This looks as if it will be a film worth watching, as PBS separates the history from the myths about the War of 1812. I can appreciate that struggle after threading through the letters and historical accounts while researching Free Men and Dreamers.PBS launches this series in October.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
SEPTEMBER BLOG HOP
Thanks Tristi, Pinkston, for organizing this blog hop!Welcome to the September Blog Hop! Celebrate the beginning of fall with me and my blogger friends by hopping around, visiting our sites, and entering our contests! There are no limits - you can enter the contest on every blog. With over 40 blogs participating, that's over 40 prizes you could win. Just click on the links below to move on to the next blog.
On my blog, you can win a nice prize package:
An autographed copy of any of my books,
(check out my web site at
http://www.laurielclewis.com/
to choose a title),
plus I'll throw in a an extra book from my shelf
of must-read titles--that's 2 books!
To win this prize package you just need to do two things.1. Become a follower of this blog. If you're already a follower, sign up to "Follow by Email" in the block to the right. And if you've already done that, then sign up in the "Follow me on Twitter" box. Just do one.
2. Leave me a comment in the trail and tell me why you'd like to win this prize.
That's it! You are now entered. The contest ends on Saturday night, September 24th, at midnight MST, and the winner will be contacted shortly thereafter. Please either leave your e-mail address in the comment trail or make sure it's visible through your profile so I can contact you to tell you that you're the lucky winner.
Now go visit my other friends ...
| 1. Tristi Pinkston, LDS Author 2. Joyce DiPastena 3. I Am A Reader, Not A Writer 4. Mandi Slack 5. Michael D. Young 6. Six Mixed Reviews 7. Pam Williams 8. Laurie Lewis 9. Kristy Tate 10. Marilyn Yarbrough 11. Stacy Coles 12. Kristie Ballard 13. Lynn Parsons 14. Pushing Past the Pounds 15. Sheila Staley 16. cindy Hogan | 17. Jamie Thompson 18. Jaclyn Weist 19. Cathy Witbeck 20. Secret Sisters Mysteries 21. Tamera Westhoff 22. Tina Scott 23. Lynnea Mortensen 24. Danyelle Ferguson aka Queen of the Clan 25. Jeanette A. Fratto 26. Bonnie Harris 27. Melissa Lemon 28. Mary Ann Dennis 29. Stephanie Black 30. Jane Still 31. Janice 32. Laura Bastian | 33. Tamara Bordon 34. Betsy Love 35. Maria Hoagland 36. Amber Robertson 37. Debbie Davis 38. 39. Christy Monson 40. Carolyn Frank 41. Rebecca Birkin 42. Melissa Cunningham 43. Emily L. Moir 44. Ronda Hinrichsen 45. Lisa Asanuma 46. Joan Sowards 47. Jordan McCollum 48. Diane Stringam Tolley |
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Sunday, September 18, 2011
"IN GOD IS OUR TRUST" news!!!
Braden Bell had this to say after previewing, "In God Is Our Trust"--
In the final installment of this epic series, Lewis deftly blends the many strands she began earlier. This final book is a well-executed and engrossing tale. But it is also a powerful meditation on freedom and bondage, and the many ways in which we can lose freedom and become enslaved. Through the eyes of her characters, the reader comes to appreciate the blessings of liberty and more fully grasp the responsibilities that come to those who are free. Elegantly connecting the dots between our three great responsibilities, God, Family, and Country, Lewis leaves the reader with a visceral appreciation of those who have gone on before and a commitment to stand more firmly in the moment that is now ours. A week after staying up all night to finish it, the characters and themes of this masterpiece haunt my mind and heart.
Pinch me!
September has been a busy family month, so thank heavens for pre-scheduled blog posts or I would have had a barren blog. Family time was great, but our last visitor—our oldest grandson—left for home today, and now it’s time to get back to work.
As soon as my editor hands me the cover image for “In God Is Our Trust,” crazy things will begin to happen professionally. This volume takes us full circle to the original intent of the series—to illustrate how the War of 1812, and the events in America, were preparing this nation to become the cradle of the Restoration. The tender Pearson saga continues, carrying our friends through the post-war recovery, and into a new day as American comes into her own, seeing herself not as a young upstart nation, but as a major player on the world stage.
This new sense of political identity is overshadowed by religious division in America. As science and philosophy begin casting greater doubts on miracles, and spiritual manifestations, a young boy from New York State attests to miracles and manifestations not considered since biblical times, and the Constitution’s guarantee of religious freedom and tolerance is put to the test as tensions rise. With carefully conducted research, “In God Is Our Trust” will toss my readers into this very confusing and marvelous period.
We’re going to have ads in most LDS print publications and on LDSradio announcing the release of this fifth and final volume of Free Men and Dreamers. And I’ll be launching a new, improved web site, and fan page on Facebook. We’ll have lots of contests and drawings for some really lovely prizes, so please check back.
