FRIENDSHIP BOXES!

Seagull Box girls --
Back row: Abbie Mather, Brianne Whatcott, Lauren Lewis, Elizabeth Haight
Front row: Megan Isham, Syrina Starr, Michele Bell, Debbie Nielson, Paige mather

I was invited (actually I kind of invited myself) to the first annual opening of the Seagull Box. What, you may ask, is a Seagull Box?
I'm so glad you asked.
In my book, A Modest Proposal, I write about 5 best friends from high school who put items that represent themselves and their friendship, into a box with a butterfly on top. This box becomes of symbol of their bond, friendship and commitment to each other. They get together each year and have a reunion where they open up the box and talk about the items and renewing their friendship. Each year the box goes home with one girl, with the idea that this girl will receive extra prayers and luck because she is in possession of the box.
The wacky and awesome employees at Seagull Book and Tape in Taylorsville, Utah, decided they wanted to put a box together. Each of them put in an item that represented them as an individual and then something that represented their friendship. A year later, they celebrated the opening of the box and I got to be there when it happened.
I cannot even begin to tell you how much fun I had with these girls. As they went around the circle and talked about the items they'd put in the box, they relived and recounted experiences and moments through the year that they had shared together, most of them a ten on the "hysterical moments in life" scale. I laughed till my face hurt as they remembered these shared moments together. Some of the things that were in the box were:
a CD of their favorite songs
a photo album
PJ bottoms (they all have matching PJ bottoms)
a napkin with a boy's phone number - long story, but that's what girls do . . . help their friends get the phone number of the cute boy that was in the play they went to see, who just happened to show up at the same restaurant!
paper clips from an apron at work
there was something about the cheese fries at Leatherby's and the water at Leatherby's, which they claim must have something in it because they always get seriously loopy after drinking it (my theory is that just being together makes them this way)
memories of getting kicked out of places (like Olive Garden) because they get so silly (see above comment)
And the list could go on . . .

As I observed the bond these girls share and the amount of fun they had remembering the things that they share as friends, I realized that this "BOX" idea really has something to it. I also realized that maybe other girls might be interested in getting their own "BOX" together with their friends. It doesn't have to be a butterfly box or a seagull box. It could be a sister box, a cousin box, a Young Women box, or just a friendship box, filled with items and memories that will solidify the bond of sisterhood, whether biological or not. It could even contain goals and dreams, almost like a time capsule, to help girls set goals and then check each year to see how they are doing with their progress.

If anyone out there is interested in doing it and I can help, please contact me. I'd love to be involved. I'd even be thrilled to come and be a part of it.

Interview with Candace Salima

Hold the phone, people. It's been that kind of week. I wanted to add more to this interview before it posted but I didn't get to it before it got sent out, so my apologies to my dear friend Candace.

Now, having said that let's begin.

I first met Candace on the internet. She's one of those people who can pack more into a day than any ten people and I remember thinking, "Good grief, doesn't this woman ever sleep?" Several months later I finally got to meet Candace at a luncheon with some friends. I was blown away by her. First, by how truly nice and fun she is, and then, by how unbelievably dynamic she is. I don't know how much sleep she gets a night but she has the capacity to accomplish a lot of really great things.

For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting Candace in person, here's your chance to get to know a little more about this wonderful woman, someone I am happy to call my friend.

Here's some background about Candace . . .

Candace E. Salima was born right smack dab in the middle of twelve children. In a family comprised of his, mine and ours, Candace can barely remember a time when reading wasn't an integral part of her life. Her love of books, reading and writing, was born of hearing her mother read nightly from the James Herriot series about a veterinarian's mishaps in the British countryside. She thrived in a family of readers, began writing original stories at the age of eleven and has never looked back.

The daughter of a father who survived the invasion of Hitler's war machine in his homeland and a mother who is an often controversial conservative columnist, Candace spent her childhood on the back of a horse or trudging through the mountains and valleys of the American west. Born in California, she lived in Nebraska, Montana, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico . . . all before she was twelve-years-old. As an adult she lived in Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona, and another short stint in California before making her home in Utah.

