Save the Child by Margaret Turley – Countdown to Christmas

 Posted by  Countdown to Christmas, Special Features
Dec 112010
 

14 days until Christmas!

Margaret Larsen Turley began her writing career in high school. She has won contests with her poetry. She has published three volumes of memoirs: A Nurse’s World. Margaret is a member of ANWA, where she has served as a Daytimers chapter president, and a two year term as Secretary on the Executive Board. Current memberships in other writing organizations include: IWWG, and NAWW, and SheWrites. Margaret is a graduate of Dr. Pamela R. Goodfellow’s Crafting the Character Based Novel Classes. She has completed several other college level writing courses and attends writing conferences. Honing her writing skills is one of Margaret’s passions. When she isn’t writing, she is reading.
She obtained her degree in nursing from Yavapai Community College and a Bachelor in Health Care Management at the Tempe site for Ottawa University. She has practiced nursing for over thirty four years throughout four different states, in both rural and metropolitan settings. She uses her background in healthcare in many things she writes.
Save the Child is contemporary reality fiction. The Johnsons are a typical blended American family who reside in Gilbert Arizona. They grapple with one of the Parents VS State issues that have been in recent news. They examine their values as well as their faith as they battle to save their daughter Sharon from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Nancy wants to use naturopathy to treat the child. She strongly opposes chemotherapy. Exploration of conventional medicine and alternative healthcare, parent’s rights verses our current legal system and government bureaucracies dominate the plot. Robert is changing careers mid-life and attending the last year of law school and works part time at law firm. They have run out of Cobra insurance and are very tight financially. Abby, their fifteen year old teen, uses the family car to try to meet a date she makes via internet and she has a tragic accident. She ends up in a coma and is hospitalized midst the medical and legal battle for Sharon. The youngest child, Ben, five years old, attends kindergarten. He feels lost in the shuffle. Phyllis is Nancy’s mother. Ongoing struggles between mother and daughter heighten the drama. Phyllis ends up being the angel of salvation for Abby and Ben and the reasoning factor between Nancy and Robert who edge on divorce due to all the stress and grief. Grandma ends up being the glue for the generation gap and the marriage.
Save the Child is Margaret’s first novel. Sharon’s toy elephant from this story inspired her children’s picture book: Elsie Goes to the Hospital, which is currently being illustrated.
Visit Margaret on her website/blog, on Facebook and Twitter @MargaretLarsenT.
For more information on Writers Unite to Fight Cancer, see the Facebook group page, LinkedIn page, Twitter @WritersCanFight, or email Margaret at writersunitetofightcancer(at)gmail(dot)com.
LDSWBR: What author/book had the most impact on you this year?

MARGARET: New York Best Selling Romantic Suspense Author Brenda Novak. I became involved with her on-line auction to raise money for Diabetes Research and was very impressed with the Suspense Novel she wrote using her experience as a mother of a juvenile diabetic: Every Waking Moment. Her fervor to raise money for diabetic research spurred my interest in forming Writers Unite to Fight Cancer with authors and colleagues I know and we chose American Association for Cancer Research (www.aacr.org) to be our charity. Five of my author friends joined me and we donated books to the Brenda Novak Online Auction last May – as well as our Producer/Publisher and Editor who offered editing services to that auction. We added more author and held a silent auction as Writers Unite to Fight Cancer during the Goodfellow Publishing Services Book Launch on November 4th. Five of the Eight Authors were LDS. All of us are women. All of us have been touched by cancer. This morning I participated in another books sale to raise money for the AACR for Writers Unite to Fight Cancer and we have more events already on the calendar for 2011.

Another author who has influenced me greatly is Jodi Piccoult.

LDSWBR: What books are you giving/asking for this Christmas?

MARGARET: My gift to most people this year will be a copy of Save the Child. I have purchased some children’s books and YA books from LDS authors that I give for gifts.

I buy all of Janette Rallison‘s books for my nieces. (Of course I read them first.) James Dashner‘s books are favorites for my nephews.

I would like to receive new books by Jodi Piccoult, and I have several LDS authors I love to read, some of my favorites are Jenni Hansen, Betsy Brannon Green, Rachel Anne Nunes.

LDSWBR: If you could only participate in one Holiday activity or tradition this year, what would it be?

MARGARET: Being together with family.

