Laurie L.C. Lewis's Blog: Bloggin' It Up Here, page 43

AN APOSTLE's WITNESS OF CHRIST

This is one of my favorite Easter messages. I hope it adds to your Easter season.
Copyright 2009 Laurie LC Lewis, (To obtain permission to copy or reprint any portion of this post, please contact the author at lclewis2007@gmail.com)

MULE TRADING

(MY SON SENT ME THIS AND I HAD TO SHARE...)

Curtis & Leroy saw an ad in the Starkville Daily in Starkville , MS. and bought a mule for $100. The farmer agreed to deliver the mule the next day.

The next morning the farmer drove up and said,"Sorry, fellows, I have some bad news, the mule died last night."

Curtis &Leroy replied,"Well, then just give us our money back."

The farmer said, "Can't do that. I went and spent it already."

They said, "OK then, just bring us the dead mule."

The farmer asked, "What in the world ya'll gonna do with a dead mule?"

Curtis said, "We gonna raffle him off."

The farmer said, "You can't raffle off a dead mule!"

Leroy said, "We shore can! Heck, we don't hafta tell nobody he's dead!"

A couple of weeks later, the farmer ran into Curtis &Leroy at the Piggly Wiggly grocery store and asked, "What'd you fellers ever do with that dead mule?"

They said,"We raffled him off like we said we wuz gonna do..."

Leroy said, "Shucks, we sold 500 tickets fer two dollars apiece and made a profit of $898."

The farmer said,"My Gosh, didn't anyone complain?"

Curtis said, "Well, the feller who won got upset. So we gave him his two dollars back."

Curtis and Leroy now work for the government. They're overseeing the Bailout Program.Copyright 2009 Laurie LC Lewis, (To obtain permission to copy or reprint any portion of this post, please contact the author at lclewis2007@gmail.com)

METHOD WRITING?

A few posts ago I mentioned that I was immersed in this final volume of Free Men and Dreamers, "In God Is Our Trust," through every possible thread of my life. I've been involved in the planning of a pioneer trek experience for our stake's seminary youth, and I can't begin to describe how this event has influenced this project. I hope you'll enjoy this clip, beautifully arranged by Brother Van Orden. "In God Is Our Trust" is slated for a summer release.Copyright 2009 Laurie LC Lewis, (To obtain permission to copy or reprint any portion of this post, please contact the author at lclewis2007@gmail.com)

MEET DEBUTING AUTHOR JULIE FORD

AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Julie N. Ford
Author of
"The Woman He Married"


Julie N. Ford is debuting her first book, an edgy women's fiction novel that has at its center a woman struggling with disatisfaction in her roles as wife and mother. Julie N. Ford is LDS, but her debut novel is written for the national market. As a practicing marriage and family therapist, Ford injects some sobering concerns about the threats to modern family life through her lead character, Josie McClain.

From the back cover:

As an aspiring young defense attorney, Josie McClain looked forward to taking on the injustices of the world—one case at a time. Eleven years later, she is a stay-at-home-mom battling demons that don't require a law degree, but do demand the ability to remain insanely busy, while nursing a heavy dose of denial. Only keeping up pretenses proves more than she can bear when a bracelet that should have been hers shows up on the wrist of another woman. Now, in the midst of an Alabama judicial campaign, Josie's marriage to candidate, John Bearden, slowly begins to unravel as an ex-lover comes back into her life. When he offers her the dreams she thought she'd lost, Josie faces one of the most difficult decisions of her life. She embarks on a journey of self-rediscovery, finding that fulfillment was unwittingly within her reach the whole time.

Question: Though "The Woman He Married" is your debut novel, I see that you have three novels ready to hit the market in 2011 and a fourth book in production. That's a prolific start. How long have you been writing?

Answer: Besides term papers and research analysis in college and grad school, I really hadn't done any creative writing before sitting down to write this novel. I minored in English Literature so I knew that plot and character development were important but other than that I just started writing.

Question: What motivated you to start writing?