She met her sweetheart at Brigham Young University in 1983. Ten years later she appeared on the Phil Donahue Show in defense of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which precipitated a reunion with him. In 1995, Alvin and Candace were married in the Bountiful Temple and settled in Utah Valley. Unable to have children, Alvin and Candace shower their love and attention on their nieces and nephews.

In the course of her life, Candace has been a reporter, a writer of health booklets, a screenwriter, and a teacher. Her philosophy in life is simple . . . everything can be turned into a good story. Hence her nine day rafting trip down the Colorado River, hiking the Colorado Rockies, or horseback riding in the northern Wyoming Grand Teton mountains. A love of BYU football, basketball, swimming, movies, plays, concerts and socializing with family and friends round out her life. All this, and she still prefers to be curled up on her couch with a good book, a cup of hot chocolate and a blustery Winnie-the-Pooh day brewing outside.

Here are the questions...Candace E. Salima

M.B.: When did you first know you wanted to be an author?

AUTHOR: Interestingly, I began writing original stories at the age of eleven, with a beginning, middle and end. I read books and would think to myself, this could be so much better. But it wasn’t until I took a creative writing class in college that I was steered in the direction of writing. Initially, I wrote screenplays but when I turned 40 and the movie industry hadn’t work out for me I decided to try my hand at writing. “Out of the Shadows…Into the Light” was the result.

M.B.: What was the pathway like for you to get your first book published?

AUTHOR: I wanted to write romantic suspense. With my values being what they are, I knew writing that genre in the national market was not something I could do and live with myself, or look my mother in the eye. So I did a little research in the LDS market, sat down and wrote three chapters and sent them to a friend of my sister’s at Covenant. The editor who ended up with the chapters really liked them and asked me to finish the book and submit it. I did that, but we ran into some problems when we disagreed on how to handle certain parts of the book.

In the meantime, I attended the first LDS Storymakers Writers Conference and met Chad Daybell who was just launching his new publishing house Spring Creek Book Company. By June of that year, I signed a contract with Spring Creek on “Out of the Shadows…Into the Light”. The rest, as they say, is history.

M.B.: Were you ever discouraged along the way? If so, how did you deal with it?

AUTHOR: Yes, I have been discouraged. Not in the beginning because I had three books out in the course of 18 months. Writing was cruising along and book sales were brisk. My husband became very ill, but I continued to write until it came to the point where I could no longer think creatively. As day after day by his bedside went on, I ceased doing anything creative and simply stuck to the task of keeping my husband alive.

I stressed about it daily but anything I sat down and wrote was far below the high standard I hold myself to and so I deleted and tried again. I eventually gave up and decided to concentrate on staying awake and Alvin alive.

It is only recently that I have begun to write again. I am still in the middle of the two books I began two years ago, but now have begun writing again on a daily basis. I knew one day I would be able to write again and am very grateful that time has come. In the meantime, I read books, worked with other authors, edited the manuscripts of others in order to keep my hand in the creative process and continued to hone my skills. Oddly, I am a better writer than I was four years ago. I hope to have one book out at the end of this year and another in the first quarter of the next.

M.B.: What is your writing schedule like?

AUTHOR: I used to get up every morning at 4:00 and write in the quiet of the early morning awakening of the earth. But I haven’t seen 4:00 a.m. in awhile. So now I write when I can. I carry a laptop with me everywhere, although I caught a glimpse of Alison Palmer’s Mobile Pro and am considering purchasing one of those to keep with me at all times so that I can write during any downtime in the course of a regular day. There is a lot of that, oddly enough.

M.B.: Where do your ideas come from? How do you know the idea is
good enough to write a book about it?

AUTHOR: I’m inspired by everything around me. A turn of phrase, a title to a song, the events unfolding around me, the news, my hopes, dreams and fears—all of them, somehow, trigger entire stories in my head and I write. I then take the outline and first couple of chapters to a select group to see if I have anything good. Their responses give me the idea of where I need to go with the story and the best way to bring that about.

I haven’t had a bad story come to mind yet. I have a very colorful imagination and am able to weave an intriguing story out of just about anything.

M.B.: What words of advice do you have for other writers who desire to
have their manuscripts become books in print?

