Second Contest for This Week: An Advertising Package

The Mormon Mishaps and Mischief  Giveaway and Blog Tour!

In celebration of Mothers, and all they do for us, Mormon Mishaps authors C.L. Beck and D.N. Giles have put together a giveaway in conjunction with a week-long blog tour. If you aren’t interested in winning a fantastic advertising package valued at $150, you can stop reading now.

Wait, you’re still reading. That must mean you want to hear about our prize package, correct? Well. Okay then.

Let me first tell you a little about our sponsors, yourLDSneighborhood.com and YourLDSradio.com.

yourLDSneighborhood.com is an online shopping mall which features innovative products and LDS-based services, and great ideas for your home, all without the worries of questionable content. Shopping categories include Clothing, Music, Preparedness, Family Entertainment, Scrapbooking, Books and Art, Health and Food, Travel and Recreation, Weddings and more! Visit yourLDSneighborhood.com today.

Your LDS Neighborhood Newsletter is a free online newsletter that comes three times a week right to your email inbox. It provides topical stories and insights that set the tone for your day. The newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources, and interviews from around the world, all with an LDS focus. Sign up today by clicking here!

YourLDSradio.com commits to bringing you the best in LDS Music – all day, every day and it is totally FREE to listen! Make them your web-surfing companion. It's free and easy to use and makes for the perfect online companion. Listen for yourself at yourLDSradio.com!

Okay, and now for the prize!

Your LDS Neighborhood has offered a YEAR LONG advertising package which includes space on the Neighborhood website as well as tiles in the newsletter. Were you to purchase advertising with them, this package would cost $150.

Here’s the best part. You don’t have to be LDS to advertise with the Neighborhood. As long as the business, blog, or product you’re promoting is family friendly, this advertising package will benefit you. Neighborhood ads are viewed daily around the globe, and by thousands of people.

So how do you win?

Entries will be accepted between May 4th and midnight, MST, May 16th. On May 17th, (or as close there about as possible) the winners will be chosen and announced on the LDS Humor blog. Although it's not required for entry, please take a minute to read the Mormon Mishaps and Mischief review/interview I've posted. Then, you must do the following four things to enter (but don't worry, they aren't hard):

1. Follow my blog, here.
2. Leave a comment here, at this blog.
3. Follow the LDS Humor blog.
4. Follow the Your LDS Neighborhood Newsletter blog.

Extra entries:
1. Blog about this contest, then come back and leave either a url address or a link in a comment.
2. Follow me on Twitter. (Bloggers, you can hyperlink this to your twitter page if you’d like, or include your twitter username.) And then tweet the contest. (Make sure to mention this in a comment.)
3. Facebook the contest. If your Facebook page is private, and I’m not your friend, I can’t see that you’ve done this, so you’ll need to friend me.(Same goes here.) Be sure to leave the link to where you've FB'd the contest in a comment.

All of these options can be mentioned in a single comment, and you can enter at all the participating blogs, as long as you follow and leave a comment for those bloggers so they know you love them.

You may enter this contest here, as well as on any of the tour posts at the following blogs:

May 4th Rachelle Christensen
May 4th Shirley Bahlmann
May 5th Karlene Browning
May 5th Heather Gardener, Fire and Ice Book Reviews
May 6th Kellie Buckner
May 6th Rachel Rager
May 7th Shauna Chambers
May 7th Heather Justesen
May 10th LDS Humor Blog
May 10th Keith Fisher
May 11th Tristi Pinkston
May 11th Rebecca Talley
May 12th Taffy Lovell
May 12th Kimberly Job
May 13th Connie Hall
May 13th Ali Cross

To purchase Mormon Mishaps and Mischief click here.

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Book Review: Women of the Book of Mormon by Heather B. Moore

All right. You know me. I have a published book titled Mormon Mishaps and Mischief. And while my general reading list is mostly national YA fiction—cuz that’s what I love—every once in a while I read something religious as well. It’s good for me.

Admittedly, I’m pretty selective in my religious reading choices. Yes, I have issues. Some of them having to do with my tendency toward boredom. However, having said that, I can honestly say that I LOVE Heather Moore’s work. I’ve read all of her books, and enjoyed every minute of each one. This is the first non-fiction work by Moore, and I have to admit, it took me a while to open the e-file and get started for that reason alone. But when I did finally open it to read, I was surprised at how quickly I was pulled in. This stuff is seriously interesting. I should’ve known I could trust this particular author to tell the facts in an interesting manner.

