I Am A Winner!

I am here to interrupt my 2009 upcoming book releases to say...I am a winner!

( WINNER definition:One that wins, especially a victor in sports or a notably successful person.)
Now before you think that I have been taking any self-esteem classes to make myself feel better, I actually won something.

My friend, Natalie, was having a give away on her blog,"Natalie's Creations"(http://nataliescards.blogspot.com/) I entered and my name was drawn. I won a "Vinyl Saying 12 X 24". Now I need to decide what saying I want. Any suggestions?

Natalie does the vinyl lettering and handmade cards. She does a beautiful job and most of us just wish that we were as talented as she is. At least I wish that...don't let me speak for those of you that are also equally talented.

I wanted to thank her for giving me the opportunity to feel like a winner! Don't we all need that every once in awhile?

Round #2 of 2009 Book Releases

Author, Annette Lyon, known for her wonderful "Temple" series (House on the Hill, The Journey's End and Whitney Award Nominee and winner Best of State 2007 book called, "Spires of Stone") has written a fourth book in the series called, "Tower of Strength" which will be released March of 2009 by Covenant Communications. Annette knows so well how to write historical fiction with a twist of romance to flavor her stories. I have always liked how she brings her characters to life where you learn to care very deeply for these fictional characters.

I went to her blog and found one entry where she talked about this new book,

"My next book, titled Tower of Strength, has been accepted for publication and will be released next spring.My fourth temple-related book, it's set in 1884 Manti, a few years before the temple there was complete. Much of the story centers around events (both real and fictional) that took place in and around the city's Temple Hill.I love the title they picked; Tower of Strength can refer to both the temple (the towers are under construction during the story) as well as the heroine. Tabitha really is a tower of strength, and that plays a huge role in the story.This book has been an interesting ride. I loved uncovering the story and characters. I struggled with some of the research. I laughed. I cried.And in the end, I'm excited for my readers to meet Tabitha Chadwick and get to know her for the strong woman she is . . . even if they have to wait almost a year before meeting her!"

Well, you will not have to wait for a whole year to read this book. I always enjoy a book where a strong woman is at the center and where we can garner wisdom from her trials...even if she is a fictional character. This leads me into another book that Annette is working on that will also be released in the Fall of 2009. It is a story about five woman, their friendships, and difficulties while their husbands are deployed in Afghanistan. She is calling it, "Band of Sisters", but is not sure if the title will stick with the publishers. I will anxiously await being able to read this story, which many of you may be able to relate to if you or a loved one have lived this story.

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Now for you Fablehaven fans out there...and if you haven't read any of them yet, shame on you! They are fantastic books! Brandon Mull has finished writing Fablehaven 4 which is being called, "Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary." (I couldn't find a picture of the cover for book 4) Now of course it has that word in it that creates great excitement for me "Dragon". Now since I have read the first three books I have an inkling where this is heading and that has me bouncing in my seat! I really liked reading what he said about this book on his website...

"I'm thrilled to have Fablehaven 4 completely written. Now instead of getting the story on paper, I can concentrate on polishing. I think this one might be my best work so far, and am very curious to start getting reactions from some of my early readers."

For him to say that this is his best work so far, and I really thought Fablehaven 3 was his best, I can't wait to read this one. He also said on his blog, "Fans will be pleased and in general, I think the excitement over the series will increase." In my case, I don't know how much more excited I can get and not have a heart attack! Seriously, you will love them and your kids will love them. Fablehaven 4 is set to be released on March 24th by Shadow Mountain. Now if I only knew who I needed to write to get an ARC of this book, that would really make me happy.

Here are the women of LDS Womens Book Review (Sheila, Shanda and Hillary)with Brandon Mull at the 2008 Whitney Awards last March.

Exciting Reads for 2009

2009 will be here before you know it. I am looking forward to next year for many reasons...especially for books coming out that are on my "To Read" list. I wanted to let you know about some of my favorites that are heading to your local book stores in 2009.

WINGS by Aprilynne Pike

Release date: May 5, 2009

published by Harper Collins Teen

I first met Aprilynne at last years Whitney Awards (http://www.whitneyawards.com/) She was sitting at our table, where we the women of LDS Womens Book Review were also sitting. As we talked she told us about her first book that she was writing and I became hooked on the ideas behind WINGS.

WINGS is a story about an ordinary girl who discovers she is a faerie and is sent to guard the gateway to Avalon in the mortal world. When she is thrust into the midst of a centuries old battle between faeries and trolls, she's torn between a mortal and a faerie love, as well as her loyalties to both worlds.

This book is right up my alley...my fantasy alley. (Those of you that listen to LDS Womens Book Review podcasts know that fantasy is my favorite genre) I am so excited to get my hands on a copy of this book. I have been enjoying getting to know Aprilynne from reading her blog (which you can link to from my blog; it is called "Apparently!") She is this very intelligent woman who is full of spice, and has an absolute love for writing and reading. It really shows when she is talking about her upcoming book which is the first in a series of books. She wrote this first book in three months! That amazes me!!

Here is a direct quote from Aprilynne's blog where she talked about how she wrote Wings and the sequel:

"When I wrote WINGS, I did write it in a flurry . . . actually, I wrote the sequel in a bit of a flurry too. Three months of long days seems to work well for me. I found a story I was passionate about (that's the ingredient that NO book should be without"

It is writers like this that truly inspire me. I will be doing a more in-depth interview with Aprilynne once I have read WINGS. The exciting thing for me is that I am on the list to receive an ARC (an advanced readers copy) of WINGS so I will be reading this book within the month...I hope! My 10 year daughter has already threatened to steal my copy from me because she wants to also read it. Aprilynne Pike is someone whose name you will be hearing a lot of in the future, just like Stephenie Meyer and Shannon Hale. I am glad that I was able to meet her at the beginning of her career while I can enjoy seeing her take this thrilling ride as a first time published author.

Speaking of Shannon Hale....she has been writing the fourth book in the Books of Bayern series. The fourth book is called, "Forest Born". I know many of you are familiar with this series; remember, #1..Goose Girl #2 Enna Burning #3 River Secrets. The tentative date for the release of this book is October 2009...a whole year to wait! On Shannon Hale's website she had the covers (which are new) of the first three books in paperback. It really is a lovely cover and should attract new readers to these stories.

An interesting thing concerning Shannon Hale is that the next book that she has written, coming out before October, is not a "teen" book, but one for adults called "The Actor and the Housewife". It is scheduled for a May 2009 release date. All of my friends know that one of my favorite Shannon Hale Books is "Austenland", which also is geared more towards the adult reader. There has been some controversy about this new book about the friendship that develops between a male actor and a typical housewife. As always, I don't listen to what others say and I like to judge things for myself. I can't wait to read this new book and after I do, I will give you more details about whether there is something there to garner the title of "controversial".

Congratulations also need to go to Shannon for her novel, "Book of a Thousand Days"...which I loved... it won the Utah Book Award for Young Peoples Literature. This is another book, if you haven't read it yet...you must! I can assure you that you will not be disappointed. It showcases a humble heroine, Dashti, and mixes in drama and romance. The story is written in a journal writing format which I found intriguing.

Well...that is all for now. I will be posting more about new 2009 releases in upcoming blogs. Some of the authors I will be spotlighting will be Jessica Day George, Brandon Mull, James Dashner and many more.