Cindy C. Bennett's Blog, page 32

Little Red Writing Book Blast

  Little Red Writing by Joan Holub Acclaimed writer Joan Holub and Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet team up in this hilarious and exuberant retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, in which a brave, little red pencil finds her way through the many perils of writing a story, faces a ravenous pencil sharpener (the Wolf 3000)... and saves the day. Joan Holub has hundreds of pencils. Some are red. Others are glittery, sporty, or full of holiday cheer. They are all super sharp and good at writing books. They’ve helped Joan write more than 130 books, including Zero the Hero and Knuckleheads. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina. Melissa Sweet has illustrated nearly 100 children’s books, including the Caldecott Honor–winning River of Words and the Sibert Medal–winning Balloons Over Broadway. When not in her studio, Melissa loves to ride her bicycle and hike with her two dogs, Rufus and Nellie. She lives in Rockport, Maine.  

Amazon * Barnes & Noble
Praise "A very funny picture book that, I guarantee you, lots of savvy teachers will be eagerly sharing with students as part of the process of teaching creative writing." -- Richie Partington MLIS, Richie's Picks
"What a CLEVER, CLEVER story!" -- I Love to Read and Write Reviews
"This clever adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood has so many levels of creativity and learning... Every elementary teacher should have this book to begin their writing units." -- Play on Words
"Style, humor, and solid writing advice." --Publishers Weekly, starred review
"So rich in words and wry humor-written and visual-that one reading just isn't enough." --School Library Journal, starred review 
"Every writers' group should start with this story." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Every elementary teacher should have this book to begin their writing units." -- Play on Words
"An easy, winning prompt for beginning writers to abandon their fears and take up pencils of their own." --Booklist    

Author Joan Holub I graduated from college in Texas with a fine arts degree, and then freelanced as an art director at a graphic design firm for eight years. I dreamed of working in children’s books, so I moved to New York City and became associate art director in Scholastic trade books, where I designed books for children and worked with editors and illustrators. It was a great job. I illustrated my first published children’s book in 1992 and soon began illustrating full time. I began completing manuscripts and mailing them out to publishers in the early 1990s. In 1996, I sold my first two manuscripts — Boo Who? A Spooky Lift-the-Flap Book (Scholastic) and Pen Pals (Grosset & Dunlap). Yippee! Now I write full time and have written and/or illustrated over 130 children’s books. Creating books that entertain, inform, and interest children (and me) is a fabulous job that I truly love.
 
Twitter * Website * Blog 
   
BookBlast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 10/15/13   Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Toni's Journey #2

