Heather B. Moore's Blog, page 12

Cover reveal for DIVINITY OF WOMEN

I'm really excited to reveal the cover for a non-fiction book I wrote with my father, S. Kent Brown. Some of you may know that he's a renowned Biblical scholar. I think his resume would be a dozen pages long. My dad has published many scholarly-type books, and he's currently finishing a 1,000 page commentary on the Book of Luke. I always thought it would be neat to co-write with him... but the question became What? What could "I" contribute to something that he might be interested in or willing to do?

Several years ago, I'd brainstormed some book ideas with my then-editor, and I told her I'd like to write a book on the divinity of women... about their divine natures before, during, and after this life. She loved the idea, but several other books crowded... in 2012, I decided to get serious. I wrote a few sections and realized that the book would be much richer if my dad helped me. So at one of my kid's soccer games, I asked him if he wanted to be a co-author. He agreed, and we split up the "names" we'd work on.

We submitted to Covenant in June 2012, and went through a series of revisions before official acceptance. Official release date will be March 2014.

These are the women that we feature--a mixture of Biblical Women and Women of the Book of Mormon:
Section One: Visionary WomenSarah * Mother of Samson * Rebekah * Wife of King Lamoni
Section Two: Prayer & WorshipWomen of Galilee * Lydia * Mary * Poor Widow * Woman with issue of blood * Eve * Hannah * Abish
Section Three: ProphetessesMiriam * Deborah * Huldah * Anna * Wife of Isaiah * Noadiah * Elisabeth * Daughters of Philip
Section Four: Crossing the LineQueen Jezebel * Queen Athaliah * Tamar * Rahab * Isabel * Daughter of Jared II * Gomer, Hosea’s Wife
Section Five: Education of Ancient WomenQueen of Sheba * Queen Esther * Wives of Jared and the Brother of Jared * Sariah  

COVER REVEAL for The Fortune Cafe

Some of you may have heard about my "super secret project". Doesn't that drive you nuts when authors do that? It does me, so sorry about that.

Anyway, about 9 months ago I read a 3-part novel. I loved the idea immediately, and I also loved the idea of collaborating with a couple of other authors. Once I talked Julie Wright into doing it with me, we looked around for another author who might be interested in writing a contemporary romance series with us. We were really excited when Melanie Jacobson came on board. Of course, with all of our schedules, families, and life in general, we actually didn't do anything on it until this past month. 
We outlined the first novel in the series over the phone since Melanie lives in another state, established characters, plot arcs, and setting. 
You might be wondering, What is a 3-part novel? The novel follows three woman who are all connected to a location/theme/event. The Fortune Café on Tangerine Street is a Chinese restaurant unlike any other because, well, to be honest, the fortunes found in the cookies all come true… 

We now have a cover and a release date!

Coming March 2014: The Fortune Cafe (A Tangerine Street Novel)

Indie Publishing Workshop

Have you thought about Indie Publishing but don't know if your manuscript is ready? Or maybe you are a traditionally published author with a couple of niche projects sitting around, yet don't want the label of "self-published"? PEG is hosting the Indie Publishing Workshop to teach you how to build your professional indie team for editing, design, cover, ebook distribution and marketing, so that you are presenting a professional and competitive product.

Workshop topics:
*The Hybrid Author: Pro's and Con's of Traditional Publishing vs Indie Publishing
*Stages of editing needed for a professional product
*Building Your Team & Managing the Money
*Author branding and platform
*Marketing, Pricing & Categorizing ebooks (or How to Hit Top 100 categories)


November 16, 2013
American Fork Library
64 South 100 East, American Fork, UT
Doors open: 10:00 a.m.
Workshop: 10:30 a.m. -- 4:30 p.m.
Includes one hour lunch break, lunch on your own

Registration deadline: November 5th

**Limited Space**

Payments to: www.paypal.com
Pay $45.00 to PayPal account: editor@precisioneditinggroup.com
**include "PEG Workshop" in the notes
**include your email address in the notes if different from your paypal address
(you don't need a PayPal account to do this)

Instructors include best-selling hybrid authors:

Rachel Ann Nunes Rachel has been a bestselling author in the traditional market for many years, and she's also independently re-released older titles such as Bridge to Forever and This Time Forever, as well as helping other authors do the same.



Heather Horrocks Heather is the bestselling indie author of romantic comedies and cozy mysteries. With over 10 bestselling publications, Heather's latest release is Kissing Santa.

Rachael Anderson Rachael has been a bestseller on Amazon for over a year with her popular contemporary romances, including The Reluctant Bachelorette, Working It Out, and the All I Want anthology.

Heather B. Moore Heather indie publishes the popular Timeless Romance Anthology series, the Aliso Creek Novella series, and the historical romance, Heart of the Ocean.


