18 days until Christmas
I was born in Utah, but grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona and St. Louis, Missouri, the fifth of seven children. I attended Southern Virginia University and Brigham Young University, where I studied English and Theater. I now live in Idaho with my husband and four children. I believe there is no substitute for good writing or good chocolate. Fortunately, one often leads to the other.
Please take a minute to visit Annette at one of the links below:
WEBSITE | BLOG | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOOGLE+
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LDSWBR: What is your favorite Christmas song/hymn? Does it have special meaning to you?
ANNETTE: O Holy Night and Carol of the Bells. I love listening and singing both of those. I love O Holy Night not only for the musicality, but for the message and the emotion it evokes. I love Carol of the Bells for the challenge it presented when I first learned it in choir. Plus, it’s just a fabulous song.
LDSWBR: Do you get together with friends/family to play board games on Christmas or New Year’s? What games do you like to play? Do you have a favorite game from your childhood?
ANNETTE: My favorite group game is Beyond Balderdash. I really enjoy making up random plots for the movie titles section. However, my favorite pastime during the holidays is doing puzzles. If I can complete 3 or 4 500 piece puzzles over the holiday week, then I am a happy camper. My husband doesn’t understand the appeal, but it’s something that’s always been a part of my holiday vacation.
LDSWBR: If you could recommend only one book from those you read this year, what would it be and why?
ANNETTE: Blackmoore. I really enjoy Julianne’s writing. I think it’s beautiful and she tells a beautiful story. I have a tendency to pick books apart and find things that I would change or rewrite. So finding a book that leaves me completely satisfied is a wonderful thing.
LDSWBR: Thank you, Annette!
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Just Ella
AMAZON | KINDLE | BARNES & NOBLE | NOOK
Ariella was only looking for a distraction, something to break up the monotony of palace life. What she found was a young man willing to overlook her title and show her a new and vibrant way of life. But when her growing feelings for Gavin spiral out of control and clash with the expectations of her station, she will discover that the consequences of her curiosity are far more severe than she’d imagined.
“I watched in helpless horror as two guards hauled Gavin to his feet and dragged him from the room. My voice was frozen, unable to protest as another guard took hold of my arm, leading me upstairs. From the confines of my room, I stared into the darkness beyond my window, hoping to catch one more glimpse of Gavin. He was gone, and I wondered if he would have been better off if he had never met me.”
When was the last time you put a puzzle together? How many pieces was the largest puzzle you’ve ever assembled?
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NO PURCHASE NECESSARY; entrants must be 18 years or older; open to residents of continental US only; giveaway begins December 3, 2013 and all entries must be received by 12:00 Midnight December 23, 2013 Mountain Time; to enter, complete the required entry on each post and any additional entries of your choice if listed; LDS Women’s Book Review reserves the right to determine what is considered a thoughtful comment as per each post’s required entry; giveaway prizes include a $50 Amazon gift card and a variety of book prizes donated by featured authors; the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning; LDS Women’s Book Review is not liable for technical problems which may affect entry into the giveaway; winner identity will be verified by email address; winner will be selected December 28, 2013 by use of a sequence generator on random.org; winner will have until January 4, 2014 to claim their prize; if any prize winner forfeits or does not claim prize, prize will be re-awarded to next winner in sequence; all prizes will be awarded; limit of two prizes per entrant; this contest/giveaway is not associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other entity unless otherwise specified; by entering the giveaway you give LDS Women’s Book Review the right to publicize your name on the LDS Women’s Book Review blog; winner agrees to release LDS Women’s Book Review from any liability as a result of winning; email comments and questions to LDS Women’s Book Review – ldswbr (at) gmail (dot) com; giveaway subject to Utah regulations; VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
**Book Prizes (as of 12/7/13 – more to be added to this list!)**
- Rocky Road by Josi S. Kilpack (personalized copy)
- Shannon’s Hope by Josi S. Kilpack (personalized copy)
- The House at Rose Creek by Jenny Proctor (signed copy)
- Penumbras by Braden Bell (signed copy)
- The Reluctant Blogger by Ryan Rapier (personalized copy)
- Just Ella by Annette K. Larsen (personalized paperback)
Previous Countdown to Christmas 2013 posts:
- Rocky Road and Shannon’s Hope by Josi S. Kilpack (12/3/13)
- The House at Rose Creek by Jenny Proctor (12/4/13)
- Penumbras by Braden Bell (12/5/13)
- The Reluctant Blogger by Ryan Rapier (12/6/13)
37 Responses to “Just Ella by Annette K. Larsen – Countdown to Christmas 2013”
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I’ve probably only put together 1000 or 1500 pieces. My mom always has a puzzle set up during the holidays and I love it!
It’s been a while since I have put one together, I’ll have to start doing it again. I did a 3000 piece puzzle once, it was quite an accomplishment!
I love doing puzzles over the holidays! I think the biggest I’ve done is 1500 pieces, but I usually do 500 piece ones because once I start one, I have a hard time getting anything else done until it”s finished!
LOVED. LOVED. LOVED Just Ella!
It’s been many a fortnight since I last attempted a puzzle.
Largest one I have ever worked on was probably at 1500 piece.
So glad you loved it! And it’s been a long time since I worked on a puzzle over 1000. Those ones are intense.
We enjoy a good puzzle at my house. I personally prefer a 500 piece puzzle, because they can usually be completed in an evening. But we have done 1500 piece puzzles before.
