DONE!!!

I finished The Armor of Light!!! 112,553 words, some of which will go, and more of which will come as I edit, but the book is done! Hooray, hooray! I have not finished a book in about 5 years, so this was a bit scary for me. Now I know I can still do it, even with my mom gone and being busier than I've been in my entire life.

I can write. It feels amazingly good!

Signing Schedule for October

I know several of you have asked when I'll be signing in your area, so I thought I'd post my upcoming schedule. It changes every month, so if I don't get to a Costco near you this month, just wait until November or December. I'm pretty sure I'll hit them all by them, even St. George, if I can get it arranged. Sorry I'm still so absent from blogging. Juggling a family, book signings, and finishing The Armor of Light has proven to be slightly overwhelming. Hopefully I'll be back soon and will tell you all about the wonderful trip I took to Denver for the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Convention. In the meantime, here's my schedule! (And just in case you don't know, you can always check my schedule in the sidebar.)

Friday, October 1st

4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Salt Lake City Costco

1818 South 300 West

Salt Lake City, Utah

Cancelled (Sorry! Can't be helped!)

Saturday, October 2nd

12:00 pm to 4:00 pm

West Valley City Costco

3747 South 2700 West

West Valley City, Utah

Monday, October 4th

4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Lehi Costco

198 North 1200 East

Lehi, Utah

Tuesday, October 5th

4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Bountiful Costco

573 West 100 North

Bountiful, Utah

Thursday, October 7th

4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Orem Costco

648 East 800 South

Orem, Utah

Friday, October 8th

4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Murray Costco

5201 South Intermountain Drive

Murray, Utah

Monday, October 11th

4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Sandy Costco

11100 South Auto Mall Drive

Sandy, Utah

Tuesday, October 12th

4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Ogden Costco

3656 Wall Avenue

Ogden, Utah

Thursday, October 14th

4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Salt Lake City Costco

1818 South 300 West

Salt Lake City, Utah

Saturday, October 16th

12:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Murray Costco

5201 South Intermountain Drive

Murray, Utah

Monday, October 18th

4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Orem Costco

648 East 800 South

Orem, Utah

Tuesday, October 19th

4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Sandy Costco

11100 South Auto Mall Drive

Sandy, Utah

Thursday, October 21st

4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Ogden Costco

3656 Wall Avenue

Ogden, Utah

Monday, October 25th

4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Orem Costco

648 East 800 South

Orem, Utah

Tuesday, October 26th

4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Salt Lake City Costco

1818 South 300 West

Salt Lake City, Utah

Friday, October 29th

4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Sandy Costco

11100 South Auto Mall Drive

Sandy, Utah

Talk About Busy!

*Hanging head sheepishly* Hi guys. So much for writing all those memories about my mom, eh? It turns out life has gotten slightly insane. One of the wonderful ladies who is part of my distribution team got a bunch of signings set up for me throughout September. I imagine they will continue in more locations throughout the rest of the year, but in the meantime, I'm doing three signings a week, for four hours each time. Plus yesterday I got to go to Swiss Days in Midway and meet people, sell books, and hand out cards. It was awesome fun, even if it was a little hot for me.

I can't say how thrilled I am to have my books at Costco and even more thrilled to meet all these wonderful people and share my story with them. It's been awesome fun! I keep saying that, but it is! lol Anyway, With yesterdays signings going through the end of the month it means I'll have had 13 signings, a tv interview (coming up on the 18th for The Candace Salima Show), a 5 day trip to Denver for a Booksellers Convention, OH-and I need to finish The Armor of Light and turn it in. All within 27 days!!! Can we say slightly overwhelmed? lol I'm afraid everything else has gone on the back burner until I can get the book done. Even my family is feeling the effect. My poor kids. *shaking head* I am sure glad they support me, because I hate having to neglect them.

To those of you I owe book reviews, I am so very sorry I fell down on the job. I promise to do them as soon as possible. To the rest of you who read my blog and have seen the same things up week after week, I'm sorry. I hope The Armor of Light will be worth having to wait for my blogs. ;) And if any of you out there would be willing to offer up a few prayers for a poor, frazzled author, I would certainly be grateful! I'll return to blogging just as soon as I can.

Quote of the Day: Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.

~William Wordsworth

Songs About Mom

I've been missing Mom a lot the last few weeks, but today for some reason I keep listening to a very short playlist of songs that remind me of her, so I thought I'd share them with you guys. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Special Offer Extended Indefinitely

I've still got books left after my special sale, so I am going to extend it until all 28 books are gone. I'll put a widget on my sidebar so you know if they are still available and will update their status on Facebook as well.

To sweeten the pot a little more, I'm removing the drawing. Instead, if you purchase one of these numbered copies, your name will automatically become a character in one of the books of The Wolfchild Saga. If that's something you've always wanted--to be named in a book--now is your chance, but there are only 26 copies left. 26 chances to be in a book. If you want further details or want to know how to purchase a copy, click HERE and scroll down to the BUY NOW button. It will take you where you need to be.

