Loralee Evans's Blog: Loralee Evans, page 53

Mission Call!

My oldest son recently got his LDS (Mormon) mission call. He's going to be serving in the Philippines Manila Mission. I'm very excited for him. I anticipate that he will learn and grow a lot, and help many people. Here is a video of him opening his mission call. Here is some information about the Philippines Manila Mission. This is my first child going away from home, and on a mission, so I'm pretty nervous. But I'm happy for my son, and excited about all the things he'll learn as he serves the people in the Philippines!

Daughters of Jared by H. B. Moore

Daughters of Jared by H.B. Moore (c) 2012Already a fan of Heather Moore's work, I knew I could expect a really good story when I read Daughters of Jared. But this book truly amazed me. This was a masterfully written story, filled with suspense, intrigue, and a very satisfying romance! 


Naiva was a wonderfully written character, very believable and sympathetic, and Levi was absolutely great in so many ways. I love stories where the hero is such a well-written character as Levi is. I liked him, right from the beginning. 

Akish, of course, was as bad as I expected. I was already familiar with Akish's story, and knew what would happen to his son, but reading the story here, tore my heart out. Poor Shez. Even so, I absolutely loved the ending. Once again, Heather Moore has done a terrific job bringing events of the Book of Mormon and the people in it to life, and telling a plausible tale of what may have been. I loved this book, and I heartily recommend it!

Kathryn Elizabeth Jones- Author

Author Kathryn Elizabeth JonesI met Kathryn Elizabeth Jones, a wonderful lady, and the author of several books, at the writers' conference, Write Here in Ephraim this last April.
Recently, she interviewed me about my books and my writing for her blog, and I appreciated the chance to answer them.  You can read her questions and my answers to them, on her blog, here.
Kathryn is the author of several books, including River of Stones , Conquering Your Goliaths: A Parable of the Five Stones , and Marketing Your Book on a Budget as well as many others!
Read more about Kathryn and her books on here blog here, or her amazon author page, here!

Oldest Child's Graduation!

My oldest son (and oldest child) Tyler Evans, recently graduated from high school, and I am quite proud of him!  He was Valedictorian, too! He wants to become involved in aviation, possibly becoming a commercial airline pilot.  He loves flying, and I think that would be a great career for him.   During his scholastic career, he attended many schools: West Haven Elementary, Oakmont Elementary, West Clinton Elementary, Monte Vista Elementary, South Rich Elementary, Monticello Elementary,  Duchesne Elementary, and Duchesne Junior and Senior High School.  And each school did a great job in helping him learn and move on to the next level.  And of course, he worked hard, too!  I am very proud of him!

Rachel Nunes' Ongoing Struggle Against Plagiarism

Author, Rachel NunesI've already written quite a lot, since August 2014 about my friend Rachel Nunes' ongoing struggle to hold a plagiarist accountable for stealing Rachel's book, changing the POV, adding a few sex scenes, and then trying to pass the book off as her own.  Even so, plagiarism is a very serious thing, and I feel like it needs to be mentioned again.  Even though a plagiarist doesn't physically sneak into someone's house and take things, it is still a horrible, dishonest thing to do.  In my opinion, the punishment should be more severe than it already is.  Because plagiarism is considered a civil thing rather than a criminal, Rachel Nunes has to provide the finances to hold the plagiarist accountable.  But other ethical writers and readers can help her, by contributing to her gofundme account that author David Farland encouraged her to set up.  Consider following the link here to help her bring the plagiarist to justice, and hopefully discourage would-be plagiarists who could see, by our solidarity, that we will not tolerate such dishonest and unethical behavior without there being serious consequences.

The Magnificent World of Spirits by Marlene Bateman Sullivan

The Magnificent World of Spirits by Marlene Bateman Sullivan was an insightful and eye-opening read.  It gave many different first hand accounts of people who had had near death experiences and had interacted with spirits during the time out of their bodies.  One account that really stood out to me, was that of a soldier who had been hit with a shock wave during a battle in which most of his comrades were killed.  He was dead for three days, declared dead by a doctor, even.  Yet when they started to bury him, his spirit came back to his body, and he started kicking and thrashing in the bag they’d put him in.  Of course, seeing this, they immediately got him out, and the story he had to tell of his experiences beyond this life, was pretty amazing. 


This story would be enjoyable to anyone who is curious about inspiring near-death experiences.  But I think it may be particularly comforting for someone who has recently lost someone close, and needs to be reminded that the essence of who a person is does not cease to exist at the end of the life of the body, but continues on another plane of existence; not only that, but that the person retains the same consciousness and personality that he or she had before.  The book was well-researched, and skillfully put together. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading inspiring, faith-affirming stories.
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Blurbs, Excerpts, and Author Bio for The Magnificent World of Spirits
Blurb for The Magnificent World of SpiritsLife. Death. Life.Not everyone who visits the spirit world stays there. The Magnificent World of Spirits: Eyewitness Accounts of Where We Go When We Die, gives fascinating glimpses of life beyond the veil by people who visited the spirit world during the early years of the LDS Church.Filled with stories of insight and inspiration, The Magnificent World of Spirits is a stirring book that combines documented personal experiences with scripture, commentary, and quotes from latter-day prophets and other leaders. This book will bring you peace as you come to understand what awaits on the other side of the veil. After reading this book, you will never think of life—or death—in the same way.

Blurb for Gaze into Heaven (prequel to The Magnificent World of Spirits) Gaze Into Heaven; Near-death Experiences in Early LDS Church History, is a collection of more than 50 near-death experiences that occurred during the early years of the LDS Church. These documented accounts give fascinating glimpses into the spirit world by those who have actually been there. What happens when we die? What does the spirit world look like? Will we see departed family members and friends? What do people do there? All of these questions and many more are answered in Gaze Into Heaven.

