March Book Madness

MBM: Intuitive Grammar – The Comma Dilemma by Julie L Casey

Today is the last day of MARCH BOOK MADNESS! (Full explanation and schedule here.) I can’t believe it’s the end of the month already. I hope you’ve learned as much as I have from this talented group of authors. (Huge thank you to all of them for sharing their knowledge with us!!!!!) If you’ve missed any posts, make sure to catch up (list below).

Our last author is my friend, Julie L. Casey, author of the Teenage Survivalist series. Because Julie writes dystopian, end-of-civilization stuff like I do, she and I get along great. :) In fact, if you’re interested, she posts lots of basic survival tips on Pinterest and her other social sites. Make sure to check out her books and her blog (below her bio). Not only is she talented and knowledgeable, she’s also super sweet and nice. Today she’s talking about my arch nemesis: the comma.

Here she is:

Continue reading “MBM: Intuitive Grammar – The Comma Dilemma by Julie L Casey” →

Marching, Writing

MBM: Writing vs. Family: How to Choose Which to Focus On by Chantele Sedgwick

Welcome to the twelfth day of MARCH BOOK MADNESS! (Full explanation and schedule here.)

Today, my friend Chantele Sedgwick is here talking about writing vs. family time. Chantele and I met a few years back because we shared a publisher. Now she and I serve together on the LDStorymakers Board of Directors. If you’ve heard of the amazing writers’ Storymakers Conference in Utah, well, she’s the co-chair this year and next, and she’s doing a fabulous job! (I’d tell you to register for this conference, but it’s already sold out. Go next year!) Chantele is the author of several fun YA/MG romances, so make sure to check them below her bio.

Here she is:

Continue reading “MBM: Writing vs. Family: How to Choose Which to Focus On by Chantele Sedgwick” →

Marching, Writing

MBM: Writing the Movie in Your Head by Gerald N. Lund

Welcome to the eleventh day of MARCH BOOK MADNESS! (Full explanation and schedule here.)

Today, my favorite author of all time is here. Gerald N. Lund is my favorite for many reasons, but foremost, because he’s my dad. :)

His books include fiction, non-fiction, dystopian, contemporary YA, and doctrinal discourses. He’s best known for his religious historical fiction including The Work and the Glory series (which have had a few movies made based on them). His current series, Fire and Steel, is set during WWI and WWII, and chronicles the lives of two families, one from Germany and one from rural Utah. He’s won several awards, sold millions of books, yet he’s just the nicest, sweetest, smartest man.

If you couldn’t tell, I love him to pieces. :)

1 Typewriter used to write first Lund novels given to Rebecca Belliston — My dad gave me the typewriter he wrote his first book with

SIDE NOTE: He also writes lyrics and I write music (like my mom), so the two of us recently worked on a choral song which was just published by Jackman Music. The song is called “Come and Be With Me,” based on Frederic Chopin’s Etude in E. It’s available in SATB with vocal solos coming soon.

Today my dad is here to talk about writing the movie in our mind.

Continue reading “MBM: Writing the Movie in Your Head by Gerald N. Lund” →

Marching, Writing

MBM: Rejection and a Broken Muse by Ranee` S. Clark

Welcome to the tenth day of MARCH BOOK MADNESS! (Full explanation and schedule here.) If you’ve missed any days, make sure to catch up. There have been so many great tips to strengthen your writing!

Today Ranee` S. Clark is here to discuss one of the hardest parts of writing (at least for me): rejection. Ranee` and I serve on the LDStorymakers Board of Directors together, and it’s been fun getting to know her. I haven’t read her books yet, but they are on my to-read list because they look like cute, fun romances, which is just the kind of stories I love (check them out below her bio). Ranee` has been running a March Cover Madness on her blog this month. I’m kind of obsessed with book covers, so I love this contest. The covers have been beautiful. Check them out here. (She also actually follows the real March Madness, as in basketball. So yeah, she’s pretty cool.)

Here she is:

Continue reading “MBM: Rejection and a Broken Muse by Ranee` S. Clark” →

Marching, Writing

MBM: The Writing Formula: Success in Any Genre by Jen Johnson

Welcome to the ninth day of MARCH BOOK MADNESS! (Full explanation and schedule here.)

Today Jen Johnson is here to discuss story structure. Jen and I met through my dad, when she was adapting his novel The Freedom Factor into a play. Since then, we’ve been able to meet up at a writing conference and chat online about writing. She’s a great person, a lot of fun, and very talented. So here she is:

Continue reading “MBM: The Writing Formula: Success in Any Genre by Jen Johnson” →

Marching, Reading, Reviewing, Writing

MBM: How Book Clubs Can Help Authors by @CharityBradford

Welcome to the eighth day of MARCH BOOK MADNESS! (Full explanation and schedule here.)

Side note: my book LIFE is free this weekend on Kindle.

Today my friend Charity Bradford is here to discuss book clubs. Charity and I have met a few times at the Midwest Storymakers Conference. She’s a fun, talented, sweet person, and she writes great scifi and fantasy (check out her books below her bio). So here she is:

Continue reading “MBM: How Book Clubs Can Help Authors by @CharityBradford” →

Marching, Writing

MBM: 6 Tips to Avoid Author Burnout by Danyelle Ferguson

Welcome to the seventh day of MARCH BOOK MADNESS! (Full explanation and schedule here.)

Today my friend Danyelle Ferguson is here. Danyelle is one of the busiest people I know, yet able to juggle an amazing amount of projects and do them all well. She and I have worked together on the Midwest Storymakers Conference for several years, and she’s great, fun, and sweet. Make sure to check out her books below her bio. She writes sweet romances and a non-fiction book about disabilities and the gospel.

Today Danyelle’s giving us some tips to avoid author burnout which couldn’t have come at a better time for me! So here she is:

Continue reading “MBM: 6 Tips to Avoid Author Burnout by Danyelle Ferguson” →

Marching, Writing

MBM: Creativity: A Process, Not a Product by @TeresaHirst

Welcome to the sixth day of MARCH BOOK MADNESS! (Full explanation and schedule here.)

Today my friend Teresa Hirst is here. She is a total sweetheart and I loved her latest novel, Flowers of Grace, inspired by a true story of a group of women trying to save a clothing store–and a hibiscus. (Link below her bio.)

Today Teresa’s here to talk about the ‘yoga’ aspect of writing, the ‘breathing’ moments to create something beautiful.

Continue reading “MBM: Creativity: A Process, Not a Product by @TeresaHirst” →