Thanks for the support, everyone. It comes at a much needed time.

Quote of the Day: (One I haven't used for a while) "God has plans for your writing. And believe me, they're better than any plans you have for yourself. Let HIM be in charge and let HIM delight you with what HE has in store."

~Virginia Smith

A Little Help, Please?

Hello my dear blogosphere friends. I'm taking a brief moment to announce a 12 hour special I've got going for The Sapphire Flute. If you haven't purchased your copy yet, or want a special gift, now is the time to do it. I've got it set up so you can make your payment directly through paypal and the price includes shipping, so no worries there.

For 12 hours you have the opportunity to purchase not only The Sapphire Flute, but I will number them. ONLY 28 BOOKS WILL BE NUMBERED. EVER! So, your book will be personalized however you want it, it will be numbered, and I will also include a signed picture of the author (moi), and even let you choose your picture from those below.

What else? You might ask.

Well, let me tell you. I will also call the first person to purchase a copy and speak to them personally for at least five minutes. For a child in particular, that can be a rather empowering conversation. Man, I would have done anything to get thirty seconds with a favorite author as a child. Even as an adult I long to visit with such influential authors as Anne McCaffrey. She was always my hero. Not that I'm comparing myself to one of the greatest science fiction authors of all time, just that . . . well, you know . . . *ahem* Okay, well, back to what you get for ordering your book now. I'm stealing a page from Brandon Sanderson's books (Why not? He's one of my heroes too) and if you purchase a book now, I will enter your name into a drawing.

A drawing for what?

I will draw three names from the pool, and those three people will be forever immortalized in one of my books. Yes, that is right--I will name a character after you. But only if you purchase one of these extremely limited, numbered copies of The Sapphire Flute. Note: The drawing has been eliminated. If you buy a book, you automatically get your name (or the name of someone you choose) in one of the books of The Wolfchild Saga.

Okay, to sum it all up, here's what you need to do:
ORDER THE SAPPHIRE FLUTE BETWEEN 8:30 PM TODAY AND 8:30 AM TOMORROW MORNING. NOTE: Offer has been extended indefinitely. It will be done with the books are gone. 14 left!

And what will you receive:
1. A NUMBERED COPY OF THE SAPPHIRE FLUTE
2. YOUR COPY PERSONALIZED HOWEVER YOU WISH
3. A SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH OF THE AUTHOR
4. THE FIRST PERSON TO ORDER GETS A 5 MINUTE PHONE CALL FROM THE AUTHOR (Already won!)
5. YOUR NAME IMMORTALIZED IN ONE OF MY BOOKS

So what say you? Is it worth it?

That is entirely up to you to decide. ;)

If you've come this far and chosen to order, e-mail me at karen AT karen-e-hoover DOT com and let me know which picture you want. You can also tell me how you want your book and picture signed, and your address so I know where to send it.

Happy Reading!

Trying Something New

Well, I said I was going to blog more and it's been over a month once again.

This time of year is difficult for me. Two years ago today I took my mom to the hospital for the last time and I keep playing out in my mind those things she did in the final days leading to her last trip to the hospital. This friday, August 6th, will be her second Angel Day Anniversary. Two years since she passed into the next life. And to make things harder, her birthday is September 6th.

So . . . I decided to try something different. I've done similar things for Mothers Day or Valentines Day, but I want to celebrate my mom for a month and hope that you will bear with me as I share my memories of her each day. It can be anything. Some happy, some sad. I just want to share with you the woman that she was and some few of the things she taught me over the years. It's the only way I can think to celebrate her and find joy in the memories rather than ache with her loss.

I probably won't wait until Friday, because these days are so full of memories of her last days in the hospital, I'll probably share some of those memories too. If this is the kind of thing that bores you, you might want to avoid my blog until September 6th. If you want writing related blogs, I'm posting at Valor Publishing Group's website every Tuesday, including today. You can find that HERE. Or for those who can't get the link it's valorpublishinggroup.blogspot.com. Hopefully with both available to you, you'll be able to find something that is of interest. And for the most morose of you, or those who want to see the most deeply into my heart, there is also my letters to mom blog at http://karensletters2mom.blogspot.com. So, there you go. A selection of different layers of me and my heart set on display.

I promise, there will be more tomorrow.


Quote of the Day: "We must not lose hope. Hope is an anchor to the souls of man. Satan would have us cast away that anchor. In this way he can bring discouragement and surrender. But we must not lose hope. The Lord is pleased with every effort, even the tiny, daily ones in which we strive to be more like Him. Though we may see that we have far to go on the road to perfection, we must never give up hope."

~Ezra Taft Benson