Bio for Marlene Marlene Bateman Sullivan was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor's degree in English. Marlene loves reading, camping, and flowers, and has a super-sized iris garden with over 75 different varieties. She also loves animals and has a pudgy Westie and an energetic Welsh Corgi who somehow manage to co-exist with her four cats.   Marlene has written a number of non-fiction books, including:  Latter-day Saint Heroes and Heroines, And There Were Angels Among Them, Visit’s From Beyond the Veil, By the Ministering of Angels, Brigham’s Boys, Heroes of Faith, Gaze Into Heaven; Near-death Experiences in Early Church History, andThe Magnificent World of Spirits. Marlene also wrote the best-selling novel, Light on Fire Island, as well as three other mysteries, Motive for Murder, A Death in the Family, and Crooked House.

Clockwork Calico: The Golden Owl by Lana Axe

Clockwork Calico: The Golden Owl by Lana AxeI read and enjoyed a very fun Middle Grade Steampunk recently, titled Clockwork Calico: The Golden Owl by Lana Axe.  It was fast-paced, and full of surprises.  Upper elementary kids and junior high kids would find it exciting and engaging.  Heck, all ages would!

Calico Cogg is a cat whose human friend (according to Calico, cats have friends, not owners) Lionel Cogg has fitted her with all sorts of enhancements to increase her feline abilities.  This is great for her, but dastardly folks, aware of Lionel's skills have other, more nefarious plans in mind. When Lionel is kidnapped, Calico finds herself teaming up with a mouse of all, ahem, people, in order to rescue him, and the cat and mouse team proceed to uncover something even more sinister than they imagined.

This is very well-written, and wonderfully paced.  I enjoyed reading it a lot, and I highly recommend it for all ages!

Write Here in Ephraim 2016

Write Here in Ephraim was fantastic as usual, this year!  I taught a class titled 4+ Ways to Outline Your Novel, which gave the class participants several different methods to choose from when going about outlining a novel.  Ultimately, the best way to outline a novel, is the best way that works for you!

There were so many other great classes to take.  I personally love the medieval weapons class that C. David Belt teaches.  He really knows a lot about different kinds of medieval warfare equipment, from swords to spears, from flails to armor.

I also enjoyed Jenni James'  informative class on writing clean romance.  She's a great romance writer who knows how to create believable, likable characters in romance stories that stay clean, and are at the same time, exciting to read!

Tristi Pinkston's class on brainstorming was fantastic!  I got so many ideas of how to work past tough spots, or polish out something I've already written.  I really enjoyed her class, and I liked hearing other people's story ideas.

Another class I was glad I took, was given by Karlene Browning.  She's an expert on helping authors get their online presence out there, so that readers can find time, and learn more about their books, thus bringing the authors more business, and fans!

I truly enjoyed listening to Justin Osmond's inspiring talk the Friday evening before classes started, and Dean Hughe's advice and wisdom during his address on Saturday.

There were so many other classes and presenters too, that I didn't get a chance to take, but I'll bet the presenters did wonderfully!  I've enjoyed Write Here in Ephraim the last few years that I've gone.  Shirley Balmann, the brains and muscle behind Write Here in Ephraim, has again done a great job, and I hope this writers' conference continues for many more years!

Spring Into Books- Viridian Event Center May 28th

Spring Into Books is coming May 28th from 2pm to 6pm at the Viridian Event Center in West Jordan, Utah.  It is a great event for families, and will feature scores of authors of many different genres.  I participated last year, and will have the great fortune to participate this year, as well!  The event has authors signing their books, giving presentations, and reading exerpts from their books.  It's great for parents and children alike!  Take a look at their Facebook page here to read more about the event!

Daughter of Winter by Amber Argyle coming April 21st!

Amber Argyle is a very talented writer, the author of the Fairy Queen series.  Read below to learn more about Daughter of Winter, the newest book in the series, which will be released, April 21st!


Daughter of Winter

Daughter of Winter will be released April 21st. Here's the new synopsis:



Bargains. Only the truly desperate make them. Only the truly desperate need them. And always, the desperate pay.



The silence and never-ending dark of winter are all Elice has ever known, for she is the daughter of the Winter Queen. Isolated in a northern queendom with only the seals for company, she dreams of color and music and life. So when a whaling ship crashes just offshore, she doesn't hesitate to rescue the lone survivor, Adar, who quickly becomes her friend. She must keep him hidden from her mother at all costs, for if the Winter Queen discovers him trespassing, she'll kill him.



But when her mother reveals just how dark her soul has become, Elice realizes she is as much a prisoner as Adar. To ever know true freedom—ever to become the woman she was meant to be—she must flee with him. But in their flight, she begins to see hints of something more nefarious. The darkness that has taken hold of her mother is spreading, staining the world with its influence.



Unbeknownst to Elice, a bargain was made long ago. A bargain she was born to fulfill.

To celebrate the upcoming release, http://amzn.to/1MudEXX">the first book in the series, Of Ice and Snow, is free for a limited time. In exchange, for your free copy https://www.facebook.com/amberargylesmith/posts/10153733867968495?pnref=story" share this post on facebook and/orhttps://twitter.com/amberargyle/status/720278386317217792"

An author's success depends upon word of mouth, so sharing my freebie will draw attention to the series. Also, feel free to copy and paste any information in this blog into your own to help spread the word. Thank you in advance!