tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50337256147526788182024-03-13T04:17:45.136-06:00Canyonland PressAn informative eMagazine for readers. Find new authors, and information about new authors. Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-48353871784020724112013-02-01T01:00:00.000-07:002013-02-01T01:00:16.697-07:00February 1st, Farewell Issue<center>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><b>Thank you all for your support this past year. The editors at Canyonland Press agreed to trial run of six months, then we extended it to a year. Unfortunately, we have not been as successful as we’d hoped. Each of us have full time writing careers and some of us full<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>time day jobs to boot. </b></span></span></center>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><b>So we’re sorry to say we’re <i>closing our doors</i>. <br />Please come and visit us at our individual sites. </b></span></span></center>
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<b>Amy Durham Farewell</b><br />
It's been a privilege to work with the staff here at Canyonland Press for the past year. Reading and writing - my two favorite pastimes - are solitary activities, and I've loved the opportunity to share the joy of both with my friends here and those whose came by to visit. Although we're closing up shop, I'll always have fond memories of our venture and the things I learned along the way. Making connections is a vital part of being an author, and I like to think I've made several here among my Canyonland friends. Thanks to Mary Martinez for bringing me in to this group and for allowing me the chance to be a part of something really unique! And thanks to each Canyonland writer who I've had the chance to get to know. It's been a fun ride!<br />
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Visit Amy<br />
<a href="http://www.amydurham.com/">www.amydurham.com</a><br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/amy-durham">twitter.com/amy-durham</a><br />
<a href="http://facebook.com/AuthorAmyDurham">facebook.com/AuthorAmyDurham</a><br />
<b>Once Again</b> Available here:<br />
<b>eBook:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Once-Again-Sky-Cove-ebook/dp/B0071NTTV0/" target="_blank">Kindle</a> <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/once-again-amy-durham/1108428186?ean=2940014029940&itm=1&usri=amy+durham" target="_blank">Nook</a> <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/once-again/id501768486?mt=11" target="_blank">iBooks</a> <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/126513" target="_blank">Smashwords</a> <br />
<b>Print:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Once-Again-Amy-Durham/dp/0985070617/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/once-again-amy-durham/1108428186?ean=9780985070618" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a> <a href="https://www.createspace.com/3777752" target="_blank">Create Space</a><br />
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<b>Marie Higgins</b> Farewell<br />
It’s with a heavy heart that I say farewell to our readers. I have learned a lot from my time as an editor at Canyonland Press. The articles were very well done and some surprised me because I had learned something new. I will miss reading the articles from the other editors and discovering the Librarian Recommendation.<br />
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Although this is good-bye to Canyonland Press, I will still be around writing stories. I’m very active with Facebook, so if you’d like to become my friend and keep in touch with me that way, go to this link - <a href="http://facebook.com/marie.higgins.7543">http://facebook.com/marie.higgins.7543</a><br />
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I also love to interview other authors and I’m always part of a book giveaway blog hop, so please follow my blog to keep updated and enter to win free books – <a href="http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com </a><br />
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And, if you’re a Kindle reader, you can visit <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Marie-Higgins/e/B004O3WYQ2/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1359576647&sr=8-2-ent%20%3Cbr%3E" target="_blank">my page on Amazon</a> to keep updated on my new releases!<br />
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If you have a Twitter account, please follow me – @mariehigginsxox
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Thank you all!!<br />
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<b>Anna Sugg</b> Farewell<br />
I’m sad to have to say goodbye to Canyonland Press. Even as one of the editors, I’ve especially enjoy reading the articles, librarian recommendations, and even the recipes. Working with my fellow editors has been a privilege and I will continue to support them in their writing careers. A huge ‘Thank You’ goes out to all our followers for visiting us and supporting our emagazine each month. I’ll miss all the friends we’ve made in our short year and sincerely hope you will stay in contact with us by visiting our sites often. <br />
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You can always find me on my blog: <a href="http://judyswriting.blogspot.com/">http://judyswriting.blogspot.com</a> and my websites: <a href="http://anna_sugg.coffeecup.com/">http://anna_sugg.coffeecup.com</a> or <a href="http://judybaker.coffeecup.com/">http://judybaker.coffeecup.com</a>
Please stay in touch with me on Facebook at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/annasbooks#!/">http://www.facebook.com/annasbooks#!/</a> and twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/bakerbooknews">http://twitter.com/bakerbooknews</a><br />
Anna
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<b>Mary Martinez</b> Farewell<br />
I had such high hopes when I contacted my fellow writers to help with my vision of a readers eMagazine. I penned a business plan. Had goals spelled out, mission statement. It was set for success, or so I thought. However, no matter how much we promoted, even with the help of our librarian recommendations and well written articles, we not only did not meet our six month goals, but we have yet to reach our first quarter goals. <br />
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So with a heavy heart it's time to say goodbye. The editors of Canyonland Press have each put in hours of love and work to make this work. I thank all of them. I also thank those of you who are loyal followers. I hope all of you visit us often at our other sites. <br />
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You can all fine me at my <a href="http://www.marymartinez.com/" target="_blank">web site </a><br />
<a href="http://marysbooksblogger.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mary's Garden Blog</a>, where you'll find author interviews, recipes, reviews and all kinds of weird things. <br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/marylmartinez" target="_blank">Twitter</a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mary-Martinez/169373246496620" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://pinterest.com/marylmartinez3/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><br />
Thank you all! Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-51382454722016165782013-01-15T01:00:00.001-07:002013-01-15T18:59:22.811-07:002nd Edition, January 15, 2013<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's hard to believe that Canyonland Press's first anniversary is February 1, 2013. The year has gone fast, we've experimented a bit, and hopefully we've grown. But we need your help. All of the editors work and/or write full time. We need your feedback to know whether this endeavor is something of value. So please take the survey on the right side of this article, be sure to answer all four questions. It will be up until January 17, please respond before then. Thank you for all of your support this year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Winter Reading</b></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What are you reading during the long winter months? The Canyonland Press editors are going to take the opportunity to give you some suggestions. And because our favorites are our own books...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Marie Higgins</a> wants to know: Need something to read during these long winter months? Well, here in Utah, it’s been snowing like CRAZY! So there are a lot of people who snuggle and read by the fireplace instead going outside. I wish I could do that, but I don’t have a fireplace. However, I do love to snuggle…and I especially love to read. Here are a few books I suggest reading for these ‘snuggle / fireplace’ times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Dreaming of You</b> by Marie Higgins (short story)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What is a romance writer to do when her college crush is back in town, and realizes she wrote him in her first novel…and wants to sue? Read more about the story here - <a href="http://amzn.com/B00A6G5JO0" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Crazy for You</b> by Marie Higgins (short story)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How can a crazy man proclaiming he’s from the future soften a woman’s heart when he needs her help the most? Read more about the story here - <a href="http://amzn.com/B00AZRMPOW" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Take My Heart </b>by Marie Higgins (historical novel)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When Mercedes seeks revenge from her dead sister’s husband only to find he is not the beast her sister has portrayed, how can Mercedes keep from giving her heart to a man who is a spy? Read more about the story here - <a href="http://amzn.com/B005OU7VFS" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.marymartinez.com/" target="_blank">Mary Martinez</a> loves suspense: My favorite winter theme is edge of the seat. My Beckett Series does the trick. The third book will be out at the first of March. I think these will make you want to settle close to a fire.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Beckett's have a strong sense of family and honor.<br />When one of their own is threatened, their bond is as strong as a badge of steel.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Disappear</b> By Mary Martinez</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After two years undercover as an FBI agent to infiltrate a crime organization and discover the identity of a hit man, Tyler Beckett’s cover is blown. Tyler’s new assignment is to protect the only witness who can identify the mysterious killer. <a href="http://www.marymartinez.com/disappear.html" target="_blank">Read more</a>... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Innocent</b> By Mary Martinez</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">All Jessica Beckett wants is a home and a family. So how did she suddenly find herself falsely accused of a felony and then kidnapped by a hit man? <a href="http://www.marymartinez.com/innocent.html" target="_blank">Read more</a>...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Quiet</b> By Mary Martinez</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Christine Beckett’s dream of partnership in a prestigious New York City law firm has finally come to fruition. She has financial security, a loving family, and owns her home, why does she need a man? <a href="http://www.marymartinez.com/quiet.html" target="_blank">Read more</a>...</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amydurham.com/" target="_blank">Amy Durham</a> recommends: <br />
<b>"The Fault in Our Stars" </b>by John Green<br />
Two teenagers dealing with a life and death situation with grace, humor, and love! This book made me laugh, made me cry, made me think, and made me feel. In Hazel and Gus's journey, you'll find nuggets of wisdom and beautiful romance... heartbreaking reality and the kind of dreaming that makes you believe anything is possible. HIGHLY recommended!<br />
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<b>Once Again</b> by Amy Durham<br />
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Reincarnation sucks! Unless it comes with a cute guy. That’s what sixteen year-old Layla Bradford discovers when she moves to Sky Cove, Maine, a small-town she thought was ordinary, but turns out to be an episode of “Cold Case” on steroids. <a href="http://www.amydurham.com/p/words-have-power_9616.html" target="_blank">Read More</a>...<br />
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<b>ONCE AND FOR ALL </b>By Amy Durham (Coming Soon)<br />
What happens when 180 pounds of football star collides with 105 pounds of art geek?<br />
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An ancient curse springs to life, of course.<br />
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Phoebe Campbell is anything but popular. Todd Miller is the epitome of the high school jock. Their socially opposite worlds collide when they are paired to work together on a project for art class. Attempting to cooperate for the sake of their assignment, Todd and Phoebe begin to look past preconceived notions and see each other for who they truly are. As genuine feelings begin to develop between them, they find themselves plagued by dangerous shape-shifting episodes and unexplained telepathic connections. <a href="http://www.amydurham.com/p/words-have-power_9616.html" target="_blank">Read More</a>...<br />
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<a href="http://anna_sugg.coffeecup.com/" target="_blank">Anna Sugg</a> suggests: Get comfortable in your favorite chair, grab a warm blanket, let your dog or cat cuddle up next to you and read a good book(s). Here’s some suggestions:
Yellow Creek Novel Book One, Secret Past <br />
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<b>Blurb:</b> Sarah Shapiro searches through the ruins of her grandmother’s crumbling, deteriorating farmhouse and discovers, buried beneath the floor, a metal box and a Tommy gun. While trying to unravel the mystery of her grandmother’s secret past with the contents in the box, the Tommy gun disappears, her soon to be ex-husband is killed and how could she possibly fall in love with a deceiving contractor, who happens to have a wife.<br />
This great read can be found on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Yellow-Creek-Novel-ebook/dp/B004YR581G/" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
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If you’re still in the mood for some holiday reads, I have three Christmas stories on Amazon. I’d love to hear from you and don’t forget to write a review. <br />
Anna Sugg on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=anna+sugg" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
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Enjoy your winter reading with all our suggestions and please don’t forget to leave a review on all the books you read, or drop us a line and let us know which book you enjoy the most.
Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-63894433609232629752013-01-01T01:00:00.000-07:002013-01-01T01:00:22.710-07:001st Edition, January 1, 2013<span style="color: #783f04;"><b>It's hard to believe that Canyonland Press's first anniversary is February 1, 2013. The year has gone fast, we've experimented a bit, and hopefully we've grown. But we need your help. All of the editors work and/or write full time. We need your feedback to know whether this endeavor is something of value. So please take the survey on the right side of this article, be sure to answer all four questions. It will be up until January 17, please respond before then. Thank you for all of your support this year.</b></span><br />
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<b>Madam Librarian Recommendation.</b><br />
Elizabeth at <a href="http://bcpl.lib.ut.us/" target="_blank">Brigham City Library</a>, recommends War Horse.<br />
Elizabeth said that it's an older book but she never read it, and when the movie came out she decided she would read it. She said the book kept her enthralled and it's a very heart-warming story.<br />
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<b>War Horse</b><br />
By <a href="http://michaelmorpurgo.com/" target="_blank">Michael Morpurgo</a><br />
From his home page bio:<br />
Michael Morpurgo is, in his own words, “oldish, married with three children, and a grandfather six times over.” Born in 1943, he attended schools in London, Sussex and Canterbury (one at least of which was horrible enough to inspire him to describe it obliquely in The Butterfly Lion). He went on to London University to study English and French, followed by a step into the teaching profession and a job in a primary school in Kent. It was there that he discovered what he wanted to do.
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“We had to read the children a story every day and my lot were bored by the book I was reading. I decided I had to do something and told them the kind of story I used to tell my kids – it was like a soap opera, and they focused on it. I could see there was magic in it for them, and realised there was magic in it for me.” <a href="http://michaelmorpurgo.com/about-michael-morpurgo" target="_blank">Read More here</a>.<br />
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<b>Blurb:</b><br />
This number 1 bestselling book is the incredibly moving story of one horse’s experience in the deadly chaos of the First World War. In 1914, Joey, a young farm horse, is sold to the army and thrust into the midst of the war on the Western Front. With his officer, he charges towards the enemy, witnessing the horror of the frontline. But even in the desolation of the trenches, Joey’s courage touches the soldiers around him.<br />
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<b>What Can Mark Twain Tell Us</b><br />
By: <a href="http://www.amydurham.com/" target="_blank">Amy Durham</a><br />
We've all heard it before. "Dream big." "Never give up on your dreams." "If you can dream it, you can acheive it." All of these sayings are good reminders, but I think sometimes we hear them so much they lose their zing and pass into our ears and right back out again without affecting us at all.<br />
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Today's "Quotable Discussions" is all about dreaming. And for this post, I've turned my thoughts to <a href="http://www.cmgww.com/historic/twain/" target="_blank">Mark Twain</a>. Years ago, when I was a freshman in high school, the first book I was assigned to read for my English class was "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Tom_Sawyer" target="_blank">The Adventures of Tom Sawyer</a>" . I'd read a few books before, and had discovered that I kind of liked reading for pleasure. So, unlike most of my class, I wasn't turned off by this assignment. I rather enjoyed it! And because I had a time frame for reading the book, I discovered that I could read quickly and finish a book in no time!<br />
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<a href="http://www.cmgww.com/historic/twain/" target="_blank">Mark Twain</a> himself was born an ordinary boy (Samuel Clemens) into an ordinary family in 1835. The son of a judge, he suffered poor health as a child, and though he eventually recovered enough to attend school, his father fell ill with pneumonia and died when Samuel was 12 years old. The following year, Samuel left school, choosing instead to become a printer's apprentice. Two years later, he joined his brother's newspaper, working as an editorial assistant, and discovered a love of writing that sparked one of literature's greatest.
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Did Samuel Clemens know from the time he was a young child that he would become a famous author whose works would stand the test of time? Probably not. But that didn't stop him from becoming Mark Twain. I think the quote below reminds us not just to "dream big" and "never give up", but also to realize that even though we don't know what the future will hold, years from now it would be terribly disappointing to regret that we didn't try at all to achieve our dreams, and far better to know that we gave it our all.<br />
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<b>"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."</b></div>
~ <a href="http://www.cmgww.com/historic/twain/" target="_blank">Mark Twain</a><br />
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One of the things that attracts me most to Young Adult fiction (both reading it and writing it) is that it inspires that attitude. The young people reading YA fiction are at the age where nothing seems impossible and dreaming is encouraged. I love the thought that a book can plant, water, and nurture the seeds of dreaming and achievement in a young heart, and encourage readers to "catch the trade winds" in their sails, and "explore... dream... discover."Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-16038459994456814732012-12-15T01:00:00.000-07:002012-12-15T08:51:55.764-07:00Holiday Edition<center>
<span style="color: #660000;"><b>Happy Holidays!</b></span></center>
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Canyonland Press has been around for almost a year now and we'd like your feedback. To the right you will see a survey, we'd appreciate it if you'd spend a minute and take it. Let us know how we're doing. Thank you!<br />
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All of us at Canyonland would like to wish all of you a wonderful holiday season, whatever you celebrate whether it's the winter solstice, Hanukkah, or Christmas. <br />
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In honor of the season, each of us will be sharing either a holiday recipe or our favorite holiday tradition.<br />
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<b>Holiday Dessert</b><br />
By <a href="http://anna_sugg.coffeecup.com/" target="_blank">Anna Sugg</a><br />
We have a tradition around our house for our Christmas Day dinner. All our children and grandchildren come for Dad’s Christmas dinner. His prime rib dinner is the dinner of the year. It’s succulent. Since he won’t let me in on his secret for cooking the perfect prime rib, I’ll have to give you a recipe that is always expected on our Christmas table. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-09xNaM7XByg/UMsmSoYnrMI/AAAAAAAALKE/EapK-Z6vfuM/s1600/Judyholidaydessert.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-09xNaM7XByg/UMsmSoYnrMI/AAAAAAAALKE/EapK-Z6vfuM/s200/Judyholidaydessert.JPG" width="200" /></a><b>My Christmas Jell-O recipe:</b><br />
1 package (3 oz) Jell-O Raspberry Flavor Gelatin<br />
2 cups boiling water<br />
¾ cup cranberry juice cocktail<br />
1 cup diced apple<br />
¼ cup sliced celery<br />
¼ chopped walnuts<br />
1 package (3 OZ) Jell-O Lemon Flavor Gelatin<br />
1 container (4 ½ oz) Cool Whip<br />
½ cup Real Mayonnaise<br />
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Dissolve raspberry gelatin in 1 cup boiling water. <br />
Add cranberry juice cocktail and chill until thickened about 1 hour<br />
Fold in apple, celery and nuts<br />
Spoon into 6-cup ring mold and child until set (15 minutes)<br />
Dissolve lemon gelatin in remaining boiling water<br />
Chill until slightly thickened (45 minutes)<br />
Combine cool whip and real mayonnaise<br />
Fold into lemon gelatin<br />
Spoon onto the raspberry mold and chill firmly – 4 hours<br />
Unmold. Garnish with crisp salad greens and apples or grapes, if desired.<br />
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If you need a good cheese ball recipe for the holiday days, I have one on my website: <a href="http://judybaker.coffeecup.com/">http://judybaker.coffeecup.com</a> we use this recipe for more than just Christmas.<br />
Merry Christmas to you and yours, Anna<br />
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<b>Holiday Traditions</b><br />
by <a href="http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Marie Higgins</a><br />
I make this every year for my friends and neighbors. It's soooo
good and it doesn't take long to make or put together--which is another reason I make this. I don't have all day to spend on making Christmas goodies.<br />
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<b>Applesauce Cake</b><br />
½ cup butter <br />
1 cup chocolate chips (or raisins - your choice)<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
1 cup nuts<br />
1 egg <br />
½ teaspoon cloves<br />
1 ¾ cup flour (or so) <br />
1 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
¾ teaspoon baking soda <br />
1 cup applesauce<br />
½ tsp nutmeg<br />
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Blend butter, sugar. Add eggs. Add applesauce with soda. Mix well. Add spices, choc chips and nuts. Add flour. Bake 350 for 50 minutes in greased and flour bread pan or small tins.<br />
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<b>Recipe and a tradition</b><br />
By <a href="http://www.amydurham.com/" target="_blank">Amy Durham</a><br />
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<b>Toffee Spice Pudding Cake</b><br />
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1 box Spice Cake Mix<br />
1 can Eagle Brand Milk<br />
1 cup Heath Toffee Bits<br />
2 cups heavy cream<br />
1/4 cup sugar<br />
1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
Bake cake in a 9X13 pan according to directions on box. While still very warm, use a butter knife to punch holes all over the cake. Pour the can of Eagle Brand Milk evenly over the warm cake. Don't worry if it "pools" up in spots; it will all soak in to the cake! Sprinkle Heath Toffee Bits evenly over the cake. <br />
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Just before serving, whip two cups heavy cream. While whipping, add sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. When cream is ready when stiff peaks form. Top each serving of pudding cake with whipped cream.<br />
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Cake is best served warm. It will be incredibly moist, and is easier to serve with a large spoon than a cake server!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3g0Zo_TqF6I/UMwWTT-Q8EI/AAAAAAAALg0/EtOWqnBMitc/s1600/amy+ornament2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3g0Zo_TqF6I/UMwWTT-Q8EI/AAAAAAAALg0/EtOWqnBMitc/s200/amy+ornament2.JPG" width="149" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fMFzYvr9Aac/UMwWJ2cVGWI/AAAAAAAALgs/YLzBBdl25Hg/s1600/amy+ornamentphoto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fMFzYvr9Aac/UMwWJ2cVGWI/AAAAAAAALgs/YLzBBdl25Hg/s200/amy+ornamentphoto.JPG" width="149" /></a><b>Ornaments</b><br />
When I was a little girl, my mom and grandmother made a BUNCH of beaded Christmas tree ornaments. They were beautiful and sparkly, and they fascinated me as a young child. Many of them hung on our tree each year as I was growing up. The rest hung on my grandparents' tree each Christmas. My grandfather passed away in 2000 - my grandmother in 2010. Just before Christmas in 2009, when my grandmother was living with my parents as she battled ovarian cancer, she asked me if I'd like to have her beaded ornaments, since she wouldn't be putting up a tree of her own. It made me sad to know she'd never hang those ornaments again, but honored and happy that she wanted me to have them. This is the fourth year I've hung these beaded bells, stars, and icicles on my Christmas tree. And each year I love them a little bit more.
