Books I recommend

I've read a number of Young Adult dystopian novels lately that I've really enjoyed. I would recommend each one to readers who enjoy the dystopian genre. These are in no particular order.

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Life As We Knew It trilogy by Susan Beth Pfeffer
The Maze Runner trilogy by James Dashner
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Enclave by Ann Aguirre
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien
The Third by Abel Keogh
Matched by Ally Condie
The Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy by Carrie Ryan
Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky
Unwind by Neal Shusterman

If you've read other books in this genre that you'd recommend, please leave the title in the comments. I'm always looking for more books to read.

Don't Look Back is available for purchase

I'm pleased to announce that Don't Look Back, the sequel to He Loves Me Not, is now available for purchase! I'm excited for my readers to read this sequel. It was fun to write and there are several intense scenes that I think my readers will enjoy - if they like suspense!

If you read my books, I would sure appreciate it if you would post a review on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. I'm so thankful for everyone who buys my books! Each and every sale keeps me motivated to keep writing!

Don't Look Back is with beta readers

I'm thrilled to announce that I have finished Don't Look Back, a sequel to He Loves Me Not and it is with beta readers. I've worked steadily on it and was able to get it done a lot faster than I had expected. I'm so excited to get it to my readers. It is filled with tension and suspense and I hope my readers will enjoy it. I expect it to be available for purchase by the end of May.

Here is the cover.

He Loves Me Not is here

I am pleased to announce the release of my latest suspense novel, He Loves Me Not. Here is the description:

Lily Jamison is all alone in the world. As a new student at the University of Nevada at Reno, she doesn’t know a soul. Though she’s come to get an education, she is sidetracked by the attentions of a mysterious blond man with piercing blue eyes.

Even as she begins falling for him, she receives ominous messages warning her to stay away. Refusing to believe the messages, she follows her heart, eventually coming to understand the meaning behind the warnings as she fears for her life.

He Loves Me Not is available for $2.99 on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

I love Indie Publishing

In the last few months I've discovered the endless possibilities of Indie Publishing. There are thousands of writers who have been able to make their work available in eBook format and I'm thrilled to be counted among them. When I started writing fourteen years ago, there was only one path to publication. A writer had to find an agent or editor to advocate for them to a publisher. If the publisher didn't want to take a chance on that writer or book, the writer was out of luck.

I was fortunate in that I found a regional publisher to publisher my first book, but they didn't feel like my next book, Suspicions, was right for their very specific audience, and so declined to publish it. I found this to be extremely demoralizing and it really put a damper on my desire to write.

Then I discovered Indie Publishing. What a revelation! I could write whatever I wanted to write and I could make it available to people as an eBook myself, without getting anyone else's approval. I could control the cover of the book and the price of the book. And then the readers could make a choice of whether or not they wanted to buy it. And they've been buying both books!

Now my desire to write has become like a small flame that has been fed a huge supply of oxygen - it has become a bonfire! No longer do I feel like I'm toiling for hours - and giving up many other activities - just to see my work languish as an unseen file on my computer's hard drive. Now I can polish my work to a sheen and get it out to my readers without needing a third party's permission. What a fantastic feeling!

Another thing I love about Indie Publishing is all the great books I can buy. I'm a reader first and have loved filling my nook color with tons of books. I have a huge TBR pile - and a lot of the books were written by Indie Publishers. The vast majority of Indie Publishers price their books at $2.99 and under (the same price at which my books are priced), so it is easy to take a chance on an unknown writer.

I am excited for my future as a writer. I'm heavily into revisions of my next book and plan to get it to beta readers by the end of March and then out to my readers by summer.

Suspicions is now available!

I'm excited to announce that I've just released Suspicions in eBook format. Here's what it's about: 


When a neighbor boy is kidnapped for ransom, Stacey Hunter is stunned to discover that circumstantial evidence points to her husband. Not able to believe he could be involved in such a horrifying crime, she sets out to discover who is really behind the kidnapping.

Complicating Stacey’s efforts is the odd behavior of her supervisor, Patricia Summers, who has taken a keen interest in Stacey’s husband. Though uncertain of her husband’s faithfulness, Stacey presses on with her investigation to flush out the kidnapper and is faced with losing everything she loves, as well as her own life.

You can download a sample from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. If you like it, you can purchase it from any of those sites for $3.99.

