Wordless Wednesday: Sunset

Overlooking from Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles, California

I finally got a descent enough camera to capture one! What a beaut!!

Guest Post: Launch of New Online Missionary Website by Deseret Book Company

MissionHome.com provides new resources for missionaries and their families

Where you serve is not as important as how you serve.

Salt Lake City, UT (September 17, 2013) – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints currently operates over 400 missions with more than 75,000 missionaries serving throughout the world. When the missionary age change was announced in the October 2012 general conference, a new wave of prospective missionaries began preparing for the moment they would receive their call.

After receiving the call, missionaries and families often begin their search for specific information on that mission. Until now, there has not been a centralized site to learn about the culture and people of each mission area. On October 1st, 2013 Deseret Book Company will launch an online missionary website, MissionHome.com. MissionHome.com focuses on each phase of missionary service—prepare, serve and return. It includes helpful hints to prospective missionaries including tips for how to pack efficiently and how to prepare to leave as well as inspiring and authentic experiences from former missionaries. A complete mission directory, created by missionaries who themselves have served in that area, provides information about local customs, food, transportation, safety, and many other insights.

“We saw a way that we could provide a gathering place for missionaries and the families of missionaries to become acquainted with the area where they would be serving as well as provide other unique resources,” said Laurel Christensen Day of Deseret Book Company, “and MissionHome.com was born.”

MissionHome.com is easy to use and provides a library of information for prospective and returning missionaries as well as help to families of those currently serving (a section for senior couples will be coming soon). Familiar LDS authors as well as recently returned missionaries and past mission presidents will be regular contributors to the site.

In addition to great free content and resources, families will be able to send care packages directly to their missionaries with guaranteed delivery from Deseret Book. Service is available to most missions.

For more information on Mission Home, visit www.missionhome.com.

About Deseret Book
Deseret Book is committed to support the mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints by providing scriptures, books, music, and other quality products that strengthen individuals, families, and our society. For more information go to www.deseretbook.com.

Review: The Stones of Horsh by McKenzie Wagner

The Stones of Horsh (Benotripia #2) by McKenzie Wagner, YR, 2013, 144p, Rating=2.5
Source: ebook PDF review copy provided by publicist in exchange for an honest review

Roseabelle's mother is off fighting the enemy in the north. But the bigger danger is on the island. The Darvonians have invaded, and they want the legendary Stones of Horsh to give them the power to defeat the Benotripians.
With her friends Jessicana and Astro by her side, Roseabelle sets out on a quest to find the stones first and destroy them. But the Darvonians always seem one step ahead of them, as they meet new dangers they’ve never seen before. Can they beat the invading force in the race for the stones?
Roseabelle's exciting new adventure is perfect for parents and children alike. The warm friendships, easy-going characters, and constant dangers will excite readers of all ages, and the magical island is sure to ignite your imagination!

I'm use to reading mature author writings so I can see a difference.  This book was certainly impressive for a twelve year old author and with further training her fanciful storyline will have more in depth descriptive flourish.  That said, I would consider this to be a solid good book for elementary kids.  Its adventures were appropriately imaginative for said age group.  The writing was simple and easy to follow.  The character personalities that Miss Wagner created complimented each other and the theme of the story.  The names however took a bit of getting use to for me ..too odd to my reading head (call me picky).  Overall, this is a series I wouldn't mind my young children reading.  I can imagine that they might find it incredible because it spoke their language level and inline with their vision.  This mama may just be too old and misplaced her kid mojo.  ;)


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Awesome Offer! 3 Books for the Price of 1!!

Actually that's 3 books for the SALE price of 1!!  Yessiree, author Mysti Parker is offering for free book #2 and #3 to her Tallenmere series when you purchase book #1, A Ranger's Tale, for the sale price of $2.99 (for Kindle or Nook).  Just email your receipt to mystiparker "at" yahoo "dot" com (trying to avoid spam, use symbols for "at", "dot" when emailing) and she will directly send you books 2 and 3 to your inbox.  Super cool!!  Hurry, offer good until this Friday!


Read my review here, 5 stars.

In the fantasy world of Tallenmere, an elven noblewoman longed to leave her gilded cage. A half-breed former pirate wanted nothing more than to escape his guilty past. Easier said than done...
High elf Caliphany Aranea leads an enviable life as King Leopold's niece and daughter of Sirius, Leogard's most famous wizard. Yet, being forced to follow in her father's footsteps and being betrothed to a man she doesn't even like makes her want a taste of life outside the city walls.
As a young boy, half-elf Galadin Trudeaux witnessed his parents' death at the hands of pirates. After being raised by those same murderers and forced to do their bidding, he escaped and now lives an honest life as a sea merchant and ranger.
When two brutes at Leogard Harbor attempt to kidnap Caliphany while she dreams of faraway lands, Galadin comes to her rescue. Impressed by his skills, she asks him to train her as a ranger. Though he is hesitant at first to train a woman of her class, Caliphany's hefty sack of gold finally persuades him. Unfortunately, her father is not amused, and the two must escape before Caliphany faces a forced marriage and Galadin faces a noose.
From that moment on she and Galadin embark on an adventure of a lifetime. Only if they can survive the trials ahead, will they find a love that stands the test of time.

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Sale and Freebie Alert: Evertaster; The Buttersmiths' Gold

Hurry, I don't know when the deals end.

