Where Would he Go?

I'm excited. My new website is live . . . I think. I'm getting mixed messages. But this link seems to work, http://www.angela-morrison.com/index.html. Please take it for a test ride and let me know what you think!

Thanks for your patience. Back to "Storm's Story," from my original website.

Where Would he Go?
April 17, 2008


Writing a novel starts out like creating an intricate tiled mosaic. I mull and think, much like an artisan would play with different colors and sizes of stone and glass. Pieces sift out of my brain, remembered either from my own experience, conversations with others, or triggered by research, other novels, movies, even pop songs. I try different pieces, discard some, keep others. If I keep my eyes and ears open, the pieces I’m missing arrive, sent by someone much wiser than me who always knows exactly what I need.

Once I had Michael’s voice in my head and knew I’d throw a hurricane at him, I needed to figure out what to do with my scuba guy after the storm stole his life.

A few days following the free write session, I went to a lecture by Mel Glenn. He spoke about creating a cool teen girl character and sending her to Brooklyn, his home town, and creating a shy young man (much like himself as a teen) to fall for her.

A-ha! Why couldn’t I do that? Writer’s are always and forever told to write what we know. As a young writer, I detested that advice. I knew so little--a rural farming town in Eastern Washington and a pig farm that I had recently escaped. I didn’t want to write about that. But with years of perspective to help, I realized that my small town high school and my grandmother’s tiny white house would be the perfect place to strand an urban teen used to traveling the world scuba diving with his parents.

And my diver would inevitably meet the only Mormon girl in that school (much like myself as a teen), and for the first time in her life, she’d be faced with a guy she  cared for deeply who needed her like no one ever needed her before.

My high school where I made Michael go to school.

Downtown Tekoa. Notice the Variety Store? Remember that scene?

This is the infamous railroad trestle.

My grandmother's house in Tekoa. It was so pretty when she lived there. Trees and flowers.

Here's the wheat fields I surrounded Michael with.

Oh, there's Leesie tearing up the road! 

The farmhouse I where I lived growing up. It was white back then.

Tekoa Mountain. I know it's a hill, but it's the highest hill around.

NEW STORM COVER REVEAL!!!

YES!!!!! We're releasing an all new Taken by Storm ebook. And here's the brand new cover. This is Storm's third cover. I love this one. It feels much more like Michael and Leesie to me. What do you think?

So, why a new ebook? I get to have my talented son, Rob, design a new cover, for one. Plus, the old Taken by Storm ebook is unreadable unless you download it to a big computer screen. (Picture me with a cartoon red face and steam blasting out of my ears.) Not good. Penguin still controls that one. My wonderful agent convinced them to return the rights to me, so I can produce this new ebook that has fully scalable fonts and works on all devices--from smart phones to iPods to Kindles. All you need is a free Kindle app. We'll release a paperback with this cover, too.

I added a special bonus poem, "Airport Good-bye." It fits between Storm and Unbroken Connection. I wrote it for Michelle at Windowpane Memoirs who launched the "Don't Break the Connection" blog campaign.    

The ebook is not on sale yet, but you (or a friend because I know you all have copies of Storm) can score a free  ebook if you participate in Kathy Sokol's book bomb for her new ebook, Caribbean Crossroads, today. Scroll down for details. There's lots more great free gifts, too. This is my first ever book bomb! Let's do our best to make it rock.

 

Celebrate the release of CARIBBEAN CROSSROADS by Connie Sokol with a special price today!

 I have a special offer for you—it’s only good for today—Thursday, June 14, 2012. Purchase CARIBBEAN CROSSROADS  from Amazon.com for only $1.99. Then email RachelletheWriter@gmail.com with your order confirmation/receipt. Once Rachelle receives your order details, she will email you an amazing selection of over 10 free gifts from Connie Sokol and several others!

 Here’s what’s in store when you purchase CARIBBEAN CROSSROADS  today:
(All items will be emailed to you from Rachelle after she receives your order confirmation.) You can purchase the Kindle Edition HERE for $1.99 today! Paperback also available.

To celebrate the launch of her new romance novel, Connie Sokol- author, speaker, and life coach is offering two incredible free gifts when you purchase CARIBBEAN CROSSROADS TODAY. 

• ·         You’ll receive a free Ebook of Life is Too Short for One Hair Color-- A humorous collection of anecdotes and helpful tips to survive being a woman, wife, and mother. Laugh a little, lighten up a lot, and take something from each story to practically and positively help you change your life and perspective–one tip at a time.

• ·         Mp3 file of Get Organized -- Need extra hours in the day? You can find them today! Learn how to realistically streamline repetitive tasks such as bill paying, laundry, meal planning and cooking to create FREE hours for what you need most. Discover a fabulous organization formula to use in ANY area of your life for more effective time management. Get organized and stay organized to enjoy a more fulfilling life!