Lu Ann Staheli Lu Ann has indie published award-winning Middle Grade, YA, and upcoming non-fiction. Recent titles include Just Like Elizabeth Taylor, Tides Across the Sea, and A Note Worth Taking.

Reviewers needed for Ruby's Secret!

The next installment of the Newport Ladies Book Club releases in October. I'm really excited about this book because Ruby is the book club "mom" and I've been living with her character for over two years. Finally I get to share Ruby's story with my readers.

If you are interested in reviewing this book, please email me: heather (at) hbmoore (dot) com

Please note that my publisher is sending out electronic copies only.

From the back cover:
At age sixty-two, life is finally beginning for newly widowed Ruby Crenshaw. Her son is grown and gone, and after long years spent in the role of loyal wife to her charming but unfaithful husband, she's ready to live the life she's always dreamed of. Her resolve is firm: she'll never make the mistake of giving her heart to another man. The first step in Ruby's quest for a carefree lifestyle was to create the Newport Ladies Book Club, an unlikely gathering of women who have been her haven. Now she's ready to take her new found independence a step further, along with her friends from the local senior center, Ruby is jetting off on a much-needed Greece adventure. What she isn't prepared for is Gabriel, the group's tour guide, a native Greek and a true gentleman. His unquestionable charm is hard to resist. But resist she must, because no matter their growing attraction, Ruby is not about to fall for charming again!

For more about the Newport Ladies Book Club series, visit our blog:

Reviewers needed: BENEATH, a short story

  Let me know if you'd like to be a reviewer for the short story, BENEATH, a companion story to the thriller FINDING SHEBA. Email me: heather @ hbmoore (dot) com
Coming September 2013  Beneath, a short story Companion story to Finding ShebaE-book only $0.99 Chalice Stratford hands won’t stop shaking, and not only is she required to give up her medical practice, but she’s forced to enter the witness protection program since the serial killer who brutally scarred her is still at large. Working in a museum in Bordeaux, France, the last thing she expects is to be abducted in a museum theft gone wrong. Omar Zagouri, the man behind the heist, is not who she expects, and Chalice soon learns he might be the one man who can put her demons to rest.

FINDING SHEBA: Blog Tour

Tour Schedule
Pre- Tour Reviews
Alisa on Goodreads
KickinBooks
Delanne on Goodreads
Cheryl on Goodreads

August 16th
Book Blast

August 22nd
I Am A Reader, Not A Writer – Guest Post
A Date with a Book – Review
Cami Checketts – Review

August 23rd
Reading in my DNA – Review
3 Partners in Shopping – Review

August 24th
Bookworm Lisa – Review
Vonnie’s Reading Corner – Review

August 26th
Julie Coulter Bellon – Review
LDS Women’s Book Review – Review
I Love to Read & Review Books – Review
Writing, the Universe and Everything Books – Review
Mel’s Shelves – Review

August 27th
Rose & Beps Blog – Review
Hershey Wishes & Kisses - Review
LDS & Lovin’ It – Review

August 28th
A Book A Day – Review
Gamila’s Review – Review
Min Reads and Reviews – Review

August 29th
Tressa’s Wishful Endings – Review
Literary Time Out – Review
Getting Your Read On – Review

