Becoming Bayley by Susan Auten – Countdown to Summer 2012

 Posted by  Countdown to Summer, Special Features
Jun 292012
 

I’ve always loved telling stories. My favorite is the one where I sent the wrong letter to the right missionary. We were married the next summer. I attended LDS Business College where I earned an Associate’s in Computer Technology and Brigham Young University where I should have majored in English. I live in a small town nestled in the heart of the Appalachians. When I’m not busy writing, I can be found baking cookies, going to the movies, helping with the homework or catching fireflies with my handsome husband and four adorable children.

Follow Susan: BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

LDSWBR: Do you find it easier or more difficult to write during the summertime? Why?

SUSAN: I don’t know that it’s harder for me to write in the summertime. I pound it out during the school year so that when my kids are out, I can take a break. I write when I can, but I don’t let the guilt creep in if we went to the pool or the movies or caught fireflies instead. My family will always come first and there’s plenty of time for writing during the school year.

LSDWBR: Would you rather be in the pool or next to the pool?

SUSAN: This is a tricky question for me. I’m pretty picky about the pool. I love to swim. Laps. In a calm lap pool. I don’t like to be cold and unless I’m doing some serious moving, the pool makes me chilly. If the water is warm enough though, or my husband throws me in, I splash around with the family.

LDSWBR: Ice cream or slushie? What flavor?

SUSAN: Ice cream! (Though my current WIP has a lot of slushies in it.) I’m not a fruit lover, even though I’ve tried. I’m sure I get the love of ice cream from my dad. He ate at least one, every day

LDSWBR: Thank you so much, Susan!

Becoming Bayley by Susan Auten

AMAZON | DESERET BOOK

Bayley Albrecht’s dream is to play soccer on BYU’s South Field. When she is invited to soccer camp the summer before her senior year in high school, she just knows she’s one step closer to her dream. Things get even better when she meets Matt Macauley, the star of the men’s soccer team. When they decide to write each other while Matt is on his mission, Bayley figures her life can’t get any better. But it certainly can get worse . . .

After she receives a minor concussion from playing soccer, Bayley discovers she had a disease called alopecia which causes her to lose her hair. As Bayley struggles to deal with the reality of her baldness she finds herself having to make some tough decisions. Can she still play soccer? Does she even want to? More importantly, should she tell Matt? And will he still want her when she does? Becoming Bayley is the story of one girl’s journey through self-discovery, of the definition of true love, and of the realization that as a daughter of God, she is of infinite worth.

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Prizes include a $25 Amazon gift card and the author-donated books listed below. This is raffle-style drawing where all entries throughout the contest period are entered into the same “hat” for all prizes. US only. 18 years and older please. See all contest rules and restrictions HERE.

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Book prizes donated by the authors include:

Reality Check by Karen Tuft

Cold Justice by Kathi Oram Peterson

Journey to the Fringe by Kelli Nielsen

Dangerous Favor by Joyce DiPastena (choice of print, Kindle or Nook)

Twitterpated by Melanie Jacobson

Of Grace and Chocolate by Krista Lynne Jensen

Espionage by A.L. Sowards

Becoming Bayley by Susan Auten

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Mindy's Reviews
Jun 062012
 

Becoming Bayley

Author: Susan Auten

Publisher: Deseret Book

Published: May 2012

eBook

ASIN: B008224CBQ

FTC FYI: Review copy

Reviewed by Mindy

Partial Goodreads Summary:

Bayley Albrecht’s dream is to play soccer on BYU’s South Field. When she is invited to soccer camp the summer before her senior year in high school, she just knows she’s one step closer to her dream. Things get even better when she meets Matt Macauley, the star of the men’s soccer team. When they decide to write each other while Matt is on his mission, Bayley figures her life can’t get any better. But it certainly can get worse…

Becoming Bayley is the story of one girl’s journey through self-discovery, of the definition of true love, and of the realization that as a daughter of God, she is of infinite worth.

My Review:

Bayley is a tom boy.  Her sister is always teasing her because Bayley doesn’t like to wear make-up, and Bayley is always teasing Fin, saying she won’t walk down the driveway with out it.  When we meet Bayley she is packing up for soccer camp at BYU.  All Bayley wants is for the girls coach to see her play.  As Bayley soon realizes, life doesn’t turn out how you want it to.  The coach is called away for a death in her family, and Bayley is bothered by a rival’s little brother.  At a devotional, she listens to fellow soccer player’s testimony on how he decided to go on a mission.  Immediately she is attracted to him.  With the help of her roommates, she gets a makeover and is ready to meet Matt after the last big game.  Only one problem, will Matt even be there?

I was lucky enough to read this for the author last year.  I was immediately drawn in to the story, I read it in one day.  I was so thrilled for Susan when she told me Deseret Book was publishing it as an eBook.  Bayley is a great character to read about.  All of her life she wanted to play soccer, and during a practice, something happens to her that could change all of that if she lets it.  One character that really surprised me throughout was Fin.  She really helped Bayley through her trials.  Fin does something for Bayley that had tears flowing.  Matt was also a favorite.  I loved the letters they would write to each other while he was on his mission.  This book is a perfect example of how we need our Heavenly Father’s strength and guidance through our lives.  There were so many parts of the book where there was a big smile on my face.  Especially when Matt and Bayley are at the South field at BYU.  Many times there were tears also.  The author does a great job of character development.  Each character was important and was written well.

4 out of 5 stars.  Very enjoyable read, and make sure a kleenex is handy too.  This is the author’s first published novel.  Read more about Susan here.

DESERET BOOK / AMAZON