• ·         Shear Luck free ebook by Heather Justesen—a romance novella-- When salon manager Chelsea Robison walks into the restaurant next door, she's surprised to run into her teenage crush Vaughn Krenshaw. Though he is still mourning his wife's death, he can't help but take a chance and ask her out. As things start getting serious, family pressure about dating again, and rumors from his past surface, making the chance for happily ever after look farther than ever.

• ·         Vertex42.com offers the ultimate money management spreadsheet! Create and monitor your budget. A free alternative to Quicken.

• Free download of The Secret Sisters Club: the first book in the Ginnie West Adventures middle-grade series by Monique Bucheger.

• ·         TheSeedtouch--An Epic Fantasy Romance by Rebecca Lyn Shelley

 When Keil's father succumbs to dementia, she disguises herself as a man to save her family. But her quest is threatened when she accidentally bonds with a man who has traded all his wealth and land for the addictive drug, tam. Furious, she rejects her new bondmate and takes control of the landholding that she believes will keep her family safe.  But the tam is spreading and will soon destroy not only her land but also all life if she cannot find a way to stop it. Like it or not, she's forced to team up with her bondmate to save their world. 

·          

•       Precision Editing Group is offering a free critique for 10 pages of your manuscript. Fiction or non-fiction. For more information about the editing company, visit their website: www.precisioneditinggroup.com Blog: http://writingonthewallblog.blogspot.com

• ·         Angela Morrison is the author of Sing me to Sleep, 2010 Goodreads Choice Nominee and USA Best Books 2011 winner for Young Adult Fiction, and the critically acclaimed Taken by Storm saga. Her free gift: All-new Taken by Storm ebook. 

Mormon girl, Leesie, has life figured out until devastated Michael lands on her doorstep. Originally published by Penguin, this intimate novel is a rare journey into a Mormon teen's inner life. Ebook includes a never before published scene and free chapter from Unbroken Connection (Book #2). Follow Angela's new "liv2writ" blog at http://angelamorrison.blogspot.com.

• ·         Enjoy the incredible YA Paranormal Bestseller--Bound   by Christine Bryant.

     When a photo shoot ends in tragedy, Kira discovers her best friend, Lydia, has been keeping a secret. Knowing the truth, and accepting it, will change Kira’s life forever and thrust her into a world of ancient curses, magical objects, and savage enemies. What happens next will challenge everything Kira knows about her world, herself and the shape-shifting warrior she’s falling in love with.

• Three free ebooks from award-winning author Karen Hoover— The Sapphire Flute ( Book 1 of The Wolfchild Saga) Seven Keys and seven guardians born to save a dying world.  AND

  The Armor of Light (Book 2 of the Wolfchild Saga), TheMisadventures of a Teenage Wizard, Book 1: Two Souls are Better Than One
Chased by dragons. Saved by a Pegasus. Sharing his mouth with a wizardly spirit.

• ·         Amy Chandler’s free gift offering--Where are your photos? Sign up today for a FREE account and get those photos out of a box, off your computer and into 100% customizable beautiful books your whole family will cherish!

• ·         10% off a Content Evaluation from Eschler Editing. Check out their detailed list of services here http://www.bookeditingandmore.com/services/author-manuscripts/content-evaluation-revision-direction/

Why a book bomb? A book bomb is when a large group of people purchase a certain book on a specific day on Amazon. This pushes the book's popularity up the Amazon ranks, which in turn gives the book more visibility to Amazon shoppers. That’s the goal today for CARIBBEANCROSSROADS. Grab your copy and help us celebrate! Just remember to email Rachelle with your order receipt! 

So feel free to pass this on to your friends and shout it out on FB, Twitter, etc. We’d like as many people as possible to benefit from these bonus gifts. Connie is giving an extra gift to you just for spreading the word about the book bomb. Visit 8basics.com and click on the green button to share for a FREE audio download of "CoachCast: Joy In Womanhood"

Michael's First Words

I've got some exciting news that I'm bursting to tell you. Tune in tomorrow for the big reveal.

For now, enjoy how Michael transformed from questions in my brain to words on the page. He surprised me!

Vermont College and Answers
from "Storm's Story" on www.angela-morrison.com
Monday, April 14, 2008

In July of 2002, I started to discover the answers to the questions that kept swirling in my brain.

The summer before, I’d gone to SCBWI’s LA conference. I came away impressed that I needed to professionalize my writing skills and start taking myself seriously as an artist. I began searching and discovered Vermont College’s amazing low-residency Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults program. Here was a master’s program, devoted to the children’s/YA field, that I could do while being a mom in London, Ontario.

The toughest thing about the application was finding a writer to recommend me. I had zero contacts and connections. No critique group. No SCBWI friends in Canada. My academic contacts were stone cold. But I sat by an lovely woman in LA who had given me her card and lots of encouragement, Naomia Zucker (BENNO’S BEAR). She was kind enough to write a recommendation for me. Voila! I got in.

