September winner!

I'm home now and very happy to be here!  My knee is healing and I'm being very good abiout doing all the exercises I'm supposed to do to make it stronger.  I'm at the stage now where a physical therapist comes to my home three times a week to help me.She's great to work with.  I've been very fortunate to have gotten to know and work with so many really great professionals during this experience.

Anyway being home now, I finally drew a winner for the Septembers Wish List contest.  Stephanie Svedin is the winner.  Stephanie please send me a list of five or more books on your wish list and your mailing address. Send it to bhansen22 at msn dot com.  Please put wish list in the subject line.

The contest is now open for October and I'll try very hard to get a blog written soon, but this healing business is taking a lot of time and I'm in the middle of the edit for my next book which is to be released in February.

Now to turn my ice machine on and park myself in front of the TV to watch conference. It seems strange not to be doing any signing conference weekend.  Hmm-- I actually did sign a few books at the rehab center before I left, maybe that counts.

ON THE MEND

It’s been almost two weeks since I last blogged. For me it’s been a very busy two weeks with a lot of new experiences, but I’m not sure much of it is blog material, so I’ll mostly play catch up. First some good news, my next book will be released in February instead of July as I was first told. For those of you who read The Heirs of Southbridge, this book concerns Clayton’s brother, Travis, who traveled farther west when Clayton returned to the East. I received the edits today, but I’m not sure how quickly I’ll be able to start working on it. I’m still in rehab and all of my notes and research are at home,but I’ll see if I can at least get started on it.


Which brings me to my next item. My surgery went very well, though I’m terribly black and blue. My mobility with that leg is improving each day. The staff is great here and they give me an intense workout each morning and afternoon. I brought my laptop and a big stack of books with me, so I’ve been able to keep up my reviews for Meridian magazine. This week I reviewed Tres Leche Cupcakes by Josi Killpack. This one takes place in New Mexico and I like the main character, Sadie Hoffmiller, much better than I did in the first few books in this culinary mystery series.

One weird thing is I get a shot in my stomach every morning to keep me from getting blood clots, yet I’m having a nuisance problem with nosebleeds. Go figure! It’s a whole new experience to learn to walk again, first with a walker, then with arm crutches, to use an ice machine instead of ice packs, and to try to sleep when someone in the next room, who is hard of hearing, is playing football games at full volume all night on his TV. My family and so many of you have been so supportive and I appreciate all of the prayers offered on my behalf.

I’ll admit I’m anxious to go back home and be surrounded by my own things. I love my little grandchildren’s antics when they come to see me here—everything is new and exciting to them—but they’re sort of like the proverbial bull in a china shop. I’m looking forward to quiet nights, my husband’s cooking (he’s very good, while the food here has that steam wagon taste and texture), and it will just be good to close the book on this chapter of my life.

The Knees Have It

 

I have a new hero.  She smiles, she's cheerful, she gets the job done,  and it's a job I couldn't be paid enough to do.  I have no idea what her job title is, but what she does is make all the arrangements between hospitals, insurance companies, patients, medical suppliers, rehab facilities, etc. for a very busy surgeon.   I've gotten to know her because I'm having knee replacement surgery on Monday.  I've about gone crazy making the arrangements I've needed to make, but she has smoothed the impossible, gotten through a maze of telephone push button answering systems, tracked down records, and steered me through the process.  She's superwoman in my book. Thanks Lisa! 

I seriously dislike phone systems where an automated voice tells me to push buttons and gives me nine options, none of which quite fit what I'm calling about.  After I've been transferred a minimum of four times, I get another machine that tells me to leave my name and number and someone will call me back--but they never do.  Argh! 

It's probably best if I don't even get started on all the new regulations that have just gone into affect for medical providers and insurance companies!  And there's more to come.

Outside of the medical end of my upcoming surgery, it's been comically sad trying to get ready the things I'll need to take with me to the hospital.  My hospital stay will be followed by a week or two at a rehab center. I think I've spent the most time trying to decide what to load on my Kindle, copying material I might need from my desk top to my laptop or onto a USB drive, and trying to get a couple of reviews written ahead for incase I feel too rotten to read or write reviews for awhile.  Funny what us writer-types consider important at such times!  My laptop is old and slow; I'm not looking forward to using it for a few weeks.

If I don't blog or answer emails for awhile, be patient.  I'll be back as soon as possible, hopefully with a new bounce in my step, or at least a step that doesn't hurt. I may be a few days late posting the name of the Wish List winner for September, but if so, be assured I'll do it as soon as possible.