The most recent puzzles I’ve done recently have been Disney characters, Barney, or other things for my kids. I think it sounds very nice to do a more complex puzzle, but my kids, I fear, would knock the table over.
I don’t remember the last time I did an adult puzzle, but I regularly assemble 25 piece puzzles. :-) Maybe the largest puzzle I’ve ever done was 500 or 1,000 pieces, I’m not really sure.
It’s been a long time since I’ve done a puzzle! My husband and I did a 1,000 piece puzzle many years ago and I’ve helped my kids when they pull the puzzles out. Our biggest problem is not having a space where we can leave the puzzle out to work on.
We do a 1000 piece puzzle almost every Christmas. It’s not the biggest but it’s just right for the fun and time limit. 5000 is too much.
I have put a puzzle together within the last year, but most of them were in the 100 piece range. The largest one I’ve put together was 1000, I think. We’ve only done it once. “We” because it takes my whole family to put 1000 piece puzzle together.
I loved Just Ella and would recommend it to anyone. It is next on my 12 year old’s to-read list.
Never really been puzzle people. The book sounds great, though! :)
I’ve been wanting to read this book! I keep hearing great things about it.
I put together a couple of puzzles when I was staying in a transitional rehab center recovering from 2 broken legs (it was quite boring to say the least!)
I haven’t done a puzzle in YEARS. My husband loves them though! He puts them together with our kids and I just watch :)
I found the book Just Ella while browsing on my Kindle. I purchased it and immediately devoured it. I told my sister about the book and she loved it also. It’s a great book. My dad always had a puzzle going between Christmas and New Years. It was a family tradition. He is retired and keeps himself entertained with puzzles all year long now. I still enjoy the challenge of a puzzle and work on them all the time with him.
The last time I put a puzzle together was with my daughter, and it was only 100 pieces. I think the most pieces I’ve ever put together was probably about 250.
We always do puzzles as we watch General Conference! It is one of our favorite things to do on those cozy days! We don’t do very big ones yet, as my oldest is ten but the youngest is only 6 months… We used to go really big puzzles at Christmas and Thanksgiving with my Grandma Dho passed away a few weeks ago. Great memories!!!
Who, not Dho…. Shouldn’t comment on things from my phone!
My Mom got me a puzzle for my birthday at the end of October and we finally got around to putting it together about 3 weeks ago. I love puzzles and think that the largest puzzle I have ever accomplished had 1500 pieces.
Last Christmas was the last time, and it was 1000 pieces.
It must have been two years ago since I did a puzzle and it could not have been more than 750. My older sister was the puzzle lover and will always get a puzzle for Christmas. That’s how she spends her holiday is putting it together.
I used to do lots of puzzles with my husband when we were first married. I think the largest was a 1000 piece puzzle. I probably won’t be able to do another puzzle for awhile with my little ones running around.
I love doing puzzles while listening to books on audio, or on my phone. I think the largest one that I have ever done is a 5000 piece puzzle. It took me and my 8 family members to complete it! So much fun!
We do puzzles a lot, but they are kid puzzles that have maybe 25 pieces and can be completed in two minutes. We are getting pretty good at them though! By the way, Just Ella was beautifully written. Definitely one of my favorites. Thank you for writing a story that was good and clean.
I used to love doing puzzles, but now with two 6-year-olds and a 4-year-old, we stick to puzzles that can be completed in one 10-minute sitting. :)
Love puzzles – do at least one or two every year around christmas. Largest I’ve done is 3000.
I used to put puzzles together a lot as a kid. We had a puzzle table set up. But I haven’t been able to find a place for a puzzle table here yet. Maybe when my kids get a little older and the babies quit eating the pieces. :)
I havent put a puzzle together in years! Just Ella sounds amazing. Thanks so much for the sharing :)
I am not sure on the number of pieces, and besides the children’s puzzles that I help do, I think it has been about 4 years since the last “real” puzzle my husband and I have done. It was this really difficult Mickey Mouse one, where each piece had ittle pictures inside of it that once put together made Mickey. Ever since then there hasn’t been a place in our small house we can put a puzzle together without our kids coming and messing with it.
Also, we loved Balderdash when I was younger. I remember playing it with my family and some missionaries at our house one Thanksgiving. That was fun!
Puzzles are definitely a fun thing to do with family during the holidays. The biggest one I’ve done is about 1000 pieces! So fun!
love putting together puzzles. I actually just got one out to do over the holidays. I think the biggest we’ve done is a 1000.
Our family does a puzzle every conference weekend. It keeps little hands busy and we can listen too. We look forward to doing one every time!
This week with my 3 yr old. :) Not sure the largest. I’ve helped many a family member complete large ones.
It’s been a while since we put a puzzle together. We wrapped ten puzzles for Grandma and had her unwrap one a day or unwrap one she finished one. She loved it.
We’ve just started doing puzzles again in the last 2-3 months. We’ve put 3 together so far and just put another one up today. They’re all around 1500 pieces.
The last time I put together I put a puzzle together I was on bed rest with my 2nd youngest you is just about to turn 4. It’s been a long time. It’s hard when u have babies you like to grab those little pieces. I think my biggest one was about 500 pieces not big but for the time and just for me it was at the time.
Probably a year ago. I think the biggest puzzle I put together was 500 pieces!