#Storymakers15

Disclaimer. This post is SO LONG. Seriously.

I should be editing right now. I should really be editing, but I have lots of love to give for one of my favorite writing events and if I don't sit and give that love out now, it may not happen.

LDStorymakers Conference. I have looked forward to this since my first year back in 2013. Remember? When I got that amazing bootcamp instructor, Becca Willhite and I revolutionized PLAYING FOR KEEPS (then titled The Game Plan) and I got a pitch with the lovely Kathy Gordon at Covenant and then just under a year later I got a contract with them? The next year, 2014, my sister got married and I only got to go to the sweet Jane Austen Tea Party. (Worth it.)

Needless to say, I was S-T-O-K-E-D for the awesomeness of this year's conference, especially since I'd spent the last year on the Whitney Awards committee, and I got to immerse myself in fantastic fiction written by fantastic LDS authors and then put together the event that sort of caps off the conference, the Whitney Gala.

My two-year-old (hereafter referred to by his twitter nickname, Squishy) and I flew into SLC on Sunday evening. I knew that the later half of the week was going to be chuck full of writer stuff and I needed some time with my family, who I hadn't seen in...well, okay, since I made a quick trip to the lower forty-eight for some basketball, it had only been a month or so. But who's counting?

Come Wednesday, though, the fun began. I started off at a lunch given by Covenant for their authors. Whoa, talk about a room full of coolness. (You guys know the names like Anita Stansfield, Sarah M. Eden, Annette Lyon, Krista Jensen, Jenny Moore...I could go on and on and on.) I got to meet, in person, one of the coolest people in that room, a.k.a. my editor, Stacey Owen. And another sweetheart, covenant's PR queen, Stephanie Lacey. (If you're a book-blogger, I'm sure you've traded emails with Stephanie before.) We chatted about cool things like book signings and getting actual copies of my books to me soon! Eeeep. Sadly, I had not yet gone on my take-pictures-of-everything roll and I have none from that lunch. On the bright side we ate Cafe Rio and it rocked.

That afternoon was the Jane Austen Tea party, and of that I do have pictures.

It's always so inspirational for me to hear Sarah Eden play because I know what it takes for her to do it and I know what it means to her when she can.

The adorable and hilarious Shelly Brown asked me to accompany her for a song "Begone Dull Care," a pub act as Shelly described it. We were happy to precede the lady singing an Italian aria and then expectations got high and we wouldn't have met them. We had a blast though. (Despite the fact that I left my music in Spanish Fork--the first of many things I would forget over the weekend--and my sister had to go into the library where the event was held and pay to use the computer and reprint it for me. She rocks so much too. My sister, Nikki, did so much for me this week to allow me to attend all this, including letting me crash at her place, feeding me {along with my sweet mom, who came all the way from Wyoming to nanny Squishy all weekend!} and letting me use her car!)

Getting to feel tall next to Sarah!

 Don't you just love Krista Jensen's dress? So. Cute. And the hat? She rocked it. I felt so slob in my Downeast knit dress and *shawl.* In July, when I visit my mom, we're going to make me a true Regency dress and I'll leave it with her to bring to me next year.

My other sister, Keesha, came to pick me up after the tea, and because we're a family full of snots, we took this picture to taunt our little sister, Savanna, who thinks Sarah M. Eden is the coolest thing ever. (I absolutely agree.) This picture made me laugh and laugh and laugh every time I looked at it. "Hey, I got to meet the Keesha Savage!!"

On Thursday I had Pub Primer, which is the second level of boot camp.  I had Elana Johnson for my instructor and it couldn't have been more perfect. She said some hard things, but they were GREAT hard things. That my query was strong and so were my pages but that she worried that a superhero novel with robots would just not sell. So I immediately emailed my CPs Kaylee and Gina and we went to work brainstorming better villains. And we came up with something amazing. I wish I could tell you all about it, but it would ruin big parts of the plot. :D