Hello there, Writers and Readers!I’m back, and as promised, I will be writing about a writer’s relationship with characters.Now this topic is one T.R. Graves and I have discussed a lot!  Although some writers will disagree, it is very, very important to connect with your characters on an almost supernatural level.LET ME TELL YOU HOW IT WORKS (for me).My characters and I are one, although they are far more experienced in life than I am.  Let me walk you through my basic day.  I wake up, usually from a dream either about friends of mine or my characters.  There have been some dreams about my characters that I have woken up from that made me pause and question who I am.  In some of my dreams, I become my characters.  And, I know that sounds like I should be locked up for psychiatric help, but that is the life of a writer (#itsawriterthing).  I go to work with my characters lingering throughout my thoughts.  Leave me alone for five minutes and I’ll be in my book.  I will be interacting with my character and them with me (or maybe not so much, we will get to this later).  I go through my day thinking up conversations, replaying scenes, really, really trying to get to know the subtleties that hide inside my characters.  Let me tell you, it works.  Give me a situation or opinion provoking something and I could tell you in detail how each of my characters would feel about it or do, better than I could say for me.  My day goes on, I write, and eventually I go to sleep thinking about my characters, playing out more scenes.  Side note: sometimes I am working on a different book and characters from one of them will be like, that right there sounds more like a _______ comment than _______.  They are always right (right here I almost wrote write.  I swear writing really is engrained in me.  I always want an opportunity to use the word or write the word ‘write’).More than that though, I really love my characters.  They are a part of me.  I don’t know what I would do without them.  They are like Anne (my muse and BFF) I would be so, so very lost without them.  There are times where I don’t know how to react to a situation and I say to myself, “What would Jake, or character x do?”  Most of the time that works.
I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE! YAY!  There are a lot of writers who are like me, even ones that write for screen.  March 2010 I met Lee Goldberg (Monk), Paul Wagner (Documentaries), and Hugh Wilson (Bay Watch) to name just a few writers.  They were on a panel talking about screen writing and characters and everything.  It was awesome.  Hugh Wilson was talking and said, “You write and a character says something and everything changes.  That is almost spiritual.”  This couldn’t be truer.  My characters have flipped my story inside out more than once.  Plus, I have to add this made me feel more normal!  Here is this widely known and hugely popular writer, who gets it, who has the spiritual connection with his characters.Nola Sarina (Gilded Destiny, Jaded Touch, plus an upcoming co-author Wild Hyacinthe) agrees with my stance and like me lets her characters take over, “Sometimes, during revision, writing from scratch gets a sharper voice than re-wording what’s already there.  I like to step away from a story for a while and then let the character tell me the story again from his fresh, enlightened perspective – allowing the character to grow with my style.” I talked with Nola extensively one day about this and wrote something to her, that I want to share on here (it is only slightly edited to make sense for the blog post): “I promise you, I have looked up from writing and looked to the left and said, ‘but this is my book.’  I hear laughter. And I just sit there in protest until I let Devon have his way. The book and characters take life...we are their way of becoming known, it’s not the other way around. We don't make them known, they makes us known. I think they are their own wonderful breed that we must take dictation from because I have fought him and it turned out horribly, and when I listen to him, it is flawless.”There are many other writers out there that go through this, it is normal, don’t medicate!  There are some writers who don’t and that is okay, “to each his own”.  And then there are some writers who refuse to admit that they do this, because they are afraid of how they will be received.  To those writers, don’t worry, allow your characters to take charge and scream it from the mountain and we here will welcome you with open arms and similar war stories.  We love meeting our own people!
BUT, BUT IT IS MY BOOK!I know your book is your baby, but so are your characters.   And your characters are living the story so if they stop you or you get massively painful writer’s block, then your characters are trying to tell you something.  The book I am writing, (Devon’s book) at times I have fought with my characters or Devon and wanted something specific to happen or not happen because I am the writer and it is my $*&%$@&@* book!  I have felt my characters leave me, until I give in and let them write the book and write what happens to them (basically what I said to Nola in my quote earlier). They are ALWAYS right, always!  It is obnoxious.  Like sometimes to the point where I want to punch my characters, because it is my book and I should have control, but no, they took life and took over.  My book would be nothing or horrible if I didn’t listen to them.  After all they know themselves the best; we can pretend we know them as well and 100%, but we don’t.  We may never, and that is okay, really it is.  I don’t think we are ever really supposed to know our characters, because then writing wouldn’t be magical.  It would be boring and a task.  Eventually we will get to know them quite well and almost 100% but there will always be that magical percent that adds the beautiful mystique that hold us hostage as writers.  I mean, really think about it, do you really know yourself?  Do you really know anybody?  And I am not talking like knowing their favorite color or birthday or food.  I mean really knowing someone.  There are always buried deep secrets that we won’t admit to ourselves, let alone other people.  And if we do that, why do we demand we know our characters?  They deserve privacy too.
ON A CLOSING NOTEWhen you are writing and editing and thinking and plotting, take a step back.  Take a step back and put your character into a completely new situation.  You don’t have to physically write it, but really, really think into the story, make it as real as the story you are writing, tell people about it if you have to get opinions (this is what it takes to write a book).  Because based on your characters reactions to the new situation or terrible situation (let’s face it most of us are sadistic and torture our poor loves.  We need to though, if people wanted to read happy books about rainbows and butterflies, they’d be in the children’s section not YA and others) you will learn so much about them.  How they breathe, what position they sleep in, how they smell, their favorite shower gel, laundry detergent, cologne/perfume,  how they feel, how they feel things themselves.  How they feel—I can honestly describe my characters down to the touch, how their embraces feel, what their arm feels like when relaxed and touched or tensed and touched, what their hair feels like, the sound of their voice, the sound of their breathing awake versus sleeping, ugh I could go on and on and on.  These aren’t things that necessarily need to make it into the book, but they need to make it into our hearts and brains to make the story work.  Back to my point, throw them into an unscripted, unwritten plot and see how they react, because it will grow them and you and you will learn them even more, and that will make your story worth reading and re-reading and sharing.
My next post will talk about the importance of music while writing.Peace, Love, and InspirationKeep writing and remember#itsawriterthing 