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<b>Holiday Traditions</b><br />
by <a href="http://www.marymartinez.com/" target="_blank">Mary Martinez</a><br />
Okay I'm going to give you a break from recipes. Most my holiday recipes are pretty mainstream. I usually bake a big ham on Christmas Eve that way when everyone drops by on Christmas--usually at different times--who ever is hungry can make a ham sandwich. And of course I have other goodies to go with it. It differs from year to year. <br />
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But we have other traditions that start with Halloween. We take all the grandkids to Garden After Dark, this is <a href="http://www.redbuttegarden.org/" target="_blank">Red Butte Gardens</a>, Salt Lake City's botanical gardens. They open the garden up late into the evening and have booth's where they kids can make anything from fairy wings to vampire teeth. They have a pumpkin patch, the list of activities go on and on. <br />
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Then for Thanksgiving on one of our Papa and Nana nights (every Wednesday evening are grandkids come to have dinner with us) the kids make Thanksgiving decorations to sit around. On thanksgiving day we do the Traditional dinner. <br />
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Christmas is a fun month, we start with our family party. First we make ornaments for Nana and Papa's tree. Then make cookies or cupcakes or both and frost them. Then the kids run around like Comanches for a bit. Then we have a nice family dinner until we have a surprise visitor. The older kids roll their eyes a bit, but the younger once are so excited they can hardly sit still. And this escalates when they hear the door open and papa is talking to someone. Then the bells jingle and get louder as he's walking down the stairs. And there is Santa! <br />
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And then another fun tradition is our yearly trip to the <a href="http://www.hoglezoo.org/promo/zoo-lights/" target="_blank">Hogle Zoo</a>. Yup, rain, snow, freezing cold, it doesn't matter we have to go see the Zoolights. Santa usually makes a visit and the reindeer are there. The animals are smart and stay indoors but it's a good time. <br />
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All of us from Canyonland wish all of you Happy Holidays and in we hope all your dreams will come true in the New Year!<br />
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Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-61608376661611621492012-12-01T01:00:00.000-07:002012-12-01T09:55:47.489-07:001st Edition, December 1, 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Madam Librarian Recommendation<br />
Mary Taylor Huntsman</b>, Somerset Community College, Somerset KY<br />
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<b>Iron Tongue of Midnight</b><br />
By: <a href="http://www.beverlegravesmyers.com/" target="_blank">Beverle Graves Myers</a><br />
Iron Tongue of Midnight is part of Myers’ “Tito Amato” series, historical mysteries set in 18th Century Venice, with a castrata soprano as the detective. Ms. Huntsman recommends this book (and series) due largely to the historical detail that Myers weaves throughout the story. The author provides nice plot points about what it would mean for an Italian Catholic to convert to Islam in that era. She also addresses those who "go outside the pale" of society, particularly Tito’s sister, Grisella, who ran away from home and ended up a victim of sexual trafficking. She handles the issue of castrati very tastefully (If you don’t know what castrati is – Google it!) and in a historically relevant manner, providing notes explaining historical details, which may puzzle a modern reader. Additionally, Myers uses details about medical practices during the time, as well as the structure of the Venetian society during the 18th Century. Myers is a resident of Louisville, KY, and a champion of the Louisville Free Public Library, who she always acknowledges in her books for their research assistance.<br />
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We are delighted the <a href="http://www.beverlegravesmyers.com/" target="_blank">Beverle Graves Myers</a> gave Canyonland a quote:<br />
Long before everyone was talking about Downton Abbey, I was in love with the literary version of the English country house. I wanted to try my hand at writing a mystery set in that milieu, but I was under contract for another installment of my Tito Amato Mysteries set in 18th-century Venice. I decided to bend the genre and put an Italian spin on it. <br />
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In September of 1740, singer Tito Amato receives a curious invitation. The German composer Karl Johann Weber is rehearsing a new opera at an isolated villa nestled in the hills of the Venetian mainland. Would Tito accept the lead role? Puzzled by the air secrecy, but attracted by a generous fee, Tito agrees. He finds the countryside awash in the golden hues of autumn, but all is not well at the villa. A notorious figure from his past is also in residence, and murder makes an appearance when a soprano stumbles over a corpse at the stroke of midnight.<br />
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I hope you enjoy Tito's quest for justice. To date, it has been the most emotional of the books for me to write because it uncovers such painful family secrets. Though THE IRON TONGUE OF MIDNIGHT is part of a series, the novel takes Tito out of his usual element of the Teatro San Marco and can easily be enjoyed as a stand-alone mystery.
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Happy Holiday Season to all of our readers. Canyonland Editors would like to recommend their favorite Christmas Story or book.<br />
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<a href="http://amy-durham.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b>Amy Durham</b></a> recommends: <i><b>The Last Boyfriend</b></i> by Nora Roberts<br />
The story doesn't totally center on Christmas, but a large part of the story takes place during the holidays, which in my opinion makes the romance even more romantic! This book is the 2nd in Roberts' "Inn Boonsboro" trilogy. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Last-Boyfriend-BoonsBoro-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B0074VTHQ6/" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.marymartinez.com/" target="_blank"><b>Mary Martinez</b></a> recommends: <b><i>Christmas in Cold Creek</i> by RaeAnne Thayne</b><br />
When this ended I pouted for a few days. I also read until about 3am to finish it because I couldn't put it down, and I had work the next day. I think I was a zombie all day. I wanted it to go on and on. I wanted to find out what happened with Gabi the next day. This is so hard not to give anything away. So you just have to read it! <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0373656319/ref=cm_sw_su_dp" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
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<a href="http://anna_sugg.coffeecup.com/" target="_blank"><b>Anna Sugg</b></a> recommends: <i><b>'Twas the Night Before Christmas</b></i> by Clement C. Moore<br />
When I started thinking about my favorite Christmas story, I stepped back in time when I was a child, and when the magic of Christmas was wonderful. Besides the Bible story of Christ’s birth, I’m going to choose a book that adds to the magic of Christmas, ’Twas The Night Before Christmas.
I can say the poem by heart because my mom read to us on every Christmas Eve, right after the Bible story of Christ’s birth. I read it to my children when they were young, and now I read it to my grandkids. <br />
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When you hear the name, Clement C. Moore, you automatically think of ’Twas The Night Before Christmas and you either have a book in your home, or you’ve read the poem from a book with pictures of a family on Christmas Eve. He’s the author, or is he really the author? <br />
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Nearing two centuries now, families have shared the Christmas poem, ’Twas the Night Before Christmas, a classic since 1823. At first the poem was published anonymously, and then in 1837 a biblical scholar, Clement C. Moore put his name to the poem, stating he wrote the poem in 1823 on a Christmas Eve. <br />
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BUT, in 1808 Henry Livingston, supposedly wrote and read the poem to a group that remembered the delightful Christmas poem. By the time Moore put his name to the poem, Livingston had died. There’s no proof because the one only handwritten copy of Henry Livingston’s Christmas poem was destroyed in a fire - of course! <br />
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So a literary detective, Don Foster compared Moore’s and Livingston’s writings. There was a difference and some say the only great poem that Moore ever wrote was “Twas the Night Before Christmas, and his other stuff was bad! But, I’ll leave it at that – you might want to go to this site and make you own decision. Interesting. <a href="http://www.iment.com/maida/familytree/henry/xmas/livingstonmoore/index.htm#author">http://www.iment.com/maida/familytree/henry/xmas/livingstonmoore/index.htm#author</a><br />
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No matter who wrote the poem, I think, ’Twas the Night Before Christmas will be around for many more centuries. <br /><br>
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<a href="http://amzn.com/B0000C2IQK" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jT5Iq_Ws73c/ULoubGeNqCI/AAAAAAAABZk/gul0QLCQZeM/s200/Gift+of+Love.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: orange;"><b>Marie Higgins</b></span></a> Christmas story recommendation: <a href="http://amzn.com/B0000C2IQK">Gift of Love</a><br />
Ever since watching this movie at home with my family as a young girl, I've always loved the feeling I had afterwards. I remember the first time I watched this movie. I had a headcold and wasn't feeling well anyway, but the powerful feeling this movie brought had me crying at the end. Even my mother and grandmother had tears in their eyes. I've always been a fan of the Osmonds, anyway, and a few years ago, I remembered loving this movie and realized I wanted a copy of my own no matter it what it took. I finally found me a copy, and I cherish it to this day!<br />
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Inspired by O. Henry's short story about a young bride and groom, each of whom
foolishly--but quite lovingly--sacrifices a treasured possession to buy the
perfect Christmas gift for their mate. Amid a flurry of bustling New Yorkers
clad in early-20th-century garb, O. Henry himself (David Wayne) sets the scene:
Beth, a teenage orphan (Marie Osmond), comes to live with her wealthy aunt and
uncle (the latter played by Donald Moffat). Her friendship with a cheerful
kitchen maid soon leads to a stormy encounter with a handsome Swiss immigrant,
Rudy (Timothy Bottoms). Despite Beth and Rudy's conflicting social statuses, and
Beth's arranged engagement to a sickly bird watcher (a young James Woods, who
truly fits the bill), the two fall in love and miraculously overcome these
obstacles--all in about 95 minutes. Old-fashioned romance, elegant costumes, and
a happy ending make this predictable story completely irresistible to those who
love a good fairy tale--or to Osmond fans who fondly remember watching the movie
on TV in 1978. Produced by the Osmond Brothers for PBS's <i>American Short
Story</i> series. <i>--Liane Thomas</i> Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-19106285616488212872012-11-15T01:00:00.000-07:002012-11-15T06:11:35.308-07:00Thanksgiving IssueThis time of year Canyonland Editors are reading recipes! We wanted to share some of our favorites with you! <br />
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<b>Traditions</b> <br />
By <a href="http://www.marymartinez.com/" target="_blank">Mary Martinez</a><br />
One of our traditions is Candied Yams. Last year at Thanksgiving, I added a twist--well I didn't dare cut out the candied ones or my kids would never forgive me. So I had two dishes. Traditional and Jamaica Yams. I thought I'd share the recipes.<br />
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<b>Candied Yams</b><br />
4 large yams cleaned, peeled an sliced about 1/4 inch thick<br />
1 bag of miniature marshmallows<br />
1/2 cup brown sugar<br />
1/2 cup butter<br />
dash of cinnamon<br />
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place a row of sliced yams on the bottom of an oven safe baking dish. Put bits of butter over them, sprinkle with brown sugar and add a row of marshmallows. Repeat until the dish is filled. sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake for an hour.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vjp34iuU_2k/UKOaxvSw5rI/AAAAAAAADcg/CFXL6NmOXHM/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vjp34iuU_2k/UKOaxvSw5rI/AAAAAAAADcg/CFXL6NmOXHM/s200/001.JPG" width="200" /></a><b>Jamaican Yams</b><br />
4 Yams cleaned, peeled and sliced about 1/4 inch thick<br />
Canola butter<br />
1 1/2 tsp Jamaican spice<br />
Add a row of yams to the bottom of a oven safe baking dish, then add some low cal butter and sprinkle with Jamaican spice, then repeat until dish is full.<br />
Spice:<br />
1/8 tsp Allspice<br />
1/2 tsp Cinnamon<br />
1/8 tsp Ginger<br />
1/8 tsp nutmeg<br />
1 tsp Thyme<br />
1/2 tsp Onion powder<br />
1/8 tsp Clove (Ground)<br />
1/2 tsp Ground Chili's
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1/4 tsp Garlic Powder.<br />
Use mortar and pestle to grind until powdering.<br />
After sprinkling you should have some left. Great rubbed into pork and then grilled.<br />
<b>Enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving</b><br />
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<b>The most EXCELLENT Turkey!</b><br />
by <a href="http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com/">Marie Higgins</a><br />
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I'll start off by saying - I can't take credit for the best tasting turkey I've ever had because my youngest daughter surprised us all and cooked her turkey this way - and well...now SHE is the one who cooks it every year. :) Thanks, Heather!!<br />
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DIRECTIONS:<br />
* Buy turkey. (that's a given, right?)<br />
* Get your turkey pan and pour 2-3 boxes of Chicken Broth (amount of broth will depend how big or small your turkey is)<br />
* After washing off turkey and patting it dry with papertowels, rub down with butter (or margarine - it's your pick).<br />
* Take 2 Apples, 2 unpealed oranges, and 2 peeled onions and cut them in half. (yes, just in half - although you might want to take out the apple seeds.) Now you'll take these halves and stuff them inside the turkey with 1/2 cube of butter (or margarine) cut up in smaller cubes.<br />
* Put turkey in the baking bag and poke holes it in then set inside the pan that has the Chicken Broth already inside.<br />
* Cook turkey according to the directions that were on the bag when you purchased it. :)<br />
And, lastly... ENJOY the <b>BEST</b> tasting turkey <b>EVER</b>!<br />
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<b>Thanksgiving Desserts</b><br />
By <a href="http://anna_sugg.coffeecup.com/" target="_blank">Anna Sugg</a><br />
Thanksgiving dinner at our house is festive with enough food to feed more than the 11 or 12 people that set around our table. A traditional dessert that I’m required to bake is the Carrot Cake recipe that I received from my sister thirty years ago. I must admit, it’s my favorite too. Let me know if you try it. I call it, Sherry’s Carrot Cake…and a homemade Chocolate Pie, my dad’s favorite, bless his soul.<br />
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<b>Sherry’s Carrot Cake</b><br />
2 cups of sugar<br />
1 ¼ cups of vegetable oil<br />
4 eggs<br />
2 ½ cups cake flour<br />
2 ¼ teaspoon baking soda<br />
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups finely shredded carrots<br />
3 ½ cups black walnuts<br />
Combined sugar, oil, egg (one at a time) Mix well after each egg. Stir in carrots, Add nuts. Sift together: flour, baking soda, cinnamon. Stir into mixture
Pour into 3 greased 9 inch round cake pans<br />
Bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool<br />
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<b>Cake Icing</b><br />
1 8oz package cream cheese – softened<br />
¼ cup butter – softened<br />
1 lb box soft confection sugar<br />
2 teaspoon vanilla<br />
2 teaspoon lemon juice<br />
Blend cream cheese and butter until smooth<br />
Add sugar, gradually mixing<br />
Stir in lemon and vanilla<br />
If frosting seems too soft – refrigerate for a few minutes<br />
Enjoy<br />
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<b>Dad’s Chocolate Pie</b><br />
1 cup sugar <br />
1 cup flour or 3 tablespoons cornstarch<br />
¼ teaspoon salt<br />
2 1oz squares unsweetened chocolate (or four tablespoons of Hershey’s Cocoa)<br />
1 ½ cups milk<br />
3 slightly beaten yolks<br />
2 tablespoons butter<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla<br />
1 9” baked pastry shell<br />
Meringue (3 egg whites)<br />
In a saucepan combine sugar, flour, chocolate, and salt. Gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat till bubbly. Cook and stir 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. Stir small amount of hot mixture into yolks. Immediately return to hot mixture; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla. Pour into cooled baked pastry shell. Spread meringue atop pie. <br />
Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool or, omit meringue and serve with whipped cream<br />
<b>Enjoy. May you and yours have a blessed Thanksgiving.</b><br />
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<b>Holiday Tradition</b><br />
by <a href="http://amy-durham.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Amy Durham</a><br />
I love this French Coconut pie for the holidays. It's SO easy, and it's SO good served warm!!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2IqH-VeCDsk/UKTp5GMT7RI/AAAAAAAADdk/9IlXLs5QkGk/s1600/FrenchCoconutpie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2IqH-VeCDsk/UKTp5GMT7RI/AAAAAAAADdk/9IlXLs5QkGk/s200/FrenchCoconutpie.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>French Coconut Pie</b><br />
Ingredients<br />
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted<br />
2 eggs, beaten<br />
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour<br />
3/4 cup sugar<br />
1 (3 1/2–ounce) can shredded sweetened coconut (about 1 cup)<br />
1 cup milk<br />
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell (Make your own, or buy it pre-made)<br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine melted butter, eggs, flour, sugar, coconut, and milk. Pour into pie shell. Bake until firm, about 45 to 60 minutes.<br />
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<span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>From all of us at Canyonland Press</b></span></span></div>
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Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-26840423970985161602012-11-01T01:00:00.000-06:002012-11-01T01:00:07.803-06:001st edition, November 1, 2012<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bzfno-8yAU4/UJCSmz7f-HI/AAAAAAAADTE/MzxopQOcxCA/s1600/rj_libr.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bzfno-8yAU4/UJCSmz7f-HI/AAAAAAAADTE/MzxopQOcxCA/s200/rj_libr.gif" width="200" /></a><b>Madam Librarian Recommendation<br />
Trish Hull,</b> Manager Magna Library, Utah Library Association President Elect. <a href="http://www.slcolibrary.org/gl/glal/libraryMagna.htm" target="_blank">Salt Lake County Library Services--Magna Library</a> recommends the following book: <i>Following Atticus<b>--</b></i>I am not a dog person, but this is one of my favorite books of the year. It made me laugh, cry and inspired me to be better and do more.
You will fall in love with Atticus and want to start hiking.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Oj2Tj-8d_5Y/UJCSzrrG33I/AAAAAAAADTM/y5c5bOybu8E/s1600/bannersharp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Oj2Tj-8d_5Y/UJCSzrrG33I/AAAAAAAADTM/y5c5bOybu8E/s200/bannersharp.jpg" width="136" /></a><b> Following Atticus</b> <br />
by <a href="http://tomandatticus.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tom Ryan</a><br />
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After a close friend died of cancer, middle-aged, overweight, acrophobic newspaperman Tom Ryan decided to pay tribute to her in a most unorthodox manner. Ryan and his friend, miniature schnauzer Atticus M. Finch, would attempt to climb all forty-eight of New Hampshire's four thousand- foot peaks twice in one winter while raising money for charity. It was an adventure of a lifetime, leading them across hundreds of miles and deep into an enchanting but dangerous winter wonderland. At the heart of the amazing journey was the extraordinary relationship they shared, one that blurred the line between man and dog.<br />
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Canyonland Press were not able to reach <a href="http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/37024/Tom_Ryan/index.aspx" target="_blank">Mr. Ryan</a>, so we are sharing his link and public Bio.<br />
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Tom Ryan is the founder of the Newburyport, Massachusetts, newspaper the Undertoad and served as its publisher and editor for more than a decade. In 2007 he moved to the White Mountains of New Hampshire with miniature schnauzer Atticus M. Finch. Over the last five years, Tom and Atticus have climbed more than 450 four-thousand-foot peaks. After raising thousands of dollars for Angell Animal Medical Center in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, the pair was inducted into the Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Hall of Fame. Tom currently writes the popular <i>The Adventures of Tom & Atticus column in the Northcountry News and Mountainside...</i> <a href="http://www.tomandatticus.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Read More</a>...<br />
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<b>Grammar Fun</b>!<br />
By: <a href="http://amy-durham.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Amy Durham</a><br />
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This month, I thought I’d take a look at something important to all of us… grammar. Whether you’re good at it, bad at, love it, or hate it, grammar is a part of our society that is many times woefully neglected. We are forced to ignore many proper grammatical tactics when “tweeting”. On Facebook, grammar seems largely absent, despite the fact that we aren’t limited on the number of characters in our posts. <br />
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So today, I decided to take a humorous look at grammar, and demonstrate just how easy it is to be correct… or incorrect! Who knows, maybe I’ll encourage someone to take a closer look at the grammar they use in their everyday life! <br />
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There are grammatical errors that really bother me <i>alot</i>. Oops, I mean <i> <b>a lot</b> </i>. Yes, that's right... <i><b>a lot</b> </i> is two words. It seems I see it written as one word so often I’ve stopped noticing. Which bothers me <i>alot</i>. Dang it! I mean <b>a lot! </b> <br />
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I try not to be a grammar snob. Really, I do. But despite my best efforts, I have grammar pet peeves. <i> Its </i>true. Yikes, I mean <i><b>it's</b> </i> true. Read on to learn a few more common grammatical errors that pop up all too often. <br />
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Sometimes <i>its</i> (I mean <i><b>it's</b> </i>) difficult to turn off <i>you're </i>internal proof-reader (uh oh... I mean <i><b>your</b> </i> internal proof-reader) when <i>your </i>reading other people's writing. Drat, that should be... when <i><b>you're</b> </i> reading other people's writing. <br />
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Of course, it does make a difference<i> who's </i>writing (I mean <i><b>whose</b> </i> writing) <i>your</i> (oops... I mean <i><b>you're</b> </i>) reading. If <i>its</i> a young person (oops, that should be<i> <b>it's</b> </i>) whose (I mean <i><b>who's</b> </i>) doing the writing, sometimes you need to cut them a little slack. But there are times when even experienced writers make mistakes, even <i>myself</i>. Oh wait... that should be<i> <b>me. </b> </i>
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It’s also important to note that <i>their</i> (Uh oh, that should be <i><b>there! </b> </i>) are 3 versions of a particular word that cannot be used interchangeably, because there not the same. (Wait! That should say … because <i><b>they’re </b> </i>not the same!) So be clear on <i>their, there, </i>and <i>they’re</i>, and don’t use <i>their</i> when you actually mean <i>they’re</i> or <i>there</i>. <br />
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So if <i>your</i> <b> (you're) </b> writing a letter or a paper, be sure you take the time to do <i>alot</i><b> (a lot) </b> of proofreading, so that you find those common mistakes that are easy to fix. <i>Its </i><b> (It's) </b> a little thing that can make <i>alot</i> <b> (a lot) </b> of difference in the long run. You never know <i>who's </i><b> (whose) </b> eyes might be on you're <b> (your) </b> writing, and you want to make a good impression, because you never know how <i>their</i><b> (they’re) </b> going to be affected by <i>you’re</i> <b> (your) </b> writing. Take it from <i>myself</i> <b> (me) </b>. Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-85184489011212585152012-10-15T01:00:00.000-06:002012-10-15T01:00:05.367-06:002nd Edition, October 15, 2012Welcome to the <i>Idea</i> edition! Canyonland Press editors have interviewed three authors from three different genre's. <br />
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<b>Paranormal/Timetravel</b><br />
By <a href="http://www.marymartinez.com/" target="_blank">Mary Martinez</a><br />
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Canyonland Press welcomes back, Melissa Mayhue. <br />
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<b>MELISSA MAYHUE</b> began her writing career in 2005 after a vacation to Scotland and a hike on the Black Isle inspired her with the perfect setting for the characters running around in her head. Her resulting debut novel, THIRTY NIGHTS WITH A HIGHLAND HUSBAND, won the Holt Medallion and Book Buyers Best awards in 2008 and made the finals of the Colorado Book Awards.