So then the conference started on Friday . . . and speaking of more taunting? Nikki and her class of sixth graders love James Dashner, so guess who I stopped in the halls and took another taunting picture with. James Dashner, of course. Nikki said when she got the text she put the picture up on her projector, and in her words, her sixth graders "lost it." (He was WAY cool and though I had my issues with THE MAZE RUNNER and 13TH REALITY, I think he's a fun awesome nice guy! When Nikki was with me at the Whitney Gala on Saturday night, I took her up to Mr. Dashner to introduce them and he remembered me. We were joking about how at least they'd spelled my rather hard first name right--His was spelled "Dasher" in the program . . . side-track, he joked when he presented that even when he thought he'd "made it" something like that happened to bring him back to reality. Too funny. Anyway. He called me Ranee` and I was like, "I'm so impressed! I met your for like five seconds yesterday and you remembered my name." To which my sister humbled me by reminding me that in the course of during the program my name had been announced at least five times . . . Dashner insisted, though, that he remembered me regardless of that.)

I interact with some really fun people on line, and going to the conference is that chance when we all get to stare at each other's chests--to read name tags! Ha!--and go, "OH! Hi, Darci!" or "Summer!" So of course you need a conference selfie with people like Darci Cole (we've *talked* so much online it's like we're BFFs) and Summer Spence!

And then there was the super fun Marion Jensen who claimed to be photo bombing all my pics, but in camo so no one saw him. Then I stalked him and caught him without all his camo as he sat behind me in a class. Not weird, guys. (At the end of class he signed SEARCHING SUPER--another side, it's the sequel to ALMOST SUPER, which one the Whitney Award for Middle Grade! Yay for Marion!--for my nine-year-old, who thought that was AMAZING and it really upped my cool-mom factor.)

This. Lady. I've worked with Annette for months and months as part of the Whitney committee. She is so put together and just thinks of everything. She has a BIG passion for books and for LDS writers and all of it, and I loved getting to know her better.

Friday night, as a so-called conference Mentor, I got to sit at a table with Annette, Krista, and Kaylee Baldwin to chat with conference attendees during the Author Mingle. We were at the contemporary romance table and um, took our jobs very seriously . . .

Okay, so maybe it was just me not taking things seriously. Maybe because the people at our table were smart enough to figure out that there were some masters of romance hanging out with us and they really didn't need to bother asking me anything . . . ;)

I've realized that a lot of things in my life are a lot like dating. Finding new friends when I move every year or so and definitely finding good critique partners/writing BFFs. The fun thing is though, you don't have to settle down and "marry" one CP! I never got a picture with Jeigh Meredith, who was at my table for pub primer, but we have certainly "traded numbers" (really email addresses...) and set ourselves up to date, i.e. critique each other's stuff. Her book, RESONANT, was fab, guys. Loved it.

Kaylee (who's name you've heard SO many times on this blog) and I can't even totally remember our how we met story. We know it was first online through ANWA, and that we then sat next to each other during a class or something at an ANWA conference in probably 2011 if not 2010...and from there it gets fuzzy. Seriously. Can't remember how she got my stuff, though she thinks the first thing she critiqued for me was an LDS time-traveling romance. (Maybe some day I'll get back to that.) Anyway, since she was a busy, busy bee on the conference committee, we didn't get a ton of hang out time. We did get to sit next to each other at the Whitney Gala, yay!

I also found my soul mate, Tiffany Odekirk. We hit it off within seconds of meeting each other and we're so alike it's a bit creepy. (We have children named the same thing. It's like deja vu for what happened when I first discovered Gina Denny.) Someday, Tiffany and I will have a really funny story to tell you about the connection between PLAYING FOR KEEPS and her first novel. In the meantime, we were made for each other. Tiffany and I hung out a lot during the conference and she made it SO fun.

So on Friday afternoon I pitched KISSING A SUPERHERO to Heidi Taylor at Shadow Mountain. I had this pretty simple, three-sentence pitch. When I gave it to her, she just smiled and said, "Wow, that was perfect. Very polished. Very professional. Good job!" She asked me how long the book was and some other minor questions, then I gave her my query. She asked how many people had read it, which confused me at first. I thought she meant agents or publishers. She clarified if I had a writing group or critique partners. To which I burst out laughing. "That's a very long list of people who have read this book over the last six or so years..." It told her what she wanted to know--that I had worked and polished and worked and polished and rewritten and worked and rewritten and yeah and it wasn't just something I wrote last month and came down to pitch. Then, even though we'd only been talking about five minutes, she said I'd told her everything she needed to know, that she wanted to see three chapters and I should submit. Woo!

