous Family Nights by clicking HERE.

Winner

Congratulations to the winner of my book, Pickup Games. Using Randomizer.org, I selected Taffy's name. Yay, Taffy. Email me your address, and I'll send you the book. My email is marcia at marciamickelson.com. Thanks to all those who entered. There are still other great books on the blog available!

"Confessions of a Completely Insane Mother" Giveaway!

Last week I forgot to do a giveaway with my book! So this week, if you would like a chance to win a signed copy of the LDS humor book "Confessions of a Completely Insane Mother," a book that will make you laugh and feel really great about being a mother, then post a comment and I'll let you know when you win! Good Luck and enjoy the last week of summer!

Kersten Campbell
www.kerstencampbell.com
humor blog: www.kersten4.blogspot.com

The Creative Journey Continues, The Sequel (Oh and a Book Giveaway, too)

The author, Joseph conrad, said that "a creative imagination is one of the most important attributes we can possess. Imagination, not invention, is the supreme master of life.

Marcus Arilias, an ancient emperor of Rome, revealed that creativity profoundly affects a person's life. In his words: "Man's life is dyed by the color of his imagination".

What does this mean to us as authors? Maybe it means that we have to be open-minded. Not so open-minded that our brains fall out, but enough that we are able to listen to and accept new, original, and innovative ideas to stir the imagination.

So how do we know if we are really open-minded? History has proven that most people are not. For example: In the beginning the railroad was regarded as useless by many. People claimed that the trains frightened the cattle and started fires.

The British Association for the Advancement of Science claimed that the horseless carriage would fail because the human driver did not have an advantage for the intelligence of a horse in shaping its path.

I could go on but I think you get the idea. So how do we know if we are opened minded? To find the answer, I went in search of a key to unlock the door of a closed mind and I found 'curiosity'. Now curiosity is a close relative to creativity, and though I didn't have time to research its roots, I would say it is most likely a sibling. Its responsibility is to fuel the imagination.

As I was writing my second book, "Journey of the Promise," I became curiously aware that I was communicating with the characters. By the time I finished the third chapter I had gone back and completely re-written the first two because my main character, Callie McAllister, didn't want to be a grandmother as I had envisioned her. So, out of curiosity, I decided to find out where this story would lead if I let Callie tell it. I found that once I stopped trying to control the story, new characters began to introduce themselves, and I watched, and I listened, as they became part of an incredible story leading Callie through secret rooms and hidden caves to fulfill a promise she had made in another time. It was a plot and a story I had never intended.

I want to share this book in a book giveaway. Now, I'm not sure how one decides who gets the book, but I hope lots of you respond to my blog so that I can use my open-minded curiosity to create a great idea in giving away my book.

Thank you.

Giveaway, Bon Bons, and Dramatic Superhero Music

Imagine it: you've had a relaxing summer lounging by the pool, soaking in the sun and eating bon bons while your attentive and always-obedient children speak kindly to each other and fight for the opportunity to fan you. You've gotten through that entire To-Read list of fabulous books (which grew bigger throughout this month as you've heard of all the great books from the authors on this blog), your brain is all relaxed and happy-like and you think to yourself, Self, I'm ready to kick my brain in gear. If only I had a good non-fiction book.

Well, dear readers, I am here to save the day! (Cue dramatic superhero music.) With just a few presses of the keyboard and a click or two, you can be entered to win one of my two non-fiction books. You heard me right--you get to choose, you lucky, lucky blog readers!

Behind Door #1:

Enjoying the Journey: Steps to Finding Joy Now

As Latter-day Saints we strive for joy in eternal life -- but many struggle to find joy during the journey there. Let this book help you learn to rejoice and find more joy right here, right now. Clearing away the clutter, staying in touch, and living with purpose are only a few of the many tips this book provides to help you enjoy your journey through life. Specific steps in each chapter will guide you through important principles and help you apply them to your feelings, thoughts, and actions. Reach for your full potential as a child of God and find the joy the Lord intends for each of us during our journey back to His presence. Enjoying the Journey is a delightful and heartwarming message for any who need a lift.

And Behind Door #2:

Parenting the Ephraim's Child: Characteristics, Challenges, and Capabilities of Children Who Are Intenseley MORE

What is an Ephraim's Child?

Like those of the tribe of Ephraim, an Ephraim's Child has great determination, energy, and a headstrong will. Ephraim's Children are also often high maintenance, emotional, controlling, and aggravating. What other sources don't tell you is that these children are a special and covenant people. As Hyrum G. Smith declared, "Today is the day of Ephraim." These are the children of the final days when strength of character will be so crucial.

