April 28, 2012

Winner!

Congratulations to this weeks winner, Wendy Jones. Wendy wins a copy of The Keeper's Calling, by this weeks guest, Kelly Nelson. Wendy, please contact me with your physical address so that I can forward it to Kelly and she can get your prize to you.
Congrats and thank you everyone for your comments this week. Visit again as I'm sure yet another guest in the future will offer a similiar prize.

Sizzling Saturday

Today's kiss is from Kelly Nelson and the Keeper's Calling.

I watched Ellie take one step away. Then I said, “Wait!” I reached out to grab her arm and turned her to face me again. I stepped closer and tipped her chin up, forcing her to look at me. I looked into the depths of her eyes and tried to see why it was so important for her to be here, for her to leave me. But I found no answers in her pained expression.


Ignoring the pain in my back, I lifted my left arm and held her face softly in my hands. I gently traced the line of her cheekbone with my thumb. My fingers moved behind her neck, and I leaned forward to brush her lips with mine, gently at first, testing the waters.

“I’ve wanted to do that since the first night I saw you,” I whispered.

I turned so my back sheltered her from the icy wind. Before she could tell me to stop, I kissed her again. She kissed me back at first, but the kiss held no promise of a future together. It felt more like a kiss goodbye.

Her body stiffened the moment before she looked down. She placed her hand on my chest and pushed me away, not looking me in the eyes. “It’s cold. I should go. Goodbye, Chase.”

She turned and hurried toward the white house. Stunned, I watched as she opened the gate, then walked up the porch steps and through the front door, never once looking back. I think deep down I expected her to change her mind. Slowly, I turned into the wind. And for the first time in more years than I could remember, I cried.

April 27, 2012

Fickle Friday with more from Kelly Nelson

Are there any fun tid-bits about this story you can share with us? I used my own home and location as the building blocks for my setting. My son and daughter attend Hillsboro High School, the same as Chase Harper in my novel.


Also, the lecture Chase Harper refers to in the first chapter of my book is the same one I’ve heard my husband give to my kids.

Do you have a link where we can access the book discussion questions? A collection of discussion questions is available on my website @ http://www.kellynelsonauthor.com/

What is the purchase link (and cost)?

The Keeper’s Calling is available on Amazon for $12.31 at the following link: http://www.amazon.com/Keepers-Calling-Saga-Kelly-Nelson/product-reviews/1599928442/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

April 26, 2012

Let's get Personal with Kelly Nelson

Where were you born? St. Paul, Minnesota

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? I would stay right where I am. I may not have the fanciest house or the biggest barn, but I have a covered arena, a roof over my head, and the location is beautiful. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

What are you most passionate about, other than writing? I love my two horses—Texas and Fancy. From the time I was three I wished for a horse on every birthday candle blowing, every first star I saw and every wishbone I broke. When I was 16 my dad finally gave in and bought me Misty, a thoroughbred mare and ultimately the mother of Texas. She had come off the race track and loved to run. More than once she took the bit in her mouth and ran full-speed down the canal frontage road while I hung on for dear life. She was a lot of horse and I learned through trial and error how to be a horseperson. I’ve now owned her foal, Texas, longer than I’ve known my husband and can hardly bear the thought of someday losing her.

My sister had a horse named Fancy but my horse's name was Silky Susie. See we have a bit in common! Name some of your most favorite things. I love looking at the moon, walking on the beach, exploring a new trail on horseback, going on a date with my husband and chocolate.

Let's find out a bit about Kelly's writing.

What or who inspires you to write? I believe in divine assistance and the power of prayer. Although the motivation to write came from within me, the inspiration regarding what to write came in direct answer to prayer. I knew before I started my first novel that I didn’t have the natural ability to do it on my own and knelt in prayer to ask for help.

Very nicely said. Why did you begin writing? I simply wanted to see if I could—you know, actually put together 80,000 words and have them make sense and be interesting to read. I had wanted to write a book since I was 15 years old. Over the years I had started and abandoned two different novels. With my 39th birthday looming on the horizon, I figured I’d better get going on writing that novel if I wanted any hope of making it a reality.

Are you looking at my notes for an interview in August? No cheating! What do you find most rewarding about writing? The most rewarding thing is the feeling of excitement and exhilaration I get from knowing I created something. The year I spent writing The Keeper’s Saga was the happiest year of my life—I was healthier and had more energy than at any other time. I love completing a novel and then reading it through from start to finish for the first time.

I like your reason. You truly seem to write for the love of writing. When is your next book due out, and what’s it about? The sequel to The Keeper’s Calling is scheduled to be released in September 2012 and follows Chase Harper’s life and adventures as a Keeper through the second semester of his senior year.

