Hurricane Sandy - "Good book material"

I've been watching the devastation Hurricane Sandy left in New Jersey and New York.  I lived in New Jersey in the late 80's, and early 90's.  The Garden State grows flowers effortlessly.  I didn't know what a desert was until I went to New Jersey and learned what it wasn't.  The nice sandy soil of New Jersey grew tomatoes and bulb flowers without much effort on my part.  There were no sprinkler systems and grass grew.  Now, I see pictures of the houses just covered deep in sand. 

Toms River was in my LDS Ward. They and most of the NJ Coast are flooded and without power.  It's been twenty years since I was there and Hurricane Andrew was threatening to come aground in New Jersey.  I was huddling in the corner of our apartment during the worst of that storm, alone with a baby and pregnant with another, wondering what I would do if we had to evacuate. I can't imagine what it was like Monday.

As a writer, you learn to see trials as "good book material".  Someday, someone will write a disaster book based on this storm and it will help somebody heal.  Right now what the good people of New Jersey need is help. So donate to the American Red Cross and journal about your experiences so you can remember.

Week 19: THE NEXT BIG THING BLOG HOP

From Twilight to Casual Vacancy, the past few years have been full of high profile reads.  Love um or hate um, you have to admit you have at least heard of them.  My goal is to not only be heard of but to be read.

As Authors we all dare to dream we will be next, and well let’s face it you never know ... right?

With that thought I jumped on this Hop, what is a blog hop?  Well I didn’t know until I asked.

Basically, it’s an Authors game of tag.

One Author posts, and then tags five other Authors, who each link back to them.  Exponentially it is a marketing gold mine, and you my fair reader have hopefully just increased your to read list.  Finding New and Exciting Authors you may never have found otherwise.  Some of us are still writing, others are just being released.  Either way, for you Fiction Lovers, a treasure trove awaits and I’d like to thank fellow Author, Kathryn Jones for tagging me to participate.

Click the links to find out about Kathryn Jones' books.

Blog: http://www.ariverofstones.com

Amazon Author Page:Amazon Author Page

Twitter: @kakido

In this particular hop I and my fellow Authors each in their perspective Blogs have answered 10 questions where you get to learn about our current WIP (Works in Progress) as well as some goodies as to our process, from characters and inspirations to photographic eye candy! I hope you enjoy it!!

If this or any other items pique your interest, please feel free to comment and share your thoughts and questions.

FAQ’s on Michelle Renea Anderson Works in Progress

1: What is the working title of your book?

Laura’s Fence Posts

2: Where did the idea come from for the book?

A roommate at BYU told me about Fence Posts.  She said that every time you add quality that perfect guy has to have to your list that you are building a fence that will keep him out.  Saying things like he’s too short, or he’s got to have dark hair, or no beards, just add to your fence.  She said that to finally find the guy you have to rip out all the fence posts.  So this book is about Laura’s Fence Posts.

3: What genre does your book fall under?

Contemporary Romance

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I would choose an unknown girl with long brown hair in a ponytail.  And for the guy Sean Murray from NCIS or some other normal guy with a cute personality.

5: What is the synopsis of your book?

Mike Andrews should have known better than to bet with his cousin Shelby because she never gambled unless she was sure to win.  But he'd made the bet anyway and now he had to go on a date with Shelby's friend.

Having just moved to Salt Lake to escape a bad relationship, he told Shelby he wasn't about to start another.  But he'd do the honorable thing to pay off his bet.  He would take Laura out on one date.  How bad could it be?

Nurse, Laura Carter wasn't happy about the situation either.  She craved adventure and excitement and while Mike looked attractive, he was just a boring engineer who passed out at the sight of blood.  Things could never work out between them.

When Laura decides they should just be friends things are just starting to get exciting.

6: Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I don’t know yet.  It is currently looking for a publishing home.

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

3 months,  rewriting 16 years.  It helps if you actually work on rewriting.  In honest truth, I took more than a few years off to raise my boys and deal with a perplexing illness.  I’m sure you’ll hear about that in a future book.

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Shelby’s Plan, my first book was an original according to my editor.  I don’t know who to compare this sequel to.  It’s like the Bishop’s Bride by Elizabeth W. Watkins without so much church.

9: Who or What inspired you to write this book?

I had to finish the story of Shelby’s friend Laura. 