Friday evening was also the keynote by Martine Leavitt. It was beautiful and spiritual and amazing. You may wonder why a keynote at a writer's conference would be spiritual, but that's the AWESOME thing about Storymakers. The gospel is woven so seamlessly into everything about it because we are writers and we are LDS. Martine said it beautifully when she began saying that she was part of one community, the LDS community, where everyone understood her spiritually. And she was part of another community, a writing community, and they understood her writing. But they didn't overlap, except at Storymakers. Here, she had the best of both her worlds--writing and the gospel. I can't even do what she said justice but it's right on. I have amazing friends at church who ask me about my writing all the time, but I'm lucky and it's kind of different. At Storymakers, I get it all. All of the cool spiritual stuff can be summed up in three words from Marion Jensen's acceptance speech, "Be a light." That's why we have this specific talent.

Shelly Brown. She's so great. Selfies on my phone when she's supposed to be taking pictures of me with FREAKIN' BRANDON MULL. Love you, Shelly.

But seriously, this is what you want to see, right? BRANDON MULL, and another guy, Chad Morris. But guys, I got to meet best selling author BRANDON MULL. After going to their class on three point plot structure, I knew my boys would love their books. (In truth, I've been trying to convince my 9yo, the lover of all things Rick Riordan, in fact, if you're name's not Riordan, you're a hack in his book...anyway, I've been trying to convince him to read Fablehaven for a long time, but I figured if I brought him home new books, it would go a long way, especially when they're signed by BRANDON MULL.) Back to the story (I've had to do that a lot, huh...) So I went to the bookstore at the conference and bough Chad's THE INVENTOR'S SECRET (the 9yo is gonna love it!) and THE FIVE KINGDOMS by Brandon. Then, I was sitting just a table or so away at lunch time, so I went over to have them sign the books--so I wouldn't have to wait in line at the book signing later on Saturday. Ha! Anyway, when Shelly came by (she's married to Chad) what I'd dropped by to do turned into like a fifteen minute conversation in which Chad and Brandon were way fun. Brandon is very personable. He asked right off if I liked writing, to which I replied, so respectfully (not), "Um. I'm at a writing conference, aren't I?" He asked me what I wrote, to which I said romance, and I had a book coming out next month (of COURSE I dropped that in there) but that I came to pitch a YA. Brandon asked about that and he thought it was a cool concept, but then we got on the subject of my book coming out, the romance, and we spent the remainder of the conversation on that, which cracks me up. It could be because my book is about football and that surprises most guys when they find out. Brandon also said my cover was "super cute." And that is a direct quote. Anyway, I think they're both super fun and excellent to hang out with. In fact, I love how "normal" all the big authors were at the conference. I never expected in my life to chat for 15 minutes about my romance book with Brandon Mull.

This is my little sister (in age, not height) geeking out over meeting Sarah Eden. She had everyone at the table giggling with all her fan-girling. Then I blew Savanna's mind even more by taking her to meet Brandon Mull. They ended up talking about track. Which, of course.

I actually didn't get to spend a lot of time at the author signing (another good reason to get my books all signed before hand). I had to head over and do final stuff for the Whitney Gala and then get pretty. Me looking pretty great, if I do say so myself, being photo bombed by the awesome Jaime Theler. Love it.

Fun times? Standing at the door and greeting all the lovely Whitney finalists who are also my friends. And standing in four-inch stilettos and for once in my life towering over everyone. It rocked.

Okay, not towering over Krista, but at least I wasn't the big head in this picture, right Krista? (A joke from the many silly pictures I took at our contemp romance table during the Author Mingle the night before.)

AND Amy Finegan wanting to meet ME. And take pics with ME! Amy wrote the finalist NOT IN THE SCRIPT which was really one of my top reads during all the reading I did for the Whitneys. (And that's impressive since I made it through everything but Middle Grade, Adult Spec, and the Best Novel categories--but I read some of the novels in those two.) She tweeted during conference that she was going to find me! So cool.

Me and Sarah Eden comparing shoes. Both fabulously red. Both with bows on the toes. Hers sparkled and were fuzzy inside, so they probably beat mine...

After beginning to worry, my beautiful date, my sister Nikki, finally showed up. She's gorgeous. She made that fab dress guys, without a pattern. Be impressed.