I'm so glad that I have control over the price of my books. When it comes to eBooks, I can't see any reason for a book to cost over $9.99, and I love it when it's under $5.00!

My book is available in eBook format!

It took me less time than I thought it would to format my No Way Out manuscript for eBook format. It's now available on Smashwords.com in formats for all eReaders. I even created the cover, which was a lot of fun.

Click here to go to the Smashwords site: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/christinekersey

I believe eBooks are the future for books, although I don't think physical books will ever go away. At least I hope they don't because I love those too!

I haven't posted in a very long time. I've been busy living life. I've especially been spending time doing one thing I love - reading! I own a Nook eReader and have been loving it! I love it so much that I am going to publish my books in eReader format exclusively.

The rights to No Way Out have reverted back to me and I am currently in the process of formatting it for eReaders. In fact, I have decided to publish my other works in the eReader format as well. I hope readers who enjoyed No Way Out will enjoy my other novels, once they are available. I am revising those works now, while at the same time working on a new novel. I'm excited about the possibilities that eReaders hold for the future of publishing.

I can promise that my books will be well-priced. They will each be under $5.00. I know I love to browse the eBook shelves and find books at bargain prices. I also enjoy the convenience of carrying around a "stack" of books in one small device. I only wish I could buy a physical book and get an eCopy of the same book for only a few dollars more. I truly enjoy having both versions.

Tell me what your experience has been with eReaders and eBooks. Do you find you prefer reading paper books or eBooks? Which device do you use? How often do you buy eBooks?

New Year, New Excitement

I always love the feeling of starting a new year. It feels like a fresh start for accomplishing the things I didn't quite get done the previous year. I've never been great at setting goals - maybe I don't like the commitment. But I'm in the early stages of working on a new novel and I'm excited about the story.

Last year the big focus for several months was my older daughter's wedding. Now that that's over and done with and the holiday's are behind me, I can focus on writing this new novel. My (dare I say it) goal is to have the first draft completed by the end of April. To accomplish this I need to write at least 5000 words a week. That's completely doable.

I'll keep you posted.

Life has been busy

Life has gotten busier lately. My older daughter, Valerie, recently got engaged and my younger son just graduated from high school and is getting ready to go off to college this fall. I've never been one to enjoy planning events - my poor kids haven't had a lot of birthday parties - so a wedding seemed even more daunting. But to my surprise it is actually a lot of fun. Maybe it's because it is such a major event in a person's life, but I am actually having fun working on it.

I admit that I did make my life a little easier by deciding to use a reception hall instead of doing all the work myself. Even so, there are a lot of decisions to make: which photographer to use and which package, what food to serve, how many people to plan for. Still, not having to worry about the linens or the centerpieces, or arranging people to serve the food and clean up afterward is a tremendous relief. If I wasn't working full-time I'm sure it would be different. But my husband and I are happy with the choice to use a reception hall vs doing all the work ourselves. On the Big Day I want to enjoy everything and not stress about the details.

It's somewhat ironic, because when I got married 24 years ago I let my mom plan it all. I was more interested in getting our home figured out and looking forward to starting life after the wedding. Luckily for me, my mom was fine with that. My daughter is more interested in the planning than I was for my wedding, but she and her fiance are focused on finding a condo to buy more than choosing wedding colors. But that's ok. I know exactly how she feels.

We went to Yellowstone National Park last week, and my daughter's fiance, Blake, came along. Here is a cute picture of them at Old Faithful:

Nearly finished kitchen

Here are some before and after pictures from the kitchen remodel. We still need to put a tile backsplash up, but other than that, it is done. The things we redid were: Took out the vinyl floor and put in tile, painted, put in new cabinets, put in an over-the-stove microwave, put in under-counter lighting, and had new granite countertops installed. We also extended the cabinets and countertop on the side of the kitchen where the sink is. The layout is the same, but it is now more up-to-date.

Before

After

More remodeling

We've been on a remodeling frenzy. We are just wrapping up a kitchen remodel. Yesterday the countertops were put in and I will soon have use of my kitchen again. Yay! The kitchen has been out of commission for just over 3 weeks. It hasn't been too bad. The upside is I didn't have to cook - not my favorite activity. But we are all getting tired of microwavable meals.

I will post pictures of the before, during and after soon. (As soon as my husband hooks up the appliances, which will hopefully be tonight.)

