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This is the first thing I've published that directly addresses Mormonism. It follows a priests quorum as its charismatic first assistant hatches an arguably doctrinal plan for experimental sin. While the young men deal with their new exposure to forbidden behaviors and suffer through some of the guilt that accompanies them, they grapple with their secrets, their relationships and their beliefs.
I began writing this story because I was frustrated at the way Mormonism is perceived by the general public. In various conversations with friends, acquaintances and coworkers, I've struggled to adequately explain how damaging the church can be. So I decided to write an interesting, character-driven novel that could immerse the reader in the culture of the church and illustrate its flaws more effectively than a casual conversation could. Hopefully I've done a good job with all that.
It's free through Wednesday if you're interested in checking it out. Thanks!
Cool. I've bought and enjoyed reading your books. I'll let you know what I think.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your book. I downloaded it yesterday morning and finished it last night.
DeleteYou have an amazing grasp of the difficulties and internal struggles young people face as members of the church. The indoctrination is so deep. Your book does a great job of showing how Mormon youth have to come to terms with living truthful and authentic lives versus living the way the church would have them live.
The very first line of the book got me thinking about myself and other kids I grew up with. Your character Jacob says: "I'm a phenomenal liar" and goes on to explain why and how he became that way. It reminded me how at youth conferences the leaders all but forced everyone to bear their "testimony." I was on the seminary council for 4 years, and desperately wanted a testimony. I kept track. Two 2 different years, I believe I was the only one to not do it, because I KNEW I didn't have a testimony. Pres. Packer advises members to do it anyway: "Oh, if I could teach you this one principle: a testimony is to be found in the bearing of it!" He's telling people to lie to each other. As they do it, they reinforce each other in their lies.
You purposefully bring the common struggles kids face today into the book like the Word of Wisdom, swearing, bullying, sex, masturbation, anti-Mormon literature, bishop interviews, early morning seminary, dealing with member/non-member friends, etc. You show how difficult being a member of the church makes these issues for Mormon kids. In so doing, I believe you accomplish your stated goal of illustrating how damaging the church can be.
Holy crap, that was fast!
DeleteThank you for all that. I'm glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate you saying so. I followed Packer's advice as a teenager but I didn't realize I was lying until later. It's a pretty weird environment and it can mess with your head.
Thanks again. You just made my day!
I noticed that you changed your bio on Amazon, I'm assuming because of the 1 star given by the person who hadn't read the book. For the record, I thought the old bio was funny, and that's coming from somebody who has purchased and read all of your books, including the latest one in the New Devil series. Keep writing!
DeleteYeah, I changed my bio. I'm trying to get Amazon to get rid of the bogus review (which doesn't look like it's going to happen), so I switched to a bio I use on a different site. It probably won't make a difference to Amazon, but maybe since the thing she reviewed has changed, they'll finally consider taking it down. I don't mind negative reviews because it kind of comes with the territory, but this one is particularly aggravating because it's not a review of any substance. Looks like I'll just have to leave it there and find a way to steamroll it with legitimate ones.
DeleteI'm glad to hear you've read all of my stuff! You've given me some fantastic endorsements in your comments on this blog, and I really appreciate the feedback and support. But don't worry, I'm not going to stop writing because of that one angry Mormon reviewer.
I hate it when people give low stars while admitting they haven't even read the book. Amazon needs to change the policy. I always report abuse to Amazon when I see that happen. We reported this one as well as others in the past. I don't mind an honest report based on the reading of the book but not when they say they haven't and won't read it. Yes, please keep writing!
DeleteYeah, I wish Amazon would change the policy. I practically begged the exmormon subreddit to help me out, and it looks like a whole bunch of them reported that review (which was awesome!) but it's supposedly very difficult to get an Amazon review removed.
DeleteThanks for reporting it, though. Every little bit helps!
There are positives to negative reviews, though. Whenever I buy something from Amazon, I look at the 1-2 star reviews to see what they have to say. Very often, they post very silly/stupid reasons like in this case. That just convinces me more to buy. If someone has all 5's, it's usually apparent that they and their friends went on to bump up the scores.
DeleteWell, I hope more people are like you, then! What I'm worried about is that when people see a book by a completely unknown author that barely cracks a three-star average, they won't give it a second look. If I had thirty reviews, I doubt I'd be sweating this one, but with only three, it brings the average down pretty hard. And the two friends of mine who I know are reading it haven't finished, so I haven't had any loyalists pad my resume for me yet. But at least I won't have the problem of the suspiciously high ratings! Maybe down the road this will turn out to be a good thing.
DeleteI finally got around to posting a variation of the review I did on this blog to Amazon.com. I really did like reading the book.
DeleteI just saw that! You just made my day. Now that there's a review with some substance to it, I should be able to start marketing it more easily. I can't thank you enough!
DeleteYou're welcome. I'm sorry I didn't post the review sooner.
DeleteDon't be. You've made for some great discussions on this blog, you've paid for my books...expecting even more than that is just plain greedy. I don't want anyone to feel obligated. I just appreciate the favors!
DeleteThanks! I just downloaded it.
ReplyDeletePfft...thank you! I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to let me know what you think!
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