Answer: As long as I can remember I have had ideas for stories and movies playing through my mind but had never aspired to be a writer or even considered turning any of my ideas into a novel. Then, for some unknown reason the pieces of this book just started to fall into place. When the words began knocking on my brain, struggling to get out, I sat down and wrote a page. When one page turned into twenty, I asked a friend to read it and then she asked me for more. I kept writing, and she kept requesting more, until four months later, I had a manuscript.

Question: How much of this story was driven by your work as a marriage and family therapist?

Answer: I've only practiced as a therapist for short period of time but have notice some common threads that run though the couples I've treated. One being that infidelity, unless chronic, doesn't cause divorce, lack of communication does.
With Josie and John, their problems started in the beginning when she chose to let him dictate the roles of their marriage. She sacrificed her dreams for his instead of telling him what she wanted. But then over time began resenting him while he was left wondering why she wasn't happy. Resentment doesn't exactly encourage productive communication.

Question: What purpose did the retreat to island serve?

Answer: As women we get so entrenched in our roles as wife and mother that what we want for ourselves turns into some distant fantasy that we don't have the time to entertain any more. The trip to the island was a chance for Josie to get out of the familiar and rediscover the woman she had once been. Consequently, John began to see the woman he married reemerging as well.

Question: What role does today's culture play in the demise of marriages?

Answer: Couples in today's society seem to get so caught up in doing the "right" thing. Fathers feel compelled to build a prestigious career, provide a larger than necessary home in a safe neighborhood, expensive gas-guzzling cars, country club memberships and vacations to hip places. The pressure to provide financially is overwhelming.

Mothers feel they need to stretch themselves and their children to the limit with extra curricular activities, volunteering, social clubs, church and even a career. All the while keeping close tabs on what their kids eat and watch on TV, how they dress, and their grades. Parents get so caught up in what society says they "should" be doing that their marital relationships are forced to take a back seat.

Question: If Josie and John both loved each other the way they said they did in the beginning, why did it take almost loosing each other for them to remember?

Answer: Most couples that are in trouble can still remember why they fell in love. Navigating through all the hurt feelings and resentment to get back to that love is the hard part.

Question: At the beginning of the story your protagonist had clearly lost a certain sense of herself as she focused on meeting the needs of her husband and her children before her own. In your opinion, how do women balance the needs of their families without becoming so immersed in their role that they lose a part or most of themselves?

Answer: That's a tough question. I had Josie go back to work, in essence go back and live the dreams/goals she thought she had sacrificed. I think all women who choose to stay home wonder if they are missing out on something more fulfilling by not having career. I mean, lets face it, anything seems more glamorous than motherhood at three in the morning when you're cleaning up vomit. But having a career also comes with challenges of its own like office politics, deadlines, reviews and annoying co-workers. The secret to being happy is choosing the life we have.

Question: How do you feel your experience with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma affected your writing?

Answer: While I was going through chemotherapy my husband and I used to joke that when the treatments were done, it would be cool if I developed some sort of new super powers, kind of like a comic book character often will after falling into a vat of toxic waste. While I didn't develop super powers, I did escape with my life, a heightened sense of creativity and the unrelenting desire to tell Josie's story.

Question: And chemotherapy did all that?

Answer: Besides more precious time with my husband and children, I would like to think that I got more out of four months of having chemicals pumped into my veins besides six months of impersonating the Buddha and premature menopause.

Question: Did your illness change your perspective on life and if so how did you portray this in the book?

Answer: I definitely feel that a near death experience can change the way we view our lives and relationships, what battles we choose to fight and how we treat the people we love. The bottom line is not to let pride or hurt feelings dictate the decisions we make—to learn to forgive even the unforgivable.

Question: But don't all the psychologists say that children are better off with happy parents even if that means their parents are no longer together?

Answer: It has become too easy for couples to say that divorcing is better for the children. Unless there is abuse or was never any love to begin with, why not learn to forgive, make changes and stay together? That solution would, I think we can all agree, be better for the kids.

Question: Besides providing some comic relief, what was Gina's role in the story?

Answer: Gina was the voice of reason in this book. She was the one who said everything Josie needed to hear even though she may not have been ready to accept it. We all need a Gina in our lives to keep us heading in the right direction.

Question: You quote Benard Baruch, "The art of living lies less in eliminating conflicts that growing with them." What significance do his words have to Josie's decision?