The Bathroom is Done

Woo Hoo! After nearly 4 months, our bathroom remodel is complete. My husband did all the work himself, with some help from our oldest son, Ryan. We are very pleased with the results. Here are some before, during, and after pictures. The one above is after.
Dave took it down to studs and added a window, then a new jetted tub, tiled the shower and floor. He added a new cabinet and countertop, toilet, pretty much everything.


The ones below are before and during.


Here are more After pictures:

"Four Things" Tag

I'm glad Katie Parker tagged me. I haven't posted anything in a while because I haven't found a topic I really wanted to talk about. So this will be fun.

Four Jobs I've Had:

1. Medical software technical support/trainer (current job)
2. Paint custom jewelry
3. Library shelver
4. Newspaper delivery person

Four Places I've Lived:
1. Sandy, Utah
2. Salida, California
3. San Jose, California (grew up there)
4. Roseville, California

Four Favorite TV Shows:

1. Lost
2. House Hunters on HGTV
3. Seinfeld reruns
4. American Idol

Four Favorite Foods:

1. Chocolate (chocolate is a food group, right?)
2. Homemade salsa with Tostitos Scoops chips
3. Filet Mignon steak
4. Chicken Cordon Bleu

Four Websites I Frequent:

1. DrudgeReport.com
2. article6blog.com
3. ldspublisher.blogspot.com
4. sixldswriters.blogspot.com


Four Places I'd Rather Be Right Now:

1. Curled on the couch with a good book.
2. Camping in Yellowstone with my family.
3. In Hawaii with my husband.
4. Hanging out with my family.

Four Movies I Love:

1. Lord of the Rings
2. The Bourne Ultimatum
3. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
4. Fun with Dick and Jane.

Four Bloggers I Tag Next:
It would take so long for me to figure out who has and hasn't been tagged already that I'd never actually end up posting this blog. So I will leave it open to anyone who wants to blog on this topic.

Developing Good Habits

Boy it's hard to break bad habits and replace them with good ones. This morning, for example, I dragged myself out of bed at 5 am and spent 30 minutes on the elliptical machine. I had to get up earlier than normal because with only one functioning shower, we have a tight schedule for everyone to get ready in the morning. (Isn't that bathroom remodel done yet, honey?)

Earlier this year, for five months in a row, I'd gotten into the great habit of working out at least four days a week. Then we went on vacation - and it was only for 6 days - but that's all it took for me to get out of the habit of getting up early and exercising. Even though exercising made me feel better and helped me to lose a few pounds, I had trouble motivating myself to get up and do it.

I suppose it comes down to self-discipline and conquering the "natural man". When we're snuggled into our comfortable beds (and mine is super comfortable), and we don't really have to get up yet, it doesn't take much to convince ourselves to sleep that extra thirty to forty-five minutes.

There are lots of good habits I need to develop - eating healthier, reading my scriptures daily, working on my latest novel.

It can be challenging when you get pulled in many different directions at once, difficult to choose the best over the good. I guess what it really comes down to is priorities. Making time for what's most important and discarding the things that waste our time.

What good habits are you trying to develop?

Be Careful What You Text

My 17-year-old son, Mike, was watching the BYU game with my husband on Saturday night (they won - yay!), when he received a text. He didn't recognize the phone number, but of course he read the message. It said, "i am pregnant . . . again".

Being the honest young man that he is, he was about to text the person and tell her that she had sent her message to the wrong number. But then my husband, being the mischievous person that he is, suggested Mike send something else instead. The conversation ensued thusly:

Mike: is your husband excited?

Woman: we both are, armani doesn't know what is going on.

Mike: when are you going to let him know?

Woman: he doesn't understand. we told him he just laughed

Mike: Give him some solid evidence then.

At this point, my son's honest nature took over and he sent the following:

Mike: I'm sorry, but guilt forces me to confess i do not know who you are and that you need to check the number you have been texting to.

Woman: is this not joselynn

Mike: No, I've had this number since January. I've gotten plenty of calls for her though.

The woman never replied to his last message and he had in fact gotten a number of calls for joselyn over the past seven months. I thought this whole exchange was hilarious, but the potential for personal information getting into the wrong hands is extremely high when you text someone without verifying who you are talking to.

Come to think of it, this is a great idea for a novel.