LDSWBR: Eggnog or warm apple cider?

MARGARET: Apple Cider.

LDSWBR: Margaret, thank you very much!

Save the Child by Margaret Turley (Goodfellow Publishing Services; July 2010) is available for purchase from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Margaret’s website.

Are your family members mostly nearby, or are you scattered all over the country (or world)? Do you take advantage of the holidays to get together?
Find more gift ideas for the readers in your life in the sidebar of the blog under “More Great Books by LDS Authors.”


***Countdown to Christmas 2010 Contest***

LDSWBR will hold a drawing on December 26, 2010 for a $50 Amazon Gift Card, as well as a variety of books being offered by some great LDS authors.
Book prizes generously donated by the authors:

  • Oh, Say Can You See? by Laurie (LC) Lewis
  • Backlash by Traci Hunter Abramson
  • Alma the Younger by Heather (HB) Moore
  • True Miracles with Genealogy by Anne Bradshaw
  • Dingo by Anne Bradshaw
  • Second Kiss by Natalie Palmer
  • Cross My Heart by Julie Wright
  • Cold As Ice by Stephanie Black
  • Meg’s Melody by Kaylee Baldwin
  • Save the Child by Margaret Turley
  • Anasazi Intrigue (ebook) by Linda Weaver Clarke
  • Mayan Intrigue (ebook) by Linda Weaver Clarke
  • The Star Prophecy by Joan Sowards (and Walnut Springs Press)
  • A cute, handmade apron by Joan Sowards


How to enter:
  • Post a thoughtful comment on the Countdown to Christmas 2010 posts. Comments can be added on any of the countdown posts at anytime during the contest period (December 1, 2010 through December 25, 2010). Only one comment per person per “Countdown to Christmas” post will be entered into the drawing. Feel free to comment more than once per post if you’d like, but only one comment will be accepted as an entry.
  • Follow us on Twitter: @LDSWBR – then send us a direct message to let us know you want to be entered in the Countdown to Christmas 2010 Contest. If you are already a follower send a direct message telling us you want to be included in the contest.
  • Tweet this message each day (one entry per day). Just copy and paste into your twitter message window to send it (LDSWBR must be able to see the tweet): LDSWBR Countdown to Christmas 2010 at http://ldswbr.blogspot.com! Enter to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card & great books! @ldswbr #ldswbr2010
  • Follow LDSWBR on Facebook, then send an email to ldswbr at gmail dot com that you’d like to be entered into the Countdown to Christmas 2010 Contest. If you already follow LDSWBR on Facebook, send us an email to let us know you’d like to be included in the contest.
  • **BONUS +5 entries**- Blog about this contest on your blog in a post that includes a link back to the LDSWBR blog, then send us the link to your specific blog post.


Here are the rules:

  • Contest ends at 12:00 Midnight MST on December 25, 2010. Drawing winners will have until 12:00 Midnight MST on January 3, 2010 to claim their prize. After that time, another name will be drawn to receive the prize.
  • LDSWBR reserves the right to decide what determines a “thoughtful” comment.
  • Physical book prizes can only be shipped within the contiguous United States.
  • Authors taking part in the countdown are eligible to participate in the contest.
  • The drawing held on December 26, 2010 will be a raffle-type drawing. All entries will be combined and names drawn for the prizes.
Please join us in counting down to Christmas with some great reads!


Second Kiss by Natalie Palmer – Countdown to Christmas 2010

 Posted by  Countdown to Christmas, Special Features
Dec 102010
 

15 days until Christmas!

“I was born and (for the most part) raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. I graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in English Literature. I currently live in Cleveland, Ohio with my husband, young son and a little girl on the way. Second Kiss is my first novel.”

Visit with Natalie on her website/blog, on Facebook and Twitter @natapalmer.

LDSWBR: What author/book had the most impact on you this year?

NATALIE: Be the Hero of Your Own Life Story by Shane Barker. I was browsing through my mother-in-law’s book collection last Christmas when I came across it. It was written in 1994 and from the looks of the cover (a cartoon of a kid holding a fishing rod) it was obvious that it could be found at an LDS bookstore in the same section as John Bytheway’s books for young boys. But something about it caught this twenty-seven year old girl’s eye and I began to read. Not only did I finish the book in a day, I also found myself taking written and mental notes and falling asleep at night thinking about the suggestions given throughout the book. It taught me not only how to find success but more importantly how to desire success. It inspired me, it moved me to action. And it was just what I needed to read as I began the journey of publishing my first book.