And not only that, each chapter is headed with spectacular art. The whole book is beautifully done. Here’s the blurb:

Explore the lives, circumstances, and choices of women in the Book of Mormon in this uplifting and inspirational volume that illustrates the parallels between the lives of the women of the Book of Mormon and LDS women today. With new insights on practically every page, author Heather B. Moore explores the written and unwritten stories of the prominent women in the Book of Mormon — taking familiar material and providing vivid details about family dynamics, domestic practices, and other aspects of daily life. By applying historical and cultural contexts to the situations of women like Sariah, Abish, Eve, Mary, and the faithful mothers of the striplings warriors, you will peek beneath the surface of the scriptural accounts to better understand both the righteous women of the Book of Mormon — and the women who didn’t use their agency wisely.

My thoughts:

There are very few women mentioned in the Book of Mormon, so I was surprised by the number of chapters and the parallels that clearly line up between these women and those mentioned in the Bible. The customs and traditions during this era of time seem so difficult in my mind, and yet some select women not only accepted their lot, but embraced it in order to raise righteous children who changed the world with their faith and influence.

Moore manages to give us insights that aren’t necessarily apparent in your every day scripture study. Or at least, not mine. And I appreciate the views, especially the chapter about Eve, and her vision of what had to be done for the good of mankind, rather than having been beguiled into making a bad decision.

I highly recommend this book for all LDS women. This book is a quick read, and makes a great Mother’s Day gift for the faithful women in your life.

To learn more about Heather B. Moore and her other books, click here.

To read a sample chapter of Women of the Book of Mormon, click here.

To purchase your copy of Women of the Book of Mormon, click here.


**I received an electronic file of this book in order to read it and give an honest review. In receiving this file, I have agreed NOT to share or sell it to any other party, thus, it has no monetary value for me. It does, however have intellectual value for which I’m sincerely grateful to the author. And I do believe I shall purchase multiple copies to give as gifts to the important women in my life.

Last Night's Launch and More Giveaways

Today, I've been trying to go easy on myself. The last few days--weeks, actually--have been hectic, and after several days of stress, I tend to get migraines. When I woke up with the start of one this morning, I found myself extremely glad I had nothing big that had to be done today. I got the day off! Yay! (This is me ignoring all writing and editing projects and pretending they don't exist for a day.)

But I have to brag for just a little minute. I have perhaps the most incredible family and groups of friends in the world. Yes, that's right, the world. If you'd seen the turnout to last night's launch party, you'd know what I'm talking about. The manager at Barnes and Noble was more than flustered, she was flabbergasted at the sheer number of people who showed up to our launch--and stayed. Even the checkers were shocked at how many of our books went through that store.

Hooray! Not only did we sell them out of all their stock of Mormon Mishaps and Mischief, we sold 40 out of a box of 50 more books that we'd brought with us. (Barnes and Noble is reordering to replace our stash so they can be invoiced from our publisher.)

AND on top of that, since we invited our contributors to sign with us, some of them also sold a few of their in-stock books.

So, if you're wondering, yes, the launch party was a huge success. I'm only hoping now that we can sell even half that many at our signing at Barnes and Noble in the Gateway mall in SLC on Saturday  (11a-1:00p). That would make me really happy. Everyone cross your fingers, okay? Because it's supposed to snow and we don't need that at all.

Anyway, I'm very happy about how everything went, and will post pictures tomorrow or next week sometime. (Since I don't have my camera nearby and am being too lazy to go get it right now.)

I've been trying to keep all my readers up to date on all the awesome giveaways and fun prizes available to win this month, so here are a few updates:

1. Rachelle Christensen is giving away a gorgeous bracelet watch by The Bead Princess. Click here to see the details and enter to win. I LOVE these watches. They're one of my favorite accessories. As I mentioned in my comment to Rachelle, it's nearly impossible to choose just one.

2. Mary Greathouse is holding a giveaway for her new release, The Family Record Keeper on her blog. Click here to enter that contest and find out more about the book

3. LDS Women's Book Review is giving away a whole list of cool things. If you'd like to find out more, click here. Just a hint: Mormon Mishaps and Mischief is on the list of giveaways. 

4. Queen of the Clan is giving away a copy of Missing by Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen. I reviewed this book a few days ago, so now those of you who are interested should go sign up to win a free copy. Click here for that contest.

That's all for now. Next time, I promise to include pictures.

**Update:

Just discovered a WAY AWESOME giveaway here. Shannon Messenger is giving away a SIGNED COPY OF TWILIGHT. Yep, that's right. Awesome, epic giveaway. Totally fun.

