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Showing posts with label Lori Nawyn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lori Nawyn. Show all posts

Sunday, December 5, 2010

My Gift to You by Lori Nawyn - Countdown to Christmas 2010



20 days until Christmas!



Lori Nawyn is the author of one novel, one illustrated picture book, one Christmas gift booklet, and short stories included in four seasonal anthologies. What Are You Thinking? is a full color children's picture book that deals with the power of postive thinking. It was published by ThoughtsAlive Publishing (Leslie Householder, New York Times best selling author of the Jack Rabbit Factor--the book is a children's version of the Jack Rabbit Factor), and a Christmas novel, My Gift to You. Watch the trailer for My Gift to You here.

Visit with Lori on her website: Lori Nawyn, her blog: Hearts and Hands, Facebook and Twitter @LoriNawyn.



LDSWBR: What author/book had the most impact on you this year?

LORI: Matt Baldwin's Snow Rising. Though I agree with reviews stating that the story could have been stronger in places and the overall message perhaps streamlined, I was inspired and gleaned the insight and courage I needed to cement changes I'm making in my life. I also came away with some very memorable quotes, definitely a book to keep on the shelf to refer to from time to time.


LDSWBR: What books are you giving/asking for this Christmas?

LORI: Mother Had a Secret by Tiffany Fletcher, Before My Heart Stops Beating by Paul Cardall, Promise Me by Richard Paul Evans, Annette Lyon's Chocolate Never Faileth, The Silence of God by Gale Sears, many others too numerous to list.


LDSWBR: If you could only participate in one Holiday activity or tradition this year, what would it be?

LORI: We love to snowmobile into the mountains near the Utah/Idaho border and cut our own Christmas tree. We were going to try something different this year and snow shoe in to get one on Thanksgiving but the weather didn't cooperate. Instead we snow shoed around a beautiful little lake near our home. It was only four degrees yet the stillness and beauty of the night made it a memorable trip. My youngest has been ill and so we're still hoping to get out and cut our tree... The tradition is important to me because it was passed down by my grandparents. Every year my grandfather would trek into the wilderness and selected just the right tree; my grandparents liked their Christmas trees full and bushy. In addition to the irreplacable scent of just cut pine, those Grandpa-cut trees possessed a magical quality never surpassed by artificial trees, or even those from tree lots.


LDSWBR: Do you prefer eggnog or warm apple cider?

LORI: Both, but not at the same time! ;)


LDSWBR: Lori, thank you, and we hope your little one will feel better soon so you can go get your tree.



My Gift to You by Lori Nawyn (Covenant; Oct 2010) is available for purchase at Deseret Book.




When it comes to Christmas trees, do you prefer fake or real trees? If you have a tradition of cutting down or purchasing a real tree, how far does your tradition go back?


Find more gift ideas for the readers in your life in the sidebar of the blog under "More Great Books by LDS Authors."


***Countdown to Christmas 2010 Contest***


LDSWBR will hold a drawing on December 26, 2010 for a $50 Amazon Gift Card, as well as a variety of books being offered by some great LDS authors.


Book prizes generously donated by the authors:

  • Oh, Say Can You See? by Laurie (LC) Lewis
  • Backlash by Traci Hunter Abramson
  • Alma the Younger by Heather (HB) Moore
  • True Miracles with Genealogy by Anne Bradshaw
  • Dingo by Anne Bradshaw
  • Second Kiss by Natalie Palmer
  • Cross My Heart by Julie Wright
  • Meg's Melody by Kaylee Baldwin
  • Save the Child by Margaret Turley
  • Anasazi Intrigue (ebook) by Linda Weaver Clarke
  • Mayan Intrigue (ebook) by Linda Weaver Clarke
  • The Star Prophecy by Joan Sowards (and Walnut Springs Press)
  • A cute, handmade apron by Joan Sowards

How to enter:

  • Post a thoughtful comment on the Countdown to Christmas 2010 posts. Comments can be added on any of the countdown posts at anytime during the contest period (December 1, 2010 through December 25, 2010). Only one comment per person per "Countdown to Christmas" post will be entered into the drawing. Feel free to comment more than once per post if you'd like, but only one comment will be accepted as an entry.
  • Follow us on Twitter: @LDSWBR - then send us a direct message to let us know you want to be entered in the Countdown to Christmas 2010 Contest. If you are already a follower send a direct message telling us you want to be included in the contest.
  • Tweet this message each day (one entry per day). Just copy and paste into your twitter message window to send it (LDSWBR must be able to see the tweet): LDSWBR Countdown to Christmas 2010 at http://ldswbr.blogspot.com! Enter to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card & great books! @ldswbr #ldswbr2010
  • Follow LDSWBR on Facebook, then send an email to ldswbr at gmail dot com that you’d like to be entered into the Countdown to Christmas 2010 Contest. If you already follow LDSWBR on Facebook, send us an email to let us know you’d like to be included in the contest.
  • **BONUS +5 entries**- Blog about this contest on your blog in a post that includes a link back to the LDSWBR blog, then send us the link to your specific blog post.