I SO did not get enough conversation with this girl, my accountability partner and good friend, Melanie Jacobson. But she was the big boss of the conference, so I guess that's expected. Next year, right Melanie? We'll sit at lunch and chat or something. We have to.

This is the point during dinner in which my sister and I realized that we were sitting RIGHT behind Anne Perry . . . (Who is another author who's a serious BIG SHOT but who is so down to earth and lovely. She spoke during lunch on Saturday...or maybe Friday, can't remember, and it was another perfect example of weaving spiritual inspiration into writing inspiration. As did Annette's opening remarks for the Whitney Gala. I tweeted a lot of quotes she had from Orson F. Whitney, of whom the Whitney's are named for, during her speech. All of them awesome.)

I think the highlight of that night might have been getting to present Sarah with her first Whitney for LONGING FOR HOME: HOPE SPRINGS. She also gave in inspirational acceptance speech. My favorite quote, "We may yet have Miltons and Shakespeares among us [referring to a quote by Orson F. Whitney] but we already have Brontes and Austens." Made me cry. She left the stage both times (LFH: HOPE SPRINGS also won Best Novel) to standing ovations. I adored when James Dashner presented that award. He opened the envelop saying as he did, that if it was Sanderson he was going to punch him in the face. (Brandon Sanderson, who won Best Adult Spec novel, of course, got a lot of ribbing that night. Because he's Brandon Sanderson and he wins a lot of stuff. And he's good. And people really like him.) Then Dashner said, "Get ready to cry," and he announced Sarah as the winner. And people did cry. Great times.

So below, me and Sarah before the Whitneys. She thought my stilettos were overdoing it when it came to standing next to her. Yeah. Whatever.

So. The conference was great and so full of great, great stuff. I can't begin to describe it. This year I had so much more fun because I was ready to jump in and introduce myself to everyone and to ask all the questions I wanted to ask. I loved it. I wanted to be home to see my boys but I already miss the great people there.

I'm often reminded that I'm an anomaly in the world of writers. Where many of you are introverts who suffer from minor panic (or major panic!) at the thought of interacting with so many people, I'm an extrovert who thrives on that kind of stuff. Where many of you were exhausted after that weekend from all the peopleness, I was refueled and roaring to go! You're all awesome, tribe. All of you!

Whitney Finalist Spotlight: PAINTING KISSES by Melanie Jacobson

From Amazon: Lia Carswell is good at what she does—even if it isn’t as glamorous as her old life in Manhattan. The popular waitress works hard in a small Salt Lake City diner, with the goal of easing her sister’s financial strain. And with her witty personality and good looks, she’s something of an enigma to the male customers who vie for her attention. Ever the professional, Lia keeps her distance—with one exception. Aidan is a breakfast regular, and Lia’s easy rapport with him draws her attention, though she would never let their relationship get serious—especially since he’s not the only one trying to catch her eye. Her handsome neighbor Griff has been hinting that he wants more than a neighborly relationship.Then her old New York artist life comes knocking, and an offer is made for a series of commissioned paintings. Lia knows it would ensure financial security for her family, but she doesn’t know if she wants that life anymore. When she undertakes one final project, she reawakens her heart and soul. And as she finds herself falling in love and needing an outlet more and more, she realizes her paintings might be her saving grace.

Audience: Adult (Clean)
Genre: Romance
Length: 240 pgs

Rating: 5+

Review: I saw a review of this book a few weeks ago that said it was Melanie's best yet and it made me eager to read it. The paperback has been sitting on my bookshelf forever, but with other reading responsibilities crammed into my life, I had to set it aside. Plus, I have it in paperback, and lately it's easier for me to read on my Kindle.

But, the reviewer is absolutely right. This is Melanie's best yet. Maybe you caught a conversation on Twitter that I had with Sarah Eden about romance, but we discussed how we loved Melanie's heroines and how they fought hard for what they wanted and sometimes even against what they wanted, but how we understood every choice they made because it was always in character. That's exactly what makes THIS book awesome-tastic. Lia is a great character. She is cool and an artist and the way she sees the world is so so wonderful. I loved the way the romance grew--in a slow-burn way that usually drives me nuts, but everything was perfect. Perfect. So yeah, my favorite so far of Melanie's!