LDSWBR: What books are you giving/asking for this Christmas?

NATALIE: I haven’t thought much about what I want this year but one of my favorite books of all time is The Wednesday Sister by Meg Waite Clayton so I’d love to receive something new of hers. As for books that I’m giving? My husband (who is in medical school) wants me to give him a psychiatry book with a really long title and of course my mom wants a signed copy of Second Kiss.

LDSWBR: If you could only participate in one Holiday activity or tradition this year, what would it be?

NATALIE: I really want to take my son to see the lights at Temple Square. He is two and SO into Christmas lights this year and I know he will get a kick out of it. Besides that, we live in Cleveland and the only image of the Salt Lake Temple he has seen is the one hanging on our living room wall. We just got our tickets to fly to Utah for the holidays and I can’t wait for him to see it in person!

LDSWBR: Eggnog or warm apple cider?

NATALIE: Hands down, warm apple cider. Love it!

LDSWBR: Natalie, thank you so much. Have a safe trip and a Merry Christmas!

Second Kiss by Natalie Palmer (Tate Publishing; Nov 2010) is available for purchase from Amazon, Borders, and Natalie’s website.


Have you been to Salt Lake City to see the lights at Temple Square? Is there a place in your city that goes “all out” with Christmas lights?

Find more gift ideas for the readers in your life in the sidebar of the blog under “More Great Books by LDS Authors.”


***Countdown to Christmas 2010 Contest***

LDSWBR will hold a drawing on December 26, 2010 for a $50 Amazon Gift Card, as well as a variety of books being offered by some great LDS authors.
Book prizes generously donated by the authors:

  • Oh, Say Can You See? by Laurie (LC) Lewis
  • Backlash by Traci Hunter Abramson
  • Alma the Younger by Heather (HB) Moore
  • True Miracles with Genealogy by Anne Bradshaw
  • Dingo by Anne Bradshaw
  • Second Kiss by Natalie Palmer
  • Cross My Heart by Julie Wright
  • Cold As Ice by Stephanie Black
  • Meg’s Melody by Kaylee Baldwin
  • Save the Child by Margaret Turley
  • Anasazi Intrigue (ebook) by Linda Weaver Clarke
  • Mayan Intrigue (ebook) by Linda Weaver Clarke
  • The Star Prophecy by Joan Sowards (and Walnut Springs Press)
  • A cute, handmade apron by Joan Sowards


How to enter:
  • Post a thoughtful comment on the Countdown to Christmas 2010 posts. Comments can be added on any of the countdown posts at anytime during the contest period (December 1, 2010 through December 25, 2010). Only one comment per person per “Countdown to Christmas” post will be entered into the drawing. Feel free to comment more than once per post if you’d like, but only one comment will be accepted as an entry.
  • Follow us on Twitter: @LDSWBR – then send us a direct message to let us know you want to be entered in the Countdown to Christmas 2010 Contest. If you are already a follower send a direct message telling us you want to be included in the contest.
  • Tweet this message each day (one entry per day). Just copy and paste into your twitter message window to send it (LDSWBR must be able to see the tweet): LDSWBR Countdown to Christmas 2010 at http://ldswbr.blogspot.com! Enter to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card & great books! @ldswbr #ldswbr2010
  • Follow LDSWBR on Facebook, then send an email to ldswbr at gmail dot com that you’d like to be entered into the Countdown to Christmas 2010 Contest. If you already follow LDSWBR on Facebook, send us an email to let us know you’d like to be included in the contest.
  • **BONUS +5 entries**- Blog about this contest on your blog in a post that includes a link back to the LDSWBR blog, then send us the link to your specific blog post.


Here are the rules:

  • Contest ends at 12:00 Midnight MST on December 25, 2010. Drawing winners will have until 12:00 Midnight MST on January 3, 2010 to claim their prize. After that time, another name will be drawn to receive the prize.
  • LDSWBR reserves the right to decide what determines a “thoughtful” comment.
  • Physical book prizes can only be shipped within the contiguous United States.
  • Authors taking part in the countdown are eligible to participate in the contest.
  • The drawing held on December 26, 2010 will be a raffle-type drawing. All entries will be combined and names drawn for the prizes.
Please join us in counting down to Christmas with some great reads!