Answer: So often in life we are willing to do almost anything to avoid changing our behavior or adjusting the way we view our situation. By facing her problems and accepting responsibility for her role in the collapse of her marriage, Josie was able to find peace and purpose.

Question: The book has a somewhat PG-13 element to it. Why not clean it up and make it suitable for the Christian market?

Answer: The book is clean and contains no graphic language or sexual content. But I wrote the book from a non-LDS perspective so that the story would appeal to all readers. I think a story about a woman's struggle to hold onto her identity while dedicating her life to the service of her family is applicable to women of all walks of life, and I didn't want to limit my audience to only LDS readers.

Question: Being a member of the LDS church comes with its own unique challenges. Why would a book about a woman with very little faith appeal to women in a church where god is their central focus and the example they look to for guidance?

Answer: Although Josie doesn't have a strong belief in/or understanding of God in which to draw upon, her struggle to find the right answers is not unlike any woman's. In the end, she does turn to a higher power for guidance, thus illustrating the need we all have at times for a little divine intervention.

Question: As church members we have been taught that women fulfill the measure of their creation by becoming a wife and mother, yet in this story you have a shown a woman who is somewhat resentful of those roles.

Answer: I think a lot of women, especially those who forgo a career to stay at home and raise a family, questions at times if anyone really values or even appreciates their sacrifices—if their time and energy wouldn't be better spent pursuing other venues. But motherhood is worth it, and thus Josie was able to find fulfillment in the very place she had thought she never would.

Question: Why give Josie a problem with alcohol?

Answer: We all have our vices that may include food, hobbies, or staying so busy we don't give ourselves time to think—to feel. I gave Josie a problem with alcohol because, whether we want to admit it or not, we all have our own hidden demons. Simply put, I thought this one fit a politician's wife the best.
Julie N. Ford's "The Woman He Married," published by Whiskey Creek Press, debuts this month. Look for it on Amazon.com or at Ms. Ford's web site.Copyright 2009 Laurie LC Lewis, (To obtain permission to copy or reprint any portion of this post, please contact the author at lclewis2007@gmail.com)

AUTISM AWARENESS BLOG HOP GIVEAWAY

Copyright 2009 Laurie LC Lewis, (To obtain permission to copy or reprint any portion of this post, please contact the author at lclewis2007@gmail.com)

AUTISM AWARENESS BLOG HOP GIVEAWAY

April is Autism Awareness Month. To increase awareness about autism four blogs are hosting a giveaway hop and sharing information and experiences of those whose lives have been touched by it. Once again, they are kindly inviting other blogs to join in.

For More Information about Autism follow these links:
http://www.autismspeaks.org/index.php
http://www.autism-society.org/
http://autism-resources.com

For my portion of the giveaway, I'm offering a copy of my women's fiction novel, "Awakening Avery."

Every married woman's greatest fear is that she will lose her husband and be left alone. When Avery Elkins Thompson, a successful, confident author loses her husband, her entire family is catapulted into a world of uncertainty and emotional upheaval.

Seeing the distress Her husband's death is wreaking upon her family, Avery embarks on a summer adventure to find a healing place on Florida's beautiful Anna Maria Island, a place rich with previous family memories.

In a savvy real estate coup, a house swap is arranged between Avery and a brooding Anna Maria widower named Gabriel Carson. As the two grieving parents move into one another's carefully-scripted worlds, things get messy. The plan takes some additional unexpected turns, requiring Avery to open her tightly-guarded heart to the quirky cast of characters she meets along the way, who teach her a thing or two about carrying on, and help her recall some important lessons she had long forgotten.

"Awakening Avery" is a laugh-out-loud grab-a-hankie read that has garnered some outstanding reviews.

You can earn up to four entries for the drawing to win an autographed copy. Each entry MUST be posted separately to be considered:

1) Become a friend of this blog if you have not already done so.

2) Click the link to read the reviews of "Awakening Avery" and post one of the reviews in the comment box.

3) Add "Awakening Avery" to your Goodreads list of books to read.

4) "Friend" me on Facebook.