Candace Salima has invited me to be a guest on her radio talk show in October as well, and we’re planning signings in Washington, Utah, and Los Angeles. It’s going to be exciting!
In the final installment of this epic series, Lewis deftly blends the many strands she began earlier. This final book is a well-executed and engrossing tale. But it is also a powerful meditation on freedom and bondage, and the many ways in which we can lose freedom and become enslaved. Through the eyes of her characters, the reader comes to appreciate the blessings of liberty and more fully grasp the responsibilities that come to those who are free. Elegantly connecting the dots between our three great responsibilities, God, Family, and Country, Lewis leaves the reader with a visceral appreciation of those who have gone on before and a commitment to stand more firmly in the moment that is now ours. A week after staying up all night to finish it, the characters and themes of this masterpiece haunt my mind and heart.
Pinch me!
September has been a busy family month, so thank heavens for pre-scheduled blog posts or I would have had a barren blog. Family time was great, but our last visitor—our oldest grandson—left for home today, and now it’s time to get back to work.
As soon as my editor hands me the cover image for “In God Is Our Trust,” crazy things will begin to happen professionally. This volume takes us full circle to the original intent of the series—to illustrate how the War of 1812, and the events in America, were preparing this nation to become the cradle of the Restoration. The tender Pearson saga continues, carrying our friends through the post-war recovery, and into a new day as American comes into her own, seeing herself not as a young upstart nation, but as a major player on the world stage.
This new sense of political identity is overshadowed by religious division in America. As science and philosophy begin casting greater doubts on miracles, and spiritual manifestations, a young boy from New York State attests to miracles and manifestations not considered since biblical times, and the Constitution’s guarantee of religious freedom and tolerance is put to the test as tensions rise. With carefully conducted research, “In God Is Our Trust” will toss my readers into this very confusing and marvelous period.
We’re going to have ads in most LDS print publications and on LDSradio announcing the release of this fifth and final volume of Free Men and Dreamers. And I’ll be launching a new, improved web site, and fan page on Facebook. We’ll have lots of contests and drawings for some really lovely prizes, so please check back.
Candace Salima has invited me to be a guest on her radio talk show in October as well, and we’re planning signings in Washington, Utah, and Los Angeles. It’s going to be exciting!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
THE CHANGE IN MY HEART WROUGHT BY 9/11
I'm going to be on an airplane on the tenth anniversary of 9/11, with Tom, our grandson Tommy, and Amanda's family as we fly home from vacation. My first thought as we booked these tickets was that this would likely be the safest day of the year to fly. Surely vigilance would be ramped up because of the significance of the date, and then we heard the recent reports of an unconfirmed but credible warning of an impending attack on a bridge or tunnel in New York or DC. we're flying into Baltimore. I have to admit we're a little less comfortable, but still confident that all will be well.
Like all Americans my thoughts are on that day ten years ago. I was offered an opportunity to share my opinion on how September 11th changed me spiritually. Here are my thoughts. This article appeared in the Deseret News on September 8th, section c, page nine, and in the Mormon Times, I believe. Once I gave thought to this question, I realized 9/11 was the catalyst to my increased love of America, my increased interest in the chapters of scripture that discuss the special role this nation was designed to play in human events, and it was the springboard to my desire to visit America's hallmarks--Philly, Williamsburg, Fort McHenry--where the ideas for my books were born.
That day changed us all a bit. Here's my story:
I remember the impressions of that day so well, but the memories are jumbled up in emotion rather than logic. I had left my position with the school system. That fall was the beginning of a less-complicated, more peaceful writer's life. Or so I thought, until I turned on the news and saw the loop of the attack on the towers.
We live in the hot zone between DC, the biological-weapon storehouse at Fort Detrick, and the Underground Pentagon to the north. My mind immediately ran an inventory of our family members. The phone lines were jamming and hearing each voice was mission one. From family, our thoughts turned to friends.
I couldn’t tear myself from the news as the great symbols of America’s financial, military, and political strength fell victim to the attacks. Never before had I felt so vulnerable. Never before had I felt so angry.
The president I most wanted to hear was President Hinckley’s warm reassurance. I slipped to my knees and prayed a disjointed, jumbled plea for protection to Heavenly Father—for my family, for my country, for the leaders who would have to sort this all out. I was grateful for the counsel to prepare, grateful for a living prophet, grateful for the organization of the Church in the event we would need to protect and care for one another and our neighbors. And in the event of catastrophe, I was grateful for my Savior and the Plan of Salvation that would make everything all right.
The next day, fear and fright turned to defiant patriotism. The lines at the fabric store swelled as I waited in lines with others hungry for some scrap of ribbon to show our unity. Every face became a friend. Every hand seemed outstretched.
The Book of Mormon scriptures about America as the land of promise, and the warnings in Ether 9 against the danger of secret combinations bent on overthrowing liberty and freedom, became personal. I became enamored with history, seeing connections between American history and the scriptures, and in the lives of the Smith family, recognizing God’s hand in the formation and preservation of America as she was being prepared to become the cradle of the Restoration.