The keystone of the VC experience is the two weeks spent in residency prior to the intense semester spent studying one on one with some of the best writers in our field.  My first residency was July 2002. I was nervous and scared and fell absolutely in love with everyone and everything (except the mean girl clique and the dorm beds). The lectures, the workshop experience, my wonderful classmates. Wow. Overnight I had a writing community. In that very first residency I got to hear Katherine Patterson, Karen Hesse, Tobin Anderson, Norma Fox Mazer, and many more.

The graduate assistants ran a session to introduce the new students to free writing. We were told to remember a sound, to put our pen to the page, and not stop until they called time.

Michael’s voice flowed out of my pen and filled up the page.  Here’s what he said:

I jump in and start breathing through my reg. The sound of sucking in, blowing out fills my head. My gut tightens like it always does. Sploosh. Swoosh. Bubbles flow out the back. Face down. Air out. Descent. Suck in. Long count. Don’t hold it. Blow out, blow out, blow out, smooth and slow. My bubbles interrupt the deep blue serenity of the world below. Then a short blast of air for buoyancy control. Quiet fin strokes. Arms glued at my side. The ocean of wonders opens to my view. Coral fronds of orange yellow pink green sway . . .

It’s just a rough free-write, but here it is. The first hint of the guy whose voice would haunt me with his story for months and months that turned to years and years.

This is the scan of the actual free write. I gave the original to BYU when I donated my papers to their special manuscript collection.

Since then, I've become a huge fan of free writes. I use them all the time--especially when I'm stuck. I give myself an assignment, put it beside my bed, and in the morning right after I wake up pick it up and scribble away. Visit my new liv2writ blog for a rambling post on free writing. 

How Michael came to inhabit my brain

One of the miracles of creating fiction is characters. None have haunted me quite like Michael. Here's how he came to inhabit my brain.


Hurricane on the Horizon
from "Storm's Story" on angela-morrison.com
Thurs., April 10, 2008

A few years ago my husband and I were diving off Cozumel, Mexico. We had sunshine at first, but halfway through the trip the weather turned nasty. Dark skies. Rain. We still dove. Nothing much stops a boatful of determined divers.

This is me and my hubby on that trip.

We headed out in the rain, joking around and relaxing into the easy camaraderie that divers share.  We started out with a deep wall dive. Darker than usual, but still cool.

In Cozumel, there are always currents. Rather than fight them, divers float with the flow and the boat follows. When our tanks empty, the guide releases an orange marker and the boat, meets us up top. You don’t have to work very hard. Just float and enjoy the scenery. I tend to get cold if I’m not kicking. I’m a swimmer at heart so I like to kick.

After the first dive, we huddled in the boat getting rained on. My teeth chattered away. We’d gone deep, about a hundred feet, so we had to wait an hour to lower the amount of nitrogen in our blood before we could go down again. (Technical dive term: off-gassing. More than you wanted to know? Sorry. I won’t tell you about the guys peeing off the back.)

This is the boat we dove on in Cozumel 

To the south of us the sky was a thick bank of wicked clouds. A newsy guy who had just arrived informed us that our rain and those clouds were what was left of a hurricane that had just hit Belize. “Category 4,” he said. “It hit a boat of divers, and they all drowned.”

None of us believed him. Divers don’t drown. And no one would be out in a hurricane. Rain, sure. But a hurricane? That’s insane.

He insisted it had happened. And he was right. A live-aboard boat docked in what they thought was a safe port. They were wrong.

Over the next several months, I followed the story closely. I found news articles on the internet and watched the memorial grow on the website of the dive club who had chartered the boat and lost so many. I felt a kinship with those dead divers. The clouds that killed them rained on me, too.

I began asking myself, “What if?” What if the only survivor of a similar fictional accident was a guy whose parents drowned.  How did he survive? What happened to him after? Who would he live with now? Where would he go?

And, most important, who would love him?

Books by Mormons about Mormons for Readers Who Aren't Mormons

Most of the Mormon authors who've become household names in the national marketplace, like Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game), Brandon Mull (Fablehaven), Shannon Hale (The Goose Girl), and the queen in the realm of Mormon authors, Stephanie Meyers (Twilight)--to name a very, very few of the many amazing Mormon authors out there--write speculative fiction, fantasy and sic-fi. Jamie Ford (Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet) writes historical. They don't write books that feature Mormon characters trying live their Mormon lives. (Except Shannon Hale--and I'll get to her soon.)

And I understand why this is true. First, economics. But also, the nature of art is to bury the truth it's built on at its core. Katherine Paterson (who I actually got to meet a few months ago) says our faith and values should be the "bones and sinews" of fiction. I did that with Sing me to Sleep. Taken by Storm was another story.

