I'll Know You by Heart By Kimberly Job

At first I didn't think I would have time to read the copy of "I'll Know You By Heart" that Valor Publishing sent me. Life as usual was crazy. However, once I opened the book it was very hard to put down.
Kimberly Job in her debut novel about a woman escaping the chains of an abusive marriage and seeking the faith to love again, has managed to tell an eerily true tale of pain, despair, courage and true love.
I found that the story and characters were interesting and I didn't want to leave them hanging in uncertainty so I plowed through the pages rapidly.
In the novel, Stephanie finds the courage to stand up to her abusive husband and leave him to protect their children from his rage. In the course of caring for her children she meets a widower, Jared Wakefield, also a single parent. Circumstances bring them together often and through the story we get to see not only Stephanie and Jared and Mark work through their individual problems, but several important secondary characters as well.
The experiences in this story were so authentic I truly began to think about the author as much as the character. She has captured so much of the self doubt and inner courage of her main character that it made me wish to meet the author.
This novel is not for everyone. The scenes of domestic violence are tastefully crafted, but retain intense truth. For some the subject may be a tender one and those readers should be aware of the nature of the story.
Also the idealism and heroic qualities of the main characters are a very idyllic. The heroes are heroes. Don't expect to find many flaws in them.
The antagonist is more realistic. He is very complex and at times I even found glimpses of compassion for the jerk. Be prepared to meet a real flesh and blood vulnerable, irrational bad guy in this romance.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and feel that it is an important novel for the LDS fiction world. Spousal abuse is never an easy topic, but Kimberly has handled it well. Hope, faith, love and courage are all themes that radiate through the novel and may at times bring tears to your eyes as strong characters collide in the trials of their lives.
To get a copy of the book (click here)

Am I Not a Man? The Dred Scott Story

If you are looking for the review it is on the Inking Cap blog

Come see me over there.

D

In Case You Didn't Know

Okay, So I love having this blog as an outlet for my personal musings and all the truly DIVA things that happen in my life, like sharing the last six miles of TA's first marathon with her and totally being a baby while she blazed through after having already come 20 miles on her own. She is DIVA of the week for sure.

On the other side is the craziness of life. I just don't get time to come here as often as I would like. So here is the assignment for my AWESOME friends and family. DIVAs you need to head over to inkingcap.blogspot.com and follow me there. I post once a week, but my fantabulous writing group all post throughout the week so there are inspiring and funny things on there every single day.

Plus we have an assignment to boost our followers over there and I wanna win. So come on over and hit the follow button at:

Inking Cap

So fun.

Bright Future

President Thomas S. Monson, Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said recently while addressing church members around the world, "Your future is as bright as your faith."

Those words have really come to mean a lot to me over the last few weeks. In days when many people are feeling the hardship of losing jobs, downturns in the economy, political debates that are coming to a head, and other more personal struggles, the idea that a bright future can be achieved with personal faith takes all of the out of control things and puts them in perspective.

My future is as bright as I choose to make it regardless of the outward influences. Can a bad economy steal my sense of humor? Can losing a job take away the love I have for my husband or children? Will any amount of recession make the Fall leaves and the glorious sunsets around me any less beautiful? NO. What trouble can do is make us forget that there is a limit to what we can control. I can not singlehandedly change the recession, but I can refuse to participate in it. I can be a better stewart over my wealth and possessions and I can find joy in the many many wonderful things in my life. Now is the time to have faith.

I'm planning for a bright future, regardless of the shadows the world creates. Even on a cloudy day the sun is still shining...that's where the silver lining comes from.

Too Long

It's been too long since I posted something new. Here is a list of things in my life that are too long. Feel free to add your own items:

My to do list.
My hair.
The 5K race I ran on Saturday that nearly made me throw up.
Waiting for Castle to start up again.
My toenails...put that one in for those with crazy foot phobias...gonna take care of that before bed time.
Princess's claws...she has scratched all of my family members in the last week and drawn blood...gotta get on that too.
The cord for my iPod earbuds.
Dryer sheets
Waiting for Girl's Weekend to arrive...this one might just kill me.
The list of desserts that I shouldn't be eating but totally do anyway. That one is way too long.

Valor Publishing At the Starting Line

So this great new publishing house has recently opened. Valor Publishing has some strong values and criteria. For those authors looking for a conservative, author-friendly, family oriented publisher Valor is the place to go. They have fantastic ideas about how an author should be helped and trained to self promote and also to work with the marketing team at the publishing house. Here is the press release about their debut book. I can't wait to read this one and I am not a particular fan of the genre. However, having heard AG Mark Shurtleff speak, I know that this book will be powerful.

Utah State Attorney General Mark Shurtleff’s ground-breaking new novel, “Am I Not A Man: The Dred Scott Story” is now available for preorder at a reduced price.

An illiterate slave, Dred Scott trusted in an all-white, slave-owning jury to declare him free. But after briefly experiencing the glory of freedom and manhood, a new state Supreme Court ordered the cold steel of the shackles to be closed again around his wrists and ankles. Falling to his knees, Dred cried, "Ain't I a man?" Dred answered his own question by rising and taking his fight to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dred ultimately lost his epic battle when the Chief Justice declared that a black man was so inferior that he had "no rights a white man was bound to respect."

Dred died not knowing that his undying courage led directly to the election of President Abraham Lincoln and the emancipation proclamation.

Dred Scott's inspiring and compelling true story of adventure, courage, love, hatred, and friendship parallels the history of this nation from the long night of slavery to the narrow crack in the door that would ultimately lead to freedom and equality for all men.

You can order your sale-priced, signed and numbered limited edition copy of “Am I Not a Man” by visiting http://www.valorpublishinggroup.com before Labor Day. There are only 5,000 copies of this special edition being printed and once they’re gone, they’re gone … and the sale price ends on Labor Day. You can request that Mark personalize your inscription, and your book will be mailed to you before the stores even get their copies. For more information, visit http://www.valorpublishinggroup.com

Summer Fling

Don't know about the rest of you but my summer flew right by in a dashing swirl of unstoppable events and unavoidable encounters. Some was good and some I hope never to revisit.

What's up with school starting in just 2 weeks. My kids will be back to the grind of homework and early bedtime which means I get to return to the role of taskmaster and I'll soon stop saying,"Yes, have another otter pop." Summer was fun.

With all of the swirling chaos however there was very little time for anything except my work and my family. Writing has retreated into the wee hours of the night or the fleeting minutes of morning. So not as much accomplished in this summer fling as I had anticipated. So here is the test...to moan or to move on.

In true DIVA fashion I am moving on. I have started a new novel and will continue to outline. The fun and crazy set backs in my life will all be fodder for my stories someday so no time has really been wasted. The DIVA message for the day, week, possibly month,(depending on how the pre-back to school weeks go) is "Move on and get over it." Whatever has kept you from reaching your goal is either important enough to be a focus of your life or it isn't. If it is then give it the focus without bemoaning the cause. If it isn't then move on and let go of the things that are holding you back. That's what I am planning to do this week. Let's see how it goes...