The Strongest Support

By Nichole Giles

The bride walked down the aisle, her escort holding her elbow tightly to keep her from slipping and toppling in the pool at her left, in which rings of Gerber Daisies happily floated. A large tent shaded the people crowding around several round tables on one side of the pool, and umbrellas set strategically throughout the rest of the yard shaded everyone else. Well, everyone but the bride and groom, who took their vows under the melting summer sun.

Whispers rose among the guests, mostly about the bride’s glowing beauty, some about the groom’s happy countenance, and a few comments on the decorations or weather. No one dared speak the sad knowledge that hung over the wedding party that day.

The food was ready, the flowers were fresh and bold, and the decorations stunning. The weather even cooperated, allowing a light breeze to cool the sting of the warm sun. But something very important was missing.

The bride’s family did not attend.

This beautiful bride had recently made some life choices that would not allow her to be sealed in the temple, and so her parents and siblings refused to support her on her special day.

But she smiled, held her head up, and as her father-in-law-to-be escorted her past the guests, she let the tears of disappointment fall. Ahe looked into the crowd and knew with finality that those people she loved most were not there.

Not that she didn’t have support. Several aunts, uncles, cousins and friends came to show their love and support, and a grandmother (released from a recent hospital stay only one day prior) who sat in place of the bride’s mother. The bride’s gratitude was clear, as she smiled brightly—with bittersweet tears in her eyes and hugged every person who came through the line. Her wedding day was special anyway, despite the absence of her parents.

Sadly, I suspect the bride is not the one who will suffer the worst consequences in this situation. She is now on her honeymoon with her new husband, and their life together is only beginning. They look forward with hope and happiness, knowing that with time, the things that kept them from being sealed will be forgiven, thanks to the Atonement, and someday they will have the opportunity to be sealed for eternity.

The members of the bride’s family will also have the opportunity to seek forgiveness, if they are able to see past their anger and judgment and ask for it. Because holding anger in our hearts, and using that anger to judge another person—no matter who—is also a grievous sin. That family missed a very important day in their daughter and sister’s life, and though they did so out of anger or hurt, their actions have affected a daughter of God. They too, must repent.

I left the wedding with a bittersweet feeling, remembering the familiar line in the hymn that says, “Who am I to judge another, Lord, I would follow thee.” And understood again that it is not our job, or even our right, to judge each other—regardless of appearances, circumstances, or visible sins. Our relationship with our Heavenly Father is precious, and personal, and only He has the right to decide the outcome of our choices.


So to that beautiful bride and her sweet husband, I wish you the best of luck in your new life together. May you always remember that even when your earthly family falls short, your Heavenly Family will always love and support you. And with Heavenly Father’s help, everyone else will come around.

"Heaven Scent" Book Tour Stop

By Nichole Giles

She should have considered herself the luckiest girl in the world, or at least in her high school. From the outside, it looked like Liza had it all. A wonderful family, a promising basketball record, and halfway through her senior year, scholarships were already beginning to pour in. She had everything a young woman could ever want—except the love and attention of the father she had once adored.

When a terrible tragedy takes away everything that matters to Liza, she must find it in her heart to forgive the broken promise that caused the loss and embrace the last thing she has left—who also happens to be the last person in the world she wants. Her father. The road to forgiveness is long and hard, but along the way, Liza is introduced to a religion that gives her hope and fills her with the peace she longs for.

Heaven Scent is a touching story of a young woman’s journey toward forgiveness, and her search for the one thing she never knew was missing in her life…religion. This book is a must read for adults and young women alike—just be sure to start the journey with a handy box of tissues!

Rebecca Cornish Talley, author of Heaven Scent, has kindly agreed to answer a few questions about the writing process and how Heaven Scent went from manuscript to published book.

First of all, Rebecca, thanks for joining me today. I know you must be so busy, being not only a wife, but also the mother of ten children and several animals. (By the way, you do NOT look like you have ten kids—amazing.)

1. Where did your initial inspiration for “Heaven Scent” come from?

My mom used to wear a distinctive and unique perfume. She passed away when
I was a young girl and during different times of my life, especially difficult ones,
I’ve been able to smell her perfume.


2. How did you know where to start writing?

I wanted to start with an exciting scene, a hook, that not only showed Liza’s talent in basketball, but also showed her frustration with her dad. Since her basketball game is a turning point in her life, it seemed like the natural place to start.


3. How long did it take you to write “Heaven Scent” from rough draft to polished copy?

About a thousand years—at least it felt that way. It started as a short story in high school. I decided I wanted to expand the story into a novel and started working on it on and off for years between pregnancies, nursing newborns, toddlers, kids, teenagers, and caring for my ailing grandparents. It was a long process and I sometimes wondered if I’d ever finish it.

4. What were your strongest influences as you went through this process?

My family kept encouraging me to finish it. I also joined some online groups and members of those groups (David Woolley, Patricia Wiles, Terry Montague) kept encouraging me and helping me understand the mechanics of writing. Latterdayauthors.com was a valuable resource for me. I also had the internal drive to complete this story because it was so important to me.