I didn't realize how rare a faithful Mormon girl struggling through the pages of a YA novel published by a big six publisher was until I moved to Arizona and met Janette Rallison (My Fair Godmother) who writes contemporary YA rom-coms and now several fun and exciting fantasies.

At my first Changing Hands event, Janette grabbed my arm and said, "How did you get that published? My editors made me cut all the Mormon stuff."

If someone wants to write a book dissing Mormons--or exposing Mormons--or mocking Mormons, the marketplace grins and extends a fat paycheck, great reviews, and big awards. But a faithful Mormon girl? A realistic depiction? Complete with prayers, visions, and abstinence? Are you kidding?

There are also loads of Mormon authors who write LDS fiction for the LDS market. Why didn't I just stick with that? Why was I insane enough to think I could sell Leesie and Michael's story to a national audience?

(Truth is, I couldn't. Not until Stephanie Meyers and Twilight revolutionized the YA world. Thank you, Edward, for making abstinence hot.)

Year after year I came close to a deal. Time after time it all fell apart. Why didn't I give up? Write something else? I did write two more books. But I couldn't make myself shelve Taken by Storm. I kept revising and reinventing it.


I would love to ask Shannon Hale how she came to write The Actor and the Housewife. It is about a Mormon housewife who becomes best friends with a Hollywood actor. It's not a pretty, Newbury fantasy for kids. It's face-paced, even wittier than her Austenland books, and depicts a faithful Mormon woman's life as realistically as I tried to show Leesie's. I laughed and cried my eyes out. My guess is Shannon Hale wrote The Actor and the Housewife first, but couldn't get it published until her Newbury success with The Goose Girl. Awards yield readers. Readers yield power to publish! Hooray because this book is great. It's now on my favorites list. It's the only other book I've read that presents a faithful Mormon-heroine in a contemporary, honest setting. (If you know of others, please enlighten me in the comments!)

When I was a BYU student, I discovered Chaim Potok--specifically, My Name is Asher Lev. I loved how he brought us into the intimate struggle of a young Jewish artist. If Chaim Potok could bring the world remarkable Jewish young adults coming of age, why couldn't I attempt the same for a Mormon farm girl?

I didn't try--for over twenty years. And then Michael walked into my head, and he needed a Leesie.

Michael and Leesie's 10th Anniversary

I'm feeling nostalgic today. I have to archive all the material on my website and put together an all new site. I've used Apple's me.com and before that mac.com to host my website and with the advent of the free iCloud they've stopped hosting, so my old site is history! Aaaaaaah!

I'm keeping my same domain so you'll still be able to find me at www.angela-morrison.com. And I'm transferring and updating the content. I think the new site will be great, but my old site has so much material on it. (And always turns up first on Google searches for me!)

I launched it in 2008 and it hosts my ChatSpot blog, Storm's Story, liv2writ, and an appearances blog. It records my launch tours, first reviews, all my blog tours, and school visits. What to do? What to do? I've decided to rescue all things Michael and Leesie from the website and share it here in new posts and pages.

July will be ten years from the date when Michael first talked on my page during a free-write at Vermont College. I wrote the "Grandmother Poem" that became Leesie's heart and soul during that same residency. Plus, there are parts of the story I've never told, cut scenes I published on my liv2writ blog, and lots of great pictures to make into slideshows. I'm going to try to bring it all together here for you to celebrate Michael and Leesie's 10th anniversary. (I know you're saying, "How could they be 10? TAKEN BY STORM was just published three years ago." Stick around for the story and you'll find out!)

I'm also launching two new blogs, Angela Morrison's liv2writ (for writing tips, news, contests, sneak peaks at new books, and what I'm up to these days), and What's the Opposite of Chewbacca? a blog devoted to the opposite poems I write with kids when I visit their classrooms. Wish me luck! I don't multi-task well. The two new blogs are post-less as I write this. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!

And the Breaking Beautiful Winners are . . . !!!

I've finally drawn the winners for the Breaking Beautiful contest. Thanks for your patience. It's worth the wait--believe me. You'll love Jen's book. Thanks so much for entering and helping me spread the word about it. She's hard at work writing a second book that will come out fall 2013. I've got a June 1st deadline on my work in progress--that's why I'm so late with the contest results.

Okay, drum roll . . . .

The winners are:

Grand Prize - Breaking Beautiful goes to Jessica Asato!!

The Breaking Beautiful / Michael + Lessie swag packs go to Jennie Smith, Vivien, Stephanie, and Erin!

And the signed first edition hardcover of Taken by Storm goes to Annette!

So congratulations all! If I have your email, you should get a note soon asking for your address. If I don't have your email, please send me your address at angelamorrison at mac dot com!

Thanks again for entering. I wish I could send you all a copy! You all need to read it NOW!