Thanks for stopping by. Now enjoy all these other great bog offers!
Copyright 2009 Laurie LC Lewis, (To obtain permission to copy or reprint any portion of this post, please contact the author at lclewis2007@gmail.com)

GUEST BLOGGER: AUTHOR JANE ISFELD STILL

Today's post is being guest-blogged by a lady I'm dying to meet--Jane Isfeld Still. You're going to love her writing style--sarcasm over easy with a side of absolute honesty. And she dishes it up with perfect timing, assuring me her new book, "The Crazy Daze of Motherhood" will be flying off the shelves. Her stories are hilarious, and perhaps that unique perspective has its root in her very unconventional early years. Click on her photo to read her riotous bio, and then click on the cover to order a copy. You're going to want to have a copy of this on your bedside table, and a few more to share with the women you love. Enjoy! Take it away, Jane! ************************** Laurie, I felt that the best way to introduce myself would be to introduce my blog where my life is spilled out on pages and where humor rules. Every week I write something from my life that I hope will make you wonder if I am a fly on the wall in your home. This is one of my favorite blog entries. I hope you will enjoy and choose to visit my blog, www.janeisfeldstill.blogspot.com often. Jane Still

IS NOTHING SACRED?

People who know me well are acquainted with the fact that I don't care much what people think of me. This has made my family wary of being seen with me in public on occasion.

My husband is ultra conservative. He often gives me lectures on what he considers my flamboyant dress. He once tried to tell me I could not be seen at church in a silk skirt that had four-inch fringe on the hem.

Another time when I wore black ankle hugging pants plastered with huge white flowers he tried to sit at a table in the back of the gym where I couldn't see him. Like our friends for twenty years wouldn't know we were a couple!

I suppose that is why he is the Bishop and I am not. I am now however aware that in one area at least, I am immensely conscious of people's opinion. I came to this realization when Rick, Garret and I were driving home from a funeral. Garret, who's mind is always computing ways to take two nickels and squeeze them into a 50 cent gold piece said. "I wonder how much that funeral cost."

"I think they paid for the package several years ago. It would have cost a lot more today," I said.

Notice my rational response? In normal families, the conversation would have turned to the benefit of pre-planning your funeral. But nope, not in ours. My husband who rarely has two words to say when we are in the car picks this moment to wax eloquent and with rare passion.

"I don't want you to spend anything on a coffin for me Jane. It is such a waste of money. Just slap a couple of pieces of old plywood together."

We have had this conversation before and I opened my mouth to object, as I always do, when I recognized the maniacal look his eyes get when some genius idea juices up his brain.

"In fact," he burst out, "if there is an old refrigerator box lying around that's even better. Yup that what I want, a refrigerator box. Heck of a lot cheaper than plywood."

I don't know if he has thought out the ramifications of people showing up for his funeral and finding him stuffed in a refrigerator box but I know it will not make me look good—even if I am wearing four inches of fringe on the bottom of my skirt.

"I will not stuff you in a refrigerator box Rick. I still have to live with these people you know. And don't you even think of stuffing me in a box. I want a coffin. It doesn't have to be Cadillac but at least make it presentable."

"Dad's right mom. Funerals are a ridiculous price." Garret never knows when to mind his own business. "I don't even need a cardboard box. Just throw me in the dumpster," he said.

At that moment, I couldn't help looking around to see if there was an empty dumpster nearby. "In fact, "Garret continued, "I'm good swimming with the fishes. It wouldn't bother me at all to be shark bait. I'll be dead after all."

"Stop it," I said as Rick opened his mouth to espouse the virtues of the refrigerator boxes again. "I will not stand beside some old refrigerator box as people come to console me. They might be tempted to dump me in there with you. And Garret, you will not go dumpster diving. LET ME BE CLEAR. When I am gone I will be at your mercy but you will not put me in any box you just slapped together, cardboard or otherwise. You better show me some dignity."

"You'll be gone mom. You won't know."

