The Fourth Nephite by Jeffrey S. Savage

"Kaleo Steele is starting to cut seminary and hang out with some new “friends”; in fact, he’s not even sure what he believes any more. When his seminary teacher finds him at the wrong place at the wrong time, Kaleo is in jeopardy of missing his high school team’s regional football game—a game where college scouts will be coming to see him play. But his seminary teacher realizes that much more than a game is at stake, and sends him on a soul-searching quest.
Guided by Ladan, a mysterious old blind man, Kaleo pushes through a battered wooden door only to find himself in Palmyra, New York, in the fall of 1827. Soon he is caught up in a battle between treasure seekers—led by Allaster Blackburn, a necromancer hired to steal the gold plates—and the young prophet Joseph Smith, who is sworn to keep them safe. In his quest to find a key that will send him back to his own time, Kaleo will have to decide what to believe. Before it’s too late." (from Deseretbook.com)

Jeffrey Savage has once again written an action packed adventure that will appeal to both young and old. I especially loved the characters in this book. Kaleo is easy to relate to, as a young man teetering on the edge. He has his doubts about religion and isn't planning on serving a mission, but he hasn't done anything wrong. . .yet. I also liked the portrayal of Joseph Smith and his family. Savage shows them as real people who enjoyed life but were also busy trying to protect the plates and live their religion despite the animosity it created in their community. The historical details were interesting and woven in skillfully so they didn't overwhelm the story but provided the perfect backdrop for it. Kaleo overcomes his doubts about Joseph Smith, not because of heavy preaching, but by just watching Joseph interact with his family and others. My favorite character, in a creepy way, was Allaster Blackburn. Savage always writes great villains and this one was no exception. From the way he looked to the way he spoke, this character gave me chills.

This is a fun book and one that teenagers, as well as their parents, will enjoy. I'm looking forward to the next book.

Goodreads Giveaway

For chance to win a copy of Finding Rose, head on over to Goodreads. My publisher is giving away three copies between now and September 24th. The link is on my sidebar. Good luck!

INFF

One of my favorite blogs is written by Sarah Eden, author of Courting Miss Lancaster, and Seeking Persephone. She does a fun weekly interview called I Need Friends Friday. I look forward to reading it every week and was sad when she almost discontinued it this summer. But it's back and this week she is interviewing me. So head on over to Sarah's blog and I'll cross my fingers and hope I didn't embarrass myself too much. See you there.

Shhh. . .You're in the Library

As a kid, my favorite place was the library - some things never change. I read so fast that I went there at least once a week and sometimes more. The librarian became my friend and books my portal to anywhere more exciting than our little town. The best years were those when we lived close enough that I could go on my own without waiting for my mom to take me. I can still remember my mother and the librarian and any other adult within range telling us to be quiet in the library. I used to tell my own little ones to remember that it was a quiet place where people went to read and study and that they should use their library voices.

I've noticed a difference in the last few years. Our small-town library is largely unchanged. It's still a quiet place were whispering seems natural, but the main branch in the city is quite different. They have added a coffee shop, computers where people access the internet and even televisions where people can pop in a movie. Patrons sit at tables and carry on conversations in a normal speaking voices, and one day I got to listen to a very interesting, one-sided cell-phone call. I suppose you could say I was eavesdropping, but he spoke loud enough I couldn't help but over-hear, and of course my imagination started filling in the other side of the story. It will probably make it into one of my books someday.

It doesn't really bother me, but I do find it interesting. I see fewer people just sitting and reading a book than I used to. Now everyone is plugged in somehow and it has become more of a social gathering place. Personally, I prefer my little-small town library where the librarians greet me by name and often put books aside if they think I'd like them. And overall, it is still a quiet place where I can escape and be surrounded by the printed word. As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't get much better than that.

Huge Contest

If you would like a chance to win Finding Rose or one of eighteen other prizes, head on over to Goodreads. The prizes are all donated my members of the Clean Romances group. For those of you who aren't familiar with Goodreads, it is a great site that helps you keep track of books you've read or want to read. You can rate the books you read and read reviews on books you are interested. Like other social networking sites, you can build a list of friends and see what they are reading and what they recommend. It's one of my favorite places on the internet. If you aren't a member of the site, sign up and then join the Clean Romances group. On the Clean Romances page scroll down until you see a thread called Contests and Giveaways. You can enter there. You can enter until 11:59 on August 31. Good luck.

Finding Rose Update

So we finally made it to Utah. When I knew we were coming for sure, I set up a meeting with my publisher so I could actually see who I had been working with. I expected a nice sit down to talk about marketing and other things. One of the first things they said to me was that they had an opening to do an author signing at the LDSBA trade show. Was I interested? So I guess Thursday morning I will be there signing books from 11:00-12:00. They are planning to have copies of the book there and I should be able to take some home. Once they shocked me with that, we had a nice talk and they answered many of my questions.

Thursday morning will be the first time I will be able to see my own book and actually hold it in my hands. I've read blogs other authors who watch for the delivery truck with their books and get to open the box like a Christmas present. I think I would almost prefer a little privacy. Do you think it would be weird if I shed a few tears the first time I see the book? I'll try to refrain, but this is something I've always wanted to do and it all seems a little surreal at this point. I guess when I get that first copy, I can't pretend it is all a dream any more.

They did say the bookstores should be able to have copies of Finding Rose on their book shelves in two to three weeks. I'm so excited. It will be available at Deseret Book, Amazon, and your independent LDS bookstores.

Another Contest

I should really write a blog posting, but it is 12:30 a.m., I'm on vacation and not getting enough sleep, and I just finished proofing Finding Rose and sending it back to the publisher. Honestly, I don't think I have enough brain power available at this moment to write a blog. I'm actually lucky to be spelling anything correctly. Before I forget, though, I did want to mention Sarah Eden's blog.

Sarah posts the most interesting and fun interviews on Fridays. She calls this I Need Friends Friday (INFF). I look forward to this every week, but a few weeks ago, Sarah announced that she had run out of volunteers to interview and was considering doing away with INFF unless people stepped up and volunteered to be interviewed. There must have been others besides myself begging her to keep INFF.

Now she is holding a contest to celebrate the return of INFF. If you go to her blog and leave a comment, you will be entered to win a prize. Oh, and I'll be interviewed by her on August 20th. Hope to see you there.