And I almost forgot to mention the giveaway here on my blog of the Original Scrapbox. We're so close to hitting that goal. Make sure to click on this link. Every click counts toward a donation to charity.

Back to your regularly scheduled blog reading now.

Book Review: "Missing" by Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen

By Nichole Giles

I have to be honest. I’ve been waiting to get my hands on this book for months. And when it finally got here two days after Thanksgiving, I picked it up and started reading—despite the fact that I was smack dab in the middle of Dan Brown’s latest thriller. And let’s not talk about all the shopping I needed to do. That’s how excited I was to read this book. Yes, I admit, it sounds like Missing had some fierce competition, but Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen didn’t disappoint me.

The Blurb:


A BYU-Idaho choir tour in British Columbia turns out to be anything but ordinary when soloist Stacie Cox spots a kidnapped child from Rexburg during a performance. Before Stacie can alert the authorities, the little girl disappears. Stacie vows to find and rescue her, a choice that forces her to deal with her guilt-ridden past and another little girl that haunts her dreams.


When the handsome Matt Brennan helps Stacie in the search, she tries to resist the attraction she feels for him. Yet as he gains her friendship and trust, her resolve to never fall in love begins to crumble. And after a series of harrowing events, Stacie must decide if she is willing to sacrifice her life— and a possible future with Matt—to save a stranger.

My take:

Stacie Cox is a well rounded character. I liked how I saw her flaws early in the book, and how those flaws affected her throughout the story and turned out to be strengths in the end. The hunky love interest, Matt, also had his share of issues, though I do wish the story would have delved a bit deeper into his life, giving us the opportunity to get to know him a bit better. Still, you can only have so many main characters in a story, right? I found myself really hating Adrienne, the villain. She’s one messed up lady, and yet as we discover more about her, I feel kind of sorry for her, even as I really want her to get caught.

I found it interesting how the setting takes place in British Columbia near a castle. I’ve never been there, and now I find myself wanting to visit just to see the areas described in the book.

The fast paced story kept me reading from beginning to end, and even though I’ve had about a hundred other things to do this past week, I zipped through the entire book because I just had to know what happened next.  Also, the author's technical knowledge of writing is top notch.

My Nitpicks:

At the end I found myself wishing for just a little bit more. More conclusion? Another scene? I’m not sure what, just something. And knowing that Ronda has another book in the works, I’m hoping that the “more” is in the form of a sequel. But as I said, that’s just me being nitpicky, and even if the next book is a stand alone, I'll take it and be happy. 

All in all:

Great book, thrilling read all the way to the end. And yes, it was worth taking a break from Dan Brown for a couple days. Missing was much more romantic, less gruesome, and easier to read and understand. I can’t wait to see what Ronda writes next.

To read more about the author click here.

To purchase your copy of Missing click here or here.


Don't forget to enter the Craft Desk Giveaway sponsored by The Original Scrapbox.  And check out my sidebar to see where I'll be signing Mormon Mishaps and Mischief this week.



**The author of this blog received a free copy of this book, even though I had planned to buy it, had set aside money to do so, and would’ve reviewed it after I paid for it, with the same results and comments. The only difference is that because the book came in the mail, it took longer to get here and is not signed. Therefore, I will have to track Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen down at one of her many events and have her sign it before it can join the collection of books on my shelf.

My Book is Here and a HUGE GIVAWAY for Charity!!!

It’s here, it’s here, it’s finally here! Today, I got a box of books. Guess who’s names are on the cover? Mine. And my co-author’s, too. But my books are here! Check them out.

Awesome, right? Don’t forget, you’re all invited to the launch party for a rare opportunity to buy your copy and get it signed by both authors, as well as a few of the story contributors. And if you can’t make it to the launch, no worries. Cindy and I will also be signing in various locations in Utah during the month of December. Check out the sidebar for dates and locations and come see us!

For all you out of state people who are dying to get your hands on a copy, you can buy a copy here, or look here to find out how to get an autographed copy for a limited time.

Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…the big giveaway of the Original Scrapbox! This is by far the coolest, biggest giveaway I’ve ever participated in. And you, my fair readers, have a rare opportunity to enter to win.

The Original Scrapbox Gives Back with the 12 Blogs of Christmas December 4-11, 2009 GRAND PRIZE WINNER announced December 14, 2009

There are 12 ways to win and 12 blogs to visit to enter with a special way to help The Original Scrapbox give back!

Enter to win a NEW EZ View Desktop and an entry in the Grand Prize Giveaway for a NEW EZ View Craft Desk from www.theoriginalscrapbox.com for FREE! Your entries will help The Original Scrapbox GIVE 2 of these desks to charity!