"Well, that settles it. I am going shopping. I will find my own coffin. Not only that, I will put it at the foot of our bed and if people ask, I'll tell them it's a hope chest, and it will be. It will be a symbol of my hope that you will see fit to place me in it when the time comes. Do I need to dry some flowers too?"Copyright 2009 Laurie LC Lewis, (To obtain permission to copy or reprint any portion of this post, please contact the author at lclewis2007@gmail.com)

GUEST BLOGGER: JANE ISFELD STILL

Today's post is being guest-blogged by a lady I'm dying to meet--Jane Isfeld Still. You're going to love her writing style--sarcasm over easy with a side of absolute honesty. And she dishes it up with perfect timing, assuring me her new book, "The Crazy Daze of Motherhood" will be flying off the shelves. Her stories are hilarious, and perhaps that unique perspective has its root in her very unconventional early years. Click on her photo to read her riotous bio, and then click on the cover to order a copy. You're going to want to have a copy of this on your bedside table, and a few more to share with the women you love. Enjoy! Take it away, Jane! ************************** Laurie, I felt that the best way to introduce myself would be to introduce my blog where my life is spilled out on pages and where humor rules. Every week I write something from my life that I hope will make readers wonder if I am a fly on the wall in their home. This is one of my favorite blog entries. I hope your readers will enjoy it and choose to visit my blog, www.janeisfeldstill.blogspot.com often. Jane Still
IS NOTHING SACRED?
People who know me well are acquainted with the fact that I don't care much what people think of me. This has made my family wary of being seen with me in public on occasion. My husband is ultra conservative. He often gives me lectures on what he considers my flamboyant dress. He once tried to tell me I could not be seen at church in a silk skirt that had four-inch fringe on the hem. Another time when I wore black ankle hugging pants plastered with huge white flowers he tried to sit at a table in the back of the gym where I couldn't see him. Like our friends for twenty years wouldn't know we were a couple! I suppose that is why he is the Bishop and I am not. I am now however aware that in one area at least, I am immensely conscious of people's opinion. I came to this realization when Rick, Garret and I were driving home from a funeral. Garret, who's mind is always computing ways to take two nickels and squeeze them into a 50 cent gold piece said, "I wonder how much that funeral cost." "I think they paid for the package several years ago. It would have cost a lot more today." I said. Notice my rational response? In normal families, the conversation would have turned to the benefit of pre-planning your funeral. But nope, not in ours. My husband who rarely has two words to say when we are in the car picks this moment to wax eloquent and with rare passion. "I don't want you to spend anything on a coffin for me Jane. It is such a waste of money. Just slap a couple of pieces of old plywood together." We have had this conversation before and I opened my mouth to object, as I always do, when I recognized the maniacal look his eyes get when some genius idea juices up his brain. "In fact," he burst out, "if there is an old refrigerator box lying around that's even better. Yup that what I want, a refrigerator box. Heck of a lot cheaper than plywood." I don't know if he has thought out the ramifications of people showing up for his funeral and finding him stuffed in a refrigerator box but I know it will not make me look good—even if I am wearing four inches of fringe on the bottom of my skirt. "I will not stuff you in a refrigerator box Rick. I still have to live with these people you know. And don't you even think of stuffing me in a box. I want a coffin. It doesn't have to be Cadillac but at least make it presentable." "Dad's right mom. Funerals are a ridiculous price." Garret never knows when to mind his own business. "I don't even need a cardboard box. Just throw me in the dumpster," he said. At that moment, I couldn't help looking around to see if there was an empty dumpster nearby. "In fact, "Garret continued, "I'm good swimming with the fishes. It wouldn't bother me at all to be shark bait. I'll be dead after all." "Stop it." I said as Rick opened his mouth to espouse the virtues of the refrigerator boxes again. "I will not stand beside some old refrigerator box as people come to console me. They might be tempted to dump me in there with you. And Garret, you will not go dumpster diving. LET ME BE CLEAR. When I am gone I will be at your mercy but you will not put me in any box you just slapped together, cardboard or otherwise. You better show me some dignity." "You'll be gone mom. You won't know." "Well, that settles it. I am going shopping. I will find my own coffin. Not only that, I will put it at the foot of our bed and if people ask, I'll tell them it's a hope chest, and it will be. It will be a symbol of my hope that you will see fit to place me in it when the time comes. Do I need to dry some flowers too?" ****** Thanks, Jane. Terrific post! Readers, you can win a fun prize from Jane to help celebrate the release of her book. Just go to her blog at http://www.janeisfeldstill.blogspot.com and become a follower, and then leave her a comment and tell her that you're a new follower. You could win: 1. Mother's Daze basket, soap, chocolate, lotion, decorative candles, and recipe cards 2. Box of blank cards with a smattering of Canadian chocolate 3. ChocolateCopyright 2009 Laurie LC Lewis, (To obtain permission to copy or reprint any portion of this post, please contact the author at lclewis2007@gmail.com)