99 cents!

"Wonderfully talented writing; funny." -- Orson Scott Card, NYT Bestselling Author of Ender's Game.
When eleven year-old Guster Johnsonville rejects his mother's casserole for the umpteenth time, she takes him into the city of New Orleans to find him something to eat. There, in a dark, abandoned corner of the city, they meet a dying pastry maker who tells them of a legendary recipe called the Gastronomy of Peace -- a recipe created hundreds of years ago, shrouded in secrecy, sought after by connoisseurs everywhere and rumored to be so delicious that whoever tastes it will never want to eat anything else again.
Guster thinks this might be just what he needs -- until the ruthless Gastronimatii, a cult of armed and sinister chefs -- attack the Johnsonvilles. Guster, his sister Mariah, his mother Mabel, and his two brothers are forced to flee for their lives and set out across the world in search of the One Recipe’s ingredients. On an adventure that will take them to ancient ruins, magical beasts, faraway jungles and forgotten caves, the Johnsonvilles must unravel the mystery behind the One Recipe and discover that it will do so much more than satisfy Guster's cravings forever -- it is destined to change humanity.

FREE!

BATTLES. BLUEBERRIES. BOVINES.
TORBJORN AND STORFJELL'S HISTORY UNFOLDS IN AN EPIC EVERTASTER NOVELLA.
Everyone knows the most coveted treasure of the Viking Age was blueberry muffins. Blueberry muffins so succulent that if you sniffed just a whiff, you'd want a whole bite. If you bit a bite, you'd want a batch; if you snatched a batch, you'd stop at nothing short of going to war just to claim them all.
Young Torbjorn Trofastsonn comes from the clan that makes them. He's a Viking through and through, he's thirteen winters old, larger than most respectable rocks, and most of all, a Buttersmith. That's what he thinks anyway, until a charismatic merchant makes Torbjorn question his place among the muffin-makers. When Torbjorn lets the secret of his clan's muffin recipe slip, he calls doom and destruction down upon his peaceful village and forces his brother Storfjell and his clansmen to do the one thing they are ill-prepared to do: battle for their lives.

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Review: The Prodigal by Michael Hurley

The Prodigal by Michael Hurley, AF, 2013, 358p, Rating=5
Source: ebook provided by author in exchange for an honest review
Adult content: (minimal) language, assault
Finalist, 2013 BookBundlz Book Club Pick

Pride, betrayal, forgiveness . . . and the eternal sea. The Prodigal tells the mystical tale of four people on Ocracoke Island whose destiny is tied to an abandoned schooner, thought to have been lost at sea more than a century ago, that one day drifts ashore. Marcus O’Reilly, a renegade Catholic priest, must confront his inner demons. Ibrahim Joseph, a Bahamian fugitive, must face his past. Aidan Sharpe, a fallen lawyer, struggles with self-doubt and his growing affection for Molly McGregor, a fearless towboat captain who cannot find the courage to love. They will all be drawn into a 2,000-year-old mystery that unfolds with the reappearance of the ship.

The title says, The Prodigal, so the story of the prodigal son came to mind.  Thus, I was suspecting a religious tone but discovered that it was more.  Along with the spiritual lining, there was law, romance, fantasy, and mystery ..rolled up in one.  Just when I thought the setting was going to be courtroom drama, it moved to a beach.  So I thought, romance, yay!  Then it moved to the ocean and wow it was magical!  Before I knew it I found myself at the end of the book feeling very satisfied and happy. 

The entire read was a literary gem.  The character development was magnificent.  I found myself attached to the main characters and grew with them.  I was intrigued and engrossed in the mystique of the legend story that surrounded them.  This historic-fantasy romance with humanizing evolution was my kind of fiction.  Mr. Hurley weaved a novel that prompt me to feel the joy in reading.  I was in book paradise.  Simply majestic.  Brace your heart.

By the way, Mr. Hurley visited here last month.  Go here to find out more about him and this book.

Wow, currently on sale for 99 cents! 
Get it here.

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Book Blast with $50 Giveaway: Rocky Road by Josi S. Kilpack

Rocky Road

It was supposed to be a girls’ weekend in scenic St. George, Utah that would include shopping, trying out the local cuisine, and participating in a breast cancer fundraiser. The fact that one of the organizers of the fundraising event, a local doctor, disappeared two months ago was not supposed to be Sadie’s problem. In fact, she refuses to participate in the grassroots investigation her friend Caro, and Caro’s cousin, Tess, have put together prior to her arrival. But then she meets the ex-wife of the missing doctor. How could she not ask a few questions . . . that lead to a few more questions . . . that lead to a small town and yet even more questions. Before she knows it, Sadie is in the middle of yet another murder investigation and trying to piece together a convoluted trail of good intentions, hidden motivations, and philanthropy turned big business.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Purchase it here:

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Author Josi S. Kilpack

Born and raised in Salt Lake City Utah, I met my husband in high-school--well, he wasn't my husband then, just the cute guy in weight training with the permed mullet--and we married in 1993. I wrote my first book while on bed rest with my third child and have gone on to publish 20 novels, the most recent being part of The Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series.

I currently live in Willard, Utah with my husband, children, and cat.

Website * Twitter * Blog

Tour Schedule

Culinary Mysteries by Josi Kilpack

BookBlast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 10/6/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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