Content
Sex - 1 (kissing)
Language - 0
Violence - 0
Overall Rating - PG

View the complete list of Whitney Finalists here.

Blog Tour Review: THE FORTUNE CAFE (Mirror Press, 2014)

Tour Schedule

 The Fortune Café

a novel in three parts

MIS-FORTUNE: Emma, a waitress at The Fortune Café will do anything to avoid opening a fortune cookie. Each fortune is rumored to somehow magically come true. Being a girl grounded in reality, she doesn’t have time for that kind of nonsense. But when trying to prevent a food fight at the café, Emma accidently cracks open a fortune cookie: “Look around, love is trying to catch you.” If there is one thing that Harrison, her former best friend in high school is good at, it’s catching her unaware.   LOVE, NOT LUCK: Lucy has always been lucky . . . until her parents meet her fiancé’s parents at a disastrous lunch at The Fortune Café, and she breaks her lucky jade necklace. Even worse, her fortune cookie reveals that “True love is for the brave, not the lucky.” How is she supposed to read that? She’s always considered it lucky how she met her fiancé. But after breaking her necklace, Lucy’s luck takes a dive. And when her fiancé dumps her, the only person she can turn to is Carter, the unluckiest guy she knows.   TAKEOUT: Stella is content in her new life of taking over her mom’s jewelry shop. No more boyfriend to worry about, and as long as she stays busy, she doesn’t have to dwell on her non-existent love life. When Evan comes into the shop with his young daughter, Stella is charmed. But she is reluctant to complicate her straightforward life, so when she reads her fortune after ordering takeout from The Fortune Café, she completely ignores it. After all, how can a fortune as vague as “Do the thing you fear and love is certain,” apply to her?

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo

My Review

Audience: Adult (Clean)
Genre: Romance, Novella Collection
Length: 249 pgs.

Rating: ***** (Loved it!)

Review: Mis-Fortune, the first part of the novel, caught me right away. I love the way that Emma and Harrison fall toward each other. I like how, despite her well-founded personal reservations, Emma can't resist him and so she doesn't. I love the good-guy in Harrison. There were characters I really wanted to punch in the face, but I was involved in a really good way. The second part, Love, Not Luck is just as great. I love the friendship between Lucy and Carter and how it builds so perfectly. I LOVE Lucy's mom. It's SO awesome to see a good, loving, supportive mom (like my mom...she's so super). I love how these two characters fit SO well together. And it's all topped off by the third part, Takeout. This one was all about an amazing first date, and I love that. I love that I got to see how everything led up to this, and then the fall-out of that great date. I wished there'd been time to explore Stella's mom more, because she seemed to amazing and sweet too. I loved watching for the ways these novellas would intersect with each other and finding the small treats of each one left behind in the others. Wonderful.

Content:
Sex - 1/5 (Passionate kissing)
Language - 1/5 (I think there was one swear word...)
Violence - 0/5
Overall rating - PG

Try this. If you like interacting novellas, check out the Ripple Effect Romance series, beginning with HOME MATTERS by Julie N. Ford.

About the Authors Julie Wright started her first book when she was fifteen. She’s written over a dozen books since then, is a Whitney Award winner, and feels she’s finally getting the hang of this writing gig. She enjoys speaking to writing groups, youth groups, and schools. She loves reading, eating writing, hiking, playing on the beach with her kids, and snuggling with her husband to watch movies. Julie’s favorite thing to do is watch her husband make dinner. She hates mayonnaise, but has a healthy respect for ice cream.

Blog * Twitter * Amazon

 

Melanie Bennett Jacobson is an avid reader, amateur cook, and champion shopper. She consumes astonishing amounts of chocolate, chick flicks, and romance novels. After meeting her husband online, she is now living happily married in Southern California with her growing family and a series of doomed houseplants. Melanie is a former English teacher and a sometime blogger who loves to laugh and make others laugh. In her down time (ha!), she writes romantic comedies and pines after beautiful shoes.

Website * Amazon * Twitter

 

 

Heather B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author. She writes historical thrillers under the pen name H.B. Moore, her latest is Finding Sheba. Under Heather B. Moore she writes romance and women’s fiction. She’s the co-author of The Newport Ladies Book Club series. Other women’s novels include Heart of the Ocean, The Fortune Café, the Aliso Creek Series, and the Amazon bestselling Timeless Romance Anthology Series.