Here are the rules:
  • Contest ends at 12:00 Midnight MST on December 25, 2010. Drawing winners will have until 12:00 Midnight MST on January 3, 2010 to claim their prize. After that time, another name will be drawn to receive the prize.
  • LDSWBR reserves the right to decide what determines a "thoughtful" comment.
  • Physical book prizes can only be shipped within the contiguous United States.
  • Authors taking part in the countdown are eligible to participate in the contest.
  • The drawing held on December 26, 2010 will be a raffle-type drawing. All entries will be combined and names drawn for the prizes.

Please join us in counting down to Christmas with some great reads!


Sunday, December 6, 2009

Lori Nawyn & Jonathan Langford - Countdown to Christmas 2009

19 Days until Christmas!



Lori Nawyn has published five short stories in four seasonal collections, including: The Magic and the Mi
racle of Christmas- Vol. 1 & 2, Hearts and Hands: Stories of Hope for Mothers, and her most recent short story appeared in Stolen Christmas and Other Stories of the Season (for which she also did the cover.) She's also published one Christmas gift booklet, Three Angels for Christmas, a cookbook, Peach 101: Recipes Your Mother Never Told You About, and numerous LDS and Christian themed art (greeting cards, scrapbooking papers, t-shirt, mugs, etc).



Lori has also illustrated the award-winning children's book, What Are You Thinking?, due to be released in January 2010.



Stolen Christmas is available at www.amazon.com. What Are You Thinking? can be purchased at http://whatareyouthinkingbook.com.

Learn more about Lori by visiting her website: Hearts and Hands, and her blog: Forethought and Purpose.



LDSWBR: What holiday tr
aditions do you and your family participate in every year? Will you be starting any new traditions this year?

LORI: On Christmas Eve we put kerosene lanterns on the graves of friends and loved ones. Even with snow, wind, and cold, the lanterns usually burn until dawn. It is a very spiritual experience for our family as we remember the lives of those who we have been blessed to know. We generally snowmobile into the mountains to cut a Christmas tree-- this year we are still waiting for enough snow. Our neighborhood has a tradition of caroling on the Monday night before Christmas. Some years we've turned it into a caroling hayride. After we make the rounds to shut-ins we return to our house for hot chocolate. A few years ago, when my friend, Stacey, died on December 17, we all lit candles and stood in her yard and sang Silent Night. This year we are going to gather blankets to give to migrant children in our area.


LDSWBR: Lori, what books are on your Christmas wish list?

LORI: Favor Johnson: A Christmas Story by Willem Lange, illustrated by Bert Dodson, The Christmas List by Richard Pa
ul Evans, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum, illustrated by Charles Santore, Penny's Christmas Jar Miracle by Jason F. Wright, Tidings of Comfort & Joy: A Classic Christmas Novel of Love, Loss, and Reunion by Davis Bunn, One Perfect Gift by Kathleen Morgan, The Shopping Cart Man by Douglas V. Nufer, Worldwide Ward Christmas Cookbook by Deanna Buxton-- how much more room do I have?


LDSWBR: If your wish list is anything like mine, it never ends. What books do you plan on purchasing/have you purchased as gifts for loved ones this Christmas? (Unless sharing would ruin the surprise!)

LORI: Christmas for a Dollar by Gale Sears, The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans, The Miracle of the Wooden Shoes by Deborah Pace Rowley, The Shepherd's Song by Larry Barkdull, An Angel on Main Street by Kathi Oram
Perterson.

LDSWBR: L
ori, thank you for sharing with us. Your traditions honoring those who have gone on before us are very touching.


********************************


Jonathan Langford's first book, No Going Back, a novel about a same-gender attracted LDS teenager committed to staying in the Chu
rch, was released in October 2009.



No Going Back is available for purchase on www.amazon.com, www.zarahemlabooks.com, and BYU Bookstore. The cover price is $16.95, but it's on discount from both www.amazon.com and Zarahemla Books.