Listening to: Shattered by David Hodges album: Trading Yesterday (More Than This)

Quote: "When I write, I go to live inside the book. By which I mean, mentally I can experience everything I’m writing about. I can see it, hear its sounds, feel its heat or rain. The characters become better known to me than the closest family or friends. This makes the writing-down part very simple most of the time. I only need to describe what’s already there in front of me. That said, it won’t be a surprise if I add that the imagined worlds quickly become entangled with the so-called reality of this one. Since I write almost every day, and I think (and dream) constantly about my work, it occurs to me I must spend more time in all these places than here." - Tanith Lee

The Emerald Ring Book Blast

 
The Emerald RingSara Bogus's life turns upside down when she discovers an emerald ring that once belonged to Cleopatra. The fun of discovering the ring's unique abilities turns to fear when she finds out a dangerous cult bent on restoring Rome to power is after the ring. Forced to choose between keeping the ring and saving her friends, Sara learns the price of bravery in this electrifying read! The Emerald Ring is a middle grade fantasy novel.  
Amazon * Barnes & NoblePraise"Filled with fun, magic, mystery, and history, The Emerald Ring and spunky sleuth Sara will have you racing on a pulse-pounding trail that reaches all the way to Ancient Egypt."- Kevin Emerson, author of The Oliver Nocturne series, and The Fellowship for Alien Detection.   "The Emerald Ring is a whirlwind adventure that transports the reader into the mysterious world of Ancient Egypt. A great choice for those who love mythology and magic. " - Suzanne Selfors, author of The Sweetest Spell, Smells Like Dog series, and many more.   "The Emerald Ring is an exciting and mysterious fantasy featuring fast-paced action, a scary villain, and a spunky young heroine." - Suzanne Williams co-author of The Goddess Girls Series.   "The Emerald Ring is a not-so-run-of-the-mill middle grade fantasy novel laced with mystery and intrigue. It has just enough surprises to keep kids turning the page to see what happens next. The author has a real knack with "kid lingo" and has used diverse cultures to her advantage. Definitely a book I can recommend with confidence."- Laurisa White Reyes author of The Rock of Ivanore & The Last Enchanter  
Author Dorine WhiteI graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in Humanitites. I am a member of the SCBWI and the PNWA. I write middle grade and YA fantasy. My first book, The Emerald Ring, will be published in 2013 by Cedar Fort Books.  
Blog * Facebook * Twitter   
BookBlast Giveaway$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 10/15/13   Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway 
The Emerald RingSara Bogus's life turns upside down when she discovers an emerald ring that once belonged to Cleopatra. The fun of discovering the ring's unique abilities turns to fear when she finds out a dangerous cult bent on restoring Rome to power is after the ring. Forced to choose between keeping the ring and saving her friends, Sara learns the price of bravery in this electrifying read! The Emerald Ring is a middle grade fantasy novel.  
Amazon * Barnes & NoblePraise"Filled with fun, magic, mystery, and history, The Emerald Ring and spunky sleuth Sara will have you racing on a pulse-pounding trail that reaches all the way to Ancient Egypt."- Kevin Emerson, author of The Oliver Nocturne series, and The Fellowship for Alien Detection.   "The Emerald Ring is a whirlwind adventure that transports the reader into the mysterious world of Ancient Egypt. A great choice for those who love mythology and magic. " - Suzanne Selfors, author of The Sweetest Spell, Smells Like Dog series, and many more.   "The Emerald Ring is an exciting and mysterious fantasy featuring fast-paced action, a scary villain, and a spunky young heroine." - Suzanne Williams co-author of The Goddess Girls Series.   "The Emerald Ring is a not-so-run-of-the-mill middle grade fantasy novel laced with mystery and intrigue. It has just enough surprises to keep kids turning the page to see what happens next. The author has a real knack with "kid lingo" and has used diverse cultures to her advantage. Definitely a book I can recommend with confidence."- Laurisa White Reyes author of The Rock of Ivanore & The Last Enchanter  
Author Dorine WhiteI graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in Humanitites. I am a member of the SCBWI and the PNWA. I write middle grade and YA fantasy. My first book, The Emerald Ring, will be published in 2013 by Cedar Fort Books.  
Blog * Facebook * Twitter   
BookBlast Giveaway$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 10/15/13   Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win a Kindle Fire