Yes—these are two separate items. The desktop is not a desk, it is designed to sit on a table or desktop and the drawers can be pulled open from either end. Click here to see more pictures and details of the EZ View Desktop.

One of the newest products at The Original Scrapbox.com is the EZ View Craft Desk. This desk is designed with a clear, glass-like top and the dimensions are 50"W x 25" D x 31" H
The desk is big, with 4 drawers with built-in partitions for easy organizing on any home project. How would you like one for FREE? 

Enter this giveaway for a chance to win a FREE EZ View Desktop and for a chance to be put in the grand prize drawing for the EZ View Craft Desk.

Contest ends December 11, 2009 at 11:59pm

The drawing for the EZ View Desktop will take place on December 12th.

The Grand Prize Drawing for the EZ View Craft Desk will take place on December 14, 2009.

How will The Original Scrapbox give back?

We will be tracking web traffic to The Original Scrapbox during the giveaway. When we reach 12,000 hits during our giveaway The Original Scrapbox will donate an EZ View Craft Desk to the Friends of Utah County Children’s Justice Center. This charity helps abused children.

‘Tis the season of giving and The Original Scrapbox wants to give back to a charity of your choosing. When we reach 25,000 hits during our giveaway they will also donate an EZ View Craft Desk to a charity nominated by you!!

Would you like to nominate a charity to receive this spectacular gift? Please send an email to RachellewritesATgmail.com with the name of your charitable organization as well as a description of what they do. We would like to choose a charity that will be able to utilize the EZ View Craft Desk in their program. Tell Rachelle why these products would benefit your charity.
Email the charity organization name, description, and contact person for receiving donations to
RachellewritesATgmail.com

Rachelle will review all nominations and The Original Scrapbox giving board will choose a recipient.

When you visit the website to choose your favorite product and enter the giveaway, you’ll help us get one step closer to our goal.

Enter to win:

You may earn 1 entry each for doing the following (Please make a separate comment for each entry-I'll be checking.)Make sure your contact info is easily accessible so I can contact you if you win: No purchase necessary to enter. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered.

*Note: the contest will be open to residents of UK and EU countries as well as the United States and Canada.

You must at least do entry #1 to be eligible for this contest. Visit the website--every hit counts toward our goal to help The Original Scrapbox give back for Christmas!

1. You must visit The Original Scrapbox website to be eligible for this contest. Choose your favorite product. Leave a comment here and tell me what your favorite is and how you would use this product.

2. Become a Facebook fan of The Original Scrapbox here. Leave me a comment telling me you did this—and as much as I trust you all, I promised the company I will actually check that you actually did this.

3. Facebook the contest and share the link back to this post.

4. Tweet about this contest with link backs here (copy and paste http://nicholegiles.blogspot.com/ right into the text box).

5. Follow me on Facebook (Click on my Facebook box in the sidebar). You can also become a fan of Mormon Mishaps and Mischief on Facebook. I'll count two if you do both.

6. Become a follower on my blog (yes, this one) and add http://nicholegiles.blogspot.com to your link list.

7. Sign up for my newsletter-- email: writenicholeAT gmail.com with subscribe in subject box.

8. Add my button (available on my sidebar) or my Scrapbox button or banner to your sidebar/blog.

9. Comment on any non-contest post (must contribute to the conversation).

Receive 5 entries for the following (Make 5 separate comments so I can keep track of the entries. Thanks!)

10. Blog about this contest with a picture of the Workbox and the EZ View Craft Desk. If you have a private blog, it will not be eligible for this part of the contest. In your blog post, please use the tags: The Original Scrapbox, Scrapbook storage, Workbox, EZ View Craft Desk, and Nichole Giles. Link back to me, http://www.nicholegiles.blogspot.com/ and / or any of the other 11 bloggers participating. We all appreciate it!

There are 12 ways to win and 12 blogs to enter with a special way to help The Original Scrapbox give back!

There are 11 other awesome bloggers holding a contest to give away an EZ View Desktop (Yes, 12 EZ View Desktops will be given away—one from each blog!) and at each of these blogs you can also enter for the GRAND PRIZE-- EZ VIEW Craft Desk. Stop by their blogs and enter for more chances to win:

LifeasLou

Vanilla Joy

PriscillaStyles

Capadia Designs

Crafty Makes

Just Me,My Soldier and My Two Little Chicks

Rachelle's Writing Spot

Auntie Thesis

Park City Girl

Lovely Little Handmades

Queen of the Clan

Get as many entries as you can by telling your friends about this contest and stay tuned to my blog for more incredible giveaways! Good luck and remember to follow the rules correctly to earn more entries in the contest. Contest ends December 11, 2009 at 11:59pm.

