Carnival at Cedar Fort

Exciting News!

I'm so excited. Cedar Fort will be publishing my new novel The Upside of Down. I don't know the release date yet, but I'm guessing it'll be in the first quarter of 2011. I'm giddy! This book is really important to me and I hope you'll help me spread the word.

Here's a blurb: Amidst the demands of raising a large family, dealing with an anti-Mormon mother, and struggling to maintain a relationship with her rebellious teenage daughter, Natalie Drake, an ordinary LDS woman, is called to serve as Relief Society President. Still reeling from the shock of her new calling, Natalie learns that she’s pregnant. When she delivers the baby with unexpected complications, it turns her life upside down and she suffers a crisis of her faith.

I wrote that blurb, and, well, I'm not really a blurb writer so I'm sure the pros at CFI will come up with a better one, but you get the gist. And, if you've followed my blog or know me, you might be able to guess the unexpected complications.

I plan to have a platform for this book, but I'm still working on exactly what that will be. I am hoping to make a difference, even if it's only a small one. I'm also going to try to sell 1000 copies on Amazon in one day--a big undertaking but I'm hopeful it'll pan out..

Anyway, I'm super excited!! I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Interview with Rachel Rager

RT: Welcome, Rachel. Tell me, when did you first start to think of yourself as a writer?

Rachel: An author? Who? Me? I guess that I still don't see myself as a writer. It's more of a hobby. Yes, I have a book published but I started writing just to see if I could do it. When I accomplished that goal, I tried to publish it, just to see if I could. I finally published By Love or By Sea in April of 2009 with Cedar Fort, Inc., six years after I started writing. But am I a writer? I always thought writing was a job but to me it's my release; my escape. So, I guess I'm a writer but I really just create the stories for me!

RT: I know what you mean. And they say to write what you love, so it's clear you do that. So, how do you write your rough drafts--computer, typewriter, pen…? Have you always done it that way? If not, why did you switch?

Rachel: I always write on the computer. However, I have notebooks everywhere – the car, my purse, my bedroom – I just never know when an idea will strike and if I don't write it down then I forget. I have often written several pages of notes or even entire scenes on paper but then I put them in the computer when I get the chance. It's so much easier on my hands to type.

RT: That sounds familiar! What surprised you about being a writer?

Rachel: How much work was involved after the book was written. I had no idea! I thought authors were so talented to fit everything together just right. And many are. But what I never realized was how much work goes into the editing, publishing and marketing aspects. Just the marketing could take over your life if you let it! But what a fun adventure it has all been!

RT: It is something of an adventure, isn't it? Tell me, what was your inspiration for this book?

Rachel: I was writing my second story and was in the shower one day when I came up with the idea for By Love or By Sea. (By Love or By Sea is the third story I wrote. The first and second are prequels to By Love or By Sea but not published.)I wrote down some notes and when I was done with the one I was working on, I began By Love or By Sea. It wasn't until I was part-way done that I decided to use piracy. Of course, then I sat in front of the computer every day for an entire month trying to figure out a way to solve the problem I'd created! All lot of research came into play!

I guess I should fess up to one little secret. Caleb Newman was inspired by my little brother. Though my brother is quite different than Caleb, he has a similar build and attitude. My brother once dropped a plant in his bedroom, spilling soil all over the carpet while he was talking on the phone to a girl he didn't particularly care for. And, not wanting my mother to hang him for making a mess on the carpet, but not knowing how to get off the phone with the girl, he decided to vacuum up the mess while on the phone! That made me laugh so hard and it just felt like something Caleb would do (if he lived in today's world!) So, there you have it!

RT: That's funny! I love pirates, too! Thanks for being my guest today, Rachel.

I reviewed By Love or By Sea here.

By Love or By Sea can be purchased at:
Seagull Book, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Cedar Fort, Inc.

Rachel's Website and Blog -

By Love or By Sea by Rachel Rager

By Love or By Sea
by
Rachel Rager

From the back cover:

When a mysterious and ragged sailor appears in the seaside town where Alice Lind Frank lives with her grandparents, Alice is shocked to learn that the sailor is her childhood love, Caleb, who she thought was lost at sea. She yearns to trust him again, but what about her plans to marry Clarence Hielott, the wealthy shipyard owner? When Clarence exposes the secrets of Caleb s past, Alice realizes that the boy she once knew is now a man with a dark history. Can she trust Caleb with her heart once again? And what will she do about Clarence? Find out in this thrilling and adventurous love story.

I'm excited to be part of Rachel's blog tour for her novel. I enjoyed reading this sweet love story. I also enjoyed being taken back in time and experiencing the adventure. By Love or By Sea is a fun story filled with interesting characters. From the slimy Clarence to the innocent Alice to the ruggedly handsome Caleb to the feisty Betsy Winters, readers can find an interesting character because Rager does a great job of characterization.

