Far too much has happened since my last feeble blog post. I think part of the problem was my desire to always put forward a strong, positive face. And when things started getting tough, I was reluctant to put that out on my web site for the world to see.

But I believe that was a mistake. I need to keep this blog going, warts and all. It’s important to me, and hopefully helpful to you.

Yesterday we finished yet another amazing LDStorymakers weekend, and I am happy to say there were few if any warts. This year I was privileged to work on the committee, helping take care of registration. It was a lot of work, but it was also so much fun and so educational that I barely noticed.

I also had the opportunity to present at this year’s conference. My class was on character, and called Culture, Motivation, Flaws, and a Cat: Four things every great character needs. What an amazing experience!

I will post more about the conference and my experiences there, as well as what has been happening in the last nine months (no, I haven’t been pregnant), and what is coming up in the future. And believe me, the future is packed!

Stephanie Humphreys has been a great friend for nearly all of my writing career. We became blog buddies when we were both just starting out, and met in person at my first LDStorymakers conference.

A couple of years later, we exchanged manuscripts and gave each other critiques. She had many great recommendations for Bumpy Landings, and I gave her some suggestions for her exciting romantic suspense novel, Double Deceit.

Someone is watching.

As a young widow, all Elaina Bryant wants is a fresh start. Determined to put ten painful years behind her, she returns to her hometown and moves in with her sister, Natalie. Elaina soon accepts a job working at a small bookstore owned by the handsome Ryan Hill and his mother. Despite her reluctance to become romantically involved with anyone, she is drawn to Ryan and finds herself falling in love.

But someone isn’t happy with Elaina’s new life and is watching her every move. Her tormentor seems determined to destroy her sanity and her future, but Elaina can’t convince anyone the threat is real. Natalie is preoccupied with her own blossoming romance, and Ryan and Elaina’s friend Peter seem to believe the threat has been manufactured in her own mind a result of her guilt and grief.

Now Elaina’s plans for a new start are crashing down around her. She knows she will have to find the answers on her own before she can ever overcome the past and enjoy love and happiness again. But how can she protect those she loves when she doesn’t know whom to trust?

I’m glad Stephanie found a home for Double Deceit, and asked me to take part in the blog tour. This is an exciting story, with several unexpected twists and turns that keep the reader guessing. The characters are interesting and well-written, and I especially enjoyed the details of life in small-town Canada and Writing-on-Stone Park. The story of a young woman tormented into questioning her own sanity is tight, believable, and sufficiently disturbing.

I’m sure you’ll enjoy Double Deceit by Stephanie Humphreys.

Visit Stephanie’s blog for information on her blog tour contest, and check out all of the stops on the Double Deceit blog tour:

August 15 – Maria Hoagland   http://mariahoagland.blogspot.com
August 16 – Heather Gardner  http://fireandice.blogspot.com
August 17 – Rachelle Christensen  http://rachellewrites.blogspot.com
August 18 – Jane Still  http://janeisfeldstill.blogspot.com/
August 19 – Deborah Davis  http://debbiesinkspectations.blogspot.com
August 22 – Renae Mackley  http://renaeswritespot.blogspot.com
August 23 -  Cindy Hogan  http://cindymhogan.blogspot.com
August 24 – Matthew Tandy  http://matthewtandy.blogspot.com
August 25 – Taffy Lovell  http://sweeterthantaffy.blogspot.com/
August 26 – Kathy Habel  http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com
August 29 – Don Carey  http://donaldjcarey.com
August 30 – Teri Rodeman  http://terirodeman.blogspot.com
August 31 – Cathy Witbeck  http://cathywitbeck-storypainter.blogspot.com/
Sept. 1 – Shelly Seele  http://seeshelwrites.blogspot.com
Sept. 2 – Tristi Pinkston  http://tristipinkston.blogspot.com

This blog has not gotten the attention that it deserves lately. This is in part due to a crazy hectic summer that had me on the road 2 of every 3 days in June and July, scrambling like mad to stay caught up on the days I was home.

But the dearth of posts is also due in part to me not knowing what to blog about. When I first started 90,000 Words of Delusion, it was a place for me to share my writing journey. I was learning so much, so fast, and it was great to be able to share that. I’m still learning a lot, but for some reason I don’t feel that’s enough on which to build a blog. It’s certainly an important part of my platform, but while I have gained a great deal of experience in the world of writing, I can hardly consider myself an expert. In addition, I would like this blog to appeal to people outside of the writing community as well.

To be honest, I don’t really see myself as an expert in anything, and this has been my main hang-up in trying to understand and develop my blogging “platform.” I’ve been lead to believe that becoming an “expert” is the way to go with blogging, and the best way to reach a focused audience.