5. What made you decide to write for the young adult audience?

This particular story is a YA story. I’ve worked with young women over the years and have three teenage daughters at the moment and wanted to write something that would be interesting, and maybe even inspiring, to this age group.

6. With so many kids—and animals, and a husband, and household—how in the world do you find time to write?

I just squeeze it in whenever I can. I usually have a notebook with me to jot down ideas or things I want to change on a work in progress. I “write” in my head while in the shower, doing dishes, ironing, or driving kids to activities. It’s hard to find time to write, but I’ve given up hobbies and other interests to pursue writing.

7. I understand that you played high school basketball. Did you find that you had to further research the game as you were writing, or is this one of your personal areas of expertise?

Unfortunately, I didn’t ever play well enough to be offered a place on a college team so I had to research that. The rest of it I remembered from playing for so long. I also watch basketball games here and there. In fact, I was watching the NBA playoffs on TV one year when I was pregnant and my water broke during a game (I had the baby 2 hours later).

8. What advice would you give to fellow fiction writers who are targeting the young adult audience?

Read as many books in that genre as you can. Listen to how teenagers speak and to what concerns them. No matter what, though, write that story that’s in your heart.

Rebecca, thank you so much for your time! I so appreciate being able to visit with you. I’m especially grateful for your efforts to create this wonderful, inspiring book. As I read, I put myself in Liza’s footsteps and felt her pain. It takes a talented author to be able to do that.

Thank you, Nichole, for hosting my book. I so appreciate your help and your kind review.


Heaven Scent is available for purchase at:

Deseret Book, Seagull, Independent LDS Bookstores, Amazon.com, BarnesandNobel.com, Target.com, and CedarFort.com.

Cedar Fort Conference Rocked!

By Nichole Giles

On Saturday, June 6th, I had the opportunity to go to a writer’s conference put on by a local publisher, Cedar Fort—otherwise known as CFI.

Originally, I wasn’t sure I’d take the time. I go to conferences pretty regularly and since (up to this point) I didn’t have any specific plans to submit to this publisher, I wasn’t positive I was willing to give up my Saturday to go.

The cost for the conference was minor. They only asked $25 to help cover expenses. But a lot of my friends were going and I love socializing with other writers. Still, I’ve had lots going on and could think of several other things I could do with my day. In the end though, I decided I should go because every conference has something to offer, I’ve never regretted going to one, and I am not so over confident in myself that I believe I have nothing left to learn. So the day before we left town for a family vacation, I stuck a check in the mail and registered.

Let me just tell you that I have never in my life got so much out of $25. The conference started at 10:00 am—with plenty of drinks and snacks provided—and the speakers were amazing.

First, Doug Johnston made us feel sincerely welcome as he introduced the first speaker of the day, Acquisitions editor, Jeffery Marsh.

Jeffery gave us several tips on how to write a publishable book including writing to an audience, learning the art of storytelling, and writing in order to teach and touch many people. After his speech, Jeffery spent the rest of the day in pitch sessions with anyone who was willing to sign up for a time. (A huge undertaking, I understand.)

The next speaker, Author Abel Keogh, author of Room for Two, talked about starting a website, writing blog entries, and the hows and whys of both. He was interesting and informative, and by the time he was finished, I was excited to go home and figure out how to make my website more interesting. Plus, before I left, I HAD to buy his book. (I started reading it when I got home that night—so far it’s awesome.)

Janet Jensen, author of Don’t You Marry the Mormon Boys, then taught us about marketing, putting her emphasis on creating an attractive media kit. Now, most of us write just for the sake of writing. We don’t necessarily have a clue what it takes to actually sell our book—which is why this conference was so informative and wonderful for so many of us. I’d bet that more than half the people in the room didn’t have a clue what a media kit even is. But Janet made sure we all knew, and by the end of her speech, we had some ideas about what we needed to do to help sell our books—as well as ourselves as authors.

Let me tell you a little bit about Doug Johnston. He’s the publicist for CFI, and also a member of our writing group, Author’s Incognito. He was the driving force behind the entire conference, from setting it up, to advertising, to arranging speakers and lunch—Doug was the MAN of the day. On top of everything else he had going that day, Doug gave an incredible lesson on publicity—complete with a PowerPoint presentation with an endless supply of lists. For his speech, I was ultra, way, so super glad I had my laptop booted up because he was short on time and there is no way I would ever have gotten all four pages of notes I took as he spoke. (I could have gotten more except he ran out of time and had to skip over a few things.)

Did I mention lunch? The box lunches were catered—I believe the company was called Apple Spice Junction—and I don’t know about anyone else, but I was thrilled with the different choices offered. I chose whole grain bread with a mix of sandwich meat, a fruit salad, and a chocolate chip cookie. I noticed that they offered several other bread and salad choices to accommodate the wide range of people in attendance. And I have to send out a huge thanks—Doug must’ve read my mind—because in one of the many coolers filled with drinks I found a can of Dr. Pepper, which is something I’ve never seen provided at any other conference. Woo hoo! Candace Salima and I both cheered.