 

I posted a different kind of review on Meridian today.  Open Fire, J. Golden Kimball Takes on the South by Scott M. Hurst isn't strictly fiction.  It isn't even listed as fiction, but then it's not entirely fact either.  My review can be found here .

STAND FOR SOMETHING!

Whether it's your religion, politics, the environment, classical music, vampire books, a sugar free diet, the right to life, or five inch heels; if you believe in it, stand up for it.  But you don't have to be obnoxious about it. 

I'm a news junkie and I'm getting awfully tired of the comment sections that follow most online news articles posted by newspapers, magazines, television channels, and other news organizations.  Of course, I could stop reading them, but that's easier said than done for me.  Most mainstream news outlets caution against offensive language, but a lot of it seems to get by anyway. I suppose that because rude people are pretty anonymous on most comment boards they feel safe saying any repulsive thing they wish and instead of admitting to being cowards, they applaud themselves for their supposedly clever remarks.  I've noticed too that it doesn't matter what the article is about, a certain number of people are soon off topic and throwing insults at their favorite targets. 

This political season has been much too long and supporters of both national and local candidates have become particularly nasty in their denunciations of opponents.  This isn't necessarily new; as long as political parties have been around they've been trading insults, but because of the enlarged share of time and attention given to electronic gadgets today, it's really in our faces this time around.  It's expected that a candidate's failures and flaws are exposed to public scrutiny, but I'd like to see greater emphasis on the candidate's plans for the future and what he/she would do differently.  I can laugh at the gentle pokes that are humorous jabs at each other during a campaign, but I don't appreciate mean spirited ridicule. 

I find party platforms a silly waste of time.  I want to know what an individual candidate stands for, not the positions hammered out by party committees.  I consider myself a moderate, but by no means a sit-on-the-fence mediocre wait-to-see-which-way-the-wind-blows sort of person.  I have strong opinions about most issues.  I'm adamantly opposed  to abortion except when the pregnancy is the result of rape, incest, or the mother's life is at stake and I see no conditions under which partial birth abortions should be legal. I think it is morally wrong to send young people who were brought to America illegally, but who have stayed here, graduated from our high schools, speak English, and have become culturally American back to some country that is foreign to them. Some people consider me too conservative, some say I'm too liberal, but I believe in choosing for myself where I stand.  I don't back any blanket set of dogma called a platform even when I agree with most of the stated points on a platform. 

Many people call themselves moderates or independents when what they really mean is they don't care enough to get involved or they fear someone might think less of them for having a different viewpoint.  And some are just lazy.  I don't think this life was meant to be lived by merely drifting along.  We're supposed to care, to fight for what we believe is right, to choose sides, have opinions, and support causes and candidates that uphold our values.  We should stand for something, but let's find a way to do that without being so disagreeable, rude, and mean.

WISH LIST CONTEST RESUMES

As promised the Wish List Contest resumes today.  Entries will consist of all those who leave comments on any blog or review I post this month here, on my Meridian review column, or any of my blogs posted on the V-Formation blog.  Tasteful comments only will be considered, foul language will be an automatic disqualification, and multiple comments are acceptable.  One prize will be awarded from the books I've received for review consideration and the winner will be asked to send me a list of five or more books he/she would like and I will send one of them to the winner.  (I don't have as many books to give away now as I once did since some authors and publishers currently send me e-books which, of course, I can't send on to winners). Previously I included all of my followers in each drawing, but since many of those winners' prizes went unclaimed, I'm going to limit entries to those who leave comments only.  Feel free to comment on my posts or on anything book related.

I've read some really excellent books lately.  The Rent Collector by Camron Wright and My Loving Vigil Keeping by Carla Kelly are two I reviewed for "Meridian Magazine".  Both touched me deeply in entirely different ways.  The first is of real family living in a garbage dump in Cambodia and is a powerful testament of the power of literacy and the human desire to live and better one's self.  The second is also a powerful story concerning education and the desire to improve one's children's lot in life. It is a fictional story, a historical romance, built around a real mining disaster that occurred in Utah in 1900.

I've also written reviews of two other books I finished reading in the past few days, but these reviews are not yet posted.  If like me, you are a fan of mystery suspense novels, you won't want to miss Deadly Undertakings by Gregg Luke or Code Word by Traci Hunter Abramson.  Luke's novel is a medical (forensic) suspense story that is chillingly realistic and Abramson delivers another Saint Squad that is frightening in its contemporary possibilities.