However, my interests are many and varied, and I bristle at the thought of picking one and becoming The Authority. In fact, I’ve come to realize one of the things I like most about writing is that it allows me to research and explore many different areas of life.

So while the wisdom of the blogosphere says I need to become an expert to have a successful blog platform, I’m going to experiment with blogging about various topics that I find interesting. If I’m lucky, the topics I pick will resonate with some of you. In any case, I’ll have a lot more fun picking topics to blog about.

Hopefully this experiment will succeed. But even if it succeeds, it has to be better than the dreaded blog of silence.

NOTE: I originally posted this on the Writing Fortress blog a few weeks ago, and I thought I had reposted it here, but I guess not–until now!

Four debut authors. Three book signings. Three states. Twenty-four hours. What a trip!

This past weekend I had an excellent opportunity to take Bumpy Landings on a summer book tour with Tamara Heiner (Perilous), Lynn Parsons (disAbilities in the Gospel), and Cheri Chesley (Peasant Queen).

Tamara and Cheri came to Dallas on Friday, where Lynn and I met them for an evening signing at Moon’s LDS Bookstore. Then, bright and early Saturday morning, we drove to Hastings in Duncan, Oklahoma, where Cheri is visiting family. After our morning signing there, we zipped across the state to Springdale, Arkansas and Beehive Mercantile, which is Tamara’s hometown bookstore.

The tour was fun and extremely valuable, although maybe not financially profitable. Was a trip this size worth the time, cost, and effort? I think so, if only because of the people met and lessons learned.

As we sat down to breakfast yesterday, we talked about what worked, what didn’t, and what advice we would give to someone else planning a similar tour. Here are some of the things we came up with:

• Two of our stores had several months to prepare, although only one actually put together an “event”. This was a much better signing.
• One of the stores was a last-minute replacement, with only a week of preparation time. This signing was good, but could have been so much better with a month or more to prepare and promote.
• Signing with other authors is awesome! When the signing is slow, there is good conversation to be had. Travel time conversations are great, and it’s nice to split the gas costs.
• Two to four authors is a good number. It’s not so many that it intimidates customers, and “unknown” authors still get some attention (unlike, perhaps, mega-signings with dozens of other writers).
• Summer is a convenient time for authors to travel, but may not be the most optimum time for bringing in customers. Check with the bookstores to find out when their busy times are.
• Traveling to multiple locations in a day is fun and would seem to be an efficient way to work. However, it forces compromise on the schedule. Our morning Oklahoma signing would have been much better in the early afternoon, but then we would not have had time to make it to the signing in Arkansas.
• This kind of signing is like a business trip, and the planning and coordination need to be professional.
• This kind of signing is like a vacation (or writing conference), in that (especially for 4 debut authors) the only thing you can really count on is meeting new people and getting to know the other authors really well. Most vacations don’t turn a financial profit, either. The real value is time spent with others, learning and growing.
• Get the word out! Relying on walk-in traffic is courting failure. The most valuable customers are the ones the authors bring in themselves. Also, this kind of book event is an opportunity for you to crow about something. The publicity the tour itself generates may be the most valuable return you get.

Have you done a big multi-store, multi-author tour? What have you seen that works (or didn’t work) and what things have you learned from taking your book on the road?

I have an exciting weekend planned: I’m taking my paper airplanes and chocolate macadamia nuts on the road. I’ll be doing a multi-state book signing road trip with three lovely and talented author friends.

We’ll be signing in Dallas at Moon’s LDS Bookstore tomorrow, July 15th, from 6:00-8:00 pm. Then bright and early Saturday morning, we’ll be headed to Hastings in Duncan, Oklahoma, for a 9:00-11:00 am signing, and then zipping to Springdale, Arkansas and the Beehive Mercantile from 4:00-7:00 pm.

We’ve been planning this adventure for months, and we are all very excited.

And yet…

Back when the idea of this trip was first being discussed, my July calendar was wide open. Now this book tour is one of five out-of-state trips this month, and the only one less than three days long. Gas was also much less expensive back then, too.

So while I’m still very excited about this opportunity to travel the southern plains and share Bumpy Landings with potential readers, the whole affair has become more of a sacrifice than originally expected.

In fact, this whole “Published Author” gig has become a bit of a sacrifice. Selling books takes time–a lot of time. Time that I could be spending writing Into The Wind or Space Corp General or Tomorrow’s Lies or The Generations of Enoch or any of the dozens of ideas I have jotted in my notepad app.