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Since then, her imaginary world of Faeries and Mortals has continued to grow. A HIGHLANDER’S HOMECOMING, sixth book in her award-winning Daughters of the Glen series from Pocket Books, was a 2011 RITA finalist in the Paranormal Category. WARRIOR’S REDEMPTION, the first book of The Warriors series, released in January 2012 with the second, WARRIOR REBORN due out in November 2012.<br />
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Married and the mother of three sons, Melissa lives in beautiful Northern Colorado with her family and two very spoiled Boston Terriers.<br />
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You can visit her on the web at: <a href="http://www.melissamayhue.com/" target="_blank"> www.MelissaMayhue.com</a><br />
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<b>Mary:</b> A huge part of my reading enjoyment is characterization, as a paranormal/time travel author, how do you develop your characters? <br />
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<b>Ms. Mayhue:</b> I begin with a name. Once they have a name, they’re real to me. From there, I figure out what the challenges are they’re going to face and how they’ll respond to them. From that point on [when the writing is working as it is supposed to!] I just hear them in my head. <br />
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<b>Mary:</b> What type of research do you use to make your characters believable? Clothing, etc. paranormal aspect, does it give you a bit a leeway? And, of course, the time travel you’d have to be authentic to the time period correct? <br />
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<b>Ms. Mayhue:</b> Writing Paranormal requires just as much research as writing anything else. I spend hours on it. In fact, I suspect I put more hours into research than I do into the actual writing! I’ll admit now to being a Research Geek. I love that part of my job. Not only does it help insure accuracy in my writing, it also never fails to spark an idea for something else – either a new character or a scene with an existing one. While I do use the internet extensively, when I need factual, my personal rule for internet research is that I have to confirm something in two totally different places before I accept it as fact. In addition to the internet, I have a couple of bookcases full of books that I use. Though I haven’t updated the list for a couple of years, I even have many of the books noted on my website. If your readers are interested in seeing some of my resources, they can go here: <a href="http://www.melissamayhue.com/research.html">http://www.melissamayhue.com/research.html</a><br />
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<b>Mary:</b> Where do you find your names? Is it just by looking in a baby book? Or do you have a process?<br />
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<b>Ms. Mayhue:</b> While I do use baby books for my modern characters, [or songs or even people I meet] I wanted a more authentic feel for my medieval characters. My ‘go-to’ resource is the Ragmans Rolls. It is a document [actually, two, since the first was signed in 1291 and then a second in 1296] pledging loyalty to King Edward I of England. All prominent landowners, churchmen and burgesses in Scotland were summoned to Berwick in 1296 and required to sign the document. There are even many female signatories, whether attending in their husband’s place or signing on their own. Containing over 2000 signatures, it’s an excellent resource for naming a medieval Scot! It also is a good record of which names were located in which areas since their home region is noted.<br />
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Thank you, Melissa for joining us two months in a row. I love your stories, those of you who haven't read them, you are missing out.
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zuJ2PGBU6Uk/UHhn9OU1jTI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/q2JCUJKfIbs/s1600/Kim+and+Hubby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zuJ2PGBU6Uk/UHhn9OU1jTI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/q2JCUJKfIbs/s1600/Kim+and+Hubby.jpg" /></a><b>Romantic Adventure Novels</b><br />
By <a href="http://anna_sugg.coffeecup.com/" target="_blank">Anna Sugg</a><br />
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Kim and her husband work for the National Park Services. Kim McMahill has returned to visit with us again this month. Kim, we’re excited to hear more about your romantic adventure novels. If you missed Kim’s bio and the first half of her interview, you’ll find it in the second edition of September’s publication.<br />
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Marked in Mexico is available as well as her new book Big Horn Storm – check out the video on her website: <a href="http://kimmcmahill.com/">http://kimmcmahill.com</a> or <a href="http://kimmcmahill.blogspot.com/">http://kimmcmahill.blogspot.com</a>.<br />
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<b>Anna</b>: Hi Kim, welcome. A huge part of my reading enjoyment is characterization, how do you develop your characters?<br />
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<b>Kim</b>: The most important aspect of character development is making realistic multi-faceted individuals who readers can relate to. No person is perfect, so characters shouldn’t be either. First I focus on physical traits. When I can close my eyes and picture the hero or heroine clearly, I know I’ll be able to convey that to the reader. Second, but most importantly, I have to create a personality, whether for a hero or villain, that will draw the reader into his or her world. It’s essential to subtly weave in a past so the reader can understand why the character behaves a certain way and what propels them to make the decisions they do, good or bad. If characters aren’t believable and relatable, the story line will quickly fall apart. <br />
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<b>Anna</b>: What type of research do you use to make your characters believable and authentic to the time period?<br />
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<b>Kim</b>: So far I’ve written only twenty-first century adventures so I mostly just observe. I do considerable research into geographic areas to make the settings believable and try to accurately depict any cultural differences of my characters as much as possible. No amount of research can replace firsthand knowledge, but I do work to make my characters, settings, occupations, technologies, etc. as believable as I can.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iU_YXefymA8/UHho2tNs_TI/AAAAAAAAAaE/CG_Ay5Zewhc/s1600/Kim+book.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iU_YXefymA8/UHho2tNs_TI/AAAAAAAAAaE/CG_Ay5Zewhc/s1600/Kim+book.png" /></a><b>Anna</b>: Where do you find your names? Do you have a process?<br />
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<b>Kim</b>: I have a notebook where I jot down names that strike me as interesting. I have a page each for male, female and last names and I often consult these lists and mix and match to come up with the perfect name for the character. Occasionally, like with Big Horn Storm, there’s a little more to it. Not long ago I learned that my husband was sometimes referred to as Deuce when he was younger while with his dad’s friends since him and his dad share the same first name. I decided on the spot that I would use the name in a book, and what else could a man named Deuce be but a handsome rugged rancher? <br />
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<b>Anna</b>: Thank you, Kim, for visiting us again at Canyonland Press. We look forward to more from you as you continue to write those great adventure romances.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kmY1qVvvBIk/UHrqPQ00epI/AAAAAAAABS0/9uZCHyL2li0/s1600/Royalist+Rebel+by+Anita+Seymour+(2).gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kmY1qVvvBIk/UHrqPQ00epI/AAAAAAAABS0/9uZCHyL2li0/s200/Royalist+Rebel+by+Anita+Seymour+(2).gif" width="128" /></a><b>Historical Romance</b><br />
by <a href="http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com/">Marie Higgins<b> </b></a><br />
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Today I have interviewed <a href="http://thedisorganisedauthor.blogspot.com/">Anita Davison</a> who is a multi-published of historical romances. She has a new book coming out "Royalist Rebel" which will be released earl 2013 under the named Anita Seymour. <br />
<a href="http://thedisorganisedauthor.blogspot.com/"><br /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Marie - Anita, you write historical romances (which I love)
and I was wondering how you go about creating your characters before starting a
new story.<br />
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<b>Anita - </b>I began my writing career with two Historical Family Sagas set in the 17th
Century, both of which had romantic elements. These were followed by two
Victorian Gothic Romances, but I was told by the Romance Publishers they had
too many sub plots to fit the 'True Romance' genre.<br />
<br />
So I tried again, and went back to the 17th century, where my soul really
belongs, and at the suggestion of my agent found a real life character on whom
to base my story. Thus 'Royalist Rebel' was born and is being released in
early 2013. I think I have found my niche now in Biographical Historical
Fiction, though of course what book is complete without a romantic element?<br />
<br />
I also don't need to create a character, though bringing her to life from, say
a bland historical account or a painting is quite a challenge.
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Marie - What type of research do you do in this
process?</span></b><br />
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<b>Anita - </b>Lots - the person I am writing about, the place where she lived, the historical
figures she interacted with and where they stood in the social order. I spent
some time at Elizabeth's former home, which has been restored to look exactly
as it did during her lifetime. I love digging out images,usually
drawings or paintings of places as they used to look so I can place myself
there. I mean who can imagine St Paul's Cathedral ever dominating the London
skyline - but in 1645 it certainly did - though without the dome!</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Marie - That's great you spent some time in the home! Lucky you! Do you like to give your characters flaws?
What makes them stand out in your stories?</span></b><br />
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<b>Anita - </b>I try and portray the historical figures as they actually were, even though
this sometimes means they can come across as unsympathetic. For example, my
critique partners say my heroine, Elizabeth Murray is sometimes arrogant
towards those she regards as her inferiors - in the 17th Century this was the way the rich and privileged felt the 'lower orders' deserved, or why
did God put them there? A philosophy we reject today, but was prevalent
then. <br />
<br />
Thus making Elizabeth a character my readers cared about was a challenge, but
using the present tense helped, in that she may say something scathing to
another character, but in her head she's doubting herself, or has a reason for
her harshness. <br />
<br />
In real life, Elizabeth became even more arrogant and superior as she got
older, and was notorious for political meddling and dominating the men in her
life. When she became a duchess, her servants had to remain bent at the waist
until she was completely out of sight, even if she had her back to <br />
them. In 'Royalist Rebel' I hope I have given her some character growth,
in that she becomes less imperious and more understanding of the difficulties
of others through her own troubles.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Anita - thank you so much for taking us through this process. Readers can find Anita Davison at her wonderful blog - <a href="http://thedisorganisedauthor.blogspot.com/">click here</a></span></b><br />
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Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-72679756900601022342012-10-01T01:00:00.000-06:002012-10-01T01:00:05.119-06:001st Edition, October 1, 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Madam Librarian Recommendation</b><br />
<b>Liesl Seborg,</b> Senior Librarian, Adult Services, Outreach and Programming <a href="http://www.slcolibrary.org/gl/glal/libraryhunter.htm" target="_blank">Salt Lake County Library Services--Hunter Library </a>recommends the following book: <br />
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<b>The Shadow of the Wind</b> by <a href="http://www.carlosruizzafon.com/" target="_blank">Carlos Ruiz Zafón</a><br />
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This novel is one of my most favorite books of all time! I listened to this book and was incredibly wrapped up in the story. It has a secret library with book guardians, a mysterious author and romance. Set in Barcelona, 1864, the descriptions are lovely and the story is haunting. A fabulous choice for reading or listening! <br />
<br />
More reviews:<br />
"Wonderous... masterful... The Shadow of the Wind is ultimately a love letter to literature, intended for readers as passionate about storytelling as its young hero." --<b><i>Entertainment Weekly (Editor's Choice)</i></b><br />
<br />
"One gorgeous read." --<b><i>Stephen King</i></b><br />
<br />
Canyonland Press was unable to contact the author, we have taken the liberty to use his <i>public</i> bio from his website. <br />
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Carlos Ruiz Zafón is a Spanish novelist. Born in Barcelona in 1964, he has lived in Los Angeles, United States, since 1994, and works as a scriptwriter aside from writing novels.<br />
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His first novel, <i>El príncipe de la niebla (The Prince of Mist,</i> 1993), earned the Edebé literary prize for young adult fiction. He is also the author of three more young-adult novels, <i>El palacio de la medianoche </i>(1994), <i>Las luces de septiembre</i> (1995) and <i>Marina</i> (1999).<br />
<br />
In 2001 he published the novel <i>La sombra del viento</i> ("The Shadow of the Wind"), his first "adult" novel, which has sold millions of copies worldwide. Since its publication, <i>La sombra del viento</i> has garnered critical acclaim around the world and has won numerous international awards. Ruiz Zafón's works have been published in more than 40 countries and have been translated into more than 30 languages. <br />
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<b>YOUNG ADULT FICTION</b> – It Crosses Generations<br />
By <a href="http://amy-durham.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Amy Durham</a><br />
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Have you ever felt invisible in the middle of your own life?<br />
Have you ever walked into a crowded room and felt like no one noticed you?<br />
Have you ever felt completely on the fringes of normality?<br />
Have you ever felt the conflicting emotions of hating the shallowness and superficial-ness of the “in crowd”, and yet at the same time wanting so badly to be a part of it?<br />
Have you ever felt sad and depressed for no obvious reason?<br />
Have you ever felt completely unappreciated, as if there’s not a soul on the planet who cares or acknowledges what you have to offer?<br />
Have you ever longed for someone to think you’re pretty or cute or smart or funny?<br />
Have you ever wished you had just one person to talk to, only to realize at every turn that there's no one?<br />
Have you ever just wanted to feel like you belonged somewhere, anywhere?<br />
Welcome to the tumultuous world of adolescence. <br />
<br />
EVERY SINGLE kids feel like this. Sometimes there are real reasons for these feelings. Sometimes the feelings are completely irrational. But you know what? It doesn’t really matter whether the feelings are rational or not. They still FEEL them. And the result is the same.<br />
<br />
To some degree, we never fully outgrow those feelings. At least it seems that way to me! Sure, as adults, we’re able to see the big picture, and can (most of the time) discern when our feelings are irrational, but I’ll be the first to admit that those feelings I described above still creep up on me from time to time.<br />
<br />
This is why I LOVE Young Adult fiction. Because kids need reading material that can meet them where they are… fiction that mirrors their own lives, feelings, and experiences, and yet offers hope and encouragement that things really can work out okay and perseverance really can pay off. They need to see that other teens (and former teens!) have felt that same sense of loneliness, isolation, sadness, longing, and invisibility that they experience, and that those people have been able to come out of those situations stronger and more equipped to handle life and all that comes with it.
The fact that most adults still sometimes experience those same feelings just widens the appeal of quality, relevant Young Adult fiction. Good YA fiction reaches across the generations, to speak to the teenager in all of us, and remind us all that we really do have reason to be encouraged and hopeful.<br />
<br />Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-51228257353517548342012-09-15T01:00:00.000-06:002012-09-18T18:43:01.480-06:002nd Edition, September 15, 2012Welcome to the <i>Idea</i> edition! Canyonland Press editors have interviewed three authors from three different genre's. <br />
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<b>Paranormal/Timetravel</b><br />
By <a href="http://www.marymartinez.com/" target="_blank">Mary Martinez</a><br />
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Welcome Melissa Mayhue to Canyonland. Let's begin with her bio.<br />
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<b>MELISSA MAYHUE </b>began her writing career in 2005 after a vacation to Scotland and a hike on the Black Isle inspired her with the perfect setting for the characters running around in her head. Her resulting debut novel, THIRTY NIGHTS WITH A HIGHLAND HUSBAND, won the Holt Medallion and Book Buyers Best awards in 2008 and made the finals of the Colorado Book Awards. <br />
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Since then, her imaginary world of Faeries and Mortals has continued to grow. A HIGHLANDER’S HOMECOMING, sixth book in her award-winning Daughters of the Glen series from Pocket Books, was a 2011 RITA finalist in the Paranormal Category. WARRIOR’S REDEMPTION, the first book of The Warriors series, released in January 2012 with the second, WARRIOR REBORN due out in November 2012.<br />
<br />
Married and the mother of three sons, Melissa lives in beautiful Northern Colorado with her family and two very spoiled Boston Terriers.<br />
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You can visit her on the web at: <a href="http://www.melissamayhue.com/">www.MelissaMayhue.com</a><br />
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<b>Mary:</b> As an author, I’m sure you are asked a lot of questions about where you get your ideas. I didn’t think readers would be interested in anything to do with the process, however my local librarian has assured me that readers find that very fascinating. So, where do your ideas come from?<br />
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<b>Ms. Mayhue:</b> I wish I could point to one spot and tell you that’s where they come from. If I could, I would hang out there ALL the time!!! The ideas come from everywhere. Generally, when I start a book, I know who my lead characters are and what internal and external challenges they face. Many of my ideas for story events are triggered as I do research to confirm the accuracy in my historical time period. Others have been triggered as I read through old mythology texts. Once the story is up and running, ideas spring from everything I do. A piece of music I hear might trigger an image of a character in a particular situation. A dry year where I live might spark wildfires and, because they’re on my mind, they show up in a story. Looking through a cookbook, searching for a word in the dictionary, those pesky, elusive ideas hide everywhere. <br />
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<b>Mary:</b> As a Paranormal/Time travel author, do you think your idea process is different? It’s not as if what you write happens in normal everyday life. <br />
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<b>Ms. Mayhue:</b> I don’t really think my creative process is different because I write Paranormal/Time Travel. My ideas get to be wilder, but certain things are universal, regardless of whether you’re writing Paranormal, Historical or Contemporary. For example, I mentioned above that each of my characters have internal struggles that I usually know at the beginning of each book. Those struggles – lack of confidence, fear of abandonment, self-doubt, etc – those are all things that people deal with every day. At the heart of the writing is the character and the characters are just people. And people, whether they’re living in Scotland in 1296 or Colorado in 2012, --or even if they have Faeries next door!! -- they’re all pretty much the same. <br />
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<b>Mary:</b> Writing paranormal/time travel I would imagine you had a very vivid imagination as a child. Tell us if you did, or how growing up has helped you in your writing?<br />
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<b>Ms. Mayhue:</b> I was an only child and spent a lot of time as my own playmate. That meant I was an avid reader from early on, which I think contributed to developing my imagination. I loved to pretend. Whether I was a teacher or a cowgirl or a mommy, many of my games were played out in my head. Barbies were one of my favorite toys and I think I was having my dolls live out their own romantic fantasies even before I had ever read my first Romance novel! I have always been a sucker for that Happy Ever After!! <br />
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Thank you, Melissa for joining Chanyonland Press today. Next month Melissa will be answering questions about Characterization.</div>
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<b>Historical Romance</b><br />
by Marie Higgins<b> </b><br />
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<b>DEBRA BROWN</b> is a wife and mother of adult children. She was born in Minnesota and spent some years there, and has also lived in San Diego and Idaho. She is now settled in Oregon. She studied nursing, homeopathy and art, all of which have been a great part of her life. She loves traveling and has spent years in creative fields, painting, making jewelry and working with an interior designer. This variety has also helped her in her writing career. It contributes to rounding out her stories which she so loves writing.<br />
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Her debut novel is <a href="http://amzn.com/B005A8SJ0K">The Companion of Lady Holmeshire</a>, published by World Castle Publishing. Her second is not yet published, but she hopes it will be in the next months. It is currently titled For the Skylark, and meant to be the first in a series. Debra also started a historical blog for both readers and writers who love history. <a href="http://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/">http://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/ </a><br />
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<b>Marie: </b>As an author of historical fiction, where does your ideas come from?<br />
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<b>Debra: </b>I used to watch period movies for years as I made jewelry. During the recession I put my jewelry business aside. It was too slow, and I was a little tired of it. I decided to write a novel as a hobby. I never thought it would be published. To get some ideas, I went to the library and brought home some large picture books about England. Certain pictures triggered ideas which developed into The Companion of Lady Holmeshire. My second novel, titled For the Skylark as I work on it, started with thoughts about one of Charles Dickens' great characters, Miss Havisham. She had intrigued me all my life, and I created my own reclusive woman, the mother of adult twins who must live in forced seclusion with her.<br />
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<b>Marie: </b>Do you think your plot ideas are any different than suspense or paranormal authors?<br />
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<b>Debra: </b>My stories are actually historical suspense. I love mysteries and suspense. I don't have any inclination to put murder and bodies into the stories, but the mysterious settings and suspense appeal to me.<br />
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<b>Marie:</b> Did your childhood / teenage years have anything to do with you wanting to be a historical author?<br />
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<b>Debra: </b>Yes, very much. I loved reading historical fiction or contemporary fiction written a few centuries ago. I never dreamed at the time I would become an author, but I loved being pulled into the past.<br />
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Debra, thank you for taking the time to answer questions for us. Readers, you can find Debra <a href="http://authordebrabrown.blogspot.com/">here</a>.<br />
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<b>Romantic Adventure</b><br />
by <a href="http://anna_sugg.coffeecup.com/" target="_blank">Anna Sugg</a><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5rBrwLAxNhY/UEpBA-wIpDI/AAAAAAAAAZA/_DzBMNHfNeA/s1600/Cover_MarkedinMexico.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5rBrwLAxNhY/UEpBA-wIpDI/AAAAAAAAAZA/_DzBMNHfNeA/s200/Cover_MarkedinMexico.jpg" width="133" /></a>Kim, welcome to Canyonland Press. We’re excited to hear about your romantic adventure novels. Kim’s bio:<br />
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Working for the National Park Service has given Kim McMahill and her husband the opportunity to live in Grand Teton, Hawaii Volcanoes, Guadalupe Mountains, Carlsbad Caverns and Wind Cave national parks, and on the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi. Residing amid some of America’s most stunning landscapes and extensive travels to remote parts of the world have provided inspiration for many of her books and articles. Along with her passion for romantic adventure stories, Kim has also published over eighty travel and geographic articles, and contributed to a travel anthology and cookbook. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography from the University of Wyoming and currently resides along the unpredictable banks of the Missouri River. For more information visit her website or blog at <a href="http://kimmcmahill.com/">http://kimmcmahill.com</a> or <a href="http://kimmcmahill.blogspot.com/">http://kimmcmahill.blogspot.com</a>.<br />
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<b>Anna:</b> What inspired you to write romantic adventure novels?<br />
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<b>Kim:</b> I’ve always enjoyed reading about exciting places and people who accomplish extraordinary feats when faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges. A couple of my favorite authors are Clive Cussler and James Rollins, both of whom write outrageous stories that make my heart race at times and wonder, “what if.” I’m always disappointed when their tales come to an end. Growing up in the rural west and travelling the world has molded me into a modest adventurer, but writing allows me to take exploits to the extreme without risk to life or limb. But, deep down I’m a romantic. Romantic elements make stories more relatable and nothing is a better catalyst for forcing someone to take action outside his or her comfort zone than love. So, I believe combining romance and adventure is always a winning combination.<br />
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<b>Anna:</b> Are you planning on writing another Romantic Adventure novel? If so, share with us, please.<br />
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<b>Kim:</b>I always have at least one novel in the works and usually I have multiple stories going at the same time. I enjoyed writing about my home state so much in Big Horn Storm that I’ve begun another romantic adventure set in northwestern Wyoming. The book’s not too far along yet, so I’d better not divulge much since at this stage in the project everything is subject to change. I’ve also completed a story which involves simultaneous break-ins at three of the world’s most secure museums, destruction of one of the greatest manmade wonders of the world and the massacre of an unarmed South American village which ignites a desperate scramble to locate a deadly group of terrorists. And, amid the chaos our hero discovers the woman who can heal his emotional scars.<br />