Blog * Amazon * Twitter

Blog Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 4/30/14 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 and sponsored by the authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out THE FORTUNE CAFE by Julie Wright, Melanie Bennett Jacobson, & Heather B. Moore

The Fortune Café

a novel in three parts

MIS-FORTUNE: Emma, a waitress at The Fortune Café will do anything to avoid opening a fortune cookie. Each fortune is rumored to somehow magically come true. Being a girl grounded in reality, she doesn’t have time for that kind of nonsense. But when trying to prevent a food fight at the café, Emma accidently cracks open a fortune cookie: “Look around, love is trying to catch you.” If there is one thing that Harrison, her former best friend in high school is good at, it’s catching her unaware.
LOVE, NOT LUCK: Lucy has always been lucky . . . until her parents meet her fiancé’s parents at a disastrous lunch at The Fortune Café, and she breaks her lucky jade necklace. Even worse, her fortune cookie reveals that “True love is for the brave, not the lucky.” How is she supposed to read that? She’s always considered it lucky how she met her fiancé. But after breaking her necklace, Lucy’s luck takes a dive. And when her fiancé dumps her, the only person she can turn to is Carter, the unluckiest guy she knows.  
TAKEOUT: Stella is content in her new life of taking over her mom’s jewelry shop. No more boyfriend to worry about, and as long as she stays busy, she doesn’t have to dwell on her non-existent love life. When Evan comes into the shop with his young daughter, Stella is charmed. But she is reluctant to complicate her straightforward life, so when she reads her fortune after ordering takeout from The Fortune Café, she completely ignores it. After all, how can a fortune as vague as “Do the thing you fear and love is certain,” apply to her?

  About the Authors
Julie Wright started her first book when she was fifteen. She’s written over a dozen books since then, is a Whitney Award winner, and feels she’s finally getting the hang of this writing gig. She enjoys speaking to writing groups, youth groups, and schools. She loves reading, eating writing, hiking, playing on the beach with her kids, and snuggling with her husband to watch movies. Julie’s favorite thing to do is watch her husband make dinner. She hates mayonnaise, but has a healthy respect for ice cream.

Blog * Twitter * Amazon

 

Melanie Bennett Jacobson is an avid reader, amateur cook, and champion shopper. She consumes astonishing amounts of chocolate, chick flicks, and romance novels. After meeting her husband online, she is now living happily married in Southern California with her growing family and a series of doomed houseplants. Melanie is a former English teacher and a sometime blogger who loves to laugh and make others laugh. In her down time (ha!), she writes romantic comedies and pines after beautiful shoes.

Website * Amazon * Twitter

 

 

Heather B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author. She writes historical thrillers under the pen name H.B. Moore, her latest is Finding Sheba. Under Heather B. Moore she writes romance and women’s fiction. She’s the co-author of The Newport Ladies Book Club series. Other women’s novels include Heart of the Ocean, The Fortune Café, the Aliso Creek Series, and the Amazon bestselling Timeless Romance Anthology Series.

Blog * Amazon * Twitter

Tour Schedule

   

  Blast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 4/18/14 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

Review: SECOND CHANCES by Melanie Jacobson

So, you know I went to Storymakers Conference in May? Did you know I sort of went a little crazy when I got into the book store and saw all the books by all my favorites? SECOND CHANCES was one of them. And it's signed. (Melanie Jacobson thinks I'm funny!!)

From Deseret Book: After walking out of a thankless job at a prestigious marketing firm, feisty California entrepreneur Louisa Gibson is going into business for herself. Lou’s pioneering venture, The Mormon Bachelor, is a reality dating web series sure to be fabulous advertising for her new marketing firm. And as a bonus, she can solve a problem close to home: while Huntington Beach is crawling with eligible, sun-bronzed Saints, they’ve forgotten the vital skill of dating. Lou hopes the reality show will finally inspire this group of hangout enthusiasts to pair off. But shortly before filming begins, the unthinkable happens—Trentyn, a.k.a. The Bachelor, gets a girlfriend. And Lou needs a new leading man—fast.