How did you come up with your premise for the Keeper's Calling? I always knew I wanted to incorporate time travel in my story. I started out working on a middle-grade novel idea, but I quickly realized that with the amount of time I would be spending thinking about it, I wanted to be daydreaming about someone a little more attractive than a 13 yr old kid. The answer to my dilemma came in the form of Chase Harper—my studly high school senior. Additionally, in my experience the most enjoyable thing in life is falling in love, so of course I had to give Chase a love interest—Ellie Williams the girl he rescues in 1863.

Tell us more.
The first chapter to The Keeper’s Calling is posted on my publisher’s blog:

http://www.walnutspringspress.blogspot.com/2012/03/keepers-calling-first-chapter.html

April 25, 2012

Cover and blurb for "the Keeper's Calling"

 They come from two different worlds. One fateful discovery will bring them together. Neither of their lives will ever be the same.

Chase Harper’s to-do list for senior year never included “fall in love” and “fight for your life,” but things rarely go as planned. Tarnished gold and resembling a pocket watch, the counter he finds in a cave during the summer of 2011 will forever change the course of his life, leading him to the beautiful Ellie Williams and unlocking a power beyond his wildest imagination.

In 1863, Ellie Williams completes school in Boston and returns to the Utah Territory only to discover that her grandfather and his counter, a treasured family heirloom, are missing. When Ellie is abducted and told she must produce the counter or die, an unexpected rescuer comes to her aid.

April 24, 2012

Tease ... yeah and a Tickle too!

Bet ya'll thought we weren't going to have a giveaway this week... gotcha.
This week we are changing contest rules and wanted to get your attention. The rules are:
1) Be sure you are a follower here.
2) "Like" Kelly's Keeper's Saga Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/#!/TheKeepersSaga
3) Leave a comment here telling us you have done both.
4) Extra chance to win--- invite a friend to visit and join the contest. For every friend that mentions you (First and Last name) in a comment, you both recieve an extra chance to win.
Sound fun? Yeah, we thought so, too.
Winner will be announced on Saturday of this week.
Good luck and check back often for more chances to win!

Now for today's tease from The Keeper's Calling.
(Excerpt used by permission.)

I stared back at her. My mind churned. Why was she asking about the date? Her clothes. The way she talked. The vaqueros, as she called them. The lack of people around. The only answer I came up with seemed too unrealistic. Surely my imagination had run wild. Or maybe I still suffered from the effects of heatstroke. I quickly dismissed the idea. “It was yesterday—August 24, 2011.”


Although still far away, the Indians were making slow but steady progress toward us. I watched her, waiting for her response. She dejectedly sat down and pulled out the pistol. Her elbows rested on her knees. She leaned forward. “Give me your hand.”

I held my hand out. She touched the gold device to my finger, and immediately the light turned on inside. “So you’re it, then,” she said. “The new Keeper. It was supposed to be me, you know. Grandfather talked for years about giving it to me. The counter will only light up for its true Keeper.”

Closing it, I pushed the gold device toward her and pulled my hand away. “Well, I’m giving it to you, so don’t feel bad. It’s yours now.”

She shook her head and pointed the gun at me. “It’s not that easy, Mr. Harper. You can’t give it away. Once you’ve used it, you’re the Keeper of the counter. Until you’re dead, that is. It won’t work for anyone else. I’d have to kill you if I wanted to use it.”

I eyed the gun barrel waving in front of my face. “Great,” I muttered. Stepping away from her, I pulled my baseball cap off and gave my sweaty head a good scratch. Maybe she was crazy. It couldn’t be a good sign that she openly talked about killing me. I would have to take the gun from her. I imagined I could easily overpower her and get it, but my timing would need to be impeccable. A split second was all she needed to pull the trigger.

Hooked? Yeah, me too.

April 23, 2012

This week we're meeting Kelly Nelson.

Kelly Nelson was raised in Orem, Utah, and now resides in Cornelius, Oregon, in the heart of the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She enjoys life on a ten-acre horse property with her husband, four children, and, of course, lots of horses. Kelly has a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University. She worked as a certified public accountant for several years before opting to stay home and raise a family. As a young girl, she was an avid reader and had a passion for creative writing. Her travels to England, France, Egypt, Israel, West Indies, Mexico, and across the United States sparked a love of history, adventure, and exotic places. This led to the inspiration behind her debut novel, The Keeper’s Calling, the first book in The Keeper’s Saga. Learn more about Kelly and her upcoming books at kellynelsonauthor.com

The Keeper’s Calling is Kelly's debut novel and the first book in The Keeper’s Saga. It is young adult speculative fiction—in essence a romantic adventure story that defies the bounds of time.



The book is published by a small LDS Publisher and its content is appropriate for all ages. People who are 8 to 85 have enjoyed The Keeper’s Calling.-

Oh My!

Oh my, it's been a long, long time since I posted anything here. Really, I do this now because I recently got a note, if you can call it...