I realized that mothers or father, soldier or civilian, we are each the guardians of liberty, for liberty requires faith, and faith requires liberty to flourish.
I remember the impressions of that day so well, but the memories are jumbled up in emotion rather than logic. I had left my position with the school system. That fall was the beginning of a less-complicated, more peaceful writer's life. Or so I thought, until I turned on the news and saw the loop of the attack on the towers.
We live in the hot zone between DC, the biological-weapon storehouse at Fort Detrick, and the Underground Pentagon to the north. My mind immediately ran an inventory of our family members. The phone lines were jamming and hearing each voice was mission one. From family, our thoughts turned to friends.
I couldn’t tear myself from the news as the great symbols of America’s financial, military, and political strength fell victim to the attacks. Never before had I felt so vulnerable. Never before had I felt so angry.
The president I most wanted to hear was President Hinckley’s warm reassurance. I slipped to my knees and prayed a disjointed, jumbled plea for protection to Heavenly Father—for my family, for my country, for the leaders who would have to sort this all out. I was grateful for the counsel to prepare, grateful for a living prophet, grateful for the organization of the Church in the event we would need to protect and care for one another and our neighbors. And in the event of catastrophe, I was grateful for my Savior and the Plan of Salvation that would make everything all right.
The next day, fear and fright turned to defiant patriotism. The lines at the fabric store swelled as I waited in lines with others hungry for some scrap of ribbon to show our unity. Every face became a friend. Every hand seemed outstretched.
The Book of Mormon scriptures about America as the land of promise, and the warnings in Ether 9 against the danger of secret combinations bent on overthrowing liberty and freedom, became personal. I became enamored with history, seeing connections between American history and the scriptures, and in the lives of the Smith family, recognizing God’s hand in the formation and preservation of America as she was being prepared to become the cradle of the Restoration.
I realized that mothers or father, soldier or civilian, we are each the guardians of liberty, for liberty requires faith, and faith requires liberty to flourish.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
BOOK NOOK REVIEW
RIVER WHISPERSby
Kathi Oram Peterson
It’s a wonderful thing to find a book you can become so immersed in that laying it aside is a burden. Kathi Oram Peterson has written such a book. ”River Whispers” is one of my favorite reads this year.
The storyline is engaging, the list of suspects is endless, and Peterson's setting in small town Trailhead, Idaho’s Snake River country provides a complicated web of tangled lives and plot lines, but it’s Peterson’s writing style that captivated me. She writes like a painter—creating perfect moments and clear images that drew me in and made me love her characters.
Trailhead is far too small a town to bottle up Regi Bernard’s mistrust of two men. Samuel Tanner abruptly ended their romance when he abandoned both Regi and Trailhead without a word of explanation. Worse yet, when he returned years later, he seemed bent on making her and her husband miserable at every opportunity, clear up until Earl’s death. Curtis Romney, a local park ranger, abandoned her daughter after dragging her reputation through the mud. It’s no secret how Regi feels about either man.
On a particularly unpleasant trip into town, Regi has run-ins with each of these irritants, and her temper lets loose. In a moment of frustration, Regi issues a scalding warning to Curtis, and when she stumbles upon his corpse a day later, she becomes the prime suspect.
Peterson does a splendid job casting doubt on everyone’s innocence, which casts a pall of suspicion over those Regi loves most, leaving her mistrustful of their assistance until she believes only she can prove her innocence.
The tangle of lives is tight and convenient at times, but Peterson’s deft writing style fleshes out the situations nicely. Her characters are rich and complex, and she releases tidbits about them like a cracker trail through the woods readers will be delighted to follow.Clearly, Peterson knows her setting well. Raised in southeastern Idaho, Kathi Oram Peterson developed a love for the Snake River region early on, while her research on fly fishing, Indian culture, and ranching enriches the story and draws the reader in.
Still, what makes Kathi Oram Peterson one of my favorite authors is her unique descriptive passages. She works hard for her readers, bypassing trite descriptions in favor of rich, colorful, original thoughts that satisfy.
The book is written in third person, but the reader is constantly in the characters’ minds, as they ruminate over, and rehash, the same questions over and over. These passages slow the read a bit in places, but Peterson’s efforts to insert the reader into the characters’ thoughts adds urgency early on.
The mystery is well-formed and keeps you turning pages as does the romantic tension between Regi and Samuel. While these two are clearly drawn to one another, they also suspect one another, and with good cause. Peterson doesn’t tip her hand about their innocence or guilt to the very end. Nicely done.
I’m nominating River Whispers for a Whitney Award. The e-book version is available at Amazon. Readers can pick up copies at Deseret Books or at your local LDS bookstores, where you can also purchase Kathi Oram Peterson's other fine books.
Readers can contact Kathi through her website, www.kathiorampeterson.com, and her blog, www.kathiswritingnook.com.
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