Meg’s Melody by Kaylee Baldwin – Countdown to Christmas 2010

 Posted by  Countdown to Christmas, Special Features
Dec 092010
 

16 days until Christmas!

Kaylee Baldwin is a debut author. Her book, Meg’s Melody, comes out this month. The following is a description of Meg’s Melody: “It’s only after her husband leaves that Meg finds out she’s pregnant. Now facing the prospect of single parenthood, she’ll have to rely on the family she pushed away, the church she abandoned, and an unexpected friendship to see her through. This touching story combines romance with real conflicts to remind you it’s never too late to find love – if you know where to look.”

Visit Kaylee on her blog and on Facebook.

LDSWBR: What author/book had the most impact on you this year?

KAYLEE: One of the best fiction books I read this year was The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. The book that started me on my love of reading was The Secret Garden when I was in 3rd grade, and this is a book with very similar themes, only for adults. Very well written. I recommend to everyone whenever they ask me for something good to read.

Non-fiction would be Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. I really want to be completely debt-free, and he gives some great keys to help get me there.

LDSWBR: What books are you giving/asking for this Christmas?

KAYLEE: I really want to read Backlash by Tracy Hunter Abramson, Luck of the Draw by Rachael Ranee Anderson, Falling Home by Karen White, To the Rescue, the biography of Pres. Monson. Since my mom and I read the same books, we’ll probably end up getting them for each other.

LDSWBR: If you could only participate in one Holiday activity or tradition this year, what would it be?

KAYLEE: My family wearing matching PJs on Christmas morning.

LDSWBR: Is it eggnog or warm apple cider for you, Kaylee?

KAYLEE: Eggnog, of course.

LDSWBR: Thank you for being a part of our Countdown to Christmas. Best of luck to you with your new book!


Meg’s Melody by Kaylee Baldwin (Cedar Fort; Dec 2010) is available for purchase at Amazon.

Is there someone in your life, like Kaylee’s mom, who loves reading as much as you do? Do you like the same books or are your tastes quite different?

Find more gift ideas for the readers in your life in the sidebar of the blog under “More Great Books by LDS Authors.”


***Countdown to Christmas 2010 Contest***

LDSWBR will hold a drawing on December 26, 2010 for a $50 Amazon Gift Card, as well as a variety of books being offered by some great LDS authors.
Book prizes generously donated by the authors:

  • Oh, Say Can You See? by Laurie (LC) Lewis
  • Backlash by Traci Hunter Abramson
  • Alma the Younger by Heather (HB) Moore
  • True Miracles with Genealogy by Anne Bradshaw
  • Dingo by Anne Bradshaw
  • Second Kiss by Natalie Palmer
  • Cross My Heart by Julie Wright
  • Cold As Ice by Stephanie Black
  • Meg’s Melody by Kaylee Baldwin
  • Save the Child by Margaret Turley
  • Anasazi Intrigue (ebook) by Linda Weaver Clarke
  • Mayan Intrigue (ebook) by Linda Weaver Clarke
  • The Star Prophecy by Joan Sowards (and Walnut Springs Press)
  • A cute, handmade apron by Joan Sowards


How to enter:
  • Post a thoughtful comment on the Countdown to Christmas 2010 posts. Comments can be added on any of the countdown posts at anytime during the contest period (December 1, 2010 through December 25, 2010). Only one comment per person per “Countdown to Christmas” post will be entered into the drawing. Feel free to comment more than once per post if you’d like, but only one comment will be accepted as an entry.
  • Follow us on Twitter: @LDSWBR – then send us a direct message to let us know you want to be entered in the Countdown to Christmas 2010 Contest. If you are already a follower send a direct message telling us you want to be included in the contest.
  • Tweet this message each day (one entry per day). Just copy and paste into your twitter message window to send it (LDSWBR must be able to see the tweet): LDSWBR Countdown to Christmas 2010 at http://ldswbr.blogspot.com! Enter to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card & great books! @ldswbr #ldswbr2010
  • Follow LDSWBR on Facebook, then send an email to ldswbr at gmail dot com that you’d like to be entered into the Countdown to Christmas 2010 Contest. If you already follow LDSWBR on Facebook, send us an email to let us know you’d like to be included in the contest.
  • **BONUS +5 entries**- Blog about this contest on your blog in a post that includes a link back to the LDSWBR blog, then send us the link to your specific blog post.