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<b>Anna:</b> Are all your adventure books located in places that you’ve visited?<br />
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<b>Kim:</b> I haven’t visited all the places I’ve written about, but many have provided inspiration for my stories. Several of my novels have been set in Mexico because the country was once a fairly frequent destination of mine. I’ve been to numerous Mayan ruins, and Cobá and Chichén Itzá have figured prominently in Deadly Ruins and Marked in Mexico, respectively. Though, once the characters leave the mapped ruins the rest of the scenes come from my imagination and research. In Desperate Dreams the fictitious southwest New Mexico town is based on a place I once lived and the descriptions of Big Bend National Park come from my visits to the area. Many of our National Parks seem to be filled to the brim with visitors, but whenever I’m in Big Bend I feel a bit alone, insignificant in its vast expanse, and like anything could happen. My most recent novel, Big Horn Storm, is set in the Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming. I have a treasure-trove of fond memories of camping, fishing and riding horses and four-wheelers in this amazing place. One of the greatest things about writing fiction is that you can take what you see and make it more exciting, dangerous or more idyllic, but sometimes the real world is so interesting or perfect nothing needs changed. <br />
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Kim MaMchill has a new romantic adventure novel released this month, Big Horn Storm. Check out her blog and website for details. <br />
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I want to thank Kim for visiting us at Canyonland Press today. We are looking forward to her return visit next month to talk about how she develops her characters, research and how she names her characters. <br />
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</a>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-11972209769280200132012-09-01T01:00:00.000-06:002012-09-06T19:15:54.726-06:001st Edition, September 1, 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Madam Librarian Recommendation</b><br />
Elizabeth, Librarian, <a href="http://bcpl.lib.ut.us/" target="_blank">Brigham City Library</a><br />
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<b>Dead Scared</b> by <a href="http://www.sjbolton.com/" target="_blank">S.J. Bolton</a><br />
When a rash of suicides tears through Cambridge University, DI Mark Joesbury recruits DC Lacey Flint to go undercover as a student to investigate. Although each student’s death appears to be a suicide, the psychological histories, social networks, and online activities of the students involved share remarkable similarities, and the London police are not convinced that the victims acted alone. They believe that someone might be preying on lonely and insecure students and either encouraging them to take their own lives or actually luring them to their deaths. As long as Lacey can play the role of a vulnerable young woman, she may be able to stop these deaths, but is it just a role for her? With her fragile past, is she drawing out the killers, or is she herself being drawn into a deadly game where she’s a perfect victim? <br />
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<b>Author Spotlight: <a href="http://www.sjbolton.com/" target="_blank">S.J. Bolton</a></b><br />
We asked S.J. Bolton so questions, and she was very happy to give us an interview.<br />
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<b>CanyonLand:</b> What was your inspiration for this story?<br />
<b style="color: #783f04;">S.J. Bolton:</b> Books, for me, are rarely inspired by a single idea, more often they represent an amalgamation of several thoughts that I may have been mulling around for a while, sometimes several years. I know the time is right for me to start work when I see the thread that binds the diverse parts together. In the case of Dead Scared, I'd been grimly fascinated for a while by the growing rate of internet-driven suicides. Depressed and desperate people, with nowhere left to turn, seek solace on the web, only to find themselves prey to internet trolls, who feed off and actively encourage the misery of others. I wanted to explore to what extent murder could be committed with no direct contact between perpetrator and victim. At the same time, I was very interested in the notion of how we are all scared in different ways. What is it about spiders, the dark, heights, etc, that can cause people to lose the ability to think rationally? I wondered whether it was possible to scare someone to death. Finally, I wanted to write a story that deals with bullying and that looks at what drives groups of young, intelligent people to gang up on those they perceive to be weaker. The binding thread was my new series character, the young undercover detective, Lacey Flint, who has as many demons of her own to battle, as the women whose lives she is trying to save.<br />
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<b>CanyonLand:</b>Are there any more stories in your future?<br />
<b style="color: #783f04;">S.J. Bolton:</b>I've just finished the third in the Lacey Flint series, title yet to be confirmed, but due for US publication in the summer of 2013. In this work, Lacey is back in her home city of London, struggling to deal with the events of Dead Scared, and wanting nothing more than to be left alone.<br />
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When a serial killer appears to be targeting young boys, abandoning their bodies on the banks of the River Thames, she resists being drawn into the investigation. Until the son of the man she loves becomes the latest victim.<br />
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<b>CanyonLand:</b>Where can your fans find you?<br />
<b style="color: #783f04;">S.J. Bolton:</b>‘Readers can contact me directly via my website <a href="http://www.sjbolton.com/">www.sjbolton.com</a>. I am also on Facebook (S J Bolton) and Twitter (@authorsjbolton) and Goodreads (SJ Bolton)<br />
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<b>Don't forget</b> to browse the right side for all the librarian recommendations. They are all nominated for the inaugural <b>Canyonland Press Readers Choice Awards</b> coming up! don't miss out on some excellent <b>reader! Then VOTE!</b><br />
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<b>Banned Books Week 2012 – Read What You Choose!</b><br />
By: Amy Durham<br />
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When I was in high school, the censorship craze was in full swing. During my junior year, my English teacher assigned a book report and gave us a lengthy list of books from which to choose. When I saw "The Catcher in the Rye" on the list, I immediately decided that was the book I would read. I chose it solely because it was one of the titles being bandied about as "inappropriate" for students. Thought it's been a few years and, admittedly, there are many things I don't remember about it, I do remember thinking that Holden Caufield was just a high school kid, like me and the kids I knew. His language and his actions didn't shock or offend me. He was a teenager. And... big shocker here... teenagers sometimes misbehave and cuss. Holden was a teenager with baggage struggling to find his way. Sure, his drinking and cavorting around New York City wasn't all that smart... but kids don't always make smart decisions. And besides, it's fiction, right?<br />
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This year, the annual “Banned Books Week” begins on September 30. In preparation of the observation of this cause that’s very near and dear to my heart, I recently visited the Banned Book Week website (www.bannedbooksweek.org). I encourage all of you to peruse the website as well. On the “about” page, you’ll find a list of the 10 most challenged books of 2011. On that list… The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (due to violence, among other things) and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (due to offensive language and themes of racism). I was simply aghast. In 2012, are we really still arguing about the racist references in a book that is widely considered to be the finest work of fiction of the 20th century? Are we really still ignoring the fact that the book was set in Alabama in the 1930’s, when racism and all that came with it ran rampant? Are we really still ignoring the greater message of the book, that Scout and her brother, with their father’s help, grow into compassionate, kind, color-blind young people who see the value and the good in every person? Are people in this country really jumping on the anti-Hunger-Games bandwagon because of the violence in the book, and failing to see that the series teaches incredible lessons about the value of human life and what it means to be a compassionate individual in the midst of greed and debauchery? Let me be clear – there is a big difference in being an involved parent and taking an active role in the books your kids read, shielding them from things you feel they aren’t ready for and just blindly striking a book from the list of possibilities because you’ve “heard” it’s violent or has bad language. I encourage good parenting. I discourage blind censorship.<br />
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I thought I couldn’t be anymore surprised, and then I clicked on the “mapping censorship” tab. That censorship is still so widespread in this country is a staggering thought. This year for “Banned Books Week”, I encourage you to take a look at the website and find a book to read. Visit your local bookseller or library and tell the person who assists you that you are observing banned books week by exercising your right to read whatever book you choose!Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-16926897305347863812012-08-15T01:00:00.000-06:002012-08-15T12:07:04.618-06:002nd Edition, August 15, 2012<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1keVxVHVmZk/UCr1QPxXeTI/AAAAAAAACmk/wMEiiyvWIjA/s1600/pagesfromyhearttop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1keVxVHVmZk/UCr1QPxXeTI/AAAAAAAACmk/wMEiiyvWIjA/s200/pagesfromyhearttop.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>Ask an Author</b><br />
by <a href="http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Marie Higgins </a><br />
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The question was asked, "What does it mean when your characters talk to you?"<br />
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This is a good question, ML Blue. I have told so many people that I don't write my stories - but my characters do. If you have a friend who is a writer, you have probably heard them talk about 'voices' in their heads. Well...I'm quite sure some hear voices. Some see scenes flash in their head. Some dream about the story. When characters 'talk' to us, it means we (writers) are in touch with our muse - our creativity so much that we know what kind of story our characters want us to write. Most of us aren't crazy for hearing voices - or seeing scenes flash through our minds. (Now Stephen King...he's a different sort of writer. hahahaha) <br />
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When I sit down to write a story, I usually have an idea of what I want my characters to do. The more in-depth we write our characters, the more we'll hear them. I'll start a dialogue, and I can see my characters talking to each other... They are 'talking' to me so-to-speak. I once had a story 3/4 of the way written when an editor told me to change the hero's name. I took that advice, then I wished I hadn't because my hero was upset and didn't like his new name. For six weeks he didn't talk to me...which means my muse (creativity) didn't work. I couldn't see the story and I couldn't 'hear' my characters. Finally the name grew on him, and Damien started talking once again. <br />
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Please <a href="http://www.canyonlandpress.com/p/ask-author.html">email</a> your questions to me for next month's issue of "Ask An Author".<br />
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<b>Book Titles</b><br />
by<a href="http://anna_sugg.coffeecup.com/" target="_blank"> Anna Sugg</a><br />
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I think book titles are a great way to hook a reader. What do you think?<br />
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Many times I’ve been drawn to a book just because of the title. I checked Goodread.com’s 100 lists of great titles, a few that you might recognize were Where the Wild Things Are, The Grapes of Wrath, A Wrinkle in Time, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (hmm, don’t recognize that one!), Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Okay, that’s their opinion. A couple of titles that I like are Wuthering Heights, Charlotte’s Web, and of course, The Lord of the Rings. Actually, I could list more, but I’ll let you think of the titles you like the best. There have been titles that I really liked, but discovered the novel wasn’t for me, for instance, Eat, Pray, and Love.<br />
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Did you know the publisher has the last say for a title and not the author? For instance, would you be drawn to this title Trimalchio in West Egg? This was the first title of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Now, we all recognize that title. Would you have bothered to read it with the first title splashed across the book cover?<br />
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One of my favorite books that I read when I was young was Gone with the Wind (love the title). Did you know the original title was Pansy? <br />
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Authors spend hours pondering over what to name their novel and many times it’s changed by the publishers. Titles should be an overall impression of the novel, even create the tone of the book, don’t you think? It’s frustrating when you’ve read a book and wonder how they came up with such a title.<br />
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Maybe titles for well established authors aren’t as important as new authors looking to be discovered. When you hear the title Twilight, everyone immediately associated that title with Stephenie Meyers’ books. Or, how many of you have the Bourne trilogy? Did you read Hunger Games before the movie? Did these titles hook you?<br />
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To attract readers, titles as well as book covers, are highly important. Don’t you think? Please check out the list of book titles in Canyonland Press and let us know what you think about the titles our authors have on their books.<br />
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<b>New fun things at the Library!</b><br />
by <a href="http://www.marymartinez.com/" target="_blank">Mary Martinez</a><br />
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Once again I've gone to the library, this time for a meeting. I asked the branch manager what she likes as a reader. As in, what does she find interesting about authors. You're going to have to wait for the answer. In the next few months we're going to do some articles based on her answers. <br />
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While I was there I browsed as I usually do. I love books. I have an iPad, which I have several Apps; for Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Kobo and now I have a new one. It's called <a href="http://www.overdrive.com/" target="_blank"><i>overdrive</i></a>. What is it? I'm more than happy to tell you. <br />
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It's how you check out books from the library to use on any of your devices. I for one would love to be able to check something out at 2 a.m. instead of go to the cyber book store and pay $$ for a new book when I can't sleep. Or any time for that matter. Anyway...<br />
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Once you've downloaded the app (you can also get it from from the App Store on your device) it goes to a screen that has a <i>Get Books</i> option you can great a book shelf with libraries. You can add as many libraries as you'd like from New York to San Diego, all over the world, or as I've done, my local library. Any time, any place, as long as you have 4G or a WiFi connect on your device, you have instant books, for free. <br />
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There are some conditions, just like <i>checking</i> a book out does, you have to have it <i>turned in, in time</i>. It has some type of time code and after three to four weeks, depending on the libraries policy, it will automatically delete from your device. You can't horde books in otherwords. And you cannot have an overdue eBook, so no fees!<br />
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The library manager of my local library, you may notice she has recommended a few books for us, Trish Hull, was a guest on Studio 5, a local studio morning show if you'd like to view a video with instructions you can find it<a href="http://studio5.ksl.com/index.php?nid=71&sid=21687274" target="_blank"> here..</a>.<br />
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Now go out and enjoy the wonderful world of books! Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-50144297974726881602012-08-01T01:00:00.000-06:002012-08-01T21:54:59.992-06:001st Edition, August 1, 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Madam Librarian Recommendation</b><br />
Liesl Seborg, Senior Librarian, Salt Lake County Library Services--<a href="http://www.slcolibrary.org/gl/glal/libraryhunter.htm" target="_blank">Hunter Library</a><br />
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<b> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Some-Sing-Cry-Novel/dp/B0057DC7PG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343879609&sr=8-1&keywords=Ntozake+Shange+and+Ifa+Bayeza" target="_blank">Some Sing, Some Cry</a>.</b> “This is an incredibly well-written story of the generations of Mayfield women and their connections and disconnections over lifetimes. Music and perseverance pervade this saga where richly crafted characters travel the world from South Carolina through wars in Europe and Vietnam to modern day France. Well worth a read or listen!”<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A0Ur76dzIrE/UBc1SRVBc2I/AAAAAAAACQ0/bDChKPOaLlg/s1600/ifa_bayeza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A0Ur76dzIrE/UBc1SRVBc2I/AAAAAAAACQ0/bDChKPOaLlg/s200/ifa_bayeza.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left - Ifa Bayeza, Right - <span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Ntozake
Shange</span></td></tr>
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<b>Authors Sportlight:</b> Ntozake Shange and Ifa Bayeza<br />
We were unable to reach Ms. Shange and Ms. Bayeza for comment, but the public link an bio can be found on aalbc.com the number one site for African American Literature, <a href="http://www.aalbc.com/">www.aalbc.com</a>:<br />
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“Award-winning writer Ntozake Shange and real-life sister, award-winning playwright Ifa Bayeza achieve nothing less than a modern classic in this epic story of the Mayfield family. Opening dramatically at Sweet Tamarind, a rice and cotton plantation on an island off South Carolina's coast, we watch as recently emancipated Bette Mayfield says her goodbyes before fleeing for the mainland. With her granddaughter, Eudora, in tow, she heads to Charleston. There, they carve out lives for themselves as fortune-teller and seamstress. Dora will marry, the Mayfield line will grow, and we will follow them on an journey through the watershed events of America's troubled, vibrant history -- from Reconstruction to both World Wars, from the Harlem Renaissance to Vietnam and the modern day. Shange and Bayeza give us a monumental story of a family and of America, of songs and why we have to sing them, of home and of heartbreak, of the past and of the future, bright and blazing ahead.” <br />
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<b>Expanding Your Reading Experience</b><br />
By: <a href="http://amy-durham.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Amy Durham</a><br />
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Many times, after finishing a book I've thoroughly enjoyed, I find myself a little sad. Sometimes I even slow down the pace of my reading as I near the end of the book so I can draw out the experience. It's actually a rather sweet feeling, to have enjoyed a book so much that I'm sad when it ends. <br />
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If you've ever found yourself in a similar situation, I'd like to suggest a few ways that you can expand that experience, so that when you finish the last page and close the covers of the book, it feels less abrupt and leaves you with a fun sense of anticipation.
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When you realize, in the course of your journey through the book, that the story is speaking to you and pulling you in, decide at that point that you will visit the author's blog or website once you finish the book. It's a simple process in this day and age to contact an author, and while I'm certainly not condoning author-stalking, authors love reader feedback. A comment on a blog post or a sincere email, letting the author know how moved you were by his or her story, will not only provide affirmation to the author, but it also expands the reader's experience, allowing you a "positive closure" for an enjoyable reading experience.<br />
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Next, consider reviewing the book. This is yet another way to let the author know - as well as other enthusiastic readers - that this is a book worth investing in. Readers value the opinion of other readers, so reviewing the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or other retailers will help others find and choose the book that you enjoyed so much. It also allows you a way to process your feelings about a good book, a way to extend the experience in a way that expresses your thoughts and enthusiasm for the story you loved.
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Finally, check out the author's other titles, if you haven't already. Many times the style of writing that you loved in one story will also be present in other books by the same author. While it's true that particular character types and story lines appeal to you, you may find that the author's particular style appeals to you. So, it's worth your time to take a look at an author's back list, or watch his or her website for news of upcoming releases.<br />
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Rather than bottling up your enthusiasm when you finish a great book, try these suggestions! They will expand your reading experience, offering ways to "close out" the experience of reading a book you loved by giving the author feedback, telling other readers how much you loved the book, and giving you a sense of anticipation for other books you might love even more!<br />
<br />Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-32536837081215141242012-07-15T01:00:00.000-06:002012-07-15T01:00:08.882-06:002nd Edition July 15, 2012Why are some genre's more popular than others? That is the theme of our issue.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Empress Theater Magna, Utah </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<b>Paranormal</b> - What goes bump in the night?<br />
By <a href="http://www.marymartinez.com/" target="_blank">Mary Martinez</a><br />
Why do people read what they do? I don't know. Why do some people absolutely love to be scared, sit on the edge of their seats and can't wait to turn the next page to have something jump out at them? And yet other people won't even pick up a scary book?<br />
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This is a bit off the subject, but what I find fascinating is that not everyone watches the same thing on TV as they read in a book. Do you? I love to ghost hunt, yes back on subject, but yet I don't watch all those paranormal, ghost hunter series they have one now. Once in a while I watch an episode of Phsych, but it's more comedy than anything.<br />
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So why do people read paranormal? I know I asked this question before, but is it the unknown? Does it make them wonder, could this really happen? Be happening? I guess it depends what you're reading, I mean how many people read about vampires and think those two questions? <br />
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Ridiculous right? Maybe not. I'm reading <a href="http://deborahharkness.com/discovery-of-witches/" target="_blank"><i>Discovery of Witches</i></a> right now. There are Witches, Vampires and daemons (author's spelling, not mine) all walking around intermingling with the humans. Have I looked around at the people on the bus and wondered, could he be... Yes! Well if you'd seen the people on the bus you'd wonder too. <br />
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Back to why do people read paranormal? True it's a matter of taste, but also <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranormal" target="_blank">paranormal</a> is an umbrella that covers so many different things. I for one do not like to read vampire stories. I may not have started the book I'm reading now if I'd known, yet I'm finding it interesting. But vampires or werewolf's do not do it for me. <b>But</b> witches, ghosts, druids, faeries, I love all of those. I even like a bit of time travel. <br />
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Some paranormal is like suspense, it can keep you on the edge of your seat. You know there is a creature in the basement and you just want to scream at the character not to go down the stairs. Yet, you can't wait until he or she does. Isn't it the same when you know the killer is down there? <br />
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Summing it all up, I don't know why one person reads paranormal and another person hates it. It's all a matter of taste. Please take a minute to take the survey on the right and let Canyonland Press readers know what you like about paranormal. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vJ1ObZzGCvk/UACJY_xd8rI/AAAAAAAAAX4/k3MJm0fspmU/s1600/question-mark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vJ1ObZzGCvk/UACJY_xd8rI/AAAAAAAAAX4/k3MJm0fspmU/s200/question-mark.jpg" width="150" /></a><b>Suspense or Mystery?</b><br />
by <a href="http://anna_sugg.coffeecup.com/" target="_blank">Anna Sugg</a><br />
Which do you like to read? Suspense? Mysteries? Do you know the difference between suspense and mystery? <br />
<br />
I’m a suspense person myself. One great author that comes to mind is Mary Stewart. She started writing romance suspense, as well as historical fictions, in the mid-1950s through the 1980s. You’re in for a treat if you’ve never read her novels, which continue to be reprinted over and over again. <br />
<br />
Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, said that suspense isn’t related to fear, but “a state of waiting for something to happen”. As you read a good suspense novel, you feel the tension, alert to what is surely going to happen, and hold your breath, waiting. This is suspense. Hitchcock kept the audience informed as the story progressed with that suspense building. He was a master.<br />
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Mysteries, on the other hand, are puzzles. Usually asking who and why the crime was committed. An intriguing mystery revolves around something that has already happened, as opposed to something that’s going to happen. Of course, you do find mysteries containing many elements of suspense, especially while the villain is still at large. Mysteries, typically lack surprises, but the puzzled drama of whodunit keeps us turning the pages, like a game.<br />
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Simple differences: suspense is the imminent danger that needs to be resolved; mystery is the intellectual game of puzzles that need to be unraveled.