 
This is a joint AUTHOR & BLOGGER GIVEAWAY EVENT! Bloggers & Authors have joined together and each chipped in a little money towards a Kindle Fire HD 7".

Kindle Fire HD 7" Giveaway

The winner will have the option of receiving a 7" Kindle Fire HD (US Only)


Or $199 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)


Or $199 in Paypal Cash (International)

   
Fall Sponsoring Authors & Bloggers
I Am A Reader, Not A WriterFeed Your ReaderAuthor Annette K. LarsenPhantasmic ReadsAuthor Bella StreetAuthor Bonnie BlytheAuthor Stacy ClaflinMyLadyWeb: Women's History, Women AuthorsBook Mama BlogWord to DreamsCandace's Book BlogOnce Upon a YA BookAuthor Miriam LouiseAuthor Mary TingAuthor Camelia Miron SkibaBooks4TomorrowAuthor Theresa McClintonBrooke BlogsAuthor Pauline CreedenAuthor MK McClintockAuthor Kathryn Chastain TreatBooks Unhinged Book BlogAuthor Kelly CozyMeredith & Jennifer's MusingsThese Are But ShadowsMy Devotional ThoughtsAuthor Ally ShieldsDark Motive's Books and MoreNessaroxFae BooksAuthor Jennie SherwinThe Real Bookshelves of Room 918Auggie TalkNo BS Book ReviewsBookLover SueGin's Book NotesBookhoundsBuku-Buku DidiAuthor Shelli Profitt HowellsMy Nook, Books and MoreThe Late Bloomer's Book BlogClarice's Book NookMichaelSciFanMagical ManuscriptsAuthor Talia JagerEvery Free Chance Book ReviewsJessabella ReadsAuthor Melissa PearlAuthor Elizabeth IsaacsBookitty BlogAuthor Helen SmithThe (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old GirlChristine's BlogWrite Away BlissAnother World of BooksThe Reporter and The Girl MINUS The Super Man! Katie's Clean Book CollectionAuthor Marcia Lynn McClureAuthor Shannon GuymonRipple Effect Romance SeriesSign up to Sponsor the NOVEMBER Giveawayhttp://www.iamareader.com/2013/09/november-kindle-fire-giveaway-sign-ups.html   Giveaway Details 1 winner will receive their choice of a Kindle Fire 7" HD (US Only), $199 Amazon Gift Card or $199 in Paypal Cash (International). There is a second separate giveaway for bloggers who post this giveaway on their blog. See details in the rafflecopter on how to enter to win the 2nd Kindle Fire. Ends 10/31/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the participating authors & bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Stranded Blog Tour