How about you?  Have you read anything good lately?  I'm nominating my fave's for Whitney Award consideration and hope you do the same.  There's a button on the sidebar of this page that makes nominating easy.  Go for it!
 

Reason? Or Just a Rut?

 

Most of us are most comfortable moving at an even pace through life.  We tend to get up each morning about the same time and head for bed at about the same time each night.  We talk to pretty much the same people day after day, check the same news sources, prefer a certain chair, and early on we establish a set protocol for getting ourselves ready to face each day, then follow a set pattern of beginning our work, checking our mail, getting the kids off to school, exercising for a certain period of time, eating meals, watching the same television shows, catching up on face book, or accomplishing whatever tasks have become part of our daily routine.  We're creatures of habit.

 

A certain amount of routine saves time and brings order to our lives; but sometimes we're just in a rut.  Long ago a teacher advised a group of us to "live until we die." At first that appears to be a nonsense statement, but in truth, it is quite telling.  What is the point of reducing life to a boring repetition of mundane tasks?  We're alive, but are we living? Each day should bring a new discovery, a different perspective, a new realization.  The scriptures tell us God meant for us to have joy.  There may be peace in following a rut, but not much joy.

 

When I was about fifteen I lived in a house with a circular traffic pattern.  There was a kitchen, then a dining room, followed by a living room, which opened on my parents' bedroom.  Another door from the bedroom led to a tiny hall where we could go upstairs, exit the back door, or return to the kitchen.  The floors were all linoleum and every few days my mother would mop the kitchen, then the dining room, the living-room, the bedroom, the hall, then carry her mop bucket out the back door to dump it. One day I noticed she started with the bedroom and did the circle in reverse.  When I asked her why, she said she just got tired of doing it the same way all of the time and needed a change, besides she noticed spots that needed more attention by viewing them from a different angle. I've thought about that many times over the years and have come to the conclusion she was right.  Change is good.  Change doesn't always have to be the big life changing events.  Even small changes redirect our perspective and require us to think.

 

I recommend taking a walk with a small child. There's something about walking with a small child that invites a different view of life as the child notices and is excited about every ant or small creature that crosses the sidewalk or path.  Toddlers investigate flowers, weeds and the neighbor's cat. They notice birds.  The world is new and ready to be explored when a child takes an adult's hand and begins a trek down a path so familiar to the adult that he/she no longer actually sees it.

 

It's all right to enjoy a particular routine, to be comfortable with an established pattern of life, but it is also a good thing to shake up that routine a little bit from time to time.  Take a different street, try a new shampoo, learn a new dance step, read a different genre or try a new author, get an e-reader, taste a food you hated as a child, run instead of walk somewhere, be early for church, go to a different temple, or just do anything that's a little different from the usual pattern.  You can make the big drastic changes, experiment with the things you've always dreamed of doing.  That's good too, but in the little changes we learn about ourselves and are reminded of the reasons we do things one way instead of another.  We pay closer attention to the things that matter to us.  It's in deviating from a habitual pattern that we discover if there's a reason for the pattern we follow, or if we're just in a rut.

And the winner is . . .

Erin K. is the winner of my portion of the Last Days of Freedom Giveaway Hop.  Please let me know as soon as possible whether you want a print copy of The Heirs of Southbridge or a Kindle copy of Run Away Home, Journey Home, When Tomorrow Comes, or Some Sweet Day.  If you choose the print copy, I will need your mailing address.  For a Kindle copy I'll need to know where to send it.  Please contact me at bhansen22 at msn dot com.

Contests end soon

Anyone visiting my blog has a chance to enter two fun end of the summer contests to win free books.  Clicking on the treasure chest in the sidebar will take you to a list of more than a hundred contests that are linked together.  Entries are simple and you can enter any or all of the contests including mine.  For mine you merely have to list two books I have reviewed this summer on Meridian in the comment section of this post or on my previous post to be eligible to win.  Easy huh?  The other contest is sponsored by LDS Publisher and is easy too.  Click on the Summer Trek logo and register for the contest.  Then all you have to do is enter the books you've read this month on the rafflecopter along with any of the other possibilities listed you qualify for.  The rafflecopter is easier than it looks; just play around with it a minute and you'll figure it out.  It's a cool way to keep track of the points you earn.