I loved the character of Betsy Winters and learning why she was so rude and mean in the beginning. I thought Rager created a believable character as well as developed a realistic storyline that unraveled at just the right pace. I loved how Alice, the main character, was spunky enough and determined enough to find out more about the town's meanest citizen. Sometimes, when we meet someone that's rude or mean we dismiss them, yet Rager shows through this story how people have their own personal stories and reasons for acting the way that they do, and if we'll simply take the time to care about someone we may discover a diamond in all that rough exterior.

This is an enjoyable book and I recommend it.

Learn more about Rachel Rager here and at her blog.

You can purchase a copy of By Love or By Sea at Amazon or Cedar Fort.

If you leave a comment here at my blog, or any of the other blogs hosting the blog tour, you'll be entered to win your very own copy. The more comments you leave the more chances you'll have to win!

Here is the lineup for the blog tour:

September 28 - Jaimey Grant
September 29 - Kaylee Baldwin
September 30 - Cindy Beck
October 1 - Kim Thompson
October 2 - Alison Palmer
October 3 - JoAnn Arnold
October 5 - Rebecca Talley
October 6 - Anna Arnett
October 7 - Heather Justensen
October 8 - Rachelle Christensen
October 9 - Joyce DiPastena

Sweetwater Conference

My two daughters, a friend, and I all drove to Utah on Friday so we could scope out Utah Valley University and I could attend the Sweetwater Conference at Cedar Fort.

I might be a little self-centered, but the absolute highlight of the trip was when I actually held my book, Altared Plans, in my hands for the first time. I saw a copy. It's real. It's a book. My box of author copies had already been mailed to me so I didn't get to take any home, but I got to hold one for a second--it almost brought me to tears :).

I really enjoyed the conference. Steve Alten presented via telephone conference and did an excellent presentation. It's always interesting to hear an author's road to publication and he had quite a bumpy one. He's the author of The Shell Game published by Cedar Fort.

Catherine Lanigan was also a presenter and she was amazing. So vibrant and excited. She was fun to listen to and to watch (she's beautiful). She gave some great advice on writing and evoking emotion in our readers. She also gave some great advice on promotion. She encouraged us to contact radio shows which I hadn't even considered before. We received her book on writing, How to Write the Great American Romance Novel, and it has some really valuable information in it. She writes for the national market so some of the info doesn't apply to the LDS market, but her writing advice is solid and easy to understand. She also has a good outline to use to help plan your novel.

Bryce Mortimer gave an incredible presentation on online promotion. Unfortunately, he didn't have nearly the time he needed to give his full presentation. You can go into Google and in the search bar type Site:yourwebsite.com to see how it ranks and how Google sees it. He knows a ton about technology. He could easily give a full day presentation. And he's a super nice guy.

Lyle Mortimer talked about the different components of creativity: The Flash (sudden inspiration), The Zone (everything seems to be flowing freely), and The Work (99.9% of writing). He said it takes about 10,000 hours of work to accomplish something great and that practice is what makes you a great writer.

Lee Nelson shared some entertaining stories about his road to publication. He's quite the cowboy. He told us about how he shot a buffalo with a bow and arrow while riding a horse. That's a feat.

It was a valuable conference filled with great information. I really enjoyed it and I had fun meeting new people and seeing friends.

New Blog

I'm really excited to announce a brand new blog, Writing Fortress by Cedar Fort authors. We have a team of CFI authors who will be posting regularly about writing and life experiences. I hope you'll check it out and return often. We'll be holding contests, answering questions, and relating our own personal roads to publication.

I guarantee you'll enjoy it.

Bookmark www.cedarfortauthors.blogspot.com. Come on over and visit. It'll be fun!!

Sweetwater Writing Conference

Cedar Fort Publishing will be holding its annual writing conference in a few weeks. It promises to be a great conference. Click here for details.

DISCOUNT: If you register before May 23, 2009 you will receive the discounted price of $97. After that date, the price will go up to $127.

This is a fantastic opportunity to learn from bestselling authors, Steve Alten and Catherine Lanigan, as well as Lyle Mortimer, Bryce Mortimer, and Lee Nelson who are all in the publishing business.

Hope to see you there!

Big Announcement

I'm extremely happy to announce . . . (no, I'm not having a baby, though my youngest daughter pointed to my stomach and asked if a baby was in there--time to step up that exercise), that Cedar Fort will be publishing my next novel in August or September 2009. I'm very excited! Woo Hoo!!

It's a light, fun (and hopefully funny) romance about surviving the tumultuous love storms at BYU. It's quite different from my last novel. I'll keep you updated on its progress. For now, I'm busy with revisions.