On December 12, 2009, I will announce the name of one winner of the EZ View Desktop available in black or vanilla color from my blog. That winner will then go on for the grand prize drawing of The EZ View Craft Desk at Rachellewrites. If you are the winner, I'll email you and you must respond by December 13th or a new winner will be selected to go on for the Grand Prize.

Then on December 14, 2009, Rachellewrites.blogspot.com will hold a drawing using Random.org to select one winner from the 12 entries to win The EZ View Craft Desk! That winner will need to contact her with their shipping info by December 16th or another winner will be randomly selected. Sorry, there is no Christmas delivery guarantee.

*All comments on my blog are moderated, so if yours doesn’t show up right away, don’t panic! I check all comments before I post them to my blog.


**One prize per person.  Each entrant may only win one EZ View Desktop and one entry into the grand prize drawing. 

My Big News and Winner of the Twilight Inspired Fragrance

I so totally should be writing on my work in progress right this minute, but I have to take a moment to share the good news.

Mormon Mishaps and Mischief has a cover!  Isn't it pretty?

It goes to press on Monday the 16th. Yahoo!  This means you can find it in stores sometime in mid-December.  And if you really want a few copies (this book really does make a great gift) you can come buy them at our launch party.And of course, Cindy and I--and probably a few of our contributors--will be signing.

Here are the details:

December 9th
6:00 pm-9:00 pm
Barnes and Noble
University Crossings Plaza
330 East 1300 South, Orem, UT 84058
Put that date on your calendars, Utah County people, because I want to see you all there. I give you my personal promise that it will be a way fun shindig.

In other news, last week I held a contest giving away a Twilight inspired scent by Custom Scents Online. These scents are so fun, and there are lots to choose from, so check them out. Remember, it's the season of giving and a Twilight inspired scent would make an excellent gift for the Twilight lover in your life. Or the spouse or significant other of the Twilight lover in your life. Either way, you can't go wrong, right? 

And the winner is...

Carolyn V. 

Wahoo, clap, clap, clap, clap, cheer, cheer, cheer, clap, clap, dance, sing, clap, cheer.  Carolyn, email me your snail mail address and choice of fragrance so I can forward it to Custom Scents and they will get your one ounce dram in the mail.

Okay, back to your regularly scheduled blog reading.

Nichole

You Too, Can Make a Difference

This week's random stuff:

It's been a while since I gave something cool away. I recall promising to give away a gift certificate to a Utah restaurant a few weeks ago--however, said certificate has temporarily disappeared. (Hazard of owning more than one purse and having to swap contents regularly.) In any event, I still have other things to give away until that particular prize shows up again. So, keep reading to find out what I'm giving away this week and what you should do to enter.

Okay, next, I'm getting excited about the release of Mormon Mishaps and Mischief: Hilarious Stories for Saints. It doesn't hit shelves until December, but that'll be here before we know it. Come find us on Facebook, or read updates about our book at the Humor Blog. (Our being mine with my coauthor Cindy Beck.)

Also, today I blogged about making tough decisions over at LDS Writer's Blogck. Check it out and leave me lots of comments. (Because, all bloggers just love comments.)

And best of all, in honor of last night's wicked awesome Nickelback concert, I'm posting this video. I truly believe that we all have the power to change the world, so this is inspiring to me.







Now, about the contest. This week I've decided to give away a fun book of mazes called The A-MAZE-ing Book of Mormon by Arie Van DeGraaff. This book is super fun, and full of mind-bending mazes that will keep you / your child busy and quiet for hours. Plus, the illustrating is amazing. Oh, and it's autographed.

To win, you can do a few things:

1. Leave a comment here telling me what you can do to change the world--even if it's just for one person.

2. Check out Arie Van DeGraaff's website or blog and leave a comment telling him I sent you. (Following him is also a great idea.) Oh, and then make sure you tell me you visited--so I know.

3. Log onto Facebook and become a fan of Mormon Mishaps and Mischief. (That's my book that will be released in December!) We love fans! Ooh, and one extra entry for everyone that invites lots of their friends to become fans too. Yes, definitely.

Do one or all of these things by no later than midnight next Wednesday, September 3rd, and you'll be automatically entered to win.

Just in case lady luck is not with you this week, and you want to buy your very own copy of this awesome book for children, click here.

That's it. Good luck everyone!

Nichole