Enter Nick, Lou’s devastatingly handsome ex-boy- friend. He’s the stereotypical actor: shallow, self-serving . . . and perfect for the job. A whirlwind of dating ensues, with Nick at the center of it all. Things are going according to plan—that is, until Lou is forced to step in as a substitute bachelorette, becoming an unwitting cast member on her own show. Despite Nick’s attempts to reestablish their friendship and the growing spark between them, Lou is determined to keep her distance. The show must go on—but what’s a girl to do when the Mr. Wrong of the past just may be the Mr. Right of the future?

Audience: Adult (Clean)
Genre: LDS Romance
Length: 216 pgs

Rating: *****

Review: This one could possibly be my favorite of Melanies. I loved the main character, Louisa, and Nick is so wonderful as the antagonist...ooops, I mean love interest. Both are really different from any of Melanie's other main characters. It has the awesome trademark wit I've come to expect along with a unique love story! (The Bachelor from the POV of someone behind the scenes.) So cool. Pick this one up. You'll definitely love it.

Source: Bought it via the LDStorymakers 2013 Conference Bookstore

Follow Melanie on Twitter.
Buy SECOND CHANCES at Deseret Book.

Review: TWITTERPATED by Melanie Jacobson

Have I ever mentioned how glad I am I discovered Melanie? Some day I'm going to catch up to her books and have to wait for each one to come out -- like the current agony I endure waiting to buy them ... or for Sarah Eden's books. :)

From Deseret Book: Jessie Taylor is furious when her roommate secretly posts her picture on the dating website LDS Lookup — furious, that is, until she spends all night instant messaging Ben Bratton, a man whose wit and warmth just might make Jessie forget the train wreck of her last romantic relationship. Their first date is a smashing success (literally), but Ben’s overall awesomeness can’t save Jessie from having to deal with Craig, her competitive coworker whose baiting behavior sets new standards for obnoxiousness. Determined to beat Craig at his own game, Jessie spends long office hours finishing projects and putting out fires, but while her performance wows her boss, it only makes Ben skittish— after a failed engagement to an up-and-coming lawyer, he’s not about to pair up with someone who’s married to her job. Will Jessie figure out how to be true to herself and take her big chance at love before it’s gone with a click of the mouse?

Audience: Adult
Genre: LDS Romantic Comedy
Length: 247 pages

Rating: ****

Review: There are lots of things I love about this book. One, the witty banter between Jessie and her roommate Sandy. I love the clear opening I see for Sandy's story. (SMART MOVE, can't wait to get it!) The new twist Melanie puts on her trademark theme of online dating. Ben's take charge attitude and **SPOILERS** ultimatum. (Although, I think Jessie should have had to go chase after him with the way she acted...) So I mentioned in one of my recent reviews that romance heroines that are too stubborn for their own good are kind of a pet peeve of mine. (This is why I don't like many of J-Lo's rom-com movies...) Jessie is the same way, much like the other two of Melanie's heroines. Here's why I don't care and why I'll always keep reading Melanie's books, even if their stuffed full of them. 1) They always have a believable and legitimate back stories for acting the way they do. (Even if I don't agree, haha!) 2) Melanie has a captivating, witty way of writing that, even if I despised the story, I'd still read. I love the way I giggle and sigh and race through her books, which brings me to 3) Clearly I don't care enough about this pet peeve to put her books down, because I usually finish them in days if not hours. :) Plus, Jessie doesn't like Jane Eyre, and that's a girl I can get behind.

Disclaimer: None.

He Said/She Said: Okay, so I know I need to limit myself here, but you should all go get the book because there are SO MANY great lines in this one.
Sandy/Jessie -
[Sandy] glared at me. "Yeah, you know my type so well. A guy in a sheet in the middle of winter made a style statement I couldn't resist." 
"Was the statement, 'I can't afford pants'?"

Describing the first kiss - "There's not much to say." Sandy's face fell. "Except it was kind of awesome."

There are so many, I could go on and on, but then you wouldn't need to buy the book and Melanie might get kind of mad at me for that.

Buy at Deseret Book.

Try this: Love witty writing? Try THE ACTOR AND THE HOUSEWIFE by Shannon Hale.

