What Do YOU Read in Bed?

            Let's get some fun comments going....what book is on your bedside table RIGHT NOW?
            Me?  I'm reading "Get Rich Click."   Your turn...






            www.trinaboice.com

Is Chicken Soup in Your Soul?

By Trina Boice
www.TrinaBoice.com


The Chicken Soup book franchise has been hugely successful over the past years.  If you've never read one of their books, you really are missing out on a soulful experience.  If you're a writer or someone who has had an inspiring experience that could be shared with others, you can submit your stories at: 
 http://www.chickensoup.com/form.asp?cid=submit_story


I tried submitting an idea for a great book I thought they should write, but they're not accepting that kind of proposal.  They are, however, actively looking for contributors for the following books:

20th Anniversary Reader's Choice
To celebrate our twenty-year anniversary next summer, we are planning a book in which contributors tell us how a Chicken Soup for the Soul story changed their lives. If a Chicken Soup for the Soul story made a big difference to you, tell us the name of the story and the book in which it appeared, and then write us a new Chicken Soup for the Soul story all about how the old story helped you. We'll publish the stories in pairs -- the old ones and the new ones. The deadline for story submissions is November 30, 2012. 
 
Angels Among Us
We are looking for stories from people who believe that they have encountered or been helped by angels. How did your angel manifest himself or herself? How did your angel help you or someone you know? Please do not send stories about people who are "angels" because they do nice things, and also please do not submit eulogies where you say that your loved one is now an angel. The deadline date for story and poem submissions is July 31, 2012. 
 
Great Advice for Making Changes in Your Life
Have you ever read a Chicken Soup for the Soul story that had a wonderful nugget of advice in it that made a difference in your life? We are looking for stories that contain great pieces of advice, whether they are little things that improve our everyday lives, or major epiphanies that can change a life completely. Topics we will cover include advice related to work and personal relationships, marriage, parenting, health and fitness, finances, constructive criticism, taking chances, and following your passion. The deadline date for story and poem submissions is August 31, 2012. 
 
Independent Woman
Whether you are single or married, widowed, or divorced, you are in charge of your life and the lives of many other people. Tell us your story about running your independent life, achieving independence, and being a complete person. We are referring to all kinds of independence, not just financial or emotional. Share your story of empowerment and independence to help women of all ages feel stronger, more capable, and more confident. The deadline date for story and poem submissions is July 31, 2012 
 
Raising Kids on the Spectrum
If you are the parent of a child with autism or Asperger's, we invite you to share your story about raising your child - the ups and downs, the effect on your family, your child's special attributes and talents, and the lighter moments too. You may use a "pen name" on your story. These stories will provide advice, comfort and insight to other parents in the same situation. The deadline date for story and poem submissions is September 30, 2012.

Get Dan Poynter's newest book on writing for FREE!

                                                  by Trina Boice              www.TrinaBoice.com

Dan Poynter is know as an author's "guru" and now he's sharing his great wisdom for free!

Writing Your Book:
Cashing in on Publishing, Faster, Easier, & Cheaper.
by Dan Poynter

What should you write about and how should you write it?
Discover the resources to research your market, title, and information sources. Then follow the steps for writing your book. A superb, easy, and fun guide.
Essential recommendations for fiction, non fiction, ebooks and printed books.

You can get the Kindle edition FREE.
Download the book free on one day:
Friday, July 13 & Saturday, July 14, from midnight to midnight, Pacific time.
Log on to the Amazon page for this book and you will note that your price on Friday & Saturday is $0.00

Any time Friday or Saturday, log on to

or Copy\Paste:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007VP66Z0

AND, please forward this announcement to your colleagues who have a book inside them.

DESCRIPTION (Back Cover)

Reference\Book Writing

Write Today—Earn Tomorrow

New equipment and advanced techniques make writing a book faster, easier, and cheaper.

You will discover:

--What fiction and nonfiction subjects are in demand.

--How large is your potential reading market
--Where to find the information for your book
--How and where to sell your book online
--Organizational steps that make writing your book quick, easy, and fun.

“Dan Poynter is the top coach for writing, publishing and, most important, promoting.”
—John Tullius, Director, Maui Writers Conference.

“One essential ingredient to our Chicken Soup success was consulting with Dan Poynter in the early stages.”
—Jack Canfield, co-author,
Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

“Dan Poynter has generously guided thousands to authorship. Their books make this a better world.”
—Dr. Robert Müller,
Author & Past Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations.

Dan Poynter is the author of more than 130 books. His seminars have been featured on CNN, his books have been pictured in The Wall Street Journal, and his story has been told in The New York Times. He is the leading authority on how to write, publish, and promote books.

This ebook provides the shortcut to becoming a published author.

54 jam-packed pages
ISBN Ebook Edition: 978-1-56860-154-0
ASIN: B007VP66Z0

Get your free copy on Friday or Saturday (only).

How Well Do We Know Our Characters?

Today is officially the first day of Summer! YAY! Or BOO! Depending upon your perspective, this is a great day or a sad day. Great because it means summer is really here or sad because this is the longest day of the year, which means it’s all downhill from here as we roll back towards winter. Hmmm. Are you an optimist, a pessimist or indifferent? Do you prefer summer or winter? Do you care? What about the characters you write about? Do they care?