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Laura’s Fence Posts is a sweet/LDS romance with a comical twist.

Below you will find Authors, who will be joining me by blog, Next Wednesday, November 7, 2012.  Do be sure to bookmark and add them to your calendars for updates on WIPs and New Releases!  Happy Writing and Reading!!

Five Great Authors

1        E. M. Tippetts 

http://www.emtippetts.com/2012/08/good-men-matter.html
Amazon Author page
Twitter: @emtippetts

2        Jason King  

http://www.authorjasonking.com

3        A. L. Sowards

http://alsowards.com
Amazon Link  Deseret Book Link  Seagull Book Link

      4    Christy Monson
Author website http://www.christymonson.com
Connections blog /http://christymonson.blogspot.com/
Prophets blog http://prophetsinperson.blogspot.com/

 

         5  Chris Stewart (Hope he wins his election)  He won't be posting but here's his links.
http://www.chrisstewartforcongress.com

Deseret Book Link

Shelby's Plan was really therapy.

Writing my book Shelby's Plan was really a form of therapy for me.  It comes from a nightmare I had when my husband was suffering from Pericarditis (that is inflammation of the lining around the heart) and we were watching him rapidly go downhill.  His heart was constricted and not able to beat at normal strength.  He was sleeping most of the time or in extreme pain. I thought maybe he would die, then I had this dream about what I would do if something ever happened to him.  He finally had open heart surgery to remove the lining around the heart and recovered, but I was left with this dream and dealing with a close call.

In the book, Shelby, the main character is a widow with two sons, a lot like me.  I used my husband's experiences in the ER and his professional experiences to come up with the part of the story that wasn't in the nightmare.

Writers don't make up stuff, we rewrite reality into fantasy worlds so we can play out scenarios and rework outcomes.  That can be very therapeutic and I should know. I'm studying to be a mental health counselor and Narrative Therapy  or "story therapy" is an Australian form of therapy that I would like to try someday because it works for me.

Shelby's Plan on Amazon

Shelby's Plan on Kindle

 

A Book Review - Scrambled by Kathryn Elizabeth Jones

Susan Cramer, a woman on the run from her husband, takes a job as a housekeeper in a rundown hotel to make some money to pay for her new life.  She finds friends that she isn’t ready to trust and a dead body in the boiler room.  Her determination to succeed in her new life is admirable even if she doesn’t always make the ethical choice.  This is about a woman getting to know herself again.

In Scrambled, Kathryn Elizabeth Jones brings to life complex characters in this cozy mystery novel where you can never be sure who to trust.  The twists and turns are fantastic.  Susan is not your normal amateur sleuth but many readers will relate to her.  The author has a unique voice all her own.  I’m looking forward to the next one in the series.  A very enjoyable read.

 

 

To buy for kindle       To buy at Barnes & Noble

A Book Review – Diamondz by Tori Edwards

In this new young adult novel, skateboarder Sierra Jones wants to win the upcoming skating competition and the sponsors that come with it.  She enjoys a great relationship with her brother Silas and his best friend Gage until Meredith Porter a pretty California girl shows up.  To make matters worse she is skateboarder too.  Sierra’s parents start enforcing rules on curfew and grades and it seriously gets in the way of her skateboarding practice.  Conflicts with her mother escalate and Dad won’t bail her out of trouble anymore.  When she breaks her board, she ends up turning to Meredith for help.

Tori Edwards’ first novel has well developed characters with unique problems to which any teen can relate.  Jealousy, friendship, grades, trust, and issues with parents are all elements of this book.  I enjoyed this read even though I’ve never wanted to skateboard.  I recommend this book for readers 10 and up.

To buy the Book for Kindle   Author Website

A Book Review - Edenbrooke: A Proper Romance by Julianne Donaldson

In this Regency Romance, Marianne Daventry arrives at a country estate ahead of her twin sister Cecily who intends to snare the heir to Edenbrooke.  Marianne falls for Philip who she thinks is the younger son, but he turns out to be the heir.  What will happen when her more beautiful twin arrives?

I love this book because I’m a twin.  Although, he is a boy I can relate to having a more popular twin.  I loved the way the romance develops.  I love the way the conflict resolves.

This was a  delightful read – I only wish I bought it on Kindle too so I could read it in the middle of the night when my husband is asleep.  This is a keeper.

To Buy on Kindle