AUTHOR: Read, read and read more. Be certain you are reading authors who can actually write. Bad writers, although they may be good storytellers, will actually affect your writing ability. So stay far away from those.

Attend writing conferences. Don’t spend a fortune doing so, but find the ones which challenge, teach and inspire you and attend them regularly. Not only will you improve as a writer, but you will also develop connections and friendships which will last a lifetime.

Create a critique group and listen. You don’t always have to take the suggestions offered, but make certain it is because it’s a bad suggestion rather than one of ego.

Get a story journal and for the first 5 to 10 minutes of each day do free form writing. Whether you purchase an actual journal or use your computer, it really doesn’t matter. But write. This will trigger the creative process and get you in the mode of storytelling. This was an exercise one of the best writing teachers I ever had utilized at the beginning of each class period. I was amazed at how well it worked. It still does.

M.B.: What is your process of brainstorming a story? Do you just sit
down and write, waiting to see what happens next? Or do you outline
first?

AUTHOR: Stories hit me out of the blue, like a bolt of lightning. The fleshing out of the story takes a little longer. I start with a general outline, very general. I identify the research points and then begin my research. As I conduct that research the story begins to unfold and become three dimensional. I then began writing the actual story; a creative dumping of story and thought that only a mother would love, and actually, that might be in question too. Through that process, invariably, I will come upon points where more research is required. I make a note and finish the rough draft of the book. I then go and conduct the necessary research and then begin honing the second draft of the book. When that one is complete, I send it out to a select group of readers who fill out a questionnaire upon completion of the book. I go carefully through their thoughts, impressions and suggestions and use the ones which make sense. I then go through it one more time, looking for any mistakes and then submit that version to my publisher.

M.B.: Do you ever experience a snag in a story, a form of writer's
block? If so, how do you deal with it?

AUTHOR: I just came out of a four year writer’s block. I tried everything I could think of to break free from it, but with the pressures and stresses of my life at the time, staying upright and fighting was about all I could manage. It was after my husband regained his health, finances eased up and life got on a more even keel I was able to begin writing away. I tried going up in the mountains. I tried gardening, exercising, playing music, anything. I tried going to Colorado. I tried reading. I tried everything I could think of, but until my husband was given a clean bill of health after eight very scary years, I was not able to write. My last book was released in February of 2006. By the release of my next book it will have been four years to the day. Not a good thing, but nonetheless, it is the way my life has played out. I’ve stopped stressing over, accepted that sometimes life just happens and there isn’t much you can do about it. But writing is as necessary as breathing and I’m so grateful to be doing it again.

M.B.: Do you need absolute quiet to write? Do you listen to music when
you are writing?

AUTHOR: No, I don’t listen to music. I like to sing along to the music I listen to which makes it very tough to write. So I lock myself in my office and do my writing in absolute peace and quiet. I know. I’m spoiled.

M.B.: What kinds of inspiration do you use during your story creation periods?

AUTHOR: Hot fudge brownie sundaes? Okay, maybe not. As long as I am reading my scriptures and praying daily, get a little sun and exercise and eating properly I seem to do really well in the writing process. If I neglect any of that it gets a lot harder to pull that story out of my brain.

M.B.: Who has made the greatest difference for you as a writer?

AUTHOR: Nora Roberts and my mother. I absolutely adore the writing style of Nora Roberts, but not necessarily the scenes I have to skip when I’m reading her books. I find her to be a brilliant writer. When I was hung with the moniker of the LDS Nora Roberts it was the greatest of compliments. In the meantime, my sweet mother, Muriel Sluyter, reads everything I write and always offers honest, helpful critique as well as correction of punctuation and grammar. One disagreement we had about split infinitives triggered a scene in “Out of the Shadows…Into the Light”.

M.B.: Do you use a critique group during the writing process? Why or why not?

AUTHOR: I used to, now I just use my mother, my brother, my sister (all of which are painfully honest and see different problems than the others) and Tristi Pinkston.

M.B.: Which of your books is your favorite, and why?