So much of what we do and how we interact in the world depends on our perspective and viewpoint. It may seem like a subtle question- The first day of Summer- Good or Bad? But it can reveal a great deal about us as individuals OR about the characters living within the pages of the books we write. In life, it would be improbable to be surrounded by only one type of person. It is much more likely that we are surrounded by complexity of competing values, opinions and even points of view, in the sense that not everyone can view the world in the same way. What a boring place that would be. Even as individuals we may find that we are both optimistic/pessimistic/indifferent depending on the circumstances around us or the subject we face. A mixture of these attributes amongst our characters adds interest and complication to our stories. It adds angst, conflict and depth. Without these qualities, a story will just be words on pages that don’t really speak to or move anyone. So, take a look at your current characters. Are they the same? Different? Are they cheery? Do they have a fatal flaw? Are they optimistic or pessimistic? Can they change? Should they change? Answering these questions and many more will help us to truly know our characters and make our writing more enjoyable and the experience for our readers more meaningful.

Oh, one more thing. Don’t forget about the inaugural Storymakers Midwest Conference on September 15^th. Find out more information here. http://ldstorymakerauthors.blogspot.com/2012/06/show-love-for-storymakers-midwest.html
I had originally planned to attend the Provo Storymakers Conference this year but was unable to attend so I’m thrilled to have a second shot at meeting many of my favorite LDS authors. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to attend a great conference near Kansas City. I am also very excited about this as I will be presenting two workshops: 1) The First 5 Pages  and 2) YA genre. It should be loads of fun. Sign up today!

Transformational Author Experience

TAE is like an on-line author workshop. I decided it would be a good learning experience, and it was. I'd like to share some advice from the author, Lisa Nichols.

Lisa struggled in school only to find out later that she is a creative learner, a kinesthetic, tactile learner. In her last English course, she failed the class. In front of the entire class her teacher said, "Lisa, you have to be the weakest writer I've ever met in my entire life."  In her first and last speech class she got a D. Her teacher recommended that she never speak in public.

What she learned from all of this is that some motivation comes wrapped in sandpaper or covered with nails.The words of her teachers became her motivator . . .her fuel . . . giving her that "I'll show you" motivation.

In her words; "If you can place situations in your life that are challenging or hard . .  . that may not be all they are because you can't determine or define every situation to be the way you want them to be, re-purpose them to serve as your fuel,  not your fortress between you and your goal. You can change any situation from being your reason why not to becoming your reason why to."

She continues. "That's what I did. I put a placeholder in my life and I said, 'Listen, this was the first 6 chapters of my life, but the next 6 chapters are blank sheets of paper and I hold the pen in my hand. I can either copy and paste the old story into a new chapter or I can re-write or write, for the time, a new experience."

Have a great day.

Show The Love for the Storymakers Midwest Conference!

(Reposted from http://ldstorymakerauthors.blogspot.com/2012/06/show-love-for-storymakers-midwest.html)

Show The Love for the Storymakers Midwest Conference!

We are so, so excited for the Storymakers very first Midwest Conference in Kansas City on September 15th. But we need your help to spread the word to let our friends, neighbors, and cyber-buddies know about this great opportunity to learn from incredible authors and the fabulous Lisa Mangum, editor at Deseret Book & Shadow Mountain.

And of course, we at Storymakers never ask for help without some awesome prizes up for grabs . . .

• Query letter critique by Kirk Shaw, former editor at Covenant Communications
• 50 page critique from Precision Editing Group
• 30 page edit & review from Ferguson Authors Editing
• 15 page critique from author & editor Tristi Pinkston

Now that you're drooling, let me share how you can help & enter for a chance to win. Everyone is welcome to participate!

• Blog about the Storymakers Midwest Writers Conference and link to the conference site. This is worth 5 entries.
• Blog about the Show Your Love contest and link back to the original post. This is also worth 5 entries.
• Grab the html for the conference button and add it to your blog or website. Be sure to use the html so the link works.  =)  This is worth an additional 5 points.

<a href='http://ldstorymakers.com/conferences/midwest-conference-2012/'><img src='http://danyelleferguson.com/images/Storymakers/StorymakersMidwestBlogButton.gif'/></a>

• Become a fan of the LDStorymakers Conference Facebook page and invite 5 friends to become fans. This is worth 1 Entry (limit 5 entries).
• Mention the conference and/or the contest on Twitter. Either post the link in your tweet, or use the hashtag #StorymakerMW. This is worth 1 entry per day, up to 5 per week.

Shout It Out Loud!

Be sure and go to the original post and leave comments to let us know what you've done. Keep the hype up and return often! Everyone is welcome to participate, including attendees, presenters, and those who wish they could attend. The Show the Love Contest ends at midnight (CT) on July 31st. We will announce the winners before August 10th. If your e-mail isn't accessible through your Blogger profile, please leave it with one of your comments so we can contact you. Winning, and not knowing it, would be pretty rotten.

Join Us!

If you haven't registered for the Storymakers Midwest Conference, you can learn more about & register here.

Lightning Tree by Sarah Dunster

Lightning Tree, by Sarah Dunster is an intriguing and often sad story about the life of a pioneer orphan, Maggie. Set against the political and social intrigue of the "Cedar Incident" Maggie must find ways to cope in a new and often inhospitable environment with a heartless adopted mother and a sometimes indifferent adopted father. Nightmares slowly remind Maggie of the terrible events that have unfolded in her life, events that she suppressed because they are too awful to remember, but her memories are not always accurate which adds to the pain and confusion she feels. Dunster does a wonderful job of exploring Maggie's pain. It really is heartbreaking, but she does it in a way that is exciting enough to keep me turning the pages. While I admit that I found myself most drawn to the political intrigue and secrecy surrounding the "Cedar Incident", Lightning Tree successfully mingles the emotional struggles of the individual with the social struggles of the community. This was a fascinating read, and while Maggie's dramatic personal conflict sometimes overpowers the political I think there is plenty in this book to keep both the male and female reader engaged.