Starting next month I'll go back to my month long Wish List contest to win books I've been sent for reviews.

Good luck everyone!

LAST DAYS OF SUMMER GIVEAWAY HOP

This summer has been a difficult one for many of us.  With drought and fire, ruined crops, people out of work, smoky,dirty air, shootings, illnesses, and political insults some of us are more than ready to move on to the next season.  I've joined with a big bunch of other writers to give summer one last attempt to be the carefree fun summer is expected to be, so here's your chance to win books, gift certificates, or other book related prizes.

  This contest runs for just one week from August 17th to 22nd.  The prize is your choice of a Kindle copy of Run Away Home, Journey Home, Some Sweet Day, When Tomorrow Comes or a print copy of my newest book, The Heirs of Southbridge.  Entering the contest is easy, in the comments section list two LDS novels I have reviewed for Meridian Magazine this summer-June-July-August.  All correct entries will be included in a drawing.  The winner will be announced on this blog along with instructions for sending me your contact information.  After entering my contest look over the contests linked to this one and enter as many of them as you like. Here's the link: http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=155172

Sometimes It's the Little Things

I love ice cream and everyone who knows me well knows I love chocolate, yet I never buy chocolate ice cream.  Give me rich vanilla floating in hot chocolate sauce topped with whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry! A few days ago a neighbor I love dearly crossed the street to give me a half gallon of chocolate ice cream.  I thanked her and we laughed about our mutual chocolate addiction before I stuck the ice cream in the freezer, thinking,  "I don't even remember the last time I had plain chocolate ice cream." 

The next day I had an appointment with the doctor who is treating me for my pancreas problem.  She surprised me by telling me that when my older brother died almost five years ago of pancreatic cancer, a small piece of his pancreas was preserved and the piece from my biopsy was being compared to his to see if there is a genetic link between his problem and mine.  If there is, my pancreas will have to be removed; if not then we'll just wait and see if the cysts on mine turn malignant.  Who would have thought a tiny piece of tissue from so long ago could play such an important role in my life today or that my brother could play such a major role in my future five years after his death? 

This bit of information played on my mind on the drive home and my thoughts kept turning to the big brother with whom I shared a surprising number of similarities.  We both loved milk, we both loved acting in plays, we both had asthma and hay fever, he taught me my multiplication tables and how to divide, and we both loved to read.  I turned my thoughts to the tasks I needed to accomplish when I got home including the fact that we have a peach tree, loaded with fruit, that needs to be picked.  It reminded me that my brother loved peach pie piled high with chocolate ice cream.  I didn't bake a pie, but I fixed a heaping bowl of fresh sliced peaches, added a generous serving of the chocolate ice cream my friend gave me, and topped it with whipped cream.  I'm sure it was far more calories than I needed, but it was delicious and I  had a strong feeling my brother was watching and grinning his approval.  It also made me doubt my friend's sudden decision to give me chocolate ice cream was a coincidence. 

I just finished reading a book by Camron Wright that impressed me with his ability to handle coincidences/small miracles in such an easy smooth manner, the reader isn't even quite aware a small miracle has occurred, and if the reader isn't inclined to believe in miracles, the event can be dismissed as luck or a fortunate coincidence. I like this in storytelling because that's the way most miracles occur in life and oddly enough, they seem to carry more emotional impact than the big "hit me over the head" miracles complete with angels or the cavalry do. Just as these small "maybe miracles" touch our hearts and give life and its problems boosts of hope and courage, really good writers touch our hearts in the same way, granting the reader a moment's introspection, bringing to mind a half buried poignant memory, and lighting a candle of faith.

A couple in our ward was chosen by her company to experience a wonderful dream vacation these past couple of weeks.  They traveled to Rome, then to Paris, now onto the London Olympics.  Through the whole trip they have sent back via Face book the many, many pictures they've taken.  Because I know these people and we've been friends for years, it's fun to see their European vacation through their eyes. It's fun, exciting, and I can relate to their feelings and reactions because I know them.  This too, when found in literature, is a sign of good writing.  When the reader knows the characters well enough to see through their eyes, the story becomes stronger, more realistic. 

There is a tendency for writers to try to create bigger explosions, scarier chase scenes, more preposterous monsters, grosser expletives, everything bigger, louder, and more dramatic.  Originality and surprise are great, but it's the careful attention to the small things that often makes a story memorable.  If the heart can identify, the story is a keeper.