GLIMPSES INTO BOOK FIVE

Sometimes you just feel it--the perfect alignment of all the threads of your life, as if everything is pointing you . . . pushing you to the same place. That's happening to me right now as we finish up the last of the Free Men and Dreamers series with book five, "IN GOD IS OUR TRUST."

For followers of the series, you probably know I've been pulling off a Star Wars-type move. The original manuscript I submitted to my first publisher back in 2004 was never printed. I was asked to expand the story, but where to begin? A thread about pioneer/officer Stephen Mack, brother of Lucy Mack Smith and uncle to Joseph, leapt out at me from Lucy's biography of her son. I live in the middle of War of 1812 history, and I'm LDS, but for the first time I saw the overlay between this pivotal moment in American history, and events at the cusp of the Restoration. Anything that happens in America is part of American history, but now I realized that not only was the Restoration part of American history, but American history was pivotal to Church history.

So, I moved that original story, set in 1850, back a generation and dug into researching the War of 1812 from every angle. My shelves are lined with books on early nineteenth century history, medicine, weapons, religious thought, architecture, culture, furnishings, and period biographies.

I've embedded our six fictional families into real history, with intricately-researched historical figures, dragging them through the pre-war confusion as well as through key moments in the war, and through to the war's end. In this final volume, they're journeying forward to a new America molded by the struggles and strength those three years revealed. Change is on the horizon, and it's not all roses. I know where I'm going with the story. In fact, I've always known. Remember that original manuscript? It's been my north star.

Inspiration has led me to new characters and new plot twists, along the way, but the final destination has always been there, and you'll be amazed at where we're going.

I've been organizing a trek for the youth of our stake, and that experience has led me back where I began eight years ago, when I was teaching The Doctrine and Covenants and Church History course in Early Morning Seminary, noticing how the diverse threads of American and Church history fit together. The project has had its challenges.

I gave a presentation on the War of 1812 in a public library, and a reporter asked to do a follow-up interview on my books. Her editor refused, calling it a religious piece. I called and tried to explain to him that while religion plays a part in the story, religion is part of America's history. He wouldn't hear of it. Would it have mattered if the aspect of religion being covered wasn't LDS? I don't know. The interview never ran.

I've been approached about trying to take the series national, but in doing so I would need to dilute the material on Joseph Smith and the Restoration. It troubled me. I was watching the semi-annual conference of the Church this weekend, wrestling over a few scenes as I close out the story, and these verses from Revelation 3:16 kept playing in my mind:

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

My decision was made and my course was set. We're following the original plan.

So once again, my spiritual life, my professional life and my personal life are all converging, leading me down similar paths, like three sets of eyes collecting exquisite snippets of history here, bits of Church history there, while sprinkling personal experience overall to help me write the accounts with fire and passion. I hope you'll like the finished product. For me, it's like coming home.Copyright 2009 Laurie LC Lewis, (To obtain permission to copy or reprint any portion of this post, please contact the author at lclewis2007@gmail.com)

Author Interview: ANA del C. DYE

Curse of the Elfs
by Ana del C. Dye

Award-winning, multiply-published YA fantasy author, Anna del C. Dye, is releasing "Curse of the Elfs," the next volume of her YA Elfin Series.

Anna is a great fan of Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings," and she credits this marvelous work as her inspiration.

I was particularly inspired by Anna's reply to a question about who she would like to give a copy of her book to. Read the interview below to find the answer. I think this author is also an inspiration to aspiring writers and authors who have yet to fulfill their dream of being published. English is Anna's second language, but creativity has no language barrier, so she creates her story, and partners with a good editor to help her with what she calls her "English mess-ups."