Here are the rules:

  • Contest ends at 12:00 Midnight MST on December 25, 2010. Drawing winners will have until 12:00 Midnight MST on January 3, 2010 to claim their prize. After that time, another name will be drawn to receive the prize.
  • LDSWBR reserves the right to decide what determines a “thoughtful” comment.
  • Physical book prizes can only be shipped within the contiguous United States.
  • Authors taking part in the countdown are eligible to participate in the contest.
  • The drawing held on December 26, 2010 will be a raffle-type drawing. All entries will be combined and names drawn for the prizes.
Please join us in counting down to Christmas with some great reads!


Win a $50 Amazon gift card, books, & more as the LDSWBR Countdown to Christmas continues

 Posted by  Countdown to Christmas, Special Features
Dec 082010
 

17 days until Christmas!

Our annual Countdown to Christmas is going on over at the LDSWBR blog. We’ve been spotlighting various books by LDS authors that would make great Christmas gifts, including: Oh, Say Can You See? by LC Lewis, The Biblical Roots of Mormonism by Eric Shuster and Charles Sale, The Star Prophecy by Joan Sowards, Finding Rose by Stephanie Humphreys, My Gift to You by Lori Nawyn, Perilous by Tamara Hart Heiner, Backlash by Traci Hunter Abramson, and The Peasant Queen by Cheri Chesley.

Visit the LDSWBR blog and leave a comment on each post to be entered into the Countdown contest. See contest rules at the end of each Countdown to Christmas post to find out what prizes you could win, as well as the many ways to get entries into the contest.

The days of December are starting to slip away. Don’t wait- enter today!

Happy Reading and Good Luck!

The Peasant Queen by Cheri Chesley – Countdown to Christmas 2010

 Posted by  Countdown to Christmas, Special Features
Dec 082010
 

17 days until Christmas!

Cheri Chesley believes in magic and miracles. When not writing she can be found reading the dictionary for fun or improving her photography. She lives with her husband and numerous children in Tooele, Utah. Look for updates on her latest works at www.cherichesley.com or check out her blog: From the Other Side of the Mirror. You can visit with Cheri on Facebook and Twitter @cheriwrites.

The launch party for Cheri Chesley’s The Peasant Queen is tonight (Wed. Dec 8) at the Murray Borders store at 6:00 PM. Go, say hi, and celebrate the release of Cheri’s very first novel with her!

LDSWBR: What author/book had the most impact on you this year?

CHERI: It may be because it’s the most recent one I’ve read, but PERILOUS by Tamara Heiner really has me thinking, still. It’s so intense. I also finally broke down and read the Hunger Games series. That was an interesting experience I won’t soon forget.

LDSWBR: What books are you giving/asking for this Christmas?

CHERI: My own, lol. A bunch of my nieces are getting copies of THE PEASANT QUEEN this year. I’m asking for Julie Wright’s new book. I’ve heard such great things about it, and I just love her writing.

LDSWBR: If you could only participate in one Holiday activity or tradition this year, what would it be?

CHERI: Definitely opening gifts with my kids Christmas eve. It’s a tradition in my husband’s family that we didn’t do when I was growing up. At my house we had a really big HANDS OFF policy for all gifts until Christmas morning. Even though my husband has worked nights for a long time–and will be Christmas eve and Christmas day this year–we still always make time to do it.

LDSWBR: So, are you an eggnog or warm apple cider girl?

CHERI: Warm apple cider. With cinnamon. I am NOT an eggnog fan at all. :)

LDSWBR: Thank you, Cheri. Best wishes to you with your new book!

The Peasant Queen by Cheri Chesley (Cedar Fort; Dec 2010) is available for purchase at Amazon.
What is your family’s present-opening policy? Do you open a gift (or gifts) on Christmas Eve? If so, can it be ANY present, or is it usually something specific, like PJs?
Find more gift ideas for the readers in your life in the sidebar of the blog under “More Great Books by LDS Authors.”