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<br />
Mystery Writers of America listed their best 100 mysteries and at the top was the complete Sherlock Holmes by author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Also on the list was Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, John Grisham’s A Time to Kill, and the 100th was Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby. Here’s the link: http://www.bestcrimebooks.com/top-100-mysteries-of-all-time-mystery-writers-of-america/<br />
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Do you agree with their list of best 100 mysteries? Really now, are these the best? What would your list look like? Of course the above list is different from the top ten best-selling mysteries of all times: http://top-10-list.org/2010/10/22/top-ten-best-selling-mystery-writers/ <br />
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One of Amazon’s top ten picks for romance suspense authors listed Naked in Death by J.D. Robbs and the fifth place was my favorite book by Catherine Coulter (love that author) The Maze an FBI Series.<br />
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After asking several friends about their favorite authors, and if they knew if they were suspense or mystery writers, they didn’t seem to know or care if they were one or the other. Bottom line, it’s the content that’s important.<br />
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All in all, by the time I completed my research on the difference between suspense and mystery, it was not so complicated to tell the difference between the two. But while searching for the top best mystery and suspense authors, I discovered many authors were listed under both, and there are so many lists, that when it comes right down to it, it’s a certain person or group’s opinion. Hmm, maybe I should do my own list. What do you think?<br />
Please take a minute to take the survey on the right and let Canyonland Press readers know what you like about Mystery/Suspense.<br />
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<strong>Historicals - a wonderful getaway</strong><br />
by <a href="http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com/">Marie Higgins</a><br />
<br />
When I first started reading romance novels, my first book was a historical by <a href="http://www.harpercollins.com/author/microsite/about.aspx?authorid=15300">Kathleen E Woodiwiss</a>, "A Rose in Winter". I was swept away in another world where men were gentlemen and women were proper...and everyone had manners and etiquette. Times were so different back then that most people don't believe things like that happened. Did women really wear dresses all the time? Did gentlemen really wear top hats and walk with walking-sticks? And really...did all they ever do was go to balls or have tea parties? But really, it doesn't matter! What matters to me is that I'm swept away in another world where I can imagine myself wearing a beautiful ball gown dancing with a charming gentleman (or rogue). My two favorite eras are Regency and Victorian.<br />
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REGENCY (1795-1837) - The era was a time of
excess for the aristocracy: for example, it was during this time that
the Prince Regent built the Brighton Pavilion. However, it was also an
era of uncertainty caused by several factors including the Napoleonic
wars, periodic riots, and the concern (threat to some, hope to others)
that the British people might imitate the upheavals of the French
Revolution.</div>
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VICTORIAN (1837-1901) - When 18 year old Princess Victoria
pictured in the header above, became Queen in 1837 no one dreamed she
would reign for the rest of the century for another 64 years. The name
Victorian to describe the whole period is a misnomer as for some years
at the beginning of the era, Regency attitudes prevailed. After 1840
when Victoria married Albert we see the heyday of Victorian <b>attitudes of prudery and a strict outwardly moral code</b> that lasted until about 1890 when Prince Edward the Prince Of Wales and his more spirited lifestyle was echoed in society. <a href="http://www.fashion-era.com/victorians.htm">http://www.fashion-era.com/victorians.htm</a> <br />
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I love these eras because of their manners, their language, and their
courtesy. I've always thought reading books in these eras were more romanctic. And I know I'm not the only one. Historical romance is <strong>booming</strong>! More and more authors are writing in this genre almost to the point that the publishing companies have too many! But that's okay with me. The more...the merrier! I encourage you to pick up a historical romance (any era you like) and read. I can pretty much guarantee you'll love it!</div>
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</div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-38120609155816032462012-07-01T01:00:00.000-06:002012-07-01T01:00:12.828-06:001st Edition, July 1, 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Madam Librarian Recommendation</b><br />
Trish Hull /<a href="http://www.slcolibrary.org/gl/glal/librarymagna.htm" target="_blank">Manager Magna Library</a><br />
<br />
<b>Liver Let Die </b><br />
<b>by <a href="http://www.lizlipperman.com/index.html" target="_blank">Liz Lipperman</a></b>The title almost put me off at first, because I hate liver. Rest easy, the book has nothing to do with liver. (Well maybe foie gras does play a prominent role). Anyway, this gem of a mystery had me laughing and confused the whole way through. This first novel has lots of twists and turns with a thoroughly engaging heroine who you can’t help but root for. This is a great variation on the chef as detective cozy. I may actually try these recipes, especially Rosie’s potato chip chicken.<br />
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<b>Author Spotlight <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_9339809">Liz Lipperman</a></b><a href="http://www.lizlipperman.com/index.html" target="_blank"> </a><br />
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<b>Canyonland:</b> Liz can you tell our readers a bit about yourself, please. <br />
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<b>Liz:</b> A retired nurse, I began writing as a hobby over twenty years ago. Until recently, I thought I was a romance writer despite the fact that my stories all had bad guys and murders. When my agent broke it to me that I was a mystery writer, I argued, but in the end I knew she was right. I was born and raised in the Midwest, but I’ve lived in Dallas for enough years to call myself a Texan. When I’m not writing I spend my time with family and grandchildren and anything that even resembles sports. <a href="http://www.canyonlandpress.com/p/author-spotlight-liz-lipperman-cont.html" target="_blank">Read the rest of the interview</a>...<br />
<b><span style="color: #783f04;">Check out the book nominations to the right! Read them and be prepared to vote for your favorite. Canyonland Press will be having their first annual <i>Readers Choice Awards</i>. So read up!</span></b><br />
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<b>Setting – The Canvas of the Story</b><br />
By<a href="http://amy-durham.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> Amy Durham</a><br />
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Obviously, I read. A lot. And since you’re here, you probably do too!<br />
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My family and I just returned from a two-week vacation out west. We drove from our home in Kentucky to San Diego, California, and took time to enjoy several really amazing places in between, such as the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas (If you don’t know what it is, Google it! It’s SO cool!), the Grand Canyon, and several other Route 66 attractions. In San Diego, we saw the Pacific Ocean in all it’s glory… the flat, sandy beaches of Coronado, the rocky cliffs of La Jolla, and the simple beauty of the Silver Strand. During the trip, we saw farmland, desert, mountains, coastal areas, cities, small towns, Native American reservations, and many different walks of life.<br />
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As a reader and a writer, it made me really think about the importance of the setting in a story. I love such a variety of settings in the stories I read, but what makes the story come alive is when the setting becomes such a part of the story that it’s a character itself. Perhaps is a story set in New Orleans, and the descriptions of the food and the quirky phrases used by the characters make the setting such a strong presence. Or maybe it’s a book set on the coast, and the sounds of the ocean waves and the smell of the salty air transport me to another place for a while. Or maybe the green fields and craggy cliffs of Scotland give me a glimpse of what life is like there.<br />
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Whatever the setting of a book, it has the power not only to drive the story, but also to offer readers an escape. It imbues the story with its personality, creates an atmosphere in which the characters can interact, react, grow, and overcome. It becomes the canvas on which the rest of the action comes to life in brilliant color. It creates for the reader a space to “crawl into” in which to experience the story along with the characters.<br />
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My trip across the country, where I experienced such different landscapes and ways of life than I’m used to in my every day life, gave me the opportunity to think about the books whose settings have truly captured me and the authors who’ve so skillfully integrated the settings into their stories. It made me appreciate the fact that although I haven’t traveled extensively, reading books in various settings can take me to exotic and amazing places. And it made me even more aware of the way the setting of a story can truly become another character.<br />
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If you have a favorite type of setting, or even a particular book that used setting in a beautiful way, we’d love to hear about it!Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-51559618247761292162012-06-15T01:00:00.000-06:002012-06-15T01:00:01.397-06:002nd Edition June 15, 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Summer Reading</b><br />
by <a href="http://www.marymartinez.com/" target="_blank">Mary Martinez</a><br />
This
issue seems to be on reading... Whether it's short or long, summer is
the time where, for some reason, everyone wants to read. Do you have
time? What is summer to you? Do you make more time to read? Or is it
wishful thinking--picturing yourself on a beach reading, the cabana boys
keeping you supplied with fruity drinks. Okay I got a bit carried away.
But is that all it is? Or do you really read more in the summer?<br />
<br />
Barnes
and Noble, Amazon and other bookstores capitalize on the term 'summer
reading'. Do you read a different genre during the summer than you
ordinarily read in the fall, winter, and spring? Is summer the time when
you pull out the heavy romance? Or is that in the spring.<br />
<br />
When
the bookstores start their summer campaigns, I always wonder if they
have an agenda? After all come fall aren't they pushing thrillers? Happy
Santa stories for December. So by this theory Valentines is actually
the heavy romance time. So really what does that leave for Summer?
Women's Fiction? Mystery, I think a good mystery or whodunit is good any
time.<br />
<br />
Please take the poll on the right sidebar about what you like to read in the summer. It will be interesting to see.<br />
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<b>When Short is Sweet</b>: In praise of the short story<br />
by <a href="http://www.sarahbaker.org/">Sarah Baker</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Writing a good short story is considered, by some, to be the
gold standard of an author. It’s actually quite difficult to incorporate all of
the elements of a good story, such as a well-developed plot, fleshed-out
characters, a hook and a satisfying ending, all into a story that is less than
15,000 words long. It’s a challenge that a lot of authors meet and surpass,
while others struggle with mastering their entire careers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> The genre is supposedly derived from the oral story-telling
convention, but it came to enjoy immense popularity during the 1850s and
flourished from the Victorian era well into the current day. Magazines and
newspapers became the preeminent source for short stories, and then many of these
short stories were gathered together and published in volumes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> For readers, a short story can be a satisfying read because
it doesn’t involve the kind of commitment that a full-length novel commands.
You can rest assured that you will get the entire story before you go to bed
rather than having to stay up all night reading. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> I really like short story collections, and I have several
that are knee-jerk go-tos whenever it’s a certain season or if I am feeling a
particular way. The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are not complete until
I have read all of Truman Capote’s memoirs of those holidays with his cousin
Sook. And I love reading Capote’s “The Glass Jar,” which is fictional but still
a perfect read for Christmas. O. Henry’s short story “The Gift of the Magi,” is
another excellent Christmas read.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> When I am feeling sick or tired, I read a collection of
short essays by Colette about her mother, Sido. They are collected into one
volume called “My Mother’s House.” When I want to be challenged, I read her
collection of film reviews, particularly one she published about the work of
Mae West. She had such a way with words, that Colette. Slicing through the
excess with the precision of a surgeon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> And, being a 1920s nerd, I can’t skip over any collection of
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short stories, originally published in magazines like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Smart Set</i>. If you want to have an idea
of what this era was really like, by the man who was the chronicler of his
times, then these stories are a must-read. Want to know why it was so
scandalous for a girl to cut off her hair? Read “Bernice Bobs Her Hair,” and
feel the heroine’s stomach drop when she sees her reflection in the mirror after
chopping off her own hair. And then—her triumph when she cuts off her rival’s
hair.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Short stories often get overlooked nowadays in favor of big,
rambling novels. But they still have so much to offer to readers—and they offer
an important challenge to writers, too. What are your favorite short stories?
What do you like or dislike about them?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <b>And...speaking of short stories, if you missed the beginning of Marie Higgins' "Dangerous Kiss" look at the <a href="http://www.canyonlandpress.com/2012/06/1st-edition-june-1-2012.html" target="_blank">June 1st issue</a>. In this issue you will read the rest of the story. ENJOY!</b></span><br />
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<b>Dangerous Kiss</b> - part 2<br />
by <a href="http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com/">Marie Higgins</a><br />
<br />
Rick grinned that devilish way of
his. “Actually, I’m a cop. I’m currently workin’ on a case that involves a drug
dealer who always manages to get away from us.”<br />
I gasped,
my legs growing numb. This couldn’t be right. “Do you mean . . . Ted?”<br />
Rick
winked. “Yes. My unit has been trackin’ him for the past few months, but we
lost him. Thanks to you, I’ve found him again.”<br />
“I don’t believe this.”<br />
“Neither do
I.” He kissed the top of my head. “But I’m not lettin’ go of you now Miss
Kelsey Manning. You’re my good luck charm, darlin’.”<br />
Good luck
charm? Hardly! It was difficult to feel so fortunate when only bad things had
been happening the past several years. <a href="http://www.canyonlandpress.com/p/dangerous-kiss-part-2.html" target="_blank">Read More.. </a><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></span>Marie Higginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06798408733684974308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-82540242963959989802012-06-01T01:00:00.000-06:002012-06-01T01:00:08.187-06:001st Edition June 1, 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Madam Librarian Recommendation</b><br />
Mary Taylor Huntsman/Librarian/<a href="http://somerset.kctcs.edu/en/Academics/Library.aspx" target="_blank">Somerset Community College in Somerset, KY</a><br />
Ms. Huntsman recommends <i>The Book Thief </i>by <i>Marcus Zusak</i>.<i> </i>This book was very fervently recommended to me by a high school English teacher whose school had read it as a One School-One Book project. Our college’s book group read it as our September selection based on my recommendation. It's important for any number of reasons, not the least of which is that it's a realistic (not gory or offensive) representation of the lives of young people in Nazi Germany. It's narrated by Death Personified but in a thoughtful way. <br />
It's a great way of introducing the subject matter through literature, as a companion to nonfiction along the lines of “Anne Frank: Diary of A Young Girl” or “The Hiding Place”.<br />
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<b>Author Spotlight</b>--<a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/features/markuszusak/" target="_blank">Marcus Zusak</a><br />
We were unable to reach Mr. Zusak for comment and have provide his <i>public </i>link and bio. <br />
Australian author Markus Zusak grew up hearing stories about Nazi Germany, about the bombing of Munich and about Jews being marched through his mother’s small, German town. He always knew it was a story he wanted to tell.<br />
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“We have these images of the straight-marching lines of boys and the ‘Heil Hitlers’ and this idea that everyone in Germany was in it together. But there still were rebellious children and people who didn’t follow the rules and people who hid Jews and other people in their houses. So there’s another side to Nazi Germany,” said Zusak in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald.<br />
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At the age of 30, Zusak has already asserted himself as one of today’s most innovative and poetic novelists. With the publication of The Book Thief, he is now being dubbed a ‘literary phenomenon’ by Australian and U.S. critics. Zusak is the award-winning author of four previous books for young adults: The Underdog, Fighting Ruben Wolfe, Getting the Girl, and I Am the Messenger, recipient of a 2006 Printz Honor for excellence in young adult literature. He lives in Sydney.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zpYYWpLuYOk/T8gq9YYn3VI/AAAAAAAAA9A/QY-Il-y7Ufk/s1600/kissing1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zpYYWpLuYOk/T8gq9YYn3VI/AAAAAAAAA9A/QY-Il-y7Ufk/s200/kissing1.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
<b> Dangerous Kiss</b>--by <a href="http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com/">Marie Higgins</a><br />
Readers asked for it...so now we're giving it to you! Here is part 1 of a short story - a romantic suspense. I hope you enjoy it! <br />
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<div class="MsoHeader" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: .5in;">
Dear God, he’s found me!</div>
<div class="MsoHeader" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: .5in; text-indent: 0.2in;">
I
inhaled sharply and spun away from the man who stood waiting for the subway.
With my heart pumping out of control, I fisted my hands by my side as I studied
the crowd at station. The police had assured me Chicago would be a safe place
to live. After all, it was a large city and I could go unnoticed. Obviously,
their observations were wrong.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.2in;">
It had taken six
long and grueling months before I stopped looking over my shoulder at everyone
who passed. Six months of waking up in the dead of night in a cold sweat,
wondering if he would track me down. These past two weeks were my first to walk
out of my apartment and ride the train to work without feeling afraid.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.2in;">
That would all end
if Ted Stone recognized me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.2in;">
Taking a deep
breath for courage, I peeked over my shoulder. <i>That man</i> stood waiting
for the light rail, his hands clasped behind him as he rocked on his heels, his
mouth puckered as if whistling. Perhaps he hadn’t noticed me . . . yet.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.2in;">
Ted hadn’t changed
much—receding black hair and a bushy mustache. Though he was thick around the
waist, it hadn’t prevented him from holding me down as I kicked and screamed
all those months ago. His earlobe hadn’t yet healed completely from where I’d
ripped off his gold-hoop earring the last time he tried to use his fists to
talk.</div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent2" style="line-height: 150%;">
He wouldn’t have
any way of knowing how much I’d changed unless he’d been watching me. Gulping,
I ran a moist palm down my waitress uniform. Would he know I’d lost twenty-five
pounds? I reached to my ponytail and twisted a lock hanging over my shoulder.
Hopefully, he’d never know I’d grown my hair and added reddish highlights.
Maybe if I mingled in the crowd, he wouldn’t recognize me at all.</div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent2" style="line-height: 150%;">
My temples throbbed with
tension, so I rubbed my forehead, praying he would disappear and I’d know this
had been just a bad dream. I brushed my finger across the puckered skin above
my left eyebrow. The scar! He’d left that identifying mark on my body the last
time I saw him. Although it wasn’t as ugly now, it was still noticeable, and he
would certainly recognize it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.2in;">
Doing another
quick glance around the crowd, I knew I had to leave. I couldn’t risk him
seeing me. Then again . . . if I left now, I’d be back to looking over my
shoulder again 24/7. What I should do was follow him to find out where he was
hiding. Then I could let the authorities know. Then, and only then, could I
return to a normal life.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.2in;">
As more people
gathered to wait for the train, the crowd pushed me closer to my nightmare. I
couldn’t get too close. That would be dangerous. My very life depended on
keeping myself hidden, or at least the scar.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
A
yell came from someone behind him, and Ted glanced my direction. I sucked in a
quick breath as my heartbeat tripled in rhythm. Panic surged through every bone
in my body. I had to hide. Now!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.2in;">
I jerked away from
him, scanning for someone—anyone who might be able to help if the occasion
called. Off to the side, a man stood facing the tracks, wearing dark blue
Wranglers that squeezed his muscular legs, and a black cotton tee-shirt that
hugged his broad chest. A black velvet cowboy hat covered his head and hair,
but a fringe of wheat-streaked tresses grazed his neckline. Muscles strained
against his long-sleeve shirt, giving hope that he was as strong as he looked.
I hoped so in case I needed his help to fight Ted off.<span style="color: red;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.2in;">
Decision made, I
hurried to his side and tapped his shoulder. When deep azure eyes met mine, his
lips pulled into a wide smile. Gads, he gorgeous. But I couldn’t think this
way. I needed him for protection only.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.2in;">
“Hi, I’m Kelsey Manning.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.2in;">
He nodded. “Rick
Jarmin.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.2in;">
Lifting on my
toes, I leaned in to his ear. “I’ll give you one-hundred dollars if you’ll
pretend to know me.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
When
I pulled back, his eyes widened. Of course, I’d shocked him with the offer.
What person wouldn’t be stunned? Hopefully, he didn’t think I was a prostitute.
Then again, <i>those</i> types of women got paid—they didn’t offer to pay for
their services.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
I
snuck a peek over my shoulder to see what Ted was up to, only to see him take a
step toward me. I panicked. Without waiting for Rick’s answer, I wrapped my
arms around his neck and pushed my mouth against his.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
He
hitched a breath and his body stiffened, but at least he didn’t move away. So I
continued kissing him, praying Ted wouldn’t get curious about my identity and
come closer for a more thorough inspection.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.2in;">
The longer I
pecked small kisses on the hunky cowboy’s lips, the more he relaxed. His arms
slid around my waist and pulled me closer as his mouth took over. Holy Moly!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.2in;">
Strange tingles
danced over my skin, and my body grew warm and made me want to sigh aloud and
curl next to him. Impossible! I couldn’t feel giddy at a time like this. I
didn’t even know this sexy man. Yet his kisses were far better than I’d ever
experienced. Heaven help me, but I didn’t want to pull away, but I did, only
long enough to stare into his eyes. Passion played on his face as his gaze slid
over mine for a brief second. Then he lowered his head and captured my mouth
again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.2in;">
Yummy wasn’t quite
the word to describe how he made my insides feel.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
He
tilted his head and deepened the kiss, pulling me against his muscular body.
Heat moved throughout me quicker than I ever thought possible, and I prayed
he’d never stop.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
The
kiss had suddenly turned dangerous. Not as dangerous as being caught by Ted,
but suddenly feelings I’d kept hidden for so long resurfaced and I couldn’t
think straight. Yet, I didn’t care. Not at this particular moment. I wanted
more!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Sighing,
I threaded my fingers through his wavy hair, knocking the hat from his head.
Large hands slid down my backside and cupped my bottom, pressing me to his
hips. It had been too long since I enjoyed this kind of excitement.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
The
roar of the train coming closer broke us apart. I wasn’t sure who stepped away
first, but he kept me in a loose hold, his grin growing wider. Out of breath, I
smiled and swallowed the dryness that had formed in my throat.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
“Am
I still pretendin’?” he asked as he bent to pick up his hat.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
My
heart leapt from the tenderness displayed in his blue eyes. “Yes . . . if you
don’t mind.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
“Not
at all, darlin’. The pleasure’s all mine.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
No
it wasn’t. The pleasure was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mine</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.2in;">
The train stopped
and opened its doors. He linked his fingers through mine and pulled me inside.
