Here I am, signing with my good friends: me, Julie Wright, Julie Bellon, and Michele Holmes. (See picture on actual blog.)

Here is a run down of the evening's events at the Lehi Literacy Center. See if you can guess which author said what:

Author 1: "Jacob is way hotter than Edward. I mean, who would fall in love with a guy who is as cold as a block of ice? Where's the romance in that?"

Author 2: "I'm an Edward girl. Sorry, but Jacob is just too immature and plus he hasn't imprinted yet. What if Bella chose him, then he imprinted on someone else?"

Author 3: "Edward all the way. Too bad I'm not twenty again."

Author 3's Daughter: "Well, Edward was VERY nice to let Jacob warm Bella in that cold tent. He really sacrificed that way. Definitely true love."

Author 3: "I shouldn't have let you read that part, daughter."

Author 3's Daughter: Big grin.

Author 1's Daughter: "I can't wait for the movies. Except the actor they chose for Edward is too short."

Author 1: "I shouldn't have let you read the books either, daughter."

Author 2: "Sigh. Edward."

Author 3: "Sigh. Edward."

Author 1: "Sigh. Jacob."

Author 4: "I really enjoyed the Twilight books, too, but you guys are freaking me out."

Hate sad things.

Hate funerals.

Hate when the good guy has to die.

Hate the grief of those left behind.

It's just not fair.

I need to start writing happier books.

In June I was scrambling to get an ARC for Richard Cracroft, author of the Book Nook column in BYU Magazine.

Today I saw the results. You can click on this link to read the full Book Nook column in its on-line formate, or read Cracroft's review below.

"In Land of Inheritance (Covenant; 336 pp.; $19.95), the fourth and final volume in her Out of Jerusalem series, Heather Brown Moore (BS ’94) recasts events from 1 Ne. 18:24 through Jacob 1:4, extrapolating from the bare-bones scriptural account an imaginative tale of New World exploration and settlement. Drawing on the rich and growing body of scholarship about ancient life in Mesoamerica (which she glosses in interesting chapter notes), Moore folds into the novel a wealth of anthropological detail about the New World, including details about existing indigenous populations at the time of the Lehite migration.While staying true to the Book of Mormon text and spirit, Moore has crafted a faith-enhancing story that revisits and vivifies Book of Mormon times and places."

When I was a newbie, it would have killed me to give away the end of the book in a synopsis. As a reader, I never read the end first . . . so combining the two together, it seemed that if I gave away the end of my book in a synopsis I was going to ruin the reading experience.

But agents want to know the end. Recently I read a blog written by Nathan Bransford, an agent with Curtis Brown Literary. Bransford recommends that a synopsis be 2-3 pages, double spaced, unless otherwise specified by an agent or editor.

Bransford’s excellent advice includes:
“A synopsis is not an opportunity to talk about every single character and every single plot point in a "and then this happened and then this happened" fashion. A synopsis needs to do two things: 1) it needs to cover all of the major characters and major plot points (including the ending) and 2) it needs to make the work come alive. If your synopsis reads like "and then this happened and then this happened" and it's confusing and dull, well, you might want to revise that baby.”

Bransford also said, “A good place to start for a model on how to write a good synopsis is to mimic book cover copy, only also include in the synopsis what happens in the end.”

As a published writer, I understand that it’s important to be able to write a concise synopsis of your novel. Once you have a synopsis nailed down, it’s easier to write a hook or a pitch, and of course that query letter.

With my publisher, I turn in a synopsis to the editor after the book has been accepted. This synopsis goes to the committee and gives them the insight they need to position and market the book. Also the backliner and marketing blurbs are easier to put together with a handy synopsis. Like Josi, I write the synopsis after I’ve finished the manuscript. Too many things can change if you write it while your book is still in progress. Josi also cautioned writers against holding back what happens at the end of their novels.

So, to make a long blog short. Go ahead. Spill the ending.

Today I watched my 10-year old daughter play in her basketball game--it's actually only her second time playing in a game. She tried out a couple of weeks for a competition team and made it. She was pretty excited. But I was pretty worried. She'd never played basketball before. The day before she tried out, I asked my husband to please show her how to shoot. I used to play, but it's been so long...

So now I've added shooting hoops with my kids to my long list of hobbies--hobbies that take the place of writing, of course.

When I mentioned to my daughter that she seemed to take after her mother in her natural sport skills, she said, "No, I take after Dad." I corrected her quickly. Because, as anyone who knows me well, knows that I received the top award in high school for being "Best Sportswoman of the Year." No kidding. Granted it was a rather small school, in the middle of the city of Jerusalem. And my only competition was about nineteen other girls. But I'll take what I can get.

It seems that late-night writing sessions will become the norm. After all, who can ignore this gorgeous fall weather and a waiting basketball standard in the driveway? I certainly can't.