***Countdown to Christmas 2010 Contest***

LDSWBR will hold a drawing on December 26, 2010 for a $50 Amazon Gift Card, as well as a variety of books being offered by some great LDS authors.
Book prizes generously donated by the authors:

  • Oh, Say Can You See? by Laurie (LC) Lewis
  • Backlash by Traci Hunter Abramson
  • Alma the Younger by Heather (HB) Moore
  • True Miracles with Genealogy by Anne Bradshaw
  • Dingo by Anne Bradshaw
  • Second Kiss by Natalie Palmer
  • Cross My Heart by Julie Wright
  • Meg’s Melody by Kaylee Baldwin
  • Save the Child by Margaret Turley
  • Anasazi Intrigue (ebook) by Linda Weaver Clarke
  • Mayan Intrigue (ebook) by Linda Weaver Clarke
  • The Star Prophecy by Joan Sowards (and Walnut Springs Press)
  • A cute, handmade apron by Joan Sowards


How to enter:
  • Post a thoughtful comment on the Countdown to Christmas 2010 posts. Comments can be added on any of the countdown posts at anytime during the contest period (December 1, 2010 through December 25, 2010). Only one comment per person per “Countdown to Christmas” post will be entered into the drawing. Feel free to comment more than once per post if you’d like, but only one comment will be accepted as an entry.
  • Follow us on Twitter: @LDSWBR – then send us a direct message to let us know you want to be entered in the Countdown to Christmas 2010 Contest. If you are already a follower send a direct message telling us you want to be included in the contest.
  • Tweet this message each day (one entry per day). Just copy and paste into your twitter message window to send it (LDSWBR must be able to see the tweet): LDSWBR Countdown to Christmas 2010 at http://ldswbr.blogspot.com! Enter to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card & great books! @ldswbr #ldswbr2010
  • Follow LDSWBR on Facebook, then send an email to ldswbr at gmail dot com that you’d like to be entered into the Countdown to Christmas 2010 Contest. If you already follow LDSWBR on Facebook, send us an email to let us know you’d like to be included in the contest.
  • **BONUS +5 entries**- Blog about this contest on your blog in a post that includes a link back to the LDSWBR blog, then send us the link to your specific blog post.


Here are the rules:

  • Contest ends at 12:00 Midnight MST on December 25, 2010. Drawing winners will have until 12:00 Midnight MST on January 3, 2010 to claim their prize. After that time, another name will be drawn to receive the prize.
  • LDSWBR reserves the right to decide what determines a “thoughtful” comment.
  • Physical book prizes can only be shipped within the contiguous United States.
  • Authors taking part in the countdown are eligible to participate in the contest.
  • The drawing held on December 26, 2010 will be a raffle-type drawing. All entries will be combined and names drawn for the prizes.
Please join us in counting down to Christmas with some great reads!


Backlash by Traci Hunter Abramson – Countdown to Christmas 2010

 Posted by  Countdown to Christmas, Special Features
Dec 072010
 

18 days until Christmas!

Originally from Arizona, Traci Hunter Abramson graduated from BYU in finance and international business. She spent six years working for the Central Intelligence Agency before taking on a really demanding job: full-time mom. Always looking for new challenges, Traci also began coaching her local high school swim team and indulging in her love of writing. Since leaving the CIA, she has written numerous novels including the Undercurrents trilogy, Royal Target, and the Saint Squad series.
Traci is the author of eight novels and a cookbook. Her ninth novel, Smokescreen, will be released in January 2011.
Visit with Traci on her website, blog, on Facebook and Twitter @traciabramson.
LDSWBR: What author/book had the most impact on you this year?

TRACI: The book that has impacted me the most this year is Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz, M.D. I recently discovered that my six-year-old is dyslexic and this book has been a great resource in helping me understand how people with this challenge can learn to adapt so they can still learn to love reading.

As for the author who impacted me the most this year, I would have to say Julie Coulter Bellon. I had the opportunity to teach at The Book Academy writers’ conference at UVU this fall. It was the first time I had ever taught about writing in that type of venue and Julie graciously mentored me through the whole process. 


LDSWBR: What books are you giving/asking for this Christmas?

TRACI: First of all, let me say SPOILER ALERT for my family and friends. So stop reading here if you don’t want to ruin the surprise!

