2nd Edition, April 15, 2012

Ask an Author
by Marie Higgins

This month's question comes from Breanna Larson. "Do authors write about what happens in their real lives?"

Breanna - and anyone else who wonders this - my answer is HEAVENS NO! 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 - "Fiction 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!

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 any 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 not writing about what's happening in their own bedrooms. (heehee)

"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!

I hope this has answered your question, Breanna...and anyone else interested. Thanks for asking!
Judging a Book by its Cover
by Anna Sugg

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.

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."
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Take a tour through Canyonland Press, 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?

What’s inside, matters.

What's your genre?
by Mary Martinez
Are you up to a challenge? Okay then read on!

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.

Let's start with the word origin and history:
genre
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.

Then I found three different definitions, here is the best two that fit novels:

World English Dictionary
genre — n
1.     a. kind, category, or sort, esp of literary or artistic work
     b. ( as modifier ): genre fiction
2.     a category of painting in which domestic scenes or incidents from everyday life are depicted 

Cultural Dictionary
genre 
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.

So according to this--if I understand it properly--a novel is a genre, a poem is a genre, and a short story 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:

1. Types or kinds
1. Fiction
1. Contemporary
2. Historical
3. Western
4. Horror, thriller
5. Suspense, Mystery
2. Non-Fiction
1. Health
2. Financial
3. Education

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?

What I would like to do is challenge all of Canyonland's readers to try a new genre. Then email me 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?
 
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; Have I gotten into a genre rut? Do I continuously read the same thing?

Maybe you like your rut, but how do you know what you're missing if you don't try something new. So I've thrown down the gauntlet--go to your local bookstore, library or your online bookstore and browse something new and exciting.

Then SHARE with us, remember to email me! (editor (at) canyonland press dot com)

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!

1st Edition - April 1, 2012

Author Spotlight --Carla Buckley
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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

One of the things I like to tell aspiring writers is to never give up!

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: www.CarlaBuckley.com.

The Things that Keep us Here 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!

Fun Ideas for Finding Fabulous Books       
By: Amy Durham

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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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?
4. 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.

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!

What is a Muse?

by Sarah Baker

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.

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: A poet's inspiration or genius. But most writers I know consider a muse their best friend.

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.

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.”

I must admit, I feel a little left out. And, perhaps, the teeniest bit inauthentic as a writer.

The first “big” project I wrote was in college, a paper on one of my favorite books, Jane Eyre.  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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

2nd Edition - March 15, 2012

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 email us ASAP. If the contact has not been made by April 1st we will pick another winner. 

"Ask An Author"
By Marie Higgins

Welcome to the first segment of "Ask An Author". I have received two questions.

**The first one came from Luke Albertson a 16 year old who is very interested in writing. His question is: I have my plot figured out, but I don't know how to end the story. Please help! 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.

**The second question is from Melissa Blue. She is a reader and a writer, and she asks "Do your characters ever talk to you?" 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 let your characters talk! 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)

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!!

Finding Treasures at the Library Part II
By Mary Martinez
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.

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 Caldecott Awards to Scared Witless.

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.

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.

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.

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.

No matter what though, a visit to the library to find a treasure map to discover new books is a MUST!

What do you Read?
By Anna Sugg

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.

So we read.

What do we read? Self-help books.

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?

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.

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.
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.

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.

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.

So what  are you reading?

1st Edition - March 1, 2012

Grand Opening Kindle Giveaway

Thank you to all of you who participated by 'spreading the word' about our new venture. It has been very much appreciated. It's time to announce our winner... Congratulations to E. T. Barton

Author Spotlight--Lois Winston
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!
Canyonland:  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?

Lois: 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.
Read the rest of the interview....

Reading E-Books is Easier Than You Think
By: Amy Durham
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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

3 Quick and Dirty Steps to Research 
by Sarah Baker

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 how 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.

Step One: Get Organized

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.

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.

 

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.

Step Two: Begin at the Beginning

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.

Step Three: Fill In the Details

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.

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. J

Don't forget that next issue is our Debut of Ask and Author!  

2nd Edition - February 15, 2012

Finding treasures at the library--Part I
By Mary Martinez
We have a new amazing 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.

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 Reader's Choice Awards. 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.

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 The Maze by Catherine Coulter. She is one of my favorite authors. So I did a little research, and The Maze is her second book of her FBI series, with The Cove (which I've read) being her first. She was just starting out. Of course, now I need to read The Maze. What a wonderful find, one of my favorite's, from her beginnings. And maybe the only reason The Cove didn't win, was it came out two years before our library system started the program.

The 2nd winner of 1998 was The Starlite Drive-in 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 be read list. Who knows, maybe I've found a new favorite.

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.

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 Madam/Monsieur Librarian Book Recommendation of the month. These will be our nominations for first Canyonland's Reader's Choice Award's. In September we'll list the first 6 recommendations for our readers to vote on. ANOTHER challenge for all of you; Read each book so you can vote for your favorite! Our first Librarian Recommendation and Reader's Choice Nomination coming March 1st.

READ A BOOK Write a Review
By Anna Sugg

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.
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?
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.

My mouth dropped.

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

How do you write a review?
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.

You with me so far?

Okay, here are a few tips:

Read the book. No brainer. Make it simple.

Start by giving the title, genre, and the author’s name. Not necessarily in that order.
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.

Were the characters believable? Did you have a favorite character, and if so, why? Did you relate to any one character in the story?

Where was the setting and did you have a sense of the surroundings and environment.

Did the plot play out in a way that kept you reading and did the resolution engage you in a satisfied feeling?
Did you like the book? Favorite part? What would you change? Ending? (oops, remember, don’t reveal the story.)

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?
Now, be brave, write reviews. My sister said she would.

FINDING INACCURACIES
by Marie Higgins

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?

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?

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.

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 exactly 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 why didn't the publisher (or author) know that a reader out there somewhere will also know that?

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.

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)

So my question to you is – what pulls you out of a story?

1st Edition - February 1, 2012

Welcome to our Grand Opening Issue!

Howdy Neighbors!
By Mary Martinez
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 FREE, yes you heard right, free readers magazine—on the 1^st and the 15^th of each month.

Our goal is to be the word of mouth 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....

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 Spread the word! To find out how, check out the rules. Good luck to all!

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.

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 in the know, in addition we will have a highlight of the author. We also want to hear your thoughts, readers, if you want to read about something let Anna know.

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!

Welcome!
By Anna Sugg

To the side is a picture of Mary Martinez and Anna Sugg
January 2, 2012 - Planning meeting for Canyonland Press eMagazine.
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?

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.
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.

Welcome from me too!
By Marie Higgins

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.

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.

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.

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!

Next Issue will be February 15th chock full of fun stuff for readers! Mark your calendars