Don't You Marry the Mormon Boys - review and interview

Visit Cami Checketts' blog today. She's written a review and interviewed me about Don't You Marry the Mormon Boys. Click on the title of this post, leave a comment her blog and you could win a free copy of the book!


Thanks, Cami!

Click on picture to see full-size version. The Sister Pact can be found at Barnes & Noble, Deseret Book,

 Seagull, WalMart, Costco and Target.

Interview with Rachel Ann Nunes, author of Saving Madeline

Today's post is an interview with Rachel Ann Nunes, author of Saving Madeline. Post a comment and you're automatically entered into a contest to win a free copy of the book! Visit Rachel at her website: http://www.ranunes.com/


Q: Tell us a little about Saving Madeline.

A: Saving Madeline is about Caitlin McLoughlin, a public defender, who works hard freeing too many criminal for her peace of mind. When Parker Hathaway is arrested for kidnapping four-year-old Madeline, Caitlin thinks he is just one more criminal she must get through the system, but instead she finds a cause she can believe in. Soon she is in a race to uncover proof that will free Parker and save Madeline before it’s too late.

Q: How did you get the idea for this story?

A: Several years ago, shock radiated throughout Utah when an infant was found dead after ingesting meth she had found in a plastic bag on the floor of her home. What made this tragic circumstance even more notable and horrific is that weeks earlier her father had forcibly taken her across state lines, hoping to protect her from her mother’s substance abuse.

Authorities found the child, placed her back with her mother, and sent the father to jail for assault and burglary. A little over a week later, the baby was dead and the mother was charged with desecration of a dead body for moving her daughter to cover up the mother’s drug abuse.

All charges against the father were eventually dropped. Sadly, this is not the only story of a child becoming the victim of a parent’s drug use. In my research, I found many more instances, some of which I’ve written under the Author Comments for the book on my website at http://rachelannnunes.com/. Though these true-life experiences do not appear in my book, the events inspired me to explore what might have happened in a similar instance. Questions I asked myself include, "Can the ends justify the means in some circumstances?" and "How far would a parent go to save a child they love?"

I have to add that while this book is on a series subject, there is a lot of fun there, too. And romance. I know my readers will be satisfied with the ending!

Q: So when is Saving Madeline available? Where can you buy it?

A: Mid-September. But you can read the first chapter on my website right now (http://www.rachelannnunes.com/). In Utah, all the local bookstores should have it, and you should be able to order it at any bookstore. There are many online stores that will have it.

Q: You have published a lot of books over the years. Tell us about them.

A: Saving Madeline is my 29th published book. My most popular books were probably the Ariana series and the picture book Daughter of a King, primarily because they've been out so long (the first three Ariana novels were recently reprinted under one cover). But I'm most proud of my later novels: Flying Home, Fields of Home, and Eyes of a Stranger. I enjoy writing good stories that will resonate with a wide variety of readers. I like writing family drama, with a lot of characters.

Q: What's coming next?

A: My next book, Imprints, takes another different direction as I'm jumping on the national bandwagon by including a paranormal element. On the day of her father's funeral, Autumn discovers a paranormal gift that allows her to find clues about missing people. Nothing so weird as to put off my regular readers, though. In fact, I'm sure they will enjoy what I have planned. I hope to have four or more books in the series.

Thank you, Rachel!

Book Review: Saving Madeline by Rachel Ann Nunes

Saving Madeline, best-selling author Rachel Ann Nunes's latest romantic suspense novel, takes us into the world of Caitlin McLoughlin, a hard-working and dedicated defense attorney who grapples with daily challenges and conflicts in her professional life while keeping a firm and protective grip on her private life. Devoted to the needs of her beloved sister, who will always require a caretaker, and to her work, Caitlin hardly has a moment for a personal life, much less a serious relationsip. Yet she longs to have it all: her career, marriage, and eventually a family of her own.

Enter Parker Hathaway, Caitlin's new client, whose love and concern for his young daughter dictate his actions in all matters of her well-being. Caitlin struggles to honor and uphold her sworn duties as an officer of the court as she also marshals all her personal and professional tools in an attempt to control the risks her client will take to protect his daughter Madeline. Yet Parker is unpredictable and always one step ahead of her.

Caitlin soon finds herself in a quandary as she becomes increasingly attracted to her client: can she deal with the consequences of her deepening feelings for Parker? Would she be willing to put her career on the line in order to consider a future with him? Will she even consider breaking the law to be with this conflicted, passionate man, whose unquestioned loyalty for his loved ones puts him at odds with the duties and principles of her profession, about which Caitlin is just as passionate? The title of this book could easily be Saving Caitlin, as she struggles with her conscience, her loyalties and her ethics, as well as her growing feelings for Parker, which she cannot deny.

Saving Madeline also serves as a sober reminder that society's innocents, those who have the least power among us, are often those who are most in need of a voice, especially when they are the helpless victims of parental drug abuse. Dedicated and compassionate professionals like the fictional Caitlin McLoughlin and her real-life counterparts continue to be vigilant on their behalf, but protecting these children is a responsibility no one in our society can shirk.