August 30th
readalot – Review
Book Readers – Review

Amazon/Goodreads Reviewers
Jaime

FINDING SHEBA: Writing & Publishing Journey

For every novel I have written, there is a story behind the writing, and there is also a story behind the publication. Finding Sheba has extensive stories on both accounts. I’m a “discovery writer” or a “pantser writer.” This means I often don’t know what will happen next in the story. I’ll sit down to write and read the pages I wrote the day before and hope (crossing fingers) that I can pick up where I left off and come up with something interesting.Finding Sheba will be released in August 2013, but if you can believe it, I started the first draft of this book in 2005. I had two historical novels out by then and was working on my third. I remember doing a book signing at the Provo mall and walking into the bookstore. On the front display was The DaVinci Code , which I’d read and loved, but even more interesting was the fact that there were a half dozen books surrounding The DaVinci Codewritten aboutthe novel… trying to explain the symbolism behind Dan Brown’s story, busting the myths, or commenting on some of the theories brought out in the novel.I thought to myself: “Wow, how would it be to write a book in which others write books about the subject matter to explain in more detail the theories in my novel.” Of course this was a pipe dream and who knows if someone will ever do that for Finding Sheba, but it set my imagination on fire as I tried to come up with a story that had fantastic arguments on both sides. I settled on the queen of Sheba because, first, she’s a queen! And not only that, her story is told in the Bible, which not everyone believes is a true and accurate historical account. This meant that I already had a subject that was debatable. In a conversation with my father (who happens to be a Biblical scholar, convenient for me, yes), he said there was no archaeological evidence that the queen of Sheba ever existed. In fact… there’s no archaeological evidence that King Solomon, or his father, King David, ever existed either. This means that if these kings didn’t exist then Israel’s claim to the Holy Land is a false claim. So I thought… what if evidence was found? Indisputable evidence? Then I turned that on its head… but what if, first… evidence to thecontrary was found? I found a fascinating book by Nicholas Clapp called Sheba: Through the Desert in Search of the Legendary Queen . Mr. Clapp explained some of the theories behind the queen’s life and the different countries that claim her as their own (Yemen, Oman, Egypt, and Ethiopia). Now all I needed was the main conflict… why was it important to find the tomb, and what obstacles would be thrown in the way? Since I could see that plot getting too big to wrap my arms around, I decided to Plot. For the very first time. I’d written six novels (3 unpublished at the time, and those will remain so), but had never officially plotted or outlined any scenes. This would be different, and I was determined to make decisions in advance and to follow them. It worked all right for about five or six chapters, then I started to deviate. And before I knew it, I wasn’t following my plot at all.In fact, I had written 200 pages and realized that something major was missing. I had Jade, the American woman trying to complete her professor’s work; Alem, the Ethiopian on his own personal quest to find the queen he was descended from; and the queen’s own story, told in flashbacks in time . . . but I needed a character to tie Jade and Alem together, and to set the conflict in motion, and to get the country of Israel involved. Omar Zagouri was then created, and true to his character, he then promptly took over as the main character.550 pages completed the first version of the novel, which I titled Queen. I sent the manuscript (printed out) to several friends and started working on revisions. I started querying agents and publishers. I attended the RWA in SLC and in a bold move handed over three chapters to a visiting agent. The second day at the conference she said, “I’m hooked, send me the rest.” I did, and when she finished reading it, she told me she didn’t like the ending. I spent the next several months thinking about her comments and deciding to revise. About 150 pages disappeared and a different 100 pages materialized. I sent the book back to the agent, but she never replied. Still, I was satisfied that I had a stronger story. I found a couple of writing contests to enter and Queen won the grand prize in one of them. Part of the prize was agent representation with a respected agency out of NYC. I was more than excited, and decided this was it.It was now 2008, and I had written other novels that were being published with my regular publisher. My agent told me that Queen was too long. I needed to cut 100 pages before she could shop it. So… I did… word by word, analyzing scene by scene, characters, plot. Finally in 2009, the submissions began. No one offered in the first round. So we sat on it for a while. The economy was dipping lower and lower and major publishers were laying off editors by the dozens. My own publisher in Utah was going through major changes, sales were dropping, and people weren’t buying books like they used to. I continued attending writers conferences and meeting with editors, trying to find if Queenwould be a good fit for one of their publishing houses. There were some highs and lows… several phone calls from editors in NYC, and I thought, “I’m so close! This is really it!”We’re now in 2011 and the ebook market is taking off like crazy. Some publishers are even considering releasing books as ebooks first. I’m still writing and publishing for my publisher and now I have nine books out with them. But thoughts of Queen won’t leave me alone. I decided, though, that my agent had given it enough time and work, and that I needed to shelve it. We both needed to move on. It had been through the rounds, and for whatever reason, the timing wasn’t there. I wasn’t convinced I’d self-publish it or do another major revision so that it could fit in with my very-conservative publisher… so I did nothing.In the summer of 2012, I was planning out marketing for my first contemporary romance novel that was coming out in a few months. I realized that all of my other novels were historical thrillers, and written under H.B. Moore. Now, Athena (The Newport Ladies Book Club series) would be coming out, and published under Heather B. Moore. Since Amazon makes authors with two pen names separate those author pages, if someone looked up “Heather B. Moore” they’d find two inspirational non-fiction books and Athena. If someone loved Athena, they’d have nothing else to read that compared.I wanted to put out another romance, contemporary or historical. But if I wrote a full novel then it would take months to write and a year or two to come out. This would not help me with crossover sales with Athena. Then I thought about writing something short… but could I do it? I’d written a short story to go with Queenfor a thriller anthology. Maybe I could write a short romance.One of the things I dread as an author is self-promotion: “Buy my book!” Putting out a short romance would just add to that… and it would now be “Buy my self-published novella!” To get around that, I thought about doing an anthology. I’d find other authors to write a short romance as well. Then it wouldn’t just be “me” shouting from the roof-tops. We’d be able to cross-promote and share readership. But who could I ask? And did this mean I needed a publishing company imprint? And how do I choose the covers? Make all the publishing decisions? Edit? Design? I knew I didn’t want to do it solo. I went through my mental list of author friends, ones who could help with those decisions, help navigate the romance genre, and were fantastic writers as well with publishing experience in that genre. So I met with Annette Lyon and Sarah M. Eden, who both agreed to be on the board for Mirror Press. We put together A Timeless Romance Anthology series, first release would be October 2012. We invited three other authors to contribute for a total of six novellas in one anthology.Why am I telling you all of this? Because… once I became an indie publishing Kindle author it meant that I received the KDP newsletters. In November, the featured publisher/author was Aaron Patterson of StoneHouse Ink. I read about his publishing success and the more I read, the more I realized that his company would be a perfect fit for Queen. Even though the book hadn’t been queried for over a year, I dug out my pitch sentence and crafted a letter to Aaron. During this same time, my husband and I had been working on house plans with a designer named Aaron as well. So to my surprise, Aaron Patterson called me, saying he was from StoneHouse Ink. (Aaron + StoneHouse = house designer? Patterson is also a name of a builder in my area). He said he wanted to talk about my book. (Why did my architect want to talk about my book? Was he a fan?)I finally clued in that I was talking to the publisher I’d just queried that day, but then after hanging up, wasn’t quite sure I’d just been on the phone with a publisher who’d offered to publish Queen. Even though we’d talked about contract terms, release dates, and the all-important cover—which we both agreed we were cover snobs—I don’t think I was 100% sure it was all real until I received an email with a contract attached.Life is often ironic, and when I learned that Queen would be coming out summer 2013, a few months after my newest release Esther the Queen , I started posting on my Facebook page that my two novels about Biblical queens would be out in the same year. From the replies, I realized that my readers were confused about which book was which. Some thought my Queen book was really Esther the Queen, or that they were the same book. Of course, it was all perfectly clear in my mind, but I wondered if I’d be spending the next several years explaining it over and over in endless blog posts, interviews, or Facebook clarifications. I realized that although I’d lived and queried Queen for seven years now, the title had to change.And Finding Sheba was born.