AUTHOR: It’s hard to say. I love “Out of the Shadows…Into the Light” and am so pleased to be close to finishing the book in that series. It’s a romantic suspense that kept me thoroughly entertained and on seat’s edge throughout the entire writing of it. But then again, Forged in the Refiner’s Fire was a deeply inspiring book to compile and write. It has touched so many lives. I don’t know, I can’t choose between the two. Sorry.

M.B.: Any final words you would like to share

AUTHOR: Writing can be a lonely and difficult process. And yet, as we create characters and stories, breathe life into them and watch them blossom we find ourselves immersed in a world created in our minds. It’s a fascinating place to be and sad when we have to leave. So I make sure I spend time with family and friends, read, watch football and basketball games nephews and nieces are playing in, garden and spend time with my husband. All that makes me happy and a better writer, I don’t need angst to write, I need peace.

M.B.: Where can our readers go to find your books and order them?

AUTHOR: Amazon.com is the best place to go, following the links up there. When Spring Creek declared bankruptcy it left my readership in somewhat of a lurch, so I reprinted both Shadows and Forged via CreateSpace and made them available on Amazon.com again. In addition, Provident Book in Pleasant Grove, UT carries my books as well. By next year, all my books will once again be available at your local bookstore.

Link to order "Forged in the Refiners Fire"

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=forged+in+the+refiners+fire&x=0&y=0

Link to order "Out of the Shadows, Into the Light"

http://www.amazon.com/Out-Shadows-Into-Light-Springs/dp/1438242611/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243034493&sr=8-5

Link to order "13 and 0: Reflections of Champions

http://www.amazon.com/13-0-Reflections-Candace-Salima-Alvin/dp/1932898336/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243034569&sr=1-1

Dream a little dream… http://candacesalima.blogspot.com
Website http://candacesalima.com
Salima Enterprises, LLC http://salimaenterprises.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=696586313&ref=profile

Two in One Day!

From time to time I will share favorite blogs sites with you. I hope you'll return the favor and share some of the blogs you visit often, other than mine, of course:-)

Take a minute and add Doug Johnston's blog to your list of favorites and visit his site often. He's a wonderful person and has great insights in life.

Doug's blog address is: http://dougjohnston.blogspot.com

I'm pretty sure you'll thank me for passing this on.

Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most!

Taffy and Lianne, where are you? You have won Jodi Marie Robinson's book and mine. Please contact me so we can send them to you.

I need a secretary, a maid, a cook, and a driver (I would have typed chauffer, chaufeur, sho-fer -- oh forget it, but I'm not in the mood to look it up!).

It's time to simplify.

That's been my focus lately. I'm not doing a very good job of it. In fact, if anything, it's gotten worse.

Busy husband, busy kids, busy callings, busy life. Don't get me started.

My sweet, awesome and handsome editor (don't make anything of that, I'm old enough to be his mother) said something the other day when I was in a meeting with him. He said that sometimes we get so busy doing good things that we sometimes neglect the important things. He used the example of social networking and how much time people spend on it when maybe they could be using their time more wisely doing other things. He was politely and kindly telling me that I needed to give my writing some priority status. Thank you, Kirk, for that much needed kick in the rear.

Did that ever ring true, especially for this Bell (Ha-ha, how clever was that? And me functioning with no brain cells).

That is why I dropped my blog posts down to two days a week and that is why I am trying to get rid of things in my life that don't really matter and are taking up my time. I am trying to assess things that I can trim down or cut out of my life. Maybe my next blog can be about the things I've decided to work on. I would love your help and suggestions. I don't have time for therapy, so you, dear readers, are the next best thing. What have you done to simplify your life? I've tried going without sleep and not cooking for my family, both of which failed miserably. Other than that, I'm open to your suggestions.

Don't forget to check back on Friday. I am posting an interview with the amazing Candace Salima. A woman who gets more done in a day, than any five people I know.

Jerry Borrowman, Jodi Marie Robinson and and interview with Tristi Pinkston, what more could you ask for?

First of all, please take a minute a watch the Youtube video about Jerry Borrowman's new book that was showcased two weeks ago on my blog. This book is awesome!

Secondly, Jodi Marie Robinson has decided to make an honest woman out of me and will be giving books to the other two winners, who will also be receiving my books. I think that makes them grand prize winners!!! So, keep entering for giveaways -- you seriously never know what's going to happen.