Hesitantly, I peeked at Ted who walked ahead of us. Thankfully, his attention
wasn’t on me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.2in;">
But I didn’t feel
out of danger yet.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
The
gorgeous cowboy led me to a back seat, and pulled me down next to him. Without
thinking rationally, I cuddled against him, pressing the side of my scarred
face against his chest. As the cowboy’s arm slid around my shoulder, the rhythm
of his quick heartbeat almost matched mine. He kissed my forehead and I nearly
sighed aloud.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
“Darlin’?”
he whispered. “I hope we’re still pretendin’ because I really like this.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
I
glanced across the aisle at my worst nightmare several seats ahead. Still, Ted
kept his head turned away as he picked up a newspaper and glanced over it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.2in;">
Trying to calm my
nerves, I took a deep breath and in hushed tones, said, “Yes. For a bit longer,
if you don’t mind.” I lifted my head and met Rick’s gaze. Tenderness warmed his
eyes, making me melt. “Thank you, Rick. You’ve been a tremendous help.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
He
lifted his gaze and nodded toward Ted. “Are you tryin’ to hide from him? You
keep lookin’ that way.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
“Yes.”
My voice shook so I quickly cleared my throat. Once again, panic consumed me,
but for some reason Rick’s embrace soothed my frazzled nerves slightly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
“Is
he your ex-boyfriend?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
To
tell Rick the truth at this point would have been ludicrous because in another
fifteen minutes or so, I’d pay him and he’d leave. I might never see him again.
Disappointment washed over me and I brushed it aside. At this stage in my life,
I couldn’t have a relationship. It was too soon.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
“Yes,”
I answered and pressed my face closer to him. “I haven’t seen him in several
months, and I don’t want to break that record now.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
“Then
there’s only one thing to do.” Rick lifted my chin with his knuckle until I met
his gaze. He glanced at my mouth. “I’ll have to keep you distracted, won’t I?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
“I—I—I
don’t know. I don’t want you to distract me like you did earlier. I need to
keep an eye on him.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
“I’ll
keep him in my sights. You just relax and enjoy.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Before
I could reply, Rick’s mouth landed on mine. His lips were so very gentle, and
little by little Ted left my mind. Pleasure strummed through my blood, and all
I wanted to do was clutch Rick’s muscular body and cuddle closer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
It
had been way too long since I’d felt this way. Even through my panic, his
kisses made me follow his instructions. Relax and enjoy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Dang,
why did I have to pick this man to kiss? Maybe I should have chosen one that
wasn’t so gorgeous. Then I could have resisted. Instead, I was content to let
him kiss me to distraction.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
His
hand slid down my neck. Although I enjoyed his touch . . . I enjoyed it too
much, and that scared me. Breathless, I grasped Rick’s hand and broke the kiss.
I gazed into a pair of very intoxicating eyes—eyes a woman could drown in.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
“I
. . . I can’t let you do that.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Breathing
just as heavy, he nodded. “Forgive me. I got carried away. It’s not very often
I make out with a sexy woman.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
His
comment caught me off guard and I chuckled. “Oh, that’s a good line. But I
think you’re fibbing. I’m sure a guy like you makes out with lots of women.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Rick
pulled away and arched a brow. “A guy like me? What’s that supposed to mean?”<br />
Oh, good grief! He was going
to make me say it, wasn’t he? Well, I might as well. “A hot guy. That’s what I
mean. A hot guy like you.” So there, I said it, and embarrassment scalded my
cheeks.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
His
grin widened and he pulled me back into his embrace. “You think I’m hot, huh?”<br />
Chuckling, I shook my head and
glanced at my nightmare who was thankfully still reading the paper. Should I
follow Ted? I wanted a normal life once and for all, and if the only way to get
that was by turning him in to the authorities. Since the police were after him,
they’d probably be only too happy for a little help.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
The
train slowed for the next stop, and Ted folded the newspaper and stood. My
heart bounced with anxiety. Here was my chance. Should I take it?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
“Rick.”
I quickly met his stare. “Thank you for helping me, but I need to get off at
this stop.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
His
forehead creased as he glanced in the other man’s direction. “Why? He’s gettin’
off here, too. I thought you were tryin’ to hide from him.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
“I
am, but I need to find out where he lives.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
“Why?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
“Because
. . .” Nibbling on my bottom lip, I pondered whether to tell him the truth.
Rick seemed like someone to confide in. It was his trusting eyes that made me
confess. “Because he’s wanted by the law, and I would like him arrested as
quickly as possible.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Rick
nodded, took my hand and stood. “Then I’ll go with you.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Was
this guy for real? Although very heroic of Rick to offer, I didn’t want to
involve another person.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
The
train stopped and I glanced toward Ted who scooted to the aisle. “Rick, really,
that’s sweet of you, but—”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
“Come
on, darlin’. There’s no time to argue now. He’s gettin’ away.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Before
I could say anymore, Rick pulled me out of my chair, and I trailed after the
cowboy. I shouldn’t complain, although I didn’t want to involve him any more
than I had already. Rick was well built, and appeared to have his head screwed
on right. Obviously, he was adventurous, too. Perhaps that was a good thing.
With a go-getter like him, he’d definitely make sure I didn’t chicken out.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
“Rick,
I really shouldn’t let you—”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
“Honey,
you don’t have any choice.” He winked. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.
Besides, you like my company.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
That
wasn’t all I liked . . .</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
He
squeezed my hand. “Not only that, but if you don’t want him to get suspicious,
you’ll need me by you. For all he knows, we’re together.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
I
shook my head. “I can’t let you get involved. This man is dangerous.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
“I’m
not afraid of a little danger. I thrive on adventure.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
I
stepped off the train still holding his hand, my heartbeat jumped to my throat.
I’d never been adventurous in my life. The closest I’d ever come was going to
the grocery store at one o’clock in the morning. How pathetic!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.2in;">
Rick kept a good
distance behind Ted as he slipped his arm around my shoulders. I enjoyed
feeling so protected—like he cared more for me than himself. I wasn’t used to
men like that.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
“Really,
I shouldn’t let you do this,” I whispered. “This is not the time to act all
macho.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Grinning,
he stared into my eyes. “All macho, huh? Well, what would you say if I told you
I do this for a livin’?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
I
swallowed the bubble of laughter rising in my throat. Sure, he did. “You’re
macho for a living?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
“Well,
I try.” He chuckled. </div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-67083941963343065402012-05-15T01:00:00.000-06:002012-05-15T01:00:04.205-06:002nd Edition May 15, 2012<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: magenta; font-size: large;">Watch for June 1st issue. We'll be starting to post short stories for your reading pleasure!!</span></b></div>
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<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YYYlwwjBMuU/T6x6cOkwIVI/AAAAAAAABwc/ki6ykWBxSCk/s1600/Young+Readers1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YYYlwwjBMuU/T6x6cOkwIVI/AAAAAAAABwc/ki6ykWBxSCk/s200/Young+Readers1.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>What are your schools teaching your children?</b><br />
By <a href="http://www.marymartinez.com/" target="_blank">Mary Martinez</a><br />
If you're reading Canyonland Press it's safe to say you're a reader. How old were you when received your first list of reading words? Or your first poem to memorize in school? I have seven grandchildren, so I am always interested in what they are learning in school. On a whole I haven't been disappointed.<br />
<br />
My husband watches some of the younger children, two are in kindergarten, and after school he helps with their homework. And if the older kids are over for Papa and Nana night they do their homework under the watchful eye of Papa also. What I'm saying is we probably have more opportunity to monitor what our grandkids do than we did with our own children.<br />
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Reading is the foundation that all parents and grandparents need to make sure the children in the family are receiving. Make sure that every child has a good breakfast before school, or lunch if they go to kindergarten in the afternoon. It's a proven fact children who eat nutritiously and are well rested do better in school.<br />
<br />
Why am I preaching to the choir, so to speak? Because something happened recently with a homework assignment. One of our five year old grandsons was doing his homework and with it was three poems that he was to memorize to recite with his class for their end of the year program. "We did it". Here is one of them. <br />
<br />
<b>STUPID PENCIL MAKER</b><br />
Some dummy built this pencil wrong—<br />
The eraser’s down here where the point belongs.<br />
And the point’s at the top—<br />
So it’s no good to me<br />
It’s amazing how stupid some people can be.<br />
<br />
I thought at first I had read it incorrectly, then I read it again. I was appalled. In my home our children are not allowed to call each other <i>dummy</i> or <i>stupid</i>. Not only that one of his reading words was <i>Hate</i>. I may not have noticed the word if it hadn't been I was so upset over the poem. However, that is another word we do not use in our home. <br />
<br />
I emailed the principal and the district, and they had a <i>discussion</i> with the teacher and the poem will not be recited and a new poem will be sent home for the children to learn. (No one messes with Nana's kids)<br />
<br />
So please take part in your children and/or grand-children's assignments, monitor what they bring home. They are our future. Please leave a comment. I'd love to hear your views about this topic.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YWBjoCVHz9A/T6yAxPq5_VI/AAAAAAAABwo/rmuN4nerj9c/s1600/Books_to_read.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YWBjoCVHz9A/T6yAxPq5_VI/AAAAAAAABwo/rmuN4nerj9c/s200/Books_to_read.png" width="150" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: black;">Books, Books,
Books</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">by <a href="http://anna_sugg.coffeecup.com/" target="_blank">Anna Sugg</a></span></b><span style="color: black;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black;">“All the best stories in the world are but one story in reality
–the story of escape.” -Arthur Christopher Benson-</span></div>
<br />
How many books do you read a week, a month? I know readers that read two to three books a week, even more now that they can download onto an ereader. I’m envious of those people. I love to read, but as a writer it’s hard to find time to read as much as I would like. Have you ever wondered how long it takes an author to write the story? <br />
<br />
Do you know some writers take weeks, months and even years to complete a story, and yet it only takes some readers a few hours to read the completed book? Amazing. Do you know what a writer has to go through to complete that wonderful story you just read in a few hours? Here’s an eye opener in a nutshell.<br />
<br />
First thing is an idea. Writing the Rough Draft is usually started by typing the entire story out that’s spilling from the writer’s brain. Most writers typed without thinking about grammar, spelling, word count, or punctuation (I do). I’ll make notes along the way if any research is needed. But, the words continue to spill from my fingers, filling the blank pages. This is the fun part of writing. I don’t even worry about going off in a different direction – cutting comes later. Some writers will have more than one rough draft. Sometimes a rough draft can be 400 to 500 pages, plus.<br />
<br />
Revision is next, which is looking at the entire story as a whole and that it flows well. This means there might be more additions, or rearranging sections, or even removing a section. Maybe there’ll be a need to replace paragraphs or delete them to make the story stronger. Even a scene may need to be cut (writers have been known to cry over this). Some writers revise several times before they feel the story flows smoothly and nothing is left out. Also, the end must come together that leaves no unanswered questions – I hate reading a book only to ask but…but what about??? – You know what I mean?<br />
<br />
Now it’s time to Edit. Going line-by-line to make sure each sentence, phrase and word is the best for the story. This isn’t the fun, its hard work. The other thing is subject-verb agreement and punctuations. Oh dear, put in the comma, take out the comma! Who know? And, finally, spelling –correct spelling, but wrong word!! English isn’t easy.<br />
<br />
Once the manuscript is finalized, then it’s time to find a publisher. That’s a whole different article that you as a reader might be interested, or not. Taking a manuscript from beginning to end is a long process which takes much longer than reading the book. <br />
<br />
I appreciate all the hard work that an author puts into writing a story. I applaud all writers that complete a story that is placed in your hands, the reader. Without the writers, what would we read?<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Learning to Love
Tropes<o:p></o:p></span><br />
by <a href="http://www.sarahbaker.org/">Sarah Baker</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As a writer, I must admit that tropes are a lot of fun.
Tropes often get a bad rap because they are thought of as clichés. But there's
something that distinguishes the trope from the cliché. A trope is more like a
tool in your writer bag of tricks. It's something--a character, a movement, or
even an idea--that can help your readers understand just what the heck you're
driving at. And for the audience, you already know this tool and how it works,
and so you enjoy the ride.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Genre fiction relies heavily on tropes, but non-fiction can
too. Television shows, movies, plays--just about any form of entertainment
utilizes the trope at some point or another. For example, what about the
loveable geek who ends up with the hot chick? How many teen movies have relied
intensely--if not entirely--on this trope? Or the awkward young girl who
becomes the most desirable creature on the planet once she loses her glasses
and lets her hair down? I *know* that trope was the basis of most music videos for
the duration of the 1980s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You can have fun by subverting tropes, too. Let's take our
example of the awkward-but-secretly-beautiful young woman in glasses. Remember
the movie "The Breakfast Club?" Remember how Ally Sheedy's character,
Allison, is made over by Molly Ringwald's Claire? She goes from a
socially-awkward loser who eats a Pixie Stix and Cap'n Crunch sandwich to a
breathtaking--but homogenized--high school sweetheart. John Hughes probably
included this transformation because most teen movies demand this trope.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But what if Allison stayed who she was? And what if Claire
were expected to change? What if Andrew Clark, played by Emilio Estevez,
decided to love Allison without this makeover? A lot of people have devoted a
lot of time to subverting this trope. There's an entire Facebook group devoted
to just this one scene in the movie. What fun it is, sometimes, to change or
even ignore the tropes that define a genre.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As a reader, I have some tropes that I frankly adore. One of
my favorite writers is L.M. Montgomery, and her books are full of these tropes.
My favorite? The wedding that went horribly wrong and is only redeemed after
years of suffering on the part of the bride and the groom. Would you want to
live through this? No. Does it make for great reading? Without a doubt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So as a reader, I must know--what are your favorite tropes?
Are there some that you purposely avoid?<o:p></o:p></span></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-12125949671630430362012-05-01T01:00:00.000-06:002012-05-01T18:58:41.002-06:001st Edition, May 1, 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Madam Librarian Book Recommendation</b><br />
<a href="http://bcpl.lib.ut.us/" target="_blank">Elizabeth /Librarian/Brigham City, Utah </a><br />
The Berlin Boxing Club is a powerful story about Karl Stern’s journey through adolescence and self-discovery during a time when the social and political climate forced young people to hasten their journey to adulthood. Sharenow’s story engages readers quickly and readers will be eager to stay on Karl’s journey with him. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves a well-told tale, especially those who are interested in the history of the holocaust, World War II stories, art (including comics) and/or boxing history. A thoroughly enjoyable read! Although the Brooks' marriage is on the rocks, Peter and Anna attempt to survive in their country home with their family and Peter's lab assistant. No power, no food and the survival instinct of once friendly neighbors make it a life-or-death situation. The disease is spreading and winter's storms make survival unlikely. Especially when the illness hits home. I hope your readers will be drawn to this book. As I was preparing my blurb I found a review that didn't like the book. There were also good reviews. So. I stand by this book. I enjoyed it and found it very timely.<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YXdGysyx7Cg/T522ovppT_I/AAAAAAAABuw/myAoRYMq_zo/s1600/Author-Robert-Sharenow2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YXdGysyx7Cg/T522ovppT_I/AAAAAAAABuw/myAoRYMq_zo/s200/Author-Robert-Sharenow2.jpg" width="155" /></a><b>Author</b><b> Spotlight--<a href="http://robertsharenow.com/" target="_blank">Robert Sharenow</a></b><br />
Canyonland Press was unable to reach Mr. Sharenow for comment about his book recommendation. We've taken the liberty to add his bio and picture from his <i>public</i> web site. Robert Sharenow is an award-winning writer and television producer. His first novel, My Mother the Cheerleader, was chosen as a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age, and a VOYA Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers. The book is currently being developed into a feature film by Julia Roberts’ production company, Red Om. His second novel, The Berlin Boxing Club, will be published by Harper Teen in 2011.<br />
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He currently serves as Senior Vice President of Non-fiction and Alternative Programming for A&E Network and Bio Channel. He is responsible for supervising the development and creation of all of A&E’s non-fiction programming including the network’s signature real-life series, justice franchises, critically-acclaimed documentary series, A&E IndieFilms, and lifestyle programming. He also oversees original program development for the Bio Channel.<br />
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He has developed and/or served as executive producer on several critically acclaimed and hit real life series, including Intervention, Storage Wars, Hoarders, Beyond Scared Straight, Steven Seagal: Lawman, Heavy, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Criss Angel Mindfreak, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, The First 48, Manhunters, and Growing Up Gotti. For the Bio Channel, he is responsible for developing Shatner’s Raw Nerve, I Survived, and Celebrity Ghost Stories. Under his leadership, A&E IndieFilms has produced and released several theatrical documentary features including award-winners, The September Issue, American Teen, Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer, and The Tillman Story.<br />
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Prior to A&E, Sharenow served as Executive Producer of The History Channel’s award-winning weekly series, This Week in History. While at The History Channel, he also co-created and launched the series, Extreme History with Roger Daltrey. In addition, he served as Senior Producer of a special commemorating the anniversary of 9/11, Relics From the Rubble. His other television writing credits include Michael Moore’s Emmy-award-winning TV Nation and the Emmy-award-winning children’s series Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego.<br />
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He is a graduate of Brandeis University. He received his Master’s degree from New York University where he held a fellowship in the American Studies department. He lives in New York with his wife, two daughters, and their dog, Lucy.<br />
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<b>YOU MIGHT BE A READER IF…</b><br />
by <a href="http://amy-durham.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Amy Durham</a><br />
Readers are an interesting subset of the population. Sometimes a reader is a typical intellectual looking individual with glasses and a briefcase or tote bag full of books. Sometimes a reader is the big burly guy who rides a motorcycle and wears leather chaps. My point is this: Nowadays, so many people read so many different types of books that it’s difficult to tell by looking who’s a reader and who’s not. <br />
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However, I think many times the reader “stereotype” remains. And really, that’s not such a bad thing! As an avid reader, I don’t mind being thought of as a dreamer, an oddball, an introvert who’d rather read than interact, or an eccentric for my deep love of fictional characters. It’s part of the personality of a reader, and I take such labels as compliments!<br />
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As I thought about what it means to be a reader, how one might go about defining a reader, many ideas popped into my head. Some are dead-on true, and other are, well, humorous traits of voracious readers. Either way, if you love to read, you’ll likely find something on this list that describes you!<br />
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15. While waiting to be seated at a restaurant, you pull out a book or an e-reader and start reading.<br />
14. You actually think seriously about getting up early on your day off because of all the reading you could get done.<br />
13. If you’re “to be read pile” gets below 10 books you start to panic.<br />
12. When you leave the house, you make sure you have your keys, wallet, and a copy of your current read or your e-Reader.<br />
11. You consider naming your children after your favorite characters from a book.<br />
10. Your bookstore’s phone number is on the speed dial of your cell phone.<br />
9. You have Amazon.com and/or BN.com bookmarked on your computer.<br />
8. You decide to learn about scuba-diving, antique sales, Navy SEALS, or any other random subject matter because you read a book with characters who did those things.<br />
7. Before going to sleep at night, you say (either to yourself or your spouse), “Let me just finish this chapter.”<br />
6. You feel compelled to try a new recipe because in the book you just finished, the characters enjoyed a food that sounded particularly interesting.<br />
5. You really hope the fire marshal doesn’t make a surprise visit to your house, because the number of books you own constitute a fire hazard.<br />
4. You’ve been known to put off cooking dinner, doing laundry or returning phone calls because you’re so caught up in the book you’re reading.<br />
3. Some of your best friends are fictional characters.<br />
2. Weeping, laughing out loud, and/or grinning like an idiot over words on a page are a regular occurrence for you.<br />
1. Your life has been infinitely enriched by the books you’ve read, the lessons they’ve taught you, and the imagination and dreams they’ve inspired!<br />
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<b>DO YOU LIKE TELLING OR SHOWING?</b><br />
by <a href="http://phylliscampbell.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Phyllis Campbell</a><br />
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When I first started reading over 17 years ago, I did not know the difference between an author who 'told' me a story, and an author who 'showed' me a story. As I transitioned from a reader to a writer, I had this concept pounded in my brain... WE MUST SHOW NOT TELL. Yet as a reader, do you really know the difference? Most don't know. The ladies I work with hear all about my stories and the process of writing. Many of them have told me they never realized the difference between 'telling' vs 'showing'...until I pointed it out to them. Once I explained it, they went back to those memorable books they couldn't stop thinking about and realized it was because the author 'showed' the reader what was going on in the story instead of 'telling'.<br />
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One way of writing isn't necessarily better than the other. It will all depend on what genre you like to read and what your tastes are. Children's books, of course, is written in telling form. "Once upon a time Snow White lived..." Author is telling you about Snow White and what happened to her. When I first read Harry Potter, I didn't know it was more of a 'telling' kind of story until recently when I picked it up and skimmed through it. Mystery and suspense stories are more like 'showing'. Especially thrillers. How else is the author going to scare the bejeezies out of you? Or even keep you wanting to turn the page to see what happens next?<br />
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For those of you who don't understand what I'm talking about, let me give you some examples.<br />
Telling - <i><b>He was angry for the way she talked to him.</b></i><br />
Showing - <i><b>Anger poured through him like molten lava, hot and thick. She had no reason to speak to him in such a way.</b></i><br />
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Telling <b>- </b><i><b> </b></i><b><i>When Nick looked at her, she felt flushed, and she shyly looked down at her hands.</i></b><br />
Showing - <b><i>Nick's gaze swept over her in a leisurely exploration. Heat rushed to her face as her heart pounded out of control. Embarrassed over experiencing such a strange, stirring emotion, she lowered her eyes to study her hands.</i></b><br />
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Now tell me...which one of these sentences do you like reading better? For me...it would be the "showing" sentences because I MUST feel like I'm inside the character's whole body when I'm reading so I know their thoughts, feelings, and pain.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #783f04;"><i>Don't forget to read the book recommendations on the side bar so you can vote in the Canyonland Press Readers Choice Awards.</i></span></b>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-75224543035205339792012-04-15T01:00:00.044-06:002012-04-15T01:00:00.717-06:002nd Edition, April 15, 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-snHp0ID4LvM/T4jxrxFw1uI/AAAAAAAABuE/RxVzMgxUhHY/s1600/pagesfromyhearttop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-snHp0ID4LvM/T4jxrxFw1uI/AAAAAAAABuE/RxVzMgxUhHY/s1600/pagesfromyhearttop.jpg" /></a></div><b>Ask an Author</b><br />