The last speaker of the day was author and motivational speaker, Eloise Owens. By the time it was her turn, I fully understood why they left her for last, and gave her a four-hour time slot. Oh. My. Gosh! She was fantastic. I realize that she is a professional motivational speaker, and that is what she’s trained to do. But boy, she does it well. I was so inspired by the things she said, by the stories she told, and by simply being in the room with her. Not only did I come away having decided to someday learn how to surf (to figure out this part, you’ll have to read her book, Get Off The Beach!), but also I walked out of that place absolutely determined to be uncommon. Different. And in Eloise’s words, weird.

A few of Eloise’s words of wisdom: “You always go where you look…We are writers. We have the opportunity to move people. In topics where you might never expect it, to impact people in profound ways. Get clear…get excited…tap in…write from the right!”

After an entire day of learning and being motivated, we were gifted with our very own copy (part of our conference fees) of Eloise’s book, Get Off The Beach!

WOW! Okay, let me say that again. Wow! That was a great conference. It was an excellent value for my money, lunch was good, the speakers were informative and motivational—not to mention entertaining—and books were provided too. I went home hoping to someday get to work with that publishing company. Way to go, CFI (and Doug). I’m already wondering when you’re planning to do it again.

To learn more about CFI visit their website at: www.cedarfort.com

Burning Faith

By Nichole Giles

Great plumes of smoke filled the air in the mountains to the south of Madi’s house. The sky was now the color of twilight through a haze of campfire. But this was no campfire, and there would be no marshmallow roasts or happy songs around the blazing wildfire, which continued burning through thousands of acres of land.

Earlier in the day, the ranger had called Madi’s Grandpa Joe to evacuate his beloved cabin because the fire was expected to burn it down soon.

“Oh no,” Madi said. “We were going to visit there next week.”

“We probably won’t be able to do that now,” said Mom.

“But Grandpa Joe has worked so hard,” Brittany said. “He has spent every spring and summer weekend since I was born building that cabin.”

“Grandma Pam and Grandpa Joe love that place,” said Brayden. “We love it too.”

“I know,” said Mom. Tears glistened in her eyes as she said, “Sometimes we have to let go of the things we love.”

“Why would Heavenly Father let the fire burn our family’s things?” asked McKay.

“Sometimes we don’t understand why things like this happen,” Mom explained. “We just have to take the trials we are given and understand that Heavenly Father knows what’s best for us.”

Madi thought about this now as she watched a line of fire burn on the mountain. She didn’t believe that Heavenly Father wanted her grandpa’s cabin to be lost to them.
She had an idea. Quickly she grabbed Brittany’s hand and dragged her sister in the bedroom. “Brittany,” she said. “Let’s say a prayer for Grandpa Joe’s cabin.”

“Great idea,” said Brittany. “I already said one, but lets say one together.”

They knelt on the floor and Madi prayed, “Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for the time we’ve had to spend in Grandpa Joe’s cabin. We’ve had so much fun there, and we have great memories. We ask that you might please turn the fire away so that we can go there again and spend time with our family.” She closed in the name of Jesus Christ, and then hugged her sister.
All day Madi worried and wondered if the fire was close or not. Would the cabin burn or be saved? The sky was still filled with thick, black smoke, even though the fire was many miles away, and Madi knew it would not be put out today.

She thought sadly about all the wonderful times her family had spent visiting her grandparents for the weekend. She remembered helping Grandpa plant trees and grass. She remembered chasing squirrels and groundhogs in the great outdoors, and carefully stowing garbage in a locked container to keep from attracting bears and mountain lions.

Always, when they were there, Grandpa Joe made a big breakfast especially for Madi and her brothers and sister, with bacon and sausage, eggs, pancakes and juice. She thought of the loft bedroom upstairs, with all the beds lined against the walls for big family sleepovers. Her favorite was always the bed near the skylight in the ceiling.

Now, as Madi remembered these things, she was filled with a great feeling of loss. Again she silently asked Heavenly Father to save the cabin so her family could go there and make more memories.

For a whole week, the fire burned on the mountain. Every day, Madi waited for someone to call with the news that the cabin was lost. And every day, Madi and Brittany prayed together asking Heavenly Father to spare it.

One day, Mom called Madi, Brittany, and their brothers Brayden and Mckay inside for dinner. Madi was washing her hands when Mom said, “Guess what?”

“I know!” Madi said with excitement. “The cabin didn’t burn down.”

“How did you know that?” asked Mom.

“It was easy,” said Brittany. “We’ve been praying for it all week.”

“Yes,” Madi added. “We already knew Heavenly Father wasn’t going to let the cabin burn.”

“Oh,” said Mom, surprised. “You know, the fire burned through some campgrounds, a lot of trees, and many acres of land. The whole area up there was full of buildings that would have been destroyed if the fire had reached them. The strange part is that the fire burned in a circle around the cabins, but didn’t touch any of them.”

“Heavenly Father must have blown the fire away with the wind,” said Madi as she set the table. That night, Madi volunteered to bless the food. While she did, she remembered to thank Heavenly Father for saving her grandpa’s cabin. Madi would never forget how hard she had prayed. Even though she was only 9, Heavenly Father listened to her, and answered her prayers. That testimony burned like a fire in her heart.