And finally, saving the best for last, I am pleased to interview the wonderfully witty, amazingly aweseome, Tristi Pinkston.

First, let me give you a little background about Tristi, which I stole from her web-site.

With her crisp writing style and attention to detail, Tristi Pinkston pulls her readers into the pages of history and helps them feel the emotions that fueled the events of that time. She has been hailed as one of the most talented historical fiction writers currently on the market.

Jeff Needle's review for AML, said, "This kind of writing can only come about when the author has thoroughly researched her subject and worked very hard to put herself in the place of her protagonist."

"You can find basic history lessons anywhere," Tristi says. "I specialize in telling the other side of the story, things that aren’t so commonly discussed. I feel that in order to really understand history, we need to look at it from all angles. I’ll admit, some of my viewpoints keep me from winning the political popularity contest, but that’s okay with me. I’m telling the stories I feel need to be told."

Here's what Tristi has to say about herself: I'm a stay at home mom and a homeschooler (visit www.uhea.org) I spend lots of time ignoring my dirty house and hiding laundry in weird places. I specialize in moving things from one place to another, and then back again. I love Flylady’s housework routines (visit www.flylady.net) and I sometimes even do them. In my spare time, you know, those hours most people waste with sleep, I'm a writer. I love to do research and make my novels as realistic as possible, helping my readers to understand nuances of history that escape the textbooks.

In addition to the novels I write, I maintain a blog which contains tips for aspiring authors and also my own personal ramblings, which sometimes make sense and sometimes do not. I also write book reviews for Families.com. It’s a fabulous job – I get to read books and talk about them, two of my favorite things.

I was just called to serve as the Wolf Leader in my ward. Scouting is something I’ve never done before but I’m looking forward to the new experiences. I enjoy reading, watching good movies, and scrapbooking. I like trying new recipes (even though my kids won't eat them and would much rather have Ramen noodles), spending time with my kids, and taking Sunday afternoon naps, which are so necessary. I also enjoy chocolate just a little more than I really should.

On a personal note, I met Tristi when her first book, "Nothing to Regret" came out. The book was powerful, well-written and completely knocked my socks off. I knew then that Tristi's books would become fan favorites and she would be a strong presence in the LDS market.

Here is my interview with Tristi:

M.B.: When did you first know you wanted to be an author?

AUTHOR: I’ve wanted to be an author my whole life. I wrote my first poem when I was about seven, I think, and I knew back then that this is what I wanted. I don’t write poetry any more, though.

M.B.: What was the pathway like for you to get your first book published?

AUTHOR: I first submitted to Covenant, and they had it for a year. They asked me to do some revisions, and I did them, and then it turned out to be a no. I then submitted to a few other places, and I had just about decided it wasn’t going to work until I got a call from Granite. They asked me to come in and meet with them, I dry-heaved all the way there (not very lady-like, but true) and we signed a contract.

M.B.: Were you ever discouraged along the way? If so, how did you deal with it?

AUTHOR: Oh, of course! I thought Covenant was going to pick it up. Then I made it all the way through to the end of the process with another company, and then they asked for money to help publish it, money I didn’t have. I went to bed and cried for two hours. Then I got up, went to an all-night Kinko’s, ran off six copies and submitted to everyone else I could think of. That’s how I found Granite. I published two books with them, self-published my third, and now I’m with Cedar Fort.

M.B.: What is your writing schedule like?

AUTHOR: I do most of my actual writing between nine and midnight, after the kids are in bed. I do the bulk of my e-mailing in the late morning.

M.B.: Where do your ideas come from? How do you know the idea is
good enough to write a book about it?

AUTHOR: I really do get my ideas in the strangest places. My first novel came from a dream, my second came from a Relief Society lesson, my third is a family history story, and “Agent in Old Lace,” my new release, came about from a news story. The series I’m starting in the fall came from a late-night conversation with my husband and we got the giggles while we brain-stormed it.

M.B.: What words of advice do you have for other writers who desire to
have their manuscripts become books in print?