Work Spaces

I like the space around me to feel orderly. Not too long ago I used to keep everything very organized - it's one of my few talents. In fact, my younger sister used to hate it because when we were children, if she went into my room and touched any of my things, I could always tell. Now, however, life is much busier, so it's harder to keep on top of everything. Not that my house is a big mess, but sometimes months will go by before I go through the growing pile on my desk.

I am a very visual person, so I took a picture of my office the other day and decided to post it.

My office is actually our unused formal dining room, hence the odd looking light fixture. (We're going to change that one of these days.) My favorite thing in here are the bookshelves we recently bought from a newly opened IKEA store. It feels good to have a place to put all my photo albums and some of my favorite books, as well as keep my works-in-progress organized.

What I'd really like to do is turn our living room into a library with mostly wall to wall bookshelves filled with all the books that are now in boxes in the basement. I also want to have a nice reading corner with a comfortable chair. But in the meantime, I love my office. And really, one of the big reasons I have such a nice one is because for my day job I work from my home office. I probably spend ten hours a day sitting at that desk, so I wanted to make it something I would enjoy.

Truly though, it doesn't matter where I am when I write my novels. In fact, my first two novels were written in a corner of my bedroom. And sometimes I'll unplug my laptop and go to a different room when it's time to do some writing. The point is, as great as it is to have a work space you love, and even if you have one you hate, when it comes to writing, you probably get so lost in your story that it doesn't matter where you are when you are writing it.

Setting Goals

Goals are admirable. They help you get things accomplished. That is, assuming you have the discipline to follow through. Maybe that's why I've never been big on setting goals. Why set myself up for failure? Or maybe I'm just lazy and if I change my mind no one has to know. I think the latter reason is the most accurate.

I prefer to just jump into projects and work on them when the desire strikes. For example, when I began writing my first novel I didn't tell anyone I was doing it. I wanted to see how far I could get first. Once I was well into it I think I told my husband, mother, and sister. (It's been ten years so I can't remember exactly.) They were all supportive, but I didn't tell anyone else until finishing the book was pretty much assured.

Anyhow, it all worked out, because I finished that first book and went on to write another that same year, which after many, many revisions was finally published. You can learn more about it here, on my website.

The only problem with this method is that it can take just a touch longer to get things done than if I had an end date in mind. Lest you think I'm completely lazy, keep in mind that once I get my mind set on doing something, I stick to it with the tenaciousness of a pitbull grabbing onto the leg of an unsuspecting passerby.

Now that I've started this blog, I realize that I need to post regularly or no one will bother to check for new posts. Hence, I am officially setting a goal to post at least three times a week. There, I've said it. I've even written it down. Hopefully I can stick to it.

Getting on the Blogging Bandwagon

I love reading other people's blogs, especially ones related to writing. I've decided it's high time I start my own blog. The trouble is, I'm so bad about writing in my personal journal (once a year if I'm lucky) it might be a challenge to keep up on this.

But here goes nothing!

Hmmm. What to talk about. I've been reading a fun suspense novel by Traci Hunter Abramson called The Deep End. It's the third in a series and I enjoyed the first two as well. It's about a world class swimmer who is in the Federal Witness Protection Program. CJ, the main character, wants to qualify for the Olympics, but every time she competes she puts herself in danger. There is also the complication of her major league baseball husband, who can't acknowledge that he knows her, let alone is married to her. If you want to know what happens you can read the book for yourself, but it is a fun read.

I've been working on a new novel myself. It's been two years since my first book came out and I'm hopeful that I'll have more published. I don't want to talk about what this book is about because that kind of takes the excitement out of writing it, but it is LDS fiction with romance and suspense.

Other things going on - my husband and I are remodeling one of our bathrooms. It's the bathroom our children use, but it really needs it. We (I use that term loosely since I mostly give suggestions while my husband does all the hard work) gutted the existing bathroom. I mean we took it down to the studs. I'll post some before and after pictures once there is an after. Right now it's going on three weeks and all that "we've" done is put in some wiring for the jetted tub and moved some plumbing so said tub will fit properly. Oh yeah, my husband also put a window in. This bathroom is on an outer wall, so I don't know why it didn't have a window to start with, but it looks so much better already.


Ok. I couldn't resist showing you how yucky the bathroom looked. It's nearly 25 years old. But below is how it looks so far. You can't really tell much, but you can see the pretty new window.

This room is pretty tiny, but I'm sure it will look good after the new tile, vanity, granite countertop, toilet, tub are put in. You name it, it's new. I hope the kids appreciate it.