Write Here in Ephraim 2016

Write Here in Ephraim was fantastic as usual, this year!  I taught a class titled 4+ Ways to Outline Your Novel, which gave the class participants several different methods to choose from when going about outlining a novel.  Ultimately, the best way to outline a novel, is the best way that works for you!

There were so many other great classes to take.  I personally love the medieval weapons class that C. David Belt teaches.  He really knows a lot about different kinds of medieval warfare equipment, from swords to spears, from flails to armor.

I also enjoyed Jenni James'  informative class on writing clean romance.  She's a great romance writer who knows how to create believable, likable characters in romance stories that stay clean, and are at the same time, exciting to read!

Tristi Pinkston's class on brainstorming was fantastic!  I got so many ideas of how to work past tough spots, or polish out something I've already written.  I really enjoyed her class, and I liked hearing other people's story ideas.

Another class I was glad I took, was given by Karlene Browning.  She's an expert on helping authors get their online presence out there, so that readers can find time, and learn more about their books, thus bringing the authors more business, and fans!

I truly enjoyed listening to Justin Osmond's inspiring talk the Friday evening before classes started, and Dean Hughe's advice and wisdom during his address on Saturday.

There were so many other classes and presenters too, that I didn't get a chance to take, but I'll bet the presenters did wonderfully!  I've enjoyed Write Here in Ephraim the last few years that I've gone.  Shirley Balmann, the brains and muscle behind Write Here in Ephraim, has again done a great job, and I hope this writers' conference continues for many more years!

Spring Into Books- Viridian Event Center May 28th

Spring Into Books is coming May 28th from 2pm to 6pm at the Viridian Event Center in West Jordan, Utah.  It is a great event for families, and will feature scores of authors of many different genres.  I participated last year, and will have the great fortune to participate this year, as well!  The event has authors signing their books, giving presentations, and reading exerpts from their books.  It's great for parents and children alike!  Take a look at their Facebook page here to read more about the event!

Daughter of Winter by Amber Argyle coming April 21st!

Amber Argyle is a very talented writer, the author of the Fairy Queen series.  Read below to learn more about Daughter of Winter, the newest book in the series, which will be released, April 21st!

Daughter of Winter Daughter of Winter will be released April 21st. Here's the new synopsis: Bargains. Only the truly desperate make them. Only the truly desperate need them. And always, the desperate pay. The silence and never-ending dark of winter are all Elice has ever known, for she is the daughter of the Winter Queen. Isolated in a northern queendom with only the seals for company, she dreams of color and music and life. So when a whaling ship crashes just offshore, she doesn't hesitate to rescue the lone survivor, Adar, who quickly becomes her friend. She must keep him hidden from her mother at all costs, for if the Winter Queen discovers him trespassing, she'll kill him. But when her mother reveals just how dark her soul has become, Elice realizes she is as much a prisoner as Adar. To ever know true freedom—ever to become the woman she was meant to be—she must flee with him. But in their flight, she begins to see hints of something more nefarious. The darkness that has taken hold of her mother is spreading, staining the world with its influence. Unbeknownst to Elice, a bargain was made long ago. A bargain she was born to fulfill. To celebrate the upcoming release, http://amzn.to/1MudEXX">the first book in the series, Of Ice and Snow, is free for a limited time

. In exchange, for your free copy https://www.facebook.com/amberargylesmith/posts/10153733867968495?pnref=story" share this post on facebook and/orhttps://twitter.com/amberargyle/status/720278386317217792"

An author's success depends upon word of mouth, so sharing my freebie will draw attention to the series. Also, feel free to copy and paste any information in this blog into your own to help spread the word. Thank you in advance!

Love is Come by Heather B. Moore

Love Comes Softly (c) 2016 Heather B. Moore

Love is Come by Heather B. Moore is a breathtakingly beautiful story that takes place at the beginning of the 20th century. 

Nelle, our heroine, endures a terrible tragedy within the first few pages, and then, with few other options, goes to live with her stiflingly controling aunt. While there, she meets Mathew, and a wonderful friend Pearl whom I absolutely loved! It isn't long before she realizes that she feels something special for Mathew. But he's engaged to, of lal people, her cousin.  An ungrateful nincompoop, if you ask my opinion. 

In her wonderful way, Heather Moore spins a tale that is riveting, and creates characters that are real, and wonderful (or dispicable) and an ending that is wonderfully satisfying! This book reminded me once again, of why I am such a fan of Heather Moore's work! I highly recommend it!

Donut/Hooped Shaped Planets

Sandberg, Anders. 2014

Since I did a little research just for the fun of it last month on what a cube-shaped planet would really be like, I thought it would be fun to research the potential of a donut or hoop shaped planet (there's a difference between them.  A hoop would be a wee bit skinnier, and have a bigger empty hole, among other significant differences.)

According to the article to which I will give a link below, written by an Anders Sandberg, (a much more way smarter person than I) a donut shaped planet, according to the laws of physics, could actually exist.  But it's highly unlikely that it could form naturally and be stable.  If it were formed, it would probably have been artificially made by some species that had 1. the technology to do it, 2. a lot of time to make really big, pretty things just for fun, and 3. not much practical sense.  (But, heck.  My ancestors built Stonehenge, just 'cause they could, so there ya go.)  (Now that I'm thinking about it, Stonehenge was probably built for religious reasons.  Maybe that could be what would motivate them! Oh boy!  So much potential for fictional world-building!)

Anyway, it would have a pretty quick spin (that's why it could hold its donut shape) yet stuff would still stay down (folks wouldn't go flying off of the equator) but the gravity would not be the same all over the planet, either.  It would be a bit less at the equators (the inside and outside one) and greater at the poles (the top and bottom of the donut).

Things would be significantly different also, depending on if the planet is tilted or not.  If it's got a zero degree tilt, the poor middle part would never see the sun, and be constantly frozen.  But if it had a tilt like our planet, the middle part would not see the sun in the spring and autumn, but would be exposed to the sun in the winter and summer.

There's more interesting stuff to consider, including what it would be like if such a planet had a moon, and it it orbited the planet, possibly through the hole in the middle.

Check out the article here!  It's very interesting!