by <a href="http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Marie Higgins</a><br />
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This month's question comes from Breanna Larson. "Do authors write about what happens in their real lives?"<br />
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Breanna - and anyone else who wonders this - my answer is <i>HEAVENS NO</i>! Over the years, I've met many authors, and none of us have written anything close to what happens in our real lives. Then again, I only know fiction authors. Wikipedia says this - "<b>Fiction</b> is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author." If writers wrote about every day - real - situations, I'd think there would be a lot of boring books out there. Don't you? There would be no fantasy - no room to dream. There would be no paranormal, that's for sure!<br />
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I've learned a lot of things in the many years I've been writing, and authors hear this saying a lot - "write what you know". This doesn't mean in <b>any</b> way that we write what are children are doing - or our husband, or what happens at work. And for those sensual writers out there, they are probably <b>not</b> writing about what's happening in their own bedrooms. (heehee)<br />
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"Write what you know" means that we write feelings. Were we once scared? How did we feel at that time? Well...write your character to feel how you felt. Was our heart broken at one time? If so, then display that feeling on paper and through your characters. If we have been to England and know what the countryside looks like - write it!<br />
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I hope this has answered your question, Breanna...and anyone else interested. Thanks for asking! <br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZklEeiw7pPg/T4btZxBhknI/AAAAAAAAATM/lgmEEdxX7A4/s1600/Judge.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730528602787779186" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZklEeiw7pPg/T4btZxBhknI/AAAAAAAAATM/lgmEEdxX7A4/s200/Judge.jpg" style="float: left; height: 135px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 101px;" /></a><b>Judging a Book by its Cover</b><br />
by <a href="http://anna_sugg.coffeecup.com/" target="_blank">Anna Sugg</a><br />
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Do you judge a book by its cover? I do at one time or another. I’m probably guessing most of us do. If I liked the book cover, then I tend to read the blurb on the back; otherwise, my eyes keep on wandering.<br />
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In 1944 it was written in the American Journal American Speech as “you can't judge a book by its binding". Then, in 1946 a murder mystery novel, Murder in the Glass Room by Edwin Rolfe and Lester Fuller wrote what is considered the first phrase, “you can never tell a book by its cover."<br />
According to Wikipedia encyclopedia, “don’t judge a book by its cover” is a metaphorical phrase meaning “don’t prejudge an exterior.” But, we do – in everything.<br />
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I’m sure I’ve missed out on some good books by passing them over when I didn’t like the cover, or it didn’t draw me in enough to read the blurb. Now that e-books are on the rage, do you take a look at the book cover first? Again, I usually do. After the cover, I check the price, and then read the blurb. A book without a cover! Oh, my gosh. Well, as you can guess, I barely glance at them, much less read the blurb. The first time I downloaded a book to my Kindle and the book cover didn’t show up, I was upset.<br />
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If you ignored a book because you didn’t like the cover, you will never know whether or not the book was more interesting than the one you just read with a beautiful, enticing cover. There are many good authors out there that have fallen prey to low sales because of poor book covers. Did you know that many of the covers are not the author’s design? Have you ever thought, “Hey, wait a minute, the woman in the story is a blue-eyed blonde and not a brown eyed, dark haired women as portrayed on the book cover.” It happens.<br />
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Did judging a book by its cover meet your expectation when you read the story? What about other things? For example, have you ever looked for a house to buy, and without thinking, you actually judged a house by the exterior. But, the moment you stepped inside it didn’t meet your expectation, or vice versa. We can relate that to a book cover as well.<br />
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Maybe, it would be a good idea to read a few blurbs, the first couple of pages, and some reviews before we rely strictly on the book cover.<br />
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Take a tour through <b>Canyonland Press</b>, and let me know what you think of the book covers. Are they eye-catching for you or did you have to take a second look? What do you think?<br />
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What’s inside, matters.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RCPvcue9eLg/T4nOY4SewTI/AAAAAAAABuM/n_QGiq3jRQY/s1600/genre.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RCPvcue9eLg/T4nOY4SewTI/AAAAAAAABuM/n_QGiq3jRQY/s200/genre.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><b>What's your genre?</b><br />
by <a href="http://www.marymartinez.com/" target="_blank">Mary Martinez</a><br />
Are you up to a challenge? Okay then read on!<br />
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Are you a one genre kind of person? Or do you go wild and crazy a do them all? First I guess I ought to define genre. And this will also help me, I'm always a little blurry on the exact definition when it comes to literature. So I've done a little research. <br />
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Let's start with the word origin and history:<br />
<b>genre</b><br />
1770, from Fr. genre "kind, sort, style," from O.Fr. (see gender). Used especially in Fr. for "independent style," as compared to "landscape, historical," etc.<br />
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Then I found three different definitions, here is the best two that fit novels:<br />
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<b>World English Dictionary</b><br />
genre — n<br />
1. a. kind, category, or sort, esp of literary or artistic work<br />
b. ( as modifier ): genre fiction<br />
2. a category of painting in which domestic scenes or incidents from everyday life are depicted <br />
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<b>Cultural Dictionary</b><br />
genre <br />
The kind or type of a work of art, from the French, meaning “kind” or “ genus.” Literary genres include the novel and the sonnet. Musical genres include the concerto and the symphony. Film genres include Westerns and horror movies.<br />
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So according to this--if I understand it properly--a <i>novel</i> is a genre, a <i>poem</i> is a genre, and a <i>short story</i> would also be a genre of literature. So we all have an idea of what the genre is, and in the case of the novel, genre has been broken down into:<br />
<ol><li>Types or kinds</li>
<ol><li>Fiction</li>
<ol><li>Contemporary</li>
<li>Historical</li>
<li>Western</li>
<li>Horror, thriller</li>
<li>Suspense, Mystery</li>
</ol><li>Non-Fiction</li>
<ol><li>Health</li>
<li>Financial</li>
<li>Education</li>
</ol></ol></ol>And those are only a few. As a reader, do you only read one of the above? Do you walk into a bookstore and head to your favorite section that holds a specific genre? Or do you browse, look at covers, as Anna has asked in the previous article?<br />
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What I would like to do is <b>challenge</b> all of Canyonland's readers to try a new genre. Then <a href="mailto:editor@canyonlandpress.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">email me</a> with your feedback. Tell me these five things: 1. How did you pick your new genre? 2. Did you pick by the cover? 3. Did you read the blurb? 4. Did you pick by a combination of cover and blurb? 5. Were you happy with your choice?<br />
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In June I will post what your answers were and we'll discuss them. We all get into a rut in almost everything we do in our daily lives. Things become routine. So when you think of your reading material, think; <i>Have I gotten into a genre rut? Do I continuously read the same thing? </i><br />
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Maybe you like your rut, but how do you know <b><i>what</i></b> you're missing if you don't try something new. So I've thrown down the <i><b>gauntlet-</b></i>-go to your local bookstore, library or your online bookstore and browse <i>something new and exciting</i>.<br />
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Then <b>SHARE</b> with us, remember to <a href="mailto:editor@canyonlandpress.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">email me</a>! (editor (at) canyonland press dot com) <br />
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<span style="color: #783f04;"><b>REMINDER: Our Reader's Choice awards will be here soon. On the Side bar our first two nominations are listed. We will have a new one May 1st. Read them so you can vote for your favorite!</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Judy Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02190725381203763171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-16175118851971759992012-04-01T01:00:00.030-06:002012-04-03T07:14:58.324-06:001st Edition - April 1, 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BsKIQ96PHu0/T3Pba3adjoI/AAAAAAAABss/qq7qLHFxH7I/s1600/Carla_Buckley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BsKIQ96PHu0/T3Pba3adjoI/AAAAAAAABss/qq7qLHFxH7I/s200/Carla_Buckley.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><b></b><br />
<b>Author Spotlight --Carla Buckley</b><br />
I have always wanted to be a writer. It wasn't until my first child was born, however, and I decided to stay home and raise her, that I allowed myself to pursue my dream. Over the course of a dozen years, I wrote eight novels. Along the way, I signed with a literary agent, and although we came close several times to selling one of my books, we remained unsuccessful. <br />
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I almost gave up. We had three children, college tuition was looming, and we’d been on one income all this time. Then my husband got a job offer and we moved our family to central Ohio, where we knew no one. At this time, the news was filled with dire warnings about how scientists were worried that the H5N1 flu strain in China would turn into a pandemic--which meant that the flu would spread quickly and certainly across the entire globe. This particular strain was killing half of everyone it infected, and I began to worry: what would I do if a pandemic broke out? How would I protect my children in a city where I had no family, no friends, and barely knew my neighbors?<br />
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One night, I had a nightmare. The flu had broken out, people were dying all around me, and my neighbor knocked on my door to beg for a favor. My decision in my dream was a terrible one, and when I woke the next day, I was haunted by it. I decided to set aside the novel I was about to embark on and instead, take up the story of an average American family in an average American city, confronted by a devastating flu pandemic. The nightmare I’d had became the midpoint of my story.<br />
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Because it was important that the science in my novel be as accurate as possible, I did a great of research, interviewing scientists, preparedness experts, and food industry specialists, and reading everything I could find on the 1918 Great Influenza Pandemic. The story poured out of me, and a few months later, I signed a two-book contract with Random House. The story I had written, The Things That Keep Us Here, has been nominated for awards, sold to a number of countries, and selected as a Random House Reader’s Circle book club pick.<br />
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My next book, Invisible, will be released this December. It’s about a sister who returns home after a long absence to find her sister dying and others in her hometown stricken by the same mysterious illness. And, I recently went back to contract with Random House for my third book, which I am currently writing.<br />
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One of the things I like to tell aspiring writers is to never give up!<br />
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I love connecting with readers, and regularly attend ThrillerFest in New York and Bouchercon (held this year in Cleveland.) I do plan to tour when Invisible releases, although my plans have not been finalized. Otherwise, readers can contact me through my Facebook fan page, Twitter, and my website: <a href="http://www.carlabuckley.com/">www.CarlaBuckley.com</a>.<br />
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<span style="color: #783f04;"><i>The Things that Keep us Here</i> is our April Nomination for the Canyonland Reader's Choice Awards in September. Remember everyone will need to vote for their favorite in the poll in September!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U6jX-zTM0-U/T2ffG3CU_RI/AAAAAAAABqk/ozsUuo6Regw/s1600/A_boy_pulling_a_wagon_full_books_101113-184003-322009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U6jX-zTM0-U/T2ffG3CU_RI/AAAAAAAABqk/ozsUuo6Regw/s200/A_boy_pulling_a_wagon_full_books_101113-184003-322009.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Fun Ideas for Finding Fabulous Books </b> <br />
By: <a href="http://amy-durham.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Amy Durham</a><br />
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If you’re like me, most of the time you have no trouble finding books to read. But there are those occasions when I find myself at a loss. The to-be-read pile has dwindled to nothing; my Kindle is full of books I’ve already finished, and I just don’t know what to look for next. If you’ve ever found yourself in that situation, or if you’ve just wanted to look for something different from your regular reading material, I have a few suggestions for you.<br />
<ol><li>Amazon “also boughts” – Think of a book you loved… one that you thought about long after you’d finished reading it. Find that book on Amazon.com and scroll down until you see the phrase customers that bought this book also bought. Here you’ll find various books purchased by other readers who also bought the book you loved. Many times I’ve discovered a new author or a book I hadn’t heard of while browsing this way.</li>
<li>Goodreads – If you haven’t joined Goodreads.com, it’s a great way to discover new reading material. The process is pretty simple. Add books that you’ve read and enjoyed to your virtual shelf. Rate and/or review them. Goodreads will recommend books to you based on the books you have on your shelf. Additionally, you can ask other Goodreads members to recommend a book to you by simply asking. With such a huge number of readers gathered in one place, you’re bound to find something great to read.</li>
<li>Genre-hop on the bestseller lists – This is one of my favorites! Head over to Amazon.com or BN.com and choose a genre you don’t normally read. Find the bestseller lists in that genre and take a look at the top sellers. This is a great way to venture into a new genre with some quality assurance. This is how I discovered “The Hunger Games”. Need I say more?</li>
<li>Ask for recommendations – When all else fails, or you just don’t want to go searching on the internet, ask someone for a recommendation. It could be a friend who’s also an avid reader. It could be a librarian or local bookseller. It could be a coworker, or even someone standing in line with you at the grocery store. Sharing information about books you love is a great way to get to know someone, and word-of-mouth is the most powerful tool readers and writers have.</li>
</ol>In today’s market, with the prevalence and ease of digital reading, the opportunity for free digital books through various sellers, and the internet at our fingertips for browsing, there’s never a reason for today’s reader to be without a book to read. The next time you’re book-shopping, try one of the suggestions above, and let us know if you find something great using one of these ideas!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Evv2SYLL16Q/T3UTViqEWkI/AAAAAAAAA3I/drsV32xep9Q/s1600/muse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Evv2SYLL16Q/T3UTViqEWkI/AAAAAAAAA3I/drsV32xep9Q/s200/muse.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>What is a Muse?</b></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">by Sarah Baker</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hi, my name is Sarah Baker. I make my living as a writer. When my daughter was born, I listed my occupation on her birth certificate as “author.” I get paid by people to write every day. So, my choice of occupation is pretty set, and has been verified by others.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And I have a terrible confession to make. I don’t have a muse. Some of you are probably asking yourself right now... WHAT IS A MUSE? If you are friends with any writer or have tried your hand at writing, you might recognize the word. The dictionary's definition is: <i>A poet's inspiration or genius.</i> But most writers I know consider a muse their best friend.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I read my writer friends’ blogs with envy, as they discuss how their muses whispered into their ears. Muses supply snappy dialogue. They help you work through a difficult plot point. They offer an inspired ending. Often, they speak to my friends without warning, at the worst possible moment.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Muses are fickle. They go on vacation without so much as a by-your-leave. Muses are capricious. They kidnap plot lines and take them in entirely new directions. Muses can be snobby. They won’t speak when spoken to. My writer friends are slaves to their muses’ whims, often unable to write a scene for days until “the muse speaks.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I must admit, I feel a little left out. And, perhaps, the teeniest bit inauthentic as a writer.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The first “big” project I wrote was in college, a paper on one of my favorite books, <i>Jane Eyre. </i> I so loved the source material, and so admired and feared the professor that I came up against a brick wall in my writing. I could not even type a title page, I was so blocked. In fact, I was so stuck that I finally visited the professor to confess—I didn’t think I could complete the assignment.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">She sat back in her chair, eyed me carefully, and said, “When I grade this paper, I am not grading Sarah Baker. I am grading something that Sarah Baker wrote. There’s a difference.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">With that, my writer’s block vanished, and I was able to write the paper. I think I ended up with a B+. Not my best effort, but better than turning in nothing at all. Then I went on to write more, and better, papers. After graduation, I began freelancing as a ghost writer. I wrote for doctors, dentists, insurance salespeople, lawyers—anyone who wanted web content and had neither the time nor the inclination to write it themselves. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When it came to ghostwriting, I had no time to rely on a muse. People were paying me money to write, and to write fast. So any thoughts of living the stereotypical writer’s lifestyle (brandy on the desk, crumpled sheets of paper, an antique typewriter) fled as I wrote thousands of words per day, to specification and on time.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">With that training under my belt, and my professor’s words echoing in my head, I branched out and started writing fiction and non-fiction. Always on time. Never delayed, not even by cross-country moves or miscarriages. Sure, if I had trouble with a chapter and needed a break, I would take one. But I never depending on someone or something else to goose me into producing a story.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Since I’ve been published, I’ve had a lot of friends and acquaintances tell me that they, too, want to write. But then they smile apologetically and shrug, saying “I guess I don’t have a muse.” My answer to that is—that’s OK. Sometimes writing isn’t about inspiration. Sometimes, it’s about sitting down for some period of time, every day, and writing. The artistic life doesn’t have to rely on whims, but it does thrive on practice.</span></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-9078110439165110552012-03-15T01:00:00.042-06:002012-03-15T22:14:32.621-06:002nd Edition - March 15, 2012<i><span style="color: #783f04;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Reminder: E. T. Barton's name was drawn as the lucky winner of our Kindle giveaway, however, Canyonland staff have been unable to make contact for delivery. So if you're out there E. T. Barton please </span><a href="mailto:editor@canyonlandpress.com" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">email </span></a><span style="font-size: large;">us ASAP. If the contact has not been made by April 1st we will pick another winner. </span></b></span></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hZf57wgZ3KY/Tzsz8yCFYqI/AAAAAAAAAy4/fs9MdjsP-gY/s1600/pagesfromyhearttop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hZf57wgZ3KY/Tzsz8yCFYqI/AAAAAAAAAy4/fs9MdjsP-gY/s200/pagesfromyhearttop.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="color: black;"><strong>"Ask An Author"</strong></span><br />
By <a href="http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Marie Higgins</a><br />
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Welcome to the first segment of "Ask An Author". I have received two questions. <br />
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**The first one came from Luke Albertson a 16 year old who is very interested in writing. His question is: <em>I have my plot figured out, but I don't know how to end the story. Please help!</em> Well, Luke, the writing world I came from believes in 'happily ever afters', so if your story has any kind of romance in it, a HEA (happily ever after) is a MUST! But make sure you have closed all the loose ties in your story even if there is a sequel or series, there should be some kind of closure. And if boy falls in love with girl and they want to ride off into the sunset - let them. Bring a smile to your reader's face!! This will make them want to keep reading more of your stories.<br />
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**The second question is from Melissa Blue. She is a reader and a writer, and she asks <em>"Do your characters ever talk to you?"</em> Melissa, in my early years of writing, I worried that I would be put in a padded room because of the voices in my head. Actually, in my case, it's not really voices as much as it's a movie playing out. But yes, my characters do talk to me. They let me know when they want their story written - and they especially let me know when they don't like the way the story is going because then they stop talking. I have realized that I need to let THEM write the story for me. So my advice to you is <strong>let your characters talk</strong>! And Melissa...several other authors tell me their characters talk to them as well, so don't think your crazy. Most writers have this problem, and so far, none of them have been put in a padded room - that I know about... (grins)<br />
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READERS - if you would like to ask a question, please go to the main page and find the picture on your right and follow the link. THANKS!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H7SUVOMKoCY/T1zm2o1XF3I/AAAAAAAABoo/Hoj-WjvAwgk/s1600/MAgna+library.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H7SUVOMKoCY/T1zm2o1XF3I/AAAAAAAABoo/Hoj-WjvAwgk/s200/MAgna+library.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Finding Treasures at the Library Part II</b><br />
By <a href="http://www.marymartinez.com/" target="_blank">Mary Martinez</a><br />
Just a refresher: Last month I wrote about our library's reader's choice award, which of course prompted us to have our very own award. So don't forget it's up to you to read each book nominated so come September, you can vote for the best.<br />
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On to the other treasures I found the day I visited my library. Kid stuff! So many resources for our kids that I didn't have growing up, it was amazing. They had brochures of every color, entitled 'Kids Booklist' and these consisted of everything from <i>Caldecott Awards</i> to <i>Scared Witless.</i><br />
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I'm sure you have already guessed what the scared witless was, scary stories for older kids. Inside it had a list of spine tingling chills and thrills for the youngsters. An added two sentence blurb and the location in the library where they could find each book to check out.<br />
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The Caldecott Medal winners and Honor books is basically a list like all the others, but the books were nominated as their adult counterparts were for the Reader's Choice awards. The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of 19th-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. This award has been around since 1938, and in this treasured list are the winners from 1938 through 2011. What a list of finds for your child. What am I saying, some of the winners on this list I am going to check out myself.<br />
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The other booklists were brochures targeting age groups from Babies Love Books, Toddler read aloud, preschool, First Chapter Books (transition to from easy readers to chapter books) to 6th grade. Happy reading for all ages. I'm sure every library has something unique. Visit yours and share with us what is available in your area.<br />
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I know that the new age of technology has come and many of you no longer read an actual book with pages to turn. Most of us have our Kindles, Nooks or iPads (with the apps) for our reading enjoyment. So why am I so excited about finding treasures at the library? Because, I don't know about yours, but mine has gone digital. I can check a book out on my Kindle app if I'd like. More and more books are being made available to everyone through the libraries, in all formats.<br />
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No matter what though, a visit to the library to find a treasure map to discover new books is a MUST!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XvsqTKCK-To/T2FPcXTLL6I/AAAAAAAABo8/RkSXt0GbbMs/s1600/womanpaper.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XvsqTKCK-To/T2FPcXTLL6I/AAAAAAAABo8/RkSXt0GbbMs/s1600/womanpaper.gif" /></a></div><b>What do you Read?</b><br />
By <a href="http://anna_sugg.coffeecup.com/" target="_blank">Anna Sugg</a><br />
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I can’t remember where I heard it, but someone, somewhere, said that in contrast to all other earthly animals, we humans have an unquenchable desire to continually make changes to better ourselves.<br />
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So we read.<br />
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What do we read? Self-help books.<br />
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There are dozens of self-help books on how to improve your health, your happiness, control your depression, your impressions, anxiety disorders, build confidents, self esteem, motivational help, behaviors, spiritual, success, self-hypnosis, quiet your critic – ok, my gosh, the list goes on. If you’re a parent, how many self-help books on parenting are there?<br />
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I don’t think you’ll find a book on how animals have improved parenting, at least I don’t think so, not since Noah released them two by two; they just go on decade after decade doing their parenting thing. But, you’ll find shelves packet full of how to be a better parent for the human race. If you don’t believe me, go to Amazon and check out all the self-help books, or check the library shelves.<br />