Author Interview: Melanie Jacobson

I've followed Melanie for a while on twitter, but the first book of hers I picked up, NOT MY TYPE, I actually bought because I wanted to see how to write a good LDS Romantic Comedy, since at the time I had just finished one of my own. They say that to be a good writer you should be a good reader -- especially in your chosen genre, and since I knew Melanie was funny from twitter, I figured she was a good bet. And she was!

In the two books of hers I've read so far, online dating has played a big role -- which makes sense considering that's how Melanie met her husband. And she made me curious about it. (I married my college sweetheart as soon as he got home from his mission, so obviously no experience for me there...) Especially since my little sister has recently decided to try it out. So I figured I'd pick Melanie' brain for some good advice for her and some fun for the rest of us:

* Online dating plays a role in both NOT MY TYPE and THE LIST. You met your husband online, right? Do you care to share your love story?

I met my husband when I was looking for books. I was using an LDS networking site that was more like Facebook than a dating site, and one night I found myself looking for something new to read. So I was searching other people's book lists and his came up. I was super impressed with how well read he was, but his picture was scary. He looked like a biker rock and roll dude. (It turns out he was the lead singer in a rock band but not a biker!). Anyway, the message just said, "Nice book list. Cool profile." His had said he was looking for a girl who he could take to a downtown speakeasy for bluegrass one night and a Shakespeare play the next. I thought, "Well, I'm that girl, but I don't think he's my type." When we eventually did meet, I discovered that he very, very much was. And then we got married a few months later.

Review: THE LIST by Melanie Jacobson

Once I read an author and LOVE them, I will always go back. AND usually buy everything they've written. Fan for life. That's how I am with Sarah M. Eden -- that's how I feel now about Melanie Jacobson. 

From DeseretBook.com: Ashley Barrett doesn’t want to get married. At least, not anytime soon. She doesn’t care how many of her friends and family members and fellow churchgoers had weddings before they finished college — the last thing she needs in her fun-loving twenties is the dead-weight of some guy. And that’s why she created The List. By the time she completes all twenty-five goals — from learning a language to skydiving to perfecting the art of making sushi — she’ll be more ready to settle down. Maybe.

This summer in California is a prime time for Ashley to cross two items off the list: learn to surf (#13) and have a summer romance (#17). And Matt Gibson, the best surf instructor in Huntington Beach and the most wanted guy in the singles ward, is the perfect man for the job. Ashley hatches a plan to love him and leave him before heading off to grad school in the fall (#4, get a master’s degree). But when Matt decides he doesn’t like the “leaving” part, Ashley’s carefully laid plans are turned sideways. Now Ashley faces an unexpected dilemma: should she stick to the safety of The List, or risk everything for a love that may tie her down — or might set her free?

Review: NOT MY TYPE by Melanie Jacobson

So you all know how I claim to be writing this fun, contemporary LDS romance? I started revisions the other day and wondered about some things. I've read a lot of romance and def my fair share of LDS romance, but none of them seemed quite like what I was writing. I did know of one person who does write like that: Melanie Jacobson. I bought NOT MY TYPE as research. I swear.

From DeseretBook.com: Twenty-three-year-old Pepper Spicer is not living the dream. She ended her engagement at the last minute because fiance—a musician an soon-to-be reality TV star—wanted her to sacrifice her own career ambitions for his. Now she's stuck at home sharing a room with her little sister, trying to pay off massive debt for a wedding that didn't happen, and spending Friday nights Facebook-stalking everyone who has a better life. Her therapist father urges her to choose her career dreams and count her blessings by writing weekly thank-you notes, but gratitude is a tall order when she botches an important job interview and has to settle for writing an undercover dating web-zine column—the last thing in the world she wants to do. Still, as Pepper (byline:Indie Girl) chronicles her bizarre and hilarious blind dates, she gives her father's challenge a try and slowly finds herself leaving self-pity behind. Life takes a major upswing as Pepper's column hits the big time and she tastes the exhilarating thrill of success. But there's one tiny problem: the intensely hot man she's falling for is having issues with her job (again). Will Pepper trade her personal ambition for another chance at love?

Results of the Top Ten LDS Fiction

Hey guys, it's been a fun month voting on all those great LDS fiction titles that were nominated. Today is the day I reveal, based on the voting public, the Top Ten.

Drum roll ...

#1
NOT MY TYPE: A SINGLE GIRL'S GUIDE TO DOING IT ALL WRONG by Melanie Jacobson