-reviewed by Janet Jensen

Saving Madeline, a novel

by Rachel Ann Nunes
Shadow Mountain, 2009
321 pages

$17.95
Available at Deseret Book, Seagull Book, and amazon.com

Book also contains a discussion guide

Author Rachel Ann Nunes

Visit Rachel at her website: http://www.ranunnes.com/
her wikipedia page : http://www.wikipedia.org/
and her blog: http://www.rachelannnunnes.blogspot.com/

Interview with Cami Checketts, author of The Sister Pact

What inspired you to write the book, The Sister Pact?
I had a nightmare about my sister being pushed down the stairs. I woke up and started writing.


Yikes! (We should mention that your sister is OK!)


On another topic, please list your other titles and their publishers – and tell us where readers can pick them up!

The Fourth of July  and The Broken Path. Both are published by the Wild Rose Press and are available at amazon.com.

What is your involvement with the Romance Writers of Utah/America?

I've been a member of URWA for the past five years. They've taught me a lot about the business and mechanics of writing and are a wonderful group of supportive ladies. This year I'm the assistant newsletter editor which is a nice easy job. Their annual conference is October 9-10. Check it out here - http://www.utahrwa.com/HOWConference.html


What are your next books about, Cami? When can we expect to see them in bookstores?

My next book is a murder mystery set in a lovely retirement center. I'm hoping to get it to the publisher this week, then it takes about 9-12 months to get the book out.



Tell us more about the Child and Family Support Center and why some of your royalties will be donated to it.

The Child and Family Support Center is an amazing group of women who provide 24-hour emergency care to abused and neglected children and teach free parenting classes. Their goal is to keep families together.

I just felt impressed to donate the money to them and then realized that Jared Keller, the officer who helped me with my book, also works with them.

Thanks, Cami!

Book Review: The Sister Pact by Cami Checketts

The Sister Pact
by Cami Checketts

Author Cami Checketts knows how to put her characters in danger - and how to get them out of it. It's the journey from one to the other that hooks the reader. In Sister Pact, sisters Allison and Savannah are very close, so close that one would do anything for the other. And when Allison is gravely injured by an unknown party, Savannah is determined to discover who that party is, and to see that justice is done, no matter what risks she must take. To Savannah's outrage, she is even considered a suspect and must prove her own innocence while trying to find the real perpetrator. She becomes enmeshed in a love-hate relationship with an oh-so-handsome officer of the law in her quest, and major conflicts arise as her dogged pursuit of the truth interferes with his.

The bond of sisterhood is of course a major theme in this book. The subject of eating disorders is also addressed, and through love and support from family and friends, one character whose lifestyle borders on the disorder decides to conquer it. Healthy living and healthy relationships are also emphasized, and several other characters also confront their own personal demons and realize that loving help is there for the asking.

The reader knows there are more stories to be told about these two strong and likable women, and the potential for a series is surely there.

---reviewed by Janet Jensen




Author Cami Checketts

About the author (from the book's bio page): Cami Checketts is a wife, mother, exercise scientist, and avid supporter of Cold Stone Creameries (ice cream parlor). Although clean toilets are a wistful memory, she adores her husband and three wild boys. Sometimes between being a human horse, cleaning up magic potient, and reading Berenstain Bears, she gets the chance to write fiction. Cami has a BS in Exercise Science from Utah State University. She currently has a thriving business as a pro bono fitness trainer. Cami's blog,www. fitmommas.blogster.com, offers fitness advice and strength straining routines for busy women.

Cami lives with her family in the beautiful Cache Valley of northern Utah. During the two months of the year it isn't slowing, she loves to swim, run, and bike.

For more information about Cami and The Sister Pact, check out her website: http://www.camichecketts.com/

A portion of the proceeds from The Sister Pact will be donated to The Child and Family Support Center of Cache County, Inc. For more information on this worthy cause please visit http://www.cachefsc.org/

The Sister Pact
Cami Checketts
Bonneville Books
$15.99

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LATER THIS WEEK: AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR CAMI CHECKETTS

Butterfly, Copenhagen zoo

Houseboat on Copenhagen canal

Utah Shakespeare Festival

" God's Will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.

By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,

Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;

It yearns me not if men my garments wear;

Such outward things dwell not in my desires:

But if it be a sin to covet honour,

I am the most offending soul alive."

" . . . when I come to woo ladies, I fright them . . ."

Henry V rocks!

Copenhagen Ice Bar

The heat wave might have had something to do with our decision to visit this local . . . cold spot. Just about everything is made of ice, including the "glasses" you drink from. The capes do help to keep you warm, and also trap your body heat inside so you won't melt the walls! BJ and Marica enjoy a sip. When we stepped out, Marica's eyeglasses instantly formed a thin layer of frost. Didn't get a picture of that.

Swedish style

From Henry V back to Sweden . . . I snuck a picture of this darling girl in Helsingborg. Stripes, hats, leggings and kerchiefs were part of the stylish garb we saw.

so I am home . . .

I'm leaving again, but will post some of my favorite pictures of our recent Baltic Nations Cruise. This week I'm heading for Utah's Shakespearean Festival, always a summer highlight. I hope to absorb it like a sponge.

Today's photo post: Jyvaskyla (Finland) Jaguars Kicker (BJ) with his wife Marica.