  Stranded (Alaskan Courage #3) When her friend vanishes from a cruise ship, reporter Darcy St. James isn't satisfied with their explanation that she simply left her job of her own accord. Something isn't lining up, and Darcy believes the only way to find the truth is to put herself in Abby's position. Within days, Darcy learns her friend wasn't the only person to disappear mysteriously. Last summer, a woman vanished under almost identical circumstances. Gage McKenna has taken a summer-long stint leading adventure excursions for the passengers of various cruise lines that dock for a few days of sightseeing. He's surprised to find Darcy working aboard one of the ships, investigating a troubling report. Something sinister is going on and the deeper they dig the more Gage fears they've only discovered the tip of the iceberg.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble
Author Dani Pettrey Dani Pettrey is a wife, homeschooling mom and author. She feels blessed to write inspirational romantic suspense because it incorporates so many things she loves–the thrill of adventure, nail-biting suspense, the deepening of one’s faith and plenty of romance. She’s a huge fan of dark chocolate, is always in search of the best iced mocha and her dream is to one day own a little cottage on a remote stretch of beach. She and her husband reside in Maryland with their two teenage daughters.

Website * Twitter * Facebook

Tour Schedule
     
  BookBlast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 10/6/13   Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.   
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Chasing Hope Blog Tour

Tour Schedule
  Chasing Hope by Kathryn Cushman A Personal Drama of Shattered Dreams and Second Chances A talented runner fully committed to Olympic dreams, Sabrina Rice's future was shattered by a devastating diagnosis. One forfeited scholarship and several years later, she has new goals and dreams that have nothing to do with running--something that's become far too painful to think on. Until the day she sees Brandy Philip running across the community college campus, easily outpacing security. Sabrina immediately recognizes world-class speed, and it's all the more painful that it belongs to a teenage graffiti artist. When a chance encounter brings the two young women together, Sabrina becomes Brandy's best hope for staying out of juvenile hall. Soon, Sabrina begins to feel an uncomfortable nudge that her new life is just about to be toppled...that God may be calling her to minister to this talented but troubled girl.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble
  Author Kathryn Cushman Author Kathryn "Katie" Cushman is a graduate of Samford University with a degree in pharmacy. She is the author of five novels, including Leaving Yesterday and A Promise to Remember, which were both finalists for the Carol Award in Women's Fiction. She is also the co-author of Angel Song with Sheila Walsh. Kathryn and her family currently live in Santa Barbara, California.


Website * Facebook

 

BookBlast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 10/11/13   Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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A Nothing Named Silas

 A Nothing Named Silas by Steve Westover blog tour
In the not-so-distant future, workers are forcibly drafted into their fields, and the Labor party chooses Silas. Because he's new, strong, and trained for Command, everyone wants to use him for their own purposes. But when a strange girl shows him that he can choose his own destiny, Silas must make his first real decision---which side he will fight for.



My review:


A Nothing Named Silas by Steve Westover is a fast-paced, exciting, gripping YA dystopian novel. Westover keeps the reader off balance so that, like his hero, we're never quite sure where the truth lies. The resourceful and courageous Silas' journey into a foreign world is fascinating and compelling. From the first breathtaking race to secure his place in life to the last page of stunning discovery, this is a book you'll pick up and be unable to put down. Personally, I can't wait for the sequel.

Pick up your copy today

250 Great Movies

No, I'm not going to list 250 movies that I think are awesome. I'm going to plug Jonathan "Mormon Movie Guy" Decker's new release, 250 Great Movies for Latter Day Saints .



Decker could have just as easily called this book 250 Movies for People Who Care What Their Families Watch. I can’t begin to fathom the amount of time it took him to compile this long list of movies, including a brief description which is also pretty much a review, anything offensive in the movie, a grade, and then he relates it to some scriptural lesson.

Whew!