Parenting the Ephraim's Child: Characteristics, capabilities, and challenges of children who are intensely MORE examines the nine common characteristics with examples and real life stories to explain how each trait contributes to the challenge of raising an Ephraim's Child. Parents can understand and work with these temperamental traits, and then see how each is actually a strength in need of refinement. The scriptures and words of modern prophets are used extensively along with secular sources of wisdom to demonstrate how these qualities can be valuable tools in the Lord's hands. Ephraim's Children can be valiant in building the kingdom of God because of their characteristics, not despite them.

Choices! Choices!

The Rules
1. Comment on this post through the end of August.
2. In the comment, mention which book you'd like.
3. Include a funny anecdote about summer, your kids, etc. For example, last week I got involved writing and let my kids run amok for an hour (bad idea). Afterward, I found out they had a lot of fun with blue paint, and we're still scrubbing the front porch which looked like a Smurf murder scene.
4. If you don't want to do #3, then shameless compliments will suffice. You know, "Jaime, you are definitely the most talented cheese-eater I've ever known" or "I wish I could trip on nothing as gracefully as you do." Stuff like that.
5. Since I only post the third Monday of every month (I'll wait while you dash to your calendar to write it down) and you don't want to wait a *whole month* to see if you're the lucky winner, I'll do a quickie And the Winner Is... post on Sept. 1st.

Good luck!

Educational and Inspirational

By Trina Boice

I recently returned from a wonderful trip to BYU-Idaho in Rexburg where I presented 9 different classes at Education Week and attended others hosted by some really terrific speakers. I absolutely love Education Week and look forward to it every year. It's a chance to get my cup filled and rejuvinate. I always leave feeling inspired and motivated to do better in my life.

If you missed Education Week in Idaho, you're in luck...there's another opportunity at the BYU-Provo campus in Utah from August 17-21, 2009. It's a full week of classes on almost every topic you can think of from religion to marriage to finances and everything in between, running from first thing in the morning until late at night. If that weren't enough, there are also various concerts and performances to choose from each night, book signings by your favorite authors all day long in the BYU Bookstore, artist unveilings, special events for youth, and fun receptions and dinners all around campus. Oh yeah, and those famous BYU mint brownies. Heaven.

I love the thrill of learning a new concept. At the end of Education Week your brain is about ready to explode, brimming with new ideas to consider. You're shown how to look at certain scripture passages in a new way, how to use new parenting techniques to communicate with your rebellious teens, and where to find resources that will help you improve every aspect of your life. Love it. Plenty of fodder to kickstart your next writing project.

One of the things I love the most is that you get a chance to meet some of your favorite authors and hear them speak. I think it's so much more fun to read books after I've personally met the authors because then I can "hear" their voices in the written word.

Another thing I love is hooking up with my old friends who gather from all corners of the country to meet for dinner and catch up on what's happening in our lives. So girls, see you at Los Hermanos Monday night!

For more information on BYU's Education Week this summer, to register or to see the class schedule, check out http://ce.byu.edu/ed/edweek/registration.cfm

What Makes a Great Ending?

By Christine Thackeray

Sometimes when we put a book down or walk out of a movie, there is a feeling of complete satisfaction. The book was "right" and you want to the shake the author's hand. Other times you want to throw the book against the wall or ask for your money back at the theatre. But what makes an ending work or not.

This week I've been working on short stories. One of the benefits of that form is it gives you practice in creating a concise story arc with a satisfying conclusion. What interested me is that the ending was the most difficult part. This is why I struggled:

1. Don't beat a dead horse- After I made my point, I kept on going. Sort of like disciplining a teenager, once you've said your peace you need to be quiet. It is not effective to nag, especially as a writer.
2. What's the point- A story is different than a journal entry. When you finish there has to be an epiphany, a new insight, that the story awakens in you or at least an emotive response. Like a good joke, in the end there has to be something to "get." If not, then it isn't really a story at all.
3. Letting the reader do his part- If you have to explain everything in the end, then you haven't done a good job in the middle. In two of my stories I had to lighten the end so that the reader could finish the equations and finish the story feeling complete. Sometimes stopping just before the end can work.
4. Echo the first scene- To illustrate character growth, I really like it when the final scene mirrors the first in some way. The best is when the mirror isn't easily recognized but still there.
5. Stop at the end- I don't know if you've every read a story that went too long. Once the central conflict is complete STOP! Many stories stop at the first kiss rather than show the wedding because the wedding goest without a hitch and is BORING. Although I'd love to see what happed after Rhett said "Frankly, Scarlett" I don't give a damn." I never watched "Scarlett" because I really felt the story was over. I didn't need or want to see more.

So what are your favorite endings?