Visit Jonathan on his website: www.langfordwriter.com and his blog: www.langfordwriter.com/blog.


LDSWBR
: Jonathan, tell us what favorite holiday traditions you and your family participate in every year. Will you be starting any new traditions this year?

JONATHAN: We usually go back to Utah to visit extended family. While there (and elsewhere), we love to sing traditional English Christmas carols from the Shorter New Oxford Book of Carols. This year, though, we'll have to do it without our oldest son, who's on a mission. Each year we also try to watch our video of an old PBS production of A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas. I make shortbread, and candied pecans, and various other cookie-type things to give away as presents (at least, that's our excuse -- as you can see from my photo I don't do terribly well at not eating goodies). My wife makes Christmas cake for her father and aunt, although the rest of us despise it (including her). She also makes roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, which we all love.

My wife and I discovered Amano chocolate a few months ago -- a maker of prize-winning gourmet artisan dark chocolates in Orem, Utah, of all places. We're getting a few bars of that as presents for people (and for each other). Dark chocolate is good for writing (and grading): it's very intense, so you don't eat as much at a time. And it's, well, chocolate. Who could want something better than that?


LDSWBR: Is there anything dark chocolate isn't good for (besides my hips)? What books are on your Christmas wish list this year?

JONATHAN: Heavens! I haven't had much chance to read the last set I bought... I'm currently reading a fascinating historical book called Utah's Black Hawk War that I've been thinking of buying, just so that I have a copy. I'm also hoping to get a copy of Rift by Todd Robert Peterson and The Tree House by Doug Thayer. And I'd like to get some of the Honor Harrington books by David Weber. He's coming to a science fiction convention I hope to attend this next summer.


LDSWBR: What books do you plan on purchasing/have you purchased as gifts for loved ones this Christmas? (Don't spoil the surprise, though!)

JONATHAN: My wife wants a book on teaching algebra to young children. (She's a math professor.) I'm also thinking of buying a couple of copies of On the Road to Heaven, by Coke Newell, to give as gifts. And there's a picture book on temples by Chris Bigelow that I'm planning to get for my mother. Sadly, we're cutting down on purchases this year in general, as I'm sure plenty of other people are as well, so I'm not buying as many books as usual.

LDSWBR: Thanks again for taking the time to share with us, Jonathan. We appreciate it!


Do your holiday traditions involve honoring the loved ones who have passed on before? How do you remember those who are no longer with us at Christmastime?


Don't forget to nominate your favorite 2009 books by LDS authors for Whitney Awards by December 31! Can't remember what you read? Visit the LDS Publisher blog for a list of books published by LDS authors in 2009.


***Countdown to Christmas Contest***


LDSWBR will hold a drawing on Christmas Day for a $25 eGift Card from Deseret Book, as well as a variety of books being offered by some of the LDS authors that will be featured on the blog. Simply post a thoughtful comment on the Countdown to Christmas author posts to enter. Here are the rules:

  • LDSWBR reserves the right to decide what determines a "thoughtful" comment.
  • Only one comment per person per "Countdown to Christmas" author post will be entered into the drawing. This allows the potential for 24 entries per person at the end of the contest. Feel free to comment more than once per post if you'd like, but only one comment will be accepted as an entry.
  • Contest ends at 12:00 Midnight MST on December 24, 2009. Drawing winners will have until 12:00 Midnight MST on December 31, 2009 to claim their prize. After that time, another name will be drawn to receive the prize.
  • Book prizes can only be shipped within the contiguous United States.
Books that have been generously donated by the author for drawing prizes:
  • Loyalty's Web by Joyce DiPastena
  • Hidden Branch by G.G. Vandagriff
  • Altared Plans by Rebecca Talley
  • A Modest Proposal by Michele Ashman Bell (includes a bonus copy of Michele's Christmas booklet, A Candle in the Window)
  • Her Good Name by Josi Kilpack
  • MISSING by Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen
  • Famous Family Nights by Anne Bradshaw
  • Love Letters of Joseph and Emma (autographed copy) by Angela Eschler
  • Family Home Evening Adventures by Rebecca Irvine
  • Counting the Cost by Liz Adair
  • Shudder by Jennie Hansen
  • Mormon Mishaps and Mischief by D.N. Giles & C.L. Beck
  • Dawn's Early Light by Laurie (L.C.) Lewis
  • The Fairy Thorn (brand new release!) by Dorothy Keddington
Thank you so much!