I am giving a lot of books as Christmas presents this year, many of them autographed copies I was lucky enough to pick up when I was in Utah last. Here’s a partial list:

13th Reality, Vol. 1, Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner
13th Reality, Vol. 2, The Hunt for Dark Infinity by James Dashner
13th Reality, Vol. 3, The Blade of Shattered Hope by James Dashner
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
Band of Sisters by Annette Lyons
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
The Fourth Nephite by Jeffrey S. Savage
Farworld, v. 1, Water Keep by J. Scott Savage
Farwold, v. 2, Land Keep by J. Scott Savage
The Silence of God by Gale Sears
The Legend of Shannonderry by Carol Warburton

LDSWBR: If you could only participate in one Holiday activity or tradition this year, what would it be?

TRACI: The one tradition I hold most dear is sitting with my family while my husband reads the Christmas story from the Bible on Christmas Eve.

LDSWBR: And one more just for fun- eggnog or warm apple cider?

TRACI: Neither. What can I say? I love my water. :)

LDSWBR: Traci, thank you very much!

Backlash by Traci Hunter Abramson (Deseret Book; Sept 2010) is available for purchase in softcover ($15.99), audiobook ($24.99) and Kindle ($7.99) versions from Seagull Book, Deseret Book, and Amazon.com.

Do you or someone you love struggle with dyslexia? What has helped the most in their reading efforts? Have you read any of Traci’s books? If so, which one was your favorite?
Find more gift ideas for the readers in your life in the sidebar of the blog under “More Great Books by LDS Authors.”


***Countdown to Christmas 2010 Contest***

LDSWBR will hold a drawing on December 26, 2010 for a $50 Amazon Gift Card, as well as a variety of books being offered by some great LDS authors.
Book prizes generously donated by the authors:

  • Oh, Say Can You See? by Laurie (LC) Lewis
  • Backlash by Traci Hunter Abramson
  • Alma the Younger by Heather (HB) Moore
  • True Miracles with Genealogy by Anne Bradshaw
  • Dingo by Anne Bradshaw
  • Second Kiss by Natalie Palmer
  • Cross My Heart by Julie Wright
  • Meg’s Melody by Kaylee Baldwin
  • Save the Child by Margaret Turley
  • Anasazi Intrigue (ebook) by Linda Weaver Clarke
  • Mayan Intrigue (ebook) by Linda Weaver Clarke
  • The Star Prophecy by Joan Sowards (and Walnut Springs Press)
  • A cute, handmade apron by Joan Sowards


How to enter:
  • Post a thoughtful comment on the Countdown to Christmas 2010 posts. Comments can be added on any of the countdown posts at anytime during the contest period (December 1, 2010 through December 25, 2010). Only one comment per person per “Countdown to Christmas” post will be entered into the drawing. Feel free to comment more than once per post if you’d like, but only one comment will be accepted as an entry.
  • Follow us on Twitter: @LDSWBR – then send us a direct message to let us know you want to be entered in the Countdown to Christmas 2010 Contest. If you are already a follower send a direct message telling us you want to be included in the contest.
  • Tweet this message each day (one entry per day). Just copy and paste into your twitter message window to send it (LDSWBR must be able to see the tweet): LDSWBR Countdown to Christmas 2010 at http://ldswbr.blogspot.com! Enter to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card & great books! @ldswbr #ldswbr2010
  • Follow LDSWBR on Facebook, then send an email to ldswbr at gmail dot com that you’d like to be entered into the Countdown to Christmas 2010 Contest. If you already follow LDSWBR on Facebook, send us an email to let us know you’d like to be included in the contest.
  • **BONUS +5 entries**- Blog about this contest on your blog in a post that includes a link back to the LDSWBR blog, then send us the link to your specific blog post.


Here are the rules:

  • Contest ends at 12:00 Midnight MST on December 25, 2010. Drawing winners will have until 12:00 Midnight MST on January 3, 2010 to claim their prize. After that time, another name will be drawn to receive the prize.
  • LDSWBR reserves the right to decide what determines a “thoughtful” comment.
  • Physical book prizes can only be shipped within the contiguous United States.
  • Authors taking part in the countdown are eligible to participate in the contest.
  • The drawing held on December 26, 2010 will be a raffle-type drawing. All entries will be combined and names drawn for the prizes.
Please join us in counting down to Christmas with some great reads!


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