AUTHOR: First, beware of pride. When someone wants to give you constructive criticism, listen to it. Take what they’re saying and apply the parts that are true and junk the parts that might not be true for your story, but be willing to listen to everything. It’s hard to admit that someone else is right about your story. It was quite the blow to my ego last month to be working on a revision and realize my mother was right – my first chapter really did drag. But as we listen and evaluate and apply, we’ll find that our writing becomes so much stronger. This isn’t to say we should do absolutely everything we’re told. Sometimes someone will make a suggestion and we’ll know it’s way off base – those you just shrug off.

Second, you have to be willing to keep trying. Too often, I hear people say that they submitted to a company and were rejected, and so they’re not going to try again. You can’t do that. Submit, and submit, and submit. And if some advice comes along with the rejection, take that advice. Revise, and then submit again.

M.B.: What is your process of brainstorming a story? Do you just sit
down and write, waiting to see what happens next? Or do you outline
first?

AUTHOR: It all depends on the story. When I’m writing a historical fiction, I have a timeline in front of me. I know what battle happened when and where, and I know which historical figures were there and what they did, so I know how to move my character in and out of the scene. Beyond that, I do tend to let it flow.

For my contemporary novels, I start with a general idea of what I want, and then I just see where it takes me. I’d say about 70% of the final version of “Agent in Old Lace” was spur of the moment, and nearly all of my fall release was just written as it came.

M.B.: Do you ever experience a snag in a story, a form of writer's
block? If so, how do you deal with it?

AUTHOR: I set it aside and I do other things. I read books, I watch movies, I scrapbook, and before long the answer will just come. If I sit and stew, it rarely comes.

M.B.: Do you need absolute quiet to write? Do you listen to music when
you are writing?

AUTHOR: I can’t listen to music while I write. If I’m listening to music, I need to be singing along, and I can’t sing and write at the same time. But I can write without absolute quiet—there’s often “Blue’s Clues” in the background, or children discussing the merits of one Lego piece over another.

M.B.: What kinds of inspiration do you use during your story creation periods?

AUTHOR: I like to immerse myself in the time period I’m writing about, when doing a historical. I read books and watch movies about that era and try to soak in the atmosphere. For “Agent in Old Lace,” I talked to authors who had written suspense, and they helped me start the story where it really needed to start.

M.B.: Who has made the greatest difference for you as a writer?

AUTHOR: Wow. That’s a hard question. My parents have always been really supportive, and my husband has really stepped up to the plate and been there for me. I’ve met scads of authors who have made comments that have influenced me. I’ve read scads of books that have helped me hone my skills. I don’t know if I can narrow it down any further than that.

M.B.: Do you use a critique group during the writing process? Why or why not?

AUTHOR: I have used a critique group for the last year. Before that, I felt I didn’t have time, and it’s true—my children were younger and I wasn’t able to leave them for long stretches without very disastrous things happening. But last year, I was invited to participate in a critique group and my husband felt like he could handle a little more absence on my part, so I meet with my group every week. (Hi, Keith, Kim, Nichole and Heather!!) Each member of the group brings something different to the table and they have pointed out things to me I wasn’t noticing on my own. Now, when I write, I hear their voices in my head. “Tristi, take out ‘that’ in the first sentence.” It’s making my writing so much stronger, and I hope I’m reciprocating.

M.B.: Which of your books is your favorite, and why?

AUTHOR: Okay, Michele, which of your kids do you like best?  I’m joking, but only sort of. Each book represents who I was at the time I wrote it. When I look at them, I can remember the thoughts and feelings I had during the process and it’s like a journal to me. I have to say that “Season of Sacrifice” has the deepest emotional impact to me because it’s the true story of my ancestors, and “Secret Sisters,” my fall release, was the most fun to write. But they are each important to me in their own way.

M.B.: Any final words you would like to share

AUTHOR I’d like to thank you for hosting me, Michele!

M.B.: Where can our readers go to find your books and order them?

AUTHOR: You can get my first three books from my website (http://www.tristipinkston.com) and “Agent in Old Lace” here http://www.amazon.com/Agent-Old-Lace-Tristi-Pinkston/dp/1599553082/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241459334&sr=8-1