Selling books also takes money. Money for gas, for bookmarks, for web hosting and conference sponsorships and eval books and packaging and postage. And let’s not forget the chocolates used to bribe customers and bookstores to pay attention to my story. I can’t tell you how much money I’ve spent for each book sold, but I can guarantee at this point it’s several times more than my royalty.

I’d been warned; I’d been anticipating it; now it’s here. And I’m glad.

In an email to a friend this past week, I said, “One day, you and I will both have publishers handing us heavily-packed itineraries and hefty expense accounts to go out and meet our adoring public, and they will want to know what it was like when we were first starting out as authors. We can whip out the story of this signing, and how we knew it would never pay for itself, but the chance go and promote our debut novels across the south during a sweltering heatwave in cars that ran on expensive gasoline with a group of friends who shared the same dream was simply too good to pass up.”

Bumpy Landings is my first book, and it’s been a challenge getting the word out. Most established authors I know have similar stories about their hard-fought road to success. That’s the road I’m on, and believe me–it’s a road with a toll.

But it’s also a road filled with many rewards and blessings, one I am truly grateful to be on. So I am glad for this chance to pay my dues. And hopefully, one day, I’ll be able to inspire others who are trying to find their way along the same road, and struggling to pay their own dues.

(dis)Abilities and the Gospel

I am so excited to be a part of the (dis)Abilities and the Gospel blog tour.

As the father of a girl with a chromosome disorder, I am acutely aware of the special needs these children have. While my daughter has had some fantastic teachers and church leaders, most people–especially in a volunteer church environment–simply lack the knowledge and skills that could really help them connect with and teach her. To be honest, as a parent I often felt I shared that lack of knowledge and skills, and didn’t really know how to help the teachers help my child.

(dis)Abilities and the Gospel gives me the tools I need to help my child’s teachers and leaders.

The book is very well organized, with Danyelle and Lynn each writing to their strengths, and providing insights, experiences, and guidance that really speak to the heart of teaching the gospel to special needs individuals. There are sections with chapters on General Information and Teaching Strategies, as well as age-specific sections for children, youth, adults, and families. I especially appreciated the chapter on Baptism, as this is something that my wife and I have discussed frequently, and this chapter helped confirm the feelings that we have had.

Within the next few weeks, my daughter will turn twelve and transition from Primary to the Young Women’s program. Today I showed (dis)Abilities and the Gospel to several of her future leaders, and they were all very excited about the book and the information it contains. I am grateful that I can share the wonderful information in this book with them.

About the Authors

I have known Danyelle Ferguson for quite a few years. Her son has autism, and she draws on her experiences to offer fantastic advice for parents, teachers, and leaders.

Danyelle Ferguson and Don Carey

Lynn Parsons lives right here in Texas, and is an Education Diagnostician at a nearby school district. She has a master’s degree in Education and Technology, and has been tremendously helpful to us and our daughter.

Earl Parsons, Lynn Parsons, Daron Fraley, and Don Carey

Book Tour Giveaway

Danyelle and Lynn are giving away two $25 Amazon gift cards! One name will be drawn for a $25 Amazon gift card on June 30th. Another name will be drawn for a $25 Amazon gift card on July 22nd. Winners will be announced on www.QueenOfTheClan.com They have many ways to enter. Danyelle and Lynn will be keeping track of the entries and picking a winner from ALL of the reviews on this book tour. Leave A comment on the reviewer’s blog letting us know what you’ve done. Include your email address.

1 Entries Each:
- Leave a comment about the blogger’s review.
- Add the book to your “to-read” list on GoodReads
- Follow Danyelle’s blog
- Follow Lynn’s blog
- Follow Danyelle on FB
- Follow Lynn on FB
- Follow Danyelle on Twitter
- Follow Lynn on Twitter

2 Entries Each:
- Tell your friends about (dis)Abilities and the Gospel on Facebook with a person links to Danyelle Ferguson & Lynn Parsons
- Tell your friends about (dis)Abilities and the Gospel on Twitter with links to @DanyelleTweets

5 Entries:
- Interview Danyelle or Lynn for your blog or write a blog post about why you’re excited about (dis)Abilities and the Gospel. Be sure to leave a direct link to your post in your comment so we can visit and say hello!

I have been to the LDStorymakers conference four years in a row now, and each year I am amazed at how much AWESOME can be packed into two days.

This year, Boot Camp was moved to Thursday. I had a great table, and these ladies gave me such wonderful feedback on a very critical chapter of Into The Wind. Since there were only four of us, we also had time to play a little with my Bumpy Landings paper airplanes.

Thursday evening after boot camp, I inserted myself into Melanie Jacobson’s social group for dinner. Also included were Becca Wilhite, Debbie Frampton, Daron Fraley, Kirk Shaw, and DeNae Handy.