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Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t have anything against self-help books. We all need to read them once in a while. But, to spend your life reading only self-help books, IMO, you’re missing out on some terrific reads.<br />
My mother-in-law, bless her soul, read every self-help book she could get her hands on. But it didn’t help. I won’t go into her problems, which could be a book on its own, but she thought she would be happy if she just could read and learn to apply all the information in one self-help book after another.<br />
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Once I suggested she read a romance novel. Well, she thought like lots of other people, that romance is not real writing. I just said, try a few, you might like them. Several months later, with a sheepish expression she told me that she had bought a Danielle Steel book and read her first romance. She was hooked. I must say, she even seemed to be a happier person, maybe because she wasn’t focusing on herself so much.<br />
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Okay, I’m not a psychologist. I just know how incredible it is to read fictions, whether it’s suspense, romance or women’s fiction, or any of the other creative fictions out there. These stories can lead you down roads of adventures where one can get lost in other worlds, living a factious life through wonderful, imaginative characters during an enjoyable read.<br />
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So what are you reading?Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-6807380332970023282012-03-01T01:00:00.041-07:002012-03-01T01:00:09.262-07:001st Edition - March 1, 2012<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Grand Opening Kindle Giveaway</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qudnnxxXwGs/T079swGZF7I/AAAAAAAABms/XxmrACbASJ8/s1600/001+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qudnnxxXwGs/T079swGZF7I/AAAAAAAABms/XxmrACbASJ8/s200/001+(3).JPG" width="164" /></a></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;"><b>Thank you to all of you who participated by '<i>spreading the word'</i> about our new venture. It has been very much appreciated. It's time to announce our winner... Congratulations to E. T. Barton</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3lRbo7rxRoY/T0KDfPluxLI/AAAAAAAABl0/hhxoThjHm6w/s1600/lois-winston-low-res-file.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3lRbo7rxRoY/T0KDfPluxLI/AAAAAAAABl0/hhxoThjHm6w/s200/lois-winston-low-res-file.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><b>Author Spotlight--Lois Winston</b><br />
Lois Winston is Canyonland Press’ first spotlight author of our librarian book recommendation, not to mention our first nomination for our Canyonland Press reader’s choice award coming up in September, a lot of first’s today for everyone!<br />
<b>Canyonland: </b> Lois, first we’d like to congratulate you on receiving a book recommendation for your Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun. Great title for a book, it entices right off the get go. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?<br />
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<b><span style="color: #783f04;">Lois:</span></b> Thank you! Let me say how honored and thrilled I am to be chosen as the first spotlight author and to have Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun chosen as the first Reader’s Choice nominee.<br />
<a href="http://www.canyonlandpress.com/p/author-spotlight-continued.html" target="_blank">Read the rest of the interview....</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-84QaWtQLFws/TziIZOV941I/AAAAAAAABlc/kS_7fvdW7rA/s1600/nook_20android_20app2-100722-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-84QaWtQLFws/TziIZOV941I/AAAAAAAABlc/kS_7fvdW7rA/s200/nook_20android_20app2-100722-02.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Reading E-Books is Easier Than You Think</b><br />
By: <a href="http://amy-durham.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Amy Durham</a><br />
I remember when Sony E-Readers and Amazon Kindles were new and expensive, and were pretty much the only way you could read an E-Book, other than directly from your computer screen. Now, with the price of E-Reading devices lower than ever, reading electronic books is easier than ever. In my day job as a middle school teacher, I see lots of kids reading on Nooks, Kindles, etc. However, the lack of an E-Reader doesn’t have to keep a kid (or anyone else for that matter) from reading E-Books.<br />
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For every student I see at school who has an E-Reader, there are at least 10 others who have an iPod touch or a smart phone. Well, guess what? In addition to iBooks, which is available on Apple devices, Kindle, Nook, and other devices have free apps that can be downloaded to iPods and smart phones. This means that without any initial investment in a device devoted solely to reading books, digital reading is possible.<br />
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From personal experience, this has proved very useful for me. My son is 13 years old, and it’s difficult to find books that interest a teen boy at our local department store. Before installing the Kindle app on his iPod Touch, finding a book for him meant driving out of town to shop at a large bookstore or ordering online. Either option involved more expense than just that of the book. The Kindle app on his iPod allowed us to shop for books and download them immediately!<br />
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Many public and school libraries are now participating in E-Book lending programs, which allow readers to check out E-Books in much the same way they could check out physical library books. Purchasing E-Books is many times far less expensive than purchasing a physical book, making E-Reading a very practical prospect for those who read a lot and read often.<br />
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No iPod or smart phone? No worries. There are still other ways to take advantage of E-Books. Smashwords.com allows book downloads in multiple formats, including Plain Text and PDF, which are view-able on most computers. Amazon’s Cloud Reader allows for the purchase of E-Books, which are stored in a reader’s “Cloud” and can be read directly from the computer.<br />
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E-Reading offers many options today, and several do not require the initial investment in an E-Reading device. It’s easier than ever to take advantage of the benefits and simplicity of purchasing and reading digital books. For people in small communities without the benefit of a large bookstore, or for people who are busy with no time to browse the bookstore aisles, E-Books offer a quick, economical solution!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qxNmBPrUbTk/T0Goz2abCzI/AAAAAAAAAzk/ew_6jU6hxak/s1600/Sarah_Baker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qxNmBPrUbTk/T0Goz2abCzI/AAAAAAAAAzk/ew_6jU6hxak/s200/Sarah_Baker.jpg" uda="true" width="200" /></a></div><strong>3 Quick and Dirty Steps to Research </strong><br />
by <a href="http://www.sarahbaker.org/" target="_blank">Sarah Baker</a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When I released my first book, which was a biography of two silent film stars, a lot of people asked me the same question, "How did you ever get started? I wouldn't even know </span><i style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">how </i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">to do something like that." And yet many of my friends, family, and readers have subjects near and dear to their hearts—subjects they'd like to know more about. Whether you want to compile your family's genealogy or just want to learn more about one of your heroes, you can do research. All it takes is some patience, some perseverance, and a trip to Staples.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Step One: Get Organized</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is the most fun part, because you get to go shopping. This is also the stage in your research when everything is color-coded, bright, and shiny new. (This stage won't last and eventually you WILL end up scribbling notes on the back of a business return envelope for your electricity bill, but enjoy it while you can.) I always start with a few of those big plastic file boxes and some hanging folders to file all of your articles and clippings in. I also grab some big 3 subject spiral notebooks for jotting down a timeline, notes, and other information.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Keep in mind that if you are researching anything old (read, anything from the era when telephones were still tethered to cords), most of your work will be done on paper. Although many archives are digitizing their collections, you will find most records, newspapers, and magazines still in print. And most archives and libraries don't have the manpower to scan these for you. So plan to do a lot of filing and a lot of writing to start.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ucHP_-mrF7M/T06FcXj4UuI/AAAAAAAAA0g/w8VBxlSxOX8/s1600/Sarah's+door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ucHP_-mrF7M/T06FcXj4UuI/AAAAAAAAA0g/w8VBxlSxOX8/s200/Sarah's+door.jpg" uda="true" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/" name="OLE_LINK2"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/" name="OLE_LINK1"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This is the reading room at the Fox Studio Archives at UCLA. I spent a lot of time here reading old telegrams from the 1920s. And yes, most reading rooms look like this, so be prepared.</span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Step Two: Begin at the Beginning</span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">OK, so now you are ready to dig in. But how do you get started? I always start at the beginning—you know, birth--and follow my research in a linear fashion. So, when I started researching Janet Gaynor, I read everything I could about her childhood. Where she was born, where she lived, her family, etc. Ancestry.com is an excellent resource for birth and death certificates, marriage certificates, military records, ship manifests, and census records. You can literally piece together someone's life bit by bit just by seeking out these old files.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Step Three: Fill In the Details</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I like to sketch out a timeline about what I know about each person's life. I write it down by hand and go year by year. This is where those Ancestry.com records come in really handy—they're the milestones you follow as you do your research. Once you have this timeline pieced out, you'll see a lot of gaps. This is how you will see which details you need to fill in. For example, for Janet Gaynor I knew that her mother remarried, but I didn't know much about her stepfather. So, it was a given that I'd have to do some digging to find out about him, and I did—through magazine interviews with Janet and a telephone interview with Janet's son, Robin.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Once you get started, research can be addictive. It's actually quite fun to chase down rabbit trails and see where you end up. And who knows? You may end up with enough information to write a book. </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">J</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jLZXDYnzl5s/T07-KpULigI/AAAAAAAABm0/mF2V2EbCg30/s1600/pagesfromyhearttop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jLZXDYnzl5s/T07-KpULigI/AAAAAAAABm0/mF2V2EbCg30/s200/pagesfromyhearttop.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Don't forget that next issue is our Debut of <a href="http://www.canyonlandpress.com/p/ask-author.html" target="_blank">Ask and Author! </a> </span></span></div></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-8394298181521727732012-02-15T01:00:00.014-07:002012-02-15T01:00:08.287-07:002nd Edition - February 15, 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l074jzHaZhw/TygTOMJQHKI/AAAAAAAABj8/o1D_Clr8CYA/s1600/1170809_68501731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l074jzHaZhw/TygTOMJQHKI/AAAAAAAABj8/o1D_Clr8CYA/s200/1170809_68501731.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Finding treasures at the library--Part I</b><br />
By <a href="http://www.marymartinez.com/" target="_blank">Mary Martinez</a><br />
We have a new <i>amazing</i> library in our little town, and I haven't been to play there as often as I should. The other night I had an opportunity to browse around and I found a treasure. No, not a book. But a list of them.<br />
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A bit of background here. My library is part of the county library services and like any library they have their own programs. One of their programs is called <i>Reader's Choice Awards</i>. This is the 20th year they've been doing this. Two times a year the librarians pick their favorite books and post them in a booklet of nominee's that is available at the library for approx. four months. The reader's pick up these lists and read the blurb and decide what to read, then vote for their favorite. And then you know, the one with the most votes win.<br />
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I picked up a list of the Award Winners from 1998 through 2011, what a list of treasures. The very first winner-- 1998 January - April was <i><b>The Maze</b> </i>by Catherine Coulter. She is one of my favorite authors. So I did a little research, and <i>The Maze</i> is her second book of her FBI series, with <i>The Cove</i> (which I've read) being her first. She was just starting out. Of course, now I need to read <i>The Maze. </i>What a wonderful find, one of my favorite's, from her beginnings. And maybe the only reason <i>The Cove</i> didn't win, was it came out two years <i>before </i>our library system started the program.<br />
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The 2nd winner of 1998 was <i style="font-weight: bold;">The Starlite Drive-in </i>by Marjorie Reynolds. I've never heard of her so I did some digging. And this novel has been re-released just last year. Sounds great, it's about: The discovery of human bones at the site of an old drive in. Yuppers, it's on my to <i>be read list</i>. Who knows, maybe I've found a new favorite.<br />
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Now I have two new books to read--that are old. What treasures from the past can you find? Please let us know what you find. We would love to what you've read of older publications.<br />
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The staff here at Canyonland Press thought this was such a fun idea we're going to do our own version. As you know, we'll be having a <i>Madam/Monsieur Librarian Book Recommendation of the month. </i>These will be our nominations for first <i>Canyonland's Reader's Choice Award's</i>. In September we'll list the first 6 recommendations for our readers to vote on. <i>ANOTHER</i> <i>challenge for all of you;</i> Read each book so you can vote for your favorite! Our first Librarian Recommendation and Reader's Choice Nomination coming <i>March 1st</i>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AaKVXzHqqPs/Ty7Yt2igwgI/AAAAAAAABkU/nhmaQ-z2-rc/s1600/Quill__Scroll_and_Ink_by_MP3Designs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AaKVXzHqqPs/Ty7Yt2igwgI/AAAAAAAABkU/nhmaQ-z2-rc/s200/Quill__Scroll_and_Ink_by_MP3Designs.jpg" width="169" /></a></div><b>READ A BOOK Write a Review</b><br />
By <a href="http://anna_sugg.coffeecup.com/" target="_blank">Anna Sugg</a><br />
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I talked to my sister the other day. She’s an avid reader–always with a book in hand, and now, her Kindle. Some of her favorite authors are Nora Roberts, Carla Neggers, Iris Johansen, Karen Robards, Clive Cussler, and Catherine Coulter. She has even emailed Cussler and Roberts, and others, which is great. Even Nora Roberts answers her emails and once sent her a mug. So naturally, I asked which author she was reading.<br />
Wow! She actually was reading my historical romance novel, The Quartering Act. Why is that a Wow? Well, she never reads historicals. And, that’s okay; you know the old saying - to each his own. So, I was pleasantly surprised that she had decided to read my Revolutionary War romance. How great is that?<br />
I went on to ask her if she writes reviews on the novels she reads, especially her favorites. She said nope, never thought about it.<br />
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My mouth dropped.<br />
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Why, I asked? She shrugged. I just haven’t thought about it. (I forgot to mention, I was talking to her on Skype since we live several states apart – love that Skype.) My sister took time to email her favorite authors, but not do reviews. So that brings me to my point: Reviews<br />
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<i>How do you write a review?</i><br />
First of all, to review a book is to describe and evaluate the novel, not retell the story. There is no right way to write a review. Everyone’s different; a book review is personal and only the opinion of the reviewer. You can write a short or long review, up to you.<br />
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You with me so far?<br />
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Okay, here are a few tips:<br />
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Read the book. No brainer. Make it simple.<br />
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Start by giving the title, genre, and the author’s name. Not necessarily in that order.<br />
You may want to mention the significance of the title, if it fit or not. Write about the characters that move the story along. If you didn’t feel the character(s) developed along the way, state so and why you feel that way. Don’t give away the story, that’s not fair to someone that wants to read the book you’re reviewing.<br />
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Were the characters believable? Did you have a favorite character, and if so, why? Did you relate to any one character in the story?<br />
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Where was the setting and did you have a sense of the surroundings and environment.<br />
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Did the plot play out in a way that kept you reading and did the resolution engage you in a satisfied feeling?<br />
Did you like the book? Favorite part? What would you change? Ending? (oops, remember, don’t reveal the story.)<br />
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When writing your review, you don’t have to answer all these questions, just give your opinion about the story. Be honest, after reading a book, you know you have an opinion one way or another. Don’t you?<br />
Now, be brave, write reviews. My sister said she would.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dHblUIc-u8M/TznVPnceSfI/AAAAAAAAAyg/bhKDBatJ9Gw/s1600/books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dHblUIc-u8M/TznVPnceSfI/AAAAAAAAAyg/bhKDBatJ9Gw/s200/books.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><strong>FINDING INACCURACIES</strong><br />
by <a href="http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com/">Marie Higgins</a><br />
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Have you ever read a book that had been getting rave reviews and everyone was talking about only to find you didn’t like it?<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I know everyone has their own opinions about what books are good and which aren't, but have you ever been reading a book and all of a sudden you were yanked right out of a story—thrown to the ground, and stomped on? Oh, I have!! And I hate being pulled out of stories like that. So have you ever wondered why you were pulled out so forcefully?<o:p></o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">There are a few things that can disrupt readers while in the midst of a good story. Spelling errors are one – although keep in mind that ALL published books will have a few spelling errors...even Stephen King or even Stephanie Meyers! But mainly, I want to focus on in this article is inaccuracies. <o:p></o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I’m a historical writer, which means I thrive on research. I know I’m not going to be 100% accurate (since there's no way of knowing <strong>exactly</strong> what happened back in history), but I want to come as close as I can. I remember a long time ago I was reading a Medieval Romance. The author was new, but still with a pretty big publisher. Most everything I read was historically accurate – as far as I knew, anyway. But the one thing that kept pulling me out was when her characters greeted each other. “Hello, fair maiden.” “Hello, Sir Hunkiness.” (yeah, I’m being silly now, but you get the picture.) Did you know that the word HELLO wasn’t used in medieval times? So why didn’t the publisher know that? And <strong>why</strong> didn't the publisher (or author) know that a reader out there somewhere will also know that?</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">A friend of mine said she was reading a book where the characters lived in California and they drove from point A in California to point B in six hours. Because she was raised in this area she knew there was no way the characters could make it in six hours...unless their car had wings. So even little things like this are big things if it pulls a reader out of a story. <o:p></o:p></div><br />
I've talked about this subject to a few people at work who read a lot! They were not aware of some of the things that pulls a reader out of a story. They have been pulled out before, they just didn't know why. Well...now you do! (grins)<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 5pt;">So my question to you is – what pulls <b>you </b>out of a story?<o:p></o:p></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5033725614752678818.post-46314648220903873312012-02-01T01:00:00.035-07:002012-02-20T10:06:54.957-07:001st Edition - February 1, 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #783f04; font-size: x-large;">Welcome to our Grand Opening Issue!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eU29Rko6aKc/TyF_5zaeyAI/AAAAAAAABjo/8pYj-6YFzSo/s1600/001+%283%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eU29Rko6aKc/TyF_5zaeyAI/AAAAAAAABjo/8pYj-6YFzSo/s200/001+%283%29.JPG" width="164" /></a></div><b>Howdy Neighbors!</b><br />
By <a href="http://www.marymartinez.com/">Mary Martinez</a><br />
I'm excited to be a part of this new great adventure. Canyonland Press A Readers Magazine for the Inquiring Mind. It's a bi-monthly<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>FREE</i>, yes you heard right, free readers magazine—on the 1<sup>st</sup> and the 15<sup>th</sup> of each month.<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Our goal is to be the <i>word of mouth</i> of readers. If you love to read, here will be a place to come to research your next book to read. Find out what is hot to read....<span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
You may wonder why I look strangely like a Kindle--would you believe it's because I read too much? Didn't think so. For our Grand Opening Month we are having a Kindle Giveaway. All you need to do to be in the drawing is help us <i>Spread the word!</i> To find out how, <a href="http://www.canyonlandpress.com/p/grand-opening-giveaway-rules.html">check out the rules</a>. Good luck to all!<br />
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I want to tell you a little bit about our vision for Canyonland Press. If you want to know all about me, I'm on the 'about us' page. It's worth a peek, you may find out something surprising.<br />
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Our mission is to have entertaining and important information to enlighten readers of all ages and different genres preferences. Each month we will have a book recommendation by a librarian, after all they are <i>in the know,</i> in addition we will have a highlight of the author. We also want to hear your thoughts, <i>readers</i>, if you want to read about something let <a href="mailto:editor2@canyonlandpress.com" target="_blank">Anna</a> know.<br />
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If you check out the side of our page (to the right), you'll see links to our Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads pages, please join us at any or all. You can follow us so you won't miss anything fun (or important). Thank you for joining us. It's our 1st issue, cause for celebration. Next issue the meaty stuff!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JmQOLu4P7bk/TxzhS5Pp63I/AAAAAAAABig/hzgYDS9n3CM/s1600/Planning+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JmQOLu4P7bk/TxzhS5Pp63I/AAAAAAAABig/hzgYDS9n3CM/s200/Planning+Pic.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Welcome!</b><br />
By <a href="http://anna_sugg.coffeecup.com/">Anna Sugg</a><br />
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To the side is a picture of Mary Martinez and Anna Sugg<br />
January 2, 2012 - Planning meeting for Canyonland Press eMagazine.<br />
When Mary Martinez first contacted me about an emagazine for readers, I thought it a good idea. Not until we met (picture above) on that first day to discuss all the ins and outs, with Marie Higgins on speaker phone, did I get really get excited about Canyonland Press eMagazine. The one thing I know for sure is that without you, the reader, who would read our stories? <br />
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I’m not only an author of contemporary and historical romances, but like you, I’m also a reader. A couple of years ago, my hubby bought me a Kindle and I couldn’t put it down. I read more books in one month than I had in years. It stays in my purse and goes everywhere with me. I’m sure many of you are the same, no matter what reader you carry. I love being able to purchase books from authors that have decided to go with ebooks. This has given me the opportunity to read so many good stories by unknown authors.<br />
Thank you so much for being part of our eReaders, and please, stop by our eMagazine often and don’t hesitate to let us know what you would like to see in this emagazine. We’ll listen. We are here for you, the Reader.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tIKhX0P3OzY/Tx4la_CIwJI/AAAAAAAABjg/4ayfcjSMOXI/s1600/Author+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tIKhX0P3OzY/Tx4la_CIwJI/AAAAAAAABjg/4ayfcjSMOXI/s200/Author+pic.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Welcome from me too!</b><br />
By <a href="http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com/">Marie Higgins</a><br />
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I'll start out by saying I'm not a stranger to writing. When I was in junior high, I loved writing poems - as long as they were in a story format. In high school, I wrote skits for my church, which everyone loved because they were funny. After I married and started having children, I continued to write skits for my church and the community which were performed and judged. I received awards for "Best Written" and "Funniest". It took only a few years later when I realized I wanted to write a novel, and one book lead into two, which evolved into many. I'm a published author with several books out in several different genres. I love writing historical romance, but I've also tried my hand at romantic comedy, Inspirational, and paranormal. A few years back I was the President for a writing group here in Utah (Romance Writers of America), and I wrote monthly articles for our newsletter.<br />
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I love to entertain (just ask my family and my co-workers), and I also love to help other struggling writers. I don't claim to know everything, but I'll definitely share what I have learned over the years. I'm constantly thinking of ways to be funny, so beware.<br />
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On a personal note, I'm married with three daughters and three grandchildren. I work full time for the State of Utah. Aside from my family and my church, I don't have a life because I can't wait to emerge myself in my stories which always takes me to different lands and eras.<br />
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I can't wait to share my knowledge and research with our magazine readers! I have talked to many readers about what kind of articles they would like to see on Canyonland Press' emagazine. I'm excited to put these suggestions to use. If anyone has questions or suggestions, please let us know!<br />
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;">Next Issue will be February 15th chock full of fun stuff for readers! Mark your calendars</span>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03983349083176213853noreply@blogger.com5