Her advice to those with book ideas buzzing around in their head? Never give up! Thanks, Anna. Now on to her book. From the back cover:

When an Immortal race ceases to be immortal woe to the land. Ancient legend tells of elfs crossing paths with a dying wizard named Zoltan. The Old Sorcerer's unrepentant deeds had caused the wizarding school to chastise him severely. On his deathbed Zoltan asked the elfs for help. Losing patience in his delirium, he cursed them. Now, the immortal elfin race is slowly, but surely dying. Their only hope lies in a servant of kings who must learn to love the elfs before he will attempt to save them. But no one, elf or mankind, has ever heard of this man. Can the healer be found before their race is gone forever?

Anna del C. Dye was born in Valparaiso, Chile. After meeting Rodney, a native of Idaho, in her hometown, Anna traveled to Utah on Christmas Eve and married him two weeks later. Their love story, "Why Him?" was published by Covenant in the book entitled "Tender Mercies." Anna and Rodney reside in Taylorsville, Utah and are the parents of three princes and a princess.

Anna is an accomplished, multi-award winning author. One of her short stories entitled "Amerine—Fairy Princess" won an award in the Oquirrh Writers contest. The first book in her new YA Romance Series entitled "A Kingdom By The Sea" also won an award. Anna's works also include The Silent Warrior Trilogy, the beginning saga of her YA Elf Series.

Anna, how long have you been writing and why did you start?
About seven years ago I started because my husband wanted to live to the ripe age of fifty. He thought my imagination would be the end of his days. He actually ordered me to. He is awesome. What are your books titled? In the order they were published, they are: The Silent Warrior Trilogy Book 1 - The Elf and the Princess Book 2 - Trouble in the Elf City Book 3 - Elfs in a conquered Realm and now: "Curse of the Elfs"

Anna, What is your writing strategy? I hear it's unique.
The Trilogy I started in the front. Curse of the Elfs came to me in the middle, then it took form toward the front and the back. I am not sure why… it just happened.

Was there a particular person or event that inspired you to write this story?
The last movie of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. I wanted to know more about the character's lives and couldn't find enough. My husband said, "Why don't you write your own." I answered, "Yah right!" But his answer haunted me and in three days I had the draft of The Elf and the Princess in my mind. When I told him the story he came back with a laptop and told me to write it. The rest is history.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors? Never give up!!! Join a writer's chapter close to you right now, and learn the craft from them.


What is the coolest thing about being an author?
Meeting great people and other authors.

What would you say is the most challenging part about being an author?
Spending hours promoting my books while I would like to be writing another.

Do you have a particular goal you aim to achieve with your writing? To take people to a wonderful world where they can forget reality's cold hand and safely enjoy fantasy. Life is tough and we need something to help us make it more fun and worth living. Fantasy is the way I choose to do it.

You once told me that English was your second language. What sort of challenges did you meet in trying to write your books, if any?
Not many really. I write and my editor has to figure out what I am trying to say. (If I can't figure how a word goes in English, I put it in Spanish...he speaks Spanish very well.) We have a lot of fun when we edit the books; because of my English mess ups.

If you could give your book to only one person, who would it be and why?
A teenager in trouble... In the hope that he/she could discover the power they have deep inside to change and become better. I want them to see that nothing is impossible if we put our minds to it.

That's lovely. Can you share with your fans how you became adept at describing the swordplay in your battle scenes?
We found a medieval sword fighting class at the local high school and my husband and I took it. My husband liked it so much he has taken it for a few years now and has even earned two different belts with the clan.

Where can we purchase a copy of your books?
http://www.amazon.com/Curse-Elfs-Anna-del-Dye/dp/1432760947
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
http://www.annadelc.com/

Thanks, Anna. We wish you much success.
Thank you for this opportunity to visit with you and your friends.

For more information contact Anna at http://www.annadelc.com/. Also, take a look at her book trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UmwuqT8gMU

Copyright 2009 Laurie LC Lewis, (To obtain permission to copy or reprint any portion of this post, please contact the author at lclewis2007@gmail.com)