Friday had some wonderful workshops, and the awesome Mass Book Signing. I was privileged to sit between Aubrey Mace and Tristi Pinkston. And yes, I spent pretty much the whole time folding and giving away paper airplanes.

I got to sit next to Krista Jensen during dinner that evening. Maybe this is why TJ Bronly grouped us together as Team Siblingesque in his Amazing Race: LDS Authors parody. Sadly, we didn’t win–probably because we’re both so easy-going that we were kicked off the show for lack of drama.

I offered a copy of Bumpy Landings as one of the door prizes, along with chocolate macadamia nuts and the CD Vaihitian by my good friends Vaihi. This includes the song I used for my highly-complimented book trailers.

I also attended a live recording of Writing Excuses, and gained some serious jealousy from my oldest daughter.

Saturday evening was the Whitney Awards dinner. While Bumpy Landings wasn’t a finalist, it was great to see everyone dressed up, and feel the excitement of a program where so many of my good friends were up for awards. Here I am with Wendy Swore and Tamara Heiner.

I sat by Daron Fraley.

And Ronda  Hinrichsen and Aubrey Mace.

My friend Erin Summerill  was the official LDStorymakers photographer, which meant she wouldn’t be in any pictures unless I took one.

Here I am with my friend and critique group member, Rebecca Talley.

Krista Jensen and Multi-Whitney winner Stephanie Black.

Whitney winners Kimberley Griffiths Little and Stephanie Black

Some Whitney finalists sharing the consolation cheesecake. Susan Law Corpany, Janette Rallison, Sarah M. Eden, Traci Abramson, James Dashner, and Jeff Savage.

This far too dark image is of the Writing Excuses crew–Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, and Dan Wells. Brandon and Dan tied for the 2011 Best Novel Whitney Award. Howard won the unofficial prize for Best Dressed Dude.

Here Brandon and Dan congratulate YA Speculative winner Ally Condie.

My dear friend Josi Kilpack hosted this year’s award gala, and I literally had to grab her for this picture as she zipped around the room like a hummingbird on speed.

The Storymakers photo album would not be complete without a picture of me and another of my dear friends,  Tristi.

Danyelle Ferguson is one of the coauthors of Disabilities and the Gospel, along with Lynn Parsons. I’ll be reviewing their book later this summer on this very blog.

I tried to get a photo with both Danyelle and her husband John. Tried and failed. So I settled for coordinated separates. 

Krista with Kym  VanderHorst. I sat by Kym at the last two Whitney banquets, but she was a high falutin’ VIP this year, so tradition fell by the wayside.

Susan Law Corpany, along with Sarah M. Eden and her husband  Paul.

And that is why I’m a huge Storymakers Fanboy. The conference is full of wonderful people who know about writing and are happy to share. The workshops are amazing in content, and the friendships are simply unbeatable. As soon as the new LDStorymaker conference committee announces the schedule, I’ll begin counting the days until LDStorymakers 2012.

2011 started off with a bang, and it doesn’t look like the pace is going to let up any time soon. I spent this past week at a trade show in Vegas with my day-job company, Onyx Graphics. Trade shows are exhausting, yet I had a wonderful time meeting with both co-workers and customers.

And Spongebob.

This week I get to attend a different conference; this one for my part-time writing job. I’m very excited to see all of my friends at LDStorymakers and the Whitney Awards gala in a few days. I’m working hard on my pages for Boot Camp. If you’re going to be at the conference, be sure to say hi–I’ll be the guy in the Hawaiian shirt.

This week is also very busy on the Bumpy Landings Giveaway tour. There are two contests going right now. The first is at Fire and Ice Photo, and the second is on Tristi Pinkston’s blog.

Lastly, Bumpy Landings and I were mentioned in this month’s BYU-Hawaii Alumni eNewsletter. Thanks, Trevor!

Congratulations to Angie Lofthouse, winner of the Bumpy Landings contest over at Why Not? Because I Said So!

This week’s contest is over at Fire and Ice Photo. Go enter for your chance to win a copy of Bumpy Landings.

It’s been a great weekend here, and I have a couple of pictures to share with you. First is a picture of me at my book singing yesterday, at Moon’s LDS Books in Dallas.

Both the chocolate macadamia nuts and the paper airplanes were a big hit!

This next one is a family picture we just took for the BYU-Hawaii eNewsletter, which will have a piece about me and my book next month.

And of course, the only way to secure a good smile from Becky is to promise her the chance to take a silly picture at the end.

The Bumpy Landings Spring Giveaway contest at Cranberry Fries ends tomorrow, and a new contest starts, so stay tuned!