Cover reveal for FINDING SHEBA & Reviewers needed!

I'm currently seeking reviewers for my August release: FINDING SHEBA...



A blog isn't necessary, you can post on Amazon or Goodreads. Please email me: heather (at) hbmoore (dot) com

Here's the blurb so you know what you're getting yourself into:



FINDING SHEBA by H.B. MooreAn Omar Zagouri Thriller
An ancient legend is reborn . . . One that might prove the Bible false.
For centuries, historians have theorized the Queen of Sheba as only a seductive legend, and scholars have debated over the legitimacy of King David or King Solomon. When undercover Israeli agent, Omar Zagouri, stumbles onto a tomb in Northern Jerusalem he unknowingly finds the final clue that threatens to overthrow government claim to the Holy Land, pits wealthy collectors against one another, and sends ruthless archaeologists scrambling to find the queen’s secret burial place. An assassination attempt on the Coptic Pope, His Holiness, Patriarch Stephanus II, is only the first in the chain of lethal crimes. Omar must find a way to prevent the greatest discovery of the century from becoming the most deadly. 

Reviewers needed!

I'm currently seeking reviewers for my August release: FINDING SHEBA...



A blog isn't necessary, you can post on Amazon or Goodreads. Please email me: heather (at) hbmoore (dot) com

Here's the blurb so you know what you're getting yourself into:



FINDING SHEBA by H.B. MooreAn Omar Zagouri Thriller
An ancient legend is reborn . . . One that might prove the Bible false.
For centuries, historians have theorized the Queen of Sheba as only a seductive legend, and scholars have debated over the legitimacy of King David or King Solomon. When undercover Israeli agent, Omar Zagouri, stumbles onto a tomb in Northern Jerusalem he unknowingly finds the final clue that threatens to overthrow government claim to the Holy Land, pits wealthy collectors against one another, and sends ruthless archaeologists scrambling to find the queen’s secret burial place. An assassination attempt on the Coptic Pope, His Holiness, Patriarch Stephanus II, is only the first in the chain of lethal crimes. Omar must find a way to prevent the greatest discovery of the century from becoming the most deadly. 

Storymakers Conference 2013

The LDS Storymakers Writers Conference is always a huge highlight of my year. I frequently serve on some sort of committee (and was the co-chair with Annette Lyon a few years ago), teach workshops, host agents/editors, run pitch sessions, etc. This year I served as the Whitney President, and at the last minute I was asked to host Harlequin editor Victoria Curran, which I was so happy to accept.

Here are some pictures (I'll keep adding as they are posted, since I didn't bring my camera):


 Critique Group (butterchurns): Jeff Savage, Michele Holmes, Annette Lyon, Sarah Eden, Me (missing: Rob Wells & Lu Ann Staheli)
 Coincidence?In orange: Me, Taffy Lovell, Melanie Jacobson, TJ Bronley  Me, Taffy Lovell, Julie Daines & Julie Wright at Whitney Gala(self-portrait)
Stephanie Black & Me at Whitney Gala
Victoria Curran (Harlequin Editor) & Me at Whitney Gala