I would love to sit and debate some of the grades he gave movies (Captain America and Napoleon Dynamite both only scored a B? Dude! B+ for one of the greatest movies ever, Revenge of the Sith? You’re killing me, Smalls! And speaking of Smalls, where’s The Sandlot?). And, you know, I just really love a good rousing debate about movies because I happen to be a big fan of them, so there’s that. Plus, I think the fact that some of his choices even inspire debate is an awesome thing. Debating aside, I have a great respect for probably 95% of his opinions, and 100% for the time, effort, and thought he’s put into his choices.
Some of the movies are specifically LDS movies, but most are mainstream and I think anyone who worries about exposing their kids to inappropriate movies can use this as a guide to watching clean, uplifting, message-laden movies. I recommend it.
Visit Jonathan Decker's website for more movie reviews, or visit his Facebook page.
Grab your copy of the book today.




Jonathan Decker was born and raised in Arizona. He's married, and the father of three. He works as a marriage and family therapist, as well as running his blog, Mormon Movie Guy. He also co-hosts the podcast Mormons at the Megaplex and hosts a segment each week on The KJZZ Movie Show. You can reach him at mormonmovieguy@gmail.com.

Misty Moncur Blog Tour: Fight For You

Keturah fought her way into the army, but now she's in Judea building fortifications, and the only thing she's fought so far is boredom. The work is hard, and the other soldiers don't think she can pull her weight. Her brothers are becoming strangers, and Zeke's jealousy is getting worse - because Keturah is falling in love with the wrong warrior.
But she's not about to let cruel pranks and hurt feelings keep her from doing what she knows to be right. She completes every order with faithfulness - a hasty retreat from the Lamanite army, a spy mission into the enemy stronghold, a midnight assassination. From burying the dead to whiling away hours on guard duty, Keturah will do whatever it takes to protect her religion, her freedom, her peace, and her family.

But in a camp of two thousand boys, the most important thing she has to protect is her heart.

Fight For You is the second novel in Misty Moncur's Stripling Warrior series. Fall in love with these romantic novels set against a vivid Book of Mormon backdrop.




Misty Moncur wanted to be Indiana Jones when she grew up. Instead, she became an author and has her adventures at home. In her jammies. With her imagination. And pens that she keeps running dry.

Misty lives in a marsh near a very salty lake in Utah with her husband and children, where they cuddle up in the evenings and read their Kindles. Well, she does anyway.

Connect with Misty at the links below.

Visit Misty's blog
Like The Stripling Warrior Series
Connect with Misty on Goodreads
Follow Misty on Twitter
Follow Misty on Wattpad


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Pretty Darn Funny: Fitness Challenge

For the final episode of season 2 of Pretty Darn Funny, Nora must lead the PDF crew through 26 minutes of circuit training.


My thoughts: This was my least favorite episode of the season. I just didn't find it particularly funny, though it was mildly amusing. Nora's whining was annoying. The two funniest things about it were the mom leaving behind final instructions for her kids on her cell camera ("Seek after things that are virtuous, lovely, and praiseworthy before everybody else does and it gets all mainstream." "Promise me you won't ever go to a Nickleback concert - even if it's ironically") and toward the end when the mom/grandma has a bobbypin hanging from her bangs. Otherwise it was . . . meh. And, as a mom of someone who serves in the armed services, I was offended by the final image wherein they seemed to think their accomplishment was worthy of duplicating the two famous, very similar images of firefighters raising the flag after 9/11 and the soldiers raising the flag at Iwo Jima. I don't know if it was intentional or just appeared that way, but it rubbed me wrong. Maybe it's just my mood. What do you think?


Below, you can enter the contest to win this weeks prize sponsored by Deseret Book, The Power of Starting Something Stupid by Richie Norton

What if the smartest people in the world understand something that the rest of us don't? (They do.) What if they know that in order to achieve success, they will sometimes have to do things that others may initially perceive as stupid? The fact of the matter is that the smartest people in the world don't run from stupid, they lean into it (in a smart way).In The Power of Starting Something Stupid, Richie Norton redefines stupid as we know it, demonstrating that life-changing ideas are often tragically mislabeled stupid. What if the key to success, creativity, and fulfillment in your life lies in the potential of those stupid ideas?.


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